Casual dining in Massachusetts is a tasty and fun option for families

Massachusetts > State > Dining & Restaurants > Casual Dining

Everyone -- perhaps especially families with children -- likes to dine at a casual restaurant, diner, or drive-in on occasion, particularly on a vacation. Massachusetts has plenty of great restaurants serving American and traditional New England food that serve inexpensive and good food.

Check out more great dining experiences at our VNE Blog!

Mirbeau Inn & Spa Plymouth

35 Landmark Drive Plymouth, MA, 02360 Phone: 508-209-2626 Toll-Free: 877-647-2328

Savor the delightful offerings at this inn’s bistro-inspired signature restaurant

A meal at the elegant Mirbeau Inn & Spa is something to savor. At the luxurious inn’s Bistro & Wine Bar, its signature restaurant, that means enjoying a French bistro-inspired menu infused with the flavors of New England. You might start your dinner with butternut squash and apple bisque or iced oysters, moving on to a poulet cassoulet or seared sea scallops. Or, you might just want a Mirbeau Burger! Breakfast features omelets, crepes, brioche French toast and house-baked croissants. (Ask about the Sunday Jazz Brunch.) The dining room is casually elegant, with an outdoor patio for relaxed nights with delightful meals and an extensive wine and spirits list.
Mirbeau accolades include Forbes Travel Guide recognition, AAA Four Diamonds and Conde Nast Top 20 Resorts in New England and Top 100 Hotels and Resorts in the World.

Salem Waterfront Hotel

225 Derby Street Salem, MA, 01970 Phone: 978-740-8788 Toll-Free: 888-337-2536

Casual dining in a welcoming waterfront atmosphere at hotel pub and patio

Dining is a treat at the Regatta Pub, the comfortable, casual restaurant inside the Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites on picturesque Pickering Wharf. Sit down inside for breakfast, lunch or dinner or dine on the patio with its outdoor fire pits and fire towers. The breakfast menu includes omelet specials (like the one with local lobster meat and cream cheese), Belgian waffles and steak and eggs. For lunch, try the nachos with house-made tortilla chips, a crock of creamy clam chowder with homemade corn bread or a lobster caprese salad. Dinner possibilities include fish and chips, burgers or seared ahi tuna. And don’t forget seasonal cocktails, great regional beers and spiked seltzers. There are great kids’ menus, too, with all their favorites.

Dan'l Webster Inn and Spa

149 Main Street Historic Sandwich Village, MA, 02563 Phone: Toll-Free: 855-520-0550

From the tavern to the glassed-in conservatory, dining at this inn is an experience not to be missed

You have your choice of places for delightful dining at the Dan’l Webster Inn & Spa: And all of them are exceptional. Experience the fusion of regional and organic ingredients in the one-of-a-kind glass-enclosed Conservatory or by sunlight or moonlight in the Marshview Terrace or patio. Relax with a burger and a brew in the Tavern at the Inn, where Daniel Webster visited when it was a tap room. Or, enjoy candle-lit, fireside dining in the cozy Music and Webster Rooms. Savor tender prime rib as well as creative dishes inspired by the Cape’s bountiful seafood. The inn’s wine cellar has received the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. And don’t forget dessert, with confections including carrot coconut cake and key lime pie.

Visit our sister property - The Cape Codder Resort & Spa

Cape Codder Resort & Spa

1225 Iyannough Road Hyannis, MA, 02601 Phone: 855-861-4370

Creative, made-from-scratch cooking at this lively resort’s two restaurants

At the Cape Codder Resort & Spa, you’ll be able to see for yourself why locals and tourists have raved for generations about the Hearth ’n Kettle restaurant. The restaurant is known for its hearty, made-from-scratch cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner (you’ll want to seriously consider the turkey dinner or Yankee pot roast). The resort’s other restaurant, the Grand Cru, is a great place to get a handcrafted pizza or creative Italian entree on the weekend. Stop in for a light bite or complete meal, a glass from the carefully selected wine list or a seasonal cocktail. There’s live jazz, blues and popular music, too. Another dining option at the resort: the Gazebo Cafe in the fabulous water park.

