A former food writer weighs in
Semi-interesting thing about me: I used to have your dream job. Or I suppose I should say that there’s a decent statistical chance that I used to have your dream job, anyway. I can say this with a reasonable amount of certainty, because, for two years of my life, that’s what almost every single person I met said to me after I told them what I did for a living.
I was a food writer, and I had access to a big ‘ol expense account for eating and drinking at every new restaurant in Greater Boston. And while I had to clarify to many people that, contrary to what they thought, I wasn’t being paid to eat and drink, but rather to write about eating and drinking — and that those were two very different things and the latter came with all sorts of downsides including, above all else, the persistent worry that, in doing my job successfully, I was sometimes financially and emotionally hurting someone else who was just trying to do theirs — I was always aware that I was pretty lucky.
The pandemic dramatically shifted the restaurant landscape in Boston, of course, and I no longer have an encyclopedic knowledge of the menus of every tapas joint in the South End. But while I now spend a lot less time going to farm-to-table restaurants in Somerville, I spend a lot more time in and around Fenway Park. So when SB Nation asked us to put together a guide to eating and drinking around Fenway, it was a happy collision of worlds for me (the only thing that could make it better was if they also asked for some thoughts on political messaging.)
So if you’re heading to Fenway for a Red Sox game and don’t want to spend half your paycheck on an overcooked burger, here’s a former food writer’s suggestions as to where to eat and drink around the ballpark.
Timeout Market
© EVA SAKELLARIDES 2019
If you’re coming from the east or north and always get off at Kenmore when you head to a Sox game, you might not be aware that, just one stop further on the Green Line is one of the single best dining destinations in all of Boston. The Timeout Market at the intersection of Brookline Ave and Boylston is the best food hall in the city. Inside you’ll find everything from chowder and sushi, to Neapolitan pizza and North Shore style roast beef sandwiches. Some of the options are little overpriced for what you get (gotta pay that tourist tax), but you can’t go wrong with the sushi tacos at GoGo Ya. Order them to-go and then take them outside to the Trillium beer garden; you won’t find a better combination of food and drink inside the ballpark.
Hojoko
Hojoko is a year-round destination for me, not just somewhere I go during baseball season. It’s a loud, fun, often raucous izakaya, overlooking the courtyard pool of the Verb Hotel (which is heated and open year-round, if you’re looking for somewhere to take a swim on a frostbitten January night.) The sushi dishes are reliably great, but the shrimp toast is actually my favorite thing on the menu here.
Eventide
Eventide is a rare combination: a fast-casual restaurant that serves fine-dining quality seafood. The brown butter lobster roll is their signature dish, and is outstanding, though it’s also incredibly rich. If you’re with someone who’s not into seafood, their burger is low-key one of the best in the city.
The Bullpen Kitchen + Tap
There are a lot of baseball-centric bars around Fenway, and there isn’t always a lot that differentiates them. They’re all crowded with people wearing Nomar jerseys, they’ll all have big lines at the bar, and they all make a killing selling overpriced Bud Lights before the game. Amongst this group, though, the Bullpen Bar stands out for one major reason: it has its own entry gate right into the ballpark. You can even come and go during the game itself, after you’ve already left the bar before first pitch. Thanks to the fact that the bar is tucked down a gritty alley off Brookline, it’s one of the best-kept secrets in the neighborhood. I hope for my sake that I didn’t just ruin that.
Fool’s Errand
As far as bars go, Fools’ Errand is almost the polar opposite of the Bullpen Bar. In here, you’ll find cocktails instead of beer, a small, intimate atmosphere instead of a pseudo-frat party, and almost no indication that you’re anywhere close to Fenway. If you’re going with someone who’s not particularly into baseball, this is a great post-game destination.