Inchu bowls
Photograph: Brian SamuelsBowls from InChu make for an excellent lunch at Time Out Market Boston.
Photograph: Brian Samuels

What to order for lunch at Time Out Market Boston

Whether you're craving a satisfying midday meal or light afternoon pick-me-up, Fenway's culinary hub has something for you.

Jacqueline Cain
Written by: Olivia Vanni
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The middle of the day is one of the busiest times at Time Out Market Boston because everybody needs a lunch break. Office workers, locals and out-of-towners alike head to the Fenway's culinary hub for lunch because it offers many options. (That's why it's busy in the mornings and evenings, too, but, we digress.) From hearty bowls and vegetarian bites to soups and satisfying sandwiches, there's a dish for any midday mood. Check out the best lunch dishes at Time Out Market Boston to refuel your day.

RECOMMENDED: Your guide to the food and drink at Time Out Market Boston

Best lunch at Time Out Market Boston

  • Fenway/Kenmore

Born in the South End, anoush'ella is beloved for easy lunch on the go without ever sacrificing flavor. The Middle Eastern eatery offers an assortment of filling wraps that make eating on the run actually enjoyable—not to mention, neat. The beef kofta wrap is an obvious winner, featuring a spiced skewer of juicy ground beef, hummus, sumac onions, tahini and zhoug all nicely enveloped in pita bread (regular or gluten-free). It comes with a side of baba ganoush, which brings just the right creaminess to the satisfying wrap.

New to the market in November 2024, POE-Lenta is an Italian café by noted Boston chef Brian Poe and Guillermo Guzman, chef de cuisine at Poe’s Beacon Hill eateries, the Tip Tap Room and Crane River Cheese Club. It's where to go for your salad and sandwich fix: There's an Italian sub, an Italian sub salad, vegetarian portobello sandwich and more on the menu. On chilly days, the roasted tomato soup with a grilled cheese crouton can't be beat. There is also house-made pasta—and of course, polenta.

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  • Fenway/Kenmore

Representing all Southern traditions of barbecue from North Carolina-style pulled pork to Kansas City burnt ends, Blue Ribbon is some of Boston's best barbecue. But maybe finger-lickin' stickiness isn't what you're looking for in a work lunch—and these consummate pros hear you. Their Time Out Market outpost offers up a slew of sandwiches, a barbecue burrito and bowls like rice with black-eyed corn and salsa, macaroni and cheese or big green salads topped with your choice of meat.

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Crispy nori tacos—filled with everything from ahi tuna, torched salmon teriyaki or mushroom tempura—are the main draw, but if you’re looking for a complete meal opt for a bento bowl filled with torched sashimi or spicy local tofu, served on your choice of local greens, seven-grain brown rice or sushi rice.

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  • Fenway/Kenmore

Sometimes, you just need something super substantial to keep powering through the day. Cusser’s comes through for you, with its hot roast beef sandwich. Piled high with rare wagyu beef, this handheld masterpiece can be consumed one of two ways: the 80 Thoreau, with cheddar cheese, pickled red onions and Thoreau sauce; or the North Shore Three-Way, with barbecue sauce, mayonnaise and jack cheese. Both are served on a griddled onion roll. Both make for an insanely delicious lunch.

  • Juice bars

One of Time Out Market Boston's morning go-tos, Squeeze is open all day with a range of made-to-order smoothies, açai bowls and toasts topped with avocado or banana. With roots as a juice bar at a gym, Squeeze is a great option for an afternoon pick-me-up.

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  • Fenway/Kenmore

We love a bountiful bowl for lunch, and InChu really delivers. While you can’t go wrong with the Asian-inspired eatery’s entire menu of rice- or salad-based mashups, we’re particularly fond of the Korean bibimbap here. Topped with a perfectly ​​fried egg, this dish is loaded with pickled daikon, carrot slaw, cucumber, bean sprouts, spinach and green onions. The sprinkle of sesame seeds and drizzle of gochujang-soy sauce only take this bowl over the top.

  • Fenway/Kenmore

Sandwiches usually get all of the lunch glory, but Clucks makes a strong case for soup stealing the spotlight when it comes to afternoon meals. An order of the spicy chicken and dumpling noodle soup will make any jam-packed schedule more bearable. The dish features a medley of hot ground chicken, ramen noodles and truffled chicken wontons, suspended in a bowl of flavor-packed bone broth that takes a full 48 hours to prepare. While a normal serving of this stuff will be sure to satisfy, you can always order more goodness by opting for extra wontons or more noodles, or by even adding some karaage fried chicken.

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  • Hamburgers
  • Fenway/Kenmore

Sometimes, nothing with satisfy like a beefy burger. For those moments, there's A&B Burgers. A burger specialist-turned-gastropub in Beverly, Mass., A&B goes back to basics for its counter at Time Out Market Boston—but there's nothing basic about these burgers. Event the standard "A" burger—American cheese, romaine, tomato, onion and A&B Sauce—uses high-quality, fresh ingredients and care to prepare. When you want to mix up lunch, try creative toppings like sweet & salty (burrata cheese, bacon, fig jam and romaine) or the hangover burger topped with a fried egg and bacon.

  • Fenway/Kenmore

Lunch is the perfect occasion for a quesadilla, and Taqueria El Barrio is the place to go. Frankly, any of the eatery’s cheesy tortilla creations will do—whether you get one crammed with carnitas, brimming with carne asada or done al pastor. We’d particularly like to vouch for the birria quesadilla, which is stuffed with tender beef and cheese, chopped onions and cilantro—all begging to be dipped into a cup of ridiculously rich broth. Just be sure to grab a stack of napkins.

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  • Fenway/Kenmore

Everyone needs a sugary boost to get through that last stretch of the day, and a Union Square donut will certainly do the trick—and then some. Every season, there’s an entire selection of new confections to try, but you can never go wrong with one of the bakery’s tried and true flavors. When in doubt, go for the Belgian Dark Chocolate, a light and fluffy piece of heaven coated in a rich dark chocolate glaze. It’ll make all of the memories of the morning just melt away.

  • Fenway/Kenmore

End lunch on a sweet note and make a stop by Far Out, which takes real fruit and spins it into soft serve-style vanilla and chocolate. Fan favorites include the Kookaberry (it's made with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries), but you should keep your eyes out for seasonal specials or create your own combination. Whatever you do, order your ice cream on a waffle cone—they churn them out fresh each and every day.

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