Eating your way around Boston

While the School Nutrition Association’s annual conference offers plenty of food for thought and food for sampling, it’s always tasty and fun to try some of the host city’s restaurants. Boston may not be particularly large in size but it has a large selection of dining spots in every price range. And it’s easy to get around—whether you choose to walk or hop on a trolley or the T. Here’s a look at some of the restaurants that offer everything from local New England fare to unique global cuisines.

There are several locations of Legal Sea Foods in Boston, but the flagship at Harborside has spectacular waterfront views and decks for outdoor dining. The New England Clam Chowder is creamy and authentic, the crab cake is a signature and the menu offers a variety of local seafood, including oysters, clams, haddock, lobster and scallops. There’s a wide range of sandwiches, salads, sushi and entrees that hit every price point.

For a morning pick-me-up, baked-from-scratch sweet treat or inspired sandwich head over to one of two Boston locations of Flour Bakery + Café. Owned by James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Joanne Chang, the restaurant has a huge menu, but is particularly well-known for its Sticky Sticky Buns, Seasonal Pop Tarts, buttery croissants, fruit pies and crostatas and savory Achiote Chicken Sandwich. Across the Charles River in Cambridge are two more Flour locations.

Eastern Standard Kitchen and Drinks serves lunch, dinner, brunch and late-night bar bites and cocktails, offering lots of flexibility. The wide-ranging brasserie menu goes from grilled cheese to steak tartare, with signatures like Salt Cod Fritters, Butterscotch Bread Pudding, Baked Rigatoni and Salad Nicoise scattered throughout. There’s something for every palate—no veto votes here! Plus Eastern Standard has a reasonably priced and extensive wine-by-the-glass selection and on-trend cocktail list that includes spirit-free drinks.

Cuban cuisine stars at Mariel, a restaurant inspired by pre-revolutionary Havana. Authenticity is a priority and Chief Culinary Officer Tom Berry infuses the menu with island flavors and ingredients, like sour orange, lulo fruits, white sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas and fufu dough. Cuban Street Pizzas are a specialty, with a dough that’s thicker and sweeter than traditional pizza dough. Mariel also makes its own pizza sauce, a blend of tomatoes, peppers and spices, and sources Queso Havana, a mozzarella and Havana-style gouda blend for the pizza toppings. There’s also an extensive list of snacks and small plates to enjoy with Cuban-style cocktails served in a tower.

Coastal Mediterranean food is the focus at Coquette. The menu draws on influences from Spain, Italy and France and many of the dishes are designed to be shared. These include Lamb Meatballs, Atlantic Crab Fondue, Borek Spring Rolls with Moroccan flavors, Sicilian Potato Croquettes and Provencal Spinach Dumplings. There’s also an expansive raw bar and many vegetable-forward preparations.

Yvonne’s took over the space that once housed Locke-Ober’s, one of Boston’s premier dining destinations for more than a century. As a modern supper club, Yvonne’s retains the landmark’s original architecture and some of the décor, but brings renewed energy to the menu and space. Social dining is the theme, with a selection of global plates such as Thai Octopus, Zucchini Za’atar, Lazy Lobster Dumplings and Coconut Rock Shrimp and large format cocktails to share. Also on hand are sweet treats including Cinnamon Babka Bites, Crème Brulee, and the showstopper Baked Alaska.

Located in Boston’s historic North End, a neighborhood that’s home to many Italian restaurants, Giacomo’s stands out. The family-owned and operated restaurant has been serving up Italian favorites for more than 30 years, with large portions of classics like lasagna, fried calamari and veal Parmigiana as well as seafood specialties that reflect the locale. These include Fettucini with Swordfish and Tuna in a Pesto Cream Sauce and Zuppe de Pesce for two with lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels. Cash only.

No room for dessert? No worries. Stop by after dinner at Mike’s Pastry down the block and bring back a cannoli to enjoy later.

Located in the hip South Boston area, the Fox & The Knife Enoteca is also Italian, but has a more contemporary vibe and menu. James Beard award winning chef-owner Karen Akunowicz specializes in pasta, with selections like Raviolo Carbonara, Spaghetti con Vongole (with clams and saffron) and Tagliatelle Bolognese with wild boar. There are also main plates of fish and meat and an Apertivo list of snacks to enjoy with a glass of wine or amaro spritz.

For grazing enjoyment, you can’t beat the Quincy Market Colonnade at Boston’s Faneuil Hall. It’s a food hall with a taste of everything, from chowder to enchiladas, corn dogs, ice cream and more. If a walk-around taste experience is not your thing, there are several sit-down restaurants, including well-known brands like Wagamama and Margaritaville.