Amy Traverso’s Ultimate Boston Food Crawl
Follow along as Yankee’s senior food editor takes you to some of her favorite dining spots in Boston.
By Amy Traverso|Mar 18 2022|
Small but mighty, Gracenote is a destination for Boston coffee lovers
Credit: Amy TraversoThe Ultimate Boston Food Crawl
We begin, naturally, with coffee…Small but mighty, Gracenote is a destination for Boston coffee lovers
Credit: Amy TraversoCredit: Amy Traverso 8:00 a.m. Gracenote This petite roastery and café is a great first stop if you’re stepping off a bus or train at South Station, and a worthy trip from anywhere else in the city. Order a macchiato, but save room for a pastry at …
Maria’s has the best cannoli and the breakfast pastries are also stellar
Credit: Amy TraversoCredit: Amy Traverso 9:00 a.m.: Modern Home to the city’s best cannoli, Maria’s also makes a killer sfogliatelle, which is a clam-shaped pastry filled with delectable semolina custard cream — the Neapolitan breakfast of champions. The name translates as “leaves,” which refers to the many layers of crisp-tender pastry. If you’re lucky, you’ll get yours still warm from the oven. [Editors Note: We were sad to learn that Maria’s, the beloved North End bakery and winner of this “Best Cannoli” taste-off, closed in September, 2019. Fortunately, there are many wonderful Italian bakeries in North End (namely Mike’s, Modern, and Bova’s) to start your day off right.] 10:45 a.m.: Galleria Umberto Pizza before 11? Well, this cult Sicilian pizzeria is so popular that unless you want to wait in line, it’s best to arrive early. The Deuterio brothers make the most tender crust and top it with ample cheese and San Marzano tomatoes. Add an arancino (fried stuffed rice ball) and a Dixie cup of red wine, and your meal will still cost less than $10. 12:00 p.m.: Cusser’s Roast Beef & Seafood or Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Café Cusser’s, the casual downstairs sibling to Mooncusser Fish House, serves an exemplary chowder and one heckuva roast beef sandwich. (The swordfish souvlaki is great, too.) If it’s Chinese you’re craving, head to Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Café, on the border between Downtown Crossing and Chinatown. Its hand-pulled noodles, with or without braised lamb, are tender and rich with spice — the perfect comfort food.
Hand-pulled noodles with braised lamb and chili sauce at Gene’s
Credit: Amy TraversoCredit: Amy Traverso 2:00 p.m.: L.A. Burdick or Eataly Boston For an afternoon pick-me-up, I recommend either L.A. Burdick’s famous hot chocolate, which is rich and pudding-thick, or an espresso at Eataly Boston. The latter may be part of a chain, but it has enriched our food scene mightily (and a visit here is much cheaper than a nonstop to Rome).
The superlative hot chocolate at L.A. Burdick
Credit: Amy Traverso
Whaling in OK is now closed as well.
Thanks for letting us know! We will update the post.
Our family finds it hard to eat out because we are vegetarians/vegans. Can you do a piece on places that cater to our needs. I know of only 2: a place on Comm Ave in Cambridge, Veggie Galaxy and True Bistro in Somerville. Please find more and add bakeries and ice cream places. Thanks
I like this list and have been going to Galleria Umberto for over 40 years since it first opened. The quality and menu have not changed at all and Frank is still there with his brother. I see him at Restaurant Depot whenever I go there at 5:00am. Just 2 blocks away on Prince St. is Parziale’s Bakery. The pan pizza there is outstanding as well but is only takeout. They claim to be the first pizza shop in Boston. This is from their website: “Parziale’s Bakery got its start when grandpa Joe and grandma Anna arrived in Boston from Napoli in 1907
They opened the family’s first bread and pizza bakery in Boston’s North End. They were the first to introduce pizza to the New England Area.
Joe and Anna’s son Angelo carried on the family business. A. Parziale and Sons is now in the able hands of Augie Parziale. Augustine proudly serves as mentor to his own sons and nephews guaranteeing the tradition will live on.”
I also own a sandwich shop in The Boston Public Market, which is located across the Greenway from the North End at 100 Hanover Street. It takes up the whole first floor of the RMV building. It is all local and fresh made foods, both prepared and ingredients. I am prejudiced but recommend it for morning (George Howell’s Coffee, fresh baked popovers, bagels, cider donuts, crepes, smoothies ) and lunch (Moroccan falafel & couscous dishes, clam chowder & fish sandwiches, pastrami and Reuben sandwiches, Vietnamese Bon Me, noodles, fresh pasta dishes, plus sweets like farm made ice cream and fresh made nuts, etc.) It is nothing like the Faneuil Hall/Quincy Marketplace choices and still relatively unknown.