Explore AAA Travel
South Central
Road TripsBest Restaurants in Boston
Our favorites include some of this destination's best restaurants—from fine dining to simple fare. You'll never lack for options when you look for places to eat in Boston.
In the Historic North End
Restaurants are plentiful in Boston’s historic North End, which is renowned for authentic Italian cuisine, so you'll never have to wonder where to eat. Serving traditional favorites like caprese, risotto and parmigiana since 1931, Cantina Italiana is likely the oldest eatery in the neighborhood. Born in Italy, brothers Chuck and Fiore Colella currently operate the longtime gem, which garners repeat customers with savory dishes and a warm, casual atmosphere.
Set in a 19th-century North End row house, Mamma Maria features five private dining rooms and a nice selection of creative dishes with a focus on Italian cuisine. Order the carpaccio with shaved truffles or the braised rabbit with pappardelle pasta. The slow-roasted veal shank, served in classic osso buco style with saffron risotto, also is delightful.
A Taste of the Sea
With its modern nautical decor, chalkboard menus, and exposed wood beams and air ducts, Jasper White's Summer Shack looks like an urbanized version of a rustic seafood shanty. Inspired by traditional New England clambakes, the Back Bay location of this local chain attracts a lively crowd thanks to its proximity to Fenway Park and Kings bowling alley. If you're hankering for steamers, lobsters and corn on the cob in an über-casual setting, this is the destination for you.
European Flair
Bistro. Wine bar. Delicatessen. The Butcher Shop , owned by James Beard Foundation Award-winning restaurateur Barbara Lynch, captures the essence of a European market. You must stop in when you travel to the area. At the South End eatery, large picture windows overlook Tremont Street, while refrigerator cases at the back of the restaurant draw eyes to neat displays of sausages, cheeses and pâtés. Menu selections include steak tartare, porchetta, and a charcuterie platter so grand it costs $82 bucks.
Barbara Lynch owns several area restaurants, but Menton is thus far her crowning achievement. Seasonal menus (diners choose between a four-course prix fixe menu and a seven-course chef’s tasting menu) showcase sophisticated fusion fare that effortlessly melds cooking techniques and ingredients from France and Italy. (Appropriately, the restaurant is named after a French seaside town near the Italian border.) Located in the Fort Point neighborhood, Menton is on the same block as two of the South Boston native's other businesses: Sportello , the Italian trattoria-meets-American diner, and Drink , a craft cocktail bar.
See all the restaurants for this destination.
Boston, MA
AAA’s in-person hotel evaluations are unscheduled to ensure the inspector has an experience similar to that of members. To pass inspection, all hotels must meet the same rigorous standards for cleanliness, comfort and hospitality. These hotels receive a AAA Diamond designation that tells members what type of experience to expect.
Members save 5% or more and earn Marriott Bonvoy™ points when booking AAA/CAA rates!
Fairfield by Marriott-Amesbury35 Clarks Rd. Amesbury, MA 01913
Book NowSave 5% or more when booking AAA/CAA rates plus earn bonus points with the AAA Preferred™ BWR Program
Best Western Plus The Inn at Sharon/Foxboro395 Old Post Rd. Sharon, MA 02067
Book NowCity Population
617,594
Elevation
20 ft.
Sales Tax
The state sales tax in Massachusetts is 6.25 percent. Combined city and state taxes on hotel occupancy in Boston is 15.50 percent. There is a 7 percent tax on prepared food.
Emergency
911
Police (non-emergency)
(617) 343-4500
Fire (non-emergency)
(617) 343-3550
Time and Temperature
(617) 637-1234
Hospitals
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, (617) 667-7000; Boston Medical Center, (617) 638-8000; Massachusetts General Hospital, (617) 726-2000; Tufts Medical Center, (617) 636-5000.
Visitor Information
2 Copley Place, Suite 105 Boston, MA 02116. Phone:(617)536-4100 or (888)733-2678
Air Travel
Logan International Airport (BOS) is just 3 miles east of downtown across Boston Inner Harbor.
Rental Cars
Boston is served by most major rental car agencies. Hertz provides discounts to AAA members; phone (617) 568-5200 or (800) 654-3131.
Rail Service
Amtrak offers service to and from New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., out of Boston's South Station at Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street. Connections to all points in the national Amtrak system can be made at the Back Bay Station, 145 Dartmouth St.; phone (800) 872-7245 for reservations and information. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates commuter rail service; phone (617) 222-3200.
Buses
Greyhound Lines Inc., (800) 231-2222, and Peter Pan Bus Lines, (800) 343-9999, operate from South Station.
Cruise Ports
Cruiseport Boston’s Black Falcon Cruise Terminal is at 1 Black Falcon Ave. in South Boston.
Taxis
Cabs in Boston are metered, with the fare $2.60 for the first 1/7 mile or less and 40c for every 1/7 mile thereafter. Phoning for a pickup or going to a hotel taxi stand is easier than hailing a cab on the street. Local companies include the Independent Taxi Operators Association, (617) 268-1313. Limousine service is available throughout the Boston area for about $80 an hour, normally with a 4-hour minimum.
Public Transportation
Transportation by trolley, bus, boat and subway is available in Boston.
As a AAA member, you'll save even more. Your AAA Travel Agent will check to see if AAA Vacations is combinable with other AAA member benefits, plus cruise and tour past passenger discounts and benefits.
