Vinal General Store

★★★★★ 5 (9)

"GET THE SOFT SERVE. Their flavors rotate monthly. I had piña colada: a pineapple Dole Whip and coconut swirl. Even though the pineapple was dairy-free, it was shockingly creamy. The small for $5 was sizable and perfect for an afternoon snack. You could get by with the mini for $4 too. Cute interior and friendly staff--really has that general store vibe with a hipster twist."

The Joint

★★★★☆ 4 (106) • $$

"This place is a paradox -- all food and drinks is ordered through the Toast app. Its cumbersome to say the least. But we got through it. The service and food to table was slow. There is next to zero interaction with the one wait staff person. Other than to seat us and ask if we had questions. The food was good. She had a burger and I had a falafel wrap. The sandwiches were very good, the fries very good too -- nice crisp.The other part is this place is expensive --- entrees are almost $20, beers, $8. And thats a lot for a burger and a wrap. Would I go back, likely not. Do I think the food was delicious, yup hence the 4 vs 3 stars. Better options in JP for less money."

Lambert's Marketplace

★★★★☆ 3.6 (158) • $

"A good deli and grocery store is located across from Boston Common. It has a deli with freshly prepared foods. Lambert's Marketplace is the only grocery store in this area so it doesn't have anything to compete against, which is a bad thing. High prices but they can get away with it. There's no reason they have to do anything because of the lack of competitors so they can also overcharge.It has some good things about it. One cool thing is the milkshake and smoothie machine. There's lots of flavors to choose from, and you see it made in front of you. Many people come here for the deli. There's a lot on the big menu. Lots of cheese. Sandwiches are okay but these are small portions. It usually has a salad bar. The selection on this isn't good so it's not recommended. Poor quality produce and it can also smell bad. The prices are very annoyingly high. Good for the fast convenience. It otherwise is only just okay. There's a good choice of organic and vegetarian friendly products."

The Quiet Few

★★★★★ 4.6 (100) • $$

"What a cool bar! My friends told me about this place while we were in eastie and I'm so glad they did. The menu has a ton of options from small bites to good portions. The fries and fries pickles are my favorite. I orders a Mexican salad once and it was tasty. The bar has typical options for drinks and pickle back shots if you're interested. The service is always great. Bring your friends or come on a date you won't regret it."

Formaggio Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.4 (268) • $$$

"First time to the big Huron shop. Normally, I frequent the South End location. This place has a bit of everything it seems. Bakery, meats, fish, prepared foods, and of course, cheese!The cheese selection is bar none. Can't be beat , at least in Boston anyway. As others have noted, sundries are over priced. The selection of crackers is a little high brow imo. No inexpensive normal crackers.I got 2 cheeses, a diet root beer and a small box of crackers and it cost me $41 after tax. Foolishly, I did not get the receipt. The cheese were only $24 total, so how did I make up the difference? Root beer was $3 and the crackers were $7. Did she charge me for an ice pack? If so, how much? Shawmut Ave doesn't charge for ice. Maybe she made an error and I didn't catch it until later.Anyway, disappointing first experience. But, I'll go back and be sure to check the receipt before I leave."

Pemberton Farms

★★★★☆ 4.1 (293) • $$

"My favorite grocery store ever! They have local foods that are just delicious, and the workers are the friendliest. Although their prices are expensive, the taste, quality, and the benefits of buying local are great! Just beware that you'll have to pay ~$1.25 extra, if you buy anything in a glass bottle."

Bazaar On Cambridge

★★★★☆ 4.1 (106) • $$

"Such a nice grocery store!I hadn't even heard of Bazaar on Cambridge until I received a Nift for this place. I finally got a chance to visit when we ran out of milk and didn't want to wait until we got groceries from our regular store. Stopped by Bazaar to get "only milk" and left with much more, haha.The produce section was so good. The quality was great - picked up some lovely potatoes first, followed by juicy red tomatoes. Also saw some excellent eggplant, scallions, avocados, etc. and all at great prices too. Finally got in the checkout line to wrap up my grocery visit. Then I noticed they also had fresh figs and added that to my haul too! Great collection of fruits that may not be easily available elsewhere. Overall the experience was great and I was glad to discover a small local grocery store. Looking forward to visiting again."

Cardullo's Gourmet Shoppe

★★★★☆ 3.9 (277) • $$

"A really neat shoppe where we essentially stopped to pick up some dessert on the run. We picked up some macaroons and chocolate. The variety of chocolate was plentiful. They also had plenty of other items to buy as well."

