Lunch in the financial district ....as bad as the markets performance...

[Wheels1]

What are your best bets for takeout lunch in the financial district ... It seems like its just one place after another with mediocre food and rising prices. I like the meze bar at Boston Kabob House ( but only when they are running the $4.99/lb sale ) . A new place Theo's opened up on Oliver St. but sandwiches there are below average and they have a memory span of about 10 seconds. I was the only person in there and ordered a plain tuna sub ... about 10 secs later the guy asks me if I wanted a small Italian.. I have been there about 5 times and the same thing happens every time. PLEASE HELP US GET SOME GOOD FOOD IN BOSTON !

[StacyW]

Oh, also if you have a time, a walk across the water over to Flour behind the children's museum never let's down.

[StacyW]

I deal with this problem all the time working downtown. As a vegetarian though I was THRILLED yesterday to see that the Clover Food Truck has taken up shop outside South Station, where the farmer's market is. Tues, Weds, Thurs - fresh, local, vegetarian fare. Cheap too. It's delicious and way better than anything you could ever get at sebastians or cosi's.

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Clover Food Truck
Amherst St Carleton St, Mid-Cambridge, MA 02142

[9lives]

Not being a vegetarian the menu doesn't excite me but I will try a sandwich or breakfast. I did get some fries there today and they were ok,; tasty but could have been crisper..it is only their 2nd day..so I'm willing to give them another shot and they all seem very eager and hospitable.

[9lives]

I've got to remention the lobster oll at J Hooks; picnic tables. Great on a nice day, like today and a bargain at $12. I don't care for the cold hot dog roll and just use a fork.

[surferbettygal]

I find the lobster rolls terrible at JHook...I don't know what it is but I just don't find them very good. Their chowder is equally bad. I do buy their seafood because the prices are pretty decent and it's right around the corner from me so very convenient to buy something and cook up that night.

[Beachowolfe]

What about Lambert's, Dino's, Figaro's, and Andiamo?

Mediocre: Regal, Kingston Deli (Deli One now), Pita Kabob, Sandwich Express

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Pita Kabob
2 Avenue De Lafayette, Boston, MA 02111

Sandwich Express
99 Summer St Lbby 100, Boston, MA 02110

[SaraASR]

I actually really like the sushi place inside the Corner Mall food court, name escapes me at the moment...

[tysonmcneely]

Sushi Time

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Sushi Time
417 Washington St # 1, Boston, MA

[Alcachofa]

Gee, I can't imagine a better place to work in the Boston area for lunch options.

Just off the top of my head (probably some repeats):
Sultan's Kitchen
Al's State Street Subs
Sakura Bana
Bostone Pizza (OTW)
Zo
Cafe Latino
Burritos Express
Hot Tomatoes
Herreras
Pita Kebab
Sam LaGrassa
Chacaerero

Not to mention Chinatown.

[kate used to be 50]

I walked by Al's State Street Subs recently and it appears to be shut down.

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Al's State Street Cafe
110 State St, Boston, MA 02109

[Bob Dobalina]

The one on State Street - when was this? I ate there two weeks ago.

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State Street Cafe
114 State St, Boston, MA 02109

[nsenada]

Yikes! I'm going to have to check that out.

[9lives]

Both locations are open. The newer location closes a little earlier.

[MC Slim JB]

That has to be temporary: that place is an absolute mill, lines out the door daily.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[Fly]

Back when I worked downtown (years ago now), I always liked Susan's Deli Of Course.

[nsenada]

They're still there I think. I was always annoyed by the "Of Course." It was especially perplexing that there was until recently a Floramo's Deli "Of Course" in Pi Alley.

[Fly]

Also decent 10 years ago: Trattoria Ottimo near the corner of High St. and Oliver St.

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Trattoria Ottimo
184 High St, Boston, MA 02110

[mhead]

Ottimo closed a couple of months ago. Yet another Thai place is taking the space, but is not open yet.

