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A line of three cannoli from Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry on a white background. One is chocolate covered and garnished with pistachios, one is garnished with slivered almonds, and the third has chocolate chips. — Cannoli from Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry

Boston’s Tourist Trap Restaurants That Are Actually Good

If you’re going to be obvious, do so in the best way possible

by Terrence Doyle Updated Aug 15, 2019, 4:55pm EDT

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Cannoli from Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry

| Chris Coe/Eater

by Terrence Doyle Updated Aug 15, 2019, 4:55pm EDT

4 comments / new

Boston is a tourist’s dream. It’s old, it’s historic, and it’s unimaginably pretty. As such, it’s loaded with tourist traps. Most aren’t worth your hard-earned coin, but some are actually very decent to extremely good.

This guide is a mix of old Boston classics and hip new hangouts that fall under the “tourist trap” umbrella by some definitions — but are also worth a visit, whether you’re a tourist or a local. (This map covers only Boston proper — not nearby neighbors such as Cambridge and Somerville — and includes restaurants, markets, and food halls.)

Head to the North End for pizza cooked in a 130-year-old oven, and then head to SoWa for some culture and outdoor eating and drinking. Strap your fanny packs on and get to it.

This map was originally published on August 6, 2018; it is updated periodically, and the date of the most recent update appears above.

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Santarpio's Pizza

This is the best pizza in Boston — and some of the best pizza in the country. It’s not exactly easy to get to East Boston, and Chelsea Street doesn’t exactly see high foot traffic (or classify as a tourist attraction), but this beloved pizzeria is on every “Boston’s Best Pizza” list on the internet — Eater Boston’s included — and anyone on a food sojourn to Boston is dining here. (Try it after your flight gets in, perhaps.)

111 Chelsea St, Boston, MA 02128

Visit Website

The Santarpio’s building is light tan and has a giant sign on the side — dark brown with white and orange lettering — that reads “Santarpio’s Pizza Bar B-Q” and features a man holding a pizza — Home of the best pizza in Boston, period

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Regina Pizzeria

Boston’s other best old pizza parlor. Comparing Regina and Santarpio’s is like comparing beer and wine — they both make you feel good, but they’re entirely different beasts. Go to the original location on Thacher Street in Boston’s North End, sit at the bar if you can, and get a pitcher of Peroni. The brick oven is 130 years old, and it has been dedicated solely to cooking pizzas since the mid 1920s. There will be a wait, but it will be worth it.

11 1/2 Thacher St, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

A close shot of the exterior of Pizzeria Regina’s original North End location, feature red, white, and green signs that read “Pizza to Go,” “Pizzeria Regina,” and “Beer & Wine.” There’s also a red and green neon sign that says “Regina.” — Truly worth the long waits

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Mike's Pastry

You can’t go wrong at Mike’s. And odds are if you’re spotted with one of the pretty little boxes, everyone will think you’re a tourist. Get the cannoli. (There are much newer locations in Cambridge’s Harvard Square and at Somerville’s Assembly Row, but go to the North End for the original.)

300 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

The exterior of Mike’s Pastry’s North End location features a large gray sign above the entrance with “Mike’s Pastry” written twice in yellow cursive — Mike’s or Modern? How about both?

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Galleria Umberto

Square slice, arancini, can of Coke. Done. Galleria Umberto — one of “America’s classics,” per the James Beard Foundation — is closed during much of peak tourist season and on all Sundays. In fact, it’s only open for several hours a day when it is open. Go for lunch on a Wednesday this fall.

289 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

Arancini heaven

Terrence B. Doyle/Eater

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Neptune Oyster

Get the lobster roll, and wash that down with a couple dozen oysters. And some wine. (Note: Be prepared to wait. Neptune has notorious lines, even during off-peak hours.)

63 Salem St # 1, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

Several diners wait outside Neptune Oyster in the North End, huddled in fall coats under the royal blue awning. — These tourists probably enjoyed themselves

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Modern Pastry

First of all, Modern has the best sign in all of Boston. Modern also has the best sfogliatella in Boston. These flaky, orange-flavored, ricotta-filled pastries hail from Napoli, and Modern’s are as good as any in the city of their provenance.