Thistle & Shamrock

★★★★☆ 4.2 (34)

"Great selection of items for sale. They stock beer, wine and delicious freshly baked bread, which is not something every corner store can say. Fresh coffee every day as well, which is great when I'm in a rush. They do wine tastings semi-regularly and will make a note of it on their sign out front to give passerby's a heads up--they often adorn this sign with funny jokes and facts, which brightens up my commute to work. Also they're dog friendly and always give treats to my pooch! This is one of the only places nearby where I can run in to grab groceries when I'm with Zoey, so I'll always come back here. Fun plants for decor too/excellent vibes all around."

Portside Market

★★★☆☆ 3 (4)

"Decent market. They have more wine than food. They have more specialty items than staples. Overpriced yet convenient."

Frank Anthony's Gourmet Market

★★★★☆ 3.7 (74) • $$

"I love the buffalo chicken caesar here. It's crazy how hard it is to find this kind of salad around Boston and the chicken is usually way too dry when you do find it, but FA's does it right. A bit too heavy on parm, croutons, and dressing but you can instruct them as they make the salad. The chicken is very flavorful with a homemade buffalo sauce, nice and moist (although not really crisp), and heated up on the grill before they add it atop your salad. I haven't tried anything other food. I docked off some stars because the service is beyond slow even when there is no line. The salad lady (it's always been this woman from my many experiences here) makes you wait until she has finished some random errand/activity to start making your salad. Seriously, I have waited like 5-10 full minutes until she started making my simple salad. This is in addition to the confusing layout such that you might wait in line for the wrong type of food - there is a specific line for the deli vs. salads vs. bakery. It has an OK selection of groceries, beer, and snacks but expect the prices to be high in bougie Seaport."

Golden Goose Market

★★★★☆ 3.7 (106) • $$$

"For such a small footprint, they really manage to pack it in! This urban supermarket has everything. You can not only get a decent selection of ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat stuff, but you can completely outfit your kitchen. A decent frozen section, a well cared for produce section, fresh meats and chicken, cleaners and paper products, lots and lots of wine and more.There's even a fresh salad bar!This is my 200th review of 2018!"

Giorgiana's

★★★★☆ 3.6 (66)

"Great place to pick up some provisions, a botte of wine, or a freshly prepared sandwich. Their breakfast is also a hidden gem. Great local market in the South End"

Cardullo's Gourmet Shoppe

★★★★☆ 3.5 (38)

"Favorite wine shop in town!! Cardullo's has a wide selection of wines; very organized by geographical location (and color) and easy to find in the store. In addition to wine, they carry liquor (just at this store in Seaport), beer, whiskey, and seltzers. The staff is always friendly and willing to help me find whatever I'm looking for. They even allow me to bring my pup inside the store every week while I shop for what I need. Cardullo's has a large selection of quality cheeses, chocolate, jam/honey, spices, candy, meats (prosciutto, salami), and crackers/chips. I've never been disappointed in any of the cheese I've bought here- they're all very tasty (and a handful are constantly rotated so you'll always have new ones to try). They also sell some very local (and niche) products - clam chowder, pickles, cookies, syrup, nuts, and tea. During the day they have a deli area of the store where you can order a fresh sandwich (just expect a long line around lunch time). Prices are fair (and the average) for their wines. Love this store and will keep coming back.Note all the ever-changing gift baskets they have throughout the store; make for great gifts around the holidays or birthdays!!"

Deluca's

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (128) • $$$

"Great sandwiches at decent prices. The rest of the store has many imported goods, expensive luxury items, and the biggest selection of chocolate I've ever seen. Just a great place to look around and explore, it's jam packed inside! Even when the line is out the door it only takes 15 minutes to get a sandwich during lunch rush. Check out is smooth too."

Ciao Roma

★★★★☆ 3.9 (238) • $$$

"This must be the CUTEST place in the North End. The decor screamed "good vibes" as soon as I walked through the door; pink leather chairs, marble bar, flowered wallpaper. It was vintage, boujee and fantastic.My husband and I met friends here for lunch. I appreciated that a "glossary" of Italian terms was on the menu so it was easy understand what you're ordering. We started with the calamari & arancini. Calamari was just average but the arancinis were excellent. I could have eaten 100 of them!For my entree, I got the eggplant parm with spaghetti. The menu stated the pasta was made fresh daily in-house, but the spaghetti was just ok/underwhelming. However, the eggplant was delicious! It was a layered eggplant with veggies in between the layers (roasted peppers & spinach). I ate every last bite! I would definitely recommend checking this place out for the ambiance alone, if not anything else. The decor is perfect for a girls day/night :)"

Happy Market & Spirits

★★★★★ 4.7 (29)

"Very very good store with a focus on fresh produce. Not much frozen product here but you won't go hungry.I've had a fair share of produce actually be rotten when I cut it open at home, but it's just something to keep in mind.Very excellent. Thanks Happy Market."

