If you are deciding where to eat in Boston, start with three stops that cover the city’s food identity. Eat oysters at Union Oyster House near Faneuil Hall or at Neptune Oyster in the North End, walk Hanover Street for Italian food and a cannoli from Mike’s Pastry or Modern Pastry, then head to Chinatown for dim sum at China Pearl or Taiwanese dishes at Taiwan Cafe.
Fill the gaps with Boston Public Market, an indoor market of New England producers a few minutes from the North End, and a slice of Boston cream pie at the hotel that created it. Everything on this list sits within walking distance of the Freedom Trail, so you can eat your way across downtown in a day.
Every place below was checked against its own website, the Michelin Guide, Meet Boston or a 2026 Boston Magazine listing while this guide was written. Hours change often, so confirm before you go.
Key takeaways
- Union Oyster House, at 41 Union Street by Faneuil Hall, has served Yankee-style seafood since 1826 and bills itself as America’s oldest restaurant.
- Neptune Oyster on Salem Street is the North End’s seafood specialist and appears in the Michelin Guide.
- Mike’s Pastry (since 1946) and Modern Pastry (since 1930) are the two famous North End cannoli stops; try both and pick a side.
- Boston Public Market at 100 Hanover Street gathers more than 30 New England food producers indoors, year-round.
- In Chinatown, China Pearl on Tyler Street serves dim sum daily and Taiwan Cafe on Oxford Street is known for oyster omelets.
In this guide
- Boston at a glance
- Seafood by Faneuil Hall and the North End
- The North End: pasta, pastry and the cannoli question
- Boston Public Market for local food
- Chinatown: dim sum and Taiwanese classics
- Boston cream pie where it began
- FAQ
- A one-day eating route
Boston at a glance
Downtown Boston is compact. Faneuil Hall, the North End, Boston Public Market and Chinatown are all walkable from one another, and the Omni Parker House sits on School Street in between. Use this table as a shortlist.
| Place | Area | Go for |
|---|---|---|
| Union Oyster House | Downtown, 41 Union Street near Faneuil Hall | Oyster bar, chowder-house seafood, history |
| Neptune Oyster | North End, 63 Salem Street | Oysters from the daily card, seafood plates |
| Mike’s Pastry | North End (plus Cambridge, Assembly Row, TD Garden) | Cannoli and Italian pastries |
| Modern Pastry | North End, 257 and 263 Hanover Street | Cannoli, Italian cakes and cookies |
| Boston Public Market | Downtown, 100 Hanover Street | New England producers, lunch on the go |
| China Pearl | Chinatown, 9 Tyler Street | Dim sum and Cantonese banquet dishes |
| Taiwan Cafe | Chinatown, 34 Oxford Street | Oyster omelets, scallion-pancake rolls |
| Parker’s Restaurant, Omni Parker House | Downtown, 60 School Street | Boston cream pie, Parker House rolls |
Seafood by Faneuil Hall and the North End
Boston’s seafood reputation rests on oysters, lobster and chowder, and two very different restaurants show both ends of it: a historic tavern built for crowds and a small, modern oyster bar.
Union Oyster House
Union Oyster House sits on the Freedom Trail one block from Faneuil Hall, at 41 Union Street. It was established in 1826, calls itself America’s oldest restaurant, and is a designated National Historic Landmark. Meet Boston describes hearty portions of Yankee-style seafood, lobster and shore dinners in a lively, quaint historic setting. The restaurant says the stalls and oyster bar are still in their original positions, and that the statesman Daniel Webster was a constant customer.
Go for the oyster bar and the atmosphere rather than for cutting-edge cooking. Meet Boston notes a full bar, a children’s menu and a private dining room, so it suits families and groups better than most places on this list.
Neptune Oyster
At 63 Salem Street in the North End, Neptune Oyster is the smaller, sharper option. The Michelin Guide, which included it in its 2025 USA selection, describes a dark blue facade with oysters displayed on crushed ice, mosaic tiled floors, a slender white marble bar and a red leather banquette. Oysters are listed on daily cards, and Michelin singles out a New England-style fritto misto sandwich on locally baked brioche, with a wine list that leans toward Europe’s coastal regions.
Boston’s best food day is a walk: oysters by Faneuil Hall, cannoli on Hanover Street, dim sum in Chinatown.
The North End: pasta, pastry and the cannoli question
The North End is Boston’s Little Italy. Meet Boston counts over 100 restaurants in the neighbourhood serving some of the city’s best Italian food, with dozens of eateries offering homemade pasta, fresh-baked bread, cannoli and cappuccino. Hanover Street and Salem Street are the two main corridors, and the neighbourhood comes alive in summer with feasts, festivals and processions.
