Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Boston- restaurants & safety

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Boston- restaurants & safety

Going to Boston for the first time- will travel on the subway- what restaurant near a T station does anyone reccommend? Are there any T stations I should avoid (high crime)?

The southern (Forest Hills) end of the Orange Line and the southern end (Ashmont, not Braintree) of the Red Line are areas I'd avoid if traveling alone after dark. But there aren't any tourist attractions out there anyway. Except the zoo, for which you catch a bus at Forst Hills.

xxx3's advise/comments on the T are right on. Regarding restaurants....what type of cuisine interests you? TAke the to Haymarket and walk over to the North End (Boston's Little Italy). Take your pic of the restaurants, can't recommend one over the other as you really can't go wrong. Around the Copley T station are quite a few restaurants...Legal Sea Foods in the Prudential Ctr, Skipjacks on Clarendon St, Atlantic Fish Company etc.

Plenty of GOOD restaurants in/at Harvard Sq. and also some good ones near Charles St. (look for Beacon Hill restaurants) and Porter Sq. (Elephant Walk, esp.) stops on Red line. Copley on Green Line is also in the neighborhood of good places on Newbury St. (I think I spelled that wrong).

Try http://www.phantomgourmet.com/frame.as Billy Costa DJ at WXKS 108 FM a popular radio station also has a cable TV show called Phantom Gourmet. He is brutally honest about food quality, service and ambiance. He has never steered us wrong!!! There is also a section where locals & visitors can comment on their dining experience. I agree with the posts above regarding the "T". I frequntly travel in-bound on the Orange Line from Oak Grove/Malden and have never had an issue. The Blue & Green lines I also use a lot (and have for 35+ years) and have never had an issue - the three of these are very safe, but as in any big city just keep your eye out for weirdos. Parts of the red line (and the Forest Hills end of the orange line) I've heard are shady.

Near Back Bay station (Orange line), I like Hamersley's Bistro, Aquitaine, and Truc (all in the South End along Tremont St., a safe four block walk from BB station). Near South Station (red line), I like Radius. Near Downtown Crossing (also red line), try Mantra. In Chinatown (Chinatown/Essex station on the orange line), try Blu in the new Ritz Carlton. One of my favorites is Pho Pasteur - lacks ambience, but great Vietnamese. Also nearby is Penang (malaysian). In Harvard Square (red line), I'd suggest Bombay Club (Indian). Seriously, you almost cannot go wrong anywhere in the North End (Italian). The nearest stations are Haymarket (Green and Orange lines) and Aquarium stations (Blue line). Finish off any meal with a stop for a cannoli or Italian pastry at Mike's. In Fanueil Hall / Quincy market, I'd suggest both Todd English's Kingfish Hall and Rustic Kitchen (anothe Todd English place). Easily accessible from the State Street station (blue and orange lines). Also nearby is the Union Oyster House, a seafood place that's been a fixture for 200 years. Boston is a very (VERY) safe city and I've never felt in danger in the 11 years I've lived here (and I've walked just about everywhere at all times of the day). Even at night the sidewalks will be bustling with people and you will be fine if you stay in the more well traveled areas. I would avoid getting too far away from the core downtown area, which shouldn't be a tough thing to do if you are a tourist. Enjoy and have a great visit!!