Parish Café

Parish Café claims to be the place to find “sandwiches of the chefs,” and it doesn’t disappoint.  Located at 361 Boylston Street, Parish took a simple concept and made a menu out of it.  It is primarily a collection of sandwiches created by famous local chefs.  The result is a restaurant serving unique, high quality, filling sandwiches for a reasonable price.

Food

The two most popular sandwiches are The Zuni Roll and Rowdy’s Famous Chicken Sandwich.  Both of these come with a choice of potato salad or cole slaw.  I’d get the potato salad unless you are a true mayonnaise lover.

 The Zuni Roll is basically Thanksgiving dinner leftovers in a wrap.  But trust me; it’s like no leftovers you have ever made before.  The turkey is moist, the havarti cheese is just strong enough, and the cranberry-chipotle sauce is served on the side for dipping.  It’s one of the only wraps I’ve ever had that stays neat and together the entire time you’re eating it, so none of it ends up on your lap or all over your face.

 Rowdy’s Famous Chicken Sandwich on the other hand is a huge mess, but the most delicious mess possible.  It’s a piece of breaded, baked chicken, smothered with melted swiss and cheddar cheeses, lettuce, tomato, and apple wood smoked bacon.  The best part of this dish however is the homemade chipotle aioli.  It’s creamy, spicy and full of flavor.  So if you’re not counting calories, I suggest getting it on the sandwich AND an additional side of it to dip your potato salad in (yes, it’s that good).

 Last but not least is the Mexican Meatball Sub.  This sandwich is not for the faint of heart or faint of taste buds; this meatball sub has some serious heat to it.  It has three huge meatballs, infused with cilantro, covered with spicy pepper jack cheese.  It’s also served with a delicious chipotle and jalapeño au jus on the side.  If you are a spicy food enthusiast then this is the dish for you.

Complaints

While there are plenty of choices for vegetarians, there are almost no gluten-free options.  I know it’s hard to do a gluten-free sandwich, but even all of the entrée’s and desserts have gluten in them.  Out of the entire menu only one appetizer out of five is gluten free and a mere two of the six salads are gluten free.

 It’s also in a popular location, so be prepared to wait for a table if you’re going for dinner.  There’s an outdoor patio on the smaller side, and the restaurant on the inside isn’t huge either.  I would suggest making a reservation because the bar is also small, so having a drink while waiting isn’t as easy as it sounds.  If you do get a bar seat then you will be treated to a large list of beers (over 100) and impressive house martinis.

 Rating:

3 out of 4 forks

 If you are in Boston, you like sandwiches, and you like them on the creative and decadent side, you’ll love Parish Café.