The Brooklyn
of Boston is
Jamaica Plain.

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Multicultural Live music LGBTQ-friendly Laid-back Walkable Coffee culture
The case for Jamaica Plain

Jamaica Plain is the coolest neighborhood in Boston for banana-leaf tamales at Abuela's Table, seven nights of bands at the Midway Café, and Costello's Tavern pouring since 1934.

Jamaica Plain stretches along Centre Street from Hyde Square, the state-designated Latin Cultural Quarter, down to the pond Olmsted folded into the Emerald Necklace. Tuesday afternoon means construction workers and doctors at the same café counter, then trivia night at the Brendan Behan Pub. Saturday night, ninety-nine people squeeze into the Midway Café on Washington Street for the band, cash in hand. You won't find many chain stores here.

The Arnold Arboretum covers 281 acres of Jamaica Plain, paths laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, and the gates stay open every day of the year at no charge.
Close contenders

Other cool neighborhoods in Boston.

Union Square, Somerville

Somerville's oldest commercial district, set below Prospect Hill where the Grand Union Flag first flew. The Green Line reached the Prospect Street plaza in March 2022, and the Saturday farmers' market has run since 2005.

South End

The largest intact Victorian rowhouse district in the United States, listed on the National Register. Tremont Street's ten-block Restaurant Row holds the dining, and J.J. Foley's Cafe has been the neighborhood bar since 1909.

East Boston (Jeffries Point)

Jeffries Point is East Boston's waterfront tip, facing the downtown skyline across the inner harbor. Maverick Square on the Blue Line is the way in, one stop from downtown.

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Three sides of the neighborhood

Where to go in Jamaica Plain.

01
Stay in Jamaica Plain

Sleeping near Jamaica Plain means the South End, a few Orange Line stops up from Centre Street.
02
Eat & Drink in Jamaica Plain

Centre Street feeds Jamaica Plain.
03
Do & Shop in Jamaica Plain

Saturday starts on Peters Hill in the Arnold Arboretum, entered by the Blackwell Footpath from Forest Hills for the morning light.
All 24 spots mapped out

Jamaica Plain, corner to corner.

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Our 24 top picks

The Jamaica Plain guide.

Practical info

Good to know.

The boring numbers that decide whether you stay three days or four.

CurrencyUSD
LanguageEnglish
Cost level $$$$Expensive
Best monthsSeptember to early October, then late May
Local time UTC-4
Plug type US plug · 120V/60Hz
Emergency911
Local tip
Skip the Arborway parking lot on weekends. Ride the Orange Line to Forest Hills and enter by the Blackwell Footpath for the morning light on Peters Hill.
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Head to head

How does Boston stack up?

All comparisons →

Austin vs Boston

North America

Boston vs Philadelphia

North America

Boston vs Portland

North America
Common questions

Things to know about Jamaica Plain.

What is the Brooklyn of Boston?
The Brooklyn of Boston is Jamaica Plain. Jamaica Plain stretches along Centre Street from Hyde Square, the state-designated Latin Cultural Quarter, down to the pond Olmsted folded into the Emerald Necklace. The Arnold Arboretum covers 281 acres of Jamaica Plain, paths laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, and the gates stay open every day of the year at no charge.
What is the coolest neighborhood in Boston?
Jamaica Plain is widely considered the coolest neighborhood in Boston. Jamaica Plain stretches along Centre Street from Hyde Square, the state-designated Latin Cultural Quarter, down to the pond Olmsted folded into the Emerald Necklace. Tuesday afternoon means construction workers and doctors at the same café counter, then trivia night at the Brendan Behan Pub. Saturday night, ninety-nine people squeeze into the Midway Café on Washington Street for the band, cash in hand. You won't find many chain stores here.
What is the hippest neighborhood in Boston?
Jamaica Plain is the hippest neighborhood in Boston. Jamaica Plain runs on ninety-nine people paying cash at the Midway Café door on a Saturday, then splitting up between Latin food on Hyde Square and a pond walk.
What is the trendiest neighborhood in Boston?
Jamaica Plain is Boston's trendiest neighborhood right now. The energy is in the café counters along Centre Street, where construction crews and hospital residents share the same espresso line and nobody is hunting for a chain.
Where should I stay in Jamaica Plain, Boston?
The best boutique hotels in Jamaica Plain include Clarendon Square Inn, The Verb Hotel, and The Revolution Hotel. Six stories, no elevator, and that's the point: Stephen Gross and Bobby Ciletti kept the 1867 curved staircase and plaster ceiling medallions intact when they restored this South End town
Is Jamaica Plain in Boston safe at night?
Jamaica Plain is a lived-in creative neighborhood, not a tourist compound. Bars and restaurants here stay busy late, which keeps streets active. Use normal city awareness.
Is Boston expensive?
Boston rates $$$$ on a global travel scale. One of the more expensive cities, but Jamaica Plain's independent spots are still better value than the touristic core.
When is the best time to visit Boston?
Aim for September and early October, when the humidity finally drops, days hold in the 60s and 70s Fahrenheit, and the arboretum starts turning color from mid-October. Late May is a close second - the lilacs bloom and the neighborhood throws its annual lilac festival. Skip July and August unless 85-degree humidity sounds fine to you, and be ready for snow and iced sidewalks from late December through March.

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