Hey Bostonians . . . so I will be attending my first concert/event at the TD Garden next week. It is a Wednesday night (Adele) and since we live/work out in the Western Suburbs we won’t be able to get into town with hours to spare before the show (7pm start time according to tickets).
Are there any good places to grab a quick bite before a show there? We’ve been all through the North End many times, so was looking for something in a slightly different area but easy walking to and from the Garden.
Any thoughts?
We’ve learned that getting something to eat before an event at Fenway is near impossible - so if this expectation is out of line too, just let us know. I’d say we’d go out for dinner after the show but Thursday is a work day too . . . . and we are getting old . . .
The show starts at 7 pm? But I haven’t been to an arena show in sometime - perhaps they have to have earlier show times? Are there opening acts, ones that you don’t necessarily want to catch? That might buy you some time to pre-game. We used to really like Tip Tap Room for lunch but the quality had suffered (we were told that there were recently a lot of turnover in the kitchen). Haven’t been back in at least a couple of months, so perhaps they have their act together.
ticket said 7, website now says 7:30, I’m guessing she’ll start closer to 8:30 but I hate to be late to a show.
Thanks for the suggestion!
What about the Public Market . . . we’ve only been on weekends when it is insanely crowded. Looks like they are open until 8. Anyone been there later in the day? Do vendors still have food or are they shutting down by then?
Thanks for asking. I was planning (debating) about posting. …
First the concert (Adele) was amazing. Wow can she sing. Ticket time was 730, she started around 820.
We ended up going to the public Market - with time constraints et al (I know there were a lot of restrictions on my post) we decided that would be the least stressful option.
It was nice to walk around the market (630ish) without it being a complete zoo, and we were able to get food and eat at a table - something that never seemed remotely possible on the weekends.
That said - I still have mixed feelings about the market. I love the idea and concept and wish them all the best. But I still think they have an identity crisis with who their customer is. Are they for tourists or locals? Having produce and raw meats makes you think locals - $12 lb lobster ($17/lb steamed) makes me think tourists.
I ate at Noodle Lab - they had chicken curry for that day’s meal. It was good - not great but good. But then I hate that their touchscreen payment system defaults to tip amounts of 18%, 20%, 25%. That is rediculous (IMHO) and a slap in the face. Granted you can bypass that but from a customer experience standpoint I won’t eat there again on principle - 25% tip as a default suggestion on take away counter service - screams “fleece the tourists” to me.
My husband at from the pasta place in the center area by the tables (can’t remember the name). The market had had an event the night before apparently, so they had a special of bolognese, which used a blue cheese in it. It was a little different but actually quite tasty. We’d both eat from them again. They apparently do a more limited menu for dinner than they do at lunch.
The walk to the garden was simple from there, even with all the construction around the garden.
If we go back we may try something on canal st - looked like basic bar food type places - they weren’t that crowded as we walked by - though I’m sure they are insane when a game is at the garden. There was a Boston Beer Works - which I think is opening a branch in Waltham soon, so was curious to see what they were like.
Thanks again for the reply and checking back. There are a lot of posts on here recently that just result in “crickets” for people. Makes me miss the old CH days even more.
Hey, thimes, I believe that the Boston Beer Works deal in Waltham fell through, but there is a promising-sounding new place, Brewer’s Tap and Table, that is set to open soon. It sounds pretty exciting.
Ah - thanks for the update. Some of the Windows when they were installed still had Boston beer works written on them so just figured. Either way, hope it is a good addition to Moody.
The buildout looks virtually complete and they look to have a small patio out back (which I’m excited about - a patio in Waltham not on a busy street would be nice as a person who likes to eat outside). I would image they will open this month if they meet codes.
If you do go that route next time you have something at the Garden, Porters on Portland St always had better-than-necessary pub grub. Mind you, we haven’t been in years. There’s also a Tavern in the Square, which does fill some kind of niche (I used to get dragged to the Central Sq location for work functions; they recently fancified their menu).
