Secret Food Tours run awesome foodie adventures around the world. We loved our Secret Food Tour in Venice Beach, Los Angeles so much. We were really excited to join them once again on our trip to Boston. Now, bear in mind that as this is a review it will contain spoilers. However, not every Secret food Tour goes to the same spot every day. You may discover some places that we didn’t get to. Even if you do end up in all the same spots, this should whet your appetite! Read on for our Boston Secret Food Tour review.
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Union Oyster House
Chowder
The Union Oyster House is not only Boston and Massachusetts‘ oldest continuously serving restaurant, but in the whole of the United States. The building was purchased by a couple of oyster mongers back in 1826 & has been serving seafood to locals and tourists like us ever since. Thus, you can be sure that they know how to make a pretty decent clam chowder.
It was great to stop at Union Oyster House as part of our Secret food tour. We had been for dinner here the night before. Foolishly, we had ordered one cup of clam chowder to share. It was just in case we didn’t like it. Turns out it’s super tasty so I was left feeling a little sorry that I had to give up half of it. It was with delight that I tucked into another serving. The creamy stew, as this is technically a stew, is thick and full of potato, celery and sweet clam meat. The creamy element means that it is quite rich.
Beer
There is an upgrade available for the Secret food tour in Boston, which includes alcohol. There were three stops along the way where this applied, and Union Oyster House was the first. The people who had the upgrade were treated to an old-fashioned ale produced by Sam Adams, which they all seem to enjoy very much. of course, when we learned that it was beer that was the upgrade, we decided not to bother as this really isn’t our jam.
Boston Market
Q’s Nuts
We crossed back over the road to Boston market for our next nibble. There is a stool called queues nuts that is run by the most passionate nut guy. I was slightly curious to know what QAnon take on queue would be if they found out that he was just someone who loves finding ways to make nuts, super duper tasty. Each not there has a magical coating, whether it is salted, spicy, or sweet, and in combinations, you’ve probably never tried. Who knew there was such a thing as a piña colada cashew!? we got to try about six different flavours and each was totally unique. We were not allowed to take nuts home to the UK, or I think we have had to pay for excess Baggage.
Red Apple Cider
The next upgrade drink was a hard cider by a company called down east. We had had a chance to visit their taproom the previous day, and so knew that the cider was pretty good. We had also been in Boston market previously and knew that there was another small company called red apple cider just around from the nut stand and so when we were given a little free time to wonder we had straight there. a glass of cider here, and I mean, hard cider (or alcoholic cider) was $10. I did particularly enjoy their Driver variety which wasn’t too sweet but definitely still had some of that red apple taste. We ordered a couple of glasses and took them with us as we made our way around to the next meeting point.
Red’s Best
Red’s Best is the biggest seafood provider in Boston market. They work with lots of small fisherman to ensure sustainable fishing practices and delicious fish. It was from here, that we tried the most magical lobster roll. I thought we knew what a lobster roll tasted like. We’d tried one at a New York street food festival & on one or two other less exciting occasions. However, the shear volume of lobster meat, subtle blend of clarified butter and mayonnaise, and the super buttery sweet brioche roll all combined to make this a transcendent moment. I would return to Boston just to eat this again. I cannot tell you how upset I was that there was the perfect amount of lobster rolls for the whole group, not a morsel more for me to eat.
Into the North End
Polcari’s Coffee
We popped into a corner shop to warm our hands up a bit. Mr Polcari set up his coffee shop almost 100 years ago, way back in the 1932. This Italian coffee shop doesn’t just serve up delicious cups of joe but bags of amazing, coffee blends too. You will also find all kinds of European treats on sale too. This isn’t limited to fancy Italian tomato paste or vine leaves, but also includes obscure British chocolate biscuits more commonly seen in packed lunch boxes.
Dino’s
Dino’s has been on this corner since 1999 and their menu hasn’t really changed. They serve up delicious fresh pastas, made daily and all the classic Italian dishes you would expect in an Italian America joint. There veal parm, fruitti di mare and salads. We were there to try one of their hot sandwiches; 16 inches of fresh bread stuffed with tasty Italian ingredients. We got to try the chicken parm which was breaded chicken slathered in maranara sauce and cheese before being toasted. It was perfect comfort food. Presumeably this is meant to more than one person but that just feels like a challenge.
Rina’s
However, the discovery in Sicily of what Aaron sheeny is meant to be was a revelation. Actual risotto encased in breadcrumbs and stuffed with ham and cheese was a world away from the dry, sad attempts that seem to be the norm in London.
They are engineers at Marinos mini, I think especially for the food. This meant they weren’t quite as creamy as possible as I had to cram an awful lot into a small space.What they did in creamy risotto, however, they made up for in creamy delicious, ooey, gooey mozzarella. I took a bite and it stretched on for forever. It was a scrummy bite.
Boston Wanderings
We spent a little time wandering through the North End, and North Square, home to the Paul Revere House. On the previous day, we had walked the Freedom Trail, Boston’s most popular attraction. This 2.5 miles walking route takes visitors past many important sites related to the War of Independence. By this point of the walk, we were cold and hungry. Therefore, we actually decided to skip the Paul Reveres House in favour of stopping at famous Regina Pizzeria for a takeaway slice/ This made our stop here extra fortuitous. It was fun to learn about Paul Revere in more depth than we would have learnt on the Freedom Trail walk. We knew he rode at midnight to tell someone, “The British Are Coming”…but that was about it.
Modern Bakery
When it comes to Italian bakeries in Boston, there are two main contenders for the cannoli crown. You are either in the mikes tribe or the modern tribe. Now, unfortunately, we weren’t in Boston long enough to compare the two. During our Boston secret food tour we were treated to one of them. Modern bakeries cannoli what is the best I have tried. The case was crisp but quite light and the filling was again rich, but quite light. It’s far outstripped the version I tried it in the lower Eastside. I thought I wasn’t that keen i’m cannolis in general, but it turns out I just hadn’t tried the best kind. can I live our another famous Sicilian delight that have been thoroughly adopted by the USA.
Gotta Run
Sadly, we had to leave Modern Bakery just a few minutes after we arrived. We were dashing straight from the tour to the airport. The tour was running long (usually not a problem at all) but we only had three hours before our flight was due to leave. I was starting to get crazy lady stress and so we had to make a dash for it, picking up our backpacks en route. I am glad we left when we did as the security lane at Logan was a bit of a nightmare. It was so hard to leave though. Everyone was just settling in with their canolli in the bright, bustling bakery. We will be back for sure!
Looking for more things to do in Boston? Check out 12 things to add to your Boston itinerary
Final Thoughts for Our Boston Secret Food Tour
Well, Secret Food Tours did it again. We have had two tours with them and vastly enjoyed both. It is so lovely to be with a guide that is so passionate about their city as well as the food they love within it.
One dish that I wish I’d been included on the photo is a Boston cream pie, or a doughnut. These pastries are synonymous with Boston but the thing about secret photos is they don’t just to serve the classics, and said they include some more unusual food stops. Mind you, it gives me a great reason to return to Boston.
Rosie xx