Massachusetts food day trips: Worcester diners, Springfield and Salem

Boston gets the attention, but Massachusetts has good eating in its other cities. Worcester is home to the lunch car diner, Springfield has a fairground food tradition and a revived downtown, and Salem is far more than a Halloween stop. All three make an easy day trip by car or train, and all three reward the traveler who plans around their calendar.

Why is Worcester the home of the diner?

The Worcester Lunch Car Company, founded in 1906, built 651 diners before it stopped manufacturing in 1957. The company turned out factory-made lunch wagons that could be shipped by rail and set up on a street corner, which helped shape the American diner. Several of those diners survive in Worcester, and some are on the National Register of Historic Places.

One diner on Shrewsbury Street was built in 1936 and listed on the National Register in 2000. Another, on Southbridge Street, was built in 1948 and served as the company's showroom diner. Breakfast all day, hash, eggs and griddle food are the classic orders.

What else is there to eat in Worcester?

Shrewsbury Street has been known for decades as the city's restaurant row, with a long Italian-American heritage alongside newer restaurants. Worcester also has strong Vietnamese, Albanian, Brazilian, Ghanaian and other immigrant food communities, and a lively set of breweries. The city is a college town, so cafes and cheap eats are plentiful. It is about an hour from Boston by commuter rail. The Worcester Art Museum and the city's concert venues are popular for an outing, and a meal on Shrewsbury Street is a natural pairing with either. Students from the city's colleges keep coffee shops and late-night pizza counters busy, and the Canal District, a revived former industrial area, has become a draw for casual restaurants and live music. As with any city center, parking rules and meters vary by block, so read the signs.

What is Springfield known for?

Springfield, in the western part of the state, is the birthplace of basketball, and its downtown has been revived with new restaurants and cultural sites. The Eastern States Exposition, known as the Big E, held each fall in West Springfield, is a big regional fair with a food tradition of fried treats and cream puffs. If you visit during the fair, expect large crowds and long lines; check the dates. Outside the fair, the Pioneer Valley around Springfield has farms, orchards and farm stands, so you can build a food trip around fall apples and cider.

Why go to Salem beyond Halloween?

Salem, on the North Shore, is famous for the 1692 witch trials, and October is its busiest month, with huge crowds and long waits at restaurants. At other times of year the city is much easier. Salem has a working harbor, a historic wharf area with seafood restaurants, a downtown pedestrian mall, and a mix of cafes and bakeries. Salem Willows is a seaside park on the water with casual food and fried snacks. A seasonal farmers market has run downtown in warmer months; check the days.

If you plan to visit in October, book dinner well ahead, and consider a weekday visit. Traffic into the city is heavy on weekends, and the commuter rail from Boston is often easier than driving.

What is a North Shore roast beef sandwich?

North of Boston, in towns such as Beverly, Peabody and Saugus, a particular style of roast beef sandwich is a local specialty. The classic order, often called a three-way, is thinly sliced roast beef with mayonnaise, cheese and barbecue sauce on a soft roll. It is a cheap, filling lunch, and local shops take pride in their versions. If you are driving up Route 1 or Route 128, it is a worthwhile detour.

How do you plan a day trip?

Pick one city and one or two meals, rather than trying to cover everything. Check that diners and bakeries are open on the day you plan to go; many small places close on Mondays. Use commuter rail for Worcester and Salem if you want to avoid parking. For longer trips, bring a cooler, since farm stands and bakeries often sell items you will want to take home.

How do you stretch the trip over a weekend?

If you have two days, pair a city with a nearby food stop. Worcester goes well with the farm stands and orchards of central Massachusetts in the fall. Springfield can be combined with a drive through the Pioneer Valley. Salem pairs with a North Shore drive and a stop at a roast beef shop on the way back. Because so many small restaurants close on Mondays or Tuesdays, build the trip around Wednesday to Sunday. Pack a cooler for cheese, bread and farm-stand produce.

What about checks and tipping?

Massachusetts adds a meals tax to restaurant bills, and local rates vary by town. Tipping custom is the same as in Boston: roughly 18 to 20 percent at a table-service restaurant, and some tipping at counter-service places. Diners usually have lower prices, and cash is common. On Mosey you can rate the places you eat and keep lists of the diners and bakeries you want to visit.

Eating your way across Massachusetts? The Food in Massachusetts page links every town we cover.

More guides to read next:

• Manchester, Concord and Nashua: New Hampshire city food guide
• Portsmouth, NH food guide: Market Square, seafood and the farmers market
• Capital Region food: Albany, Troy and Saratoga Springs

More in the US food guides and the ranked lists of places.