😛🌴 Out: Tapas. In: Pu pu platters.

😭 BREAKING: The Scots said they think Boston > New York. Please consult this chart for our official emotional response.

🏋️ Psst! Try a viral Boston workout for less. We're hosting our second Summer Wellness Series meetup at FORMAT's South Boston studio on July 16 — a 50-minute beginner-friendly strength class followed by a rooftop sunset hang with freebies from local businesses. B-Side Member tickets are just $15. Grab your spot here!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Out: Tapas. In: Pu pu platters. For this month’s edition of B-Side Certified, you sent us to Kowloon Tiki on the Beach in Revere, the new tiki-inspired sequel to the iconic Route 1 Chinese restaurant. 

Here’s what we thought:  

THE VIBES

🌴 5 o’clock somewhere? More like 2 p.m. at Kowloon. Maybe it was the U.S. World Cup game. Maybe it was the 80 and sunny forecast. But this sun-splashed spot was BUZZIN’ on a Friday afternoon. Between the collection of kitchy tiki decor, the surfboards hanging from the ceiling, and palm trees wedged in every corner, we almost forgot we were just a short walk from the Blue Line. We snagged two open seats at the bar — the perfect spot to watch our charming bartender craft boozy concoctions (and the U.S. take down Australia).

FOOD & DRINK

🍹 Things that were also buzzin’: THE DRINKS. We ordered the legendary Kowloon mai tai ($17) flooded with dark rum, gold rum, orange curacao, and passionfruit liqueur, all served in a tiki-face mug — perfectly tart, fruity, and very boozy. The rum-based “This Is My City” ($18), delivered in a generously-sized coupe glass, felt slightly more sophisticated, with sweeter, warming notes from the ginger beer and honey. Fair warning: A few sips of both on an empty stomach had Emily’s mouth numb. 

😛 One non-negotiable: The Tiki Pu Pu Platter ($32.95). Oh, you don’t want your favorite Chinese apps delivered on a flaming lazy Susan? Weird. All jokes aside, the pork on the boneless spare ribs was succulent and juicy, and the chunky, crunchy chicken fingers dipped in duck sauce tasted like childhood. TBH, the fry on the crab rangoons was kinda pale and bland, but was thankfully saved by the salty, cream-cheesy filling. Pro-tip: Swap the fried chicken wings for the iconic Saugus wings dripping in a sticky, sweet garlic sauce. Magnifique! 

🍍 The tiki menu had some sneaky bangers. See: the pineapple-soy marinated huli huli chicken ($24) served with spam fried rice that literally fell off the bone (and was a v approachable way to try spam!). The poke tuna tacos ($21.50) packed with jicama slaw also offered a refreshing bite from the mountain of fried. We’d skip the pineapple upside-down cake ($11.50) — it tasted like a dry, store-bought afterthought. But are you really here for dessert?

VALUE

😛 Simply put: You will ROLL out. Two drinks, one pu pu platter, two entrees, and one dessert later, we spent ~$162, including tax and tip … and didn’t eat again until 9 p.m. TBH, a shared pu pu platter could honestly do the job, depending how hungry you are.

✅ Final verdict: B-Side Certified. You’re coming for kitschy vibes, strong drinks, and nostalgic bites. A round of mai tais, a flaming pu pu platter, and beating a dead horse with the gals could heal us. 

🎭👻 Going out to dinner is nice. But shared psychological distress? That’s where real memories are made. “Paranormal Activity” — the new stage adaptation inspired by the iconic horror franchise — is haunting the Emerson Colonial Theatre from July 11-30 before heading to Broadway. And because fear is always better with a witness, B-Side readers can get two tickets for $99 with code BSIDE99. Bring your bravest friend, grab tickets, and prepare to scream in unison.

🚽 Logan’s new bathrooms are giving ~spa~. Before tourists flooded in for the World Cup, eight airport bathrooms got renovated as part of a $30 million facelift — and let’s just say, they are gorg. Imagine: Sleek white countertops, huge stalls, potted orchids, and a refresh bar for you to just zhuzh yourself up after getting off a flight. Over the next two years, 20 more will get the same pampered treatment, AND there are even plans to create a signature Logan scent (which hopefully won’t be burnt Dunkin’ coffee and jet fuel).

🛍️ The Porter Square Shopping Center? We don’t know her. ‘Cause she’s now The Mix. Don’t worry, she’s still home to beloved staples like Dunkin’, Stop & Shop, Cambridge Naturals, and Cafe Zing, but the rebrand is supposedly more than just a new paint coat. The vision is to spruce up the plaza into a community hang with live tunes and workout classes. But locals are skeptical that anyone would call it anything other than … the Porter Square Shopping Center. P.S. Its launch party is on June 24. 

🌲 DCR really said, “Please touch grass.” Enter: The Park Passport Challenge. From now through Nov. 1, you can collect unique stamps from a dozen different state parks, forests, and reservoirs in Mass. Bonus: You’ll also get a water bottle sticker for every stamp. And if you hit all 12, you’ll be entered into a grand prize drawing, which includes Harbor Island passes, a 2027 DCR parks pass, and camping equipment. But TBH, we were already sold at stickers.

⚽ The Scots aren’t the only reason we’re smiling over the World Cup. First, Cape Verdeans are having their moment. Mass. is home to the largest population of Cape Verdeans outside of their country, and the locals were PUMPED to watch their first-ever World Cup goal. Also, Revere, a.k.a. New England’s major Moroccan hub, is poppin’ off with red and green, as fans from as far as the Middle East gathered here to celebrate their win over Scotland. BRB, we’re practicing our “Cabo Verde” and “Dima Maghreb” chants!

⚽ World Cup got you itching to try a sport? We have just the thing for you. Skip the ultra-competitive leagues and jump into Volo’s fun, low-pressure offerings. Try a league like cup in hand kickball, flip cup volleyball, or cornhole. Or, attend one of Volo’s events like the Pride Dinks n’ Drinks on June 27 at Club Volo in Assembly Row. Come solo or with friends, meet new people, and get in for free if you’re a B-Side Member!

We didn’t think a seal stuffed animal would make us cry. Until we met Slippery. 

Slippery is a small white seal plushie who’s apparently been through everything with his owner Laney (@laneyinboston), from morning coffees to college graduation. Basically, her emotional support blanket. 

But last week, Laney tragically lost him at a Boston World Cup watch party. She spent days searching the watch party site, asking people downtown, holding up a missing poster, and sharing the news online. And millions of viewers were HOOKED on her journey to find him, to say the least.

Thankfully, the internet did its thing. Laney recently posted a video of a Scottish man in a kilt reuniting her with Slippery — the moment her and her fans had literally been praying for. 

Someone commented, “Best news of 2026 tbh.” Honestly, yeah.

— Written by Kelly Chan and Emily Schario

🦭 Thanks for reading! OK but … how do you know it’s him???

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, Emerson Colonial Theatre, for supporting local journalism and turning a night out at the theater into a core memory. 

🦆 The results are in: 39% of you actually LOVE a duck boat tour. But one B-Sider said, “I'm always tempted to quack at them when they drive by me but then I get stage fright.” Quack with your full chest, mama!

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and X. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] and [email protected].