Boston

American Provisions

Farm to table grocer, selling only very high quality ingredients. Local and handcrafted preferred. Known for their cheese, meat and charcuterie plates. They also stock a wide selection of beer and wine for pairings.

Mon-Fri 9AM-8PM, Sat Sun 9AM-6PM·Market price, sandwiches $10

Barking Crab

Excellent seafood and American cuisine. Outdoor dining in a clam shack atmosphere, overlooks Boston Harbor and view of downtown. Kid friendly. Live music daily.

Sun-Thu 11:30AM-9PM, Fri Sat 11:30AM-10PM·Starters $10-16, mains $22-market price

Boston Public Market

This year-round market features vendors of high quality goods and comestibles from across New England. It's a great place, but with this location and quality be prepared to pay a little extra. Some of the stalls here sell a fantastic assortment of old fashioned Yankee craftsmanship. American Stonecraft is an artisanal producer of dishes, coasters, food slates and such. All made from stones pulled from farm fields in the region. A producer of fine wood products, Peterman's Boards and Bowls are made from fallen or discarded timber. While Hopsters Alley features a selection of New England beer, wine and spirits. This store is run by a brewery of the same name, and offers growler fills here as well. Explore the rest of the Market for more local and organic produce, artisanal tea shops, noodle houses, chocolatiers, bakers, cheesemongers and butchers.

Mon-Sat 8AM-8PM, Sun 10AM-8PM

City Square

City Square is one of the city's newer parks, although the history of parks on this site dates back to 1629 when Market Square was laid out and Charlestown was still a separate city. In 1901, an elevated railroad was built through the square and then the busy Tobin Bridge was constructed. The rail line was eventually torn down and the Tobin ramps were put into a tunnel in the 1990s, allowing the park to be reconstructed above the highway.

Faneuil Hall

The Cradle of Liberty

It was built in 1742 as a market building adjacent to a busy waterfront dock. Town meetings held here between 1764 and 1774 heard Samuel Adams and others lead cries of protest against the imposition of taxes on the American colonies. The building was enlarged in 1806. Social justice leaders like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Lucy Stone brought their struggles for freedom here in the 19th century. A museum and gift shop dominate the first floor. Most people pronounce it with two syllables like "FAN-yull", while a minority prefer the three syllable "fan-YOU-ull" pronunciation. You'll be fine as long as you don't say anything crazy like "fa-KNEW-lee".

9AM-5PM daily·Free

Market Stalls

Boston Design Center

The Boston Design Center is at the center of Boston's glossy new Innovation District. Similar to Merchandise Mart in Chicago, picture a variety of cavernous showrooms focused on every imaginable design discipline. For visitors, make sure to check out the Market Stalls area on the second floor. This eclectic 10,000 square foot marketplace features furniture, lighting, and art from the 17th to 20th centuries. Plan a little extra time for your visit, as there may be an event going on featuring prominent architects, chefs, interior or furniture designers.

Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM·Free to look

Meridian Food Market

Always a lunch line out the door of cops, firefighters, construction workers, and local office workers. The Meridian St Special sandwich (roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, basil, & chicken cutlet) is excellent. Their Italian sub is very good. Takeaway dinners are good, and they also offer catering for parties at good prices.

Mon-Fri 6AM-6PM, Sat 6AM-5PM

Neptune Oyster

Excellent local seafood and raw bar. Restaurant is small but ambiance and food quality are extraordinary. On any given weekend, you will find people lining up outside the front door before they open in order to secure one of their famous lobster rolls. At $29 they don't come cheap, but almost every publication in the city has awarded these lobster rolls with a "best of" designation.

Sun-Thu 11:30AM-10PM, Fri-Sat 11:30AM-11PM·Starters $12-market price, mains $28-market price

SoWa Open Market

The SoWa Open Market is a vibrant collection of open air markets featuring over 150 local artisans, farmers, specialty food vendors and food trucks. This weekly event draws many thousands of visitors from across New England and beyond. The Market has four main components, the vintage market, the arts market, the farmer's market, and everyone's favorite, the beer & wine garden. This is In addition to the scores of everyday retailers, and highbrow art galleries housed in the surrounding buildings. This event is so popular, all nearby restaurants will have multi-hour table waits, and streets become almost impassable to vehicles. Yes, even your Uber will have a hard time picking you up here, so be prepared to walk.

Sun 10AM-4PM May 1-Oct 31·Free

Super 88

Giant Asian supermarket in back anchors a bevy of food stalls in this indoor market. Each offers a different take on all varieties of Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, and pretty much any other Asian cuisine you can think of.

9AM-10PM daily

The Old North Church Gift Shop

If you're looking for a nicer souvenir, the gift shops at the Old North Church are a great option. There are actually three different ones: Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop; The Printing Office of Edes and Gill; and the main gift shop. You can probably guess what the first two specialize in, while the main shop has a little bit of everything. Even t-shirts for those in the market.

Jan-Feb: 10AM-4PM daily, Mar-May: 9AM-5PM daily, Jun-Oct: 9AM-6PM daily, Nov-Dec: 9AM-5PM daily

Trident Booksellers and Cafe

Great neighborhood bookstore also adapting to changing market demands. Still sells a wide variety of thoughtfully curated books and magazines on two floors. Today, however, the excellent cafe does a brisk business and keeps them in the black. Plenty of reading material while you wait!

8AM-midnight daily

Fish Market Sushi Bar

170 Brighton Ave

Tue-Fri 11:30AM-3PM, 5PM-10PM, Sat 1PM-10PM, Sun 1PM-9:30PM

Quincy Market

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

4 South Market Building

Mon-Sat 10AM-9PM, Sun noon-6PM·Free