The North End
History
As the oldest neighborhood in one of the
nation’s oldest cities (residential
development began in earnest in the early
1700s), Boston’s North End carries with it
quite a bit of history—a key attraction for
the throngs of visitors that fill up the
neighborhood all year round. The Freedom
Trail (refer to
freedom trail listings)—the Hub’s popular attraction comprised
of the most notable architectural landmarks
from Boston’s Colonial days—makes three
stops in the North End. The Paul Revere
House (where the famous patriot lived
from 1770–1800), the Old North Church
(where the renowned “one if by land, two if
by sea” lanterns hung the night of Revere’s
Midnight Ride) and Copp’s Hill Burying
Ground (the second cemetery built in
Boston) all draw crowds of history buffs,
while some of the North End’s less explored,
but no less fascinating, historical
landmarks and stories are revealed to those
who take local historian Guild Nichols’
North End Secret Tours (refer to
sightseeing
listing). Nichols shows visitors
the birthplace of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy,
takes them to the Mariners’ House
(still active to this day as a boarding
house for former and current-day sailors)
and tells the story of the quirky and
delightful Skinny House (the
narrowest house in Boston, just 10.4 feet
wide at its widest point).
Dining
After a stretch of 60
years during which the North End was
primarily Irish (1840–1870) and then Jewish
(1870–1900), Italian immigrants began
flowing into the neighborhood at the turn of
the 20th century. From that point onward,
the neighborhood has remained predominantly
Italian, with that culture informing every
part of daily life in the North End—most
noticeably, to the casual visitor, from a
culinary perspective.
Virtually all of the restaurants in the North End—and there are close to 100 of them in the borough’s less than two-square-mile radius—are Italian. While that would seem to make choosing between them difficult, there is actually a stunning amount of diversity among these eateries: man, after all, cannot live on red sauce alone.
Taranta (210 Hanover St.,
617-720-0052) melds traditional Italian
flavors with the Peruvian food that Chef
Jose Duarte grew up with; Mare (135
Richmond St., 617-723-MARE) uses only
all-natural and organic ingredients to craft
a healthy Italian menu focusing on seafood
dishes; Grezzo (69 Prince St.,
857-362-7288) is perhaps the most radical
concept this distinctly Old World
neighborhood has seen yet—a vegan, raw food
take on Italian cuisine. These new
variations on the genre flourish alongside
such longstanding traditionalist venues as
Mother Anna’s (221 Hanover St.,
617-523-8496) and La Famiglia Giorgio
(112 Salem St., 617-367-6711) and modern
upscale Italian eateries like Tresca
(refer to
restaurant listing), Artu
(refer to
restaurant listing), Lucca
(refer to
restaurant listing) and restaurateur
Nick Varano’s popular duo of Strega
(379 Hanover St., 617-523-8481) and Nico
(417 Hanover St., 617-742-0404).
Nightlife
Much of the nighttime
activity that takes place within the North
End is associated with the neighborhood’s
dining scene, but there are still plenty of
ways to entertain yourself here even if you
couldn’t possibly eat another bite.
Those in need of a laugh after a long, hard day have the North End’s resident masters of mirth and merriment, Improv Asylum (refer to comedy listing), to put smiles on their faces. These creative comedians offer hilarious, interactive and often made-up-on-the-spot shows that are never the same twice, and always guaranteed to have you rolling in the aisles.
If you’re the type who prefers to make your own laughs with friends, then there’s no better way to do that than in a local watering hole over a cocktail or two. The Living Room (refer to nightlife listing) is as comfortable a gathering place as its name suggests, offering up plush loveseats to relax in while enjoying trivia nights or watching a game on the big screen TVs, as well as an outdoor patio overlooking the harbor. For another great view, Ristorante Fiore (250 Hanover St., 617-371-1176) boasts—in addition to its delightful fare—the neighborhood’s only rooftop patio, a perfect spot to unwind with a glass of wine and a rare vantage point for enjoying Boston. Or take a trip even further back in the North End’s history, to its 19th-century days as an Irish neighborhood at Goody Glover’s (50 Salem St., 617-367-6444), a Celtic pub that specializes in well-poured pints and good old-fashioned craic (festive conversation and celebration).
