New England dining reviews >>> Pre game and post game dining near Gillette Stadium

Dining near Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, for New England Patriots game day

Red Wing restaurant, Walpole, MA (photo by Eric H.)

Your New England Patriots restaurant resource guide to pre game and post game dining. All restaurants mentioned below are within 15 minutes of the stadium -- and some, just a few steps away at the Patriot Place shopping and entertainment complex:

Patriot Place Dining --  Finally, some dining choices right at the stadium!  Already a major travel destination in New England with 1.3 million square feet of shopping, entertainment and commercial uses -- Patriot Place dining options, at this writing, include:

Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill - I Love This Bar and Grill is an amazing-looking restaurant -- 20,000 square feet of dining space, a bar and entertainment space, a red, white and blue guitar shaped bar spanning more than 85 ft. of ceiling, many HDTV monitors for viewing sporting events, live country and rock music in the evening, and country music memorabilia and collectibles lining the wall. The bar has a mechanical bull, nicknamed Bullet. Specialties include burgers and southern-styled specialties include fried bologna and pulled pork sandwiches, whiskey bottle New York steak, and deep fried Twinkies. Beer is served in mason jars!

Bar Louie - Upscale neighborhood-type bar and restaurant.

Baskin Robbins - Ice cream!

Blue Fin Lounge - Located in the amazing, huge Bass Pro Shops, the Blue Fin Lounge features sandwiches, appetizers and a bar.

CBS Scene - Upscale American cuisine with an ode to CBS classic programming on wide screen and table top televisions.

Davio's - a northern Italian steakhouse. Davio's original Boston location is a local dining landmark.

Dunkin' Donuts - It goes without saying, Dunkin's Donuts is famous for its donuts and coffee!

Five Guys Burgers - Fresh burgers with a quickly-earned reputation of being of the best in its genre.

Olive Garden - Chain restaurant serving very good Italian cuisine.

Qdoba - Mexican/American cuisine.

Red Robin - Chain restaurant serving excellent, large-sized burgers in many variations (and a surprisingly good New England clam chowder).

Skipjack's - Very fresh seafood -- one of the better seafood restaurants in the Boston area.

Studio 3 - This full-service restaurant is located in Showcase Cinema de Lux Patriot Place.  What a great idea!

Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro - Global upscale menu and wine selections.

Tavolino Pizza Gourmet - Specializing in pizza, but also serving pasta, salads, gourmet coffee.

British Beer Company, Walpole, MA -- The only restaurant we know that might be louder than Gillette Stadium on game day. The pub fare is very good and the price is right. Somehow, the parts surpass the sum as perhaps the boisterous, happy, kitschy British integrated bar and restaurant atmosphere (validated by being located in Walpole, just 3,000 miles away from Britain) make for a perfect before or after dinner hangout, just a few miles from the stadium. By the way, this is the former location of the Beacon Restaurant, a personal favorite that specialized in great steaks, a sedate atmosphere and serving to people with an average age of 140. The British Beer Company, 85 Providence Highway, Walpole, MA. Tel. (508) 668-9909

Eagle Brook Saloon, Norfolk, MA -- We have no idea where Eagle Brook is (it's not on our map of Norfolk), but the restaurant does indeed look like a real saloon. The wide, circular staircase, the upstairs with private rooms, alcoves, balcony, and main dining area overlooking the downstairs, the very western looking bar with Waylon, Willie and David Allen Coe-looking people, and lots of old looking wood and rustic musings lend a charm that seems out of place in a town where the average cost of a home is in the mid-400s. The food is fabulous (prime rib, chili, rib eye steak, pasta) and sometimes healthy (big mixed greens salads, free range chicken sandwich, dinner or pizza), not to mention an incredibly wide variety of beers including the homemade blueberry ale. Roger McGuinn (formerly of the Byrds) and the menacing but laughable New Riders of the Purple Sage once played here many years ago, but the Eagle Brook Saloon is now a certified family-oriented restaurant where kids can color their drawings with crayons, and Dad can wear a cardigan sweater and a pocket protector without getting beat up. Eagle Brook Saloon, 258 Dedham St., Norfolk, MA.Tel. (508) 384-7312.

Tavern from the Tower Square, Plainville, MA --  Overlooking the pretty but foolishly-named Turnpike Lake, the Tavern from Tower Square's main draw is adding flair to basic dishes, many times with a expertly-made Bernaise sauce or some other creative creation that isn't often seen at suburban restaurants. With food in the $10-20 range, a Sunday morning brunch, and a spacious bar with wide screen televisions to complement the charming dining rooms, there's something for everyone at the Tavern from the Tower Square. The Tavern from Tower Square, 119 Washington St., Plainville, MA. Tel. (508) 699-7600

Jimmy's Pub and Restaurant, Mansfield, MA -- It seems like everyone knows each other here, with people high-fiving each other, and asking how the family is doing right in front of the entire family they're asking about. The hometown feel blows away the corporate chain "neighborhood restaurant" (who try to hawk local authenticity in the form of something so fake and generic). Jimmy's, on the other hand, is a very real neighborhood restaurant, largely known and loved only in Mansfield. Known as the "best kept secret in Southeastern Massachusetts," Jimmy's is dark, comfortable, has a personable staff (young and old) and feels like you're in someone's large basement (lots of beer signs and wood paneling). In the kitchen, the chef and crew really know how to make a great American (steaks, chicken, seafood), Italian or Greek lunch or dinner (the Greek lasagna special is amazing), while at the bar, the bartenders pour drinks and make small talk with the best of them. Jimmy's Pub and Restaurant, 140 North Main St., Mansfield, MA. Tel. (508) 339-7167.

Red Wing Diner, Walpole, MA -- There's no denying the great home style food being served at this long-standing little roadside gem with a very plain, formica-dominated inside. The fried clams, delicious pasta sauces, steak tips and pizza rank with the best of Boston, while the unpretentious atmosphere and "What can I serve you, honey?" friendliness of the waitresses make you feel right at home. A stone's throw from the Stadium, the Red Wing Diner is the perfect low-cost place to have a beer and tasty meal. The Red Wing Diner is expected to be renovated soon!  Red Wing Diner, Route 1 South Walpole, MA. Tel. (508) 668-0453

Finnegan's Wake, Walpole, MA. Harder to find than a well-constructed part of the Big Dig, Finnegan's Wake is a true hidden gem located on a side street in downtown Walpole where you wouldn't expect a restaurant to be (on the other side of the wall is an auto repair shop). Cozily located downstairs this handsome restaurant and bar features amazing Irish cuisine and American favorites. Best bets are the Guiness beef pie, fish and chips, and roast turkey dinner. Finnegan's Wake, 1034 East St., Walpole, MA. Tel. (508) 668-1189