Eight of the Best Takeout Spots in South Boston
Savor massive cheesesteaks, creative sushi, deep-fried Fluff, and more on this to-go traipse down Broadway and beyond.
Pasta at Fox & the Knife. / Photo by Alyssa Blumstein
Perhaps you started quarantine by baking banana bread only to realize a hard truth a few weeks later: Cooking for yourself is for suckers. Since you absolutely want to be supporting local restaurants right now anyway, we scoured Southie for eight excellent, to-go-friendly spots that will take you from breakfast to a food coma on the couch after a pasta dinner. Bon appétit!
AK’s Takeout and Delivery
Sometimes you don’t need a luxe dinner of deconstructed New American cuisine—you just need to devour some superlative pizza-parlor grub and call it a day. For that, turn to this Southie haunt with an enormous menu of all the basic food groups: pizzas, subs, salads, pastas, and barbecue dinners. You’ll find crisp-crusted favorites like a classic cheese pizza, but also specialty pies with globe-trotting inspirations, including slices topped with Portuguese linguica sausage and the paneer tikka pizza with chunks of cheese and spices cribbed from Indian cuisine. Steak tips and gyro dinners round out the dinner plate offerings, and if you’re feeling something more lean and green, check out the huge salads, like the house Greek with crispy iceberg and romaine lettuce, plus piles of feta.
309 D St., Boston, 617-269-3500, akstakeout.com.
Ramen at Fat Baby. / Photo by Toan Trinh
Fat Baby
Baby, it’s cold outside—and Fat Baby’s here to deliver piping hot bowls of chicken pho soup to your stoop, seven days a week. The bambino of the Broadway Restaurant Group (alongside elder siblings Lincoln Tavern, Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar, and Capo) slings standard sushi like California rolls, as well as specialty maki like the Flex: shrimp tempura with seared ribeye, black garlic aioli, and greens. You’ll also find playful noodle bowls, poke salads, and snacks such as crab rangoon with sweet chili plum sauce, Wagyu sliders with American cheese, and tuna-topped rice cakes. Don’t forget the kicky cocktails, including a to-go mai tai that brings a touch of tiki to your takeout.
18 Dorchester St, Boston, 617-766-3450, fatbabysouthboston.com.
Fox & the Knife
You could basically order blind at Karen Akunowicz’s Southie enoteca—just close your eyes and click randomly around the spot’s online menu—and be assured that whatever arrives at your door is bound to be your new favorite dinner. From the creamy burrata with warm walnut vinaigrette to the tagliatelle Bolognese that balances savory wild boar with the bright green zing of thyme, every ready-to-eat dish is a winner. But if you’re feeling slightly more motivated (and looking to claim all the credit for a restaurant-worthy meal), spring for the Fox Pasta program: It lets you choose packages of Akunowicz’s uncooked pastas, from curls of creste de gallo to bundles of bucatini, along with her dreamy sauces and other fresh-made goodies to whip up a meal at home.
28 W. Broadway, Boston, 617-766-8630, foxandtheknife.com.
Local 149
Sure, you should absolutely be eating vegetables and otherwise making smart nutritional choices when you can right now. But self-care also means indulging a little, so we have three words for you: Deep fried Fluff. This Southie spot’s absurdly decadent dessert offering, which pairs fried Fluff with peanut butter and Nutella, is enough to make you want to skip the main course all together. But you won’t, because Local looks to local ingredients to craft pub grub with a wink, from duck poppers (a classy cousin of the jalapeno variety, with herbed cream cheese and bacon) to chicken tenders battered with corn flakes and short ribs atop mac ‘n’ cheese. Plus, daily specials—from burger melt Mondays to steak dinner Fridays—make for good eats all week.
149 P St., Boston, 617-269-0900, local149.com.
Moonshine 152
Chef Asia Mei’s creative comfort food is basically tailor-made for eating on the couch wrapped in blankets by the fireplace—or maybe more accurately, the crackling Netflix equivalent: Everything feels familiar but has a contemporary touch. Moonshine’s new menu is divided into four “phases” (how 2020!) of appetizers, shareable plates, entrees, and desserts; standouts include bacon-wrapped bites of sourdough stuffing and tacos that bring the joy of hitting up a crowded street truck into your own home. The brunch menu beckons, too, especially the legendary Parks and Recreation-inspired Ron Swanson special, a huge quesadilla with smoky pulled pork and eggs in an oversized, house-made scallion pancake.
152 Dorchester Ave., Boston, 617-752-4191, moonshine152.com.
The Paramount
If your breakfast cooking skills begin and end at cereal, know that you can order some of the Paramount’s legendary early-morning eats to infuse weekend-brunch-style fun into even blah workdays. In the before times, you’d have to try your luck in the crowded parking lot and kill time during long (though worthwhile) waits for plates of caramel and banana French toast. Now, though, skip the wait and hop on the horn (or DoorDash) to score savory omelets and egg sandwiches, sides of Cajun home fries with just the right cayenne kick, and sweeter treats like malted waffles and chocolate chip-topped pancakes. Paramount peddles lunch and dinner too, with burgers, salads, tenderloin tips, and more American diner-style favorites.
667 E Broadway, Boston, 617-269-9999, paramountboston.com.
Rondo’s Submarine Sandwiches
There’s something to be said for an eatery that knows what it nails and is happy to stay in its lane, rather than dabble in too many different dishes. Case in point: The family-run Rondo’s is a beloved spot for everything served between two slices of bread, especially the cheesesteaks that spark lunch-rush lines. Neighborhood hubbub about the subs also invokes the standout chicken Parm and the overstuffed Italian, loaded up with hots and oil and vinegar. Heads up that the spot is cash-only, though the affordable prices and generous portions more than make up for missing out on those sweet credit card dining points.
134 W Broadway, Boston, 617-269-0274, Facebook.
Teriyaki House
This takeout standby on West Broadway proffers plates of Japanese and American-Chinese staples that you crave on a cold winter night: warming miso soup, bowls of soba noodles and delicate broth, General Tao’s chicken armed with a crispy kick. In true takeout fashion, the portions are also absolutely ginormous—buckets of food you vow to stop eating halfway through, but end up devouring anyway because it’s so good. Plus, the chicken teriyaki-sushi combos are a perfect choice if you’re ravenous and indecisive, with the pairing getting served alongside your choice of rice, miso soup, or salad.
32 W Broadway, Boston, 617-269-2000, teriyakihouse.com.
