7 Boston Delicacies Locals Say You Can't Skip

Anyone who has called New England home for any length of time will tell you that the food scene in this part of the country is unmatched. Sure, the South has barbecue and fancy mayonnaise-based salads, the Midwest has hotdish and casseroles, and the West Coast has overpriced avocado toast and subpar tacos (can you tell I'm a little biased?). Nothing truly beats New England fare, which is as steeped in flavor as it is in history. Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, has a particularly vibrant culinary scene. While some of its most popular and associated dishes can be found outside of its metro area, the city and its restaurants are home to many iconic treats that justify a visit to Beantown.

I currently live just outside of Boston's metro area — in southern Rhode Island — but I am no stranger to the Amtrak ride north to visit my favorite pastry shops, Boston-area attractions, and restaurants. If you are looking for a top hits list for your next trip to the city or are asking for a definitive answer as to where the best place in the city to get a cannoli is, you've come to the right place. Here are some of my favorite Boston delicacies that are worth trying, whether you call the city home or are just visiting.

Whenever I make the two-hour trek northward to Boston, I absolutely have to stop at one North End pastry shop in particular. People may know Mike's Pastry for its cannoli (stay tuned for more about that), but my go-to from this iconic Italian pastry shop is the lobster tail. If you have 24 hours to spend in the city, I recommend paying Mike's a visit and standing in line for at least an hour of your time for one of them. While the line outside is usually pretty long, so much so that you may wonder if it's truly worth it, this massive pastry, complete with layers of delicate, crunchy pastry dough shaped into a cornucopia and filled with a combination of ricotta, whipped cream, and Italian boiled cream, is a sweet tooth's dream. There is almost as much filling in this pastry as there is shell, meaning that your face is bound to get absolutely smothered in that sweet, light, and flavorful cream. The pastries are the best on the day they're bought — which, unfortunately, is bad news for someone looking to bring a dozen home.

Mike's Pastry has several locations in the Boston area, including its OG spot in the North End (on Hanover Street), as well as in the suburbs of Somerville and Cambridge. While you can order its lobster tails for nationwide delivery, I like to think that standing outside in line on a blustery winter day for one of these pastries makes that first bite even sweeter.

The iconic Boston cream pie is easily one of the most recognizable desserts in the city. This regional cake (which is not technically a pie) calls the city its home. It was first added to the menu at Boston's Parker House (now Omni Parker House) when the hotel opened in 1856. Its chef, Augustine François Anezin, made the vanilla sponge cake base in the same tin as was used for pies, which is likely how it developed its inaccurate moniker. The cake is served with a decadent pastry cream filling and topped with a chocolate ganache. It's a very heavy cake, compared to some of the lighter and airier sponges I've had over the years. While I don't think its flavor is particularly remarkable, there is a strong identity that ties this dessert to Boston's identity and sense of pride, making it one sweet worth ordering. It's even the state's official dessert!

The Omni Parker House still sells the Boston cream pie, though the dessert, which was originally known as the chocolate cream pie, has undergone quite the facelift, courtesy of a beautiful feathered chocolate topping and slivered almonds. You can even ship it to your home via GoldBelly if you live outside of the area. However, other area restaurants also sell it, including Flour Bakery, which adds a coffee syrup and fruit to its rendition and sells it as a whole cake or by the slice.

The Parker House plays a very central role in the culinary identity of Boston, including when it comes to rolls. Parker House rolls are named after the hotel, and although you might see them and think that they are just dinner rolls, you'll want to think again. Their origin story was that a baker, in a state of fury, put the unfinished rolls in the oven, resulting in their unique envelope-like shape. Besides their unique shape, they also boast a uniquely soft and textured crust with a pillowy soft interior. The rolls were first made in the 1870s, and it didn't take long for other outlets across New England to start publishing recipes for them.

Other variations of the Parker House roll have emerged, which forego the signature pocketbook shape for one that's more generally fluffy and dinner roll-like. However, anyone who is a true New Englander will tell you that it's seam-or-bust for these rolls. They were beloved by a range of historical figures, from the likes of French composer Jacques Offenbach, who created an entire song about them to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who requested that the rolls be made by the White House cooks. You'll find Parker House rolls around New England, though their ties to the city make it one worth enjoying on your next visit.

