Where to Eat and Drink Urban Beehives in Boston

Honey production is no longer kept just to farms thanks to urban hotels looking to make a healthy impact on the environment.

InterContinental Boston

Honey is no joke to this hotel, where the restaurant, Miel, takes its name from the French wood for the sugary substance. The hotel’s rooftop hives are harvested in part by chef Didier Montarou and the honey is used in the acacia honey sautéed shrimp salad, the charcuterie board and house-made honey-roasted granola parfait. Want a sneak peek of the bees at work? Miel has a closed circuit television that shows guests a live feed of the beehives.

Taj Hotel Boston

This Back Bay Grande Dame started producing honey with just two hives and now has six on their rooftop garden. In 2014, they were able to produce 36 jars of honey from four hives and incorporate that into cocktails and dishes at The Café, like the Bees Knees Martini and the Honey Ricotta Cheesecake.

Fairmont Copley Plaza

You might not think about it when you are sitting snug in a leather booth at Oak Long Bar + Kitchen, but the hotel has three hives. The honey is used in the specialty butter (served with hearth baked bread) and the Bee’s Knees cocktail.

Seaport Boston Hotel

Even bees love being near the water and this harbor-side hotel has 10 hives containing more than 1 million bees and their own team who harvest the honey a few times each year. The honey is used in dishes like the Spicy Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings at the hotel’s Aura restaurant and TAMO Bar and Lounge.