Massachusetts - Dining & Restaurants

Colonial taverns to Cape Cod fish shacks show scope of Massachusetts dining

The populous state of Massachusetts has many identities, from seaside towns on Cape Cod to the metropolis of Boston to historic farms in the Berkshire Mountains. Naturally, then, the cuisine is as equally various. Boston is an international city and home to many world-class universities, so any world cuisine can be found there. With its Irish heritage, Boston is probably the epicenter of the New England boiled dinner, a medley of corned beef, cabbage, and carrots. Boston baked beans are a traditional Saturday night supper. Any seafood that New England offers can be found in abundance on Cape Cod and the shore towns, while the lofty Berkshires hide many historic gems, like the 235-year-old Widow Bingham's Tavern at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. Central and western Massachusetts also are awash in farms and orchards, where guests may visit and purchase produce, flowers, cider, baked goods, Christmas trees and more.