Channel Café

This is a great departure to your average sandwich/​salad lunch joint if you work in the Fort Point/​South Station area. The lunch options here are creative, tasty and filling.
My favorite here was the savory 3 mushroom burger which you can get with any of the burger toppings. I have also enjoyed some of the lighter options like the quinoa salad and forbidden rice salad.
It’s always super packed and hectic here during lunch, so this is not a spot to go to if you are in a rush. Staff is friendly and slightly inattentive, but we keep coming back because they lunch options are great.

I went here for the first time on a sunny Fall afternoon and the atmosphere and lighting in the café was so beautiful! It felt so peaceful and tranquil.
The service was good, cappuccino was good and their chocolate chip cookies are some of the best i’ve ever had! I can’t wait to go back here.

Been meaning to go here for lunch for the longest time and kind of reqret that I finally did.
The place looks great, art gallery + cozy at the same time, the menu was unique in its offerings, the staff is friendly (albeit slow service), but it failed to deliver in terms of taste.
My friend and I decided to split some appetizers and an entrée so we can try a few different dishes:
Sweet Potato Fries — I love sweet potato fries and these things were not fries. They were the limpest things ever and very bland. (OH, correction, just took a look at the menu and they are not fries, but baked sweet potato wedges! but still, I wouldn’t recommend.)
The Notorious P.I.G — pork belly with chocolate sauce — Pork belly’s all the craze now so of course we had to try this. It was a big cut… of heart clogging fat with a bit of overcooked meat attached to it, but the glaze was good.
The Northender — the proscuitto sandwich with quinoa salad — This was good, the side salad more so than the sandwich itself.
So I guess stick with the sandwiches and salads and skip the appetizers.

What a find, in an area with awesome lunch and dinner places, good breakfast is tough to find. Unilocal led me to this jewel this morning where I enjoyed the «Ft. Point Wrap»…bacon, spinach, eggs, cheddar, salsa verde, etc… it was remarkable. Added a large coffee which was just as good, and total came to $ 7.76.
Looks like a solid tap collection, too, including Rapscallion, Dogfish 90, etc for after work… and hear it is a great spot for private parties. There is a cool art gallery visible off the side.
Definitely will be back again soon!

The 5-​spice salmon salad is a really great, healthy lunch — awesome portion, and delicious! Only gripe is that the waitresses were both constantly coming over (it was a working lunch, please let us talk), and that they were a bit uncoordinated (multiple waitresses appeared to be working our table… we had to repeat ourselves every time a new waitress came over. «No, we’ve already been helped…»)
But solid food and a really cool building, with a small gallery attached!

Channel Café is a cute and artsy place to stop for a quick meal. They offer great salads and good burgers, and generally a lot of things that cater to the vegan and vegetarian diet. The space is very interesting (it’s an art gallery) and the staff is VERY friendly. They’ve always been very accommodating for my large lunch group at busy times, which is a big plus.

Yummy food surrounded by a fun artsy-​fartsy gallery. I’d get here early or at an off time to avoid the crowd. That seems to be your best bet for getting good service. The food is as good as they say. Mix it up and try something interesting off their specials menu. The tempeh meatballs were delicious — both tempeh tasting and meatball tasting at the same time. It also helps that they’re on LevelUp!

