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.

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!)