In a city where there are award-winning chefs opening swanky four-star restaurants, there are also many hidden gems that give diners great food and atmosphere at a bargain price. by Joanna O'Leary & Dana Braga
In a city where there are award-winning chefs opening swanky four-star restaurants, there are also many hidden gems that give diners great food and atmosphere at a bargain price. Below is just a sampling of what Boston has to offer. But, the secret to dining in Boston without breaking the bank is to hit the pavement and take a walk through some of the city's neighborhoods. Check out, among others, the North End, the Fenway, Cambridge, Southie, the Back Bay for those restaurants that are family owned and operated and honor all the traditions and history of New England. You won't be disappointed any where in the city.
NO NAME RESTAURANT 15 Fish Pier Street West (Cross Street Seaport Boulevard) Boston, MA 022130 617-338-7539
Hours: (Mon-Sat) 11am-10pm, (Sun) 11am-9pm. No typo in the title, it’s actually the (no) name. This classic “hidden gem” of Boston seafood restaurants is the place only residents know about. Red-and-white checked table clothes, a worn wooden interior, and salty water views complement the no-frills but tasty seafood right out of the harbor. Start with a bowl of thick seafood “chowdah” studded with crisp oyster crackers before diving into plates of lobster, shrimp, clams, and oysters. Fish is baked, friend, boiled, or grilled to your taste. Bottled beer and simple sides like coleslaw, French fries, and baked potatoes complete the Cape Cod picnic feel.
Estimated cost per person: $10-25. Cuisine: Seafood
BUKOWSKI'S TAVERN 50 Dalton Street Boston, MA 02115 617-437-9999 Hours: (Mon-Sat) 11am-2am, (Sun) noon-2am.
1281 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02139 617-497-7077 Hours: (Daily) 11:30am-1am While the dim, artsy-grunge atmosphere pays homage to the tavern’s namesake writer, patrons are far more eclectic. Everyone from jabbering white-collar execs to moody humanities students go bonkers for Bukowski’s incredible meal deal: Monday through Saturday noon-8pm ample burgers and fries are each just $1. But don’t let extreme penny-pinching prevent you from trying the peanut butter burger or white trash dip. One of the largest selections of bottled beers in town means that multiple rounds of lambics, pale ales, and lagers are justified all in the name of “exploration.” Daytime eating is relatively quiet; dinnertime brings louder music and more boisterous patrons.
Cuisine: American/Pub Grub
STEVE'S GREEK CUISINE 316 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02115 617-267-1817
Hours: (Mon-Sat) 7:30am-11pm, (Sun) 10am-10pm
Possibly the most affordable and low-key Mediterranean dining experience on Newbury Street. Weekend breakfasts draw sleepy-eyed Back Bay townies for simple egg dishes while chattering shoppers vie for seats at formica tables with window views after high noon. Vegetarians will be more than satisfied with ample falafel plates, veggie moussaka, and taramosalata (baked eggplant dip); kebab platters, gyros with fries, and daily lamb specials entertain less restricted diners. No-nonsense but speedy service is the name of the game. Drinking greek coffee, cappuccino, and espresso is encouraged but lingering is not.
Estimated cost per person $5-20. Cuisine: Greek/American
PETIT BISTRO ROBERT 468 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02215 617-375-0699
Hours: (Daily) 11am-11pm
480 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA 02118 617-867-0600
Hours: (Daily) 11am-11pm Owner/Chef Jacky Robert, the force behind Boston’s much acclaimed Maison Robert, has put a distinctly Bostonian twist on classic bistro staples. Two locations (Kenmore and South End) allow this affordable French cuisine to be within arm’s length for tourists and residents alike. The Parisian hot dog with cheese on a baguette and croque monsieur make for a lovely pre-Fenway lunch. Notable evening options include pork tenderloin medallions with apples and cream and grilled salmon steak with tomato-garlic hollandaise. Dining room walls stocked with a range of vins rouges, blancs, and rosés facilitate pleasurable wine pairings. Exquisite confections (chocolate Eiffel tour, anyone) from the downstairs pastry bar are available for take-out.
Estimated cost per person $8-20. Cuisine: French
THE PARAMOUNT 44 Charles Street, Beacon Hill Boston MA 02114-4604 617-720-1152 Hours: Breakfast & Lunch: (Mon-Fri) 7am - 4:30 pm, (Sat-Sun) 8am-4:30 pm Dinner: (Daily) 5pm-10pm
Despite being located in one of Boston’s most affluent neighborhoods, the Paramount is anything but pretentious. On sunny weekend mornings, diners stand in long lines to order brunch dishes made fast and furious behind the long narrow counter. Bacon, bleu cheese, and spinach omelets and malted Belgian waffles with fruit compote are among the local favorites. Celebrity patrons include Jay Leno and Kate Hudson, who, rumor it, likes her eggs sunny-side up. Dinners are more quiet but equally tasty; try the butter poached lobster ravioli with spring peas or the signature Paramount Burger with crunch sweet potato fries.
