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Restaurant Recommendation?
To give some background information.
My friends and I are going to PAX East for the first time (we're seniors in highschool) Sadly we weren't able to get tickets for Saturday. (We did manage to grab Friday and Sunday).
So we decided that we would take Saturday and just explore Boston.
We all agreed that it would be fun to go out to a nice restaurant Saturday evening.
What's a nice place to go that's not TOO expensive but isn't a fast food place? (So around $30-40 per person)
Bonus points if it's in walking distance from the main convention hall.
My friends and I are going to PAX East for the first time (we're seniors in highschool) Sadly we weren't able to get tickets for Saturday. (We did manage to grab Friday and Sunday).
So we decided that we would take Saturday and just explore Boston.
We all agreed that it would be fun to go out to a nice restaurant Saturday evening.
What's a nice place to go that's not TOO expensive but isn't a fast food place? (So around $30-40 per person)
Bonus points if it's in walking distance from the main convention hall.
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Um... I guess just something for a memorable night. Delicious is a small bonus.
One of my friends has a nut allergy but he's very safe about it.
That being said I consistently pimp one restaurant in Boston called Trade.
http://trade-boston.com/
They're a bit expensive but the food, drinks, service, and atmosphere have always been top notch. I try to make it there any time I'm in Boston for PAX or business. I drag all of my friends there every time as well and they end up enjoying it too it seems. They are extremely friendly to PAX goers and have welcomed us with open arms every time. The front of the house manager even went so far as to bring us a completely free appetizer sampler because I emailed them beforehand telling them how much I enjoyed my previous experiences and made a reservation.
They've earned my perpetual loyalty.
Give them a shot if you have a night.
Thanks for the recommend. I'm gonna put all suggestions on a list so that I can go over them with my friends.
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Now on to food. There is a lot here in Boston. The area of the convention is growing for sure, but if you will take the day i would just get a day pass on the T and check out the city. There are restaurants everywhere so finding something should not be an issue. Some good areas are North End, Brookline (area of Coolidge Corner and St. Paul), Fenway (by Berklee), Newbury St., Harvard Sq. are all pretty busy areas with a lot of place. I recommend take the T and walk the areas. Best way to find places here is walking. For example, my wife and I favorite restaurant is a Spanish Tapas place in Brighton/Alston area. Would have never found it if we didn't walk. A lot of pricey places but there are still many in or under your price range. Also, if you go to the college areas you will find many restaurants at good prices. Also, check out Cambridge if you indeed take the day. I would take the Red line to Harvard Sq. and then walk back into Boston.
Fancy a delicious French menu? Check out Marliave. Best escargot that I've had in the states, and the rare bits are beyond amazing. My girlfriend and I typically do an appapalooza instead of main dishes because there's so much deliciousness to attend to. Word to the wise: their truffle mac and cheese is incredibly dense and filling, so just be cautious. So good, though.
While this place isn't the greatest thing ever, I always have a soft spot in my heart for the South Street Diner. Open 24 hours.
I also would recommend Salvatore's, which is around the corner from the convention hall. The place gets swarmed on PAX nights, but I've always had great food there. You can have a really great meal there for $30-$40 a person.
Oh I heard that people sell their tickets closer to the event. The problem being is that I am in a group of 5 (including me). What my friends don't know is that if the opportunity arises where I can get 5 tickets I'll do so without a second glance. I won't even ask them to pay me back for it. But I don't think I can get together 5 tickets all to myself.
As for your recommendation of getting a day pass for public transportation, someone already recommended that and I was looking into it. It seems like a great way to travel around Boston for a day and I will definitely pass that onto the group to see if they want to.
Thank you for the write up!
Looks fun. The buffet style might be really fun to do. Will write it down and pass it on!
This is the first time I've heard about this lunch trolley but if it is as diverse as you say we might do this. Barking Crab seems to have been mentioned by someone else in this thread so I'm going to put it on the list. Thanks mate!
I've never had German food so that might be an interesting choice.
We will most likely hit this place up coming back from one of the days. We love going to diners and just enjoying ourselves. Thank you!
I can second a recommendation for Salvatore's. My group has gone there pretty much every year East has been at the BCEC. Pizza is great and we usually have leftovers for the weekend. We go on Thursday pretty much every year.
We also found a new place last year, Loco. It is fantastic. We are going there again for sure this year. I dream of those tacos.
Just ask at the info desk when you get to PAX. They will give you directions to the lunch shuttle.
Very true. We live here and everytime we go out and just walk round we always find something new.
