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Colorful and airy, this East Boston Mexican restaurant reflects the culture of many living in the neighborhood, and its eponymous cook re-creates dishes from her native Puebla. Locals love it for its authenticity and extensive selection of small, snacky plates (mmm, queso fundido) and hearty main courses (chilaquiles, mole poblano). It's definitely worth the trip from downtown.
1012 Bennington St., Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Known For
- House-made guacamole
- Chicken and queso chilaquiles
- Brunch
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$ | Downtown |
This place is famous among the city's working professionals, who willingly wait in long lines for the signature Chilean-style sandwich, a delicious combination of green beans, chicken, muenster cheese, tomatoes, and an avocado spread on fresh bread. There are a few other offerings, including empanadas and rice pudding.
101 Arch St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02108, USA
Known For
- Bread baked fresh daily
- Signature Chilean sandwich
- Tasty orange cake
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sat.–Sun.
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$ | Downtown |
After more than a decade, locals still love this vegetarian restaurant's chickpea fritters, not to mention the daily changing menu of freshly prepared sustainable and local veg- and vegan-friendly sandwiches and plates. Boston and Cambridge feature a number of Clover locations, but this one is bright and airy with huge windows that open onto School Street. Awesome place to stop for lunch along the Freedom Trail.
27 School St., Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Known For
- Chickpea fritter sandwich
- Housemade juice sodas and George Howell coffee
- Sourcing ingredients locally and sustainably
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$ | South End |
When folks need coffee, a great sandwich, or an irresistible sweet, like a pecan sticky bun, lemon tart, or double chocolate cookie—or just a place to sit and chat—they pay a visit to one of owner Joanne Chang's 10 Flour bakeries, including this one in the South End. A communal table in the middle acts as a gathering spot, around which diners enjoy morning pastries, homemade soups, hearty bean and grain salads, and specialty sandwiches, which change seasonally.
1595 Washington St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA
Known For
- Scrumptious sweets
- Delicious salads and sandwiches
- Laid-back setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$ | Downtown |
If you can't agree among your traveling partners what to eat where, this food hall features 20 different local vendors featuring delicious and top-quality foods of all varieties. Gourmet doughnuts from Blackbird, porchetta sandwiches from Pennypacker's, Jewish deli eats from Mamaleh's, sushi at Fuji, and so much more are here.
100 High St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02110, USA
Known For
- Tons of options from local vendors
- Live DJs in the evening
- Open anytime you're hungry
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$ | Beacon Hill |
This upscale bakery and café with several locations in Boston takes pastries to the next level. From tea cakes to the Jerusalem bagel, expect hearty baked goods with an air of elegance and influenced by the owner's Israeli heritage. Fantastic coffee drinks, including the house's signature halva latte. A breakfast, lunch and brunch menu features hearty plates all day, from breakfast sandwiches to salads, bowls, and shakshuka (an egg dish with tomatoes and peppers). The café's vibe welcomes those who appreciate attention to detail in both the food and the bright, lively atmosphere—so expect to wait in line. Tatte started as a single location in 2008; today it has expanded with locations across Boston.
70 Charles St., Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Known For
- Traditional North African shakshuka
- Signature nut tarts that are as pretty as they are tasty
- Convivial atmosphere
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$ | |
This upscale bakery and café takes pastries to the next level. From tea cakes to the Jerusalem bagel, expect hearty baked goods with an air of elegance and influenced by the owner's Israeli heritage. Fantastic coffee drinks, including the house's signature halva latte. A breakfast, lunch and brunch menu features hearty plates all day, from breakfast sandwiches to salads, bowls, and shakshuka (an egg dish with tomatoes and peppers). The café's vibe welcomes those who appreciate attention to detail in both the food and the bright, lively atmosphere—so expect to wait in line. Tatte started as a single location in 2008; today it has expanded with locations across Boston.
