If you know anything about me, you know that one of my greatest pleasures of going on a trip is dining out and trying new cuisines. If I can combine my love of food with my passion for history…I’m in heaven. Boston provides several opportunities to dine in historic digs while eating tasty treats—some of which were created in the city.
If you’re like me and like to integrate your love of history into your dining adventures, here are some of the oldest restaurants in Boston:
Union Oyster House—Built in the early 1700s, the structure originally housed an importer’s shop that sold silks. During the American Revolution, patriot Isaiah Thomas printed the radical newspaper the Massachusetts Spy from this building before he was forced to flee Boston, crossing the Charles with his printing press in a row boat. In 1826, the Union Oyster House was established on the spot and is now the oldest restaurant in America to run continuously. It’s also the oldest oyster bar in Boston. The eatery has great atmosphere. The exterior boasts old menus and newspapers in its windows. Inside, booths are designed with tidbits of history telling about either American revolutionaries or famous people who had dined there. The food is good, too! I enjoyed an amazing crab-filled cake there. The Boston Union Oyster House is one of the few places in town (if not the only one?) where you can get Boston Baked Beans, so I highly recommend a visit.
Location: 41 Union Street
Parker’s Restaurant at Parker House Hotel—Famous writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadwsorth Longfellow, and Henry David Thoreau all have dined there. Emeril Lagasse worked there, as did Malcolm X and Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh. The Boston Cream Pie was created there in 1856. Now the official state dessert of Massachusetts, the spongy, golden cake filled with pastry cream covered with chocolate icing and decorated with white icing and toasted almonds is a sweet treat not to be missed. The Parker House isn’t just known for its elegant décor and tasty dessert…there are also the Parker House Rolls! For lunch when I visited, I dined on award-winning clam chowder so thick that my spoon could almost stand up in it. Served with it were the fluffiest, most buttery rolls I have ever tasted. I’ve eaten many “Parker House” rolls (note the quotation marks because none can will ever live up to the name again) in my life but having the original at the place they were created in the 1870s was close to a religious experience. The great food and atmosphere is what has kept people—famous, infamous, and common—coming to Parker’s Restaurant for well over a century and a half.
Location: 60 School Street
Pizzeria Regina—If Italian food, especially pizza, is your favorite then Pizzeria Regina should likely be on your list. The restaurant has been operating in the North End since 1926 making them the oldest Italian restaurant—at least pizzeria—in Boston. Their brick-oven baked, thin-crust pizza comes in numerous combinations that will undoubtedly delight every palate. I was unable to taste a slice of the pie myself, but thousands of reviews indicate that it’s delicious!
Location: 11 ½ Thatcher St.
Bell in Hand Tavern—This bar has been serving the public since around since 1795 making it America’s oldest continuously operating tavern. A true researcher, I decided to imbibe and do a little quality control. I can attest that the Bell in Hand Tavern can serve a good hard cider (and the atmosphere is quite lively, too). The menu looked appealing and since I was in Boston, which is known for its seafood, I tried a classic lobster roll stuffed with big chunks of claw and tail meat and drizzled with butter. I was glad I did! When in Boston, connect with the early years of our nation by drinking in the same tavern our founding fathers might have.
Location: 45 Union St.
Warren Tavern—Established in 1780, this historic eatery in Charlestown is where George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere enjoyed cold brews and hearty meals while discussing the future of America. It was one of the first buildings raised after Charlestown was sacked by the British. Today, one can stop by for a drink and a meal…perhaps after visiting Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution? Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it here for a meal on my last trip, but I definitely think that if you’re on this side of the Charles River that you may want to stop by.
Location: 2 Pleasant St., Charlestown
Taking in the history of Boston is sure to work up an appetite, but your historical adventures don’t have to stop while you’re dining. Visit the oldest restaurants in Boston and take in the past while enjoying tasty food in the present. Huzzah!
As early as 1646, the North End had a distinct community and by the end of that decade had its own church, the North Meeting House, with the popular (and powerful) preacher—Increase Mather—at its head. By the mid-1600s, the North Burying Ground, now called Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, registered grave markers. The neighborhood continued to grow throughout the 1700s and the—now famous—Old North Church was built. Its interior with elaborate box pews gave religious sustenance to the neighborhood’s well-heeled citizens, as well as the working-class. By the early 20th century, Italian and Jewish immigrants dominated the increasingly commercial neighborhood. Today, one can still feel the cultural imprint of both groups in the area. Boston’s North End has a long and rich history and, thankfully, some of its historic sites still stand for viewers to visit. Here are some to visit.
