Back to Boston Info Page
Dining
Boston has excellent seafood from the nearby New England coast. Local
specialties include baked beans, cod, and clam chowder. Another local specialty
is ice cream. A variety of excellent ethnic restaurants can be found in
Chinatown and the North End (Italian). The best sit-down restaurants can be
quite crowded in the evenings on weekends. Unless you have a reservation, be
prepared to wait anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, depending on how
refined your tastes are. If you are indecisive, visit one of the outdoor
commercial areas listed in the previous section (or the Prudential) and walk
around until you find something that sounds tasty and in your price range.
Italian
The North End is full of Italian eateries, and it's certain that you'll find
something here to your liking. Take the Green or Orange Lines to the Haymarket
T, follow the pedestrian passageway through the Big Dig, and then follow the
signs to Hanover Street, the main commercial thoroughfare. Most of the good
restaurants are on this street or on side streets. While you're here, may we
recommend:
• Mike's Pastry, 300
Hanover St, Boston. Wherever you eat in the North End, do not order dessert.
Instead, hop on down to Mike's for the Western Hemisphere's best cannolis. (Cannolis
are an Italian pastry dessert filled with a wonderful sweet cheese.) There's
also a rich selection of other deserts available, and a small number of tables
for sit-down service. Mike's can get quite busy, especially at night on the
weekends. 617-742-3050
• Modern Pastry. Best known for their cannolis and cheesecake, both made
on site. Open late Friday and Saturday.
• Pizzeria Regina, 11 1/2 Thacher St., Boston. Where the locals go to
get their pizza. Expect to wait outside in line during peak hours. Cash only.
617-227-0765. There's also a fast-food style booth at Faneuil Hall Marketplace,
though it's not quite the same quality as the main location.
• Woody's
Grill and Tap, 58 Hemenway St. in the Back Bay. For a great pizza
experience, staff, and food quality, try Woody's. Go here for reviews:
• Al Dente Ristorante, 109 Salem St., Boston. This Italian gem has an
amazing selection. Choose your pasta type (about a dozen) and then choose your
sauce (also about a dozen). For a truly excellent combo, try one of their
homemade pastas with a the tangy vodka sauce. Lap the extra sauce down with the
fresh bread and clear your pallet with some nice cold Peroni beer.
• Osteria Rustico, 85 Canal St., Boston. Just outside of the North End,
near the Fleetcenter, lies this tiny gem of a restaurant. There are only 6
tables and the menu is not very extensive, however the exceptional food makes up
for this. Always open for lunch and only open for dinner when events are at the
Fleet, this is a stop to be sure to visit. For lunch, be sure to try the
Casalinga with grilled chicken and for dinner, the seafood pasta is out of this
world.
Budget
• Bob the Chef's, 604
Columbus Ave., Boston 617-536-6204. Inexpensive Southern/Cajun food in the South
End. Very friendly, large portions, live jazz Thurs-Sun.
• South Street Diner,
178 Kneeland Street, Boston (near South Station), 617-350-0028. A great
50s-style, 24-hour diner.
• Durgin-Park, Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Famous for their service with
attitude. Wholesome New England fare, especially prime rib, lobster.
617-227-2038. This place does have highly-rated meals, but can range from about
$8 for a burger, to up to $25-40 for bigger meals (steak/lobster). Expect to pay
at least $20 per person for dinner (not exactly budget...)
• Silvertone Bar and Brill, 69 Bromfield St. A hip after work hangout
with very good "new American" food and the best macaroni and cheese in town,
right near Boston Common. 617-338-7887
• Campo De Fiori, Boston University near Kenmore Square. This new
Italian-French fusion restaurant is located in the base of a graduate student
housing building at BU, in the same courtyard as the famous Comm School (School
of Communications). $6.50 for a filling combo of gourmet food (the Goat Cheese
and Potato Pizza, Palermo sandwich and Tomato Basil Soup are all favorites)
along with a drink is a hard bargain to pass up. Lunch (12-2) can be a tough time
to find a table, but it is well worth it.
Seafood
• Legal Sea Foods, multiple locations, including at Kendall/MIT (Red
Line) and the Prudential Center mall. Legal Seafood is a Boston original - well,
technically Cambridge, since it started as a fish market in Inman Square,
Cambridge. Legal Seafood is known for its excellent, fresh fish, New England
Clam Chowder, and curt, abrupt service. Expect to pay between $25-$30/person at
dinner.
• Barking Crab, 88 Sleeper Street. MBTA: Red line to South Station.
$20-30 per person. Excellent seafood and American cuisine. Outdoor dining in a
clam shack atmosphere, overlooks Boston Harbor and view of downtown. Kid
friendly. Live music daily.
• Union Oyster House,
41 Union Street. MBTA: Green or Blue Line to Government center. $30-50 per
person, but also delicious and much cheaper to eat in the bar section. Oldest
continually operating restaurant in the US. Comfortable atmosphere. A favorite
of John F. Kennedy.