[Ralphie_in_Boston]

There seems about 20 deli's with "of Course" after the name, Alberto's, etc. Always annoyed me too. Of Course, I take my business elsewhere.

[nsenada]

I don't get it - there's no pun involved, or anything else I can think of that makes "Of Course" seem like an awesome "name-enhancer." Why?

[Fly]

I never got it either. But they made a decent chicken and rice plate.

[nsenada]

I finally went to Karo's chicken cart at the intersection of State and Washington, and am totally hooked. I had chicken kabobs on salad with "everything" including pickled jalapenos. That garlic sauce is unbelievable.

[MC Slim JB]

I included Karo's in a street food piece I did for Stuff Magazine last summer (it was a struggle to come up with just a handful of options to cover), and the owner and I talked about that sauce. I assumed it was an aioli or perhaps yogurt-based sauce, but he said it has no eggs or dairy: just oil, garlic, lemon, vinegar, black pepper and other spices (I guessed cumin and allspice).

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[MC Slim JB]

A lot of my faves already mentioned, but let me add:

Pita Kabob -- Persian sandwiches, salads, plates. Excellent kubideh.

Karo's -- two street carts, one near Macy's, the other near the Old City Hall. Armenian chicken kabob sandwiches, really tasty and cheap.

Falafel King -- in the food court on Winter near Tremont. Very fine falafel sandwich.

Chinatown isn't too far away. Quick takeout options include banh mi (Mei Sum Bakery, Mike's, 163) and Chinese BBQ plates (Vinh-Sun, for one).

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

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Pita Kabob
2 Avenue De Lafayette, Boston, MA 02111

City Hall Cafe
695 Main St, Fitchburg, MA 01420

[scratchie]

Agree wholeheartedly (stomachally?) with the Falafel King and Herrera's suggestion (glad to hear that Herrera's is still around).

[jgg13]

Is there any discernible difference between the two Karo's? I've been talking it up to some friends who want to meet up there, but the DTX one will probably be more convenient for us as a group than the one over by state st, which i go to.

[MC Slim JB]

I imagine the two Karo's are essentially identical: same family, same equipment, one menu item (chicken) with a few slight variations, the same sauce.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[jgg13]

That's what I figured, but worth checking. Wouldn't want it to suck and have egg on my face.

[9lives]

FYI, I walk by the DTX branch and they usually have a pretty good line. Worth it but just a heads up.

There's also a new pita stand that opened next to them and Herrera's. haven't ried it yet. I think it's called South End Pita..cart from a larger shop ala Black Seed Cafe?..which I'm a fan of.

[bostonbroad]

I tried the falafel from the South End Pita cart recently and didn't love it - especially not with Falafel King a block and change away - a bit gritty and overly herbed for my taste. Will go back to try the other offerings soon; for the time being they are a much quicker option than the very long Karo line (it could be there's a reason no one is in the South End line, or just that most people stick with what they know).

Not mentioned, Deli One on Arch Street has some decent options.

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Deli One
85 Arch St, Boston, MA 02110

[omarba]

Hererra's burrito cart is great. Also love Chacarero & Al's. Hot Tomatoes is pretty good but pricey.

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Chacarero
101 Arch St, Boston, MA 02110

[Ralphie_in_Boston]

Don't forget the Pace's location in the Financial District. In my rare visits to that area on weekdays, I find it great for grab-n-go stuff plus a selection of their hot dishes.

[purple bot]

Yep, slim pickings down here, for sure. As others have mentioned, Chacarero is still really good, but otherwise... (I've got nothing, sorry)

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Chacarero
101 Arch St, Boston, MA 02110

[nsenada]

I'd say there's quite a bit of good chow in the financial district - at La Grassa alone, you could eat something different each day and it would be awesome, though their Cuban sandwich and pastrami are regulars for me. Sure, there's lots of mediocre stuff out there (boloco, cosi, souper salad, etc.) but look at that prior thread an you'll find a lot. As noted, Chinatown and the North End are not far away either.