No New England barbecue is complete without a crock of baked beans — Boston baked beans, specifically. The navy bean, one of the most important ingredients of this Yankee delicacy, is even the state bean of Massachusetts. The original recipe was said to have emerged as a derivative of the English bean and bacon stew. Colonists (read: Puritans) living in the city swapped out the bacon for salt pork and often prepared the crock of beans on Saturday nights to then eat on the Sabbath. Typically, the dish was prepared in a large, ceramic pot, though modern recipes use an array of cooking vessels. Besides the navy beans and salt pork, both of which were affordable and easily accessible in Colonial Boston, another important ingredient in this recipe was molasses. The sticky sweetener was widely available in the city thanks to the Caribbean rum trade, and the sweet flavor was the perfect contrast to both the pork and the flavorful tomato and mustard that were also often included in the recipe.

While Boston baked beans can be paired with other dishes, there is no better companion for it than molasses-sweetened brown bread. While you will find some folks in the city (and New England more broadly) making it by hand, many folks opt to purchase cans of it from brands like B&M (yes, you read "cans"). These shelf-stable, moist, and flavorful breads (which come with or without raisins) are an excellent foil to the sweet-savory beans.

Lobster tails, now lobster rolls — Bostonians do like their seafood, eh? Sure, lobster rolls are not just a Boston thing; you can find them at restaurants all over Massachusetts and Southern New England, but the city in particular has taken hold of this succulent, iconic seafood dish and isn't letting it out of its claws anytime soon.

You'll see both Maine- and Connecticut-style lobster rolls in the city. For the uninitiated, the former are sold cold and with mayonnaise, like a seafood salad, while the latter are piping hot and covered in copious amounts of butter. The only acceptable vessel is a toasted, buttery hot dog roll — no question about it.

The best places for a lobster roll in Boston will vary depending on who you ask. Holdfast in nearby Allston has gained notoriety in recent years, though its take is very much a modern one; the cold roll is served on a brown butter bun with lime and chives, while the hot version features hot butter lobster bisque, lime, and chives. Neptune Oyster has also gotten critical acclaim; the popular spot doesn't do reservations, and its hot and cold lobster rolls are kind of worth waiting in line for. Juicy, succulent lobster, a great ratio of meat to bun, and a great vibe that feels upscale and approachable at the same time all make this a spot worth stopping at if you're visiting the North End.

I would be remiss not to mention Boston's cannolis and my dear old friend, Mike's Pastry. If you're after a massive selection of flavors, that should be your first spot on the tour de cannoli. The best-selling, classic Florentine cannoli, with chocolate chips and a decadent ricotta filling, is a must-order because of how simple, but good, it is. From there, you can branch off to other variations, including the amaretto-flavored, almond-sprinkled cannoli, pistachio cannoli, espresso cannoli (which has the perfect blend of peppy, coffee flavor and classic cannoli character), and, likely to please chocolate-crazed audiences, the Dubai chocolate cannoli, which features a shell covered in chocolate with funky green-colored pistachio filling.

However, if you only visited Mike's on your tour de cannoli, you'd be missing out on some of the other hotspots in the city. Bova's Bakery (which makes a darn good tiramisu, if I do say so myself) is also in the running for best cannoli in Boston. It doesn't have nearly the same selection as Mike's, but the shells are so crunchy and the fillings are so decadent that it's easy to forget that it has a comparatively limited list of flavors. Modern in the North End should also be on your list; its shells are incredibly fresh, making your choice of cream filling (ricotta, always, but it does have other options) even better. Regardless of which of these big three you visit, it's important to note that none of them are considered hidden gems, so be prepared to wait in line (it's worth it!).

When people ask me about what they should do when they visit Boston, I usually recommend seeing a Red Sox game — and not for the baseball. Unless you're a die-hard baseball fan, you're probably not going to Fenway for the sport. Instead, you go for the Fenway Frank.

Now, this isn't just your run-of-the-mill hot dog: It's an experience. Now made by Kayem, these dogs are made with beef and pork and are sweetened with just a little bit of corn syrup, which acts as the perfect foil to the salty and savory meat duo. They're both boiled and grilled, which helps ensure their signature snap and pairs oh-so-well with that classic, split-top bun and a drizzle of mustard. These hot dogs, along with Fenway's other concessions, are sold at various spots throughout the ballpark, so you're guaranteed to get your hands on one by the time the ninth inning hits (or when you're ready to, quite literally, run home).