Where to eat in Boston

Boston is a fairly big city, which means there’s a lot of options when it comes to eating out. Apparently there are around 3,000 restaurants to choose from in Boston – not as many as Manhattan in New York, which has around 17,000 restaurants – but still, that’s a lot to consider when deciding where to eat! Having been to Boston twice, here’s where we enjoyed eating – that suits a range of budgets.

Stephanie’s on Newbury

Stephanie’s on Newbury is a very popular breakfast/brunch spot. As we didn’t have a reservation, and it was so popular, we had to eat in the bar area (which was pretty full too). It’s definitely a spot where locals like to go, which is always a good sign. The food was yummy and the portions were big (with the price to match). The service could have been a bit better, however I put it down to being in the bar section and the fact that it was full. If you’re looking for a hearty breakfast give Stephanie’s a try.

Flour Bakery and Cafè

Flour Bakery and Cafè was only a short walk from our hotel the first time we visited Boston. We liked the food so much, we had breakfast here three times and we went back again on our second visit to the city. It’s really popular so you may have to wait a little while to get a table (it’s not table service, you order at the counter and then pick up your order when they call your name). There is a wide variety of food to choose from – from breakfast sandwiches to pastries and French toast, and the coffee was great. They also do lunch dishes, such as sandwiches and salads if you’re looking for a light (or quick) lunch.

They have a number of branches all across Boston, including near Harvard in Cambridge, so chances are there will be one near your hotel. The great thing about them is that they open early at 7 am, so perfect for those who are jet-lagged!

Tatte Bakery and Cafè

Hands down the best coffee and pastries we had in Boston! Like Flour, Tatte Bakery and Cafè has loads of locations around Boston and they’re a bit more trendy too. But… they can get really busy! We went three times to the one in Back Bay that was closest to our hotel, The Whitney, and only once did we not have to wait for a table.

They serve a wide range of dishes, including delicious pastries, sandwiches, quiche, soup and shakshuka. They don’t do table service though. You order and pay at the counter and then they bring your food to you when it’s ready. So my top tip is that one of you queues to order and pay whilst the other looks out for when a table is free!

Dolce in Little Italy

If you’re exploring Little Italy and fancy a coffee or an ice-cream, head to Dolce. Completely unassuming but what we loved about it was all the Italians who frequent it. My husband felt like he was in the Motherland! They also showed Italian football on the TV so my husband was in his element. And yes, as expected, the coffee was really good. Note though that they only take cash, no cards.

Row 34

If you’re a fan of oysters and raw seafood, then Row 34 is the place to be. We went for lunch, which had a fairly small menu and, not being a fan of oysters, it limited our choice even more. However, we loved what we ordered! We went for clam chowder to start, which was delicious. New England clam chowder really is different to the clam chowder you get in California, and I think I preferred it. We then had an apple, walnut and blue cheese salad, which cleansed our palate after the chowder, followed by a buttered lobster roll to share. Oh my, it was yummy. Row 34 has a great vibe, nice decor and the service was good.

Ciao Roma

Located right by Paul Revere’s House in Little Italy (the North End) is Ciao Roma, which is a Roman-inspired Italian restaurant. We went for lunch on a Sunday and it was really busy. As we didn’t have a reservation, we sat downstairs in the bar area – which was really pretty and had a great view of the street.

I wouldn’t say it’s the best Italian food I’ve ever had (I mean, I’m married to an Italian so expectations are always high!) but it was decent enough. We ordered some meatballs and a bruschetta with pumpkin and burrata, which were pretty good. The meatballs were a bit garlicky for our taste but they were still yummy.

We decided to share a pasta, which was a good decision as the portion was big! We opted for the cavatelli with sausage, broccoli rabe and Parmesan. What I loved was that they divided the pasta for us so we didn’t have to share from one plate. The pasta was pretty tasty and the sausage was really good quality. Even though we were sat in the bar area, and served by the barman, the service was great.

Luke’s Lobster

One day we really fancied some clam chowder and a lobster roll but we didn’t want to go to an expensive restaurant. So I Googled ‘best lobster roll Boston’ and Luke’s Lobster was one of the ones that came up and we happened to be less than a 5 minute walk away from one of their branches. Interestingly Luke’s started in NYC and now has branches around the US, including Tokyo and Singapore!

What I loved about Luke’s Lobster is its commitment to traceable, sustainable seafood. They work directly with local fisherman so they always know exactly where their seafood comes from. Even though they are a bit like a fast-food restaurant, don’t expect a cheap meal. We had a small clam chowder (very yummy), two soft drinks and a lobster roll and it was over $45. The lobster roll had a lot of lobster meat – it was very generous! It seems to be tradition that you eat your clam chowder with crackers and your lobster roll with crisps as it was also served like that at Row 34.

Hei La Moon

Boston’s Chinatown may be small but it’s definitely authentic. We had lunch at Hei La Moon, which was absolutely packed with local Chinese diners, and some of the staff spoke very little English. Carts with dim sum and other Chinese specialties, such as chicken feet, are wheeled around the restaurant where you can choose what you like. There is of course a menu too where you can order from a waiter. It was quite chaotic and not exactly fine dining but the food was good and really reasonable.

Taiwan Cafe

Taiwan Cafe in Chinatown has been around for about 30 years and is consistently named one of the best places to eat in Chinatown by Eater Boston. I have to say, the menu was pretty large and a bit overwhelmingly so we stuck to what we know – soup dumplings – and we also tried the Taiwan fried dumplings.

After the dumplings we had the Taiwanese noodles with pork. They were really good but I was hoping for more vegetables. The food we ordered was all pretty beige!

The food was really tasty and the portions are huge. We couldn’t finish the noodles – especially after 14 dumplings! Note that they don’t serve wine (only beer and sake) and no bottled water, just soft drinks.

Deuxave

The first time we visited Boston, Deuxave was our favourite meal so we knew we had to go back. And I’m delighted to say that, years later, it didn’t disappoint! If you’re looking for more refined, sophisticated dining then put Deuxave on your list.

Located at the corner of Commonwealth and Massachusetts Avenues (hence the name) Duexave is a neighbourhood restaurant but also a destination restaurant. The food is fantastic – modern, beautifully presented, perfectly executed and delicious.

The restaurant also has great decor with a big fireplace, low lighting and a lovely ambiance. The service was excellent too. Highly recommend for a special occasion or if you’re looking for a more fine dining experience.

Mooo

If you’re looking for a great steak, head to Mooo in Beacon Hill. Terrible name but fantastic food. Even though we’d gone for a steak, when I saw a Beef Wellington being brought out to another table, I knew I had to order it. The pastry could’ve been a little bit more flaky but the beef and filling was perfect. My husband had the ribeye and it was cooked exactly to his taste. The fries were also so good and one portion was enough to share. Unfortunately the spinach side we ordered had way too much garlic that we couldn’t eat it but they happily took it off the bill. Lovely restaurant, fantastic steak and great service.

Ocean Prime

We booked Ocean Prime for New Year’s Eve so it was probably a different dining experience than on a normal night. We only managed to get a table in the bar area, rather than the restaurant, which has TV screens everywhere – not what we’d normally choose. As it was New Year’s Eve it was pretty lively but definitely fun! The food was so good and surpassed my expectations, given how busy the restaurant was. One of the highlights, for me, was the tuna tartare with avocado, crispy wontons and ginger ponzu. Oh my gosh, it was delicious!

Even though it’s predominately a seafood restaurant, there are lots of vegetarian and meat options. I ordered the Heritage pork chop with roasted tomatoes, braised fennel, leeks and a sherry reduction as my main. It was delicious and the pork was cooked perfectly – slightly pink and not dry at all. My husband had the ribeye and it was also cooked perfectly, however it could have been seasoned a bit more.

The biggest surprise of the night was the dessert. My husband wanted to order the ‘warm butter cake’, which I genuinely thought would be a slice of vanilla cake served warm but it was a proper dessert and absolutely the best dessert we had in Boston!

Even though Ocean Prime is a chain of restaurants across the US, we really enjoyed it. The food was really good and our server was fantastic. I’d definitely return but I’d like to experience the restaurant area next time.

The Capital Burger

It’s always a tradition for us when we are in the States over New Year to have a burger on our last day before we fly home. We decided to try The Capital Burger on Newbury Street, after Googling ‘best burgers in Boston.’

The Capital Burger was a special feature on the menu at The Capital Grille and had such a cult following that they opened a restaurant dedicated to serving the best burger ever. I ordered the Cheeseburger with a side of chopped kale salad (which had an Asian peanut dressing and was delicious) and my husband ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger with fries. We were asked how we’d like our burgers cooked and we both said medium-rare. In hindsight I think I should’ve gone with medium but it was still really good. Our server did check with us on whether it was cooked to our liking, which was appreciated. Thankfully the fries were a good sized portion so I could have some too! All in all, a really good burger.

I hope you’ve been inspired to try some of these restaurants and cafes. And if you’ve been to Boston let me know which ones I should try next time I visit.

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