Since 2003, smoking has been banned in most Boston nightspots, but those who love cigars have a few places where they can seek asylum. One of them—Stanza dei Sigari (refer to restaurant listing)—is in the North End, and it’s a popular evening haunt for those who get stoked for stogies. Guests can smoke fine cigars in comfort, sip from a full liquor menu and even try an exotic hookah pipe.
Whichever option you choose for your night in the North End, one thing’s likely: by the time last call rolls around, you’ll probably be hungry again. That’s why your final stop should be Bova’s Bakery (134 Salem St., 617-523-5601). The North End’s only 24-hour bakery, Bova is hopping all night long as it turns out calzones and delicious pastries well into the wee hours.
 Espresso (or cappuccino, if you prefer) is the fuel that keeps the North End going. And North Enders don’t sip their caffeinated beverages at Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks, either. The neighborhood is packed with authentic and charming cafes serving the delicious steamy brown elixirs (as well as pastries, sandwiches, liqueurs and more), including Caffe Vittoria and Caffe Pompei (refer to restaurant listings), Caffe Paradiso (253 Hanover St., 617-742-1768) and Caffe dello Sport (308 Hanover St., 617-523-5063). Pizza: Pie lovers will think they’ve found heaven in the North End, with delicious pizza places to be found around every corner. A few of the tastiest are the legendary Regina Pizza (refer to restaurant listing), a favorite since 1926; Antico Forno (refer to restaurant listing), home to amazing and delectable brick-oven creations; Galleria Umberto (189 Hanover St., 617-227-5709), a popular lunch take-out spot to which you’d best arrive early, because when they run out of slices, the doors close for the day; and Ernesto’s Pizza (69 Salem St., 617-523-1373), which serves up diverse slices and pies to go that put other takeout joints to shame. Ravioli: These plump pasta pockets are on almost any Italian menu, so you’d be right to assume North End eateries have developed a multitude of scrumptious ways to fill them. Visit Terramia Ristorante to try the ravioli di fichi con maiale (fig-stuffed ravioli with pork medallions); Assaggio for decadent lobster ravioli in a lobster cream reduction; or G’Vanni’s for pumpkin ravioli served with burnt butter sage sauce. Refer to restaurant listings. Veal: This tender meat is a staple dish in Italian cuisine. Get some “veally” good chow at Massimino’s (pictured above), home of the stuffed veal chop; Florentine Café, where the veal alla crema is served with shrimp, onions and roasted peppers in a sherry cream sauce; and Ristorante Saraceno, known for its veal scaloppini with prosciutto seasoned with fine herbs. Refer to restaurant listings. Cannoli: For many, the debate over this quintessentially Italian dessert comes down to Mike’s Pastry (300 Hanover St., 617-742-3050) and Modern Pastry (257 Hanover St., 617-523-3783). Mike’s is the best-known, and its blue and white pastry boxes are ubiquitous throughout the city, while the Modern boasts Old World charm with its old-school neon sign. The dark-horse contender, Maria’s Pastry Shop (46 Cross St., 617-523-1196), hand-fills its cannolis for you right when your order. Truthfully, it’s hard to go wrong with any of them, so why not try them all? |
Outdoor Recreation
The North End, with its
busy sidewalks and its tight, densely
populated streets, may seem like the
quintessential city neighborhood. However,
there are a few places where folks can go
when they want to be outside playing games
and getting exercise or just need an urban
oasis with grass beneath their feet.
Langone Park on Commercial Street,
running right along where the North End
meets Boston Harbor, is hidden away from the
hustle and bustle of the neighborhood’s
shopping and dining scene, and boasts a
great playground for kids, a baseball field
and the popular North End Bocce Courts,
where all summer long the neighborhood’s
older residents (and some of the younger
ones) play the traditional Italian game that
involves rolling weighted balls along a
60-foot long court of packed gravel dust.
