😛🍗 Your new office smells like chicken

It’s Monday, Boston.

⛴️ Don’t drop $25 on a ferry ticket juuust yet. Mass. residents (with credit cards at Mass. addresses) get $10 off weekday tickets. PLUS: The BPL offers 50% off discount codes for ferry tickets through its museum pass program. Bon voyage!

🥳 And a big happy B-Sider birthday to Michael Santos! May we suggest spending it sunbathing on Spectacle Island? Have a fab day. <3

👀 What’s on tap today:

• No kings, but yaaas queen!

• The Karen Read saga’s final chapter

• Bar pizza goes big time

Up first…

B-SIDE CERTIFIED

WFH just got a major glow-up

Tired: Working from home. Wired: Working from … a restaurant? For this month’s B-Side Certified, we cracked open our laptops at Shybird’s new Fenway location to test its “Work from Shy Bird” deal. The deal in question: From open till 3 p.m., get breakfast or lunch, bottomless cafe drinks, wifi, power, printing, and more for just $19.95.

Here’s what we thought:

FIRST IMPRESSION

😎 It’s giving Tatte’s older (and cooler) sister. The floor-to-ceiling windows kept the space sunny and bright, but the dark wood accents and yellow-hued light fixtures made it feel like a cozy, yet elevated neighborhood bar. And that neighborhood was on full display: From families out to lunch with kids, to college students peeking over their laptops, to young couples grabbing a cocktail. Even on a Monday afternoon, it was PACKED.

🔊 Reality check: This is a restaurant first, remote work space second. Let’s just say our noise-canceling headphones were carrying the team on its back. The music was upbeat, the bass was (at times) bumpin’, plates were clinking and clanging, and those gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows kept the sound bouncing. It’s (unfortunately) not the chill, vibey café our FYPs made it out to be. Pro tip: If you have any Zoom meetings scheduled … BEWARE!

FOOD & DRINK

🍗 Simply put: Shybird > Sweetgreen. It’s no secret this place knows its way around a chicken (it’s literally a rotisserie), and their crispy chicken Caesar wrap was no exception. Shybird’s take on the wrap with Calabrian chiles was the perfect mixture of tangy, salty, crunchy, and most importantly, well-dressed (though we wished we got more heat from the chiles). 

🍵 Also … who knew a chicken restaurant made a killer matcha? It had a rich, creamy mouthfeel and was delivered in a big ol’ mug, offering some much-needed café vibes. The Moroccan mint tea was a refreshing reset from the wrap’s salty, fatty profile (and came in an adorable pot that yielded two cups!). Note: Ask them to do just a light pump if you add vanilla to your drink. Ours was borderline too sweet. 

VALUE

🤑 This is the *textbook definition* of a good deal. Emily’s order of the Calabrian fried chicken Caesar wrap ($13.25), an almond milk matcha latte ($5.50), and a pot of Moroccan mint tea ($3.5), easily broke that $20 threshold. Add in tax and tip, and the final bill came out to around $26.

✅ Verdict? B-Side Certified (if you don’t mind a little noise). It’s the perfect spot to grab lunch while banging out busywork and emails. Buuuuut, if you need to lock in, you’re better off hitting up one of the Capital One Cafes on a Monday for a quiet workspace and a free drink of choice. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏳️‍🌈 Protestors painted the town rainbow this weekend. Boston’s combination Pride parade and “No Kings” protest against President Donald Trump (aptly named “No Kings but Yaaas Queen”) brought an estimated 1.5 million people to Boston on June 14. Which, if true, would be Boston’s biggest Pride EVER. Think: Lots of colorful fits, equally colorful (and snarky) signs, and loud music. “Joyful resistance” was the vibe of the day, as folks tapped into the idea that “Pride has always been a protest,” according to the event’s organizers. 

🔍 We’re in the final chapter of the Karen Read saga. We hope. Two trials, multiple feature stories, a docuseries, and TONS of gossip later, Mass.’ buzziest IRL true-crime series could end at any moment after the prosecution and defense offered their closing arguments last week. Reminder: The jury will decide whether Read is guilty of these three charges, but any decision has to be unanimous. Last time, the jury deliberated for five days before ending in a mistrial. Stay tuned!

