A Guide To Eating & Sightseeing
Dining
ReelHouse
Situated right on the East Boston Waterfront, this classy restaurant combines fresh New England ingredients with strong international flavors. ReelHouse offers tasty cocktails and bold, filling meals. Enjoy their large patio overlooking Boston Harbor, with amazing views of the Boston skyline.
Looking for some huge portions of Italian cuisine with a cozy atmosphere? Look no further! D’Parma offers some healthy portions of your favorite, classic Italian dishes. Enjoy amazing drinks, apps, entrees, and desserts. D’Parma does it all!
Taco Mex is one of Maverick Square’s many gold mines. Fajitas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, chips and guac, margaritas, you name it! This is some amazing Mexican cuisine, nestled in a killer location! Taco Mex is located within Maverick Square, making this a short walk from any of our East Boston properties.
Located so close to Logan that it may also qualify as our favorite airport restaurant. The curries, biryanis, and soups are flavored with East African spices, and they’re all very good. But any meal here should include beef sambusas, the beef hilib chapati wrap, and large spoonfuls of the spectacular homemade hot sauce. Do yourself a favor before your next flight – skip the terminal’s $8 chocolate-covered pretzels, and go to Tawakal instead.
If you’re looking for a quick lunch or dinner takeout spot that includes either a gigantic sandwich or a freshly fried empanada, then this is the place for you. Pikalo also has two other locations in Jamaica Plain and Downtown Crossing.
This laid-back whiskey bar is perfect for some killer apps, filling sandwiches, and of course booze! Enjoy their dozens of different whiskeys in this rustic and industrial themed restaurant. Truly a one-of-a-kind dining experience, especially for you whiskey lovers!
Cunard Tavern pulls their inspiration “from the rich nautical history of the East Boston shipyard”. Offering a tasteful mix of brunch options, a diverse dinner menu, and a variety of local beers – Cunard’s should definitely be on your radar!
Calling all BBQ and whiskey lovers! The Smoke Shop BBQ is the perfect spot for some the greatest BBQ in town, paired with a MASSIVE whiskey selection. You’ll be glad they’re open 7 days a week! The Smoke Shop BBQ also has 5 other locations scattered around Boston, make sure you stop by one soon!
MIDA offers brunch, lunch, and dinner right on East Boston’s waterfront. MIDA brings Tuscan-inspired dishes to the table with an elevated touch. Enjoy their delicious apps, pastas, and pizzas while taking in breath-taking views of the Boston skyline!
After being in business for 20+ years, Rino’s knows a thing or two about Italian food. Best known for their home made red sauce, thin-cut veal, and fresh made raviolis. Rino’s is definitely one of the staples when it comes to East Boston Italian grub! Not to mention they’ve been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri!
Kelley Square Pub is conveniently located on Bennington Street and offers a wide variety of dining options. From bar food, to BBQ, to steak tips, and to sandwiches, Kelley’s is a one stop shop for everyone
For some of the best home-style cooking in Eastie, you have to check out Mario’s. Offering some of the best meals and freshest ingredients, they have staked their claim as another heavy hitter in the Italian food game. Mario’s is only open from 3PM-9PM, Monday – Saturday, so make sure you swing by and fill your plate!
Founded by two college friends during their senior year, Downeast Cider is a hard-cider brewery in the heart of East Boston. The company is committed to using only fresh-pressed juices and natural ingredients. Make reservations online for a free brewery tour (Friday through Sunday), with free samples and a flight of cider on the house.
Arguably East Boston’s most famous restaurant, Santarpio’s, established in 1903, has won Boston magazine’s Best of Boston Award 13 times over the last 30 years. Prized for its pies, the family-owned eatery’s friendly staff gives it a welcoming atmosphere. It serves lamb, steak, and sausage skewers, cooked fresh over an indoor grill. This hot spot is a must-visit, must-try!
Gyms
Known as America’s first Y, the YMCA of Greater Boston is the go-to spot for building that healthy lifestyle you’ve talked about. in 2021, with the help of the Boston community, the YMCA was able to deliver $6.5 million in free or subsidized programs for thousands of local residents. They offer tons of equipment, group exercise classes, trainers, and tons of ways to improve your workout routines!
Another staple in the East Boston fitness community! EastieFit offers a number of classes and programs for all age ranges. Swing on by to check out their crossfit program, nutrition coaching, and personal training!
Beacon Hill Athletic Club has 7 locations across Boston, with their East Boston location being the “newest and most innovative”! They provide cardio equipment, a turf track, dozens of machines/racks, and even a spin room. Be the best version of yourself with Beacon Hill Athletic Club!
The Point East Boston Barre & Yoga
Looking for your go-to yoga, barre, pilates, or HIIT-style classes? The you have to check The Point out! They offer a wide range of classes, workshops, and events to “deepen your practice and sense of community”. The Point even offers outdoor classes for those hot, summer days!
