Recommended Restaurants in Boston Waterfront Area

[Betamax]

Hi all,

Next week my company will be attending a conference in Boston, location is the Westin Boston Waterfront.

Now I want to organise a dinner with some people we know in the business, nothing too fancy but a good get together with interesting people to discuss business topics in a personal and relaxed manner.

Would anybody be able to help me finding a nice restaurant in the area of the hotel? I am looking for a relaxed atmosphere, no suits etc. Tasty, affordable food is ofcourse a requirement!

Thank you all for your help!

[rotuts]

this wont work for your group, but try it yourself:

No Name Restaurant. a NE fried and otherwise fish restaurant.

http://nonamerestaurant.com

[Betamax]

Rotuts, that looks great, but you're right, it won't work for my group.

Could anyone tell me if the city center is far form the waterfront area?

[patrickamory]

Everywhere in downtown Boston is close, but getting around can be complicated.

[kathryn]

I've stayed at that particular Westin and the area immediately surrounding is a little bit barren/empty, but if you're into cocktails, don't miss Drink. It's about a ten minute walk away, as is an outpost of Flour Bakery.

What I found most annoying about staying at that Westin was that it was on the Silver Line (a dedicated underground bus line). Be prepared for two transfers to get to some places.

We didn't really eat in the neighborhood of the hotel, so, sorry I can't be of more use there.

[LindaK]

I’m embarrassed to say that my knowledge of the restaurants in that neighborhood is mostly second-hand. Development in that area has jumpstarted in recent years but as others say, there are still many empty lots there.

A few places I get to from time to time:

Sportello, one of Barbara Lynch’s restaurants, contemporary Italian. Her cocktail bar, Drink, is downstairs.

Lucky’s Lounge for bar/music scene with decent pub food, and the Sinatra brunch on Sunday is fun.

Flour bakery for breakfast or lunch.

Channel Café for informal lunch.

Legal Test Kitchen (LTK) aims to be a more eclectic version of the successful Legal Seafood franchise. The latter is traditional New England seafood, LTK has a more international slant.

I’ve never been to Menton, Lynch’s high-end French restaurant in the neighborhood, but it gets good reviews.

There are several new, big places at Liberty Wharf but my impression is that they’re more about a bar scene with waterfront views than they are about the food.

As for proximity to other neighborhoods, the Seaport area is about a mile from the Financial District (rather empty in the evenings), the North End, and Chinatown. Other neighborhoods a little further. It feels more removed, though, because development of the area is still underway.

[patrickamory]

Is the Barking Crab still open at this time of year?

[LindaK]

Yes, the Barking Crab is open. High on atmosphere, food mediocre at best, imho.

[patrickamory]

Haven't been there in about a decade... the steamed lobster was pretty good for Boston (not a patch on Maine). Don't think I went much beyond that.

Is there a Summershack location near the waterfront?

[LindaK]

No Summershack in the neighborhood, the nearest is in Back Bay near the Hynes Convention Center. The waterfront would be a good place for the next SS.

Which reminds me, there is a Daily Catch near the Courthouse on the waterfront. I can't vouch for the food there, and I always found the offerings at the original North End location to be uneven, the pastas being the best. Stay away from the awful fried calamari.