These 10 towns and cities pack in enough top-notch eateries to make the food scene a draw unto itself. Don’t miss our picks for the best foodie getaways in New England.
New England has so many incredible towns for foodies that narrowing down our list to the following 10 vacation destinations was quite a challenge. And the list of contenders has only grown in the past decade. Of course, Boston has always been a food lovers’ destination, but when Bon Appétit named Portland, Maine, its 2018 Restaurant City of the Year, it was a watershed moment for the New England food scene. Finally, after years of quietly linking farms with tables, recruiting and nurturing top-tier talent, and growing a whole new generation of bakers, cheese makers, and confectioners, we were finally being recognized as a food lover’s paradise on par with San Francisco, New Orleans, and Seattle.
The following guide takes you through the highlights of 10 towns and cities that pack in enough top-notch eateries to make the food scene a draw unto itself. We considered the concentration of restaurants, bakeries, shops, farm stands, and food producers. Many are, unsurprisingly, larger cities, but some exceptional small towns made the cut as well. Time to hit the road and get eating!
Historic mill buildings on the Saco River, which runs between Biddeford and Saco, Maine. Photo Credit : Carolyn Kamuda via newengland.com
This up-and-coming former mill town found a second life as a food lover’s destination beginning with the Palace Diner, a classic Worcester dining car that Greg Mitchell and Chad Conley remade into the ultimate destination for perfect tuna melts and buttermilk pancakes. Lured by comparatively affordable rents, other chefs followed — and now Biddeford has an embarrassment of riches, with one of the most innovative dining scenes in New England, with some eateries located in the converted mill buildings, now known as the Pepperell Mill Campus, that give the town its character. It’s home to the greatest culinary bookstore in the country, Rabelais. Even better, neighboring city Saco is seeing its own restaurant renaissance spill over from across the river.
Don’t Miss: Elda, Palace Diner, Jackrabbit Cafe, Rover Bagel, Night Moves Bread, Magnus on Water, Little Spruce Baking Co.,Elements, Part & Parcel, Pepperell Provisions, Sweetcream Dairy, Nibblesford, Lorne Wine, Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co.
The crowds descend on North End staple Mike’s Pastry on warm summer nights, especially if there’s an Italian feast and procession happening. Photo Credit : Amy Traverso
It’s impossible to distill Boston’s food scene into one paragraph, but here’s the broad-strokes sketch of the different neighborhoods: The North End (pictured above) is Boston’s Little Italy, with plenty of red-sauce joints but more innovative spots as well. The South End has long been home to sophisticated, chef-owned spots such as Barbara Lynch’s The Butcher Shop and Douglass Williams’s Mida. The Seaport District is Boston’s glossy new neighborhood, home to more chains than homegrown spots, but there are gems to be found. South Boston has an ambitious newer crop of notable chef-owned restaurants. Back Bay has standouts like Uni and Saltie Girl. Chinatown remains an essential stop on any tour, but Allston also serves up noteworthy Korean and Taiwanese food. Dorchester has a vibrant mix of Vietnamese, West Indian, Dominican, and pub fare. And Cambridge and Somerville continue to nurture a diverse assortment of innovative fine dining spots, great bakeries, cheap eats, pubs, and the city’s best ice cream.
Don’t Miss:Bar Mezzana, Alcove, Table, Tasting Counter, Chickadee, Mooncusser, SRV, Sarma, Bisq, Bondir, Terra, Woods Hill Pier 4, Pagu, ReelHouse, Shojo, Sportello, Myers + Chang, La Saison Bakery, Row 34, Ganko Ittetsu Ramen, Fox & the Knife, Sweet Cheeks, Bow Market, Toscanini’s, No Relation, Area Four, Scampo, Dakzen, Giulia, Tanám, Juliet, Puritan & Company, Cafe Sushi, Deuxave, Oleana, Waypoint, Craigie on Main, O Ya, The Lexington, Toro
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Guido’s Fresh Marketplace in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is a home cook’s (and picnic packer’s) paradise. Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
Great Barrington balances its identity as a weekend destination for city folk with an eat-local, farm-forward community of dedicated, food-savvy year-rounders. This creates a fantastic cross-pollination of top-notch ingredients, talent, and a consistent customer base. Head over to Railroad Street, known as “Restaurant Row,” to be in the center of things. And don’t miss a stop at Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, the kind of green/gourmet/everyday supermarket that every town deserves, but few have.
The College Hill neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. Photo Credit : Rhode Island Commerce Corporation
To be a truly great food town, it helps to have one of the country’s top culinary schools nearby. Johnson & Wales University has trained generations of talented chefs, and many have planted roots right here in PVD. Add a crowd of discerning, creative diners brought in by Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design, waves of tourists, and savvy regulars, and you have yourself a scene. Chefs like Ben Sukle, Champe Speidel, James Mark, and Derek Wagner have attracted national acclaim, and the city’s relative affordability allows these creatives to take creative risks. The result: a heady mix of quality and inventiveness that keeps us coming back.
Don’t Miss: Oberlin, North, Big King, Persimmon, New Rivers, Tallulah’s Taqueria, Enoteca Umberto, The Dorrance, Bucktown, Gracie’s, Yoleni’s, Al Forno, Nicks on Broadway, Aleppo Sweets, Seven Stars Bakery, Plant City, Venda Ravioli, Pastiche, PVDonuts, Dune Brothers, The Eddy, Cafe Nuovo, Bayberry Garden
Food Editor Amy Traverso oversees the Yankee Magazine Food department and contributes to NewEngland.com. Amy's book, The Apple Lover's Cookbook (W.W. Norton), won an International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) cookbook award for the category American.