Other than trying amazing food, one of our favorite hobbies is traveling. Covid, as we know, brought that to a screeching halt last year. So, you can imagine the excitement when we were able to book a trip to Boston.
For me, one of the best parts of traveling to new places is trying new food – it truly is the best of both worlds. Most of the trip preparation for Boston was scouring Pinterest and Google to find the best restaurants, but as we know, they had to be locally owned.
(Full disclaimer: we did some quick research on these places to confirm that they are locally owned, but if they are not, drop us a comment!)
Rather than our typical one-restaurant highlight, we’re going to share some of our favorite places all throughout Boston.
Boston Brunch Spot: The Friendly Toast
Our hotel was in Copley Square, which is a convenient and central location to several places. Any first morning on vacation calls for brunch, which is how we found ourselves at The Friendly Toast.
The Friendly Toast has a quirky and fun name, and the atmosphere inside is just that. It was a Friday morning and the place was packed with what I assumed to be locals. Their menu was rather large, and after tons of back and forth with myself, I settled on the French Toast.
First, the French toast was some of the best I’ve ever had. The slices were thick and the bread had almost like a sugar coating on the crust. The portion, as you can see, was plentiful and I was full for HOURS.
I also ordered the mimosa flight, which I highly recommend you try. I can’t recall the flavors of each of them, but they were all amazing.
Lastly, we had a brunch dessert: fried churros. Definitely get them. I mean it. Definitely. Get. Them.
Website: https://thefriendlytoast.com/
Boston Italian Food: Giacomo’s
If you’ve done any research on Boston, you’ll learn there is a part of town called The North End, also known as “Little Italy.” As soon as you make your way into this part of town, you’re greeted with the smells you’d probably expect from Little Italy.
There are restaurants stacked on top of each other, and while the decision was hard to make, we eventually made our decision and ate a late lunch/early dinner at Giacomo’s North End. And I am so happy we did.
Giacomo’s is tiny, and there are maybe 5-6 tables inside. We got a seat right by the window, and it was a lovely view.
The inside is what you’d expect from a cash-only Italian restaurant and the food was spectacular. It’s a little pricey and make sure you bring cash, but it is worth every penny!
We ordered the garlic bread and fettuccine with Chicken, Peppers and Onions in a Tomato Cream Sauce.
If you are in Boston, do everything you can to make it to Giacomo’s North End.
Website: https://www.giacomosboston.com/
Boston Late Night Eats: Anchovies
Okay, so we’re going to cheat a little bit and highlight another Italian restaurant in Boston. This place was recommended to us by our hotel bartender and he was everything he said it’d be.
We got into Boston on a Thursday night, and we were craving some pasta. Anchovies is more of a bar than a restaurant, but their food is far from typical bar food.
The inside of the place itself is rather small, but they’ve arranged the seating so they can fit lots of people inside. The music was just loud enough to hear but not loud enough to not be able to hear the people you’re with.
It’s a little dark inside and more of a place I’d consider for a late-night snack than a fancy dinner. But trust me, the food is amazing.
We ordered the fried ravioli (so good) and the penne with chicken & broccoli in a garlic cream sauce. It was a great portion for 2 people. I’d have loved to try more food, but we were only in Boston for 3 days, after all!
Website: https://anchoviesbar.com/
Boston Coffee Shop: Black Sheep Bagel Café
When traveling, it’s really important to give local coffee shops a boost instead of getting your regular Starbucks coffee.
Black Sheep Bagel Café isn’t technically in Boston – it’s in Harvard Square. Harvard Square is a quaint area of shops, restaurants, and other businesses located around Harvard University.
Black Sheep Bagel Café is a small coffee shop and café offering a plethora of coffee and bagel breakfasts. I opted for a regular cup of hot coffee and a salt bagel with cream cheese. It is just what I needed to set the tone for that Sunday morning.
I love a good salt bagel, and this bagel is one of the best I’ve had. The salt was there, but it wasn’t so prominent that it made your mouth water or anything. The combination of the salt bagel with the cream cheese was perfect.
Website: https://www.blacksheepbagelcafe.com/
