Things to do in Boston
You may just be in Boston for a couple days, but we've lived here for a couple years (and Kelly grew up here). So here are some of our suggestions for things to do if you have some free time while you're in town. Unfortunately, some are in pseudo-latin.
North End
Museum of Science
Green Line: Science Park. Technically it’s not in the North End, but that is what it is closest to. This is probably Boston’s best museum, and if you hit one this weekend, this should be it.
Neptune Oyster
Yes, the North End is known for its okay Italian Food, but Neptune Oyster is one of Kelly’s favorite seafood restaurants in Boston, though It’s on the very pricey side. Lots of oysters, lot of fish, and some lobster rolls. There are no reservations. If you want to eat here for lunch on Saturday or Sunday in September at 11 am when they open, get here at 10 am for guaranteed seating. The menu is exactly the same for lunch and dinner.
Ward 8
On the Garden side of the North End. Great for Mixed Drinks and Maple Chili Duck Wings (no really, order them if you are here, sometimes I even order two).
Freedom Trail
Green/Orange Line: Haymarket. Want to see some of the historical sites of Boston? Start here as it’s a good overview of all the Revolutionary War stuff in Boston proper. You can either use the website to see it on your own, or take a tour (some tour guides are snarkier then others).
Mike's Pastry
So there is a fight between Mike’s and Modern for what is the best Canoli in Boston. Try both and figure out for yourself.
Modern Pastry
So there is a fight between Mike’s and Modern for what is the best Canoli in Boston. Try both and figure out for yourself
Bova's
It’s open 24/7, great place to get food after closing call in Boston.
Subway
One of Evan’s favorite eateries.
Fanuiel Hall/Financial District
Aquarium
Blue Line: Aquarium. It’s free to see the Harbor Seals outside the aquarium. Inside the aquarium you can look at penguins, fishes, or most importantly, the fur seals and sea lions.
Union Oyster House Tavern
Yes it is historical, but avoid here at all costs. Great Boston Globe Review here
Fanuiel Hall/Quincy Market
Green/Orange Line: Haymarket, Orange Line: State Street, Green/Blue Line: Government Center. Historically important, but it’s now just a mall.
Boston Public Market
Green/Orange Line: Haymarket. Vegan/Vegetarian Friendly. Where Kelly gets a lot of the seafood, meat, and veggies we eat. Lots of quicker local dining options (Kelly enjoys Naella Pasta, and most people love Bon Me). Definitely check out Union Square Donuts if you go.
Durty Nelly's
Green/Orange Line: Haymarket. Closest thing to a dive bar in the Fanuiel area. Nice bartenders, interesting regulars, one of Kelly’s regular haunts (you can always ask the bartender for dominos to play while drinking if it’s not too busy). Also one of the few bars in Boston that lets you bring in your own food.
Subway
One of Evan’s favorite eateries.
Downtown Crossing
Sam LaGrassa's
Green Line: Park, Orange/Red Line: Downtown Crossing. If you are going to get a sandwich in Boston, this is where you get a sandwich in Boston. Unfortunately it’s not open on weekends.
Haley Henry
Green Line: Park, Orange/Red Line: Downtown Crossing. One of Kelly’s favorite wine bars (RIP Belly). Interesting natural wine mixed with 90’s hip hop, small plates, and tinned fish. Got a lot of great press in June 2017, so it might have become too crowded for Kelly by the time you are reading this.
Cultivar
Orange Line: State Street, Green Line: Government Center. Expensive, but really good food. Desserts are fantastic.
Stoddard's
Green Line: Park, Orange/Red Line: Downtown Crossing. Great mixed drinks, okay food, awful service.
Chacarero
Green Line: Park, Orange/Red Line: Downtown Crossing. Chilean Sandwiches. One of the few Chilean food places in the US. If you have any dietary restrictions, I would not suggest, as the menu is really small.
jm curley's
Green Line: Park, Orange/Red Line: Downtown Crossing. One of the better burgers on the Boston side of the Charles, good beer list, and always a good time.
Pabu
Green Line: Park, Orange/Red Line: Downtown Crossing. Michael Mina’s only Boston Restaurant. It’s solid Japanese food, and yes I mean every type of upscale Japanese food.