Estimated cost per person: $5-20. Cuisine: Traditional American
JOE TECCE'S RISTORANTE & CAFE 61 North Washington St., Boston, MA 02114 (617) 742-6210 Hours: Daily 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Hanover Street in Boston's North End is the main causeway of the city's Italian neighborhood. But, Bostonians know that to get great deals you sometimes have to venture off Hanover and onto some of the secondary streets. Joe Tecce's sits just a couple blocks off Hanover and each of its six dining rooms captures the essence of authentic Italian dining. You can not only taste, but also feel the ambiance of Italy's culture. Italian-Americans have brought great tradition, family and food to Boston and the Tecce family serves up huge portions at a good price. Joe Tecce's Grape Room is one of the most ornate dining rooms in the North End. Hundreds of grapes adorn the walls, surrounding diners with the authentic feel of an Italian vineyard on a warm summer night. The restaurant's specials are named for legendary Italian-American Boston politicians. For example, the Richard P. Iannella, who was the city's Registrar of Probate, is a heaping portion of chicken, veal and Mrs. Tecce's homemade sausage, sautéed with ham, mushrooms, and peas in a tomato sauce. It's $19.95 and recommended for two people. There's nothing fussy or pretentious about Tecce's - just great Italian food.
Estimated cost per person = $10-$20
Holiday Schedule: New Year's Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Year's Eve-Open
GALLERIA UMBERTO 289 Hanover St., Boston, MA 02114 (617) 227-5709 Hours: (Mon.-Sat.) 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. This eatery is tucked away among some of the dynamos on Hanover Street and is the true gem of the North End, Boston's version of "Little Italy." The restaurant was featured on E! Entertainment TV's "Wild On Boston" show because it's a no-frills little joint where the food takes centerstage. It's open for lunch only and line is always 20 minutes deep, but goes by fast when you're standing there talking with the locals about the Red Sox while absorbing the always- festive atmosphere of the North End. The food is Southern Italian and Sicilian. The calzones are $2 to $3 and the pizza is made Sicilian-style, which means they're square, gooey and delicious, for the mouth-watering price of only eighty cents. The restaurant closes for the day when all the food is gone, usually by 2 p.m.
Estimated cost per person = $5 and under
Holiday Schedule: New Year's Day-Open, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Closed, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Closed, Christmas Day-Closed, New Year's Eve-Open
WOODMAN'S OF ESSEX 121 Main St. (Route 133) Essex, MA 01929 (978) 768-6057 Hours: Open all year 11 a.m. daily; Closing time is seasonal, please call People flock year-round to Woodman's, 30 minutes north of Boston in the heart of Cape Ann, for its world-famous fried clams. The fried clams, invented by Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman 80 years ago, are worth the drive alone. Fried clams are a summer staple in New England and Woodman's has the best. Woodman's is an old-fashioned seafood barn with wooden picnic tables, no waiters and no dress code. You wait in line, place your order and it's all self-service from there. The atmosphere is loud, kids run around, Dad wears a plastic lobster bid and dunks the lobster meat in a plastic container filled with melted butter and washes it down with a draft beer in a plastic cup. Beachgoers come in straight from Crane's Beach for the famous clams and heaps of steamers that are served on cardboard plates. It's a great place to bring Grandma and Grandpa because nothing has changed since the first time they went there.
Estimated cost per person = $10-$20
Holiday Schedule: New Year's Day-Open, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Year's Eve-Open
SOUTH STREET DINER 178 Kneeland St., Boston, MA 02111 (617) 350-0028 Hours: Open 24 hours South Street Diner is one of the city's best values. The diner has been around since 1947 and it has the most diverse clientele. It's right off the Southeast Expressway in the Leather District by the South Station bus and train depot. Construction workers from the Big Dig eat breakfast there; business people grab a cup of coffee; secretaries have a quick lunch, neighborhood locals dine on homestyle comfort food and after dark, bar and club goers stop by for late-night eats. Almost everything on the menu is less than $7, including the half-pound burger and fries. Breakfast tastes as good at 2:30 a.m as it does at 9 a.m. The diner is small and cramped but charming, a throwback to the 1950s. "Rock Around the Clock" belts out from the jukebox and the walls are covered with posters of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe.
Estimated cost per person = $5-$10
Holiday Schedule: Open all holidays
MATT MURPHY'S PUB 14 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 02445 (617) 232-0188 Hours: (Mon-Sun) 11 am-10 pm Boston is known for its Irish roots and no list of Boston's restaurants would be complete with out an authentic Irish pub. For some, good Irish food is an oxymoron, but Matt Murphy's serves up Celtic food that captures the spirit and tradition of Ireland. And that's no surprise because Matt Murphy's is based on the original Murphy's in West Cork, Ireland. Soda bread is made fresh each morning, and the crispy cod and chips come wrapped in the Irish Times. Other recommended dishes are the homemade Irish pork sausage with white beans and the shepherd's pie. The portions are huge, the atmosphere is loud, sometimes you have to table-share, but there's Guinness on tap and a huge selection of other beers - you'd swear you were transported right over the pond to a pub in Dublin. Matt Murphy's is a piece of Ireland right here in Boston. The restaurant accepts cash only.
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