With ponds, parks and plenty of foliage, it's almost easy to forget that Jamaica Plain’s 4.4 square mile neighborhood is home to more than just gorgeous greenery. From nouveau noshing to vintage shopping, the eclectically gritty streets of JP are jammed with jewels of the hidden variety. Read on in this edition of The Weekly Yelp to learn what funky finds await you just off the Orange Line.
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so what better way to rev your engines than with a breakfast brioche from Ula Café? Though "it's probably two days worth of calories," Kel F doesn't mind – it's "everything she's ever wanted in a breakfast sandwich." A short walk away at Centre Street Café, Deb Y is convinced that "magic elves work in the kitchen" because her food came out "piping hot within eight minutes" and was delicious to boot! Prefer to eat in the early afternoon? Grab lunch at Canto 6, where Maura M described her "Guac in the Park sandwich" as "delicious and refreshing and quintessentially summer."
For "a creative spin on decadent Southern home cooking," meet Drew J at Vee Vee and prepare yourself for a meal that he can only describe as "off-the-wall phenomenal." If you're lucky enough to snag yourself one of the "truly tiny"Ten Tables, Cecilia L guarantees the "local and seasonal ingredients prepared with flair" will be worth the effort of "tiptoeing around" the restaurant. And only in JP can Jon Vsay he has "an Irish castle in his yard, complete with roaring fire and laughing, drunk sailors." He's talking, of course, about James’s Gate, a pub that provides a sound selection of pub fare and wild antics.
If you aren't too full yet, consider some sartorial delights; this 'hood hosts everything from handcrafted frock shops to consignment stores with gently used and vintage finds. Have a hankering for headware? Molly F found her "zen moment of hat happiness" at Salmagundi. But for a place that truly "highlights the diverse urban-ness of JP," one must visit "delightful" store Dame with Heather S. After grabbing a quick bite, Cequesta K takes a stroll down to 40 South Street, a "haven for all things truly vintage and irresistibly funky." Yup, that sounds like JP.