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Last Updated: 5/4/23
Try All The Best Foods Boston Is Known For
When my mom, sister-in-law, and I headed to Boston in December 2018 for our first “Christmastime in the City” trip, we prioritized eating all the best food Boston is known for. Deliciousness abounds in the fabled New England city. You could spend weeks in this thriving food scene and still have a mile-long “to eat” list.
Many Boston food guides urge you to look beyond famous Boston foods. But as first-time visitors we didn’t stray far from cannoli and lobster rolls in our Boston eating adventures . . . and we enjoyed every bite.
Since that first delicious Boston trip, I’ve been lucky enough to return twice, first for the start and end of a New England road trip in October 2022 and again in March 2023. During these subsequent visits, I’ve tried even more of the foods Boston is known for.
Look no further if you make sure you’re eating the best of Boston’s famous foods. I sampled all of Boston’s most notorious foods to guarantee you a tasty visit. That’s right – I “suffered” through those cannoli and lobster rolls for you!
Read on for a list of famous foods Boston is known for, restaurant recommendations, and maybe even a settlement to eternal “best cannoli in Boston” debate! I’ll even share some foods I recommend skipping if you’re only in Boston for a short period of time.
10 Famous Foods Boston Is Known For
A quick round-up of some the very best foods (and let’s be real, a couple drinks) that Boston is known for. All are tasty in their own right, but I do recommend some over others if you’re a first-time Boston visitor with limited time and stomach capacity!
Lobster rolls
Perhaps no food is more synonymous with New England than the lobster roll. This simple sandwich features a mayonnaise-based lobster salad on a New England style hot dog bun with wedge of lemon on the side. (FYI: New England hot dog buns are a brioche style bun sliced across the top rather than the side.)
Traditionally, lobster rolls are served cold. However, I greatly prefer hot lobster rolls which use melted butter rather than mayonnaise for the dressing. If you’re not a big mayonnaise fan, hot lobster rolls are where it’s at!
Often when you spy lobster rolls on a menu it’s next to the dreaded “market price.” That’s why you’ll frequently find James Hook & Co., a seafood stand near the bridge to the Boston Tea Party Museum, recommended for Boston lobster rolls.
James Hook & Co. have a set price for their lobster rolls. Currently a regular lobster roll costs $28. That might not seem super affordable, but better the devil you know than the one you don’t, eh?
Clam chowder
Whether you say “chowder” or “chowda,” this simple cream-based soup is an absolute Boston staple. Although it only contains a few ingredients, chowder can go very, very wrong. Don’t worry, we’re pretty sure we found the best in the city! More details below . . . .
Cannoli
Italian immigrants settled in Boston’s North End and promptly set to work creating a legacy of Italian food. Of all Italian bakery delicacies, none get as much love in Boston as the cannoli. There’s just something magical about that crispy fried pastry shell stuffed with silky smooth ricotta filling . . .
Lobster tail
Similar to a sfogliatelle, Italian bakeries in Boston’s North End have cleverly branded these large, horn shaped pastries as lobster tails. The pastry consists of a very crispy puff pastry shell filled with pastry cream.
Personally, I don’t find them especially flavorful. If you only have room for one Italian-inspired pastry from a Boston North End bakery, I recommend a cannoli!
Oysters
You can’t beat Boston’s access to fresh seafood. It should probably comes as no surprise that the oldest restaurant still in operation in Boston is an oyster house. Union Oyster House to be exact. We didn’t have any oysters in Boston. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know how to eat them until my friend Leah showed me in Charleston, SC a few months later!
Samuel Adams beer
Named for a founding father who owned a brewery, it’s just not a trip to Boston without a pint of Sam Adams! Although they’re best known for their Boston lager, they brew a wide variety of beers including a large seasonal selection. If you’re looking for another Boston beer, try Harpoon. I especially recommend Harpoon if you’re an IPA lover like me.
Downeast Cider
Prefer cider over beer? Check out Downeast Cider. Brewed in East Boston, most Boston bars and restaurants serve up this delicious cider. While their original blend is great, I think their blackberry cider is even better.
Boston Cream Pie
Not really a pie at all, most credit Boston’s Parker House Hotel with the invention of the Boston Cream Pie. This distinctive dessert features two layers of yellow cake sandwiched around vanilla custard and topped with chocolate icing in a signature spider web design.