257 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

The exterior of Modern Pastry Shop in Boston’s North End features a red and green sign and a green and white striped awning. Large Christmas wreaths hang above the sign in this photo. — Gotta compare Modern’s cannoli with Mike’s

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Where to Eat in Boston’s North End

Boston Public Market

There are many tasty treats inside the Boston Public Market (including Union Square Donuts). Grab some produce from a number of local farms — and some local cheese too. Then head to the waterfront for a summer picnic.

100 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02108

Visit Website

An interior shot of Boston Public Market shows customers shopping at several different vendors’ stands — Boston Public Market is full of goodies

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Quincy Market

While some may consider Quincy Market to fully embody the “tourist trap” moniker, there are some vendors worth visiting. Snag an outdoor seat to eat market fries and Magnolia’s banana pudding while watching the street performers and tourists go by.

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206 S Market St, Boston, MA 02109

Visit Website

The exterior of Boston’s Quincy Market, photographed in December, with a large wreath over the main entrance, bare trees to either side, and tourists milling about outside in winter clothes. The market is made of pale gray stone, and four Greek-style columns lead up to the triangular roof. Golden capital letters read “Quincy Market” on the building facade above the columns. — It’s not all good, but it’s not all bad either

Omni Parker House

Once a popular hangout for transcendentalists and poets and magazine editors, the Omni Parker House may also be responsible for the invention of the fried clam. It’s probably best known for its Boston cream pie and rolls, however.

Omni Parker House, Boston, MA 02108

Visit Website

The exterior of the Omni Parker House glows with yellow light and golden accents. The sidewalk it’s on slants somewhat sharply up to the right of the photo. — Perhaps the true inventor of the fried Ipswich clam

Also featured in:

The Barking Crab

Yes, it’s expensive. But if you’re looking to blow a few dollars on shellfish, you could find worse places to do so than the Barking Crab, with its summer-friendly waterfront location.

88 Sleeper St, Boston, MA 02210

Visit Website

Outside view of the Barking Crab at night, featuring its distinctive red and yellow striped tent — The Barking Crab

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No Name Restaurant

If you’re willing to exit the usual tourist zones and head over to the place where the bodies are buried, try No Name Restaurant. It has been slinging seafood on Fish Pier since the time before World War I.

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15 1/2 Fish Pier St E, Boston, MA 02210

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A buoy with the words “No Name” and a photograph of a boat adorn a wall at No Name Restaurant — A bit off the beaten path

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Abe & Louie's

If you’re going to sit on a Boylston Street patio, it should be this one. The steaks are as good as the people-watching. Plus, the steakhouse is an Eater Boston reader favorite.

793 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116

Visit Website

The sunny Boylston Street patio at Abe & Louie’s, partially covered by an awning and surrounded by flower-filled planters. — The patio at Abe and Louie’s

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Legal Harborside

This place is absurd because it’s simultaneously an amusement park version of a seafood restaurant and a meet market. But Legal’s roots are honest, and the views are stunning from the rooftop bar.

270 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210

Visit Website

A waterfront view of Legal Harborside at dusk, with a final bit of sun peeking over the horizon. — The restaurant as seen from the Boston Main Channel

Also featured in:

Eataly Boston

You’ll spend $50 here, and all you’ll have to show for it will be some spicy sardines, some bread, a bottle of wine, and a jumbo-sized bag of Abbracci. Which is to say: All you’ll have to show for it is all you really need anyway.

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800 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199

Visit Website

Outside Italy, some orange and white umbrellas are set up, and lots of pedestrians mingle. — An Italian food lover’s dream

Time Out Market Boston

For the tourist who is in town only briefly and wants to catch a Sox game or otherwise spend time in the Fenway neighborhood, the brand new Time Out Market Boston provides a good opportunity to swoop in, sample a few great dishes from great local chefs (including a fast-casual take on the famous Craigie burger), and swoop back out.

401 Park Dr, Boston, MA 02215

Visit Website

The interior of the Time Out Market Boston food hall, full of large stone pillars, long wooden communal tables, and customers — Time Out Market Boston, the city’s newest food hall

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SoWa Open Market

Check out some art, and mingle with strangers. If mingling with strangers isn’t your thing, get a beer and drink it in absolute silence inside the Beer Barn. There are always a number of food carts and stands set up at SoWa Open Market, so you won’t go hungry.

