Bon Appétit: Where to Eat in Boston Right Now
There’s more to this city than lobster rolls and chowder.
Boston is a city of neighborhoods, and where you live and spend your time can define your experience in The Hub. History is baked into every corner—there’s nothing more Boston than running into an actor dressed as a Revolutionary War–era tour guide checking their iPhone—but that doesn’t mean that the city is frozen in time. The glittering Seaport, packed with skyscrapers, has sprung up in the past decade; Jamaica Plain’s trails loop around Jamaica Pond and through the vast Arnold Arboretum, part of the city’s vast Emerald Necklace of green spaces; and Dorchester’s six-mile span encompasses the most multicultural and continually evolving neighborhoods in town, home to immigrants from Vietnam to the Caribbean.
Boston’s diverse nature, owed in part to its dual identities as a college town and a port city, lends to a vibrant dining scene. The sheer variety of restaurants is staggering, from splashy waterfront spots meant to impress, like the Michelin-recognized Woods Hill Pier 4, to the soulful family-owned Pho Le, the place to slurp pho in the heart of Field’s Corner. Of course, you can’t forget the classic New England seafood restaurants, like the almost impenetrable (you’ll likely have to wait in line for an hour) Neptune Oyster.
The city is also home to interesting, cozy wine bars: Haley.Henry is a must-visit for small-batch wines and tins of briny fish. Gray’s Hall in South Boston has an impressive natural wine list, and chef Karen Akunowicz’s Bar Volpe pours excellent Italian wine by the glass.
Getting around town is made easy, as Boston is home to the MBTA, the oldest subway system in the US, locally known as the T. Between the T and your feet, the only thing you should do with a car in Boston is park and forget it.