Historical Sites in Boston’s North End
Copp’s Hill Burying Ground—This was Boston’s largest colonial burying ground dating from 1659 when it was known as the North Burying Ground. Over 10,000 bodies are buried there along with thousands of unmarked graves of African Americans. Notable members of the Mather family—Samuel, Increase, and Cotton—are all buried there. Prince Hall, a former slave and anti-slavery activist who fought in the Continental Army and founded the Black Masonic Order also rests in eternal peace at Copp’s. Noted African-American poet, Phyllis Wheatley, who had been enslaved and was emancipated allegedly is buried there, as well.
The Prado—also known as the Paul Revere Mall is located between Old North Church and St. Stephen’s Church. A famous sculpture of Paul Revere by artist Cyris Dallin dominates the Prado and provides a perfect snapshot of history of Paul Revere riding a horse with the Old North Church in the background.
Pierce/Hichborn House—built around 1711, the house is one of the earliest brick homes in Boston still standing. It’s an example of early Georgian architecture and is next-door to the Paul Revere House.
Paul Revere House—Revere purchased this 1680 house in 1770. Built on the site of the Mather House, this home was where he and his family lived when he made his famous midnight ride immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It has been restored to resemble its late 17th century appearance and the furnishings inside show life in the 18th century. Historical interpreters explain the house, its architecture, its furnishings, and the life of Paul Revere.
Old North Church–Speaking of Longfellow’s The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, this church played a pivotal role in that story being the place where lanterns in its steeple would signal “one if by land, two if by sea.” Constructed in 1723, its steeple may have played a dramatic role in history, but its interior is worth a visit. See the pew boxes of those who purchased them—look how austerely or elaborately they were decorated. On the grounds is the Printing Office of Edes and Gill, which is a reproduction of an 18th century colonial print shop. The Printing Office and its neighbor, the Heritage Goods and Gifts store, are housed in one of Boston’s oldest surviving colonial residences—the 1715 Clough House.
Holocaust Memorial—Located on Congress Street, the Holocaust Memorial on the Freedom Trail in Boston is very powerful. Six glass towers, rising 54 feet high, symbolize six major concentration camps: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Sobibor, Majdanek, and Treblinka. The six towers also represent the deadliest years of the Holocaust, 1939-1945, when the phase called the Final Solution took place. Six pits are lined with black concrete at at the bottom of each is a glowing fire. The identification numbers of the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis, are etched all around the glass from top to bottom. Steam bursts up to represent the gas that exterminated so many people at the camps. Panels at each entry provide more context of the collective evil that occurred.
Harborwalk—walk along Boston’s waterfront along wharves, piers, bridges, and shoreline. Imagine what life would have been like before automobiles, trains, and planes when boats entering the harbor kept people (and goods) coming into Boston. Although Griffin’s Wharf’s location, where the Boston Tea Party occurred is debated, you can imagine large tea ships and other British schooners coming into port (my blog from the site of the Boston Tea Party Museum).
When you’re done seeing all the history Boston’s North End has to offer, you will surely have worked up an appetite. Thankfully, the North End is home to Boston’s Little Italy and some of the finest Italian food in the city. Savor sweet cannoli, twirl fresh pasta, sip freshly-ground espresso, and mangia until your heart is content…and your stomach is full. To experience the highlights while hearing the history, take Bobby Agrippino’s North End Food Tour (my blog on it). A couple of my favorite restaurants are Giacomo’s on Hanover and Vinoteca di Monica on Richmond. I’ve been coming to Boston’s North End for Italian food since I was a child—this may have actually been where my love of Italian food started now that I think about it—and I’ve rarely been disappointed so explore and let me know what places were your favorites.
I hope you enjoy the immense history and culture that Boston has to offer. Check out tours from Viator to take you all around the city! https://www.viator.com/searchResults/all?text=boston%20tours&pid=P00161535&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector
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