Boston is famous for its sports teams and colonial history, but one lesser known ingredient of the city’s character is its food. For most Boston College students, a knowledge of Beantown’s cuisine doesn’t extend much farther than Cleveland Circle or the Chestnut Hill Mall. Last year, The Heights took on the Boston’s best bites by neighborhood to inspire a trip into the city. This year, we are stirring the pot. For our second-annual Boston Food Guide, we navigated the city by cuisine—from family-style kitchens to local craft breweries. Check out our coverage of the variety of dining experiences Boston has to offer.

Fast Casual

• Featured: SoulFire
• House-smoked meats are served in a fast-casual atmosphere with soul music. 

Sandwiches

• Featured: Cutty’s
• The intimate sandwich shop in Brookline is known for its locally sourced and house-made ingredients.

Small Plates

• Featured: Casa B
• The tapas restaurant is a modern interpretation of the traditional Spanish tasca.
• How-To Ace: Small Plates

Coffee Shops

• Featured: Barrington Coffee Roasting Company
• The Newbury coffee shop also serves as a roasting company, with bold flavors and a barebones menu.
• How-To Ace: Coffee Shops

Family Style

• Featured: Nico Ristorante & Strega Ristorante
• Nico: The North End nook serves classic family-style dishes.
• Strega: The historic Italian spot is known for its gangster-inspired decor and frequent celebrity sightings

Bars

• Featured: Aeronaut Brewing Company
• Craft brewery forms food product incubator in Somerville.
• How-To Ace: Sports Bars

Ask the Experts

You don’t just have to take our word for the best food around Beantown. We reached out to experts on and off campus, asking them about the best bites in Boston. Click around the map below to see what they picked. Click here to see the fulling listing and to read about the reasons behind their selections.