Neighborhoods

The North End

Boston's Italian-American enclave has dozens of restaurants; many are tiny and don't serve dessert and coffee. Hit the caffès for an espresso or cappuccino and fresh pastry in an atmosphere where lingering is welcome. My favorite dessert destinations are Caffè Vittoria, 296 Hanover St. (tel. 617/227-7606; www.vittoriacaffe.com), and Caffè dello Sport, 308 Hanover St. (tel. 617/523-5063). There's also table service at Mike's Pastry, 300 Hanover St. (tel. 617/742-3050; www.mikespastry.com), a bakery that's famous for its bustling takeout business and its cannoli. If you plan to eat in, find what you want in the cases first, then take a seat and order from the server. For gelato, head to Gelateria, 272 Hanover St. (tel. 617/720-4243; www.depasqualeventures.com), which serves 50 flavors of the Italian version of ice cream as well as pastries, coffee, and Italian soft drinks.

Go Straight to the Source--The tiramisu at many North End restaurants comes from Modern Pastry, 257 Hanover St. (tel. 617/523-3783). The surreally good concoction ($3.50 a slice at the shop) makes an excellent picnic dessert in the summer -- head 4 blocks down Richmond Street to eat in Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, off Atlantic Avenue.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace & the Financial District

The national chain McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant has a branch at Faneuil Hall Marketplace in the North Market Building (tel. 617/720-5522).

Downtown Crossing

There's a Così Sandwich Bar at 14 Milk St. (tel. 617/426-7565).

Beacon Hill

Artú has a branch at 89 Charles St. (tel. 617/227-9023). It's open Sunday and Monday from 4 to 11pm, Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 11pm.

Chinatown/Theater District

The most entertaining and delicious introduction to Chinatown's cuisine is dim sum. If you're eating dinner, you should know that many restaurants have a second menu for Chinese patrons (often written in Chinese). You can ask for it or tell your waiter that you want your meal Chinese-style.

If you're serious about sweets, consider ending -- or even beginning -- your meal at Finale, 1 Columbus Ave. (tel. 617/423-3184; www.finaledesserts.com).

The area around Park Square (Columbus Ave. and South Charles St., between the Theater District and the Public Garden) is a hotbed of upscale national chain restaurants. None of these places offers a unique or even unusual experience, but they're all reliable destinations if you're feeling unadventurous. They include Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 217 Stuart St. (tel. 617/292-0808); Maggiano's Little Italy, 4 Columbus Ave. (tel. 617/542-3456); McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, 34 Columbus Ave., in the Boston Park Plaza Hotel (tel. 617/482-3999); and P.F. Chang's China Bistro, 8 Park Plaza (tel. 617/573-0821).

Expensive--There's a branch of Legal Sea Foods at 36 Park Sq., between Columbus Avenue and Stuart Street (tel. 617/426-4444; www.legalseafoods.com).

Yum, Yum, Dim Sum--Many Chinatown restaurants offer dim sum, the traditional midday meal featuring appetizer-style dishes. You'll see steamed buns (bao) filled with pork or bean paste; meat, shrimp, and vegetable dumplings; spareribs; shrimp-stuffed eggplant; sticky rice dotted with sausage and vegetables; spring rolls; sweets such as sesame balls and coconut gelatin; and more. Waitresses wheel carts laden with tempting dishes to your table, and you order by pointing (unless you know Chinese). The waitress then stamps your check with the symbol of the dish, adding about $1 to $3 to your tab for each selection. Unless you're ravenous or you order a la carte items from the regular menu, the total usually won't be more than about $10 to $12 per person.

Dim sum varies from restaurant to restaurant, chef to chef, and even day to day; if something looks familiar, don't be surprised if it's different from what you're accustomed to and equally good. This is a great group activity, especially on weekends. The selection is wider than on weekdays, and you'll see three generations of families sharing large tables. Even picky children can usually find something they enjoy. If you don't eat pork and shrimp, be aware that many, but not all, dishes include one or the other; calorie counters should know that many dishes (again, not all) are fried.

Asked to name a favorite destination, I tend to favor the last place I went, which at the moment is Chau Chow City, 83 Essex St. (tel. 617/338-8158). China Pearl, 9 Tyler St., 2nd floor (tel. 617/426-4338), and Empire Garden Restaurant, also known as Emperor's Garden, 690-698 Washington St., 2nd floor (tel. 617/482-8898), are both terrific, too.

The Back Bay

Expensive--Tapéo, 266 Newbury St. (tel. 617/267-4799), has the same owners and menu as Dalí. Jasper White's Summer Shack has a branch at 50 Dalton St. (tel. 617/867-9955), across the street from the Sheraton Boston Hotel and the Hynes Convention Center.

Inexpensive--The Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St. (tel. 617/536-5400; www.bpl.org), is home to a restaurant, Novel, that serves lunch and afternoon tea on weekdays only and the less expensive Sebastian's Map Room Café, which serves meals and snacks Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm.

Kenmore Square to Brookline

Expensive--Ginza Japanese Restaurant has a branch at 1002 Beacon St., Brookline (tel. 617/566-9688). Unlike the Boston location, the Brookline restaurant doesn't cater to an after-hours crowd; its late nights are Friday and Saturday, when closing time is 10:30pm.

Moderate--There's a branch of Finale at 1306 Beacon St., just outside Coolidge Corner, Brookline (tel. 617/232-3233; www.finaledesserts.com).

Cambridge

The Great Outdoors: Alfresco Dining--Cambridge is a better destination for outdoor dining than Boston, but both cities offer agreeable spots to lounge under the sun or stars.

Across the street from the Charles River near Kendall Square, the Sail Loft, 1 Memorial Dr. (tel. 617/225-2222), opens onto a leafy plaza that usually picks up a breeze from the water. Both restaurant patios at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, 5 Cambridge Pkwy. (tel. 617/491-3600), have great views. The hotel's Gallery Café is casual; Marco's is fancier. On one of Harvard Square's main drags, Shay's Pub & Wine Bar, 58 John F. Kennedy St. (tel. 617/864-9161), has a small, lively seating area. More peaceful are the patios at The Blue Room and Oleana.

On the other side of the river, try the airy terrace at Miel (tel. 617/217-5151), in the InterContinental Boston hotel, which overlooks Fort Point Channel. Most bars and restaurants in Faneuil Hall Marketplace offer outdoor seating and great people-watching. In the Back Bay, Newbury Street is similarly diverting; a good vantage point is Stephanie's on Newbury, 190 Newbury St. (tel. 617/236-0990). A popular shopping stop and after-work hangout is the Parish Café and Bar, 361 Boylston St. (tel. 617/247-4777), where the sandwich menu is a "greatest hits" roster of top local chefs' creations. A laid-back alternative in this area is the hideaway garden at Casa Romero.

Harvard Square & Vicinity -- A brilliant idea cooked up by a pair of Harvard Business School students, Finale, 30 Dunster St. (tel. 617/441-9797), specializes in dessert.

There's a Legal Sea Foods in the Charles Hotel courtyard, 20 University Rd. (tel. 617/491-9400).

Sweet-Tooth Alert--As a rule, nonfranchise businesses that carve out a niche in Harvard Square do one thing and do it extremely well. Case in point: L.A. Burdick Chocolates, 52 Brattle St., Cambridge (tel. 617/491-4340; www.burdickchocolate.com; T: Red Line to Harvard). The amazing confections include sublime hot chocolate to stay or go.

Outside Harvard Square -- There's a Legal Sea Foods at 5 Cambridge Center, Kendall Square (tel. 617/864-3400).