Guide to Best Boston Restaurants

With so many restaurants in Boston, how do you choose?

Eating in Boston restaurants ranks as a top activity among visitors and residents alike.  But with so many excellent restaurants in Boston, how do you choose?

Dining in Boston restaurants is one of the pleasures of visiting here. 

Where you're here on vacation or for business, you'll want to eat in as many Boston restaurants as your time and wallet permit.  You can choose among a huge variety of restaurants . . . splurge and cheap . . . . different kinds of cuisine, like Italian and French . . . and even specific food types, like seafood and steakhouses.

So with such a wide range of boston restaurant options, how do you choose?  Here's my tried-and-true recommendation: think about why you're going out, what you want to eat, and where you'll be. 

And how much do you want to spend?  Boston has excellent restaurants in all price ranges.  I provide cost ranges for each restaurant's main dishes so that you can compare the cost of eating out at different restaurants.   (And remember, you can try some of the best for affordable prices during Restaurant Week in Boston).

Once you know the answers to those questions, use my following guide to Boston restaurants to find recommendations for mouth-watering choices.  I've organized information about Boston restaurants in 3 ways so that you can find what you want faster. 

Quick links: 

• Restaurants by Food Type 
• Restaurants by Cuisine 
• Restaurants by Neighborhood 

Boston Restaurants by Food Type

Boston Steakhouse Restaurants

Carnivores, these places are for you!   Sink your teeth into the best steaks and chops. But don't despair if you crave seafood - many Boston steakhouses also offer lobster and other "surf" specialties.  You’ll enjoy the robust wine lists, too.  More about Boston steakhouses

Boston Fresh Seafood Restaurants

Check out Boston's best seafood restaurants - everything ranging from lobster to fish and chips.  More about Boston seafood restaurants 

Plus, if you want to order a whole lobster but you're not sure how to dismember the creature staring up at you from your plate, you can consult my instructions and photos about how to eat lobster.

Best Romantic Restaurants in Boston

When romance is in the air during your Boston visit, you’ll want to bring your love to one of these favorite Boston restaurants for proposals, anniversaries, and celebrations.  

Top Splurge Restaurants in Boston

When you have something big to celebrate and want to splurge, make reservations at one of these places. Yes, they’re pricey—but you’ll enjoy a memorable evening.   

Boston Cheap Eats

Sometimes you just want a quick bite . . . and sometimes you want to dine well (and maybe even impress your date) without breaking the bank.   Sample my favorite affordable Boston restaurants, bistros, carryout, and sandwich places.   More about Boston cheap eats

Bakeries/Sandwich Shops/Desserteries in Boston

Boston’s bakeries, desserteries, and special dessert offerings are a popular destination.   Discover the Saturday Chocolate Bar at Café Fleuri, after-theatre treats at Finale, and fabulous cannoli in at Modern Pastry and other North End cafés.

Where to Find the Best Pub Food in Boston

Want to raise a pint while enjoying fish and chips in Paul Revere’s favorite tavern?   Or grab a bite in a great sports bar near Fenway Park or near TD Garden?  Or listen to Irish music while you enjoy traditional Irish fare?   Check out these options: 

• Historic Boston Bars
• Best Boston bars near Fenway
• Best Boston bars near the Garden
• Boston Irish Pubs
• Boston Sports Bars

Thanksgiving Dinner

Visiting Boston on Thanksgiving?  Or you live here - but want to avoid the kitchen?  Check out these traditional and creative Boston Thanksgiving Dinner options.

Boston Restaurants by Cuisine

Best Boston Italian Restaurants

If you’re a Boston visitor and love Italian food, you’ll want to put at least one of these top spots on your “must visit” list.   Boston Italian restaurants and bakeries.

French Restaurants in Boston

Merci, Julia Child!   Boston's fabulous French restaurants and bistros feature spectacular French flavors and cooking techniques, using the best New England seafood and freshest local vegetables - plus romantic ambiance. French restaurants in Boston

American Restaurants in Boston

Come enjoy Yankee pot roast, New England clambakes, prime rib, lobster, fresh veggies, perfect French fries, juicy burgers, and American home style cooking . . . along with local specialties like New England clam chowder and Boston cream pie.

Asian Restaurants in Boston

Boston restaurants featuring cuisine from countries all across Asia can be found throughout Boston. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Taiwanese, Malaysian, Indian, Vietnamese . . . you’ll enjoy all of it here.

Middle Eastern

If you love Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean food, you’ll find some interesting options among these Boston restaurants.

Boston Restaurants by Neighborhood

Back Bay Restaurants

Home to some of the city's trendiest shops, beautiful historic churches, stunning architecture, and luxurious hotels, Back Bay is also where you'll find some of the best Boston restaurants in all price ranges.  More about Back Bay restaurants

Here are some top Back Bay restaurants to consider:

• Abe and Louie's Prime Steakhouse
• Azure
• Capital Grille Boston
• Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
• Grill 23 and Bar
• Haru
• Jasper White’s Summer Shack
• Legal Seafood
• L’Espalier
• Piattini
• Top of the Hub
• More Back Bay restaurants

Bay Village Restaurants

For excellent Theatre District dining choices, visit restaurants in Boston's smallest neighborhood, Bay Village. More about Bay Village restaurants.

Here are some top Bay Village restaurants:

• Erbaluce
• Pigalle
• Rustic Kitchen Bistro and Bar
• Smith and Wollensky
• Theatre Café
• Viga Italian Eatery & Caterer
• More Bay Village restaurants

Beacon Hill Restaurants

One of the city's oldest neighborhoods, historical Beacon Hill has a wide variety of great restaurants, many with talented chef/owners.

