Boston, Culinarily Speaking

The Black Rose is as authentic an Irish pub as you can get without buying a plane ticket to Dublin. Spirited crowds down Guinness at the bar, musicians play popular Irish tunes nightly and good vibes fill the air. If you crave classic Gaelic eats, you’ll find savory favorites on the menu like fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, sausage rolls and bangers and mash as well as burgers and sandwiches.

If you’re interested in classic Boston food, check out Durgin Park, a Boston institution whose slogan “Established Before You Were Born” (it opened in 1827) speaks volumes. Matter-of-fact servers set Boston favorites like pot roast, clam chowder, baked scrod and Boston baked beans on checkered tablecloths. While you’re dining, gaze out of centuries-old windows that look onto the busy cobblestone streets of Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

At Mike’s Pastry the atmosphere can be frenetic, even outside of the morning rush; to call it lively would be an understatement. Maybe it’s all that sugar? Regardless, don’t be shy; join the throngs of dessert enthusiasts loudly voicing their orders over glass display cases brimming with scrumptious baked goodies like biscotti, cream puffs and giant cookies. If they’re smart, they’re ordering cannoli, the bakery’s claim to fame since opening in 1946—the hard part is choosing the flavor, since there are 18 mouthwatering varieties.

Frequently compared to Mike’s Pastry but by no means second best, Modern Pastry has a calmer vibe than its competition. Sweet-as-pie shop girls pipe sweetened cream into large pastry shells called lobster tails (the house specialty) right when you order them, and do the same with cannoli. Try some melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies, cupcakes, tarts or tiramisu, too. Challenge yourself to a taste test between the two shops, but don’t be surprised if there’s a tie.

Ned Devine’s blends contemporary renditions of classic pub grub and Irish standards. Egg rolls stuffed with corned beef and cabbage are a tasty way to start your meal, and Jameson bread pudding splashed with Irish whiskey is an awesome way to end it. In between, chow down on a lobster grilled cheese sandwich paired with what is reputedly the best clam chowder in Boston. On weekends, part of the restaurant transforms into a nightclub that stays open into the wee hours of the morning.