Big, brash and bustling, Quincy is starting to flex its culinary muscles.

Nationally acclaimed chef Barbara Lynch (No. 9 Park, B&G Oysters, Menton) leads the list of restaurateurs about to reshape hospitality in “The Mighty Q.”

The rapidly changing dining scene in this diverse community of 93,000 is propelled by the city’s proximity to Boston, a hot real estate market, 26 miles of scenic waterfront, a proud history as the City of Presidents and a wave of downtown retail and residential development.

“We believe in Quincy and want it to become Boston’s next big dining destination,” said restaurateur Jimmy Liang. A leader of the city’s dynamic Asian food scene, Liang, 37, was born in China, educated in Quincy schools and speaks with a classic Boston accent.

He and schoolmate-turned-business-partner Peter Tse operate six Japanese-inspired Quincy eateries (www.jpfujigroup.com), plus two in Cambridge’s Kendall Square and another at Assembly Row in Somerville. They signed a lease Monday to build a 10th restaurant at the Ink Block in the South End.

The Boston food community, meanwhile, is looking at Liang’s hometown with new interest. The first Quincy Food Truck Festival rolls into Pageant Field overlooking Wollaston Beach on Saturday, featuring two dozen of Greater Boston’s most popular food trucks, plus a Samuel Adams beer garden (www.foodtruck?festivalsof?america.com).

Culinary rock star Lynch, meanwhile, is working with her niece, Kerri Lynch-Delaney, to open a yet-unnamed upscale-casual Italian-themed eatery on Cottage Avenue in Quincy Center. Lynch-Delaney owns the popular Babycakes bakery in the Wollaston neighborhood (babycakeshop.net). The new full-service restaurant will specialize in seasonal sheet-pan pizzas baked in a state-of-the-art Rational oven.

“We’ve already perfected the pizza dough,” Lynch boasted last month.

They’ll also re-create the famous steak tips served at former South Boston landmark The Quiet Man. Lynch-Delaney’s father, Paul “Lynchie” Lynch, owned the working-class pub that sat above the Broadway T station.

Devin Adams, who worked for Lynch at Drink in Fort Point, brought much-needed serious cocktail cred to Quincy Center when he opened The Townshend in May (www.thetownshend.com). He and his partners plan to open a second downtown spot next year: a contemporary but casual chef-driven “Beacon Hill-style” tavern with scratch kitchen offering international flavors.

“There’s a lot of energy in Quincy right now,” said Adams.

Other hopeful restaurateurs are re-investing in their businesses. Leo Keka of Alba Restaurant (www.albaquincy?.com) plans to remodel and expand his sprawling Mediterranean steakhouse, beloved for its dry-aged beef, expansive wine list and sun-splashed roof deck (Alba chef David Hutton’s resume includes stints at upscale Boston eateries Mistral and Mooo). Keka also plans to open a new Italian restaurant on Cottage Avenue — a block from the Lynches’ upcoming eatery.

The Fowler House (www.fowlerhousecafe.com), a popular Hancock Street watering hole, re-opened yesterday after a major eight-week renovation. Fans will find a much larger bar area, craft cocktails and new menu items.

Boston restaurant industry veterans John O’Sullivan and Sharon Driscoll took over the former Stadium sports bar in Quincy Center earlier this year and re-opened two weeks ago as Iron Furnace (www.facebook.com/ironfurnancequincy).

The neighborhood pub in the heart of the city offers creative casual plates with local craft beer. Try the beefy half-pound, spice-rubbed Iron Furnace burger, with mustard-laced Red Dragon cheddar, jalapeno bacon, roasted tomato and caramelized onion, held together with a steak knife stuck through the middle.

And nearby Commonwealth Restaurant (www.commonwealthrestaurant.com) proclaims “#big?changesontheway!” on a sign its new owners hung out front last week. The hashtag might speak for all of Quincy.

Fuji 1546 Restaurant & Bar Avocado Salad

3 oz. avocado, sliced

5 oz. cucumber, thinly ? julienned

3 oz. anikama (imitation crab ? sticks)

1 T. tobiko

1 T. mayonnaise

1 t. soy sauce

1/2 oz. flying fish roe (optional)

3 oz. red crab meat (optional)

Spring mix salad

Lightly mash avocado slices. Add all remaining ingredients except crab meat and mix together well. Place on top of spring mix. Top salad with crab meat. Serves 1.

(Fuji 1546 Restaurant & Bar, 1546 Hancock St., Quincy, 617-770-1546, ?www.fuji1546.com)

The Townshend Adams Green Cocktail

For the cucumber shrub:

1 c. diced cucumber, skin on

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. white vinegar

Macerate cucumber with sugar. Add vinegar and stir until sugar dissolved. Soak cucumber 24 hours. Blend and strain. Chill shrub until ready to mix.

For the cocktail:

1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice

3/4 oz. cucumber shrub

2 oz. Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker over ice. Shake vigorously to crack ice cubes into flakes. ?Strain into coupe. Makes ?1 cocktail.

(The Townshend, 1250 Hancock St., Quincy, 617-481-9694, www.thetownshend.com)