Herrera's
Green Line: Park, Orange/Red Line: Downtown Crossing. Possibly the best non-burrito but quick Mexican place in Boston. Mostly because we have almost none.
Falafel King
Vegan/Vegetarian Friendly. What Kelly believes is actually the best of the Shawarma places in this area (there are like 12 different ones).
Ruka
Orange/Red Line: Downtown Crossing, Green: Park. Peruvian Japanese Fusion. Pricey, but one of Kelly’s favorite new restaurant’s from 2017 in Boston.
Yvonne's
Orange/Red Line: Downtown Crossing, Green: Park Street. Interesting “speakeasy.” The drinks are great, a lot of people rave about the food, but we haven’t found it that great. That might be because we never go in a large enough group to get some of the huge shared plates.
Subway
One of Evan’s favorite eateries.
Chinatown/Theater District/Leather District
Townsman
Orange Line: Chinatown, Red Line: South Station. One of the trendier Boston restaurants, very good food, great wine, but a bit pricey
Troquet on South
Red Line: South Station. Expensive food, expensive and amazing wine by the glass list.
Montien
Green Line: Boylston, Orange Line: Tufts. One of the better Thai places in Boston. Great place to eat, if you are seeing a show in the Theater District.
Taiwan Cafe
Green Line: Boylston, Orange Line: Chinatown. One of Evan’s favorite places. Extensive menu of Taiwanese-Chinese food, all well prepared.
Peach Farm
Green Line: Boylston, Orange Line: Chinatown. Old school Chinese Seafood place in Boston.
Hei-La Moon
Red Line: South Station, Orange Line: Chinatown. One of the two best Dim-Sum places in Boston.
Subway
Okay, the joke is over, there are some all over Boston.
Back Bay/Copley
Boston Common
Green Line to Park, Bolyston, or Arlington. Want to ride a swan boat while you are in Boston? This is where you ride a swan boat in Boston (okay technically it is next door at the Public Garden). Also if the Governoris on the Common, he can still give you permission to have a duel, but only on the Common.
Newbury Street/The Pru(dential)/Copley Place
Orange Line to Back Bay, or Green Line to Arlington, Copley, or Prudential. Boston’s premier shopping area, all the upscale stores with less sales tax then California or NYC. To get your bearings on Newbury Street, the closer to the Garden/Common a store is the more expensive the store is. Also Kelly is very unhappy that they took the waterfall out of Copley Place, the new Copley place is way too sterile.
Parish Cafe
Green line to Arlington. Great place for beer and reasonably priced sandwiches. The sandwiches are updated pretty frequently, and are created by chefs from some of the more famous/trendy/upscale restaurants in Boston. Food is served till 1 am, if looking for a late bite.
Select Oyster Bar
Green line to Hynes Convention Center. One of Kelly’s favorite seafood restaurant, it’s pricey but worth it. Lots of crudos, oysters, and great main dishes (the main dishes do not change that much season to season though). Was told that they can prepare all non-pasta dishes gluten free.
Chili Duck
Green line to Hynes Convention Center. Pretty good Americanized Thai Food for a good price. Also does take out.
Flour Bakery
Orange Line to Back Bay Station. Great for gluten free sandwiches. Kelly used to get good sandwiches here before her wine tasting class. The sandwiches are on the smaller side, but very tasty. Also lots of pasteries.
South End
Formaggio Kitchen
The better one is a bit off the beaten path in Cambridge, but this one has all the cheese and meats one could want for a nice picnic (maybe to bring out to the Boston Harbor Islands)
SoWa Market
It’s become stroller city, but on the weekends, SoWa market is pretty nice. It has lots of local artisans, a farmer’s market, and lots of local food trucks converging on Harrison Street. This did put the “South of Washington Street” district on the map. It kind of sucks for a lot of the older artists in the neighborhood though, which have seen their rents go through the roof.
Toro
One of Kelly’s favorite places. No reservations. Great Spanish tapas from two of the chefs who helped start up Boston’s dining scence. (Other restaurants include Coppa, in the South End, where Kelly got some of the worst food posioning of her life, and Little Donkey, in Central Square Cambridge, which is really good.)
