Boston-Ma Food-Restaurants

Boston-Ma Food-Restaurants information

Fine Dining

Aujourd 'Hui *** Four Seasons Hotel 200 Boylston St Tel: +1 (1)617-338-4400 Treat yourself at this refined dining room, named Zagat's Most Popular Boston Restaurant, one of only two in the city awarded AAA's five diamonds, and repeatedly honored for decor, wine, and the French-influenced cuisine. Taste New England's best in corn soup with pureed potato and smoked haddock, Maine lobster with crabmeat wontons, or snapper with mussels, clams, and saffron broth. Sunday brunch is a spectacular treat with carved roast beef, sushi, roasted vegetables, seafood, salads, fruit trays, and 20 types of pastry. Hamersley's Bistro *** 553 Tremont St Tel: +1 (1)617-423-2700 Ranked at the very top of Boston's restaurants there is nothing presumptuous about this warm and welcoming French bistro. Gordon Hamersley is known for his grilled mushroom appetiser, roasted chicken with parsley and lemon, and banana/chocolate/rum cake. Fresh flavours pop out of innovative salads, house made fruit sorbet and ice creams, tender steaks, and nut-crusted seafood. Tea at the Ritz *** 15 Arlington St Tel: +1 (1)617-536-5700 It's a 75 year old tradition. When the rush to see, learn, and do becomes too much, or that New England weather turns on you, this may be your best escape. Kindly staff escort you to the refined tea room where harp music plays, comfortable couches await, and the greatest stress that arises is over which tea to order. Choices include a sweet tray and savoury tea sandwiches or sweets alone. Kids are treated like royalty here. Reservations recommended.

Traditional New England

Durgin Park ** 340 Faneuil Hall, Market Place Tel: +1 (1)617-227-2038 A casual market ambience hides one of Boston's most popular restaurants - Durgin Park has been feeding hungry locals for over a century. Traditional New England dishes such as corned beef and cabbage, lobsters and a fantastic clam chowder are all served up in generous portions for reasonable prices (fluctuating depending on the day's market price for fish). A combination of location and quality means that you might have to wait for a table, but it's worth it.

International

Radius *** 8 High St Tel: +1 (1)617-426-1234 "Playfully sophisticated" is this restaurant's own description. is modern, as is the artistically presented food. Each bite reveals layer upon layer of flavour, including cote-de-boeuf in red wine reduction and Chatham halibut with caramelized turnips and haricot vert. Harvest *** 44 Brattle St, Cambridge Tel: +1 (1)617-868-2255 Most everything about Cambridge is more relaxed than Boston and Harvest is a testament to that. Exquisite food and impeccable service in this gently lit Harvard Square restaurant. Dress here is more black turtlenecks than jacket and tie and the conversation is always erudite from the Harvard alumni who patronise it.

Indian

Mantra *** 52 Temple Place Tel: +1 (1)617-542-8111 The European-trained Indian chef/owner presents the flavours of his native country with the sophisticated influence of French cooking. It's the site of Boston's hottest scene at night and the city's best gourmet meal deal at lunch. Indian flatbreads are served with regional cranberry loaves. Fusion at its best. Indian spice haddock melts in your mouth.

Sea food

Legal Sea Foods ** Locations include: Long Wharf, Copley Place, 100 Huntington Ave, 800 Boylston St and various others across town Tel: +1 (1)617-266-6800 (Boylston St branch) New England's history and cuisine is linked with her coastal location, and this is the place in Boston for seafood. Legal's has been serving some of the region's best, at moderate prices, for 40 years. Lobster, of course, fish chowder served at presidential inaugurations, and excellent grilled, Cajun spice, or Asian-influenced dishes. No Name Restaurant * 15 Fish Pier Tel: +1 (1)617-338-7539 There's no sign, not much ambience, and no pleasantries but seafood doesn't get fresher or cheaper than this unless you catch it yourself. Come for the fried and broiled dishes, waterfront view, and consistently excellent food.

Italian

Trattoria Il Panino * 11 Parmenter St and Faneuil Hall Tel: +1 (1)617-720-1336 (Parmenter St branch) There's nothing Americanised about the incredible pasta, chicken, or veal dishes at this simple Italian eatery in the heart of the North End. Don't miss the antipasto, perfect gnocchi with fresh basil, and seafood, mushroom, or spinach ravioli. Pizzeria Regina * 11 Thatcher St Tel: +1 (1)617-227-0765 A North End institution, Pizzeria Regina has been offering the citizens of Boston pizza from its brick oven for the last 77 years, and business shows no sign of slackening. A great place for an Italian/American pizza and a couple of beers.

Malaysian

Penang * 685 Washington St Tel: +1 (1)617-451-6372 This Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown serves familiar Asian favourites and more to a grateful Boston crowd where affordable, multi-ethnic dining, including Thai and Portuguese influence, gets rave reviews.

