Aquarium Plaza Café

Eat with the fishes

On the Cheap by Theresa Regli

Amid the mess of the Big Dig, the New England Aquarium plaza has long been an oasis. Now a recent remodeling has given it not only a more visually striking entrance but also a spiffy little café.

Sit on Central Wharf with your back to the city and you'll have a panoramic view of the harbor while munching on a wrap stuffed with smoked ham, grilled chicken, vegetables, tuna salad, or cheese ($5.75 to $6.25). The bowl of gazpacho ($3.25), which is mostly puréed tomatoes with a bit of cucumber, onions, and big croutons, is a nice start; it's got the refreshingly spicy kick that this Spanish cold soup is meant to have. The salads are big and fresh; of particular note is the lobster salad ($10.95), which is a big heap of lobster chunks on a bed of romaine lettuce with cherry tomatoes.

Nothing at the Plaza Café should be eaten without one of the fruit smoothies ($3.75), which come in tropical fruit, strawberry-banana, orange-pineapple, and nonalcoholic piña colada varieties. After 4 p.m., cocktails, wine, and beer are also served.

The Aquarium Plaza Café is open daily during the summer and fall, weather permitting, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Call (617) 973-5213.

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