-- Boston's Hidden Restaurants --

A Lighter Fare

10 Bassett Street (Milton Marketplace), Milton, MA 02186
(617) 696-0322 Find location!
--- Winner, Best Breakfast Place in Boston Area, 2006 ---

Photo of A Lighter Fare, Milton, MA The pleasant, prosperous town of Milton, Boston's neighbor to the south, is rarely seen as a place to go out to eat. Indeed, Milton might just have the least number of good restaurants of any town inside Route 128. But there is a hidden (and I do mean hidden!) dining spot at the edge of East Milton Square called A Lighter Fare that we consider one of the best breakfast spots on the South Shore.

A Lighter Fare is located in the Milton Marketplace (along with the marvelous Fruit Center and a few other shops). Few people outside of the area know about this upscale shopping center, since it is behind East Milton Square rather than in the center or along the Southeast Expressway. Perhaps because many people use East Milton Square as a cut-through, few people venture beyond Adams Street, the main drag of this neighborhood. A shame, since A Lighter Fare deserves to be better-known.

Located on the second floor of the marketplace, A Lighter Fare is a quiet, spacious spot, with tables set well apart from one another which makes it perfect for families and larger groups. The breakfast menu indeed does have some lighter fare (hence the name), including quiche, bagels, and english muffins, but there are also many items that will satisfy people with bigger appetites. Some of the best items on the menu include the French toast, which is homemade and comes with fruit on top; the quiche, which changes daily (the taco quiche is wonderful); and the home fries, which are about the best this writer has had in the entire Boston area.

A Lighter Fare has been around for a long time, yet it simply isn't a well-known restaurant. Perhaps this is a good thing for those who frequent the place, as it is rarely crowded on weekend mornings, unlike so many other good breakfast spots around Boston. That alone is reason enough to try A Lighter Fare. And being upstairs from the amazing produce section at the Fruit Center doesn't hurt, either. Whatever your reason is to go, definitely head over to A Lighter Fare if you are looking for a good breakfast place that very few others know about.