<p>Does anyone have any suggestions of where to go for dinner after the graduation in June? I understand you need to make reservations well in advance.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>what kind of place are you looking for - what type of atmosphere/food - there are so many places to choose from?</p>
<p>Union oyster house has plenty of historic value and decent food. There are better restaurants but this is the oldest.</p>
<p>Something we don’t have to be too dressed up for. The graduation is outside and I’m not sure if we will make it back to the hotel before dinner. We like seafood but eat everything.</p>
<p>Union oyster house fits!</p>
<p>Try Harvest in Harvard Square.</p>
<p>We had a wonderful dinner at Lucca in the North End when S got his undergraduate degree. He’ll be getting his PhD in June, maybe we’ll head back there for another celebration. :)</p>
<p>I’m interested in the responses too. S1 will be finishing his PhD this summer, so we’d like to take him and fiancee out to dinner to celebrate. Nothing fancy (that wouldn’t suit him), and it would have to have good selections for meat lovers (S1) and vegetarians (his fiancee).</p>
<p>You should go to the Boston board on Chowhound: [Greater</a> Boston Area - Chowhound](<a href=“http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/12]Greater”>http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/12)
People there will have lots of ideas for you. The one thing I will say is do not go to the Union Oyster House. The food is notoriously mediocre, and the prices are high, but you will meet a lot of tourists there. As far as seafood goes, even though Boston is on the water, it is primarily a shipping port, not a fishing port, so the seafood here isn’t as good as what you’d expect, although you can certainly find some good fish.</p>
<p>Hillstone and Aquitaine (the South End one) are two places we like. Oceanaire is good for seafood but sort of warehouse-like.</p>
<p>It’s interesting how many old regional restaurants are gone. I was looking at the Hillstone website and I realized that they have many branches under corporate management, similar to places like Capitol Grill and Fleming’s. </p>
<p>I read with sadness that an old Boston institution, Locke-Ober, is closed. That’s where my parents took me when I graduated.</p>
<p>Where is the student graduating from? I love Henrietta’s Table in Harvard Square (and there are a whole bunch of restaurants of varying degrees of fanciness depending on what you are looking for in Harvard Square) but there’s a different set of great restaurants in Central and Kendall, if you are going to an MIT graduation. I’ve heard great things about Area 4. Craigie on Main is a little bit more upscale and adventurous, but if that’s what you’re looking for, people love it. Ten Tables is a nicer restaurant.</p>
<p>Temple Bar and Cambridge Common are both more on the burger joint side of things but have really good food.</p>
<p>Shellfell, two of my favorite places that would fit what you are looking for are Deep Ellum in Allston and Five Horses Tavern in Somerville. Those are both more of a bar atmosphere, though. Spoke is a new wine bar in Davis Square with truly excellent food for all persuasions of eating. (I am a vegetarian who keeps my eye out for flexible places). If you are open to it, True Bistro is a vegan restaurant that does an amazing job and I know meat eaters who love their food. From the options above, Ten Tables offers a vegetarian and non-veg tasting menu if you are looking for upscale - you can order a la carte as well.</p>
<p>We ate at Area 4 last time I was in Boston, and several times at Oleana. Also, Upstairs in Cambridge.</p>
<p>OP, it would help if you mentioned what area you will be in after graduation.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention Oleana, which I have not been to but I have heard is fabulous.</p>
<p>Bookworm, Upstairs on the Square just closed! (New year’s). We went there on our holiday department lunch because our director really wanted to get everyone there once.</p>
<p>The student is graduating from MIT. We’ll be in town a few days so we’ll get to try a few restaurants. I’m more concerned with planning where to go the day of the graduation.</p>
<p>This is sad, the closing of restaurants. We sat at bar an hour for a table, so they seemed busy to me. My uncle took us to Locke-Ober’s for my cousin’s med school graduation from Harvard. That night was memorable. Legal Seafood just closed in my city. When I lived in Boston, one of the owners of Legals lived across street. We had great street parties. I went there a few times a month. There is a Legals right next to MIT campus (Kendall Sq), and another in Harvard Square. I like their food, but it is not as special as Oleana’s. That restaurant has several small rooms, an unusual menu, and is an adventure.</p>
<p>OP, I’ll look thru my receipts. When I’ve taken out son and 5 friends, we ate at very inexpensive Thai. In Central Sq, there was wonderful Chinese, and across street, a great breakfast place. Are you part of the MIT FB group? I’m sure they would have wonderful suggestions.</p>
<p>Congratulations, CanadaMom. I would recommend the Capital Grille or Abe and Louis in Boston. The service is excellent in both locations and they will have a celebratory atmosphere. I think Abe and Louis has better non-meat offerings if meat is an issue. I also like Rialto at the Charles Hotel. You can dress casually in any of these restaurants. You can always book the reservations and cancel if you change your mind.</p>
<p>Both Abe and Louis are easily accessible as they are right over the Mass Ave. bridge. Rialto is in Harvard Square and also accessible.</p>
<p>Although these are not off the beaten path, they are enjoyable and offer festive atmospheres and reliable seating and food!</p>
<p>Dress for hot weather. It can be really sticky and hot at graduation time at MIT!</p>
<p>Another vote for Henrietta’s Table. We actually did a brunch there for our son’s graduation. It is very nice, good variety, easy to get to location…just what we were looking for.</p>
<p>If you are looking for mega casual, and not very fancy, there is always Legal Seafood. I happen to like their food!</p>
<p>For MIT you might check out Boston’s Back Bay. It’s right across the Charles River and has a lot of restaurants. Joes American Bar and Grill ( on Newbury) is pretty casual and has both meat and fish. I don’t know how this stacks up to other nearby restaurants but I would check it out.</p>
<p>The food is probably better at the Union Oyster House, but Durgin-Park is an institution! The waitresses apparently are now sassy not rude. :)</p>