Southie: Home of the best Pierogies in Boston

Much like the North End and its large Italian population, people often associate South Boston with its Irish population.  But the neighborhood is actually made up of a great many different groups, including what was once a sizable Polish community.  In fact, the area between Boston Street, Dorchester Avenue and Columbia road is known as the Polish Triangle.  While the population is declining (as this well-written piece in the Boston Globe covers), evidence of the Polish community still exists throughout the area.

My great-grandparents were married at Our Lady of Czestochowa church back in the early 1900s.  At that time the Polish community in South Boston and Dorchester was quite large, and it would grow even larger as immigrants from Poland moved as a result of World War II and during the Solidarity movement.

Many of the younger generation has since moved on to cities like Randolph and Stoughton, but during the holidays hundreds of families return to the area to celebrate (in large part because Our Lady is the only church in the Boston area that offers daily mass in Polish).  With Poles ready to get their Easter on, the Polish Triangle is ready to once again serve as the destination for the Polish community to congregate in the Boston area.

It’s also where I chose to start this next itinerary…

Itinerary:

Afternoon: Lunch at Café Polonia, then explore Dorchester Heights
Evening: Dinner and Cocktails at Franklin Southie

 

Cafe Polonia

Afternoon:  Lunch at Café Polonia

Located just a few minutes from the Andrew Square T stop is Café Polonia, one of the few Polish restaurants in Boston.  Started by the same family that owns the Baltic European Deli across the street, this is the place to go for homemade Polish fare.

So, what should one order when at Café Polonia?  What is traditional Polish cuisine, even?  It’s certainly not Coconut Shrimp, which has somehow found its way onto the Café Polonia menu. But besides that little hiccup, this is a pretty authentic menu as far as I can see.

Poland may not have the same culinary reputation that other groups have, but they’ve done their part to make my stomach happy! Kielbasa, pierogies, and barszcz are all crowd favorites, and of course the crowning achievement of Polish cuisine is the invention of vodka.  Vodka is an aggressive choice for lunch, so let’s kick things off with a Polish brew.  Café Polonia place has several different offerings, from Zywiec to Tyskie and Okocim. In Poland the ladies will often get a shot of raspberry syrup in their beers – it’s an off-menu request, but they’ll serve it here too.

Mmm…

Soup is a big part of Polish cuisine.  While barszcz is as delicious as it’s hard to pronounce, I’d recommend checking out the soups of the day to see what they offer.  When I went most recently they had a great mushroom soup.

For the main entrée I go with my favorite – pierogies.  These little dumplings are served with many different stuffings – meat, cheese and potato, sweet cheese, mushroom and cabbage, etc.  I went with half meat, half sweet cheese. Served with onions and sour cream, this lunch hits the spot and is a great introduction to Polish cuisine.

Get in my belly!

 

About a 15 minute walk from Café Polonia is Dorchester Heights.  Why call this place Dorchester Heights if it’s located in Southie?  Dorchester used to be a lot bigger than it is today (which is saying something, considering Dot is the biggest neighborhood in Boston), and at one point Dorchester Heights was in Dorchester.

Dorchester Heights – come for the view!

Great, so what is this place and why should you go?  This is a location of historical significance that doesn’t get the same attention as other locations on the Freedom Trail.  There is a monument here (designed by the same firm that created the Custom House Tower in Boston) commemorating the role the area played in the Revolutionary War.

It was at this location (one of the highest natural geographic locations in Boston) that revolutionary troops gathered and occupied after the defeat of Bunker Hill, where they were able to regroup and build fortifications that forced British Troops to eventually withdraw from the city. That’s a BFD, no?

So, if you’re looking for a new place to visit, this is a beautiful park to walk around and explore on a nice day.

Evening: Dinner and drinks at Franklin Southie

If you haven’t noticed a trend yet, I enjoy a good drink.  I’ve tried to incorporate a good cocktail destination in each of my posts, and I was looking to continue that trend here.  I had heard good things about Franklin Southie but hadn’t had a chance to visit until last night. Being just a five minute drive from Dorchester Heights, I decided to give it a try.  I’m glad I did.

While the cocktails here may not be the same mixologist-level quality of other places I’ve recently reviewed, the drinks are tasty and bar is worthy of a visit.  They offer their own infusions, and provide a good selection of beers on tap.  While I did not have an opportunity to try any of the food here, what was coming out of the kitchen looked delicious (including their very own pig roast!).  With great ambiance, a fun vibe and what looks like outdoor patio space, I plan to come here in the future.

The bar at Franklin Southie

 

So, what did you think? What would you have done differently if you were writing a one-day itinerary for the Southie? Share your thoughts with us in our comments section. Cheers!