Here are just a few of the Beacon Hill restaurants that you'll enjoy:

• 75 Chestnut
• Antonio’s Cucina Italiana
• Grotto
• Lala Rokh
• No. 9 Park
• Panificio Bistro Bakery
• The Hungry I

Charlestown Restaurants

Another old Boston neighborhood, Charlestown has 2 popular Freedom Trail sites - the Bunker Hill Monument and the USS Constitution - plus HarborWalk and charming neighborhoods to explore. You'll also enjoy the restaurants, including the Warren Tavern, built in 1780 right after the Revolutionary War.

You're sure to enjoy these restaurants:

• Figs
• Tavern on the Water
• Warren Tavern

Downtown Boston Restaurants

Instead of saying "Downtown Boston," lots of Bostonians refer to its distinct areas - the Financial District, Chinatown, the Leather District, and so forth - when describing restaurant locations. 

Once you see how relatively small Downtown Boston really is, you may think all this slicing and dicing into smaller areas is a little silly - and it probably is, but this is how we'll describe locations too.. 

Keep in mind that these areas range from small to very small, and are adjacent to each other.  Walking from one area to another is as close as crossing the street.

Downtown - Waterfront Restaurants

The sinking of the elevated Central Artery reunited Boston's Waterfront with the rest of Downtown.  We're still getting used to it.  Waterfront and near-the-waterfront restaurants provide a great excuse to stroll along the water and admire the views. 

Here are several that you'll want to try:

• Boston Chart House
• Legal Seafood
• Meritage
• Sel de la Terre

Downtown - Chinatown Restaurants

Not just Chinese restaurants fill Boston's thriving Chinatown.  You'll also find Taiwanese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Korean, Malaysian, Thai, and other Asian restaurants.  Chinatown restaurants tend to stay open later than others in the city, so they're a popular spot after the theaters close.

Here are just a few of the dozens of delicious choices:

• Chau Chau City
• China Pearl
• Ginza
• Pho Hoa
• Taiwan Café
• Xinh Xinh

Downtown Crossing / Financial District / Ladder District / Faneuil Hall

Even though Downtown Crossing and the Financial District comprise distinct areas, Financial District employees flood many Downtown Crossing restaurants at noon - so we combine them. The Ladder District? Well, that term never caught on locally, but you'll see it in guidebooks so we include it.  And then there's the Faneuil Hall area. You could argue that it's actually in the West End - but most people regard it as the most historic part of Downtown, so that's where we put it.

Some wonderful spots to try include:

• Café Fleuri
• Durgin Park
• Ivy Restaurant
• Locke-Ober
• Radius
• The Times Irish Pub and Restaurant
• The Vault
• Vinalia Restaurant, Lounge, and Wine Bar
• Union Oyster House

Downtown - Leather District Restaurants

This small but trendy leather-factories-turned-lofts area next to Chinatown has a few equally trendy restaurants.  Generally speaking, you'll find innovative cuisine, creative drinks, wine pairings, and jazz. 

• District
• Les Zygomates
• O Ya
• Sorriso

Downtown - Theatre District Restaurants

Boston's Theatre District occupies a small area south of Boston Common, made slightly larger when combined with next door Park Square looking out over the Public Garden.  More about Boston Theatre District Restaurants

Try these excellent choices:

• Finale
• Jacob Wirth's
• Legal Seafood
• Montien
• Teatro
• Via Matta
• More Boston Theatre District Restaurants

Fenway/Kenmore Square Restaurants

The Fenway neighborhood, which includes Kenmore Square, contains cultural institutions such as Symphony Hall and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, two major universities and a number of smaller colleges, Fenway Park (home of Boston Red Sox games), and many great places to eat.  More about Fenway restaurants.

A few of the many that you'll enjoy include:

• Betty’s Wok and Noodle Diner
• Canestaro Restaurant
• Eastern Standard Boston
• Elephant Walk
• Petit Robert Bistro
• Woody’s Grill and Tap
• More Fenway restaurants

North End Restaurants (and Bakeries!)

Boston's North End is justly famous for its wonderful small restaurants and bakeries.  You'll find many of the city's most popular Italian eateries here, many of them on Hanover Street.  You can walk down the narrow streets and follow your nose, or try some of these great places:

• Daily Catch
• La Famiglia Giorgio
• Mamma Maria
• Maria’s Pastry
• Mike’s Pastry
• Modern Pastry
• Neptune Oyster

South Boston Waterfront, Seaport District, and Fort Point Restaurants

Just across Fort Point Channel from Downtown Boston lie the South Boston Waterfront, Seaport District, and Fort Point - a rapidly developing area containing the new Boston Convention Center, a couple of museums, and a growing number of restaurants.

You'll enjoy trying these:

• Barking Crab
• Daily Catch
• Flour Bakery+Café

South End Restaurants

Filled with magnificently restored red brick Victorian row houses, leafy streets, and small parks, the South End boasts theaters, an exciting arts community, trendy shops, and the city's highest concentration of chef/owner restaurants. More about South End restaurants

You'll love these, as well as all of the many other choices.

• Aquitaine
• B&G Oysters
• Flour Bakery+Café
• Mistral
• Myers+Chang
• Petit Robert Bistro
• The Dish
• Plus, South End gourmet markets
• More about South End Restaurants

West End/Government Center/Banknorth Garden

Home to Boston's mammoth Government Center, some of the city's premier hospitals, high-rise luxury condos, and Banknorth Garden, Boston's West End has some of the country's oldest restaurants and taverns along with newer places.

Here's a small sample of places for you to enjoy:

• Kinsale Irish Pub and Restaurant
• Scampo
• Plus, Best Boston Bars near the Garden

Restaurant Week Boston

• All about Restaurant Week in Boston
• How to Get the Most Out of Boston Restaurant Week