Back in the day, the Winter Hill neighborhood was a known haunt of the infamous criminal Whitey Bulger. His Winter Hill gang wrought terror on the people who lived here. And yet today, so many years later, you’ll find no trace of the violence that once existed. Instead, Winter Hill is a quiet neighborhood with a little surprise. Nestled next to a bank in an unassuming but surprisingly chic mid-century modern building is one of my favorite neighborhood haunts: the Winter Hill Brewery.

What sets this brewery apart, for me, is the fact that they serve food as well as beer, and both are really good! Normally, when a brewery branches out into food, either the beer or the food suffer. Not so at Winter Hill. Their beers are thoughtful and creative, with usually a varied mix of styles to suit different palates. The food is also comforting and yummy.

My favorite meal on their menu is the black bean burger: perfectly spicy with the soft homemade texture I love. No cooked from frozen patty here. For the beers I recommend getting a flight and seeing which is your jam. I’m an IPA girl and their IPAs definitely live up to my expectations.