I often find myself in dire need of retail therapy and good food with little motivation to head into the city. Until recently, I was unaware that the Chestnut Hill Mall had so much to offer and could easily prove as a solution to my dilemma. Located a mere 25 minute walk from Mac, this mall, while small, is home to a few hidden treasures. With the addition of new shops and restaurants at the nearby The Street: Chestnut Hill, this part of town is definitely worth checking out.
Cusp by Neiman Marcus
In the mood to splurge? Then Cusp provides you with perfect place in which to enhance your spring wardrobe and quickly drain your bank account. With brands like Free People, Theory, Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim, Alice + Olivia, Helmut Lang, DvF, and Rag & Bone, Cusp offers a variety of clothing options as well as accessories, shoes and beauty products. With a limited number of locations, Cusp is definitely worth checking out while you are here in Chestnut Hill.
Sephora, Apple, Vineyards Vines, Lush, and Victoria Secret
All of these stores can be found at the Chestnut Hill and can help with the retail therapy we all so greatly need at the end of stressful weeks here at BC.
Forty Carrots (located in Bloomingdales)
Picture Panera on steroids, and this is what you will encounter when you dine at Forty Carrots. They take the you-pick-two a step further by including frozen yogurt with every meal. The frozen yogurt flavors change weekly with staples, like Tart, remaining constantly available and flavors like peanut butter and cake batter rotating through. The menu consists of delicious salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers (veggie burgers available), and even some breakfast options. The quality of the food makes Panera no longer seem so appealing and you will find yourself constantly craving Forty Carrots. The only downside to this otherwise perfect restaurant is that toppings for frozen yogurt cost extra and are about 1-2 dollars per topping. The frozen yogurt is so good that toppings really aren’t necessary, but if you are a toppings lover like me, you might have to limit yourself to just one of your favorites.
The Street Chestnut Hill
Located right next to the Chestnut Hill mall, this location is quickly expanding to bring us some of our favorite places as well as some new locations.
Shake Shack- With its original location in New York having opened in 2004, this high quality “roadside” burger stand has finally made its way to Massachusetts. Known for its delicious burgers, hot dogs, frozen custard and more, this place is constantly busy. It is definitely worth the wait, but just be prepared to stand in line for a while.
Treat Cupcake Bar- This place is like Cold Stone, but for cupcakes. It is completely customizable, and you can choose different toppings to be mixed into your frosting. The freshly made cupcakes are quite the treat, and the fact that it is customizable makes it worth checking out. I recently sampled a chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting to which I added heath bar pieces and to say it was delicious is a huge understatement!
The Cottage- Offering one of my favorite meals in the world, brunch, this new restaurant is definitely a place to suggest for brunch, lunch, or dinner when your parents come to visit or if you feel like a classy night out away from BC. With an entire gluten free menu, this restaurant really tries to cater to its patrons. Offering everything from delicious country style French toast to Main lobster BLTs, you really can’t go wrong checking this place out for any meal.
Be Styled- A blow-dry bar that offers on the go hair washing, blow drying and style services in a sophisticated and relaxed setting. For $35 you can get anything from a gorgeous up-do to beautiful curls by blow dry stylists,who have been trained by nationally renowned stylist Nicholas Penna and his team from SalonCapri.
The Street Chestnut Hill is also home to well known favorites such as Pinkberry, Lululemon, and City Sports.
So, next time you want a shopping adventure followed by great food but are feeling too lazy to venture into the city remember to, check out these hidden gems located in Chestnut Hill.
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