Chinese

Chau Chow City *** 81 Essex St Tel: +1 (1)617-338-8158 If you like Dim Sum then head for Chau Chow City, three floors of frenetic dining in the heart of Chinatown. It's noisy, crowded and seemingly chaotic, but the food makes it all worthwhile. It's genuinely Chinese though, and if you don't speak the lingo don't expect the waiters to slow down to explain anything to you. Just order away - everything is cheap and everything is delicious. East Ocean City ** 27 Beach St Tel: +1 (1)617-542-2504 This rather functional looking restaurant combines two of Boston's favourite things, Chinese cooking and fish. The room is completely dominated by its fish tanks where the dishes of the day while away their final hours, but it's best not to introspect too much. The perfect taste of the food when it arrives should erase any pangs of guilt you might have. Buddha's Delight ** 5 Beach St Tel: +1 (1)617-451-2395 This inventive vegetarian restaurant isn't the most welcoming of Chinatown's many eating establishments, but if you eschew meat and dairy products then you should venture inside - for vegans this is heaven sent. That isn't to say that only vegans should cross the threshold here, you'll be amazed at the variety in taste and texture the chefs manage to create in humble tofu and soya.

Bars

Boston is a pub town, and has been ever since the first thristy sailors hove into port. The city's Irish credentials have resulted in a remarkable number of Irish themed pubs, but many of them have well established credentials and avoid the "oirish"that has proved so popular over recent decades. The upshot is that you won't have any problem finding a place to refresh yourself - whether your tipple of choice is a sophisticated latte or a foaming pint of Sam Adams, the local brew. It is impossible to offer an exhaustive list of pubs and bars - there are simply too many, we can merely point you to a few likely areas and choice establishments to get you started. Harvard Square, Cambridge is the place to go if you want not just a cup of coffee but a place to take up residency for an hour or an afternoon to read the papers, catch up on your journal, or start the novel you've been meaning to write. You'll be in good company. Newbury St is where you go for drinks, evenings and late nights especially, to mingle with the beautiful people. It's where one goes to be seen, so dress for the occasion. Kenmore Square and Commonwealth Ave all the way into Allston draws the college crowd from Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and many nearby colleges. Beer is big here. Doyle's 3484 Washington St Tel: +1 (1)617-524-2345 This is more than a 100-year-old Irish pub. It's practically a local holy site, a museum to beer, and favorite hangout of local politicians and just plain regular folk. Serves over two dozen drafts and features locally-made Sam Adams beer. Boston Beerworks 61 Brookline Ave Tel: +1 (1)617-536-2337 Beer is brewed on premises with seasonal flavours including local favorites blueberry and watermelon (both better than they sound, or look). Just don't go after a Red Sox baseball game when crowds are brutal. Caffé Vittoria 296 Hanover St Tel: +1 (1)617-227-7606 It's a step back to Old World Italy. You'll hear Italian spoken as you sip grappa or espresso from tiny café tables. Clerys 113 Dartmouth St Tel: +1 (1)617-536-9874 This popular Back Bay hangout attracts pretty much a cross section of society, but manages to retain its own pressure free, convivial ambience. Good honest food and pints of beer form the bill of fare. Algiers 40 Brattle St, Cambridge Tel: +1 (1)617-492-1557 Every Harvard Square café has its own character but this one has more ambience than most with a Middle Eastern motif and menu, and a wide selection of coffee, tea, and espresso drinks. Smoking section upstairs. Sonsie 327 Newbury St Tel: +1 (1)617-351-2500 Yes, they serve lunch and dinner here too but the scene, which spills out onto Newbury St. is definitely for drinks at night. Top of the Hub 800 Boylston St Tel: +1 (1)617-536-1775 Unquestionably Boston's best drink with a view, from the top of the Prudential Center in Back Bay. Even Boston's congested streets look enchanting from this perspective, especially as the sun gets low and the city lights begin to sparkle. Bell in Hand Tavern 45-55 Union St Tel: +1 (1)617-227-2098 Dating from 1795 the Bell' is allegedly the oldest public house in the USA, and it has a plaque to prove it. It has largely resisted the temptation to fake some "Ye Olde" make up and the clientele isn't made up of the old regulars you'd expect, but rather some surprisingly young things. The Green Dragon 11 Marshall St Tel: +1 (1)617-367-0055 If you're on a historic drinking session then you might as well fall out of the Bell' and into the Green Dragon nearby. With a dateline of 1773 this pub is actually older than its neighbour, although having had several rebuilds in that time it doesn't qualify for the coveted oldest pub title. Instead the Green Dragon can claim a noble pedigree, being where the sons of liberty got together and decided to create America.