Alex: I like to make the most of my day, especially when visiting a new place. My itineraries tend to pack in as much as possible – attractions, museums, etc. – with stops for a drink between destinations. I love visiting main sites, but do my best to locate something off the beaten path that other tourists may not know about.

Southie: Let the Shenanigans Begin

Southie not only has some great bars/restaurants to visit, but it’s a great place to spend some time outdoors taking in the views of the harbor and Boston’s beautiful skyline. My itinerary will include a few bars, some great food and enjoying the outdoors.

Morning: L Street Diner
Afternoon: Sullivan’s and Castle Island
Evening: Shenannigans
Late Night: L Street Tavern

Morning: L Street Diner

One of my favorite places to go when I visit family in South Boston is the L Street Diner for breakfast. And it’s not because we get the best table in the joint when we visit (my Aunt is a regular), but the food always hits the spot.  You can’t go wrong with some eggs bene and a towering plate of bacon to start your day off right.

Once you are done with breakfast you may need a little exercise to keep you from retreating home and into an afternoon food coma, so just a short walk away is Sidewalk Café (“South Boston’s #1 Café”) where I think is one of the best places for iced coffee. So grab yourself an iced and get ready because this itinerary is not over.

South Boston has various outdoor areas to enjoy if the weather permits. Telegraph Hill, the Harborwalk and one of my favorite Boston landmarks, Castle Island.

Which leads into my recommendation for the afternoon…

Afternoon: Sullivan’s and Castle Island

Once you have reenergized and afternoon hits, lunch at Sullivan’s and a walk around Castle Island’s “Sugar Bowl” is a great way to spend the afternoon. Growing up I used to go to Castle Island for field trips with school and summer camp.  Bagged lunches, tag around the playground and watching airplanes practically land on top of you is where it is at.  The menu at Sullivan’s is simple, however they do manage to throw in a lobster roll and fish sandwich, because it is Boston after all.

Sullys’ lobstah roll

 

A fancy boxed lunch from Sullys

There are a few fun events that take place in the Castle Island area. One of which is the infamous, New Years Day Polar Plunge, where people from all over run into the freezing water, either to raise money for charity or because they are purely nuts.  It’s a fun tradition that always brings a big crowd to L Street Beach every January 1^st.  Some of the costumes you see are pretty entertaining.  I can’t say I have ever made “the plunge,” but I definitely support the cause.

Polar Plunge.. costumes welcome

         

 

Castle Island has always been one of my favorite places in Boston. It’s the type of place that is fun to visit year round; however, once “Sullys” opens its doors for the season, that’s truly the best time to visit.  My family has a personal attachment to Castle Island because of all the time we spent there growing up, especially my grandparents.  When they passed, we donated a bench to Castle Island in their memory.  So if you happen to see “the bench,” along your visit, take a seat and relax.

             

 

Once you are done taking in the sights of Castle Island and the harbor, you may need to head home for a nap to keep up with the remainder of the itinerary… or at least for an outfit change.

Evening: Shenannigans

Shenannigans is a nice, casual place to grab dinner and drinks. Conveniently located close to the Broadway train station for those that are not even going to attempt to find parking in Southie.  The menu offers traditional American fare with some favorites such as the Shepherd’s Pie and no Irish bar would complete without Bangers, Mash and Beans on the menu.  For those that enjoy live music, Shananigans hosts live reggae bands on Friday nights.  If this is not your cup of tea, hop up to The Playwright or Stats (as mentioned in James’ blog post) two other great bars that are fun to visit.

Shepherd’s Pie is a favorite

Now it’s off to another Southie gem for some drinks to round out the day….

Late Night: L Street Tavern

The L Street Tavern is a quaint, neighborhood bar that tends to have a group of regulars. They are harmless, I swear, just don’t look at them funny.  The L Street Tavern made Southie “famous” when Ben Affleck and Matt Damon filmed, Good Will Hunting, there in the early 90s and won many awards.  It may have been the movie to spark interest for others to film in Boston.

L Street Tavern has plenty of memorabilia around the bar to commemorate the success of the movie. I can remember the film crew hogging L Street from East Broadway to the Beach as we tried to visit my Aunt on East 6^th and maneuvering the lovely one- ways that fill Southie.

After some drinks to toast the night, you may be ready to head home. Don’t forget to come back to Southie and experience Castle Island when “Spring” finally shows itself.

I hope you enjoyed!

Diana – I enjoy spending as much time outside as possible even if that means finding a bar with a roof deck. I am always up for a challenge, whether it’s hiking a mountain, bowling or singing karaoke in front of complete strangers, I will do it. As long as the day involves a glass of wine, family or friends and a good laugh at the end of it, it’s alright in my book.