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Restaurants Overview

Boston's independent restaurant scene is on par with New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. So while history buffs look back fondly on a certain tea party, foodies simply look forward to dinner. For all the talk of cod and beans, the area lays claim to a long line of "celebrity chefs:" M. Sanzian (creator of the Boston cream pie) made quite a stir in the mid-1800s and, a century later, Julia Child launched a culinary revolution from her Cambridge kitchen. These days it's Todd "Iron Chef" English, Lydia Shire, Ming Tsai, Gordon Hamersley, and Jasper White who make eating out a gastronomic adventure.

To find the best around Boston, follow the roads that radiate out from Downtown like the spokes of a giant wheel. Smack inside the hub are the huge, and hugely famous, waterfront seafood restaurants -- but go north, west, or south and you're suddenly in the neighborhoods, home to numerous smaller restaurants on the way up.