While it pains me to give a 1-​star rating because the food is great, the staff and management here is terrible.
This somewhat hidden Fort Point spot is a great lunch stop and has some great menu items and specials. This was by no means my first time at Channel Café and I was more than familiar with the long waits, the mediocre service and such, and sucked it up, but more recently, I was incredibly disappointed.
My party of 5 and I arrived early before the lunch rush (around 11:30/45AM) and there were only a few other occupied tables and we were seated promptly by the waitress. We placed our orders for drinks (which seemed mildly complicated for her) and waited for her to come to take our order. What seemed like a rather long intermission between being served drinks, she arrived, took our order, asked us to repeat some things while she visibly struggled to keep track of five orders and then disappeared. At this point the lunchtime rush had appeared and the place was packed. An HOUR later, we still had no food despite watching others seated after us be served. Finally fed up with the blatant lack of attention, I walked up to the counter and inquired. I was met by a very rude and unaccommodating manager, who replied that it was because of how we ordered our food cooked (4 medium/​medium rare burgers and 1 turkey sandwich) that caused our orders to be delayed. This of course was an unacceptable response when we saw many a burger floating around to the tables surrounding us and we realized our flighty waitress must have either misplaced our order or the like. Instead of accepting the terrible state of service, the manager made excuse after excuse and we still had to wait an additional 10 – 15 minutes for our meals to come out. Needless to say our food was OVER-​cooked (we did not order well done) and rather underwhelming. If we weren’t all starving at this point I surely would have left.
Upon leaving, there was not a single look or apology served as we marched up the stairs. I will certainly be lobbying that our lunchtime adventures by-​pass the Channel Café if we intend to have a sit-​down lunch, and I’ll stick to take-​out to avoid the terrible service.

Great breakfasts and lunches! Atmosphere was fun, relaxed and engaging. Lots of art to look at. Friendly and helpful staff. GREAT coffee. The prices were great and portions were medium to large (just right). I will be going back for sure! Also — it is an easy walk from the convention center and Weston hotel.
Sweet potato fries were great too. Give them a shot!

A delightful little option in Fort Pointe. Thank goodness I found it too, because I was getting really sick of Metro, Lucky’s, Barlow’s and Flour (*gasp*).
The ambiance is described as «trendy» which I think they appreciate. Art’s all over the walls and there is a gallery as well. I expected Zero 7 to be playing to give it that extra «trendaaay» umph.
For lunch, it can be a little spendy ($ 8 – 16) but the portions are generous and the food is pretty scrumptious/​fresh/​awesome. I’m into you getting a salad, chips or soup for your side. Or a quinoa salad/​sweet potato fries for an extra buck.
We got the BL&FGT (bacon, lettuce and fried green tomatoes) which was delicious with the soup of the day: black bean (meh. bland and forgetable) for $ 7 and a chicken sandwich of the day for $ 12.
Though it took us awhile to be seated and get our order taken, our food didn’t take oh so long… a pretty reasonable amount 15 minutes-​ish and they were packed.
Yep. Likin’ it.

Boston continues to surprise me when I least expect it. I had lunch here today with a professor, and I definitely owe him one for this gem.
Located in the basement of an office buildilng, it’s like a combination of earthy, industrial, and funky-​yet relaxing ambiance I’d expect to find in either the Sunset district in San Francisco, or Manhattan Beach in LA… or if you know NYC, gave me the impression of a mini Balthazar’s without the pretentious bankers.
I tried the gazpacho soup, while my prof had the super green soup. He had a chicken salad, while I had the… (see if i get this right.) BL&FGT sandwich (bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomato).
Unbelievably fantastic on all counts (I snuck a taste of his soup when he hit the restroom). I was looking for imperfections, but between the great food, décor, and service reminiscent of a small town friendly diner in Fort Worth, Texas, I think I’ve found a new entrant on the ‘Must Try’ Boston eatery checklist.
Two sandwiches and soups, with two bottomless premium ice teas came to $ 20. Just right for a sit-​down lunch in the city.

The dinner menu has no sandwiches, and for this café setting, seems all wrong. Prices for entrees were $ 14+ and the food just didn’t look that interesting. The hummus was bland and the «oink l’orange» was dry. Couple this disappointment with the fact that Rapscallion beer was on tap (yuck), I just don’t think this is a good stop for dinner.
On the plus side, they were catering a gallery reception on the first level, and it looked very nice. I just don’t see this as a dinner option in the future. The coffee bar looked extensive as well. The noise level was pretty loud due to the open space.

Cappuccino here is a dream, wonderful roasts and a masterfull barista. Coffee lovers need to visit here. Red Quinoa with mushrooms, spinach and… wait for it… nutritional yeast! That’s right, my vegan friends a garnish with all the Vitamin B12 you’ve been deficient in. This place is a gem. Heads Up Road Warriors who may stay down the road at the Westin this place is only a short walk away.
Despite what I read in other reviews, there are sweet potato fries on the menu! Yummm… sweet potato fries…
The space this restaurant inhabits is open, light which is a nice change and better vibe than the plain old four walled joints I usually eat in.

