5 Best Restaurants in Side Trips from Boston, Massachusetts

Shaped like a giant fried-clam box, this small roadside stand is the best place in the region to sample Ipswich's famous bivalves. Since 1935 locals and tourists have been lining up in droves for clams, oysters, scallops, and onion rings.

According to local legend, this is where Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman invented the first fried clam back in 1916. Today this sprawling wooden shack with indoor booths and outdoor picnic tables is the place for seafood in the rough. Though it's in Essex, it's a quick drive from Gloucester and worth getting a to-go order to take to the beach. For fun, you can get into a lively discussion with a local over whether clam bellies or strips are the better choice.

The Concord outpost of the long-running Bedford Farms Ice Cream shop offers just as many tasty, locally made ice creams. "Always Making" flavors include chunky chocolate pudding, green monster, and black raspberry, but there is also a list of "Sometimes Making" flavors, sorbets, and sherbets. You can also order custom ice cream cakes and pies with advance notice.

In the heart of downtown Gloucester, Passports serves a modern take on classic New England seafood. Whether you sit at the bar or a table, you'll be served delicious complimentary popovers to start. The house haddock is a favorite here, with other options like lobster and paella on offer. There's always local art hanging on the walls for patrons to buy.

Grab a seat on the outside deck overlooking the water at this friendly, somewhat funky (plastic fish dangling from the ceiling), Caribbean-inspired eatery. Enjoy fruity cocktails on the patio, or hang out in the colorful dining room. Start with thick crab bisque full of hunks of floating crabmeat or coconut shrimp with green mango chutney. Dinner entrées include Caribbean fish stew, jerk chicken, and the Cajun mahi fish tacos.