Harvard Square winners in other categories were Jasmine for trendy women's clothing and women's shoestore and Alpha Omega for watch store. Chains with branches in the Square also earned honors, with City Sports taking the prize for athletic clothing and equipment, Crate & Barrel winning for all-purpose home store and Tweeter earning accolades for stereo and video equipment. The American Repertory Theater's production of Don DeLillo's play Valparaiso also earned a prize for best theater production, while the annual Head of the Charles boat races were named the best spectator sport.

The Improper Bostonian has published their Boston's Best list for the past eight years. At a dinner sponsored by the magazine, the judges--a group of Boston personalities from D.J.s to politicians--nominated their top picks for several hundred categories. The magazine's editorial staff made the final decisions.

The Improper Bostonian won the right to publish this year's list after a legal battle with Boston Magazine last year. Boston Magazine, whose own Best of Boston list has been published for 26 years, sued the Improper Bostonian over their use of the phrase "Best of Boston."

According to John Strahinich, the executive editor of Boston Magazine, the Improper Bostonian had violated an agreement between the two magazines, which stated that The Improper Bostonian would not use the term "Best of Boston" in reference to its list.

Boston Magazine won the case, and its own list will be published in August.