This place recently changed ownership so I may be first post!
Hmmm… the place was a little hard to find at night since the street is dark so i had to go by address instead of by store frontage. Parking was ridiculously easy since it was past 6pm and the parking police were done haunting the area’s meters. It was downstairs among a collection of small art galleries, but you won’t have trouble spotting it since it’s below an overlooking stairwell.
I really only came here for drinks with some friends so they get 3 stars automatically for providing bottles of beer, a quiet atmosphere and a bottle opener. We ordered the oink l’orange (Rich pork in an orange sauce with chocolate butter) and their rendition of lox (smoked salmon, capers with cream cheese and a bagel) to snack on. I’m sitting there draining a bottle of beer minding my own business, and WHAAMM… fine dining came out of nowhere like an unexpected folding chair to the back of the head. On one plate, a full square of tender rich pork with a syrupy orange sauce and a ball of chocolate butter to complement. On the other plate, a helping of smoked salmon topped with 3 capers that were novelly large and exotic on a bed of bagel chips, onions and whipped cream cheese on the side. They were plated beautifully and I found out later that the smoked salmon was made in-​house.
This place sells burgers and wraps as their mainstay with unique twists to them (green apples, boursin cheese, mushroom patties, etc.) and I can’t wait to come back to try them.

Cute location downstairs in a gallery. I wondered if it ever gets crowded, there were only 4 other people when I went on Friday at 6 pm.
I got the burger and beer for $ 10. (Friday between 5 – 7) I added sauteed mushrooms as well. It was a very good burger, with chips, and a salad! I would definitely go back!

Channel Café appeals on many levels. It’s in an artist studio building with an art gallery one room over from the dining room. Most of the food is good to great — I recommend the fish tacos or the quiche specials. Their pies are disappointing.
This is a sit-​down place, and prices are slightly higher than take-​out lunch in the area, but well worth an occasional treat.

When my friend invited me to his dinner party at Channel Café, I was pretty stoked to experience a different dining scene.
The inventive menu and innovative exhibit of local artwork locked in the first few stars for Channel. None of that artsy jargon or stuffy feeling that are norm at contemporary art museums — just fun, amateur interpretation. The live dj (thankfully) dropped beats at an acceptable volume. Really, this is a fantastic spot for groups and dates. My only disappointment was with the pretty vacant art gallery; I guess most of artwork had been sold.
After absorbing the ambiance, I quickly browsed the specials menu and ordered the steak of the day with sweet potato fries and onion tart. $ 20 is a bit steep for «café» prices, but I was pretty satisfied with my meal. «Tart» might be a bit misleading though since it was more like puff pastry garnished with grilled onions, but good nonetheless. The burgers and seared duck also received standing o’s from my dining companions.
A couple mishaps with service but no biggie: waiter tapped my shoulder to get my attention (not a big fan of touching from strangers, sorry). My steak was cooked medium-​rare when I asked for medium; good thing I was feeling indifferent anyway and could go either/​or.
I’d come back for the chill, low-​key atmosphere and awesome food. Plus, there’s virtually no table wait (even for large groups) since dinner option is relatively new for Channel. Now I must send a thank-​you note to my friend for his invitation. Gosh.