• Summer Shack Restaurant, this place has WONDERFUL selections of
seafood, which change on a daily basis. I have always had better experiences at
this place than some of the bigger names- Legal, Union Oyster. The Summer Shack
has a rotating selection of oysters and clams, and always have fresh lobsters
for boiling or grilling on a wood flame. In addition, their fried seafood (not
the most glamorous, I know) is a great pick if you are looking for the best in
that category. You can expect to pay anywhere from $15-$40 per person for dinner
because of the large range in price of all dishes. Try their raspberry mojitos,
or check out Bukowski's next door for any of their 100+ beers.
Summer Shack Restaurant
Location: 50 Dalton Street in the Back Bay, across from the Sheraton Hotel
entrance and the Hynes Auditorium. 617-867-9955
Thai
• Rod Dee two locations Coolidge Corner and the Fenway. Amazing Thai
Food, amazing value. Walking by it, you might not be impressed, but when you eat
there you will know why there are so many Zagat stickers on the door.
• Noodle St. Commonwealth Ave. near BU East T. This newer establishment
has been a hit with the student crowd with its complex menu of
create-it-yourself Thai fusion at reasonable, if not quite insanely cheap
prices. Try the special buckwheat noodles or the NS soup
Korean & Japanese
• Apollo Grille, 84 Harrison Ave, +1 617-423-3888, open until 4 AM.
Located in Chinatown, stop by for some authentic Korean and/or Japanese cuisine.
The sushi selection is vast, and they're all great. Comfortable environment,
open late, friendly service, and relatively inexpensive. A great place to enjoy
a relaxing meal.
Vegetarian
• Buddha's Delight two locations- Chinatown and Buddha's Delight Too at
Coolidge Corner; they serve Vietnamese food with tofu, fake chicken, fake beef,
fake duck...it's actually all quite good. their spring rolls are very good; as
is their taro. A complete vegan restaurant
• Christophers in Porter Square (in Cambridge) is a great place if you
need both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. They are very vegetarian
friendly, but also have good burgers and beer, and some more yuppie-ish options.
• Grasshopper in Union Square in Allston - another strictly vegan
Asian restaurant with a definite Vietnamese influence. Very delicious and
(arguably) better than Buddha's Delight. Lunch specials under $6, dinner between
$7 - $14 for entrees.
• VeganBoston.com is a great resource for those looking to find
vegetarian or vegan eats in the Boston Area.
www.VeganBoston.com
Splurge
• Abe and Louie's, 793
Boylston Street, +1 617-536-6300. Su-Th 11:30AM-11PM, Fr-Sa 11:30AM-12PM. A
happening steakhouse with some of the best cuts in town. Make sure to get
reservations or come in on off hours, however.
• Fugakyu, Beacon Street, Brookline (Coolidge Corner). Some of
the best sushi in town. It truly lives up to the meaning of its name, "house of
exquisite excellence." Don't worry about bringing people who don't like sushi,
as they have an extensive menu (many pages) of cooked food and appetizers
including shabu-shabu, tempura, katsu, sukiyaki, teriyaki, along with plenty of
vegetarian options. There are many private dining rooms for 4 to 20 people that
can be requested at the door for smaller parties - reservations are only made
for larger groups, along with a large number of open-floor tables.
• Top of the Hub, Prudential Center, Boston. Dine in luxury at the top
of the Prudential Building, the second tallest building in the city. Light jazz,
excellent food, and outrageous prices accompany a view of the city and
everything around. On a clear day, you can see Maine and Cape Cod. Expect to pay
$40/person, $60-80 with drinks at dinner.
• Elephant Walk, Beacon
Street, Brookline. For a slightly different menu combination, The Elephant Walk
has a combined French and Cambodian menu. The setting is elegant enough for a
special occasion, but intimate enough for a date. Expect about $30-40 per person
before drinks.
• Morton's Steakhouse Located near the Hynes Convention Center and
Newbury Street. A conservative dinner for two without drinks will run you about
$150, not including tax and gratuity.
Morton's
Steakhouse
Drink
With a large Irish population, Boston has a number of very good Irish pubs.
Many tourists look for an authentic "Boston Irish Pub". A good rule of thumb is
if the establishment has a neon shamrock in the window, it is not an authentic
Irish pub.
• Doyle's Cafe,
Washington Street (Jamaica Plain). An Irish pub.
• The Burren, Davis Square (Somerville).
An Irish pub once said to pour more Guinness than any other in North America.
• J.J. Foley's, Downtown Crossing (Boston). Hard-drinking Irish
bar for the downtown crowd.
• The Black Rose, Fanueil Hall Marketplace (Boston). Often filled
with tourists on the weekends due to its location, but a favorite of the locals
as well.
• Fire and Ice, Berkeley Street (Boston).
A great place to have fancy blended drinks and appetizers, or you go upstairs
and have some delicious grill. You get to pick your own food and sauces, and
they cook it right in front of you. $16.95, all you can eat. Definitely a fun
place to go on Saturday night.
• Pink is one of the biggest women's bar and club in Boston with DJ,
Dancing, VIP Lounge and more....for women. (LGBT friendly; duh!)
|
