Years of planning, development, design, funding, and building have come to fruition for Boston’s brand spanking new Boston Public Market. The hard work has paid off at the beautifully designed space is filled with amazing artisanal vendors.
I have been waiting anxiously for the 30,000 sq. ft. indoor, local-only, year-round public market to open ever since the first sign went up on the windows at the space at Haymarket Station. I’ve enjoyed my walks by to catch my bus home as I’ve had the chance to take peeks into the windows as the window signage has come down
They have various kinds of vendors from ones that sell baked goods, produce, prepared foods, and meats. You can find everything from fresh local seafood to freshly made donuts and ice cream to stir fry.
I had the pleasure of attending a preview event of Boston Public Market on Wednesday night. Getting to tour the space was so exciting.
We started off in The Hub of the space, which is the central spot in the Market where they have displays to feature different vendors, the schedule of what classes and programs are happening in The Kitchen.
Directly off The Hub is an area that the architects nicknamed as “Meat Street” as that is where the butchers and seafood vendors are located. There are several vendors that sell organic, pasture raised meats (beef, chicken, lamb, rabbit, sausages, etc) and locally sourced seafood.
Reds Best is a Boston based fish whole-seller and retailer that prides itself in providing you with fish days sooner and fresher than the fish you can purchase from your local grocery store, for the same cost. They track all of their fish with bar-codes and scanners so you can learn where exactly your seafood came from and who fished it. It really is a unique system that allows you to connect with their network of fisherman.
The Kitchen is a 4,000 sf test kitchen style space connected to the market which has a kitchen set up to allow people to gather around for informal free classes or to attend a class to learn how to make a specialty meal. They are in the beginning stages of scheduling their class programming, but they are aiming to providing classes and cooking demonstrations at 3 price points – Free, $5-25, and $25- $85 depending on the length of class, topic, and ingredient cost.
It can even function as its own space to host parties, book signings, or classes well past the closing of the market (8pm). It’s such a fun idea to take a class together to learn how to make the dinner you are about to enjoy. Such a fun date night idea!
I couldn’t get over the amount of fresh flowers that were throughout the space. They were just so beautiful. I can’t wait to get some flowers one day on my way home to brighten up our home. I was eyeing some stunningly beautiful boutiques for just $8. Awesome.
Union Square Donuts is a favorite of mine (previously reviewed HERE) and anyone who has tried their amazing donuts. They are going to be very busy with people coming in for a donut on their way into work!
Then we stopped by and chatted with one of the lovely owners of Mother Juice, an organic, cold-pressed juice, smoothie and plant-based cafe. They started as a food truck and then went brick and mortar in Cambridge and now they have their stall in the market. They serve vegan and gluten free foods that they locally source. Obviously, they don’t get their bananas locally, but they do the majority of their sourcing locally, even from the other market vendors.
I absolutely love that the Boston Public Market has set up is a Cookbook Exchange. You can exchange cookbooks from ones you have well-loved (or maybe they are collecting some dust!) so that you can constantly try new cuisines from the cookbooks that are currently ready for exchange at the market.
The market will be a buzz with people, but the outside will have plenty of great bees buzzing around the area, including the near by Rose Kennedy Greenway.
Boston Honey Company has set up a hive in their stall where bees can come and go as they please through a hatch along the facade on Hanover Street. Take a peak and look for the large blue and yellow stickers, which help them locate the hive from the outside of the building. I learned so much about bees in just the few minutes that we stopped by the stall.
Be sure to sample some of their honeys! They have a lovely selection of honey from their bees that are established in Massachusetts, New York, and Georgia. The bees winter in Georgia while it’s too cold in New York and Massachusetts, where they have hives to pollinate apple trees and produce honey.
I tried and loved the Galberry variety, which is from their hives in Georgia.
Hopsters, a Newton based brewery, has a 1,000 sf beer alley, where they will sell beer, hard cider, and liquor brewed, fermented, and distilled in New England.
In connection to The Kitchen, they will do pairing classes. But if you can’t make it to a class be sure to request a sample of their beers (with proper ID, of course!).
Nella Pasta is nationally recognized for their deliciously unique varieties of freshly made pastas. I previously took a cooking class from the BCAE (recap HERE) and was able to first hand learn about their pastas and taste their fun varieties of ravioli, like roasted butternut squash & sage, broccoli, feta & toasted cashew, and potato, leek & roasted garlic.
While there owners Leigh and Rachel were busy at work producing a gluten free variety.
One of my favorite stops was at Red Apple Farm, based out of Phillipston, MA. We sampled their freshly fried apple cider donuts and apple crisp. Those mini cider donuts are going to be trouble for me this fall! Highly addictive.
I also picked up a bottle for their Fire Cider ($25), a apple cider vinegar based digestive tonic. I totally understand its namesake. Man, a shot of that really packs a punch!
Care for some fudge?
There are 3 non-food vendors in Boston Public Market. One such vendor is American Stonecraft, which is a Lowell based company that takes field stones from New England farms and cuts and hones them into trivets, coasters, and bowls.
From stunning, vibrant blooms, in season produce, organic meats, freshly made to-go meals and baked goods, the Boston Public Market offers something from everyone. The first of its kind to offer products from locally sourced farms, it’s a really special place.
Boston Public Market
100 Hanover Street( above the Haymarket MBTA station)
Wednesday — Sunday 8 a.m. — 8 p.m