MY TIME AT TIMEOUT
Exploring Fenway’s Hottest Food Court
By Hollie Shuler
Time Out Market Boston is “Boston’s innovative eating-and-drinking destination,” and “features the city’s top chefs, most-talked-about restaurants and buzziest bars - plus the latest in arts and culture - all together in the heart of Fenway.”
The market’s food stalls serve burgers, fried chicken, sushi tacos, pizza, donuts, and anything else one’s heart could desire. I ordered the Vietnamese Banh Mi greens bowl from Inchu, and was blown away. The service at all of the stalls is excellent, and it’s obvious from the food and backgrounds of each restaurant that the people who opened these stalls are passionate about the food they are making.
Another unique component of Time Out Market is the abundance of events it offers. In March, the market celebrated Women’s History Month by hosting Boston’s Women’s Market. When I walked into the market I saw tables full of female vendors, selling an assortment of goods, most of which were female inspired. For example, one table featured a woman selling tote bags, mugs, and stickers with female empowerment quotes on them.
The market features DJ sets starting at 7 p.m. on weekends, pairing amazingly with its rotating charity cocktail, in which the market donates one dollar from every curated drink it sells to a local organization that supports the community. In March, the market offered a drink called “Phoenix Feather”, and the proceeds were donated to BAGLY, Boston’s alliance for LGBTQ+ youth.
In addition to DJ sets and other fun events, such as calligraphy classes and karaoke nights, Time Out also hosts Drag Bingo parties, which are completely free to participate in with chances to win prizes each round.
As a market perfectly nestled into a city full of colleges, it certainly knows its audience. At each stall in the market, if you show your student ID, you can get free additions to your order. At Unichi, I received a mango salad that was not even featured on the menu and it was spectacular. The free perks are different for every vendor, so it is a great way to try something new.
Once you have received your food, there are no shortages of dining areas within the market. Time Out even has outdoor seating with heaters so you can enjoy your food in whichever environment you prefer. I chose to dine outside in the sun, which made it feel like summer in the middle of March.
Overall, Time Out Market is a great place to go with a large group because of the variety of food options and places to enjoy the food. This way, there will be no issue with clashing food preferences within your group!
Time Out has a calendar for all of its events, which you can find here, so make sure to grab some friends and take the short journey from campus to Boston’s Time Out Market.