After living in Boston for 15 years, returning for visits is always a delight – especially during the summer. There’s something magical about Boston in the summer – the city truly comes alive with rooftop bars, outdoor terraces and long walks to be enjoyed (especially the paths along the water!). In this post, I’m sharing where I ate and drank while in Boston. Read on for some mouthwatering restaurant and cocktail bar suggestions!
Masa – Dinner & Brunch
Located in the deep South End, Masa is a small-plates style Spanish restaurant. As luck would have it, I landed in Boston and friends had planned to meet up that night and invited me along. We feasted on SO much food – favorites of mine included the grilled octopus, empanada de queso (aka a cheese-filled empanada!) and nachos. I did happen to capture one photo of the beautiful food – this yummy Octopus dish.
As we were wrapping up our meal, the craziest thing happened. A table knife came flying through the bar area and whacked me square in the back of the head. What!? How!? I am still contemplating this myself. A few staff members rushed toward me, hugely apologetic. Apparently the knife had mysteriously flung as they were rolling/unrolling napkins with the silverware in it and even they were confused about how it had happened.
The restaurant offered me a $25 gift card, so I ended up going back for brunch. I had an incredible eggs benedict with guacamole – but forgot to take photos. The warm cornbread that is complimentary with brunch is worth coming here to try as well! Definitely take a look at their menu for both dinner and brunch, as the menu for both meals is pretty innovative and the tequila cocktails are on point. I’m pretty sure the flying knife incident was a one-off, but consider yourself warned!
Duozo – Lunch
While living in Boston, Duozo was my favorite spot for sushi. So, when my friend Jen mentioned a lunchtime craving, I knew exactly where to take her. Located in the Back Bay, I’ve only been for dinner before and not for lunch, but it appears that the entire menu is the same for both.
As it was lunchtime, we didn’t want to drink an alcoholic beverage. Instead, we were both craving a refreshing, but not too sweet mocktail. I mean, it was lunchtime, vacation or not haha! While there were not mocktails or juices on the menu, our server said they could make virgin strawberry lemon mojitos. Sold! They were perfect – refreshing with the mint and lemon, with a hint of sweetness from the strawberry.
For our meal, we ordered the spider roll with soft shell crab tempura, avocado, cucumber, tobiko, and spicy mayo. We also got the torch roll with avocado, cucumber, & spicy mayo wrapped with searched yellowtail, yuzu sauce and tobiko, plus steamed pork buns. I forgot to snap photos of the sushi (d’oh!), but the pork buns were delightful.
Alibi at The Liberty Hotel – Cocktails
After a long walk through the Back Bay and Beacon Hill, we were craving a pre-dinner cocktail and I knew just the place to go – The Liberty Hotel! Not only was The Liberty Hotel my stomping ground in my 20s, but it’s a great place to take someone from out of town. The Liberty Hotel is located in the West End, just adjacent to Beacon Hill. The building is the former Charles Street Jail, which dates back to 1851. It has been wonderfully restored into a chic hotel, with original elements like the jail cell bars, visible in the hotel.
Also great? There are multiple eating and drinking options in the hotel. Scampo is a highly rated Italian restaurant, which also has a nice cocktail bar area. The Yard is a terrace off of Scampo which has a pet-friendly area for drinks. They even do a special happy hour where you can bring your dog.
Clink on the second floor also has an upscale restaurant, but you can also spill into the vast lobby for drinks. While all of these options are fantastic, the warm weather called for drinks at Alibi, the ground floor lounge with a killer cocktail menu and sunny terrace. The best part of Alibi? You must wander through the lounge to look at the celebrity mug shots with their alibis – they’re great!
OAK Long Bar + Kitchen – Dinner
Another Boston favorite of mine is OAK Long Bar + Kitchen. I usually only come here for drinks, as I love the massive bar and the comfy tufted bar seats. It’s so glam! However, as I was planning an impromptu Saturday night dinner and I knew some people would want an entrée, others a snack and some no food, I thought Oak Bar would be the perfect spot. I also must give the Concierge at The Fairmont Copley a shout out. When I wanted to add another person to my party last minute and couldn’t get anyone at Oak Bar to answer, he walked over to the restaurant and personally took care of it for me. What a legend!
At OAK Long Bar + Kitchen
Porto – Dinner
A new discovery for me on this trip was Porto. Fun fact: I’ve been to the actual Porto in Portugal and highly recommend it! I just haven’t been to the one in Boston’s Back Bay yet for dinner. I was joined by the oh-so-fabulous Regan aka The Venture Travelist. We ordered scallop ceviche, fried brussels sprouts, meatballs, eggplant chips and the octopus. All were very good.
