While many of us trekked back onto campus after fall break, I decided to prolong my stay in Boston for an extra day for one pure reason – my love of food! Just the thought of greasy Blanchard food is enough to keep me off of Skinner Green for as long as possible. Even though I have plenty of friends and family in Boston, I do have to admit, my strongest reason for venturing the 2 hour bus ride into the city is to enjoy the deliciousness of what the city has to offer – whether it’s street food or a nice restaurant.
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For breakfast, I prefer the local, down-the-street bakery, café or deli. Since I stay in Brookline for most of my visits, there are plenty of Jewish bagel delis with the most delicious lox and nova spreads on every bagel possible. Michael’s Deli, a 2-minute walk from the Coolidge Corner stop on the C Green line (going towards Cleveland Circle) is one of the best of Boston local shops. They have everything from homemade sandwiches on delicious breads to different sorts of knishes and salads with a warm cup of coffee on the side. But if you prefer an American style bagel breakfast, Bruegger’s Bakery is right across the street and offers bagel sandwiches and salads. Or if you insist on going out for breakfast, there are definitely neighborhood charms in Cambridge. Zinneken’s is a waffle shop just a 5 minute walk from Harvard Square on the Redline (towards Alewife from the city).
They specialize in fruity waffles with a sizzle of Nutella sauce that is enough to make you want a second slice. Even just a quick walk pass Zinneken’s will tingle your senses and make you think of heaven. Definitely enjoy the opportunity to eat a real breakfast that doesn’t consist of tofu pancakes like Wilder’s.
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But who’s going to wake up early enough or breakfast on Fall break? If weekend falls in your trip to Boston, definitely go to Dim Sum at Hei La Moon Restaurant in Chinatown. It’s quite a walk from Boylston and downtown but it’s only a 3-minute walk from South Station on the Red line. Hei La Moon offers a variety of dim sum tapas at a reasonable price and delicious Chrysanthemum tea on the house. They have all steamed, fried, and cooked dishes as a part of the dim sum carts, but if that doesn’t satisfy your appetite, there is also a solid menu to order from. But if a Chinese brunch isn’t up your alley, then try a place called Miracle of Science in Kendall Square on the Red line by MIT.
Miracle of Science has a full delicious menu of scrambled eggs, bacon, homemade potatoes, burgers, and quesadillas. And the best part? Their menu is based off of the Periodic Table! This is definitely a place for all the MoHo women who spend hours and hours doing lab work in Kendade.
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For a downtown breakfast or midday coffee, there are plenty of cafés in the city. A popular shop, called the Thinking Cup on Tremont Street between Park and Boylston on the Green line has delicious pastries, sandwiches, and of course, coffee. You can find everything from bagels, croissants, and cake to prosciutto and smoked salmon sandwiches. However, a trip to the Thinking Cup requires patience since this is probably the busiest café in all of Boston. Depending on the time of the day, lines can be out the door just for a cup of coffee. Even when you do get your order through, there is barely any space to sit unless if you’re willing to wait anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes for the next table to be available. Also, note that the Thinking Cup is not a place to sit and study. It’s more designed to be a conversational café, so go with a group of friends to talk, not to read. The lights are dim, there’s no Wi-Fi, and it’s usually too loud for any kind of focus work. But just because you’ve ruled out the Thinking Cup as an option, don’t fall for the Starbucks down the street on the corner of Boylston and Tremont.
My friend and I made a horrible mistake of settling for Starbucks for free Wi-Fi when we learned that the Thinking Cup was not our study friendly spot. While any Starbucks is a solid go-to, this particular Starbucks has unusually slow Wi-Fi and no bathroom – which is always a problem when you’re drinking a Venti and it’s cold outside! Instead, take the time walk down Newbury or hop back on the Green line. On the other side of Newbury by the Berklee Conservatory, Pavement Café has a great ambiance for study groups with friends or focus alone. What’s great about Pavement is that they have a truly amazing collection of teas that can be an alternative for coffee-haters. The café has plenty of room so you won’t have to scramble to find a seat with outside seating during warm months. The service is also splendid with a full friendly staff. But if Berklee is too far of a venture, try Trident Bookshop and Café at Hynes Convention Center on the Green line on Newbury. The coffee is definitely one of the best in the city, but what’s even better is that when you sit at their coffee bar, they give you free refills! Say hello to long hours of free Wi-Fi and unlimited coffee! Time to get some work done.
