North Shore Great Ate The North Shore stands out for its history, rocky coastline, and a growing dining scene of approachable restaurants with affordable prices. Phantom salutes the 8 GREATEST restaurants North of Boston.

Finz (The Greatest: Oyster Bar)
76 Wharf St.
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 744-8485
www.hipfinz.com

Finz takes full advantage of a waterfront location on Salem’s Pickering Wharf. Whether sipping colorful martinis out on the patio or slurping oysters by the fireplace, the Atlantic Ocean is never out of site. The spacious, modern dining room gives the suburban spot a big city feel, yet the prices are quite moderate for the high quality and cool creativity. Phantom’s favorite dishes include Finz’ famous Stoli-wasabi oysters, the spicy Buffalo calamari, and baked stuffed lobster with crab, shrimp, and scallop in the stuffing.

Gavens (closed)? (The Greatest: North Shore Steakhouse)
119 S. Main St.
Middleton, MA 01949
(978) 774-0500

Gavens is a stylish suburban steakhouse, offering prime cuts of meat and an extensive collection of wine. There’s nothing “small town” about this fine dining restaurant. It’s dark and intimate with plaid curtains and framed mirrors decorating the faint yellow walls. The beefy menu salutes prime steaks, seafood, and other carnivorous cuts of meat like luscious lamb chops. Phantom likes to prelude a New York strip steak with some Alaskan king crab legs. No worries if you ingest some garlicky sides; there’s minty Listerine by the pumpful in the bathroom. Gavens has a Beverly location known as G2 Gavens.

Ithaki (The Greatest: Greek Cuisine)
25 Hammatt St.
Ipswich, MA 01938
(978) 356-0099
www.ithakicuisine.com

France and Spain get all the culinary credit, but Phantom has a soft spot in his belly for Greek cuisine. Ithaki serves some of the finest Greek and Mediterranean food on the North Shore (and all of New England). Named after the smallest of the Ionian Islands, this charming taverna always displays fresh flowers and even fresher flavors. Classic dishes like mousaka (baked eggplant, lamb, béchamel) and dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves) are updated with modern twists, and the Greek style roast lamb impressively large and flavorful.

SeaWitch Restaurant & Oyster Bar (The Greatest: Affordable Seafood)
203 Newbury St.
Peabody, MA 01960
(978) 535-6057
www.seawitchrestaurant.com

The SeaWitch is completely casual, comfortable, and affordable. Customers order straightforward seafood dishes at the counter, grab a number and a booth, and wait for the food to be delivered to the table. All selections are served grilled, broiled, or fried. No fancy sauces or sides are necessary when the fresh catch comes straight from the sea. Notable noshes include the delicate fried clams, spectacular swordfish, baked stuffed clams, and broiled haddock.

Brenden Crocker's Wild Horse Cafe (The Greatest: Dinner & Drinks)
392 Cabot St.
Beverly, MA 01915
(978) 922-6868
www.wildhorsecafe.com

The Wild Horse Café serves up new American cuisine out of one of the finest kitchens on the North Shore. The eclectic atmosphere is reminiscent of a tasteful living room or parlor. After dining on fresh thyme and onion focaccia, grilled portobella mushrooms or the renown brick oven baked chicken, retire to the Martini Bar area where you can enjoy a Dirty Sicilian or Southwestern Cosmopolitan.

Donatello (The Greatest: North Shore Italian)
44 Broadway (Route One)
Saugus, MA 01906
(781) 233-9975
www.donatello-restaurant.com

In an area where spaghetti and meatballs dominate a lot of Italian menus, Donatello stands out for its authentic, inventive cuisine. Equally inviting to both the casual crowd and sophisticated diners, the dining rooms and bar are tastefully decorated, bright, and airy. It’s tough to decide on antipasti, but the calamari, carpaccio, and crispy pizzettes stand out. The spicy fusilli with lobster is a Phantom favorite, and the double thick chops (veal or pork) are massive, and massively satisfying.

Cilantro (The Greatest: Upscale Mexican)
282 Derby St.
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-9436
www.cilantrocilantro.com

Cilantro gives the North Shore a dining out destination, with upscale Mexican cuisine and attractive atmosphere to match. The whole red snapper (bones and head intact!) are a rare treat of firm fish locked inside a fully crisped skillet skin, finished in sweet garlic. The filet mignon combines the savory and the spicy with a treasure of mid-rare steak draped in chorizo and Chihuahua cheese. The handsome, smallish dining room is dolled up in brick, wood, and terracotta colored walls. For a quick bite, grab take-out from Taste of Cilantro, their more casual sister around the corner.

Catch (The Greatest: Seafood & Chocolate)
34 Church St.
Winchester, MA 01890
(781) 729-1040
www.catchrestaurant.com

Catch is…well, quite a catch! The cozy bistro turns out incredible seafood like braised Maine lobster towering over a crispy risotto cake or seared scallops with raisins, capers, and almonds. If you’re a member of the clean plate club like Phantom, you may not save room for incredible desserts like the blueberry lemon curd tart. In which case, be sure to get John’s Box of Chocolates to-go. The in-house chocolatier whips up tempting bonbons filled with bright flavors like pistachio, orange, coffee, and passion fruit. The room is elegant casual, with an inviting bar where you get a front-row view of the copper pot kitchen.