Tatte – Lunch
I went to Tatte Bakery & Cafe on three different occasions on this visit. Most notably, I caught up with my dear friend Biana of B Loved Boston over lunch. Like the savvy blogger and Bostonian that she is, she taught me the pro-tip of pre-ordering your lunch, grabbing it from the to-go area and then sitting down to enjoy it. Every Tatte around Boston (there are so many of them now!) seems mobbed at all times, so this was a great tip for maximizing time. I ordered my favorite halloumi salad which has bibb and red leaf lettuce, seared halloumi cheese, roasted carrots with sesame and raisins, radish, apples, and crunchy almonds in a tahini vinaigrette. Divine!
I also went back for a coffee with a friend on another occasion and ordered an iced vanilla oat milk latte which was divine. I also picked up an assortment of Tatte’s baked goods to bring to dinner at a friend’s house on another night, with my favorite being the halva brownie. I need this recipe, Tatte!
Earl’s Bar & Kitchen – Cocktails
With its convenient location in the Prudential Center and fantastic cocktails, I often find myself at Earl’s Bar & Kitchen when visiting Boston. Meeting my friend Aakar for a “cheeky one,” aka a quick drink, I knew Earl’s would have some fabulous new cocktails on its menu and I was not disappointed. I opted for a coconut mint margarita and it was heaven! My only sadness? That the need to dash off to my dinner plans meant there was no time for a second one. I have a feeling I’ll be back to scope out what they have on during the Christmas holidays though! 😉
Sweetgreen – Lunch
Is it really a visit to Boston without lunch at Sweetgreen? I hilariously still have a gift card from my former colleagues that still works from 4 years ago. They were super generous with how much they gave me to Sweetgreen and I am really enjoying it on my visits back to Boston. On this visit, I opted for the guac greens – it’s always been my favorite! The salad has organic mesclun, avocado, roasted chicken, red onion, tomatoes, tortilla chips, fresh lime squeeze, lime cilantro jalapeno vinaigrette. I swap the mesclun for spinach and the red onion for carrots. I went to the Sweetgreen on Boylston Street in the Back Bay, but they have them all over Boston. However, consider yourself warned, at lunchtime, the line runs out the door. So, if you want to speed things up, order via their app!
Dunkin’ Donuts – Coffee, many times!
I mean….are you surprised!? For new readers to this blog, I ran the social media program at Dunkin’ for many years. As a result, my love for the company and its delicious coffee runs deep. I was also very excited to have my first pumpkin iced coffee of the season!
Juice Press – Lunch
Juice Press was a new discovery for me on this visit. On a normal day for me, one meal is a fruit and veggie smoothie that I make at home as a way to pack in extra nutrients (usually breakfast). I found myself missing this while in the US. Plus, I forgot how hot the summer weather was – it’s crazy how much I was wilting in the heat. It never used to be an issue for me when I lived in Boston, but now that I am in London, I cannot cope!
I decided to try Juice Press one day for a lunchtime strawberry/banana smoothie and it was really yummy. While I cringed at the price ($10), I really liked how you can pump up the nutritional contents of the smoothie, plus that calories, protein, etc., type counts are visible. I liked it so much that I went back on another day to try the F$#ing Genuis Blueberry, which has blueberry, plant protein, flaxseed, chia, vanilla, almond extract, date, banana, and homemade almond milk. While I had ordered a small, they gave me the bigger size for free, which was nice!
Met Back Bay – Dinner
The last supper of my Boston visit was a really good one. We went to Met Back Bay which is a longtime favorite of mine. I love to sit in the downstairs bar area, which has fantastic cocktails, wine, and appetizers (the short rib tacos are a must-try). On this occasion, we sat in the main dining room. I went for the salmon, which was perfect. I had been overindulging on this visit home and a perfectly cooked piece of salmon with crispy skin, fresh cucumbers, tomato, mint, basil hit all the right notes.
Final Thoughts
I had SO many good meals while in Boston! I really spoiled myself and indulged – as you do when you’re on vacation. It was a great mix of my favorite places, plus new discoveries. I travel back to Boston throughout the year, so please leave a comment below with any of your favorites or recommendations so we can all benefit in the additional suggestions.
Hungry for more? I have a massive Boston Guide listing out my favorite hotels, attractions, restaurants, cocktail bars and more – all by neighborhood. The guide is free and ever-evolving with each visit back to Boston. Check it out here: https://thesavvybostonian.com/boston-guide/
For more of my blog posts on Boston click here: https://thesavvybostonian.com/tag/boston/