The Definitive Boston Thread

Typically, around this type of year there is an influx of threads on the Travel Board asking about Boston. Makes sense, as the summer is approaching and it's the nicest time of year to visit New England.

With that in mind, I'm starting this thread to help those who are looking for general information about things to do, places to eat/drink, etc.

My guide that I wrote a very long time ago was, well, dated. All credit goes to my wife on this one, who took a decent amount of time putting it together. Seriously, when it comes to this stuff I am a novice compared to her. It's incredibly detailed and broken down by neighborhood.

Of course, I am more than happy to continue answering individual questions for those who have them, but I thought this would save a lot of you the time and effort of having to start a new thread.

With that, it's very lengthy, so here we go....

BOSTON HIGHLIGHTS


Food

• Table (Cambridge) - Best restaurant in the city, in my opinion. Cozy, small space serving fresh, local seasonal ingredients. Four-course tasting menu format with two options to choose from for each course. Great wine pairings as well. Reservations are a must. Ask to sit at the counter if available, though I’d recommend this only if going by yourself or with one other person as it becomes difficult to chat if there are more of you all sitting at a counter.

*It is with a very heavy heart that I say that Table was permanently closed due to COVID-19. A good friend of mine was the Executive Chef and he is insanely talented (was final 4 on Top Chef a few years back) and whenever he lands in a new location I'll be sure to update.


Breweries (no shortage of good beer around Boston)

• Trillium - Consistently ranked as one of the top breweries in the country. The original Fort Point location is now closed to customers and strictly brews and bottles/cans there. Their new location in the Seaport is phenomenal and has great food at the bar, a restaurant, and a roof deck when the weather is nice. Canton (suburb ~30 mins away) taproom has pours, growlers and cans to-go, and food trucks on the weekends. Trillium also operates seasonal beer gardens so check their website or Twitter to see if the summer garden on the Rose Kennedy Greenway (Downtown) or the winter garden at the substation (Roslindale) is open. Summer garden typically offers wine from Westport Vineyards for non-beer drinking friends.
• Night Shift - Great beer but kind of a pain to get to out in Everett. If uber or lyft isn’t too expensive or if you’re out checking out Assembly Row in Somerville, go for it.
• Lamplighter - Cool setup as a coffee shop and brewery. They offer coffee flights in addition to their solid beer options. Nice location in Cambridge, close to many good restaurants there.
• Cambridge Brewing Company - Solid beer and solid food in a convenient Kendall Square location.
• Somerville Brewing Company - Really diverse selection. Two locations in Somerville: one close to Cambridge and one in Assembly Row. Good food at both.
• Aeronaut - Another Somerville brewery with less variety but close to Kirkland Tap and Trotter (a fantastic restaurant by Chef Tony Maws of Craigie on Main) and close to eclectic Union Square, which has one of the best farmers markets in the area on summer and fall Saturdays.
• Harpoon - Of the two big guys Harpoon and Sam Adams, you should absolutely visit Harpoon. The beer is better, the location is better and easier to get to being in the South Boston Seaport, and their pretzels served with dipping sauces made from their beers are out of this world. Hands down the best pretzel I’ve ever had.
• Dorchester Brewing Company - Cool, local neighborhood spot in an up and coming neighborhood. Makes decent beer of their own, but the real highlights are their rotating guest brew series. Other regional breweries head down to their facilities and brew there so they always have a few guest taps. Typically have some food trucks out on Friday evenings and Saturdays and Sundays.
• Democracy Brewing - Very new spot located right in the heart of downtown, about a block away from Downtown Crossing. If you're near the Boston Common, it's an easy place to walk to and grab a beer and a snack.

Citywide Touristy Stuff/Popular Attractions

These are the big ones, others listed in the neighborhood breakdowns

• Fenway Park - Worth a visit even if you’re not into baseball. If tickets are too expensive, wait until the game gets into the second inning or so and by them near the gates. They offer tours when the Red Sox are away. Here in the summer? The park usually hosts a great lineup of summer concerts so just check out ticketmaster.
• TD Garden - Easy to get to because of its location near Downtown and the North End. Plus, you can usually find Celtics tickets fairly cheap, but you may have to splurge a bit more for Bruins tickets.
• Freedom Trail - Touristy, but interesting if you’ve never done it. Don’t take a guided tour. Download a tour app so you can go at your own pace and pop in at the historic taverns like Bell in Hand and Green Dragon (Downtown) or Warren Tavern (Charlestown) along the way.
• Duck Boat Tours - I’ve never done one, and honestly they seem awful because of how bad Boston traffic can get. But I guess it could be good for kids?
• New England Aquarium - Again, I’ve never actually been. But everyone I know who has raves about the Boston aquarium. Convenient location (Downtown) and you can book whale watching tours out of the aquarium during the summer and early fall.
• Boston Common - During the summer, you can ride the swan boats with the kids in the ponds inside the Common, and in the winter they set up an ice skating rink (Frog Pond) which is gives great skyline views as well as views of the Common as you skate.

Museums

• MFA - First Fridays event where you can explore the museum, hear music, and enjoy cocktails on the evening of the first Friday of each month
• Museum of Science - This place is awesome for kids or adults. Laser shows at the planetarium to various music artists, IMAX movies, and a really cool human movement exhibit. I spent about 6 hours in here when I went and still didn’t see everything.
• JFK Museum and Library - Located in the Dorchester neighborhood and right off the T, this is one of the best Presidential libraries in the country, and you can easily spend an entire afternoon here. Additionally, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute is right next to it and has some really interesting exhibits.
• Children’s Museum
• Institute of Contemporary Art
• Isabella Stewart Gardener

Restaurants and Cafés with multiple locations throughout the city

• Tatte Bakery and Café - The best breakfast spot in Boston. Great coffee, teas, lemonades, hot breakfast, pastries.
• Legal Sea Foods - Yes, it’s a chain. But it’s a local chain, and a pretty decent one for New England seafood. My favorite is the Legal Harborside location in the Seaport. Great patio and views.
• Flour Bakery and Café - Joanne Chang’s famous bakery. Good selection of allergen free options.
• Caffe Nero - Nice little Italian-style coffee shops scattered around Boston. London-based shops with Boston being the only locations so far in the U.S.