Eating and Drinking Tips
1. Dining Hours
Dining hours vary, but these are fairly average: breakfast, 5:30–10am; lunch, 11:30am–2pm; tea, 4–6pm; dinner, 5:30–10pm (though a limited bar menu may be available until midnight). Many restaurants and inns serve Sunday (and sometimes also Saturday) brunch, from late morning till early afternoon.
2. Reservations
For the best restaurants, reserve two weeks in advance. For the rest, reservations made the same day usually suffice. In a pinch, call at dinner time to see if there are any cancellations. Reservations are not necessary at most casual restaurants – indeed, many refuse to make them.
3. Lunch Bargains
Many New England restaurants offer smaller portions of their dinner items at lunch time, with correspondingly lower prices. During Boston Restaurant Weeks (third week of February, third week of August), many fine-dining establishments offer special two- and three-course lunches under $25.
www.restaurantweekboston.com
4. Drinking Regulations
The legal minimum drinking age throughout New England is 21, and most everyone who looks 30 or younger will be asked for photo ID before being allowed to buy alcoholic drinks at a store, restaurant, or bar. Photo ID may be required to gain admission to a bar; assuming you do not have a driver’s license from that state, your passport is usually the best form of ID. Drinking in public places is against the law, and penalties for drunken driving are severe, including fines, driving bans, and even jail time.
5. Brunch
The weekend brunch is popular in areas where people stay out late on Friday and Saturday nights – such as Boston’s South End. This sort of brunch is usually an a la carte meal of large breakfast dishes, such as Eggs Benedict. The buffet brunch offered at many hotels tends to be more elaborate.
6. Roadside Diners
The roadside diner is making something of a comeback. Often only open for breakfast and lunch, they tend to specialize in egg dishes and grilled sandwiches. Some are open late at night to catch the hungry post-bar crowd.
7. Portion Size
European visitors are often amazed – and sometimes appalled – by US meal portions. Casual restaurants, in particular, tend to give exceedingly generous portions. It is common to take home a “doggie bag” of leftovers – in reality, the next day’s lunch.
8. Street Food
In Boston you’ll find street food vendors at Downtown Crossing, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Copley Square, and along the Greenway Park in summer. Elsewhere in New England, look for food trucks at beaches and parks. The fare is usually simple hamburgers, hot dogs, wrap sandwiches, and burritos.
9. Chain Restaurants
Beyond the ubiquitous American fast-food chains, New England has some chains of its own, including Dunkin’ Donuts (coffee and doughnuts), Au Bon Pain (croissants, pastries, coffee), and Boston Market (roast chicken). Legal Sea Foods has several locations in Massachusetts and one in Warwick, Rhode Island.
10. Seafood in the Rough
The best deals on fresh seafood – especially steamed lobster and clams – are generally at a “seafood in the rough” joint, of which the Maine lobster pound is a specialized type. They are usually found at the shore, and feature a counter to place orders, and picnic tables for dining al fresco.
