Boston - Durgin Park Restaurant
 

Has anybody been to Durgin Park Restaurant in Faneuil Hall Market Place in Boston? Is it worth putting into our itinerary while in Boston? Somebody told me it was a landmark restaurant. What is their speciality?

Also, is Cheers worth seeing?

How do you feel about eating with a lot of other tourists? Durgin Park packs them in a long tables and serves up "authentic Boston Irish" food. It isn't awful; it certainly isn't great. If you want to eat at a real Boston landmark, go to the original Legal Sea Food in Cambridge, or Loch-obers in Boston. Much, much better food, and you'll be eating with Bostonians, not tourists from West Overshoe.

If you want to see the exterior of "Cheers", which is in a lovely neighborhood, and take a photo, definitely go there. The interior, however, is completely different! As for Durgin Park, this is a VERY casual restaurant where (hoards) of tourists are seated together at long tables. If you are still in a convivial mood after waiting for your seats, the nasty waitresses (who pride themselve in being less than gracious) will snap you out of it. It's noisy and there is no ambience whatsoever. On the up side, the food is excellent and inexpensive - real Yankee comfort food: Roast beef dinners, Yankee Pot Roast, prime rib, all kinds of seafood, chowder, Boston baked beans, cornbread, and that wonderful Indian Pudding (served warm with ice cream). Get there early and have a drink in the bar. For some reason, this gets you on a shorter waiting list (really!). Lots of people consider this the ultimate experience in Boston - just so you know what sort of experience you're in for.....

I was born and raised in Boston and remember the Durgin Park of the "old days," before Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall when it wasn't really a tourist stop. I wouldn't include it as a "must do" on your itinerary, although I agree with Donna about the Indian Pudding! You'll be better off at Legal Seafoods and the wonderful restaurants in the North End (which you can walk to from the Quincy Market area).

There are so many places in Boston with great food and relaxing ambience but Durgin Park is not one of them.
The North End has many Italian restaurants, go inside one of the food shops and ask the employees for a recomendation. Great dim sum in the Chinatown section. Seafood is probably what Boston is most noted for but don't go to Anthony's Pier Four, has slipped badly in recent years in both food and service.
The Barking Crab overlooks the water and has a lobster shack ambience and recently got a good review on a local tv show. I ate at the No Name Restaurant last year and wasn't impressed, cheap prices but fried and greasy fish.
Check out the calendar supplement in Thursdays Boston Globe for reviews of cheap but good and more expensive restaurants.

Kathy: I got to Durgin Park early and got seated right away. Chowdah was watery, and I can't remember what else I had. Legal Sea Foods is good, but also try Turner Fisheries in the Westin Hotel--wonderful! Also anything in the North End.

This has always been a stop for me in Boston; yes, you have to go early; yes the waitresses are trained to be a pain in the ass; and yes you must have the indian pudding. Prime rib ain't bad either.

My favorite is a far cry from Durgin Park. Try Kyoto,a Japanese steak house where a group of eight people are seated around a grill and watch the chef prepare the most delicious food within inches of your plate. Chefs do all sorts of professional cooking arts and "tricks" right before your eyes.Prices are not exorbitant-nice atmosphere-food not spicy or foreign tasting.