Suggestions for food in New England?

May 13, 2023 4:23 PM

We are doing some traveling in New England and would love suggestions for places to eat!

Seafood would be great, but we’re open to just about anything. We’ll be in Providence, Salem, Boston, Bar Harbor, and Portland.

posted by needlegrrl to Food & Drink (21 answers total)

Fore Street in Portland.
posted by JackBurden at 4:38 PM on May 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Portland: Terlingua, Minato, and Regards are all worth your time in terms of both interesting food and great service. None are "traditional" New England/Maine food. If you want that, there's no better choice in Portland than J's Oyster.
posted by donnagirl at 5:14 PM on May 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Duckfat in Portland if you want to eat the best fries of your life.
posted by lydhre at 5:17 PM on May 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Dune brothers in Providence (then a stroll over the pedestrian bridge).
posted by beyond_pink at 5:18 PM on May 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Sur Lie & Leeward in Portland.

Really, anyplace in Portland, short of chains.
posted by SeaPortHog at 6:31 PM on May 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

In Salem we had raw clams at Sea Level, an item we don't typically get. We mostly did libations, at Far From the Tree and Notch, highly recommended if you're into that. Someone sitting next to us at FFtT was having an epiphany about a takeout grilled chicken salad, you know the kind with pepperoncinis (I think from Pizza World) and I often wonder what that thing really tasted like.

In Bar Harbor all I remember a wood-fired lobster at Blaze, which was also something unique. We also spent a lot of time at a tapas place, maybe it was Project Social. But what I remember the most is a brown bag with 2 lobsters, corn and potatoes we got delivered to our campsite for $40 or so. And watching Blade Runner 1 and 2 at Reel Pizza and getting yelled at for talking during the movie
posted by credulous at 7:15 PM on May 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Oberlin is the best high end restaurant in Providence. 2nding Dune Brothers.
posted by degoao at 7:24 PM on May 13, 2023

In Providence the vegan food hall Plant City is very popular. The bakery Pastiche is AWESOME for a fancier dessert. New Harvest Coffee (which is the best coffee, or maybe the Coffee Exchange) is in a building with an excellent ice cream place called Wright's Farm.

Last fall I asked my buddy Russ, who is a chef instructor in the culinary program at Johnson & Wales University (which is where I work) about nice places in downtown Providence. His suggestions -- which, I admit, miiiight tilt toward JWU alumni -- are Gracie’s, Nick’s On Broadway, Venda Bar, Costantino’s, Oberlin, Persimmon, and Sienna. I can find a URL for anyone of those if you need it.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:28 PM on May 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Bob's Clam Hut in Kittery, on your way up or down from Maine. Decades old, can't go wrong.
posted by Hollywood Upstairs Medical College at 10:58 PM on May 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Salem has Flying Saucer Pizza, Howling Wolf Taqueria, and The Ugly Mug Diner.

Flying Saucer has great pizza, and it's on a tiny little square where you can outside. They also have a liquor license. They have a sister cafe (Gulu Gulu Cafe) next door that's always hopping, I just haven't made my way in there yet. They can get busy, and you may have to wait a bit for the food, but order drinks and people-watch. The staff is wonderfully friendly.

Howling Wolf is surprisingly reasonable for Salem and their servings are pretty large. They do have outdoor seating, but it's on a busy sidewalk. I do believe they have live music (and they also have alcohol). The Salem Waterfront Hotel walking maybe two blocks away from the Walgreens next door down Derby Street that has outdoor seating and where you can hang out at night -- you don't need to be a guest.

The Ugly Mug is a little diner that's open for breakfast and lunch. Super NOM pancakes, a couple of doors down from Flying Saucer. Tiny little place but really nice people and good food that isn't insanely expensive.

I would stay away from the Old Main Street Pub in Salem. Super overpriced and my daughter got really, really sick from eating fish there.


Your trip sounds just wonderful! I'm heading to Salem/Beverly on Monday and will be there for a few days. I can't wait. Safe travels and have fun!
posted by dancinglamb at 3:01 AM on May 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

If you like Thai, Cambodian and other pan-Asian food, Apsara in Providence is delicious. I miss their green curry so much!