I had my eye on their fish tacos $ 14.95 (three soft flour tacos with roasted tilapia, avocado, salsa verde, jalapeños, jicama slaw, mesclun greens) for a couple of months now, so I was glad to finally have the chance to visit Channel Café.
If you’re going to drive there, let me begin by warning you to read the signs carefully before leaving your car parked anywhere. While the meters turn off at 6pm, certain spots turn into residential parking at that time.
A blackboard greeted us at the door listing the night’s specials… ooooo… the possibilities… but no. Fish tacos are calling my name.
My night did not start gracefully; as I attempted to walk through the open doors I turned to talk to my friend, and I almost walked right into the side of the glass door? wall? that wasn’t open. I only just caught myself in time to have my foot stepped on by my friend. So, yeah, watch where you are going… We still had to make our way down a flight of stairs to reach our dining destination.
The grilled local corn fritters $ 8.95 from the day’s special came three flat patties to an order garnished with a lightly spicy sauce and some greens. The soft orange insides were studded with sweet corn kernels and surrounded by a crispy outside.
The crostini $ 6.95 consisted of three slices of toasted baguette with your choice of toppings (we had one of each: sliced portobello steak, arugula, gorgonzola drizzle, port wine reduction; hand pulled pork, pickled red onion, romaine, spicy dijon; garlic shrimp, roasted tomato, basil pesto). The portobello didn’t stand out. The tomato was juicy under the shrimp. Somehow the toast under the leaf of lettuce cradling the shredded pork ended up moister than the other two. Order of preference: shrimp, pork, then portobello.
I picked out the slices of jalapenos off my fish tacos because I’m a spice wimp, and ended up with tacos without a lot of flavor. The fish chunks were moist, the avocado not quite ripe enough. Maybe I should have added some of the tasty slaw to the taco instead of just eating it separately? The greens either weren’t dressed or were only lightly dressed.
The honey glazed baby back ribs $ 15.95 with sweet potato fries, mesclun greens, balsamic were tender and very easy to separate from the bones. There was a nice little mountain of separated ribs on the plate, but when we counted the fries, they only numbered seven planks of orange and yellow. However, they were sweet and tender.
When it was time for dessert, they were unfortunately out of flour, so I couldn’t order the made to order cinnamon donuts with vanilla cream. :(Instead I ended up with a rather large chocolate chip cookie (served warm, but nothing special) and a taste of the bread & butter pudding with vanilla ice cream $ 6, which was burnt on the bottom and in other spots. While I like pudding, I think I’ve confirmed again that bread pudding doesn’t count as pudding to my taste buds… except maybe the chocolate croissant pudding at that chocolate buffet in a Boston hotel.
Our waiter was great and responsive. The attached room of art work neat to walk around. On the way to the single working bathroom in the back, I passed a net filled with fresh corn on the cob. Fresh produce! Yes!
ps — I spotted a table being served these really tall not that wide (4 in diameter?) hamburgers… hmmm…

The Channel Café is a charming little restaurant close to South Station. I like that it’s in the basement, and they took out the first floor to give the café a very open feel. I also really liked the art gallery right next to the restaurant space.
The food is excellent. I had a veggie burger, which tastes a lot like falafel but I’m not complaining. They have a special from 5−7pm where it’s $ 10 for a burger and a beer. The sweet potato fries with the five spice aioli are really really tasty. And even though it was a special occasion, they had the most heavenly cinammon sugar donuts with kona coffee ice cream.
Great place to go after work for a quick and good bite to eat.

When, you ask your friend to recommend a place, in an area she usually does lunch, you never know what you’ll get when you try to get dinner.
Channel Café was a pleasant surprise. It is a coffee haus, restaurant, art gallery all rolled into one. It may even be a laundromat too (I’ll get to that).
On the weekends they start serving dinner at 5pm, though they let us come in and order drinks at like 4.30pm. I think they were open early for a gallery tour or something.
Its easily the kind of place you could set up shop for lunch and stay all the way through dinner. They had live music playing which was a nice touch. The service was really great, our waiter answered all of our questions and gave us plenty of time. The food came out nice and hot. I had the Channel Burger and it was good. I think i preferred the burger at CODA more, but this place was good.
I want to go back and try their chicken sandwich because the breast they put on that thing was HUGE.
The atmosphere, the food selection (veggie, burger, meat, etc) will have something for everyone. The beer selection is great, and they serve coke in glass bottles. This place might not be for everyone … if you are a fan of corporate places, or don’t get that artsy kind of thing… then you might feel out of place. Otherwise if you just kick back, take in the surroundings and check out the art. You’ll have a blast.
It’s also fun to discuss why there are coin operated washing machines near the bathroom… but hey, if they have wifi, laundry and good food… i might just move in.