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While the sun starts to set after your long day of shopping, hanging out with friends, or studying, dinner in the city is an excellent way to reenergize before you being your nightlife. If you want to go out specifically to dinner, places in Back Bay or North End are the best places for fine dining. While Back Bay has plenty of steakhouses and an array of seafood, taverns, and French cuisines, North End offers an authentic Italian experience. While you may not be riding a gondola to the restaurant, you can still experience the walk of an old little Italian neighborhood with people selling roses in baskets on the sidewalk while violinists offer to serenade your significant other for a small change and the accordionist plays Italian American classics.
There are plenty of Italian restaurants to choose from as well as little neighborhood grocery stores to browse. North End is the perfect place for a date night since it offers an intimate small neighborhood setting with delicious food and a beautiful view of Boston’s skyline. The best part is, it only takes a 15-minute walk from the Commons or a 5-minute T ride from Park.
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But if fine dining is not in your taste buds, there are plenty of places in Chinatown that is not a traditional Chinese food experience. Try a Malaysian restaurant called Penang, one of the busiest restaurants in Chinatown for both weekends and weeknights. They offer a variety of Malay dishes that can satisfy your craving of spices. Aside from their raving reviews, the ambience of the restaurant makes you feel like you’re sitting in an alleyway of an Asian city with brick walls and tin roofs. Even though Penang is not a local restaurant, it is a trustful and solid chain that never fails to deliver quality of the food.
Right next door to Penang, Dumpling Café is also a Bostonian favorite for Asian foods. Their specialty? Juicy dumplings. Juicy dumplings are rare to find since not every Asian or Chinese restaurant has the technology to make them. What’s different about juicy dumplings is that while they look like normal steamed dumplings, there is soup on the inside of a thick meatball. How might this work, you may ask? You just have to try it to know.
Other alternative to a heavy dinner is to go light with appetizers and a salad for an early sun-setting dinner at Cafeteria on Newbury. Because they have a large outdoors seating area, you can watch passerby shoppers and families, sip on a cocktail and have a conversation with a group of friends over bite-sizes. Cafeteria is a great go-to when a day of walking on Boylston and Newbury tires your legs out that you can’t even make it back to the nearest T station. However, they do not offer any specialties on the menu and the taste is rather bland for the average food-lover.
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Dinner is never dinner without good desserts, of course. And Boston is truly the places for desserts. While there are plenty of delicious chain places like Georgetown Cupcakes, true Bostonians prefer local places like Mike’s Pastries in North End. This famous Italian bakery shop offers about a dozen flavors of cannoli and other goods like tiramisu, gelato, lobster tail (cream-filled puff), and Italian cookies and biscuits. You simply cannot go out on a Friday or Saturday night without running into someone holding a little white and blue box from Mike’s. But be prepared, because they only take cash and you’ll at least spend 25 minutes waiting in line a block down from the actual shop. But they’re completely worth it!
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If you’re not into a heavy dessert (and trust me, one cannoli from Mike’s will be heavy), you can try a local Boston chain of fro-yo at Berryline. Berryline can be found in Harvard Square, and on Newbury and Boylston Streets. The best part about Berryline’s fro-yo is that they have the best and the most fresh cuts of fruits in the city. Their fro-yo is also light even for dairy flavors like chocolate and vanilla. And depending on the time of day, any Berryline can require a line outside for 5-10 minutes.
If you aren’t into trying new things, try ice cream at J.P. Lick’s (can be found pretty much in every neighborhood of Boston) or at Toscanini’s in Kendall/MIT. They both offer delicious ice cream and Wi-Fi so instead of sipping on a yucky cup of caffeine; you can load yourself with yummy ice cream. They both offer new flavors as well as the classic chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Ice cream is definitely a must in Boston.
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Food really drives my love for this city more than other attractions. And I truly am sad to leave the convenience of good food for dining halls, but as an optimist, I am determined to take advantage of my extra day and to make my taste buds happy before heading back to South Hadley.