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460 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

SoWa Market attendees mingle outside a large brick building. There are some food trucks parked in the area, too. — See some art, eat some food

Sullivan's Castle Island

Go for the fried clams, stay for the thick Boston accents.

2080 William J Day Blvd, South Boston, MA 02127

Visit Website

A few people in winter clothing wait outside of Sullivan’s on its first day of the season. — A great spot for seafood

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Santarpio's Pizza

111 Chelsea St, Boston, MA 02128

This is the best pizza in Boston — and some of the best pizza in the country. It’s not exactly easy to get to East Boston, and Chelsea Street doesn’t exactly see high foot traffic (or classify as a tourist attraction), but this beloved pizzeria is on every “Boston’s Best Pizza” list on the internet — Eater Boston’s included — and anyone on a food sojourn to Boston is dining here. (Try it after your flight gets in, perhaps.)

111 Chelsea St, Boston, MA 02128

Visit Website

The Santarpio’s building is light tan and has a giant sign on the side — dark brown with white and orange lettering — that reads “Santarpio’s Pizza Bar B-Q” and features a man holding a pizza — Home of the best pizza in Boston, period

Regina Pizzeria

11 1/2 Thacher St, Boston, MA 02113

Boston’s other best old pizza parlor. Comparing Regina and Santarpio’s is like comparing beer and wine — they both make you feel good, but they’re entirely different beasts. Go to the original location on Thacher Street in Boston’s North End, sit at the bar if you can, and get a pitcher of Peroni. The brick oven is 130 years old, and it has been dedicated solely to cooking pizzas since the mid 1920s. There will be a wait, but it will be worth it.

11 1/2 Thacher St, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

A close shot of the exterior of Pizzeria Regina’s original North End location, feature red, white, and green signs that read “Pizza to Go,” “Pizzeria Regina,” and “Beer & Wine.” There’s also a red and green neon sign that says “Regina.” — Truly worth the long waits

Mike's Pastry

300 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

You can’t go wrong at Mike’s. And odds are if you’re spotted with one of the pretty little boxes, everyone will think you’re a tourist. Get the cannoli. (There are much newer locations in Cambridge’s Harvard Square and at Somerville’s Assembly Row, but go to the North End for the original.)

300 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

The exterior of Mike’s Pastry’s North End location features a large gray sign above the entrance with “Mike’s Pastry” written twice in yellow cursive — Mike’s or Modern? How about both?

Galleria Umberto

289 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Square slice, arancini, can of Coke. Done. Galleria Umberto — one of “America’s classics,” per the James Beard Foundation — is closed during much of peak tourist season and on all Sundays. In fact, it’s only open for several hours a day when it is open. Go for lunch on a Wednesday this fall.

289 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

Arancini heaven

Terrence B. Doyle/Eater

Neptune Oyster

63 Salem St # 1, Boston, MA 02113

Get the lobster roll, and wash that down with a couple dozen oysters. And some wine. (Note: Be prepared to wait. Neptune has notorious lines, even during off-peak hours.)

63 Salem St # 1, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

Several diners wait outside Neptune Oyster in the North End, huddled in fall coats under the royal blue awning. — These tourists probably enjoyed themselves

Modern Pastry

257 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

First of all, Modern has the best sign in all of Boston. Modern also has the best sfogliatella in Boston. These flaky, orange-flavored, ricotta-filled pastries hail from Napoli, and Modern’s are as good as any in the city of their provenance.

257 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Visit Website

The exterior of Modern Pastry Shop in Boston’s North End features a red and green sign and a green and white striped awning. Large Christmas wreaths hang above the sign in this photo. — Gotta compare Modern’s cannoli with Mike’s

Boston Public Market

100 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02108

There are many tasty treats inside the Boston Public Market (including Union Square Donuts). Grab some produce from a number of local farms — and some local cheese too. Then head to the waterfront for a summer picnic.

100 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02108

Visit Website

An interior shot of Boston Public Market shows customers shopping at several different vendors’ stands — Boston Public Market is full of goodies

Quincy Market

206 S Market St, Boston, MA 02109

While some may consider Quincy Market to fully embody the “tourist trap” moniker, there are some vendors worth visiting. Snag an outdoor seat to eat market fries and Magnolia’s banana pudding while watching the street performers and tourists go by.

