Moving to Boston

Dining and Grocery

Dining
Spangler I love eating lunch occasionally at Spangler. Their menus are online which is nice so you can see if you want to go ahead of time. Spangler is really good with kids--they always have high chairs and you can choose anything from milks and juices, to packaged cereals, fruits, and breads. I’ve heard they have a great Sunday Brunch and a great Sushi night on Tuesday. Spangler has two dining facilities. On the main floor is a food court. They offer Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. You can find a large variety of food options including a sandwich bar, an Asian station, and hot entrees. The Grille is located in the basement. They offer pre –packaged foods and burgers. They also serve beer and wine in the evening. HBS moms frequently visit the Grille for lunch. They offer a large dining room with lots of highchairs.

Deliver.com and Diningin.com two great delivery services.

Grocery
(Please note that all directions start as if you are leaving campus.)
• Shaw’s Supermarket (370 Western Ave, Brighton, MA 02135) From the HBS parking lot, turn right on Western Ave. 1 mile down on the left. It is the closest real grocery store is the Shaw's down Western. It is a good mile away, so that is a pretty long walk. There is the 70 bus that goes right in front of the grocery store, so if you time it correctly it is very quick. However, in my experiences the bus is never on time and is very unpredictable. Twice I have gone to catch the bus and seen it drive by while I was walking to the stop. I timed it so I was 5 minutes early, and it was 7 minutes early. The next one isn't for 20 minutes.
• Whole Foods (340 River St, Cambridge, MA) Left on Western Ave. Right on Soldiers Field. Left across the bridge (1st light). One block down on the right hand side.
• Target Right on Western Ave. Attached to the Watertown Mall. Good prices on staple, frozen, and dairy foods. They do not have fruits, veggies, or fresh meats.
• Trader Joes (727 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA) Trader Joe's is also great and has some fun things to get--sort of out-of-the-ordinary items. So you can't plan on getting everything there, but it is fun to stop there every once-in-a-while Left on Western Ave. Right on Soldiers Field Rd. Left across the bridge and right at (1st light). Less than a mile down on the left. Here is a little tip for going at night. If you go after 7:00PM, you can call the Harvard Shuttle. Tell them you are going to 165 Pleasant Street, and they will drop you off right at the back of Trader Joes. Pretty convenient.
• Peapod.com Stop and Shop grocery delivery, right to your door. Often worth the delivery charge on a cold Boston day. Used quite a bit throughout HBS community. Not perfect but worth a try. The produce was a concern of mine when I first ordered. I was happy with the quality of what we got. It wasn’t amazing fruit/vegetables, but I would rate them as pretty good. They also give you discounts for first time orders and the lower the delivery charge if you don’t have them deliver during peak hours.
• Boston Organics Delivers boxes of organic foods.
• Market Basket (400 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA) Left on Western Ave. Right on Soldiers Field Road. Left on River and cross the bridge and stay straight on River St. towards Central Square .5 miles. Pass Central Square; continue on Prospect St. 1 mile. Left on Somerville Ave, right on Bow St. and right on Somerville Ave.
• Russos (Produce): (560 Pleasant St, Watertown, MA) A small Italian-owned store with great cheeses and fruit and veggies. www.russos.com Russo's in Watertown is SO great! It is European Market style--so there are great pastries and wonderful food to-go. They also import lots of cheeses and meats!! If you want to pick up some fresh flowers--this is also the place to get them. If you want wonderful produce and great ambiance (so long as you don't go on Saturdays) while shopping. Left on Western. Right on Soldiers Field. Merge onto 90 W. Go 3.3 mi and take exit 17/Newton/Watertown. Right on Adams st (.5mi). Right on Watertown St (.1mi). Left on Bridge St (0.5 mi). Right on Pleasant (.3mi). 560 Pleasant St. right wad directions (no toll): Right on Western (becomes Arsenal) 3 miles. Slight right on Main St/US 20 then left on Cross St. and right on Pleasant St. 1 mile down on left.
• Stop and Shop (60 Everett St, Allston, MA) Right on Western Ave. Left on Everett St. Go past Shaw’s, stay right and go over the bridge. Turn in is directly after the bridge on right.
• Wilson Farms (Best of Boston Farm stand). Right on Western Ave. Right on N. Harvard. Left on Soldiers Field Rd. Follow signs to Fresh Pond Parkway. Left on Concord Ave (Rt. 3N). Bear right on Alewife Parkway (Rt. 3N). Bear left on Concord Turnpike (Rt. 2W). About 3 miles down.
• Dairy Bar at Kickass Cupcakes (Davis Square - 378 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA) Fresh local cheese, milk and butter.
• Pete and Jen (Concord, Ma) Organic pasture raised chickens, eggs, and much more.
• River Rock Farm (Brimfield, Ma) Farm Raised Natural Beef
• McKinnon’s Meat Market (Davis Square) Butcher Shop
• Costco There are two main Costco’s within driving distance. The closest one is at 2 Mystic View Rd, Everett, MA 02149. The other stores in the parking lot are Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Petsmart, Old Navy and Target. The other Costco is located (120 Stockwell Dr, Avon, MA 02322) It is a little bit of a drive, but the good news is there is an Ikea near by. Side note--try to avoid that Costco on Saturday!!! Such a nightmare.
• Hanscom AFB For former military members only, HANSCOM Air Force Base is very close by for commissary grocery shopping (20 minute drive). It is a really nice commissary and you will save a lot by shopping here. As usual, show your military ID at the gate to get in and at the commissary check out.
• Roche BrothersOnline ordering and $10 delivery, no minimum purchase required no fuel surcharge. Larger selection than peapod. Call about delivery to HBS.
• New Deal Fish Market (622 Cambridge St, Cambridge) A great place for fresh fish and seafood.
• Bazaar on Cambridge though it's a bit hard to navigate, but it's another great ethnic shop (Russian food in this case) and it's very near campus. Go here to pick up a dinner from their deli, whether it's for your family or for a party you invited over. Also stock up on frozen pelmini for an instant satisfaction during hell week or anytime you fridge is otherwise empty. Also good for dairy (euro-style cottage cheese & sour cream (more like creme freche), cheeses, yogurts, buttermilk), cold cuts (kosher, too!), desserts (try the cakes in the refrigerated section), produce (average quality, low prices). They also sell imported liquor, but it's not the best value around, unless you must have Georgian wine or baltic beer.
• Armenian grocers on Mt. Auburn: Massis, Sevan & Arax. These are great for nuts, dried goods, spices, olives, baked goods, dairy (yogurts & feta-type cheeses), and COFFEE! The best turkish coffee I could find around here was the house ground one at Massis. They also tend to have a small produce and deli sections for one-stop shopping.
• Kosher I keep Kosher so I have made my way around the local grocery stores to find what I need. For regular groceries I go to Shaw's on Western Ave and Super Stop and Shop on Everett St. I find that Shaw's is cheaper than Stop and Shop, but Stop and Shop has a huge kosher section - you can get fresh chicken, meats and cheeses. Trader Joe's also sells Empire Kosher Chicken. The Boutcherie is the only nearby kosher market and it is in Brookline - its about a 10 minute drive from campus. They have everything you would need – but they are pricey.

Farmers Markets Dates, Times and Locations
The ScrambleAn additional website recommended by a few HBS moms. Helps with meal planning.