Price Categories
Very Expensive $41 and up
Expensive $31-$40
Moderate $20-$30
Inexpensive Under $20
The tiramisu at many North End restaurants comes from Modern Pastry. The surreally good concoction makes an excellent picnic dessert in the summer. Head 4 blocks down Richmond Street to eat in Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, off Atlantic Avenue.
Weekday breakfast & Weekend Brunch
Several top hotels serve Sunday brunch buffets of monstrous proportions — outrageous displays that are outrageously expensive. They’re worth the investment for a special occasion, but you can have a less incapacitating a la carte experience for considerably less money. Dine on a weekday to get a sense of the neighborhood and mingle with the regulars.
Boston Restaurant Weeks
During Boston Restaurant Week, dozens of places serve a three-course prix-fixe lunch for the decimal equivalent of the year. The third week of August was the original Restaurant Week; it’s now 2 weeks, as is the March incarnation. Popular restaurants book up quickly, so plan accordingly. The Convention & Visitors Bureau lists names of participating restaurants and individual numbers to call for reservations. Ask whether the menu is set yet, and seek out restaurants that really get into the spirit by offering more than just a couple of choices for each course.
The Lunch Line
Try to be near Downtown Crossing at lunchtime at least once during your visit and seek out Chacarero. It serves other things, but the lines are so long because of the scrumptious Chilean sandwiches, served on house-made bread. Order chicken, beef, or vegetarian, ask for it “with everything” — tomatoes, cheese, avocado, hot sauce, and (unexpected but delicious) green beans — and dig in.
Yum, Yum, dim sum
Many Chinatown restaurants offer dim sum, the traditional midday meal featuring appetizer-style dishes. You’ll see steamed buns (bao) filled with pork or bean paste; meat, shrimp, and vegetable dumplings; sticky rice dotted with sausage and vegetables; shrimp-stuffed eggplant; spring rolls; sweets such as sesame balls and coconut gelatin; and more.
The local favorites are Grill 23 & Bar; the Oak Room, in the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel and Abe & Louie’s. Devotees of the national chains can choose from the Palm, in the Westin Copley Place Boston; the Capital Grille; Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar; Morton’s of Chicago and World Trade Center East; Ruth’s Chris Steak House.
Boston Tea Party
In Boston, the only city that has a tea party named after it, the tradition of afternoon tea is alive and well. Reservations are strongly recommended; at the Four Seasons and Taj Boston hotels, they’re pretty much mandatory.
The best afternoon tea in town is at the Bristol Restaurant & Bar in the Four Seasons Hotel. The gorgeous room, lovely view, and courtly ritual elevate scones, pastries, tea sandwiches, and nut bread from delicious to unforgettable. The Bristol serves tea ($28) every day from 3 to 4:15pm.
Taj Boston serves tea in the celebrated Lounge at 2 and 4pm; it’s available Saturday and Sunday in the winter, Friday through Sunday the rest of the year.
The Langham, Boston serves afternoon tea ($31) daily from 3 to 5pm in Bond Restaurant & Lounge. The chain’s flagship is in London, and as you’d expect, this is a proper British experience. The Rowes Wharf Sea Grille, in the Boston Harbor Hotel serves tea daily from 2:30 to 4pm in a lovely room overlooking the hotel marina. It costs $19 to $30. The Mandarin Oriental, Boston serves tea in the Lobby Lounge Thursday through Sunday from 2:30 to 4pm. Swans at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers serves tea Friday through Sunday from 3 to 5pm and offers meatless and dairy-free options.
Two non-hotel destinations are worth considering. The Courtyard restaurant at the Boston Public Library serves tea Wednesday through Friday from 2 to 4pm. And across the river, beloved Cambridge restaurant Upstairs on the Square, shown here, makes a wonderful destination. Zebra Tea is a three-tiered wonder that lets the inventive kitchen cut loose on a small scale. Food and drinks are also available a la carte, and the Grand Peppermint Tea combines minty sweets and a pot of the headliner.
And if you just want a well-prepared cuppa, head to Harvard Square, where Tealuxe, Zero Brattle St., Cambridge has been delighting tea aficionados since 1996. It serves and sells more than 100 varieties and serves light fare and desserts.
Quick Bites & picnic Provisions
If you’re walking the Freedom Trail, pick up food at Faneuil Hall Marketplace and stake out a bench. Or buy a tasty sandwich in the North End at Volle Nolle or Il Panino Express and stroll down Fleet or Richmond street toward the harbor. Eat at the park on Sargent’s Wharf, behind 2 Atlantic Ave., or in Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, overlooking the marina.
Two neighborhoods about the Charles River Esplanade, a great destination for a picnic, concert, or movie. In the Back Bay, stop at Trader Joe’s for prepared food. At the foot of Beacon Hill, pick up all you need for a do-it-yourself feast at Savenor’s Market. Or call ahead for gourmet thin-crust pizza from Figs.
On the Cambridge side of the river, Harvard Square is close enough to the water to allow a riverside repast. About 5 minutes from the heart of the Square and well worth the walk, Darwin’s Ltd., 148 Mount Auburn St., serves excellent gourmet sandwiches and salads. Take yours to John F. Kennedy Park, on Memorial Drive and Kennedy Street, or right to the riverbank, a block away.
The Great Outdoors: alfresco Dining
Cambridge is a better destination for outdoor dining than Boston, where an alarming number of tables sit unpleasantly close to busy traffic, but both cities offer agreeable spots to lounge under the sun or stars.
Across the street from the Charles River near Kendall Square, both restaurant patios at the Royal Sonesta Hotel have great views. The hotel’s ArtBar is casual; Dante is fancier. On one of Harvard Square’s main drags, Shay’s Pub & Wine Bar has a small, lively seating area. More peaceful are the patios at Henrietta’s Table and Oleana.
On the other side of the river, try the airy terrace at Miel in the InterContinental Boston hotel, which overlooks Fort Point Channel. Most bars and restaurants in Faneuil Hall Marketplace offer outdoor seating and great people-watching. In the Back Bay, Newbury Street is similarly diverting; a good vantage point is Stephanie’s on Newbury. A popular shopping stop and after-work hangout is the Parish Cafe and Bar where the sandwich menu is a “greatest hits” roster of top local chefs’ creations.
