Lunch with friends seems like a simple enough thing: You pick a day and gather for lunch. Right? Wrong. Some friends can do weekdays on a quiet work day while others prefer a weekend. Some friends have a car and worry about parking while others prefer to take the T. Then there is the problem of picking the right restaurant. Others can squeeze in lunch but need to run errands or fit in a workout too. Although, I have been lunching at Assembly Row long before this partnership, this post is sponsored by the folks at Assembly Row.
Fear not, Assembly Row has you covered for all these cases. Let’s start with getting there. Assembly Row is on the orange line so your friend on the T can get there easily. There is a large garage that has free parking, as well as a few metered spots and nearby parking lots for those of you driving in for lunch.
For the yogis in the group, you can gather at 9am on Saturdays for a yoga session before lunch. Reserve your spot for these free classes run by Lisa of some yoga studio.
Your lunch options are many. My daughter and I like to have a casual lunch of soup, sandwich or salad at Paul Bakery. It is also great for a pre-movie quick bite when you don’t have time to stop in at a restaurant.
I enjoy the chill, chic space, seemingly endless and delicious menu at Fuji at Assembly. Even if sushi isn’t everyone’s taste the menu goes way beyond sushi. Don’t leave without trying a cocktail, the gold flake shrimp dumplings, and the spicy chicken wings.
River Bar has a unique and quirky menu to enjoy from prime spots at the indoor patio bar overlooking the Mystic, around one of the fire pits, or in the airy and open dining room. The menu is full of interesting and delicious plates, but you may not want to dine with your picky eater BFF. If she can’t find anything on the menu she likes, stop in for a drink or two and then grab a bite nearby instead. Gather here with your friends who are keen on kimchi, plotz over homemade pickles, and are eager for eggplant in fried eggplant sandwiches with tonkatsu sauce and grilled scallions.
Newcomer, Southern Kin Cookhouse, is a place you might become a regular at. Settle into your favourite blue plaid booth with a cute glass jar dispenser full of some lovely spiked drink for your table of four. Or maybe, lunch will turn into after work cocktails and a biscuit once a month. The biscuit menu includes the basic farmhouse biscuit (that is more heavenly than basic), the southern fried chicken biscuit with hot pepper jelly and fresno chili maple drizzle, the gussied up biscuit with buttermilk fried chicken smothered in sausage sawmill gravy, and the hog and hooch biscuit with cider whisky glazed pork belly, fried green tomatoes, pickled Fresno chilis, and chow chow relish. Then again, you have to try the chicken and waffles that have the nice crunch of cornmeal in them. On the other hand, missing out on the shrimp and grits would be a huge mistake. This is why becoming regulars for lunch or dinner at Southern Kin is probably a good idea. Oh and if the yoga class left you feeling like a lighter lunch there are some delectable salads to choose from.
Legal on The Mystic has the classic (and extensive) Legal Seafoods menu as well as a river side patio for outdoor dining. Tony C’s is great for your sports fix and a little junk food on the side or a little of this and a little of that like salad and some fries. A full list of restaurant options at Assembly Row can be found here.