When we order a Boston cream pie at the Last Hurrah bar in Omni Parker House Hotel, they brought out an individual sized cake (err, pie) coated with slivered almonds and served on a smear of raspberry jam.
Parker House rolls
Another Parker House Hotel contribution to Boston cuisine. These oval shaped dinner rolls are generally considered fluffier and buttery than your average dinner roll.
Scrod
Scrod is a very young cod or haddock that’s usually served as filet broiled with breadcrumbs. If you don’t like fishy tasting fish, you’re going to love scrod. This white fish is so mild tasting that I’d venture to say it doesn’t have any flavor at all.
I found it needed a good squeeze of lemon and healthy shake of salt . . . and I’m not one to salt my food. While there’s nothing offensive about scrod, I’d rather just have another lobster roll . . . .
The Best Boston Restaurants & Dining Experiences
Our Favorite Boston Tavern: The Bell in Hand
You can’t beat the Bell in Hand Tavern’s convenient location between the Boston Public Market and Faneuil Hall. It’s a great lunch stop while walking the Freedom Trail. Just the place to take a break with the requisite pint of Sam Adams or Downeast Cider!
Marketed as America’s oldest tavern, the Bell in Hand neighbors the Union Oyster House, which happens to be America’s oldest restaurant. (I can neither verify nor deny these historic claims.)
The tavern sits on a triangular city block, forcing the building to come to a rounded point at the front. A sunny, solarium room on the building’s first level forms the point. You enter through a more traditional (and darker) bar area on the side.
I’ve been to the Bell in Hand twice. Both times I’ve been seated in their sunny solarium room (actually at the exact same table) which is the perfect spot for people watching. Although the food itself might not be particularly noteworthy, it’s a fun atmosphere with friendly staff.
Both times I’ve enjoyed tasty, fresh lobster rolls. They’re definitely spendier than what you’d get at James Hook & Co., but you also don’t have to eat them outside. While I’ve had both their traditional and hot lobster rolls, I think their hot lobster rolls are where it’s at. I’d skip their clam chowder though.
Check it out for your post-Freedom Trail hike happy hour spot!
If You Go: Bell in Hand Tavern, located at 45 Union Street, between the Boston Public Market and Faneuil Hall and open 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.
The Best Boston Clam Chowder: Legal Sea Foods
A really good bowl of New England clam chowder is high on the list of foods Boston is known for. During that first Boston visit, Mom made finding the best bowl of clam chowder in Boston her personal missions. Her research led us to Legal Sea Foods.
The name “Legal Sea Foods” kind of makes me think of a warehouse, but it’s actually an upscale seafood restaurant chain with many locations around Boston and other eastern seaboard states. We stopped at the one on Long Wharf near the Boston Aquarium for an early lunch after getting off a trolley tour.
Since we arrived right at opening, we didn’t get a real feel for what the restaurant would be like when it was really hopping. However, all three of us stand by the “best clam chowder in Boston” claim. We found the soup deliciously briny and creamy . . . without crossing the (dreaded) line into viscous.
After that first visit to Legal Sea Foods, I’ve sampled their chowder at other locations. I’ve even had the chowder shipped to me here in northern Minnesota. Every time I taste that first spoonful of chowder, I reconfirm that it really is Boston’s best.
If You Go: Legal Sea Foods Long Wharf, located at 255 State Street and open 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. (Open until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.)
Our Favorite Boston Restaurant: Legal Sea Foods Downtown Crossing
We liked our lunch at Legal Sea Foods so well, Mom and I decided to head to another Legal Sea Foods for our last dinner in Boston. We’d walked by Legal Sea Foods’ Downtown Crossing location, which was located only a block from where we were staying, probably a dozen times during our time in the city.
However, the restaurant brands itself as LX. I didn’t realized it was part of the Legal Sea Foods chain until I noticed that the oyster cracker bags in their kitchen window had the recognizable Legal Sea Foods smiling fat lipped fish on them.
Because we were a little tired from spending the whole day out of the city, we headed over for an early dinner in the 5 o’clock hour. They didn’t have any tables available because lots of people were grabbing an early dinner before heading to The Nutcracker performance at the Opera across the street but two spots open up at the bar right as we walked in. With professionals “just off work,” as well as the wait staff, chatting around us, it felt like a friendly neighborhood hangout that we’d merged into.
We liked our meal so well that we returned in October 2022 and our meal was just as lovely the second time around. In addition to their famous clam chowder, don’t miss their bang bang cauliflower appetizer! I recommend checking it out if you’re Chinatown/Downtown Crossing area.
