October 13, 2026 By Community Editor Erin Elefante (Images Provided By Matt Li)
Rubato, a Hong Kong-style street café in Quincy, is worth adding to your dining list.
Opened by Chef Laurence Louie four years ago, the restaurant has become a local favorite, serving a mix of traditional Chinese fare and creative twists on classics. Nominated for a James Beard Award in 2024 and named one of Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants in 2023, Rubato has been making waves since it opened with its flavorful food and easygoing atmosphere.
This year, however, the restaurant reached new heights of recognition when Louie became a finalist and fan favorite on Bravo’s Top Chef. His blend of innovation and authenticity, along with his ability to share his culture through food, earned him multiple Quickfire and elimination challenge wins and a place among the competition’s final three chefs.
Cha Siu Claypot Rice Bowl from the new menu
Rubato is small and welcoming. Guests order at the counter in front of the open kitchen before taking their food to go or settling into the limited counter-style seating along windows overlooking Hancock Street. The food comes out quickly, and there is plenty to love on the menu.
Among our personal favorites are the Lava Egg Yolk French Toast, stuffed with sweetened condensed milk and cookie crumbs; the Beef Brisket Bao, featuring tender, savory brisket in a fluffy steamed bun; and the restaurant’s signature Fried Chicken Bolo Sandwich, which pairs a perfectly seasoned, crispy chicken thigh with tangy sesame slaw and a flavorful sauce on a homemade bun.
If you’ve ever thought that being friends with a chef must come with its perks, the story behind the Fried Chicken Bolo Sandwich will confirm that.
Louie explained that he spent considerable time researching fried chicken, enlisting friends as taste-testers to sample different versions and weigh in on their favorites. The resulting recipe has remained unchanged since the sandwich first appeared on the menu, and it continues to be a crowd-pleaser.
“Growing up Chinese American, baos are a classic bakery good, and living in Boston and in the US, I don’t know many things that are better and more cravable than a fried chicken sandwich,” Louie said. “This is my version of one, and it is a representation of my upbringing.”
Starting Friday, October 9, Rubato is expanding its hours with Rubato @Night, a new dinner service featuring an expanded menu.
For Top Chef fans, the menu will include nods to some of Louie’s winning dishes, including his Cantonese steamed fish, which he once prepared for his wife on their first date. New offerings include a cha siu clay pot rice bowl, which Louie describes as “a Chinese barbecued pork belly with an egg yolk and veggies on top of fluffy rice with a crispy, buttery rice bottom.”
Count us in!
My family loved watching Top Chef together and rooting for our favorite, Chef Laurence, who happened to be a local chef. We’ve visited Rubato many times to enjoy its flavorful food, often catching a glimpse of Louie in the kitchen. On one visit, he noticed my boys whispering excitedly and came out to chat with them and take a photo.
When I told him how much the interaction meant to them, he said that meeting young fans was one of the best parts of being on Top Chef.
“I never realized how much watching the show together bonds families and friends until I started talking to the fans, and it really is a beautiful thing,” he said.
Shrimp Toast
We recently had the opportunity to chat with Louie about Rubato’s history, his Top Chef experience, and the evolution of Quincy’s restaurant scene.
Q: How do you describe the history and concept behind Rubato?
A: Rubato is a café in North Quincy, in a space that was my mom’s bakery for 22 years. My wife and I were living in London when my mom called to ask if we wanted to take over the family bakery.
It became apparent that it was such a good opportunity to continue the legacy my mom had built, to keep contributing to the Quincy community, and to be part of something that had been a neighborhood staple for more than 20 years.
As a second-generation Chinese American, it meant a lot to have a platform to showcase my upbringing and the type of food I grew up eating, and to represent my community and our shared experiences. It’s been a real privilege to be in that space and share our food for the past four years.
Q: What was the coolest part of being on Top Chef, or was there a moment that particularly stood out to you?
A: To be able to cook the type of food I was cooking on that big of a national stage, and to represent my community, my food, and my experience in a really true and authentic way.
The resonance it had with the community was incredible. Different people have come up to me afterward and said, “Yo, I can’t believe you made Cantonese steamed fish on Top Chef.”
That dish is very much the kind of home cooking people grow up with, and seeing it on TV and doing well while competing against fine-dining chefs is validating. It shows that it really is good food. That was the biggest opportunity for me.
In terms of special moments, it was when my wife came on the finale. It was a total surprise to me, and I think I cried for, like, the third time on national TV.
Q: How has the Quincy restaurant scene evolved since your mother opened her bakery, and how does it feel to be part of that community?
A: I think over the past 25 years, it’s changed a lot. When I grew up in my mom’s bakery, Quincy was more Irish and Italian. When Chinese folks started coming in, things changed. As more Chinese restaurants opened, it was like, wow, there’s access to all this, and I don’t have to drive to Chinatown.
As Quincy became more residentially Chinese, it was cool to see the markets pop up and see all these things that signify community, like health centers, libraries, language programs, and after-school programs. There’s a thriving community here, and the food comes with that.
I think we were part of the frontier of a new wave of second-generation businesses that are really exciting and getting the attention of the Boston and greater Boston food scene. People are taking the opportunity to open businesses outside of Boston, where it’s more affordable.
When we opened Rubato, Quincy wasn’t known as a food destination. Now there’s a lot going on. We’re all excited, and we all talk because it’s such a tight community. It’s felt really nice to be part of it.
There are some exciting chefs doing cool things around us, including our neighbors Niveaux Patisserie and Lê Madeline. Being able to go across the street and say, “Hey, do you have any oil or cheese or sugar?” is all part of the community you build. I think it’s really nice to have folks who understand that.
Another place my wife and I love to go is Dottie’s in Quincy Center.
Being Chinese American, we have different audiences. We have some very traditional Chinese dishes that my mom had on her menu and that I grew up eating and feel very connected to, like pork and century egg congee. We want to stay true to that.
That’s breakfast for some folks, and then our menu has a Fried Chicken Bolo, which is something I don’t think my mom has ever had. So I think we try to engage multiple generations.
As a second-generation immigrant and now a father myself, I feel positioned as a chef to be able to do that, and I’m really grateful for that.
Rubato is located at 412 Hancock St., Quincy, MA 02171, and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. You can find the menu online at www.rubato-food.com and follow the restaurant on Instagram at @RubatoFood and @laurence_louie.
On Socials @RubatoFood and Chef Laurence Louie at @laurence_louie