10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in Boston

Neptune Oyster is your classic, traditional oyster house offering non-Italian options in the Little Italy area of the North End with outstanding seafood across the board. The selection of oyster varieties is outstanding, but even if you're not an oyster fan, you'll find a range of fresh seafood options ready to enjoy. You can even try a few unique and non-traditional options like a burger topped with fried clams, which is an unbelievable and interesting sandwich that once you try it, you'll never look back.

This restaurant regularly draws long lines of diners, but the food is well worth it. It's just a few minutes' drive north of city centre.

The Capital Grille focuses its experience on what it calls "comfortable elegance," with art deco decor, dry-aged steaks, and a carefully cultivated wine list. Every dish on the menu is prepared using fine, fresh ingredients to engage the senses. Steaks are dry-aged for 18 to 24 days to get them to the perfect texture and flavour. They're then hand-carved in-house and prepared according to exacting standards. Even the surrounding architecture and atmosphere resonate with simple elegance.

While the Capital Grille may be a chain, the Boston locale is a favourite among locals for its fine food and finer atmosphere. It's just 14 minutes southeast of city centre.

Union Oyster House is the oldest oyster house in Boston and the oldest continuously operating American restaurant offering outstanding oysters and seafood with classic recipes. This restaurant was a favourite of John F. Kennedy and is in a building that served in 1775 as the headquarters of Ebenezer Hancock of the Continental Army. Daniel Webster drank at this bar during the 19th century. To this day, the decor evokes the earliest days of our nation, and you'll get a sense that you're walking into history when you sit down.

The oysters Rockefeller is an absolute must and still uses the original 19th-century recipe. Union Oyster House is on Union Street in the heart of city centre.

Joe's American Bar & Grill in the heart of Back Bay offers American food made with fresh ingredients and a comfortable, welcoming, and laid-back atmosphere. The experience here includes a retractable roof for the café and upper bar, an open-kitchen design, 2 bars, and private dining options if you're on a romantic getaway or having a business meeting. Individual menus and group dining menus are available, which can accommodate up to 260 guests.

Menu highlights include lobster cocktail, New England clam chowder, honey chicken, steak frites, Joe's Prime Burger, and Joe's Mac and Five Cheese. It's a 10-minute drive west of city centre.

Legal Sea Foods - Long Wharf is a legacy restaurant offering a wide range of seafood options from fresh grilled fish to fried seafood and beyond. This restaurant has been a staple of local eating since 1950, opening as a fish market that evolved into the restaurant that's beloved by locals today. The restaurant opened in 1968 with simply prepared food focused on good flavours and communal eating experiences. Today they have grown to over 20 locations across Boston and beyond. This is the place to come for simple seafood cooked pier-to-plate and top-catch cold-water fish.

Head for the Harbourside location for the classic experience. It's just a 10-minute drive from the heart of city centre Boston.

Sam LaGrassa's is the classic Boston deli that's been family-owned and -operated since 1968 and offers traditional recipes with friendly service and legendary sandwiches. Everything here, from sauces to dressings, is made from scratch. The bread is baked to exacting specifications, and ingredients are carefully cultivated to make the most out of recipes that have been in use within the family for over 50 years.

Sam LaGrassa's is one of the busiest, most popular lunch spots in Boston, and for good reason. It's a local staple that's been in the same spot for over half a century and offers quality food. Vegan options are also available here. It's directly in the heart of city centre on the Freedom Trail.

Atlantic Fish Co. has been serving fresh seafood to Bostonians since 1978 and offers a variety of seafood options all sourced straight from the harbour every day. This means that their menu changes daily to reflect the day's fresh catch. You'll find few places in Boston with fresher fish than this one, which is why locals love it so much. Separate menus are available for lunch and dinner, and they have a kids' menu for the little ones. Menu highlights (in season) include crab cakes, steamers, Thai octopus, fisherman's pasta, fish and chips, Maine lobster, and a classic lobster roll.

A full beer, cocktail, and wine menu is also available. It's about a 15-minute drive west of city centre.

Abe & Louie's is the epitome of a classic American steak house from the late 1960s offering signature dishes and an international wine list in the Back Bay community. This restaurant features an upscale, fine dining experience with fresh seafood, prime-aged steaks, and seasonal produce. The restaurant has won prestigious awards from several publications, including Business Insider, Wine Spectator, and Zagat, and its carefully cultivated wine list features over 200 options from all over the world.

Menu highlights include escargot, tuna tartare, crab cakes, Wagyu filet mignon, 50-day dry-aged New York strip, Kurobuta pork chops, and brick-pressed chicken. Abe & Louie's is 12 minutes west of city centre.

Boston Sail Loft Restaurant is a café and bar offering first-come, first-served dining with a wide range of menu options including gluten-free and kids' choices and daily specials. This casual eatery is the place to go for a quality quick bite that won't break the budget and can be enjoyed by the entire family. They're renowned for their clam chowder but also offer non-seafood options like Texas-style chilli. Kids' menu options include mac and cheese, the kid's cheeseburger, chicken tenders, and fish and chips.

If you're gluten-free, you can enjoy the shrimp cocktail, fresh salads, grilled fish, and twin lobsters. Boston Sail Loft is a 10-minute walk east from the heart of town.

The Daily Catch North End offers up a unique food and drink opportunity with fresh Sicilian seafood and pasta served in a pan and sourced daily from local fishermen. The restaurant is family-owned and -operated and has been serving up traditional Sicilian family recipes to Bostonians for over 45 years. The focus here is squarely on seafood and pasta cooked in a wide range of ways, and the pan is one of the more legendary gimmicks in Boston. It started when the restaurant ran out of plates, and evolved into part of its identity.

Menu highlights include fried calamari, mussels siciliano, linguini with clam, black pasta alfredo, lobster fra diavolo, and monkfish marsala. It's in the heart of city centre.