The Salty Pig is fun if you like meat (though only if you're 21+, beer list is great)
Citizen's Public House is decent
Lucky's is fun if you can get in, lines were ridiculous last year
I would completely agree with the Barking Crab. It's right on the water and it was a little cool but not winter when I went there last. A beer, the sunset, some crab dip... it's everything I ever wanted.
https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/204458/east-2016-restaurant-food-thread
https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/194480/pax-east-2015-the-restaurant-food-thread
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/182734/boston-restaurant-dining-suggestions-2014-update-in-op
Be prepared for a line!
Also, if you like dumplings and never tried Xiaolongbao (aka soup dumplings), then try either dumpling house or dumpling cafe. Depending on who you ask one will prefer the other.
For lunch I would recommend Al's sub multiple locations around the area near south station. You can get a pretty decent sub for just $7.
For clam chowder go to a legal seafood. Yes, it's a local restaurant chain, but Ted Kennedy wasn't wrong. Plus, legal's test kitchen is near the BCEC. While legal's chowder is not the "best", it is the most consistent and easily accessible chowder around.
Lastly during the winter months, most of the seafood is being imported from southern regions. So, I would't go out of the my way for the "best New England Seafood" type of places based solely on getting fresh NE seafood. For that you'll need to come back during the summer months... trust me a proper fried clam or fresh cherry-stone is well worth the trek back here...
Pretty much Boston is like any other major city, that's not name Paris, NYC or London. You'll find your staples and such restaurants and the best local food tends to revolve around Bar food, seafood, Asian (mainly Chinese) and Italian cuisines.
Depends on what time you go....
I'll cue up the usual debate of Modern Pastry is better.
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Sacrilege!!! Well...you're from NH...so I guess you can be forgiven for not knowing which is "the absolute best ever cannoli in the history of cannolis"
Oh and check out beard papa's creme puffs on Harrison Ave.
Technically 'cannoli' is already the plural form whilst the singular form is 'cannolo'.
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I'm only recently from NH. I grew up on the North Shore, and I still think Modern is better. If only because all the tourists are at Mikes so there's less of a line at Modern.
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To make note, I tend to eat out for a big meal before and after the con, so that influences my suggestions. During PAX, I make a point not to leave the convention center, even if it means eating rather overpriced if generally palatable BCEC food.
The Daily Catch is a local place down by the courthouse in Seaport (probably like 8-10 minutes from pax walking). They specialize in Sicilian style seafood, and their squid-ink pasta is to die for. I will gladly quibble with other locals as to whether or not this is the best seafood in Seaport. Spacious and takes reservations, but far enough from PAX that you can almost certainly just walk in. I pretty much go here with my friends for pre-PAX dinner every year. Bonus: If it's warm (given that PAX is in March this year, probably not), you can eat outside and enjoy a gorgeous harborside view.
EDIT: Apparently this place recently came under new management and the reviews have tanked. I can't vouch for the current quality since i have not been there since last PAX East.
Yankee Lobster Company is also about a 10 minute walk from PAX. It's a little hole in the wall sort of place with killer lobster rolls, fried seafood, and chowder/bisque. It's reasonably priced, and definitely more of a lunch-y sort of place than a dinner sort of place. Only real downside is seating is seriously limited.
It comes up a lot but Legal Test Kitchen is worth noting. Basically Legal Seafood's weird cousin. A fun and kind of eclectic mix of seafood dishes and a fun mixed drink menu. Right by the Hotels so it catches a lot of the PAX crowd.
If you're looking to go cheap, there's plenty of good options too:
If you feel like heading into the city then there are honestly more options than I can care to list, but I feel like I must mention that China Town is only about 20ish minutes away walking, and is full of places that are both very delicious and very affordable. I can and will eat xiaolongbao until I feel physically ill.
If you're willing to take a short cab ride or hop on the T, there is also always Faneuil Hall. It's basically a very glorified food court, but there are some great and affordable options (Boston Chowda Co. is quite good) with a wide selection of choices. Bonus: It's in an iconic area, and great if you're from out of town and want to see some sights.
Yankee lobster can do takeout, which I opted for last year, I was able to order and run and really just found a bench and ate while looking out at the Harbour, it helped bypass the line for seating. I'd recommend this if you're really looking to eat there and don't want to wait.
A good reminder, but I just want out-of-towners to be well aware that eating Al Fresco in early march is only for the stoutest of souls.
Yankee Lobster is really good although the wait can be pretty bad since they are such a small place. Hopefully it's nice and chilly and no one wants to go there :biggrin:
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Line is ridiculous.