Visit our sister property - The Dan'l Webster Inn & Spa

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Briar Barn Inn

101 Main Street Rowley, MA, 01969 Phone: 978-653-5323

Diners treated to creative regional classics served in a welcoming, light-filled space

Extraordinary dining in a rustic but elegant setting: That’s what awaits you at this inn’s on-site restaurant, Grove, at Briar Barn Inn. Both locals and guests have fallen in love with Grove’s open-concept, light-filled dining room, with hardwood floors and exposed beams. And they love the cuisine, too: seasonal menu offerings from an award-winning chef focusing on farm-fresh ingredients, inspired flavors and regional classics with creative twists. You might start your meal with street corn or an apple salad, moving on to cioppino or steak frites. Dessert might be a chocolate caramel tart or cinnamon bread pudding. Cocktails are classic, beers are local, and there’s a vibrant wine list. Weekend brunches feature breakfast pizzas, biscuits and gravy and Bloody Mary flights.

Hotel on North

297 North Street Pittsfield, MA, 01201 Phone: 413-358-4741

Chefs Who Think Globally & Shop Locally

When you walk through the front doors, you can see that Hotel on North in a place of understated sophistication. Things are simply done well, without pretense. Similarly, the hotels’ Eat on North is a casual restaurant where fresh, uncomplicated food from local ingredients is served proudly by Chef de Cuisine Ron Reda. Menus present tasty American cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Small plates, large plates, snacks, and other options satisfy every appetite. A very cool oyster bar with views of the lobby and the hotel’s coming and goings serves delicious shellfish and oyster samplers; cured meats and cheeses. A kids menu corrals the taste and needs of young ones on a family vacation.

Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club

2907 Main Street (Route 6A) Brewster, MA, 02631 Phone: 508-896-9000 Toll-Free: 800-343-6074

So many options for great dining at this resort, everyone’s taste buds are bound to be rewarded

From lite bites by the beach to fancier feasts on an oceanview terrace, the restaurants at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club have offerings to please the tastes of every diner. Enjoy a refined dining experience against a glittering bay backdrop at the Ocean Terrace, flavorful pub cuisine in the English-inspired Bayzo’s Pub, sip a regionally inspired cocktail atop the dunes at the fun Beach Bar, or share some delightful bites and drinks with the family under a tent on The Front Lawn. Don’t forget breakfast at the Irish-inspired Roscommon Room, or a sunny al fresco lunch overlooking the golf course’s first tee at the Line Tavern. Kids and adults also love the Shark Bah, serving up frozen drinks, ice cream and sandwiches near the pool.

Harbor Light Inn

58 Washington Street Marblehead, MA, 01945 Phone: 781-631-2186

Inn’s popular tavern a great place to enjoy a glass of wine, a bowl of chowder

New England favorites are served in a warm, inviting atmosphere at the popular Tavern at the Harbor Light Inn, in Marblehead’s historic harbor district. Local favorites on the casual-dining menu include New England clam chowder, shrimp cocktail and lobster bisque with sherry. Other delicious items range from burgers and Maryland crab cakes to a cheese and fruit platter perfect with a selection from an extensive wine list. The Tavern also serves beers, cocktails and cordials. The inn also features a hearty breakfast for guests, with rotating hot dishes like quiches and breakfast casseroles as well as freshly baked sweet breads, seasonal fruits and homemade granola. Weekend favorites include creme brûlée French toast and a fresh smoked salmon platter.

Deerfield Inn

81 Old Main Street Deerfield, MA, 01342 Phone: 413-774-5587

Casual dining with a commitment to sustainability at this cozy inn restaurant

Champney’s Restaurant & Tavern at the historic Deerfield Inn has everything you’d want in a cozy casual restaurant: delicious seasonal dishes along with popular all-year favorites, a dozen beers on tap and a good wine list, fireplaces, comfy chairs and an 18-seat mahogany bar where locals and guests mingle in the evening. Whether you’re grabbing a hearty hot breakfast or satisfying lunch before sightseeing or sitting down for a nice dinner of chicken pot pie, steak frites or thin-crust pizza, you’ll find the food as delightful as the atmosphere. Champney’s is committed to fresh, local, sustainable food, including line-caught fish, eggs from happy chickens, dairy from hormone-free cows and maple syrup from the inn’s own trees. It’s true garden-and-farm-to-table dining.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

1 South Market Street Boston, MA, 02109 Phone: 617-523-1300

Faneuil Hall Marketplace is Boston’s hottest, newest old spot for dining and entertaining. Full service restaurants include Ned Devine's Irish Pub, Salty Dog Oyster Bar & Grill, and Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville®, and merchants on the Collonade include Jen Lai Noodle & Rice, the Boston & Maine Fish Company, and Aris BBQ. It’s always a festival with free entertainment and incredible shopping.

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