12 Awesome Places to Eat in Boston for First Timers!

We spent two days exploring the food scene of Boston, a coastal city renowned for its fresh and delicious seafood. Other than the seafood restaurants, there are also many other great food joints. Therefore, we have compiled a list of 12 best places to eat in Boston for tourists visiting the first time. We hope you will enjoy all the delicious food in Boston! Also read: 10 Best Things to do in Boston, USA

1. Boston Chowda (Quincy Market)

As I walked into Quincy Market, I made sure to make a stop at Boston Chowda. After all, what is Boston without a bowl of pipping hot chowder and a warm buttery bun stuffed with chunky lobster meat? This family-run business is famous for its delicious New England-style food, such as clam chowder, Fresh Maine lobster rolls, and pot pies. The menu also offers a selection of wraps, sandwiches, salads and soups. We ordered a “Manager’s Special” set meal, which comprised a Hot Buttered Lobster Roll ($21.99) and a Cup of Chowda and Small Soda ($5.99). We loved the piping hot chowder, which had a savoury and rich creamy flavour complimented by generous amounts of fresh clams and potatoes. The lobster roll was a treat too, with a generous portion of fresh lobster meat served in a warm buttery brioche bun. This was our very first meal upon arriving in Boston on a cold winter night, and it was a great welcome meal.

Boston Chowda
Address: 1 Faneuil Hall Market Pl, Boston, MA 02109, USA
Phone: +1 617 742 4441
Opening Hours: | Mon to Sat: 9am – 9pm | Sun: 9am – 6pm |

2. Pizzeria Regina (Quincy Market)

Our next stop in Quincy Market was Pizzeria Regina, a famous brick oven pizza chain with many branches in the New England region. If you’re craving for some pizza, this is the place to go. We ordered one slice of pizza with a single mushroom topping ($3.89). The pizza had a nice crisp crust with a smoky flavour distinctive of brick oven pizzas. It was not charred at all and had generous amounts of mushrooms. I am now reminiscing about how I was savouring this pizza back in Boston!

Pizzeria Regina
Address: 226 N Market St, Boston, MA 02109, USA
Phone: +1 617 742 1713
Opening Hours: | Mon to Sat: 10am – 9pm | Sun: 11am – 6pm |

3. Café Luna

Café Luna is a hidden find in Boston! This is a cozy and casual cafe that serves a variety of comfort food and drinks such as waffles, panini, sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, beer, and wine. It is extremely popular among the locals. We had the “Kitchen Sink” Waffle and Egg Pasta ($13), which comprises a buttermilk waffle with bacon, scrambled eggs, and a small fruit cup.  The waffle was light and fluffy, going perfectly with the savoury bacon and eggs. The fruits helped to balance the rich meal. We also ordered the Breakfast Sandwich ($6), a simple but tasty croissant sandwich with egg, ham, sausages and cheese. One thing to note is that the café is pretty small and the ventilation wasn’t perfect where we sat near the kitchen. And the cafe is pretty far from downtown. On the whole, this place serves fantastic breakfast and brunch with large portions, and the price was extremely affordable as well. We definitely made the right decision to do a quick breakfast stop here before heading to the Harvard campus.

Café Luna
Address: 612 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Phone: +1 617 576 3400
Opening Hours: | Mon: 7am – 5pm | Tue to Fri: 7am – 6pm | Sat and Sun: 9am – 5pm |

4. OTTO Pizza (Harvard Square)

OTTO Pizza is a famous pizza joint that started its business in Portland, Maine. Today, it has multiple branches in both Maine and Massachusetts. We went to the Harvard Square branch and oh how I envy the Harvard students. Imagine walking out of campus to a street lined with rows of cafes and restaurants serving good and affordable food. We bought a delectable pizza slice for just $3.50. There wasn’t a proper menu so the salesperson simply explained to us the pizza they were serving for the day. We decided to play it safe and ordered a pizza with chicken chunks toppings, though we can’t remember its name. The pizza slice was delicious! It was huge and had great brick-oven gourmet quality. I still remember sitting by the window with Raevian inside the shop, people watching while enjoying our hot slice of pizza together in the cold winter weather.

OTTO Pizza
Address:1432 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Phone: +1 617 873 0888
Opening Hours: | Daily 10.30am to 12am |

5. Mr Bartley’s (Harvard Square)

Our next stop at Harvard Square was Mr Bartley’s, a gourmet burger joint that dates back to 1960. The restaurant was quite crowded when we went, but luckily we managed to find a seat. Our burger was pretty big and definitely passed muster, though we felt it was slightly overpriced. That said, this is still a decent spot for your gourmet burger fix.

Mr Bartley’s
Address: 1246 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Phone: +1 617 354 6559
Opening Hours: | Sun and Mon: CLOSED | Tue to Sat: 11am – 9pm |

6. J.P Licks (Harvard Square)

Sometimes during travel, we do crazy things like eating ice cream in sub zero weather! J.P Licks is a popular ice cream shop in Harvard Square. It also serves soft serve and pastries. This was a good pit stop to rest our legs, have some ice cream, and people watch before continuing our exploration of the area. We had a single scoop of the ‘cookies n cream’ ice cream ($4.20), which had a rich and creamy flavour without being overwhelming. Was it worth the calories you ask? Yes of course!