If you’re looking to sustain a happy and healthy lifestyle, then TheFastFitness is the place for you! They offer group classes, strength and conditioning workshops, and the complete guide to a healthy life. You can even utilize online coaching for those days that you just feel like staying in!
Museums
The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) Watershed opened a seasonal exhibition space in a former copper pipe and sheet metal facility in the Boston shipyard and marina. It has 15,000 square feet of exhibition space, including a gallery dedicated to the shipyard’s history and East Boston more broadly. Visit the Harbor Room, a space for gathering and education projects that leads to an outdoor plaza overlooking Boston Harbor and the skyline. The community area launches this summer with an exhibition of photography by teens from the ICA Teens digital photography class. Watershed admission is free for all. Purchase an ICA admission ticket, or become an ICA member for complimentary ferry service to and from the Seaport. Ferry capacity is limited, and tickets, which can be reserved online a month ahead, are available on a first-come, first-served basis for both ICA members and visitors. Advance reservations are recommended. The Watershed is open through October 8.
In recent years, the art scene has really taken over in the East Boston neighborhood. Responsibility for this resurgence lies within the East Boston Artists Group’s Atlantic Works Art Gallery. Whether you are just planning to browse and take in some culture, or you are looking for the perfect piece of artwork to add to your apartment, you can find a diverse assortment of pieces when you visit this lovely gallery.
Outdoor Activities
Piers Park is ideal for spending the day outdoors. You can walk the 600-foot promenade, exercise using the outdoor fitness machines, or embrace your inner child on the playground. Several decorative gazebos and spray fountains provide relief on hot summer days. The park has direct access to the waterfront and an amazing view of downtown Boston across the harbor. During warm weather months, a series of free concerts are held there.
While you’re at Piers Park, take advantage of the nonprofit sailing center there, which provides lessons for novices, intermediate, and experienced sailors. The Learn to Sail course is 21 hours, structured on two back-to-back weekends. If you want to sail one of the center’s 23-foot Sonar sailboats, but didn’t take lessons there, you must pass a “checkout sail.” Early registrants, college students, and East Boston residents can get discounted membership, good for the entire sailing season. You can also purchase five-day passes. The center has outreach programs for underserved youth and one of the country’s best programs for disabled sailors. With easy access to the Inner Harbor and Harbor Islands, this is one of East Boston’s most popular attractions.
LoPresti Park, along the Maverick Square area waterfront, is another great outdoor recreation spot. Grab a basketball and head to one of the four-acre park’s two courts (you can play under the lights at night), put on your helmet and head over to the street hockey rink, or play a game of ping pong in the picnic grove. It’s also home to a state-of-the-art artificial turf soccer field, a children’s play lot, and a spray fountain. You can fish along the waterfront, a popular dusk activity here. For a more relaxing activity, stroll along the pier and enjoy the beautiful Boston skyline.
A large salt marsh inside the city limits? Who knew? The reservation, open year-round from 9 am to dusk, preserves 152 acres of the 241-acre Belle Isle Marsh, the last remaining salt marsh in Boston. Its protected waters are a breeding ground for numerous fish and shellfish, as well as for native vegetation, and it offers a view of wildlife rarely seen in a metropolitan area. You can take a guided informational walk (well worth it) and scan the marsh, Logan Airport, and the nearby town of Winthrop from an observation tower.
You don’t need to travel to Cape Cod or the North Shore to find a great beach. Just take the MBTA Blue Line to Orient Heights and spend the day at Constitution Beach. Among the park’s amenities are a bathhouse, tennis and handball courts, a baseball field, a picnic area, a concession stand, and a playground. It’s no wonder it’s one of the city’s most popular beaches. Lifeguards are on duty from June through Labor Day. When you’ve had enough of the beach, take the nearby pedestrian overpass across the MBTA tracks and explore the neighborhood’s many dining options.
Once a marine industrial site, this area is now one of Boston’s 39 urban wilds, or natural landscapes, thanks to the efforts of the Urban Wilds Initiative. As well as meadow grasses and salt marshes, it has a boardwalk, walking paths, and a viewing platform overlooking Chelsea Creek. In the winter and spring, harbor porpoises can sometimes be seen swimming along the creek.
Mary Ellen Welch – East Boston Greenway
The Mary Ellen Welch Greenway is a new outdoor area that stretches from the waterfront, near Piers Park, and continues on towards Constitution Beach in Orient Heights. Its cycling and walking paths follow old rail lines that would transport cargo and freight from the waterfront inland towards towns north. Sections of the rail lines can still be found and a preserved freight car is on display at the Greenway’s mouth. Murals are displayed at points along the path as well. The Greenway connects various parks in East Boston as well, including Piers Park, Bremen Street Park, Memorial Park, and Constitution Beach.
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