Boston Restaurants

An unpretentious Italian restaurant with hard working staff and authentic Italian cuisine, Pomodoro is one of those neighbourhood restaurants that is frequented by locals and foreigners who keep coming back for more. Situated in the North End, Pomodoro serves a wide range of Italian cuisine from traditional linguine marinara with lots of garlic and fresh herbs to roasted duck with mushroom ragu. The affordable prices and quality of food make up for the simple décor, with most patrons being mesmerised by the activity and aroma escaping from the open kitchen and the food on their plate. Reservations recommended. Open Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner.

Address: 319 Hanover Street; Tel: (617) 367 4348

The succulent and large proportioned steaks, served in style at The Capital Grille in historic Back Bay, send carnivores into raptures, particularly the enormous 24-ounce (680g) dry-aged porterhouse that is the restaurant's speciality. Steaks are hand cut and perfectly seasoned before being grilled and served along with a choice of more than 300 wines. Seafood entrées are also on offer, and the desserts include a tempting homemade cheesecake. The décor is sophisticated and clubby. Open for dinner daily.

Address: 359 Newbury Street; Tel: (617) 262 8900

The restaurant in the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf offers not only the city's finest waterfront view but also some of its finest dining, enhanced with traditional plush décor, dark panelling setting off sparkling crystal. Chef Daniel Bruce offers a seasonally changing menu, passionately geared to his insistence on the freshest and best quality ingredients. He even takes trips to pick his own wild mushrooms for his speciality mushroom and polenta dish. Seafood highlights usually top the menu. A jacket is required and reservations are recommended. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday, and brunch on Sundays.

Address: Boston Harbor Hotel, 70 Rowes Wharf, Waterfront; Tel: (617) 439 3995

One of Boston's great chefs presides over his own bar, café and dining room in a baseball cap, turning out his now famed signature dishes, many lavished with garlic. The menu changes seasonally. Spring, for example, could feature seared tuna with Portobello mushrooms, and Arugula and orange-sesame dressing, or veal cutlet stuffed with proscuitto, and fontina with sherry and creamed spinach. The atmosphere is relaxed, but the food is serious. Open for dinner daily. Reservations recommended.

Address: 553 Tremont Street; Tel: (617) 423 2700

This popular restaurant in the Seaport Hotel in Boston's historic Waterfront district puts a spin on regional American fare with a seasonally changing menu, renowned particularly for its fresh seafood specialities, chicken and beef entrées, and locally crafted cheeses. Aura is casually elegant and offers an outdoor section. Reservations are recommended. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, and dinner Monday to Saturday.

Address: Seaport Hotel, 1 Seaport Lane; Tel: (617) 385 4300

The jewel of Boston's Chinatown district is the China Pearl, renowned among locals and visitors alike. The extensive dinner menu is rather daunting, but each dish, from General Gau's Chicken to Lobster Chinese style, is equally delicious. The restaurant's Dim Sum menu (a variety of savoury snacks made of minced meat wrapped in dough, shium mai or thin wonton and cooked in various ways) is award winning and much sought after. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Address: 9 Tyler Street, Chinatown; Tel: (617) 426 4338

'Your father and grandfather probably dined with us' says the advertising slogan for this Faneuil Hall market restaurant, which has been feeding the hearty appetites of locals for well over a century. Today the restaurant is a tourist attraction simply because the cuisine it serves is still authentic old style New England. The food is unpretentious, honest and good, including favourites like clam chowder, fish chowder, fish cakes and beans, chicken pot pie, prime rib, roast turkey, cornbread, Indian pudding and apple pie. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Address: 340 Faneuil Hall Market Place; Tel: (617) 227 2038; E-mail: seanadpark30@aol.com

An attractive modern eatery that is an ideal morning coffee stop and trendy lunch venue, the Sorelle Bakery and Café is renowned for its variety of freshly baked goods ranging from blueberry muffins and brownies to sandwiches with Swiss cheese, sliced pork, ham and pickles pressed between French bread. With a myriad of different lunchtime sandwiches and wraps to choose from as well as a variety of refreshing beers and crisp wines, the Sorelle Bakery and Café is friendly and understated and focussed on food. Bring your laptop along for the wireless Internet. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and an early evening snack.

Address: 100 City Square; Tel: (617) 242 5980

It's just a shabby little shack with a deck overlooking Boston Harbour, but it is renowned for serving the best clam chowder in town, not to mention other seafood delights, and even roasted chestnuts in winter. It is a little raucous at the best of times out on the deck, and the indoor dining room is little quieter and extremely casual. Live bands entertain while customers crack and peel shrimp and crab claws and slurp pitchers of beer. Fried clams, shrimp, scallops, oysters, calamari, lobster, fish and of course crab are available in a variety of guises, from battered to steamed. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Address: Fort Point Landing, 88 Sleeper Street; Tel: (617) 426 2722

The trendy subterranean lounge of the Silvertone has a retro vibe where the food is as comforting as the prices. The menu offers solid meals with a few fancy touches, like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, tasty macaroni and cheese, spicy Caesar salad and marinated steak tips. Cool cocktails, like the signature raspberry-infused vodka martini, and a varied wine list complete the picture, offered with friendly service. Open for dinner Monday to Saturday, and lunch on weekdays.

Address: 69 Bromfield Street; Tel: (617) 338 7887