A Football Season Food Guide for New England Patriots Fans

Here's where football fans should eat on New England Patriots game days near Gillette Stadium and Boston South Station.

The New England Patriots, née the Boston Patriots, smoldered at best for 40 years before they finally caught fire in 2001. Over the next two decades, with head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady at the helm, the NFL team became one of the greatest dynasties in sports. Among many accomplishments, the Patriots appeared in 11 Super Bowls and won six of them, and the team’s home of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, perpetually sells out.

A handful of decent dining options await if you go straight to the somewhat remote stadium, but it’s also an easy train ride from Boston’s South Station, either on the standard commuter rail to Foxboro station or on special game-day trains with fewer stops, so you can take advantage of downtown Boston’s many charms. Here’s where to dine before, during, and after a New England Patriots game in both areas.

Where to eat near Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place

Fans go to Gillette for the football, not the food — despite a recent stadium renovation that improved the rest of the fan experience, the concessions are generally forgettable. If you must eat during a game, seek out Italian sausage and peppers or a cheesesteak to go with a can of coveted Massachusetts beer like Tree House Brewing Company’s Julius IPA.

That said, the pre- and post-game options are a little more interesting at Gillette’s adjacent shopping center, Patriot Place. The most upscale restaurant is Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse, a home-grown chain with some old-school flair including hand-rolled gnocchi, a tableside dessert cart, and a house-label rye whiskey made by Boston Harbor Distillery.​​ On the other end of the spectrum is Wormtown Brewery, a popular Worcester-based operation recently acquired by another Massachusetts favorite, Jack’s Abby. To go with its many hoppy IPAs, the casual, industrial taproom offers a tiny selection of food, including nachos and, on game days, burgers and brats. For something in the middle, try the group- and family-friendly Citizen Crust, which serves the thick-crust Roman-style pizza in a sheet pan with shears that’s none too common in the Northeast.

Where to eat near Boston's South Station

If you walk up to 20 minutes in any direction from Boston’s South Station train and bus terminal, you’ll find countless food, beverage, and hotel options. A couple of minutes north, High Street Place Food Hall is one of the most convenient places to grab a bite before or after a Patriots game, and one of the coolest. Far from a cookie-cutter commissary, HSP is an impressive space packed with diverse vendors, heated patios, and a towering courtyard with massive screens for catching the pre-game show. Some of the best bets include Mike & Patty’s, beloved for breakfast sandwiches; Pennypacker’s, famous for Porchetta sandwiches; and anything from restaurateur Tiffani Faison, from the Champagne bar Bubble Bath to the retro Tenderoni’s, with its thick, rectangular pies and grinders.

Another 10 minutes northwest, a block from Boston Common, is Versus, a bar for anyone caught up in the spirit of competition. Cozy red booths and walls decorated with pop art set the scene for wings, burgers, and boozy shakes, and a small cover fee grants free-play access to consoles, board games, and arcade cabinets from BurgerTime to Blitz 99.

Chinatown, a quick stroll west of South Station, has much to offer as well. Find classic dim sum — perfect for a brunch crowd — at Hei La Moon, Winsor Dim Sum Café, and the newly renovated China Pearl, the city’s longest-running Chinese restaurant. China Pearl owner Brian Moy also has a mod Asian gastropub called Shōjō, where you’ll find tea-infused cocktails, a huge collection of Japanese whiskey, and a burger with kimcheese in a bao bun.

An easy walk over the river southeast of South Station, Boston’s Seaport has gone through a major transformation in the past decade, with new developments galore — a handful of independent restaurants among them, if you know where to look. Woods Hill Pier 4 has lovely water views and fresh New England fare — seek out dishes featuring ingredients from the company’s New Hampshire farm, such as pork shoulder with green tomato glaze and mushrooms on polenta.

A bigger group with high energy might try Lolita Fort Point, a Mexican-inspired spot; Mr. H, a new Chinese-inspired restaurant; or really any of the other nearby restaurants from local COJE Management Group — they’re all swanky and boisterous, with pulsating, clubby soundtracks, tons of space, and large-format dishes and drinks such as Mr. H’s Golden Panda Bowl, featuring Coconut Cartel white rum, apricot brandy, pandan jasmine tea, passionfruit, pineapple, coconut orgeat, ginger, and lime.

If you have some time the night before or after a game and want to get dressed up, don’t miss Grace by Nia, a chic supper club from restaurateur Nia Grace celebrating Black excellence. Expect plush teal seating, gold palm fronds overhead, and sweeping city views. Cocktails like the Unfashioned — Uncle Nearest 1884 whiskey, Amaro Nonino, brown sugar simple syrup, and Angostura bitters — pair wonderfully with soul food like blackened shrimp and cheddar polenta cakes in creamy tomato sauce, all accompanied by swinging live music from jazz to R&B to funk.