Where to eat and drink around Boston Calling this weekend
This weekend’s Boston Calling Music Festival will bring the masses to City Hall Plaza for three days. Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Arancini Bros., Chicken and Rice Guys, and others will bring pared-down menus inside the festival, but if you want to trek outside the concert space, your options are pretty slim, as many City Hall establishments close their doors on weekends.
Here are a few favorites to find snacks and sips between sets.
Saus
Poutine, if you please — but we’re going for the Belgian-style hot dog called a “frik,’’ or if you want to get official, a frikandel. There are some ready-made topping ideas (double down with beer cheese and cheddar), but we prefer ours with a side of a house dipping saus, like peanut-y good Pinda or the super spicy Green Monster. 33 Union St., eatfrites.com.
A frik and frites.
Piperi Mediterranean Grill
Grab a Gozi, which is kind of like a Turkish-take on a burrito, stuffed with falafel, steak, chicken, or veg. Add tomato relish, Moroccan carrots, or white bean tabbouleh (or all of the above) with a side of house hot sauce: It’s green (a take on zhug), and can’t be missed. 1 Beacon St., piperi.com. Closed Sunday.
Cocobeet
If you’re searching for a healthy fix — one that doesn’t just include the walk from the concrete jungle of City Hall Plaza — a bevy of sandwiches and salads is just a few blocks away. Snag an upgrade of a grade school-favorite in the sunflower butter, berry jam, and banana sandwich, or a grab a protein-packed vegetarian-friendly snack in the quinoa sliders or savory gingered tempeh. 100 City Hall Plaza, cocobeet.com.
Koy
Swing by for Korean-fusion snacks and small bites like bacon-wrapped water chestnuts and buttermilk-battered, gochujang-coated chicken wings. Pair with a Soju sangria, a lychee and aloe concoction that goes down easy. 16 North St., koyboston.com.
So fancy: Baked brie.
Tip Tap Room
Sign us up for the cheese, two ways. Try creamy soft burrata with crunchy, sharp radishes and rhubarb, or pastry-wrapped baked brie sweetened up with poached apricots and smoked milk and honey. Wash it down with The Calling, a bourbon-based cocktail created in honor of the festival. 138 Cambridge St., thetiptaproom.com.
Galleria Umberto or Ernesto’s
Let two of the North End’s most cherished pizzerias duke it out for your tastebuds’ favor. Will it be Umberto’s pillowy soft, saucey Sicilian, or the topping-heavy, traditional triangles at Ernesto’s? It’s a tough call, so get extras to make sure. Galleria Umberto, 289 Hanover St., Closed Sunday; Ernesto’s, 69 Salem St., ernestosnorthend.com.
Bostonia Public House
If cocktails are your calling, whet your whistle with the Kicking Goose, a ginger beer-Grey Goose sipper that’s equal parts refreshing and brisk, or the restaurant’s house sangria, a dangerously deluxe interpretation of the summer classic made with pinot noir, Bacardi, Captain Morgan, blueberry vodka, Crème Yvette, and Sprite. 131 State St., bostoniapublichouse.com.
The Tap Trailhouse
The Sam Adams biergarten keeps the party going inside the festival, but this is a solid option if you want a break and a barstool. Their tap selection is a-plenty, as are their beer-based cocktails — like Martha’s Little Monkey: Monkey Shoulder Scotch and Bad Martha Vineyard Ale with ginger, vanilla, and orange. Try one with their house “vittles’’ — like addictive, candied, “baked beans’’ bacon strips and blue crab nachos, topped with farmer’s cheese, avocado cream, and smoked tomato salsa. 19 Union St., thetaptrailhouse.com.
Your ultimate guide to food inside the Boston Calling festival
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