If you go: Legal Sea Foods Downtown Crossing, located at 558 Washington Street and open 11:30 a.m. – 2 a.m. (Opens at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.)
Boston’s Most Historic Restaurant: Ye Olde Union Oyster House
You know I can only walk by a restaurant billing itself as America’s oldest restaurant so many times. Eventually I’m going to have to go inside.
We opted to eat lunch during our final day of our 7 Day New England Road Trip. I’ll admit, I expected a tourist trap. Instead, we got a lovely New England meal in a beautiful pre-Revolutionary building.
As you might expect, the menu features a lot of seafood including crab cakes, clams, scallops, lobster, and, of course, oysters. Ye Olde Union Oyster House definitely caters to Boston visitors serving up all the foods Boston is known for at tourist prices.
While there’s nothing wrong with the food at Ye Olde Union Oyster House, you really go for the experience. Personally, my favorite part of the whole meal was watching two wait staff help a guest crack open his lobster claws!
Before turning into a restaurant in 1826, the building housed a printer and several other shops. The restaurant is still divided into several small rooms. We ate our meal in a Freedom Trail themed room.
If you’re on the fence about visiting America’s oldest restaurant, I recommend at least popping inside for a drink at the Union Bar so you soak up the restaurant’s fun, historic vibes.
If you go: Ye Olde Union Oyster House, located at 41 Union Street and open 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. every day. (Open until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.)
Our Favorite Boston Dessert: Modern Pastry Cannoli
Of all the foods Boston is known for, none have captured my imagination as much as cannoli. For decades, it’s been debated whether Mike’s Pastry or Modern Pastry makes the best cannoli in the North End, aka Boston’s Little Italy.
I’ve done an embarrassing amount of research into the great Boston cannoli debate. After trying pastries from Modern, Mike’s, and even Bova’s – a nearby 24 hour bakery- I personally prefer both the pastries and atmosphere of Modern Pastry.
On that first visit to Modern, our kind waitress insisted we get the ricotta cannoli filling (you can choose from ricotta, vanilla custard, chocolate custard, and whipped cream) despite our initial apprehensions. She also clued us in on what she considers the very best cannoli: chocolate dipped shell with ricotta filling and almonds.
We took her advice and holy cow . . . or should I say, holy cannoli . . . IT WAS AMAZING. If you only have time for one North End bakery treat during your time in Boston, make it a cannoli from Modern.
If You Go: Modern Pastry, located at 257 Hanover Street in the North End and open 8 am – 11 pm (12 pm on Friday and Saturday).
Most Surprising Foods Boston Is Known For: Dim Sum
You might not realize that Boston is home to New England’s only Chinatown. That means it’s the only place in New England where you can get authentic dim sum. It’s an opportunity you don’t want to squander!
Happily, Boston’s Chinatown is conveniently located just south of Downtown Crossing off the southeast corner of Boston Common. Adjacent to Boston’s theatre district, consider grabbing some dim sum after a show.
We chose the Dumpling Cafe, mostly because of its convenient location across the street from our rental apartment.
Although this particular restaurant is often knocked in their reviews for poor service, we had a great meal. Their roast beef with scallion pancake was so good!
If You Go: Dumpling Cafe, located at 695 Washington St and open 11 am – 11:30 pm (1:30 am on Friday and Saturday).
Best Spot in Boston For A Night Cap: Last Hurrah Bar
You don’t need to stay in the Omni Parker House Hotel like we did to enjoy a night cap at the hotel’s Last Hurrah Whiskey Bar. Open every day from 4 p.m until midnight, this ground level bar is open to every one. It’s a great spot to soak up some Boston history.
While they can make any drink you want, I recommend checking out their speciality cocktail menu. They offer a bunch of fun martinis including a Boston Cream Pie martini and a Boston Tea Party martini. You can order from a limited food menu as well as get a slice of that coveted Boston cream pie.
Maybe it was our kind waiter, maybe it was the fact that every table in the bar was filled with happy, content guests, but our visit to the Last Hurrah was a highlight of our entire New England trip. We loved people watching from our street level table. We even got to show off our Boston cream pie to a curious passerby!
If You Go: The Last Hurrah on the ground level of the Omni Parker House Hotel is located at 60 School Street. Open 4 pm – 12 am every day.
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