Sullivan's Castle Island

Get hot dogs, burgers, fried seafood and soft serve at a South Boston stand beside Fort Independence, run by one family since 1951.

2080 William J. Day Boulevard, South Boston, MA 02127 · Boston, MA

About Sullivan's Castle Island

Sullivan's opened in 1951 as a concession stand for Fort Independence on Castle Island in South Boston, and the same family has run it for four generations. The menu is New England stand food: hot dogs at $3.60, hamburgers at $5.25, crinkle-cut fries, fried seafood and lobster rolls, with gluten-free buns on offer. In 2025 the James Beard Foundation named it one of America's Classics. Food is cooked to order in a family-friendly setting across the water from Logan Airport.

#gluten-free options
#hot dogs
#seafood
#lobster rolls
#castle island

What's around here?

The closest stops to Sullivan's Castle Island, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Stay
Local Gem
Hyatt Place Boston/Seaport District
$50+
A 297-room Seaport hotel with harbor-view rooms and a rooftop terrace near the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay
Sightseeing
Dorchester Heights Monument
No admission fee
A white marble tower on a Boston hill that marks the 1776 fortification that led to the British leaving the city.
1.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Museums
Date Night
Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston (ICA)
Under $25
A glass-and-steel museum cantilevered over Boston Harbor, pairing bold contemporary art with one of the best waterfront perches in the Seaport.
Transit: reachable by public transit
1.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Eat & Drink
Quirky Fun
The Barking Crab
$25–$50
Eat lobster rolls and fried clams under a yellow and red striped tent on the edge of the Fort Point Channel, open since 1994.
2.1 mi awayMore like this
Eat & Drink
History Buff
James Hook & Co.
$25–$50
Order a lobster roll or lobster mac and cheese from a family lobster company on the Boston waterfront, with a seafood market on site.
2.2 mi awayMore like this
Eat & Drink
Family Favorite
Hei La Moon
Check prices
Pick dim sum from rolling carts in a large two-floor Chinatown restaurant a few blocks from South Station.
2.6 mi awayMore like this