Memorial Day weekend has become synonymous with one of the biggest festivals on the east coast. With three prefect weather days, this year is no exception. Having the pleasure of once again attending the festival, here are some of the best things to eat at Boston Calling.
I hit the Harvard grounds early to get the scoop on all the local food options that will be here throughout the weekend. I indulged in the dirty work and tried many of the most unique tastes. Somebody had to do it.
Boston Calling makes a solid effort to showcase local cuisines. This includes small businesses, food trucks, and homegrown chefs. If New England seafood is not your thing at a concert, you have plenty of other choices. In fact, it’s hard to think of a cuisine type that is not present on the festival grounds.
“Boasting hundreds of standout dishes ranging from handcrafted dumplings to mouth-watering fried chicken to authentic Mexican street food, this year’s festival rolls out an impressive collection of culinary gems, award-winning chefs, and returning fan favorites – all local to the Greater Boston region,” the festival said via a press release.
Furthermore, many beverage distributors made their festival presence an experience. Watching a set from the Truly top deck allowed you to really take in the crowd. The same held true for the Jack Daniels tavern that rested alongside the VIP area stage right of the Green Stage.
Before we get into the tastes you can’t miss, below is a reminder of the full lineup.
Traditionally, Boston Calling offers a great blend of festival favorites and local flavors. This year will certainly follow that pattern, offering something for everyone.
Here’s What You Can Eat At Boston Calling
- Blackbird Doughnuts + Sally’s Sandwiches
- Chicken & Rice Guys
- Dean’s Concessions
- Dumpling Daughter
- El Jefe’s Taqueria
- Flour Bakery + Cafe
- FoMu Ice Cream
- Greco
- Jaju Pierogi
- Lily P’s Fried Chicken
- Love Art Sushi
- Moyzilla
- Naco Taco
- PieSons Pizza
- Rice Burg
- Ricen (new)
- Roxy’s Grilled Cheese
- Shaking Crab (new)
- Tasty Burger
- The Chubby Chickpea
- The Flatbread Company
- The MacBar (new)
- The Sausage Guy
- The Smoke Shop BBQ
- Zinneken’s
Here Is The Boston Calling Drink Menu
- Miller Lite
- Miller High Life
- Sam Adams Summer Ale
- Sam Adams Wicked Hazy New England IPA
- Heineken
- Heineken Light
- Heineken Zero
- Truly Wild Berry
- Truly Strawberry Lemonade
- Twisted Tea
- Josh Cellars Wine
- Jack Daniel’s
- White Claw Vodka
- Mamitas Tequila Seltzer
The featured image here is a blueberry chocolate waffle from Zinneken’s. They are located in Harvard Square and have a truck in Boston. At Boston Calling, they are in the food lineup closest to the Dunkin’ booth.
El Jefe’s Taqueria
We’ll save the best for… first. El Jefe’s Taqueria’s nacho platter is not to be missed, even on a hot day. It comes with your choice of taco ground beef, chicken, steak, or no meat at all. Here, you will see it topped with cheese sauce, ground beef, guacamole, lettuce, and pico. This is as local as it gets, with one of their main restaurants being right here in Harvard Square.
Flatbread Pizza Company
Always trust a pizza place that brings their own wood-fired oven to a festival. That’s what we have here with Flatbread Pizza company. Every few minute fresh pies are coming out of the oven. You can purchase slices or order an entire pie. This is one of those spots that will have lines miles deep when the sun goes down. Or it will be empty because they sold out.
The MacBar
New to the food lineup this year, is the MacBar. It is exactly what it sounds like, a Boston-based mac and cheese restaurant. What I liked best here is that you are not overwhelmed by the menu, which can happen a lot at a specialty restaurant of this kind, where they try to fancy-up the mac way too much. Here, you can get a simple cup of comfort food or add some pulled pork on top. An important festival side note – this item is very easy to walk around with and doesn’t require a lot of napkins to be stuffed in your back pocket. The ice cream sandwich on the other hand, while it’s a nice touch to the menu, if you don’t eat it in two bites, then grab some napkins due to the heat.
Blackbird Doughnuts
Back by popular demand, the most decedent food both of the bunch. Blackbird Doughnuts has an ideal spot in the food lineup as the dessert specialty in a row of hot food items. You can see the trays of freshly prepared donuts right in front of you. The frosted strawberry drips down its sides as only a homemade donut would.
