• HOME
  • THE FAMILY TRAVELER’S HANDBOOK
  • ABOUT
  • WORK WITH MARA

Family Travel Blog | Family Vacation Inspiration |The Mother of all Trips

Bringing the world to your kids - and your kids to the world

  • destinations
  • travel tips
  • travel dreams
  • road food
  • ski vacations

Giacomo’s: A great Boston restaurant for families

By Mara 4 Comments

Our first night in Boston came in the middle of a heat wave that left everyone panting and sweaty minutes after stepping outside. For this reason, Matt and I knew that we didn’t want to wander too far afield from the Custom House. Thankfully the North End, Boston’s famous Italian neighborhood and home to some fabulous restaurants, is just a few blocks away. For us an evening visit to the North End means a meal at Giacomo’s Ristorante.

Before I get started, a few caveats about Giacomo’s: They are open nightly, but there’s always a line (and truly, don’t even think about eating there on the weekend). They don’t take reservations. You must pay cash. The interior is miniscule, the wine list not much more expansive. There are no desserts on the menu. The service isn’t unfriendly, but is of necessity efficient in the extreme and you certainly won’t linger. You might think these things preclude eating there with kids, but frankly, with its noisy crowded interior, no one will notice if your little one fusses. You’ll get your food fast and the entrées are big enough to share. And if you’ve got two cell phones and more than one adult, one of you can wait in line while the other takes the kids to wander around the fascinating warren of streets that surround it.

And of course, there’s the food. What makes a visit to worth it is the warm, chewy garlic bread; the best fried calamari I’ve ever had in the United States; and the plates of pasta loaded with fresh seafood of every variety and topped with your choice of several homemade sauces. They look something like this:

Homemade fusilli at Giacomo's in Boston On the evening we dined there we arrived to discover that the air conditioning wasn’t working. Undeterred by this and by the fact that we were accompanied by hungry, crabby children, we decided to wait. And sultry as it was in that dining room, I’m not sorry, especially since it meant Teddy (who is inclined always and everywhere to order a cheeseburger) tried mussels for the first time. At first he just wasn’t sure about them.

Checking out the steamed mussels at Giacomo's in Boston But once he figured out how to get them out of the shell and piled on a plate, he had at them and proclaimed them a thumb’s up.

Trying mussels at Giacomo's in Boston Tommy also had mussels, choosing to accompany his with spaghetti.

Mussels and pasta at Giacomo's in Boston And at the end of the meal, the boys got an additional reward of a nice long spree in the fountains that line the new Rose Kennedy Greenway, just steps away from Giacomo’s front door and occupying the spot where prior to the Big Dig the freeway once loomed overhead.

Playing in the fountains on the Rose Kennedy Greenway Not pictured here, because sometimes greedy eating trumps photography, is the delicious pistachio cannoli that Matt bought for us to share from Mike’s Pastry across the street. It could be argued that the cannolis at Mike’s are what make any trip to Boston worth it. Next time you’re there, give them a try and let me know.

You’ll find Giacomo’s in the North End of Boston on Hanover Street, right along the Freedom Trail and steps from the Old North Church. They do also have a branch in the Back Bay that will accept your check, let you reserve a table, and serve you some sweets, but I’m frankly just dubious about that side of the operation. To me, Giacomo’s is synonymous with good North End eating.

If you’re looking for more yummy posts, be sure to visit Wanderfood Wednesday at Wanderlust and Lipstick.

Want more information on visiting Boston with kids? Check out these posts:

  • Marriott’s Custom House: A family-friendly Boston hotel
  • Museum of Science in Boston: Fun enough for a day and then some
  • Fountain fun in Boston
  • Family fun at Fenway
  • Breakfast and books in Beantown
  • Walking the Freedom Trail with kids
  • A lesson in history at the Old South Meeting House
  • Petting sharks at the New England Aquarium
Share4
Tweet2
Pin13
19 Shares

Filed Under: Boston, Eating, Family travel tips, Massachusetts, Wanderfood Wednesday, We've been here

Previous Post Next Post

Trackbacks

  1. Family friendly dining in Baltimore | The Mother of all Trips says:
    December 14, 2011 at 7:23 am

    […] did not disappoint. It may be heresy to say so, but I think I liked them better than the ones at Mike’s Pastry in Boston. (Not that I’m trying to start a New England/Mid Atlantic rivalry or […]

    Reply
  2. Rose Kennedy Greenway fountain fun in Boston | The Mother of all Trips says:
    January 24, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    […] Giacomo’s: A great Boston restaurant for families […]

    Reply
  3. The Freedom Trail then and now | The Mother of all Trips says:
    February 3, 2012 at 7:45 am

    […] Giacomo’s: A great Boston restaurant for families […]

    Reply
  4. Freedom trail family fun at Edes & Gill | The Mother of all Trips says:
    February 23, 2012 at 10:48 am

    […] Giacomo’s: A great Boston restaurant for families […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I'm a family travel expert & award-winning writer who loves to eat. Explore this site and you'll find lots of stories about my adventures, and family travel tips. More about Mara

The Family Traveler's Handbook: Inspiring Families to See the World

Buy the book that is
"packed with enough tips and vacation ideas that even a veteran traveler can learn how to plan, pack, or book their next trip smarter." Jen Leo, LA Times Travel Web Buzz columnist

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Instagram Slider

No feed

As seen in

As seen in

Award-winning travel writing

>

© 2008–2022 Mara Gorman/Mother of all Trips | All Rights Reserved | Terms of Service & Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT