Where to Stay in Boston if You Like to Eat
24.jpg)
If you're a person who travels with food top of mind, figuring out where to stay in any city is all about strategy, location, and access—alongside, of course, a comfortable room and excellent service. Fortunately, Boston has no shortage of hotels that hit those marks and then some.
Boston is a city of intertwining neighborhoods, where great restaurants aren’t exclusively the domain of tasting menus and white tablecloths. Beantown dining establishments offer culinary passage to cultures around the world at almost every budget: You’ll find award-winning Irish cuisine (along with perfect pours of Guinness); pristine seafood that ranges from raw bar to fish fry; a Little Italy packed with take-out sandwich shops, red-sauce joints, and exclusive cocktail bars; and a Chinatown with hotpot, udon shops, and boba tea in every flavor imaginable.
When crafting this guide, we held certain ideals high. We sought hotels that fit into a variety of budgets, that ideally had at least one great restaurant on-site, and were conveniently located within walking or T travel-distance to the city’s best breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. And boy, did Boston deliver.
Raffles Hotel
The first Raffles opened in Singapore in 1887, and the chain has gained worldwide renown for luxurious service with locations around the world. The first North American outpost opened in Boston in 2023, and between the location, the service, and its restaurants and bars, it’s a food and drink lover’s dream. Glam meets gastronomy at the Michelin Guide–recommended La Padrona, where dressed to the nines diners feast on milk-braised rabbit ragù and roasted rack of lamb. Long Bar & Terrace, perched 17 floors above the city, offers breakfast, an afternoon tea featuring decadent bites like lobster cannoli, and a great view to take in between sips of a house-made Boston Sling. A trip to the spa will have you covered in honey, with the Royal Honey Repair and Renew facial, which can be booked through your room’s personal butler. For those leaving hotel grounds, the Raffles is within walking distance of busy Newbury Street, where you’ll find more dining, such as Saltie Girl for seafood and Abe & Louie’s classic steakhouse dinner.
XV Beacon
Situated high on Beacon Hill, XV Beacon is a luxurious jewel box of a boutique hotel. Drop by the elegant subterranean steakhouse Mooo…. for rich Wagyu beef dumplings and excellent rib eye, plus dollar oysters on weekdays. Or just order up bites to any of the stylish 63 guest rooms and suites, each with a fireplace, which mix Federal charm with sleek appointments like cashmere throws and Frette linens. Quiet and discreet, the hotel is steps away from the gleaming dome of the State House, Boston Common, and the Freedom Trail. After a day of sightseeing, walk to The Dubliner for elevated pub food (get the Scotch egg) or 1928 Beacon Hill for elevated American and classic cocktails in a plush antique-filled room.
The Liberty Hotel
215 Charles St
Boston, MA 02114
This one-of-a-kind property, which dates to 1851, was once the Charles Street Jail, and stepping into the multistory lobby feels like going back in time. But while the building, reimagined as a hotel in 2007, is steeped in history, the rooms are sleek and modern, appointed with upholstered leather with button tufting, and featuring sweeping views of the Charles River. On-premise eats and drinks include Italian fare at Lydia Shire’s Scampo (the lamb chops and lobster pizza are musts), modern American cuisine at Clink (get it?), and Alibi Bar & Lounge, which is housed in the former drunk tank and has become a popular late-night spot to sip cocktails with prison-inspired names, like the dragon-fruit-forward and vodka-based Azkaban and the Shawshank, anchored in rye whiskey and pear purée.
Boston Harbor Hotel
70 Rowes Wharf
Boston, MA 02110
A luminous marble-filled lobby and sweeping views of the harbor greet guests entering this stately hotel, which is so quiet and serene it makes guests instinctually unclench. Right off the lobby, the sweet coffee shop Dandelion beckons with lattes, pastries, and to-go salads. Meanwhile, Rowes Wharf Sea Grill offers waterfront dining, and a beer garden in collaboration with Trillium delivers excellent beer with even more excellent views. The hotel is an easy walk to Boston’s North End, where Italian restaurants and specialty shops line the streets. Visit Bricco Salumeria for a loaded Italian sub, The Daily Catch for the freshest pasta and seafood in the city, and Mamma Maria for high-end Italian.
The Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz is a true hideaway, hidden smack dab in the middle of Boston’s theater district. The quiet and expansive lobby pours you into the sleek Art Deco Avery Bar, where you’ll want to kick off your stay with a well-balanced cocktail like the tequila-forward Morning Dove. Book a room on the club level, which gives you access to a lounge that serves complimentary curated bites throughout the day, plus a concierge who can book you a table almost anywhere in town. The property is steps from the lush Boston Common, chef Jamie Bissonnette’s lauded home-style Korean restaurant Somaek, and Yvonne’s for supper-club-meets-speakeasy energy.
The Lenox Hotel
Once the tallest building in Boston, the Lenox Hotel was built in 1900 at a cost of $1.1 million, and it remains a gracious, welcoming refuge. The rooms are updated, but classic, and many have working fireplaces that are best enjoyed with a bottle of wine. On the first floor, chef Daniel Kenney makes fine dining feel accessible at Willow & Ivy with aid from the decidedly unstuffy environs. Opt for dishes like the umami-rich roasted oysters accented with Grana Padano and crispy rashers, and don’t even think about skipping the decadent dulce de leche ice cream covered in warm Valrhona chocolate. The location is steps away from Boston’s Eataly, and Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar, where the party starts when the margaritas hit the table.
Street Bar
The Newbury Boston
Originally one of the first Ritz-Carlton properties in the US, this hotel opened its doors in 1927 and is now part of Highgate Hotels, maintaining its status as a beloved Newbury Street landmark. A small, maximalist lobby welcomes guests, and while the location is historic, the rooms are luxurious and modern, with clean lines and crisp white linens. The addition of Contessa from Major Food Group in 2021 upped the glamour factor with glitzy rooftop dining. On the ground floor, the clubby Street Bar beckons with a full martini menu; a bracing Martinez is exactly what you’ll want after strolling Newbury Street and the Public Garden.
The interior of Encore’s Rare Lounge.
Encore Boston Harbor
For a full resort experience, look just minutes from downtown to the Encore, a Wynn Resort. The hotel, which encompasses a casino with table gaming and slots, a luxury spa, salon, fitness center, and various shops, is a short drive or free ferry ride from the waterfront in the North End. (The views of downtown from the boat are alone worth the trip.) If you like to eat, there’s a steakhouse (of course) called Rare; Red 8, a Cantonese restaurant serving an excellent Peking duck and dim sum; and Mystique, a Pan-Asian spot with clubby vibes. On the go? Pick up a meatball sub at Frank & Nick’s before checking out the spinning decorative ferris wheel decked out in florals in the gleaming marble-filled lobby. The resort’s spa caters to food lovers too; a coconut sugar scrub with honey followed by a relaxing massage is sure to leave you blissed out.
Source: This story originated with Bon Appétit.
View Original Article →