Here’s how to spend the perfect day in Back Bay
Jason Santos, a Hell's Kitchen co-star and Buttermilk & Bourbon chef, takes us through his perfect day in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.
In Boston.com’s Perfect Day series, we’re talking to a local expert in each of Boston’s 23 neighborhoods about how they’d spend their perfect day. See what makes this city so special to your neighbors, and share your perfect day with us at [email protected].
The Back Bay is one of Boston’s most walkable and picturesque neighborhoods, with its tree lined streets, 19th-century brownstones, green spaces, and some of the city’s best restaurants, bars, and shops.
To Jason Santos, a celebrity chef and Boston restaurateur, the allure of Back Bay comes from its diverse visitors and offerings. Newbury Street, one of the neighborhood’s main thoroughfares, brings locals and tourists alike to the dozens of retail shops and restaurants that line the street.
“Truthfully, it’s a little cliché, but I love the diversification,” he told Boston.com in an interview. “It’s a little bit of everything for everybody. You can spend $15,000 on a purse or you can buy a belt on the corner. I just love that, and it’s the same with the food. It’s all over the gamut. So whatever your mood is, you’re going to be able to get it.”
Santos grew up in Melrose and is a graduate of Newbury College’s culinary arts program in Newton. In 2010, he appeared on season seven of “Hell’s Kitchen,” and gained recognition as the runner-up in the season. Santos returned to the show for season 19 as one of Gordon Ramsay’s sous-chefs when the season debuted in January 2021, and has kept the role since.
He is the owner and chef at “four and a half” restaurants in and around Boston: the popular New Orleans-influenced restaurant Buttermilk & Bourbon (160 Commonwealth Ave.) in Back Bay; Nash Bar & Stage (253 Tremont St.), a Nashville inspired restaurant in Boston’s Theater District; Citrus & Salt (319 A St.), a coastal Mexican restaurant relocating soon in the Seaport; and Butterbird (200 Arsenal Yards Blvd), a fast-casual breakfast and lunch sandwich restaurant opening in Watertown in June.
Santos said Back Bay has a reputation for being touristy, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“I think touristy stuff is cool. It took me 30 years to do a Duck Tour, and once I did it, I’m like, ‘This is very cool, I get why people do it!’” he said, laughing.
And, he acknowledged, the neighborhood is more than just a tourist destination. It’s also a beloved and historic neighborhood that more than 18,000 people call home.
“That’s what I love about Back Bay. Truthfully, that’s why I think our businesses do so well there because it is a neighborhood,” he said.
Here’s how he’d spend a perfect day in Back Bay.
Morning | Afternoon | Evening | Map | Share your perfect day in Boston
Morning: Levain Bakery, shopping on Newbury Street, and walking the Comm. Ave Mall
Santos’ perfect day in Back Bay takes place in early spring, when the neighborhood’s trees are just starting to bloom and Bostonians are thawing out from a long winter spent indoors. He said the spring weather makes Back Bay, and especially Newbury Street, come to life after months of hibernating.
“You get a couple of nice days and all of a sudden Newbury Street goes from arguably tumbleweeds to packed overnight with a little glimpse of spring,” he said. “It’s definitely my favorite time of year here.”
On this perfect day, Santos will bring along his wife, Thuy, and their 19-month-old daughter for a food-filled day, peppered with shopping, strolling, and people-watching.
To start his day, he’ll head to Levain Bakery (180 Newbury St.) for some sweet treats – er, breakfast.
While he acknowledges that the cookies the bakery is famous for might not technically be considered breakfast food, he’s developed something of a sweet tooth over the last few years and is set to satisfy it. He’ll order a “huge” iced coffee and a classic chocolate chip cookie off the menu, which should be plenty filling.
“You eat one cookie and after you’re done, you need to sit in a dark room with an air conditioner because it’s just so heavy,” he joked.
If you’re looking for another classic and equally tasty cookie, his second favorite is the oatmeal raisin cookie. Other crowd pleasers include the chocolate chip walnut and two chip chocolate chip cookies.
Next up on his agenda is a leisurely stroll down Newbury Street to shake off his cookie-induced food coma. Newbury Street is a destination known for having more than a hundred retail shops and restaurants. The mile-long street is a popular destination for tourists and locals looking for a bit of shopping, eating, strolling, or people-watching.
Most of the high-end stores, like Chanel (6 Newbury St.) and Cartier (28 Newbury St.) are located at the end of Newbury Street closest to the Boston Public Garden. Heading west from the Garden, the address numbers climb and the shops become slightly less expensive and more bohemian as they approach and meet Massachusetts Avenue.
When he’s out with his wife, he knows there’s likely to be some shopping involved. “My wife (how do I put this delicately) has really good taste,” he said, chuckling.
As a self-described “coffee addict,” a walk along Newbury Street would not be complete without a pick-me-up cup at one of the street’s many coffee shops. His favorite coffee shop is Blue Bottle Coffee (163 Newbury St.). He described the coffee as “super intense,” and said he’ll opt for a simple black coffee with Stevia “just to take the edge off.”
