Unusual, Offbeat Looking Restaurants in New England

Article and Photos by Eric H.

If you're tired of dining at those box-shaped restaurants that all look the same (and often offer the same tasting things), then we suggest taking a look at some of the photos below. Every once in a while, there's a restaurant that stands out from the others -- unique in appearance and usually with an endearing gimmick. Before briefly describing each restaurant, we present to you the photos:

Prince Pizzeria, Saugus, MA


Beef Barn, North Smithfield, RI


Tex Barry's Coney Island Hot Dogs, Attleboro, MA


Milk Bottle Restaurant, Raynham, MA


The Traveler Restaurant, Union, CT (look at all the books!)


The Lyndon Freighthouse, Lyndonville, VT


The Western Hotel, Harrisville, RI


The Prince Restaurant, in Saugus, MA (517 Broadway, Route 1 South, Tel., 781-233-9950) with its "Leaning Tower of Pizza" structure, features some wonderful Italian-style pizza and pasta with homemade sauce. The Beef Barn, in North Smithfield, RI (1 Greenville Rd., Tel. 401-762-9880), showcases a huge silo just minutes from the City of Woonsocket, brings back dining prices from 20 years ago and specializes in delicious roast beef. Tex Barry's Coney Island Hot Dogs, in Attleboro, MA (31 County St., Phone: 508-222-9787), is quite noticeable with its giant hot dog sign (seemingly larger than the tiny restaurant) and some amazing, low-priced hot dogs. The Milk Bottle In Raynham, MA (785 Broadway, 508-822-6833), is famous for its towering milk bottle structure, some very friendly service and excellent lunches and breakfasts. The Traveler Restaurant in Union, CT (Rt. 84, exit 74, Union, CT. Tel. 860-684-4920), looks rather generic from the outside, but inside, the booths and tables are surrounded by a virtual library of books. Each customer is allowed to take home a book after dining at the Traveler! The Lyndon Freighthouse, in Lyndonville, VT, (1000 Broad St., Tel. 802-626-1400) is a full-service restaurant (excellent organic breakfast, lunch and dinner selections), gift shop, railroad museum, coffee shop, ice cream parlor and information center, all set within a historic, former freight house! The Western Hotel, in Harrisville, RI (610 Douglas Ave., Tel. 401) 568-6253), is a former 1700s stagecoach stop and looks like something out of the wild west -- they happen to serve great Rhode Island clam chowder, steaks and bar pizza.