The Wine & Cheese Cask

★★★★☆ 3.9 (171)

"Lovely store with great selection of wines, cheeses and beers. Two rooms dedicated to wine are guaranteed to have something you like. There are shelves of liquor, but it's certainly not their strong suit. There are many fridges of beer, including lots of cool local beers. I particularly like a seasonal IPA called "G Fresh" I've only ever found here. For cheeses and other things it also appears very strong. Staff is nice and it is one of the few options in its area. Highly recommend!"

DeLuca's Market

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (89)

"I came to Dealuca's for a free wine tasting. They had 4 options, as well as a whiskey. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. I would certainly come back! Also important to note that the wine area is a bit hard to find, but they have a great selection."

Minuteman Diner

★★★★☆ 3.7 (86) • $$

"I am IMPRESSED. Doesn't look like much from the outside, but the food is actually pretty good! The have a big menu and lots of variety for breakfast/brunch.The atmosphere is great, the employees were super friendly and nice to us as well as themselves. I liked the way they communicated to eachother, it shows that they have a organized work ethic back there.The food came out fast, and the quality of food was great! Smoked salmon Benedict - 8/10 This is my first time having eggs Benedict! I am impressed at the size of this thing! The smoked salmon is fresh and delicious, goes really well with the sauce. The egg is a soft sunny side up egg, but I think traditionally it's suppose to be poached but it still tasted good. The hollandaise sauce itself was okay, didn't have enough flavor in my opinion but nice consistency. The potatos were nice and crisp! Chicken and Waffles - 8/10The best chicken and waffles ever! The waffle is HUGEEE and super fluffy and crisp on the outside. I love these waffles! The chicken itself was okay, definitely didn't taste fresh. Overall, this is a great diner. Lots of options for everyone and personally I'm not a breakfast person but I still enjoyed my experience here!"

Village Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.2 (257) • $$

"This place is a hidden gem. It opened at 7:00 and filled right up. I must be the last to discover this place.I don't know how they remember everything on their menu. There was so much to choose from.As soon as I sat down I was given a menu and water. They had four people in the kitchen and three people handling the customers.I had the "ultimate omelet" with mushrooms and Swiss cheese. They gave me a choice of 5 cheeses. Then I had raisin toast. I usually don't see this option. The interior was all wood, finished wooden counter, wooden booths, pretty ritzy for a greesy spoon.I wish I had found this place sooner. I would return."

Topshelf

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (21) • $$

"800 stars. I came in to buy a vase and flowers to bring to MGH. I had a vague idea of what I wanted, and as their prearranged flowers offered limited options and several had already been purchased for the hospital room in question, I decided to buy by-the-stem. I got talking to the owner/manager who was just a good guy, interested without prying to the reason why I was buying flowers, and just cool. He could tell I was pretty much on edge, nervous and strung out from being sleep deprived, so he kept adding flowers to my selected bunch "on the house".When I went to pay, for what was at least $30 of flowers and an $8 vase, he said "$15, bro. Everything is going to be fine, best hospital in the country" Gave him a pound and felt great about the experience, and I really needed it. On the way back home, I stopped in and purchased a very reasonably priced bottle of Shiraz to help me sleep off some nerves.Go out of your way to patronize this establishment. It is flowers. It is grocery essentials. It is snacks. It is wine, beer and tobacco. It is directly across from the Charles/MGH Red Line stop. It is awesome."

Fort Point Market

★★★★☆ 4.2 (47)

"Hidden gem beer market with loads of wine to boot. Organized by style - from seasonal radlers and shandies to timeless high-gravity concoctions - it's a densely packed den of local and near-local crafts. I found several faves including a fresh batch of Maine Beer's Lunch just out and in the cooler, as opposed to stored in stock and avail in limited supply.Prices are reasonable, with tall boy four-packs averaging out at $11-12. Killer spot, and well worth a stop when in Rome."