[9lives]

Pizzeria Rico on Bromfield, right by SLG makes a great roast turkey, stuffing, gravy sandwich...Thurs only. Everything's pretty solid there. Also sell that thin bread pizza that someone was looking for and pizza dough.

For sit down, Marliave or Silvertone are good options

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Silvertone
69 Bromfield St, Boston, MA 02108

Marliave
10 Bosworth Street, Boston, MA 02108

Pizzeria Rico
32 Bromfield St, Boston, MA 02108

[CreativeFoodie42]

When I was in law school, I would treat myself to one of Pizzeria Rico's ginormous macaroni and cheese lunches. It made for a great lunch and dinner!

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Pizzeria Rico
32 Bromfield St, Boston, MA 02108

[9lives]

"lunch is for wimps?"..:)...

http://www.imdb.com/character/ch00122...

Here's a link to a thread from last year. All the recs are still good.

[9lives]

whoops, forgot link..

.http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6229...

[amljml]

You should try Delicato Cafe, They have excellent, sandwiches, salads, and hot meals, Their stuff is always fresh and the menu has interesting daily specials

http://www.delicatocafe.com/

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Delicato
8 City Hall Ave, Boston, MA 02108

[Bob Dobalina]

Will second Delicato.

For the truly adventurous, try the Hungry Traveler around the corner. They claim they will be adding sushi to the menu...maybe....but I had an ok pastrami sandwich there the other day. Not saying it was LaGrassa's but I liked it enough.

I actually think the salads at Sebastian's are a great value, so long as you stay away from the add-on proteins. If you stick with just veggies, it's a huge salad for something like $6 and kicks Cosi's tail.

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Delicato
8 City Hall Ave, Boston, MA 02108

Hungry Traveler
29 Court Sq, Boston, MA 02108

Cosi
200 Terminal St, Charlestown, MA 02129

[CreativeFoodie42]

Some of my repeat lunch spots (for sit-down or take-out) include Delicato Cafe for their salads, Sakurabana for their sushi and Sultan's Cafe for their addictive falafel!

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Delicato
8 City Hall Ave, Boston, MA 02108

[CreativeFoodie42]

I'd also have to add Zo at Center Plaza for their chicken gyros!

[BackBayGirl]

Are you near Sam LaGrassa's? I remember them having great sandwiches.

[Suze123]

I agree. I do like the vegetarian sandwich at Chacarero (under $6). Soooo tired of Cosi with their $9 salads...I used to like them but the quality has gone down. I did go to Theo's once. It was ok.

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Cosi
200 Terminal St, Charlestown, MA 02129

Chacarero
101 Arch St, Boston, MA 02110

[Wheels1]

Very good ... Sultan's and Chacarero are 2 of my favorites... More bang for your buck at Chacarero.... Sultan's prices are a touch high for lunch. You should be able to get a good lunch without shelling out 9 bucks !!!

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Chacarero
101 Arch St, Boston, MA 02110

[JudyHP]

Just revisited Chacarero (Arch st. location) for the first time in a long time. got a small combo, extra hot sauce, extra green beans, and cut in half - it was as excellent as I remember them to always be. This is a HUGE sandwich. They were very nice about my special requests for the extras.

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Chacarero
101 Arch St, Boston, MA 02110

[Blumie]

I also ate at Chacarero for the first time in a long time last week. The Arch Street location already had a long line when I arrived just before noon. (Unlike the old Filene's window location, they now have enough space to move people through the line fairly quickly; I was in and out in about 15 minutes.) I had the small beef (I used to always get the chicken, but switched to the beef about a year or so ago) with the works, extra hot. It was huge (even though a small) and it was as amazingly good as ever.

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Chacarero
101 Arch St, Boston, MA 02110

[gansu girl]

Sultan's Kitchen is great . . . otherwise, there are a lot of mediocre, overpriced options.

GG
http://www.semisweetonline.com

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Sultan's Kitchen
116 State St, Boston, MA 02109