I've only been to the one on Public street north of the zoo, not sure if the Hope Street location is the same.
posted by Guess What at 4:19 AM on May 14, 2023

Best answer: Union Oyster House in Boston is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in America. A couple doors down from it is Bell in Hand, the oldest continuously operating tavern in the US.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:27 AM on May 14, 2023

In Bar Harbor, most places will be good if you stick to seafood, but there are a few that stand out:

• Sweet Pea's Cafe is a farm-to-table restaurant that is superb. Double-check that they are open though, I think they've been doing some renovations and if they *are* open, then reservations are a good idea.
• In town, 2 Cats, cannot be beat for breakfast/brunch. Again, just be wary that Bar Harbor is a small town with lots of tourists, so it's likely to be crowded and either reserve a table or get there early.
• Jordans is a classic Maine diner/restaurant, with a specialty of wild blueberry pancakes and wild blueberry syrup. Yum. If you're early morning people, they open at 5am and all the real Mainers have cleared out by 7am as the tourists trickle in.
• If you're roaming around town and getting hungry and turned off by all the crowded restaurants, you might get lucky at the Lompoc Cafe. They used to be a great bookstore that happened to serve a few small dishes, but they converted to full cafe this year and not everyone knows that, so it might be less busy than other places, and it's delish!
• Mount Desert Ice Cream is a fantastic "new wave" ice cream place, they pull off some wild flavors like cinnamon cardamom, Vietnamese coffee. Everything they do is made from scratch and you can't go wrong. They also do sorbet if dairy isn't your thing.
• Finally, if you want the classic Maine experience, go to Bar Harbor Lobster Bake, and get either the warm lobster roll or the Downeast Lobster Bake with chowder, mussels, lobster and blueberry cake.

posted by jeremias at 5:47 AM on May 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Bar Harbor:
- It's been several years since I've been there, but I've enjoyed Havana.
- Ditto Red Sky in Southwest Harbor.

If you find yourself in Rockland, Primo is great.
posted by sriracha at 6:28 AM on May 14, 2023

In the town adjoining Providence to the north, called Pawtucket, the best breakfast is at the Rhody Hen. So worth the wait (it's small)!
posted by wenestvedt at 6:30 AM on May 14, 2023

Union Oyster House in Boston is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in America. A couple doors down from it is Bell in Hand, the oldest continuously operating tavern in the US.

These are, indeed, restaurants in Boston that you can go to. I wouldn't recommend either of them.

Boston has been bitten by the same Resy bug that New York has, which means if you want to eat anywhere upscale I would try making reservations pronto. A few suggestions:
-Row 34 in the Seaport probably has the best seafood in the city, hands down.
-Neptune Oyster in the North End is another solid choice. No reservations, be ready for a wait.
-Just outside the city limits in Winthrop is Belle Isle Seafood which has very solid, no frills (cold) lobster rolls and fried fish. Cash only.

Boston has an active Eater vertical, and I find their recommendations to be pretty spot on.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:37 PM on May 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm not going to give you a specific Portland suggestion as you've already gotten several, however there are DOZENS of fantastic resturants in Greater Portland, Portland Food Map can help you find some unexpected gems
posted by anastasiav at 8:17 PM on May 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Woodman's of Essex in Essex, MA, is along your route and is absolutely iconic for casual seafood.

There is also a lot of very, very good ice cream in New England, like Lago's in Rye, NH, in kinda the same vicinity.
posted by Sublimity at 8:26 PM on May 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Ditto on not recommending those first two Boston restaurants.

I can recommend:

- Row 34 for great seafood.
- Fox + the knife has really good Italian (not old school classic, I think they say "modern and rustic".
- Sarma - amazing Turkish inspired. If you can find a reservation now, grab it. It's in Somerville and it's brilliant.
- Puritan and Co in Cambridge - classic modern New England. I've never had a bad meal there.
- Eat some pizza at Regina's in the North End.

I also second EaterBoston as a place to look for restaurants!
posted by jdl at 8:28 PM on May 14, 2023

Boston Brown Bread. Remove from can, slice, toast, spread with cream cheese.
posted by horsegnut at 6:41 AM on May 15, 2023

I don't think this counts as a self-link since it's a feature I wrote for a newspaper, but this guide to the greater Portland, Maine area should come in handy. Feel free to Me-mail me too.
posted by yellowcandy at 10:42 AM on May 15, 2023 [1 favorite]