For dinner, walk both streets, read the menus in the windows, and book ahead on weekends. Then save room, because the pastry shops are the real ritual here.
Mike’s Pastry
Mike’s Pastry was founded in 1946 by Michael Mercogliano and is still family run. It is known above all for its cannoli, alongside pastries, cookies, pies, cakes and biscotti. The North End shop is the original, and there are now branches in Cambridge, at Assembly Row in Somerville and at TD Garden, which helps if the Hanover Street line is long.
Modern Pastry
Modern Pastry has been run by the Picariello family since 1930, at 257 and 263 Hanover Street, with a second shop in Medford. Expect Italian pastries, cakes, cannoli and traditional confections. The Boston location also runs Modern Underground, a downstairs dining room for savoury food, if you want a full meal under the same roof.
Locals argue about which cannoli is better. The practical answer is to buy one from each, walk to the waterfront and decide for yourself.
Boston Public Market for local food
A short walk from the North End, Boston Public Market at 100 Hanover Street is an indoor, year-round marketplace with more than 30 New England artisans and food producers. You can shop for groceries, pick up prepared food and local drinks, or assemble a lunch from several counters. Vendor hours vary, so arrive earlier in the day for the widest choice.
- Best for: a quick lunch between Freedom Trail stops, or edible souvenirs from New England producers.
- Good to know: the market also runs a smaller marketplace in Terminal C at Logan Airport.
- Pair it with: Union Oyster House and Faneuil Hall, both a few minutes away.
Chinatown: dim sum and Taiwanese classics
Boston’s Chinatown is small but dense. Meet Boston describes it as renowned for its large selection of Asian restaurants and bakeries, with alleys of herbal shops and Asian markets beyond the neighbourhood’s elaborately decorated gate. During the Chinese New Year and August Moon festivals, the streets fill with dancing dragons and traditional music.
China Pearl
China Pearl, at 9 Tyler Street, has served Chinatown since 1987 and calls itself Boston’s longest-running Chinese restaurant. It serves dim sum daily and is known for lively dim sum service and classic Cantonese banquet dishes. Come with a group so you can order widely.
Taiwan Cafe
At 34 Oxford Street, Taiwan Cafe was named Best Neighborhood Restaurant in Chinatown in Boston Magazine’s 2026 Best of Boston. The magazine calls the nearly three-decade-old restaurant one of the first to introduce Boston to Taiwanese food, and recommends the gravy-smothered oyster omelets and scallion-pancake rolls filled with roast beef.
Boston cream pie where it began
Boston cream pie is a cake, not a pie, and it has a birthplace you can still eat in. The Omni Parker House at 60 School Street says its bake staff created it in the hotel’s early years in the 1850s by layering sponge cake with vanilla custard and topping it with chocolate icing. It was first called Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie and became the official Massachusetts state dessert on 12 December 1996.
Order a slice at Parker’s Restaurant, the hotel dining room that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hotel also claims the Parker House roll, which Historic Hotels of America calls America’s first soft dinner roll, and ships the original 8-inch pie nationwide if you want one at home.
Planning more trips? Browse our dining guides, search the restaurant directory for more Massachusetts listings, and read our guide to New England clam chowder before your oyster lunch.
FAQ
What food is Boston known for?
Oysters, lobster and chowder, North End cannoli and Boston cream pie. Union Oyster House, the North End pastry shops and the Omni Parker House cover all of them.
Is the North End or Chinatown better for dinner?
The North End is best for Italian food and pastry, Chinatown for dim sum and Asian cooking. Both are walkable from downtown, so you can do lunch in one and dinner in the other.
Which is better, Mike’s Pastry or Modern Pastry?
It is a matter of taste and a long-running local debate. Mike’s dates from 1946 and Modern from 1930, and both are in the North End, so try one cannoli from each.
Do I need reservations?
For sit-down dinners, especially on North End weekends, booking ahead is wise. The pastry shops and Boston Public Market are walk-in stops, so plan those around your meals.
A one-day eating route
Start with a cannoli and coffee in the North End, have oysters at Neptune Oyster or Union Oyster House for lunch, and browse Boston Public Market on the way back downtown. Finish in Chinatown with dim sum at China Pearl or dinner at Taiwan Cafe, and keep a slice of Boston cream pie for the next morning. If you have time for a second city on the trip, our New York food guide is a train ride away.
Featured photo: Oysters served on ice, with lemon and parsley by David, CC0.