200 Pier 4 Blvd., Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Known For
- Traditional North African shakshuka
- Signature nut tarts that are as pretty as they are tasty
- Convivial atmosphere
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$ | Downtown |
This upscale bakery and café takes pastries to the next level. From tea cakes to the Jerusalem bagel, expect hearty baked goods with an air of elegance and influenced by the owner's Israeli heritage. Fantastic coffee drinks include the house's signature halva latte. A breakfast, lunch, and brunch menu features hearty plates all day, from breakfast sandwiches to salads, bowls, and shakshuka (an egg dish with tomatoes and peppers). The café's vibe welcomes those who appreciate attention to detail in both the food and the bright, lively atmosphere—so expect to wait in line. Tatte started as a single location in 2008; today it has expanded with locations across Boston.
125 Summer St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02110, USA
Known For
- Owner Or's take on traditional North African shakshuka, served with challah bread
- Signature nut tarts that are as pretty as they are tasty
- Convivial atmosphere
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$ | Beacon Hill |
Don't be surprised to see a queue at this neighborhood hot spot, no matter the time of day. Regulars happily line up for waffles topped with fresh fruit, caramel and banana french toast, huge salads, and hefty sandwiches, all made to order as you do from the counter. Newbies should note The Paramount's unspoken rule: Don't take a seat until after you wait in line, order, and pay.
44 Charles St., Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Known For
- Long, but quick-moving, lines
- Decadent, all-day breakfast items
- Old Bay–seasoned home fries
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$ | Beacon Hill |
Inspired by the authentic Mexican takeout readily available in West Coast cities, Anna's owner moved to Boston and opened shop more than 25 years ago. This small, local chain has been a hit ever since for its burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. Diners can select from 10 different meat and veggie-based toppings, from grilled steak and marinated pork to slow-cooked chicken.
242 Cambridge St., Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Known For
- Tacos al pastor—marinated, rotisserie cooked pork with pineapples and onions
- Fat, flavorful burritos
- Bringing the heat with really spicy sauces you can add on
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$ | |
Creative, delicious, and irresistible, the sweet treats from Blackbird Doughnuts have a cult following—even rock star Adele praised them when in town for a concert. One of several outposts in the city, the Fenway location is tiny and it's a good idea to get there early before your fave flavor sells out.
20 Kilmarnock St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA
Known For
- Fan favorite Boston Cream
- Creative, unusual flavors
- Turn your doughnut into an ice cream sandwich with soft-serve
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$ | Back Bay |
Steps from the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street, a coveted seat on the outdoor patio is worth the wait. If the weather isn't permitting, snag a spot inside this brasserie-vibe café inside the Charlesmark Hotel and be prepared to feast. The brunches are hearty, with traditional eggs and bacon sitting sidecar to Mediterranean labneh with za’tar and chickpeas, Greek yogurt with granola and honey, and eggplant and tahini spreads. The hummus bowls and shakshuka are some of the best in the city. Sip on Turkish coffee, have a tea ceremony, or slurp a huge Nutella milkshake.
653 Boylston St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02116, USA
Known For
- Patio space
- Shakshuka
- Hummus bowls
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$$ | Kendall Square |
This Cambridge hot spot is locally loved, which means there are usually long waiting times but the breakfast and lunch menus are worth it. The omelet menu is far beyond your basic egg and cheese, with combos such as fig, prosciutto, and goat cheese, and there's cinnamon swirl French toast, their 20-hour slow-cooked corned beef hash, and the signature eggs Benedict. The lunch crowd dines on panini, specialty sandwiches, and "big bowl" salads, They also serve up fair trade coffee, for an extra kick, as well as beer, wine, and cordials. Closing time is 2 or 4 pm, depending on the day, so be sure to stop in early.
612 Main St., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA
Known For
- Epic omelets
- Slow-cooked corned beef
- Crowded college scene
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$$$$ | Back Bay |
While the sweeping Back Bay views and neoclassical–meets–art deco decor are something to behold, the menu is just as captivating at this new crown jewel atop the luxurious hotel The Newbury. Fanciful dishes such as melt-in-your-mouth squash carpaccio, spicy lobster capellini, and a signature 40-oz. dry-aged bistecca fiorentina are as dazzling as the crowd, a blend of well-heeled locals, city socialites, and trend-seeking singles (mostly at the buzzy bar). Designed like a conservatory with a glass roof and retractable panels for open air dining, this is one of the few year-round rooftops in Boston.
