We’re visiting the NE in September, and going to the Cape (probably staying near Chatham), Providence, New Haven, and Boston. We’ve never been to any of these areas, so are looking for hotel and restaurant recommendations.
We love good food of all types, but generally aren’t fans of long, 5+ course tasting menus. Restaurants with good, but reasonably-priced wine lists are appreciated, too.
I’d prefer $400/night or less for hotels, although that seems difficult in Boston, so might have to make an exception there.
We will have a car for most of the trip, although I’m thinking about returning it when we get to Boston and just staying near the center of town there and either walking or using Uber/Lyft instead of driving. How’s traffic in Boston?
Newport is charming and interesting and has good restaurants. If you will be exploring Rhode Island it’s certainly worth a visit to see the Gilded Age mansions and the old, colonial era parts of town. The beaches in the area are nice, too. It’s been a few years but we liked the White Horse Tavern and Stoneacre Brasserie.
I work in Cambridge one week per month and almost never drive because traffic can be pretty awful and nobody needs yet another car on the road. I take public transit as much as possible. I’d advise booking a hotel in a central location, preferably near a transit stop, and getting a Charlie card or ticket for public transit (bus/subway). I like the Kimpton Marlowe in Cambridge because it is convenient for my work and has great customer service, and it’s about a ten minute walk to either the Green or Red lines. Friends of mine have recommended the Whitney Hotel and the Liberty Hotel, both near the Charles/MGH stop on the Red line and walking distance to Boston Common and many other sights. Recently I’ve stayed a couple of times at the Indigo, which is similarly more centrally located for sightseeing and conveniently right by North Station, on the Green and Orange lines. The Green line is the oldest subway system in the country (originating as a horse-drawn tram system). Its trains (actually modern streetcars) can be rather rattly as the rail line itself is old and goes through some odd twists and turns, but I enjoy riding this historic line. It has several branches and gets you all over the city including direct stops at Symphony Hall (also at this stop: the Huntington Theatre and the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall) and the Museum of Fine Arts (also the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum). Go see the glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Restaurants–I am fond of Puritan & Co., Urban Hearth (currently nominated for the James Beard award for best chef, northeast); both are in Cambridge.
My son lived in Boston for a few years before moving to NYC recently, and we visited 4 or 5 times . We usually stayed on Charles street and our favorite hotel was the Whitney mentioned above, though it may be hard to find a room in the $400 range. I did stay at the Liberty once and that is good as well and probably more affordable. Down the street is the Beacon Hill Hotel which was recently renovated.
If you stay on Charles ,coffee and pastries at Tatte cafe is worthwhile. I would defer to the Bostonians for the best dining but dinner in the North End is recommended for visitors. I like Euno, it is a bit less touristy than some places. Brunch on Newbury St. at Sonsie or Stephanie’s is a nice experience. The Peregrine at The Whitney is a unique restaurant that won’t break the bank and if you do want to spend some money, Ostra is excellent high end seafood with a big wine menu. A few others we enjoyed are Pammy’s in Cambridge and B & G Oysters for oysters or a lobster roll. It is a great city and you can practically walk anywhere.
In Providence, if you have the flexibility, try to plan the visit around https://waterfire.org (looks like the schedule will be out in April - usually every other Saturday). If you want dinner right there overlooking it, Capital Grille. For something more unique, CAV or Gracie’s. Pastiche for dessert but probably not the same night as Water Fire. Julian’s is great for breakfast/brunch. The East End is my kind of atmosphere for cocktails - have not eaten there.
In between New Haven and Providence, I’d suggest a day or two in the Mystic/Stonington area. Note that you can take the train between all three. Mystic’s a small town and it is entirely possible to do a week-end visit there without a car as there is so much to do within walking distance from the train station. With a car you can visit the local wineries, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum, and the borough of Stonington. Mystic Seaport is well worth a visit and can easily occupy an entire day (check the calendar for specific events). The Shipwright’s Daughter was last year’s awardee for James Beard best chef, northeast. The Delamar hotel (on the grounds of Mystic Seaport) has just opened. See a recent post here: 2025 Semifinalists for the James Beard Awards - #28 by M1a_U
New Haven has a lot of good restaurants. While I’d certainly do one of the big 3 classic pizza places (Pepe’s, Sally’s, or Modern Apizza (I prefer the last), you might want to get oysters and some good New England coastal type food at Fair Haven Oyster. Most Blue Point oysters actually come into CT, not Long Island.
I’ve always enjoyed Olea for Spanish food, and Union League Cafe has been around forever for very old school French food, if that’s your thing at all. Bar Bouchee a little down the coast in Madison has similar fare, if not quite as stuffy and formal.
Old Saybrook/Chester has a lot of good restaurants, on the way to Providence, but you might enjoy Mystic/Stonington more, as suggested above. Stonington Borough is like every New England coastal town dream.
Also, if you are into breweries, there’s so many good ones now.
If you like breweries, Beer’d Brewing is a fun visit, especially the original location in the Velvet Mill in Stonington borough. If you go on a Saturday morning, the farmers’ market is on at the same time.
Sorry, I’ve never been a beer guy. Tried many since college and haven’t found one I would rather drink than a solid glass of wine. I think it’s something about the hops that tastes bitter and off to me. That explains why I don’t like a lot of the rally natty wines that have a beer-like quality.
I don’t drink much beer either, but Beer’d is good. I do like hops though, and bitter greens, and amari.
Beer aside, Mystic/Stonington is a nice place to spend a couple of days.
On the Cape I would check out The Pheasant in Dennis, it’s fantastic. It’s about 20 minutes from Chatham depending on where you are staying. Farm to table with a seasonal rotating menu and a fairly extensive wine list. They also have a sister wine shop Dunn & Sons that’s well worth checking out in Yarmouth Port.
