Domestocrat’s Best of Boston Guide

Coming up with a Best of Boston list for my 30 Before 30 Project was an easy task. I love this city. I was born and raised here, and I never plan on moving. I love traveling because seeing the world fascinates me but also because it reminds me why I love where I come from so dang much. Boston, you’re my home.

This is list is a labor of love. I tried to include traditional and not so traditional categories. I also wanted to cover all of the many nooks and crannies of the city and surrounding areas. If there is anything I missed or something you want to request, drop me a line.

Without further ado…

Domestocrat’s Best of Boston Guide

Best Food Truck – Clover Food Lab (multiple locations)

Best Brewery Tour – Harpoon Brewery in Boston

Best Nachos – Loaded Nachos at the 21st Amendment in Boston

Best Touristy Thing That Locals Must Do – The Fenway Park Tour

Best Touristy Thing Tourists Must Do – Boston Duck Tour

Best Live Music Venue – The Paradise (definitely not House of Blues, never go there)

Best Fancy Thing To Do – Afternoon Tea at L’Espalier on Boylston Street in Boston

Best Market – SoWa Open Market on Harrison Ave in Boston (crafts, farmers market, food trucks, antique market!)

Best Breakfast – Eggs in a Hole at The Friendly Toast in Kendall Square (pictured right)

Best Sweet Treat – Florentines from Modern Pastry in either Boston or Medford

Best Specialty Food Store – Savenor’s on Charles Street in Boston (they have a Cambridge location too but I prefer the Boston one)

Best Apple Picking – Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury

Best Mega-Store – IKEA in Stoughton

Best Craft Store – Gather Here in Cambridge

Best Bike Shop – Ace Wheelworks in Somerville

Best Burger – Anything from Boston Burger Company in Somerville

Best Ice Cream – Crescent Ridge Dairy in Sharon (but you can buy it at Dave’s Fresh Pasta in Somerville)

Best Lunch – The Bond Herb Roasted Chicken Salad Sandwich at the Parish Café on Boylston Street in Boston (pictured left)

Best Cheese Plate – Henrietta’s Table in Harvard Square, Cambridge

Best BBQ – Blackstrap BBQ in Winthrop

Best Burrito – A hotly contested topic in Boston because we are inundated with burrito joints – Anna’s, El Pelon, Boca Grande, Chiptole, Boloco, Border Café, Olecito, Super Burrito, Taco Loco, On The Border, Felipe’s, Villa Mexico, Viva Burrito, Herrera’s, Aguacate Verde, El Potro, La Verdad – but my pick goes to Anna’s (with two locations equidistant from my house). You can’t beat their quality, tastiness, price, and staff.

Best Donuts – Donut Dip in West Springfield (pictured left)

Best Bar – Crossroads on Beacon Street in Boston (nothing fancy here, just an awesome spot to toast with your friends, play darts, and hang out)

Best Escape Into Nature – The Fells Reservation in Medford/Stoneham, MA (a 15 minute from from Boston)

Best Bad Ass Amateur Sports Team – The Boston Derby Dames

Best Camping – Pittsfield State Forest in Pittsfield

Best Museum – The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston

Best Pizza – Flatbread Company in Somerville (though they have other local locations in Amesbury, Burlington, and Martha’s Vineyard) (pictured right)

Best Pizza Tour – Ours! My husband made up the best pizza tour that exists in the city.

Best Indian Food – Guru The Caterer in Somerville

Best Date Night Idea – Dinner & a movie: Hungry Mother in Kendall Square, Cambridge and Kendall Square Cinema right next door (they have all the indie movies and limited release films)

Best Creative Activity – DIY painting at The Paint Bar in Newton or the Ring Making Class at Stonybrook Arts in Jamaica Plain

Best Place to Play Disc Golf – Borderland State Park in Easton

Best Restaurant in the North End – Marco on Hanover Street in Boston (their divine Berkshire Pork Meatballs pictured left)

Best Weekend/Day Trips From Boston – Salem, MA, Sturbridge, MA, Portland, Maine, Providence, RI, New York City, Syracuse, NY, Portsmouth, NH, Burlington, Vermont, All Over Vermont actually

Best Things From Boston – Did you know the follow amazing things call Boston their home? America’s Test Kitchen, Fluff, 54 colleges and universities, the birthplace of the American Revolution, the telephone, Cook’s Illustrated Magazine, the USS Constitution, Julia Child (she lived in Cambridge), Walden Pond, the Polaroid camera, the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie, and Facebook.

One last treat – Thought Catalog’s article about 11 Things You Should Know About Living In Boston. It’s all true.