(Some of us may remember playing the Anglo-cized
version of the sport—lawn bowling— from
childhood.) Just nearby is the Mirabella
Pool, a public pool that is filled with
splashing swimmers all season long.
Less active, but no less popular, is the scene at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park (Atlantic Avenue, adjacent to the Marriott Long Wharf). This grassy park boats a spray fountain for frolicking, a rose garden and a gorgeous wisteria-covered trellis that acts as a sort of gateway to the neighborhood. Residents and visitors enjoy sitting on quiet benches and, in the evening, the park is frequently a site for concerts and family activities.
Finally, there’s the Rose Kennedy Greenway—the recently constructed ribbon of green mini-parks that stretches from Chinatown to the North End. The Kennedy matriarch actually was born in the North End, so it makes perfect sense that some of the loveliest parts of the long urban greenspace established in her name are located just adjacent to the neighborhood. A prime attraction here is the beautiful new carousel set up across from Commercial Street that offers rides for just $3.
Shopping
Until very recently,
residents of the North End could get all
their basic daily needs without ever leaving
the neighborhood, but when they wanted to
shop for personal items like clothes,
jewelry and cosmetics, a trip to one of
Boston’s more retail-friendly districts was
a necessity. In the last decade, though, the
neighborhood’s demographics have started to
skew younger and—more
importantly—increasingly female. The result?
The North End has developed a burgeoning
boutique community, leaping boldly into the
21st century as one of the city’s
up-and-coming retail districts thanks to
shops like the denim emporium In-jean-ius
(441 Hanover St., 617-523-JEAN);
retro-fabulous vintage shop The Velvet
Fly (424 Hanover St., 617-557-4359); and
the unique fashion boutique Bobbles and
Lace (26 Prince St., 617-248-0419).
The North End’s retail renaissance isn’t simply limited to clothing, however. Lovers of high-end cosmetics can peruse Paula Tierney’s shop A Matter of Face (425 Hanover St., 617-742-5874), and any new outfit can be accessorized with sunglasses from Sol Optics (refer to shopping listing) or hand-made jewelry from shops like High Gear Jewelry (refer to shopping listing) and Filthy Rich Celebrity Jewelry (refer to shopping listing). Gift shopping is made simple thanks to the unique treasures found at Shake the Tree (67 Salem St., 617-742-0484) and Lovely Fare (refer to shopping listing), and finding one-of-a-kind furnishings and accessories to beautify one’s home is a snap at Artmosphere Gallery (refer to gallery listing) and Acquire Boutique (61 Salem St., 857-362-7380).
Of course, if you do want to shop for
such staples as meat, produce, cheese and
the like, you won’t find much fresher fare
than the independent shops of the North End,
many of which are family businesses handed
down from generation to generation.
Polcari’s Coffee (105 Salem St.,
617-227-0786) has been doling out ground
coffee, dried legumes and more since 1932,
and in the summer it also draws a crowd
outside for its cool and refreshing lemon
slush, scooped directly from a bucket
hanging on the front door. Alba Produce
Market (18 Parmenter St.) is where North
End locals get much of their fresh fruit and
vegetables. (Something to remember about
this tiny shop: no touching allowed! Point
to what you want, and friendly proprietor
Bruce Alba will hand it to you.) New arrival
DePasquale’s Homemade Pasta Shoppe
(66A Cross St., 617-248-9629) sells 50
different varieties of pasta, all homemade
on the premises daily, and for all the
ingredients for whipping up meals at home
(and killer subs to go!), North End
residents have long turned to J. Pace &
Sons (42 Cross St., 617-227-9673). And
if you want tips on all the best places to
shop for food in the North End, food writer
and longtime resident Michele Topor’s
North End Market Tours (refer to
sightseeing listing) offer the inside scoop, as
well as free samples (always a good thing).
back to homepage