🚚 Got the drunchies? There’s a food truck for that. The winners of Boston’s late-night food truck lotto are here! ICYMI: A handful of food trucks will be stationed around seven of Boston’s late-night hotspots this summer until up to 3 a.m. (think: concert venues, universities, and hospitals). And, let’s just say, we’ll be eating GOOD. Dominican spot El Dugout, Caribbean fusion truck Murl’s Kitchen, Mexican joint Sunset Cantina, and seafood shack Cousins Maine Lobster are just a few of this year’s options. Here’s the full schedule.

🎥 Film buffs, it’s your time to shine. The 27th annual Roxbury International Film Festival is kicking off this week, and tickets are available NOW. Here’s the deal: From June 19 to 27, expect a jam-packed schedule of over 100 films and shorts, plus Q&As, panels, script readings, and hangs across the city, all devoted to celebrating filmmakers and communities of color. It's all kicking off with a free screening at the MFA, but you can check the full event schedule here. Grab tickets to any one event, or grab a full festival pass.

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

🍦 Get yourself a free scoop! Mark your calendars for June 18! Van Leeuwen is celebrating its new shop at Lyrik Back Bay with $1 scoops from 12 to 2 p.m. (and free tote bags for the first 100 customers). 

🎭 See a hit play for a sweet price. Good news: The reviews for “Two Strangers” at A.R.T. SLAP. Even better: You can get $20 off your ticket with code: SUMMER (there are six performances this week). You’re welcome. <3

🍔 Practice your best Kenan and Kel impressions. ‘Cause you’ll be watching “Good Burger” outside at the Speedway on June 18 for FREE.

🥵 Beat the heat with an indoor reading party. Thursday’s weather is looking SPICY, which is all the more reason to duck into Porter Square Books: Boston Edition’s silent reading party a.k.a. introvert heaven.

🏳️‍🌈 Watch queer singles fall in ~lOoOove~. The hit “It’s A Date” comedy show is back in action June 19, where four queer singles will take the stage to go on a blindfolded date for your entertainment.

✊🏿 Celebrate Juneteenth with a history lesson. Everyone say “thank you” to the Museum of African American History for offering free admission on June 19 (that includes all tours and activities, too!).

🎨 Give date night an artsy twist. Dinner and drinks? How ‘bout portraits and painting? Learn how to paint your partner with Boston artist Laurel Greenfield on June 20 — your ticket includes both portraits!

🐶 Grab your pup and a pilsner. Cisco Brewers is for the dogs on June 20, as NA beer company Best Day Brewing is putting on a "Bark and Brew” event with food trucks, dog-friendly games, and goodies. 

B-SIDE’S BEST DAY EVER

It wouldn’t be the best day ever without the FOOD

As you may know by now, B-Side is throwing a giant party at Artists for Humanity on Aug. 2. And since we know you’re all foodies at heart, we’ve been busy locking down Boston’s most exciting spots to dish out FREE bites.

So far, we’ve got: Amba, Summer Shack, El Barco, GRECO, JaHunger, Bardo’s, and Anna’s Taqueria. And that’s just the beginning. 

Grab tickets here!

QUICK QUESTION!

🍕 Have you ever tried South Shore bar pizza?

ONE LAST THING

Bar pizza goes big time

We all know that South Shore bar pizza is an integral part of the Masshole diet. But one local lawmaker wants to take this love affair to the next level and name it Mass.’ official state pizza.

Despite a robust pizza culture, there’s really no such thing as a “Boston-style” pizza, but bar pizza — a 10-inch pie with a thin, crispy crust and edge-to-edge cheese — might be the closest thing we have. The style originated in Brockton back in 1939, and has since gained a cult following on the internet.

State Sen. Michael Brady has introduced the petition, and as of June 5, it was referred to the committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. So basically … don’t hold your breath. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍕 Thanks for reading! Between bar pizza and eel grass as official state symbols … we might have to go with bar pizza. 

😭 The results are in: 39% of B-Siders say they’d be down to become B-Side ambassadors and rep us IRL (omg). And the comments you guys wrote in made us a little emo. One reader said: “If the B-Side needs to assemble an A-Team, I am all in!” You’ll be hearing from us soon!

🎟️ 🎉 Don't forget to grab your tickets to Best Day Ever, our Aug. 2 food, music, and shopping extravaganza at Artists for Humanity!

🔑 Members: Here’s the link to your perks!

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