Appleton Bakery Café

Funky fresh sandwiches come to the Back Bay, almost

On the Cheap by Jason Weinzimer

As any Back Bay worker will confirm, if lunch doesn't involve pizza, sushi, or a $9 turkey club, it probably involves a cab ride. No longer. With the opening of the South End's new Appleton Bakery Café, a proper funky-sandwich-on-a-budget joint is five minutes from Boylston on foot, tops. At this friendly, husband-and-wife-run shop near the corner of Dartmouth and Appleton, $4.95 buys you creations such as the Empire (roast beef topped with goat cheese, lettuce, roasted red peppers, and caramelized onions) or the Rome (grilled portobello mushroom cap with smoked gouda, grilled onion, lettuce, and sun-dried tomato pesto), fresh breads and garlic pickles included. Other choices include a turkey sandwich layered with havarti and sliced apple, and a lemon-caper tuna salad whose recipe belongs on every can. Between the cozy location and the friendly vibe, you'll feel like a regular after your second time in, and you'll be pricing nearby apartments after your third. Later in the day, locals can pick up dinner items such as crab cakes ($3.25) and pan-seared salmon ($4 to $6 per piece), cooked fresh in the store.

The Appleton Bakery Café, located at 123 Appleton Street, in Boston, is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call (617) 859-8222.

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