This is post 2 of 5 documenting our time back East in Boston and New York at the end of 2016. Read my last post that breaks down where we stayed, how we got around, and what we did while in Boston HERE.
And now onto one of my favorite parts about traveling: the food! Being a big (self-proclaimed) foodie, and also type A personality, you would think I would’ve had our food stops mapped out. But no, the farthest I got was following a couple Boston foodie Instagram accounts and taking screen shots of a couple of their posts and coming back to them when we were deciding where to eat. Looking back, this gives me anxiety just thinking about how unorganized I was about our food stops. Don’t worry, I became a little more organized about our food choices before we got to NYC.
Also, I should preface this with saying we didn’t have any seafood while on the East coast. Sacrilegious, I know. But, it’s because we aren’t huge on seafood, and also because we didn’t make it a point to go out of our way to try any seafood either. Maybe next time we will if we have good recommendations. Without further ado, these are the places we ate at when in Boston.
Giacomo’s Ristorante 
DINNER | Hands down the best meal of our trip. After we landed in Boston and checked into our hotel, we headed out to explore Boston. We walked up and down Boston’s little Italy and noticed a small line outside of this one restaurant on a Thursday night. We decided to stand in the line in front of this small hole in the wall restaurant and wait for dinner. Man was it worth it. The burrata and mozzarella caprese appetizer with olive oil drenched garlic bread was absolute perfection (I think Travis still has recurrent dreams about this appetizer). If you do head here, note that they don’t take reservations so be prepared to wait, and they are cash only and if you try to pay with credit card they will call you out.
GIACOMO’S RESTAURANT: http://giacomosblog-boston.blogspot.com
Mike’s Pastry 
DESSERT | After dinner at Giacomo’s we walked across the street to grab dessert at Mike’s Pastry. This was one of the places that was on a lot of “must eat in Boston” lists, so we did end up checking it out. Total touristy stop for sure, but it lived up to the hype! We ended up with a cupcake, a chocolate chip cannoli, and of course a Boston creme pie (when in, Rome—err Boston!).
MIKE’S PASTRY: http://www.mikespastry.com
Boston Public Market 
LUNCH OR DINNER | For dinner one night we roamed around the Boston Public Market and Little Italy and put together dinner for a picnic back in our hotel room. We ended up with a meatball sub (Travis’ choice) and a fresh baguette (Elise’s choice) from little Italy and fresh cheese, and salami from the Boston Public Market. I was hoping that there would be more salad and side options to choose from at Boston’s Public Market to put together more of a picnic, but we couldn’t find anything. We were stuffed none the less!
BOSTON PUBLIC MARKET: https://bostonpublicmarket.org
Thinking Cup 
BREAKFAST + DESSERT | The morning of the Patriot’s game we had a train to catch and didn’t have much time for a sit down breakfast. We stopped into the Thinking Cup for breakfast sandwiches, and some coffee (for me) and hot chocolate (for him) before we headed off to the game. After the game and dinner, we came back to the Thinking Cup for pastries and hot chocolate to warm up! They have a case full of fresh baked pastries and goodies to choose from! So delicious! I highly recommend a stop in here for a cup of coffee and any of their pastries if you are ever in Boston.
THINKING CUP: http://www.thinkingcup.com
Lincoln Tavern and Restaurant
DINNER | After the Patriot’s game, we were STARVING. Because who wants to pay $20 for a bite of stadium food. NOTHANKYOU. We took the subway down to Boston’s South side and walked over to the Lincoln Tavern. I think I ultimately found this gem from one of the Instagram pages I took a screenshot of. Their goat cheese and fig jam appetizer was our favorite, but our entire meal was delicious! The live music playing in the back and a bar full of fans in their patriots jerseys celebrating the earlier win made for a fun atmosphere.
LINCOLN TAVERN: https://lincolnsouthboston.com
Dig Inn 
LUNCH | Ok, this might rival Giacomo’s as my favorite meal of the trip. This is a registered dietitians dream come true (aside from True Food Kitchen)! Hello seasonal produce in a bowl topped with half of an avocado and the dreamiest sauces. We need these out here in California STAT! Or better yet I need to make my way back to Boston for lunch at Dig Inn!
DIG INN: https://www.diginn.com
I’m throwing in an extra link to their mission because it sums up everything I love about this place: https://www.diginn.com/mission/
Flour bakery
DESSERT + COFFEE | After reading the rave reviews about Flour cafe and their cookies we decided to make a pit stop after finishing the first 1/2 of the Freedom trail. I got a Chai tea and Trav stuck with his usual hot chocolate, and we shared a chocolate chip cookie. And honestly, we weren’t super impressed. Maybe it’s because the bar was set really high? Or maybe because we’ve had better before.
FLOUR BAKERY: https://flourbakery.com
Shake Shack
LUNCH + DINNER | Because why not? I’m not huge on burgers, and not even that big of a fan of in-n-out (gasp! I know.), but there is just something about Shake Shack that has me coming back for more. We were walking around Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood around dinner time and when we passed by Shake Shack, we knew what we were having for dinner without even thinking twice about it.
SHAKE SHACK: https://www.shakeshack.com
Tatte Bakery 
BREAKFAST + LUNCH + BRUNCH | Our last full day in Boston and we went out with a bang. The cutest cafe stuffed with the freshest breads and baked goods lined the cases. I got a latte and Trav got his usual (hot chocolate) to drink. For our breakfast, I ordered the avocado toast (delicious), and Trav got the Croque Madame (also just as good)! Highly recommend a stop in here for breakfast or brunch! It’s in the cutest neighborhood directly across from Boston Commons in the heart of Boston; but they have a few other locations scattered across Boston as well.
TATTE BAKERY: http://tattebakery.com
Darwin’s
LUNCH | While in Cambridge to visit Harvard, we did a quick Yelp search for lunch around Harvard and found Darwin’s. It’s a sandwich shop that was packed with locals and students a like. I didn’t snap a picture because um I didn’t want to look like a total tourist (ha!). The sandwiches we did get were really good and packed with fresh ingredients, and it made for a quick, delicious, pit stop while exploring Harvard.
DARWINS: http://www.darwinsltd.com
Picco (Pizza)
LUNCH + DINNER | We didn’t plan to eat pizza in Boston; we wanted to save pizza for New York, but I’m glad we went against our plans and tried out Picco Pizza. My professional foodie review: SOGOOD. Also, it was probably 20 degrees outside and we opted for the homemade ice cream for dessert, because who passes up ice cream?! Not us. Definitely not us.
PICCO RESTAURANT: http://www.piccorestaurant.com
Best Breakfast: Tatte Bakery
Best Lunch: Dig In
Best Dinner: Giacomo’s
Best Dessert: Mike’s Pastry chocolate chip cannoli
Instagram profiles we referenced: @nomnom_Boston @bostongirleats @likefoodboston
Next time we visit Boston, I will definitely be a little more prepared with more of a plan as far as our foodie stops go. Although, it was fun wandering around and coming up with things to eat as we were exploring. We would’ve never tried Giacamos or Picco Pizza! Everything happens for a reason!
Have you been to Boston, what are your favorite places to eat?
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