Open in Google Maps

206 S Market St, Boston, MA 02109

Visit Website

The exterior of Boston’s Quincy Market, photographed in December, with a large wreath over the main entrance, bare trees to either side, and tourists milling about outside in winter clothes. The market is made of pale gray stone, and four Greek-style columns lead up to the triangular roof. Golden capital letters read “Quincy Market” on the building facade above the columns. — It’s not all good, but it’s not all bad either

Omni Parker House

Omni Parker House, Boston, MA 02108

Once a popular hangout for transcendentalists and poets and magazine editors, the Omni Parker House may also be responsible for the invention of the fried clam. It’s probably best known for its Boston cream pie and rolls, however.

Omni Parker House, Boston, MA 02108

Visit Website

The exterior of the Omni Parker House glows with yellow light and golden accents. The sidewalk it’s on slants somewhat sharply up to the right of the photo. — Perhaps the true inventor of the fried Ipswich clam

The Barking Crab

88 Sleeper St, Boston, MA 02210

Yes, it’s expensive. But if you’re looking to blow a few dollars on shellfish, you could find worse places to do so than the Barking Crab, with its summer-friendly waterfront location.

88 Sleeper St, Boston, MA 02210

Visit Website

Outside view of the Barking Crab at night, featuring its distinctive red and yellow striped tent — The Barking Crab

No Name Restaurant

15 1/2 Fish Pier St E, Boston, MA 02210

If you’re willing to exit the usual tourist zones and head over to the place where the bodies are buried, try No Name Restaurant. It has been slinging seafood on Fish Pier since the time before World War I.

Open in Google Maps

15 1/2 Fish Pier St E, Boston, MA 02210

Visit Website

A buoy with the words “No Name” and a photograph of a boat adorn a wall at No Name Restaurant — A bit off the beaten path

Abe & Louie's

793 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116

If you’re going to sit on a Boylston Street patio, it should be this one. The steaks are as good as the people-watching. Plus, the steakhouse is an Eater Boston reader favorite.

793 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116

Visit Website

The sunny Boylston Street patio at Abe & Louie’s, partially covered by an awning and surrounded by flower-filled planters. — The patio at Abe and Louie’s

Legal Harborside

270 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210

This place is absurd because it’s simultaneously an amusement park version of a seafood restaurant and a meet market. But Legal’s roots are honest, and the views are stunning from the rooftop bar.

270 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210

Visit Website

A waterfront view of Legal Harborside at dusk, with a final bit of sun peeking over the horizon. — The restaurant as seen from the Boston Main Channel

Eataly Boston

800 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199

You’ll spend $50 here, and all you’ll have to show for it will be some spicy sardines, some bread, a bottle of wine, and a jumbo-sized bag of Abbracci. Which is to say: All you’ll have to show for it is all you really need anyway.

Open in Google Maps

800 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199

Visit Website

Outside Italy, some orange and white umbrellas are set up, and lots of pedestrians mingle. — An Italian food lover’s dream

Time Out Market Boston

401 Park Dr, Boston, MA 02215

For the tourist who is in town only briefly and wants to catch a Sox game or otherwise spend time in the Fenway neighborhood, the brand new Time Out Market Boston provides a good opportunity to swoop in, sample a few great dishes from great local chefs (including a fast-casual take on the famous Craigie burger), and swoop back out.

401 Park Dr, Boston, MA 02215

Visit Website

The interior of the Time Out Market Boston food hall, full of large stone pillars, long wooden communal tables, and customers — Time Out Market Boston, the city’s newest food hall

Related Maps

SoWa Open Market

460 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Check out some art, and mingle with strangers. If mingling with strangers isn’t your thing, get a beer and drink it in absolute silence inside the Beer Barn. There are always a number of food carts and stands set up at SoWa Open Market, so you won’t go hungry.

Open in Google Maps

460 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

SoWa Market attendees mingle outside a large brick building. There are some food trucks parked in the area, too. — See some art, eat some food

Sullivan's Castle Island

2080 William J Day Blvd, South Boston, MA 02127

Go for the fried clams, stay for the thick Boston accents.

2080 William J Day Blvd, South Boston, MA 02127

Visit Website

A few people in winter clothing wait outside of Sullivan’s on its first day of the season. — A great spot for seafood

Related Maps