14 Great Boston Eats

I went to Boston recently and had a week of great meals out with some of my favorite people. This list includes my top recommendations, the places that make me want to go back.

There is something inexplicably appealing about multipliers of five. So why 14 great Boston eats? I wanted to find 15, but I only list places that I really love. I expected to include a certain popular North End Italian pastry shop, but we just didn’t love it. The cannoli filling wasn’t nearly as good as other places, and everything was too sweet for our taste. We even stood in a long line on a Friday night to give it another chance. Several locals were heckling the long line of tourists, yelling that the place was overrated. One guy yelled “seriously guys, just go next door.” We agree.

14. Gene’s Flatbread

Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Cafe is a tiny take-out storefront in Chinatown. The lamb flatbread was the winner here, tender cumin spiced lamb and sweet onion in fresh baked flatbread. It was easily transportable – a perfect picnic food.

13. Union Square Donuts

Union Square Donuts has multiple locations in Boston, and it’s definitely worth a visit. My favorite was the maple bacon, but the sea salt whiskey caramel was a close second. Both were super fluffy brioche with a nice balance of salty and sweet. The Boston cream was among the sweeter selections, but was popular with others in our group.

12. Momosan

We were hanging out with our nephews one night and decided to find a ramen spot near our hotel. Momosan, Iron Chef Morimoto’s ramen spot was conveniently located right next to TD Garden. The tonkotsu hit the spot. The eggy ramen noodles were straight from my childhood, but the chashu pork was definitely fancier than your average ramen place.

11. Source

The pepperoni pizza at Source was as delicious as it was beautiful. Soft pillowy and lightly charred crust from a wood-fired oven, good tomato sauce, salty cheese, and smokey pepperoni. The vin cotto wine reduction and sweet caramelized onion really took it over the top.

10. Flour Cafe

Flour Bakery has been a Boston staple for over 20 years. I have long been a fan of Pastry Chef Joanne Chang because of her cookbooks, and her cafe didn’t disappoint. The breakfast egg sandwich came with thick-cut smokey bacon, dijonaise, fresh tomato and peppery arugula. The egg was a cross between tamagoyaki and a fluffy omelet. My nephews pointed out that it tasted like egg salad. The cinnamon roll was fluffy and soft with mild cinnamon and a lemony cream cheese icing. We also had a great ginger lemon scone that was wonderfully flaky with a nice ginger and lemon kick.

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9. Peach Farm

Walking into Peach Farm was like going back several decades. The decor was old school, but the large round tables and turntable were perfect for our large group. The lobster with ginger and scallion was everything we hoped it would be. The eggplant with garlic was also excellent. I had read about the clams with black bean sauce which was a bit of a disappointment, but the other dishes were perfectly good.

8. Bova’s

The best cannolis in Boston’s North End seems to be a much debated topic. Bova’s Bakery was definitely a contender for me. The ricotta filling was smooth with a good level of sweetness. The plain shell was still crisp with a nice vanilla flavor, but it was the Florentine shell that blew us away. It was super nutty and chocolatey but shatteringly crisp and delicate. My sister purchased a number of cookies as gifts to take home, and she noticed that Bova’s were significantly more expensive than the next spot on the list – and not as good.

7. Modern Pastry

Modern Pastry was the cannoli winner of the three North End places we tried. The cannolis here are filled to order. We tried the traditional ricotta filling in the plain shell. It was unbelievably smooth and a nice tang to balance out the mild sweetness. The Chantilly cream was the perfect balance of whipped cream and custard and was a nice complement to the chocolate dipped shell. The guy at the counter guessed that I was a local because of my Chantilly cream order, apparently it’s a favorite among regulars.

We also tried the cupcake sized version of the Boston cream cake. It was light and airy like a cross between angel food and sponge cake. It was filled with the wonderfully delicate Chantilly cream and covered with rich chocolate.

6. Cusser’s

Cusser’s is known for roast beef sandwiches and we loved the 80 Thoreau. It had piles of shaved tender “wagyu” roast beef, with cheddar, pickled red onions, and Thoreau sauce on a soft onion roll. The mysterious sauce was slightly spicy with a nice horseradish kick.

5. Monica’s Mercado

Monica’s Mercato and Salumeria caught our attention the moment we walked by the small shop and saw the plentiful displays of imported Italian meets and cheeses. We watched them expertly slice the meat to order and assemble the sandwiches. My favorite was the Italian sub with prosciutto, mortadella, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, oil, balsamic, hot peppers, and pickles. It was everything it should be, meaty vinegary, zesty, and spicy, on really great bread.

The Italian steak tip had super tender meat that was nicely cut with the vinegary and hot peppers. We also tried the Caprese Special, a huge mound of prosciutto, fresh burrata, tomato, basil, olive oil, and balsamic glaze. It was super fresh and a nice contrast to the heavier sandwiches. The sandwiches here are really substantial! We had a hard time finishing three between six of us.

4. Cafe Vittoria

Cafe Vittoria opened in 1929 and is reportedly the first Italian cafe in Boston. A dear old friend took us and entering was like a visit back in time. He recommended the cappuccino and tiramisu, but we were too full for dessert. The cappuccino was decadently sprinkled with cocoa power, and was indescribably delicious. We went back with the rest of the family to have it again, and to try the tiramisu. It was luxuriously creamy with a great balance from the espresso.  

3. Regina’s Pizza

The Regina Pizza on Thatcher Street in the North End has been around since 1926. They have since opened a number of Regina Pizzeria locations in food courts, but the original is the place to go. The cheese pizza was perfectly respectable. I usually like to keep it simple, but the signature Giambotta was something special. Pepperoni, sausage, salami, mushrooms, peppers, onions, fresh basil, good sauce and mozzarella cheese seemed like a lot, but even one of our youngest dining companions became a convert.

2. Neptune Oyster

Neptune Oyster is one of Boston’s most popular restaurants. They don’t take reservations so be prepared to wait for one of the limited seats. The first bite food confirmed that the long line was worth it. The lobster roll with butter on a brioche roll was fantastic, and served with good boardwalk style fries.

The Neptune johnnycake arrived with Boston smoked bluefish, sturgeon caviar, honey butter and crème fraîche. Smokey, salty, and sweet, it was an unexpectedly perfect mash-up of flavors and textures. Our friend reported that the sea scallops were also excellent.

1. Kava Neo-Taverna

Our whole meal at Kava Neo-Taverna in the South End was so fabulous that I wrote a whole separate post on it. The friendly service, great atmosphere, and fantastic food and drinks clearly bumped it to the top of my list.

The octopus was meltingly tender, perfectly charred, and simply seasoned with olive oil, herbs, and lemon.

The zucchini chips were perfectly fried, hot, and salty with a perfect contrast of cold smooth tzatziki. Read my full review of Kava Neo-Taverna here.

More on Boston

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