J.P. Licks
Address: 1312 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Phone: +1 617 492 1001
Opening Hours: | Mon to Fri: 7am – 12am | Sat and Sun: 8am – 12am |

7. Atlantic Fish Company

After reading many positive reviews online, we were very eager to check out Atlantic Fish Company, a casual seafood restaurant known for serving the freshest seafood dishes. I had the Linguine with Clam Sauce ($23). The clams were done perfectly and had just the right amount of saltiness. The noodles were cooked al dente and tasted wonderful with the savoury white wine and garlic sauce. We also ordered the Fish and Chips ($22). The fried Atlantic snapper haddock in local toasted lager batter tasted really fresh and had wonderfully smooth texture. Together with the tangy tartar and cocktail sauce, this was one satisfying dish.

Atlantic Fish Company
Address: 761 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116, USA
Phone: +1 617 267 4000
Opening Hours: | Mon to Thur: 11.30am – 11pm | Fri and Sat: 11.30am – 11.30pm | Sun: 11am – 11pm |

8. Thinking Cup

It was a cold winter morning and we were on our way to Thinking Cup at Boston Common, a cozy cafe famous for its gourmet coffee, delicious sandwich and breakfast dishes. To perk ourselves up, we had a steaming cup of Cappuccino ($3.50). It was full-bodied with a smooth and creamy texture, and we simply loved the rich coffee aroma. I can’t remember the exact sandwichs we had, but I do remember that they were pretty delicious. This was definitely a good start to our day.

Thinking Cup
Address: 165 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Phone: +1 617 482 5555
Opening Hours: | Mon to Wed: 7am – 10pm | Thur to Sun: 7am – 11pm |

9. Georgetown Cupcake

After a day of exploring Boston, we popped by Georgetown Cupcake to rest our legs and enjoy the delicious cupcakes here. This popular cupcake chain started business in Washington DC in 2008, and has since expanded to six states in USA. It even had a reality series on TLC! We ordered our favourite cupcake flavour, the Red Velvet ($3.25), and sat at the countertop by the window to savour it. The cupcake was soft and fluffy, going perfectly with the luscious cream on top. Raevian and I finished the delicious cupcake in a few quick bites.

Georgetown Cupcake
Address: 83 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02116, USA
Phone: +1 617 927 2250
Opening Hours: | Mon to Sat: 10am – 9pm | Sun: 10am – 8pm |

10. The Daily Catch (North End)

Calamari Scampi

Black Pasta Aglio Olio

This is our favourite restaurant in Boston by far! The Daily Catch is a homely Italian bistro renowned for its delicious “Sicilian-Style” seafood and pasta dishes. For appetizer, we had the Calamari Scampi ($12.75), which consists of fresh squids sauteed with garlic oil, butter, lemon and wine, served in scampi sauce. The squids were succulent and I really enjoyed eating them with the savoury sauce. But the highlight of our meal was the Black Pasta Aglio Olio ($24), which was recommended by a nice elderly local couple sitting beside us. It consists of grounded squid sauteed with garlic and olive oil, served with squid ink pasta. This is the signature dish of the restaurant. The dish was served to us in the pan that it was cooked in – nice touch! I was blown away by how delicious it tasted. The savoury flavours of the pasta, squid, and gravy blended together nicely to give me a heavenly gastronomical experience. I also liked that the noodles were perfectly al dente. This is a MUST-TRY if you are ever in Boston!

During dinner, we had a nice conversation with the elderly couple, who were extremely nice and pleasant to speak to. They gave us helpful sightseeing tips for Boston and New York City (our next stop). This pleasant encounter was one of the highlights of our Boston trip. Check out our full review of The Daily Catch.

The Daily Catch (North End)
Address: 323 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113, USA
Phone: +1 617 523 8567
Opening Hours: | Daily 11am to 10pm |

11. Mike’s Pastry (North End)

After dinner, we decided to indulge in a sweet treat before ending the night (yes we are gluttons). We visited Mike’s Pastry, a super popular Italian bakery shop famous for their wide variety of delicious cannoli! The shop was PACKED when we reached, but there were multiple queues so it moved pretty fast. Spoilt for choice, I decided to go with the safe flavours of Oreo ($4.50) and Chocolate Chip ($4.50). The portion was huge! The ricotta filling was exceptional, with a luscious texture and sweet flavour that tasted wonderful. And of course, you can never go wrong with Oreo and chocolate chips toppings.

Mike’s Pastry
Address: 300 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113, USA
Phone: +1 617 742 3050
Opening Hours: | Sun to Thur: 8am – 10.30pm | Fri and Sat: 8am – 11.30pm |

12. Neptune Oyster (North End)

The elderly couple we met at The Daily Catch recommended us the Neptune Oyster, one of the most popular seafood restaurants in Boston. Some people have claimed that the hot Maine Lobster Roll here is the best lobster roll they’ve ever had. Other popular dishes at this casual-dining restaurant include the clam chowder and fresh oysters. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time in our itinerary to check out this joint. We will definitely visit it if we are ever back in Boston!

Neptune Oyster
Address: 63 Salem St # 1, Boston, MA 02113, USA
Phone: +1 617 742 3474
Opening Hours: | Sun to Thur: 11.30am – 9.30pm | Fri and Sat: 8am – 10.30pm |

This article is part of our completely free and fantastic Ultimate Boston Travel Guide for First Timers. Why spend days researching when all your holiday information is simply a click away?