🤑🍜 Surprise! We found lunch under $10.

🤧 Consider this your permission slip to call in sick. Noah Kahan’s documentary, “Noah Kahan: Out of Body,” officially drops today on Netflix. And you better believe last year’s Fenway show made a cameo. We dare you to watch the trailer without crying.

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

A $17 Sweetgreen bowl simply ain’t gonna cut it in this economy. 

Reader Quinn Barton asked us where the corporate girlies get cheap lunch downtown. So we rounded up recs from our team, our friends, and our wonderfully picky followers for this month’s edition of B-Side Hotline to save you some dough.

🥪 Al’s Subs, Multiple locations. Now THIS we can co-sign! Al’s is the epitome of a no-frills sandwich shop (they’ll yell at you if you hold up the line). But it’s a small price to pay when you can get a sub the size of your face, a bag of chips, and a soda for their ~$14 lunch deal. The chicken salad is our go-to, but we also rock with the steak and cheese if we feel like taking a nap after lunch.

🍖 Salumeria Italiana, North End. Basically everyone we talked to mentioned this old-school North End Italian joint when we did our sandwich telephone tag. Not only do the sammies live up to the hype — think: cut-to-order meats, cheeses, and fresh veggies piled on Iggy’s bread — but they’re shockingly affordable. Most will run you around $11, but the Caprese is just $9. 

🍣 Avana Sushi, Downtown. The words “sushi” and “cheap” don’t typically exist in the same sentence unless it ends with a trip to the bathroom, but Avana’s luncheon special is the exception. Pick two rolls and your choice of a soda, water, or cup of miso soup (our pref) for $12.95. Is it life-changing sushi? No. But it’s very solid. It’s also highway robbery given ONE Whole Foods roll can run you ~$12.

This month’s expert is Rachel Leah Blumenthal, Boston magazine’s fabulous food editor, who knows a thing or two about a great lunch.

😋 Bánh Mì Ok, Downtown Crossing. The name undersells it: These School Street sandwiches — under $10 each — are more than OK and certainly hold their own among the top picks nearby in Chinatown. It’s thanks in part to the bread, with just the right ratio of crunch to softness. I’m partial to the barbecue pork, but there are options for every taste, including a vegan one with marinated tofu. 

🍜 Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Cafe, Downtown Crossing. The signature Xi’an-style hand-pulled noodles (#4 on the menu) are thick, chewy, and flavorful, topped liberally with crushed cayenne, garlic, scallion, and cilantro. They’ll run you under $10, and for about $2, you can add a small skewer of cumin lamb or a tea egg. Caveat: Maybe don’t pick this on a day with lots of one-on-one meetings — it’s garlicky to the max.

🤔 Want your questions answered on the next B-Side Hotline? Drop them here!

⚾📚🌴 At College of Charleston, you’re getting more than a degree. We’re talking top-ranked programs, nationally recognized faculty, and D1 sports if that’s your thing. The Life Design Center helps you actually figure out your future (groundbreaking), while Charleston brings the beaches, charm, and one of the South’s strongest job markets. Good school. Good city. Good decisions all around. Plan your visit.

😎 This week’s forecast: Shorts weather. There are growing signs that Tuesday and Wednesday could be very warm, like 80-degrees warm. Really, this whole week is shaping up to have several days in the 60s and 70s, with very little humidity *chef’s kiss*. But don’t think we’ve turned the summer-weather corner just yet. Lest we forget when Logan Airport reached 83 degrees on April 19 last year … and then we had to wait till early May to top 80 degrees again (and that was it for the month).

🏆 The Celtics, Bruins, and the Fleet are all locked in for the playoffs. Despite being Jayson Tatum-less for most of the season, the C’s officially clinched the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The B’s got in by the skin of their teeth, thanks to a few teams losing this weekend (lol). And the Fleet … well they punched their post-season ticket weeks ago, becoming the fastest team in history to secure their playoff spot. Also, how ‘bout that sold-out crowd at the Garden?

☕ Pssst! The Nitro Bar could be coming to Boston. It appears the Ocean State could be blessing us with more than just The Real Housewives. Enter: The Nitro Bar, a TikTok-famous coffee shop known for its funky lattes — see: red velvet and chocolate-covered raspberry. When they teased another location announcement, everyone thought Boston (jk, it’s Providence). BUT … they replied to a comment that Boston is coming soon. No word on the where and where, but we’ll keep you posted!

🧺 These new shops in the Seaport are giving picnic. The Current, a.k.a., this cutie line up of pop-up shops on Seaport Boulevard, returns April 30, with a fresh new picnicky theme and a handful of new faces. On the newbie roster: Lip Lab (basically, customizable lip products), Nantucket Perfume Company, NOBULL (cool activewear), and Union Square Donuts (yay!). But don’t worry, fan faves like the candy shop The Sweetish Fish and Coastal Caviar will also be sticking around. Here’s the full lineup.

🍨 Scream for free ice cream! PSA: April 14 is FREE CONE DAY at Ben & Jerry’s, which means everyone gets a free scoop from 12 to 8 p.m.! Find the closest store near you. 

🏃 Run a half half half half half marathon. It comes out to around 0.826 miles and supports the 826 Boston, which funds free writing, tutoring, and publishing programs for Boston students.

🚲 Slow your roll! There’s a free community bike ride between Boynton Yards and Harvard Square on April 16 (they’ve got Bluebike codes if you need two wheels!). 

⛳ Go out swinging on date night. Swingers has a sweet $25/pp deal where you can score a round of crazy mini golf and 30 minutes of unlimited play in their arcade. 

🔎 Meet a cutie over CLUE. This board game speeding dating night on April 16 makes searching for a partner a little less painful. Open to ages 25-39!

💃 Enjoy bingo AND a show. There are still a few openings for drag bingo night this week, where a rousing game of bingo, drag performances, and comedy are all on the menu.

🕯️ DIY your own cozy candles. Blend your own fragrances AND sip on something delicious at this candle-making workshop on April 17.

📣 Get hyped for Marathon Monday. Boston Marathon Fan Fest is back April 17-19 where you can soak up bites from local vendors, live music, activities, and more!

OCD can feel impossible to explain and even harder to live with. On May 9, join a community of people who get it at DCR Artesani Park to walk, build understanding, and raise funds for the International OCD Foundation. Featuring world champion gymnast Aly Raisman as Grand Marshal. Join the walk here!

How do you explain THIS to a tourist? We’ll give it a go …

Boston’s Parks and Rec department hosted its second Duck Boat Challenge this weekend, where teams of 10 attempted to pull a 21,000-pound (!) duck boat across a chunk of the Common as quickly as possible. Basically, a game of tug of war with a duck boat. 

In true B-Sider form, seven competitive readers (plus three randoms) lined up to give Beacon Hilda (the name of said duck boat) a yank. Our first go: ~23 seconds. Last place. Ugh. 

But we switched up our strategy for round two: guys in the front, gals in the back, face away from the boat and RUN. Not only did we shave off three seconds, but we also didn’t come in last. <3 

First place unsurprisingly went to the returning champs, Curry College’s football team, who finished with a time of ~15 seconds and a celebration that resembled a Super Bowl W.

— Written by Emily Schario and Gia Orsino

🦆 Thanks for reading! Mark our words: We’ll be BACK!

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, College of Charleston, for supporting local journalism and giving us serious degree goals.

🧖 The results are in: 64% of readers appear down to clown in a sauna with a pal. One declared, “I’m a sauna maxxer.” We’ll meet you there, bestie.

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