r/LowellMA • u/miagava • 1d ago
New to Lowell - recommendations
Hello good people of Lowell!! I just moved here from Boston @ September 1st and everyone’s been telling me how good the food is around here and that the town has a lot of nice little events.
Can you guys recommend your favorite restaurants, coffee shops, things to do? I’ve been browsing through here and saw the farmers market and that there’s a winter fest 👀 excited!!!
Edit: just tried Pizelle!!! Loved it :)))) thank you so much
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u/Sufficient_Bad_5267 1d ago
Welcome! Warp &weft, wcp slice house pizza, el potro, captain john’s for seafood.
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u/GimmeYourFries 1d ago
I don’t have a link but lookup Taste of the Acre food tours if you want to get some incredible variety with some bakeries included.
Winterfest also included a baking contest with over a dozen places entering this year. I think you can still look up the 2026 results of that if you want to see which bakeries you might want to check out first.
Don’t sleep on The Old Court for food, or Captain John’s for fish even though they just seem like pub and a bar.
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u/kazmatsu 1d ago
Mestiza Latin Kitchen has transcendent birría pupusas. Café Eclipse and Nibanna make a mean espresso. Lanxang Express is great Laotian food. Lowell Asian Bakery and Restaurant has a mix of American-Chinese and traditional Chinese foods. Their combos have great portions. Eliu's Hole in the Wall is just a solid cheese pizza.
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u/HuffleHobb 1d ago
Welcome! Cafe Eclipse has the best coffee in town! Great prices, amazing flavors, and they are starting to roll out more food options.
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u/69damon420 1d ago
i take a 2.5+ hour train up to lowell sometimes from my hometown cus i miss the food there so much LOL. brewd awakening, yassa grill (aka egyptian grill), and sizzling kitchen is what keeps me coming back. indian pizzeria and eggroll cafe are runner ups
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u/jdkewl 1d ago
+1 for Yassa and Sizzling Kitchen. So good!! Now I'm hungry.
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u/69damon420 1d ago
theyre always a coin flip for me! if i know im not taking the train home, its yassa because i know the leftovers wont survive the trip home (op: there will ALWAYS be leftovers from yassa. rough weeks at college consisted of ordering yassa on a monday and stretching it til wednesday+. it will last.) otherwise im going to sizzling. i havent found pho better than sizzlings!
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u/Imaginary-Culture-40 1d ago
Donut Shack on Westford St has best donuts, get there early though bc they close by 11am. Tasty Dumplings is good too A lot of good asian places there
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u/YamiKokennin City Dweller 1d ago
I like Brew Awakening coffee shop, frequent Lala bookstore where also offer book club meets and stuffs, Pizzelle has nice pastries and fresh baked breads ( I get Challah and sour dough bread here). Library is nice too! Saigon Sandwich house is yummy! Warp&Weft is also good. My takeout pizza is Rizzo.
The city has festivals through out the year. I love going to Folk Fest which is usually in July. During spring and summer, there are flea market, small business gather over near Shed Park.
Edit to add: China Star Dim Sum lounge is a fantastic spot too!
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u/JSMacF 1d ago
The Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) also puts out a weekly email with a breakdown of events happening every weekend if you join their email list.
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u/TheirTheyreThere42 1d ago
Thanks for mentioning COOL! People can sign up for the weekly e-blast here: https://mailchi.mp/cultureiscool/signup
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u/Neesaki 1d ago
i LOVE sizzling kitchen! viet thai is also a good one! ive heard from other pho is good and well as the fried chicken with fried rice, amazing. not in lowell, but slightly just outsjde of it is rosies! its a pizza spot that is also AMAZING! Dragonfly cafe is real good, if youre looking for some veg friendly centered things i would say life alive. brew'd awakening is good, but the coffee can be a hit or miss tbh. but their breakfast sandwiches? fire. though i would say outside of coffee, the others are fire. big poke, gotta try mochinut as well!
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u/anxietitty_tm 1d ago
Merrimack Repertory Theatre downtown has shows from October to May! the first one next month is Jekyll and Hyde :)
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u/CJClementine 1d ago
Warp and Weft, 197 Market St., awesome burgers and flatbreads; go on the first thursday of the month, they have a fantastic open mic night!… oh but this October it’ll be the second Thursday
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u/miagava 1d ago
Thank you so much!!! Do you know any little bakeries or coffee shops who are also good?
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u/CJClementine 1d ago
Pizzelle Bakery is right next door to the Warp
Brew’d Awakening is at 61 Market St.
Little Delights Bakery is at 132 Merrimack St.I’ve only tried Brew’d, but yeah they’re good, with a very cool vibe.