3 Newbury St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02116, USA
Known For
- See-and-be-seen crowd
- Squash carpaccio
- Year-round rooftop dining
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$ | Financial District |
On weekday mornings and afternoons, locally operated food trucks congregate at Dewey Square plaza on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, ready to serve Financial District professionals an eat-it-while-you-walk or picnic meal. Typically, four to five different options offer variety from curry to Korean. Surrounded by organic gardens, public art, and Fort Point Channel, the setting creates atmosphere for a cheap and tasty lunch.
Dewey Sq., Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Known For
- Multiple local food trucks in a gorgeous park location
- Always changing options
- Easily accessible outdoor seating
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$$ | Back Bay |
An epicenter for all things Italian, this powerhouse is all about one word: mangia. There are four restaurants, a marketplace, wine shop, cooking school, and seven to-go counters, so you can find anything you want to eat or drink here, and maybe discover a few things you didn't know you needed (perhaps a snack size of Piave Stravecchio DOP, a hard cheese from the Belluno province in northeastern Italy). Of note is the gorgeous new outdoor rooftop extension of the greenhouse-inspired third-floor restaurant, Terra, which is perfect for grabbing a glass of vino, some food, and some conversation.
800 Boylston St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02199, USA
Known For
- Several dining choices
- Huge selection of Italian takeaways
- New third-floor roof deck at Terra
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$ | South End | Bakery
Recharge with a fresh-baked sticky bun and oversize mug of coffee at this South End favorite. Award-winning chef Joanne Chang and her staff serve up delicious creations including soups, hearty salads, and sandwiches. There are additional locations in South End, Fort Point Channel, and Back Bay in Boston, and Central Square and Harvard Square in Cambridge.
1595 Washington St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA
Known For
- Gluten-free sweets
- Breakfast pastries
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$ | South End | American
A good spot to refuel on a budget is Flour Bakery + Café, a perennial candidate for Boston's best sandwiches and stuffed bread. Also superb are the fresh pizzas, dinner specials, and delicious pastries. You may end up taking home one of their cookbooks as a sweet keepsake.
1595 Washington St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA
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$$$ | Downtown |
Grand and resplendent in appearance—it is located in a luxury hotel and former Federal Reserve Bank, after all—Grana features upscale yet casual Italian dishes for lunch and weekend brunch that invite you to dig in. The only drawback to this place is that it isn't open for dinner.
250 Franklin St., Boston, Massachusetts, 02110, USA
Known For
- Signature focaccia bread with a half-dozen different topping options
- Family-style three-course brunch
- Shareable tea cocktail
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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$$$ | Harvard Square |
Located in the Charles Hotel, this cheerful, country-style restaurant is named after chef-owner Peter Davis's pet pig, Henrietta. Davis is passionate about working with small area growers and purveyors, as well as harvesting veggies and honey from the restaurant's rooftop garden and hives, which is evident in his fresh, honest, wholesome, New England–style dishes like juicy Yankee pot roast, Pig Under a Brick, Ritz-crusted scrod, and creamy Maine crab-corn chowder. He occasionally even offers that old Yankee standby for dessert, Boston cream pie, but his signature chocolate bread pudding with caramelized rum bananas and vanilla bean ice cream is always available. Grab a seat at the U-shape bar (next to the photo of Henrietta with Pres. Bill Clinton) to enjoy a preprandial coffee, cocktail, or zero-proof refreshment, or head outside in spring or summer to dine al fresco in the large outdoor patio.
1 Bennett St., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA
Known For
- Epic weekend brunches
- Inviting, sunny setting
- New England farm–sourced ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Mon. and Tues.