What to eat in Boston
Colonial taverns, briny chowder, and lobster rolls with four hundred years of appetite behind them.
Five dishes. Zero regrets.
New England clam chowder
Thick, creamy, and studded with briny clams and potatoes — the city's soul in a bowl. Eat it with oyster crackers at America's oldest continuously operating restaurant, serving since 1826.
Try it at: Union Oyster House
Lobster roll
Knuckle-and-claw meat — warm with butter or cold with mayo — piled into a toasted, buttered split-top bun. Summer in Boston tastes exactly like this.
Try it at: Neptune Oyster or James Hook & Co.
Boston baked beans
The dish behind the 'Beantown' nickname: navy beans slow-baked with molasses and salt pork, a recipe tracing back to the 1600s. Sweet, savory, and pure colonial comfort.
Try it at: The Warren Tavern or Union Oyster House
Boston cream pie
Invented here in 1856: two layers of sponge cake sandwiching thick vanilla custard under a glossy chocolate glaze. It's a cake, not a pie — Massachusetts made it the official state dessert, so don't argue.
Try it at: Omni Parker House
North Shore roast beef 3-way
A Massachusetts original from the 1950s: thin-shaved rare roast beef on an onion roll with mayo, James River BBQ sauce, and American cheese. 'Three-way' is the only way to order it.
Try it at: Cusser's Roast Beef & Seafood