Banyan
One of Evan’s favorite restaraunts. Asian fusion, small plates, very hip. Good cocktails on draft too.
Bar Mezzana
Pescetarian Friendly. One of Kelly’s favorite restaurants. It’s focused on costal italian which means crudo and fresh pasta. Best T stop nearby is Tufts
SRV
Northern Italian small plates. Really good. Kelly still dreams about the carrot and lamb plate she ate here instead of watching the first three-quarters of the 2017 Superbowl. Mass Avenue T Stop.
Kenmore
Fenway
Green Line to Kenmore or Fenway. Best Baseball park in the US bar none. See the Green Monster for yourself. Catch a game on Sunday, it’s worth it. Also Yankees Suck!
I’d suggest Boston Beer Works across the street to grab a beer before/after a game/tour.
Eastern Standard/The Hawthorne
Green Line to Kenmore. Eastern Standard was one of the first places in Boston that did upscale mixed drinks. The food is also pretty great here. Then one drawback is it can be loud (ask for a table outside if it is).
The Hawthorne is a really nice cocktail lounge with small bites. If there isn’t a game, it’s pretty quiet.
Island Creek Oyster Bar
Green line to Kenmore. Another great seafood place in Boston, probably the hardest one to get reservations for.
Popeye's
Green Line to Kenmore. It one of two in Boston, and our fried chicken isn’t that great.
Mei Mei
Green line to Fenway or Audubon Circle. Technically closer to Audubon in Brookline. Serves interesting Asian fusion.
Counter service for lunch, sit down for dinner. Great take out. One of Evan’s favorites.
There is also a roving food truck, at this point it serves mostly veggie bowls.
Tiger Mama
Green line to Fenway. Probably the best upscale South Eastern Asian cusine in Boston. Great tiki drinks.
Saloniki
Green line to Fenway. Local fast casual, greek style restaurant. This was the original one. Evan loves to get food here before a movie (there is a theater across the street), or after shopping at REI (also across the street).
Southie/Fort Point
RockSpot
Red Line to Broadway. Where Kelly & Evan climb. The lower level bouldering is a bit harder then expected.
Row 34
Silver Line to Courthouse, or Red Line to South Station. Another one of Kelly’s favorite seafood places. Great beer list.
Moonshine 152
Red Line to Broadway. Local place serving upscale comfort food. One of Evan’s favorites, we normally come here after rock climbing for drinks, a light dinner, and dessert (don’t skip dessert here).
The Maiden
Red Line to Broadway. Always changing menu, global fusion, specializes in oysters and charcuterie and cheeses. Slightly upscale. Kelly likes coming here for variety vs. Moonshine 152 (it also has better wine).
Capo
Red Line to Broadway, then a walk. Italian food, in what looks like a chain restaurant but isn’t. The pasta is all hand made, and great after rock climbing. Can get loud here.
Drink
Silver Line to Courthouse. The premier spot for mixed drinks in Boston. The have a secret burger on their menu, get there early to get one.
Lucky's Lounge
Silver Line to Courthouse. That place you go when you’ve had one too many and want a fun time. Live bands most nights. The food is better then you’d think it would be, and at a good price for a sit down place.
Flour Bakery
Great for gluten free sandwiches. Great local pastery/sandwich chain. Can be busy during lunch on weedays.
Harpoon Brewery
Silver Line to Silver Line Way. Fun brew tour (though it’s not all you can drink for 30 minutes any more at the end). There are also pretzels and tasters in the beer hall.
Yankee Lobster
Silver Line to Silver Line Way. Kelly’s favorite place to get lobster rolls in Boston. Can get crowded quickly due to limited seating both inside & outside, but there are many places around the area with benches where you can eat. If there is an event at BoA Pavilion, it can get very lound.