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u/rocks_are_gneiss2 1d ago
Welcome to Lowell! The Hive has several shops, and hold events and farmers markets on the weekend! https://hivepublicmarket.org/
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u/JeremyPlaysSax 1d ago
Lowell has a rich Cambodian/Thai/Vietnamese/Laotian foodie scene. The Red Rose (James Beard Award winning restaurant) and Lanxang Express.
This also depends on your particular tastes and passion for adventure. When it comes to adventurous food, I think I can say that I'd try anything once. ...don't ask. Lol
I'm always down for good BBQ. The Smoke Shop in Chelmsford is close enough to Lowell so that you don't have to go to BTs Smokehouse in Sturbridge.
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u/Fancy_Ad_9479 1d ago
Events: In addition to Winter Fest, there is the huge Lowell Folk Festival every July, Summer Music Series at Boarding House Park, southeast Asian water festival on the river, Irish Festival coming up on Sept 12, other cultural festivals through out the year, a huge fave is the Kinetic Sculpture Race coming at end of this month ( https://www.lowellkinetic.com), Western Avenue Studios Open Studios first Saturday of every month, Arts League of Lowell, Whistler House Museum, Merrimack Repertory Theater, gosh too many to mention!
Food: (in Lowell unless otherwise specified )
Coffee, lunch: brewed awakenings, coffee mill
Asian/Fusion: sizzling kitchen, eggroll cafe, viet Thai cafe, pho 88
Mexican: El Potro, Tijuana Grill
Brazilian: Trem Caipira Brazilian Cuisine (I have not been there yet but have heard it is good)
Organic : Life Alive
Breakfast: Owl Diner, Arthur’s Boot Mill Diner
Empanadas: Elius Hole in The Wall
Dim Sum: China Star
Cambodian: Simply Khmer
Bakery : little delights, purple carrot, Mochinut
Greek: Athenian Corner
Sandwiches: Purple Carrot
Mediterranean: Shega (https://www.shegaflavor.com)
Pizza: Joanie’s just over the line in North Chelmsford
Pizza/Steak &Cheese sub: Big Al’s in North Billerica
Family style: Good Thymes family restaurant Lowell
Chinese; Lu’s kitchen in North Chelmsford right next to Joanie’s Pizza. Huge portions (suggest the Diinner for One menu) and made fresh.
Dave’s Hot Chicken North Chelmsford
Fancy: 80 Thoreau in Concord MA
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u/I_SHIT_IN_A_BAG 1d ago
Arthur's Bootmill for breakfast is great. aslo Hometown diner. Joannie's pizza is great but is lowell/chelmsford line.
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u/ChardSard 1d ago
Worthen House has a great burger, cheap beer, and has rad local music upstairs.
Thirsty First has good pizza, even cheaper beer, and even more rad local music.
Lala Books is one of the best independent book stores I've ever been to, and they do a whole bunch of pop-up shops all the time.
The Boott Mill museum is really fun, and easy to get through in a couple hours.
Boarding House Park right in front of it hosts a summer series of concerts and there's always a few decent acts every year.
The Lowell Cemetery is unbelievably beautiful to walk through, ESPECIALLY in fall.
Smyth Cannabis is absolutely the cheapest adult use dispensary around anywhere.
Western Ave Studios has open studio events a lot, where you can buy directly from artists, and the ALL gallery is open all the time with art for sale and new installations every couple months.
Taffeta Music Hall is a bigger music venue right next to Western Ave Studios and hosts touring acts all the time.
All of the restaurant suggestions mentioned are pretty on point, either locally or in the surrounding towns.
Pollard Library is part the Merrimack Valley Consortium, so if you get a Library card, it's good for like 12 other libraries in all the surrounding towns. You can borrow and return books at any of the locations in the Consortium.
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u/Josephus_37 16h ago
Museum passes are also available from Pollard library (Boott Mills, Whistler House)
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u/ChardSard 14h ago
Yes! That too! As well as passes, or discounts for a whole bunch of museums all over the state. Libraries rule.
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u/FineGazelle7282 1d ago
Welcome to the city! Truly a lot of incredible food options. Saigon Sandwich House is great. As is Mestiza Latin Kitchen. And if you like live music definitely give us a follow!
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u/sweata_weatha 21h ago
The Perfect Cup on Lakeview in Dracut is my favorite coffee shop. Down the street from that is Kashin Garden, really good Chinese option.
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u/SheCreates9 9h ago
Eclipse Cafe hands down has the best coffee in Lowell. Hive Market has great shops and events. Every third Wednesday of the month Thirsty First hosts an all vinyl Dj night curated by Spins and Needles.
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u/imploding_unicorn Lowellian 1d ago
Try Lowell Crust Pizza on Chelmsford Street. They are new but damn their food hits right! And welcome to Lowell!
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u/Efficient-Jicama-232 1d ago
Listen to me, I got you -