Next, he’ll head down to Newbury Comics (348 Newbury St.) to buy blue hair dye for his signature look. Newbury Comics has been around since 1978 and sells more than just comic books and vinyl. They’ve got a wide selection of music merchandise, collectibles, and yes, hair dye. Santos has sported his iconic electric blue hair for 25 years and isn’t planning to call it quits anytime soon.
He’ll end his morning in the neighborhood by walking up the Commonwealth Avenue Mall toward the Boston Public Garden. On this stretch of Comm. Ave., you’ll find a grassy walkway, statues, and art installations.
Santos said he loves that the Mall has a “park-y” feel despite being smack in the middle of Commonwealth Avenue.
“I think it’s really cool, with all the brownstones on each side. It’s very picturesque,” he added.
Afternoon: Lunch al fresco and people-watching
After spending much of the morning walking, Santos and his wife have likely worked up an appetite for lunch. They’ll head to Faccia a Faccia (278 Newbury St.), a coastal Italian restaurant owned by James Beard Award-winning Chef Ken Oringer. He described the food as “lights-out good” and recommends the squid ink pasta with uni, as well as the mozzarella sticks with caviar.
“It’s kind of fun and whimsical to have something as simple as a mozzarella stick with caviar. It just goes weirdly well together, and I think it’s super fun. It’s also a dish that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which I can appreciate,” he said.
Santos and his wife are big fans of raw meats, and he recommends Faccia’s crudo, which means “raw” in Italian. The restaurant changes its offerings frequently, but the last time he dined there, he ordered yellowtail with citrus and oysters.
“We love raw anything. I see steak tartare, I’m getting it. I see oysters, I’m getting it,” he said.
Not only is the food “killer,” but Santos said the restaurant is also the perfect place for people-watching from the outdoor terrace. It’s one of his favorite activities, and something he said he “could just do for a living.”
After lunch, it’s time for more walking. Santos will head to the courtyard in front of 500 Boylston (500 Boylston St.), a 1.3-million square foot postmodern building and an underrated fixture of Back Bay. The building is part of Boston’s High Spine, a 1961 architectural planning design that creates a string of skyscrapers across the city.
From there, he’ll walk to the area around the iconic Central branch of the Boston Public Library (700 Boylston St.) The Central branch in Copley Square is a historic focal point of the city beloved by residents and tourists alike for its architecture and bountiful library selections.
Walking past the library, he’ll head down Boylston Street to the Apple Store (815 Boylston St.). As a self-described “Apple junkie,” Santos said he likes to visit the store whether he actually needs something or not. His wife will come along somewhat begrudgingly, he joked.
Evening: Dinner, drinks, and ice cream
When it comes to dinner in Back Bay, the options are seemingly endless. From ramen, to sushi restaurants, to steakhouses, the world of dining is your oyster (literally) in the neighborhood. The same goes for Santos’ take on food, which he said is “such a mood thing” that it can be “all over the place.”
For this perfect day, though, he’ll opt for a tried and true favorite just around the corner from his restaurant, Buttermilk & Bourbon: Saltie Girl (279 Dartmouth St.). The seafood restaurant is owned by New England native Kathy Sidell, with locations in Los Angeles and London. Santos lauded the food as “fun and creative,” and said it does “riffs on food that everybody knows but with such an elegant, upscale twist.”
His go-to is the torched salmon belly with avocado, one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. He also unapologetically loves the clam chowder (in spite of it being a New England food cliché, he admits), which features fried clams within the soup.
“It’s so cliché, I’m born and raised here, but they do two of my favorite things (clam chowder and fried clams) and they jam it together. It’s the best,” Santos said.
He also recommends the restaurant’s tinned seafood. Think charcuterie, but instead of meat and cheese, it’s tinned fish such as mussels, escabeche, sardines, and more, served with chilies, bread, and butter.
“It’s just really fun to eat,” he said.
Other Back Bay restaurants Santos recommends include the modern the French restaurant, Deux Ave (371 Commonwealth Ave.); a contemporary izakaya located in The Eliot Hotel, UNI (370A Commonwealth Ave); a fast-casual Greek restaurant, GRECO (225 Newbury St.); the seafood restaurant, Summer Shack (50 Dalton St.), and the ceviche bar, PURO (264 Newbury St.).
Post-dinner drinks are often the expected next move for a perfect day in Back Bay. But with a young child, Santos said nightlife for him is sort of nonexistent at the moment. Not only that, but hangovers haven’t been as kind to him as they used to.
“I can’t handle hangovers anymore. I just buckled for three days after two drinks,” he said, admitting that he’d “be sort of lying if I said I go out for drinks.”
But, hypothetically, if he had to go for apéritifs, he recommends the cocktails at Banks Fish House (406 Stuart St), and goes for the dirty martini at Grill 23 & Bar (161 Berkeley St) as his drink of choice.
“It’s a giant, super dirty — like porno dirty — martini with blue cheese and olives,” he said. “There’s just something about a dirty martini at a steakhouse that is like a moth to a flame.”
In reality, Santos is getting dessert after dinner. “Again, so gluttonous,” he admits, laughing. He’ll head to Emack & Bolio’s Ice Cream (290 Newbury St.), one of several ice cream shops on Newbury Street, for another sweet treat to bookend his perfect day in Back Bay.
Find all of Jason Santos’ recommended spots below.
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