Further West in Boston
Museum of Fine Arts
The best art museum for pre-modern American Art in the US (suck it, Metropolitian!). Come see American artists from Copley to Sargent. The rest of the Museum is pretty great too, and includes everything from Old Masters to Contemporary Art. Its Egyptian and Chinese/Japanese art collections are also very strong, if that is your thing.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Right next to the MFA, this is an interesting art museum. Its claim to fame is that the greatest unsolved art heist (ever) took place here. What makes it more interesting is that Isabella’s will stipulates that none of the art may be moved from its original placement (though they can loan somethings out). With how the heist was achieved, the result is that the frames without the paintings are still in the exact same places. Also due to will stipulations, it’s interesting to see a Raphael in a corner of a museum instead of front and center. If you want to see Old Masters in Boston, there are many more important paintings here then in the MFA.
The Squealing Pig
A few blocks from MFA, great food at a good price, with a nice beer list. We suggest eating here instead of at the MFA. Try the Mars Bar Toastie for dessert, if you have the room. If for some reason you get in Thursday night, and don’t mind being in a bar with college students, this place can be a fun time (and most likely where Kelly will be).
Ten Tables
In Jamaica Plain (where Kelly & Evan live), a bit of a walk from the Green Street T station, or right off of the 39 bus route. We went here after every snow storm of 2015. When Evan is out of town, Kelly normally goes Thursday night stop here for the $15 pasta and glass of wine. More upscale local spot with a great food, cordials, wine, and beer menu.
Tres Gatos
Local Tapas place, with live music some nights, and a record store. We find Toro more interesting for food, but this place is close. We both recommend the Chickpea Pancakes and the Lamb Bocadillo for brunch.
Canary Square
Orange Line: Stony Brook, Green Line: Heath Street. Best outdoor dining in JP. Also best beer selection. Food is always solid, and they normally have lots of options for people with restrictive diets.
Vee Vee
In Jamaica Plain (where Kelly & Evan live), a bit of a walk from the Green Street T station, or right off of the 39 bus route. The most farm to table restaurant in Jamaica Plain, if not Boston. Incredibly good and interesting vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options. Great, but small, curated beer menu. Evan is still mad, after over a year, that there is no longer Sunday Brunch here.
Brassica
In Jamaica Plain (where Kelly & Evan live), next to Forest Hills Station on the Orange Line. Really good hipster food. Coffee bar by day, restaurant by night. Dinner dishes are always interesting and unexpected, and their walk-in brunch is solid.
Dogwood
In Jamaica Plain, next to Forest Hills Station on the Orange Line. Food is reasonably priced (Evan really really likes it), but the service is awful. A good place to grab a bite if you want to head to Arnold Arboretum on the Emerald Necklace.
Arnold Aboretum
Forest Hills Station on the T. If you need a reason to come down to Jamaica Plain, this is a great one. Great way to spend a few hours walking among flora from all over the world. Some of the trees here are even older then the United States. From here you can walk up the Emerald Necklace, a series parks designed by Olmstead, to Fenway park.
Sam Adams Brew Tour
Stony Brook T Station, Orange Line. Beer. This is also Kelly & Evan’s local farmers market on Saturday mornings. The brew tour at Sam Adams is free, but please donate the $2 they ask you to, to one of the local charities in Boston. Afterwards you can take the drunk Trolley to Doyle’s, a bar where Joe Kennedy used to hold court, and where every Democrat running for office in Massachusetts or country wide has a meet and greet at.
Midway
Green Street T Station, Orange Line. Live music and drinks, and Thursday nights are Queeraoke. We used to live right next to here. Thursday nights were Toby’s favorite night of the week to walk, because the lines for Queeraoke, everyone loved seeing the neighborhood friendly corgi.
Cambridge
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Being in Jamaica Plain, Cambridge (also known as the People's Republic of Cambridge) is like psuedo latin to us, kind of weird, but close to what we know. We'd suggest going there for Kayaking on the Charles and beers at Cambridge Brewing Company or Lord Hobo in Kendall. In Central we suggest Shanghai Fresh, or if you want to really spend some money on a great meal Cragie on Main (you can also go to the bar, and try to get one of their secret Burgers), and there is a good sci-fi/fantasy/board gaming store. Also walking around Harvard Square is always nice (Forage, a bit a way, is a great place for a fancy meal).