Guilty Pleasures Everyone has that secret snack that’s a treat to indulge in, whether it’s pepperoni pizza, a loaded ice cream sundae or a cheesesteak bomb. Phantom settles his biggest cravings with the 8 GREATEST guilty pleasures.

Blink's Fry Doe (The Greatest: Fried Dough)
115 Ocean Blvd.
Hampton Beach, NH 03842
(603) 926-4887

Blink’s bright orange shack on the Hampton Beach boardwalk is a beacon for fried dough fanatics. The dough is made by hand every day, following a top secret recipe. Beyond the usual sugar and cinnamon toppings, the mind boggling menu lists 20 flavors. Phantom’s favorites include peanut butter and jelly, honey and walnuts, sauce and cheese, butter and garlic, and coconut. The truly adventurous can create any combination like peanut butter and chocolate; and fruit fans can choose from raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, or apple cinnamon.

The Chocolate Dipper (closed) (The Greatest: Chocolate Dipped Fruit)
The Mall at Chestnut Hill
199 Boylston St.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(617) 969-7252
www.thechocolatedipper.com

The Chocolate Dipper specializes in chocolate dipped fresh fruit. Their extravagant assortment includes jumbo glazed Australian apricots, kiwi slices, blueberries, green grapes, raspberries, bananas, and the ever-popular strawberry. Aside from fruit, they offer chocolate-dipped cookies, pretzels, truffles, caramels, nuts, and brownies. Luscious milk chocolate is mixed in one hundred pound tanks, and skilled chocolatiers make the premium goodies in full view of the customer. They have another location at Downtown Crossing.

Coast Cafe (The Greatest: Fried Chicken)
233 River St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 354-7644
www.coastsoulcafe.com

This teeny, tiny take-out spot perfects golden fried chicken that’s so good, it would make Colonel Sanders jealous. Every piece is crispy and juicy, and every bite is fully seasoned to the bone. There are falling-off-the-bone ribs, hearty meatloaf sandwiches, and grilled chicken, too. A proper Southern dinner isn’t complete without comfort food sides like mac & cheese and sweet candied yams. Desserts are as rich and delicious as the rest, including sweet potato pie, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies as big as a dinner plate. The greatest guilty pleasure is the incredible banana pudding layered over sliced bananas and vanilla cookies.

Butler's Colonial Donut House (closed) (The Greatest: Cream Filled Donuts)
461 Sanford Rd.
Westport , MA 02790
(508) 672-4600

For 50 years, Butlers has made the best cream-filled donuts on the planet. The fluffy yeast dough is sliced through the middle and filled with silky-smooth whipped cream, resulting in a dream dessert that’s light as a cloud and soft as a pillow. Butler’s is known for a second specialty: the Long John. Made from the same airy dough and decadent cream, the sub-shaped pastries include a ribbon of sweet black raspberry jelly. Rounding out the sugary offerings are chocolate glazed donuts, apple spice donuts, cherry tarts, and apple fritters.

Wholly Cannoli (The Greatest: Cannoli Selection)
490 Grafton St.
Worcester, MA 01604
(508) 753-0224
www.whollycannoli.com

With more than 20 flavors, Wholly Cannoli claims to have the largest cannoli assortment on the entire East Coast. The traditional Italian recipe has a crispy shell and sweet ricotta filling. But Wholly Cannoli’s true talent comes through in crazy flavors like citrus, peanut butter, pumpkin, and mint chocolate chip. The chocolate amaretto cannoli has a Florentine shell and pina colada filling, and the banana split cannoli is bursting with ripe fruit flavor. Their most explosive offering is the Dynamite Stick: a crunchy chocolate shell fluffed full of rich ricotta and gooey caramel.

Fastachi (The Greatest: Nuts)
598 Mt. Auburn St.
Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 924-6662
www.fastachi.com

Fastachi has a knack for nuts, which they roast in a steel drum and mix in small, flavorful batches. Sea salt brings out the character of each whole nut before they’re blended into snack attack combinations like their signature cranberry nut mix with pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, sesame peanuts, and cashews. Hot & sour wasabi is more exotic; and the fruit passion mix is bursting with dried apricots, pears, papaya, and sour cherries. There’s also the PB&J mix that nails the flavors of the famous sandwich with roasted peanuts and dried cranberries. All of the ensembles are displayed in the store like a snack buffet, sold alongside marzipan fruits and tiramisu chocolate truffles.

Beard Papa's (closed) (The Greatest: Cream Puffs)
1 Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 570-9070
www.muginohousa.com

Beard Papa’s is a Japanese chain making the world’s best cream puffs. Quincy Market customers can watch the treats as they’re made and assembled on the spot. It starts with choux pastry baked in a special two-layer shell that’s crispy on the outside and soft inside. The puffs are filled to order and finished with powdered sugar. Whipped vanilla custard made from Madagascar vanilla beans is Beard Papa’s signature, but additional flavors include Belgian chocolate and strawberry. They can also be piped into a chocolate covered éclair.

Sunset Grill & Tap (The Greatest: Flavored Fries)
130 Brighton Ave.
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 254-1331
www.allstonsfinest.com

Any place that serves more than 500 different beers MUST serve good pub grub. Sunset’s half-pound burgers are cooked on a steam grill to seal in the flavors and juices. As for the fries, the quality Curly-Q’s come to the table in a gigantic basket that easily serves 10 monster appetites. The fries are addictive in their own right, but they’re even better topped with sour cream and chives or spicy Cajun fire. For the ultimate spud spree, check out the Green Monster potato skins with pesto chicken strips, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella.