Scali is a tried and true breakfast and lunchtime favorite! While most people opt for a sandwich, I like their chili, which is my regular order during the colder months. Their prices are very reasonable and they are quick, whether you put in an order ahead of time or pick up in person. They also have a lot of beverage and snack selections and dining onsite if you want to eat there, though most people order to go. read more

Scali Cafe - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Date of visit: June 6, 2024 Selections: Bada Bing - Omelette with home fries and toast Bottled Diet Dr. Pepper Experience: My husband, mother-in-law, and I just arrived into Boston and decided to grab a bite to eat as we waited for the Boston Tea Party Museum to open. This place has an extensive menus and ordering here was unfortunately too fast pace for us as we tried to read the menu and juggle the luggage we had on us. We let a couple of people go ahead of us as we wrapped our heads around the menu to narrow down our selections. We ended up getting out of line and leaving our bags with my mother-in-law and took another stab at trying to read the menu and place our order. Luckily, no one was behind us by the time we had to place our order, but I still haphazardly selected a menu item that looked appealing since my brain was just so overwhelmed with all the menu items I saw, which is no good for someone who is indecisive as I am. After placing our order, we had to pay for our bottled drinks and meals at the cash register across from where we placed our order and boy did we have a hard time trying to describe the salad we ordered since I didn't realize there was various kinds of salads you can top off with meat on top of an actual chicken salad you can order on a sub. So the cashier had to go over to the cooks to confirm which salad we got before ringing our order. I slowly started hating this kind of atmosphere, but my husband pulled through with finally paying and getting our food once ready as I settled down at the table. Getting our food was also something of a challenge since one of the cooks shouted that the Bada Bing, which is what I had ordered, was ready to only discover someone else had ordered it, so I wish we had numbers or something assigned to our order to make it less confusing. Fortunately, the food made up for the overwhelming experience of ordering through the amount of food we each got. Mine was basically an omelette with bacon, sausage, and ham with home fries and buttered wheat bread slices that were toasted. I really would've been a happy camper with just the toast and home fries on its own and ended up just eating half of my food because I got so full. I am just glad we found a place to kill time and that we had enough space in our corner table next to the bar seats by the window. read more

Scali Cafe - Bada Bing Omelet with Home Fries and Toast - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

A rather small place with a bunch of really nice people working and owning the business. It's an order at the counter place then you either pick up or they bring you a tray with your food. The portions of the service a fairly large and neither of us could eat all of what we were served. I strongly suggest that you order a half order of the potatoes as I got a metric ton the day I visited. The only thing I didn't like was their reliance on plastic utensils and Styrofoam plates. All of which will likely end up in a landfill. Also the steps up to the front door are extremely steep so be careful, loose your balance and it would be a painful fall. As stated earlier I had a chance to visit the owner who purchased the place from the original Italian owner and this new owner ( for like 12 years if I recall) was/is very nice. There are no restrooms from what I observed (didn't ask) so be aware. read more

That's is exactly what we wanted! Great food, amazing service and friendly faces! Don't miss out on this gem!!! read more

Scali Cafe - This is exactly what I needed! Friendly faces and loving service! The owner is a doll. This place is a jewel. - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I haven't been here in about 20 years. They still have delicious food. I can't say they've improved because everything here is perfect. Location, food, accessibility, food, customer experience, food...did I mention food? I was there for breakfast and ordered the eggs, sausage toast and home fries. The home fries were chunky goodness, Fluffy eggs with chedder accompanied by thick sliced wheat bread and sausage links. Definitely hit the spot. Don't wait 20 years to come in for breakfast or lunch. Although takeout and delivery is readily. read more

Scali Cafe - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Looking for a sandwich in Boston was easy with Yelp. Scali Cafe turned out to be perfect. Ordering was easy and our food came out quickly. One person had a pastrami sandwich on a sub roll. I ordered a cheeseburger sub which was excellent, assembled just the way I asked. The staff was friendly and the place was clean. Well worth a visit. read more

Amazing breakfast spot with huge portion sizes! I had the Avocado, Tomato, Spinach Omelette, and it was so tasty! Definitely not like the omelette i'm used to as the eggs were a bit more on the scrambled side but it was amazing! Could definitely have shared this meal with one other, as it was served with 2 slices of toast and lots of large roasted potatoes. read more

Scali Cafe - Avocado, Spinach and Tomato Omelet with giant Roasted Potatoes and Toast - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Scali cafe was good. During the lunch rush it was a bit busy but not a crazy long wait. The sandwich itself was tasty but I wouldn't say anything out of this world unfortunately. If you're in a pinch, not a bad place to stop by! I do want to come back and try breakfast though! read more

Scali Cafe - Turkey Club Sandwich Lunch - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

On our way to a noon AA meeting on Bowdoin. Coffee sounded great. Good service, fresh decaf made for us. The guy before us was proud to tell us he eats Togo here everyday. I told him we're from Portland, OR, never been here before. Give it a try! read more

This is a good ass deli I tell ya what, Food is pretty bad ass here & very affordable & not at all expensive. Fairly quick service & the inside had a nice homy feel to it, some of the employees have accents which is cool but they're still easy to understand cause their english is just fine. Wish I coulda ate more here cause everything looked sounded & tasted super dooper awesome so hopefully I get to Eat here again sometime. read more

Scali Cafe - This was what my homie had & it was good af too - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Stopped by this cafe for lunch. They have A LOT of options on their menu to choose from. It seems like a very popular spot from all the good reviews. The staff was nice and worked quick. I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Wrap. It was REALLY delicious! One of the best I've had. It threw me off that it was not warm though. My friends liked the sandwiches they ordered too. read more

See all

I usually get my breakfast at one of the local coffee places but today I wanted something a bit more substantial served on a plate. It turned out to be Scali Cafe today. Order at the counter, wait for your food, then pay for it at the register. Easy enough. I opted for a ham and cheese omelet and it took a bit to be prepared since it's all done fresh and to order. Very good portion that was tasty and nicely done. A great breakfast that I thoroughly enjoyed. read more

See all

A very solid place for lunch. So far, I've tried about a dozen items from here. All have been very good. Won't blow your mind, but very good. My favorite is the steak bomb. Classic shaved steak on a soft roll. Comes how you want it. A little pricy at 10 and change, but tasty. The service was super fast, but it was a dead Monday. The folks working were super nice and courteous. I see they have breakfast. Seeing as they do well with lunch, breakfast should be great some tIme. read more

The staff was friendly. The process to order is a tad confusing, if you aren't from there. The food is straight ahead as you enter and coffee and paying is to the left. I just had the breakfast and it was decent. Nothing too amazing but if you want to fill your belly for a fair price this place is the spot. read more

Little local place that was just outside our hotel. Got there around 8:30, probably after the morning rush. Had the 3 meat omelette with potatoes. Tasted great and super filling. Great local place with a Boston local atmosphere. read more

There are so many good reviews about Scali Café but I did not care for it. I didn't like the breakfast food I ordered and was so bummed out. Maybe it's just me. If you work near here you should give it a try. I was not impressed at all. Underwhelming flavor and not appetizing at all. read more

The sandwiches are fairly well sized for hearty appetites, but they are also a bit expensive given the quality of the ingredients. The soft Italian seeded bread is a good start. I tried The Big Poppi, which is pastrami with cheese and bacon. The good news is the amount of pastrami was generous, but the cheese, bacon, and mustard was barely noticeable. The "pastrami" seemed more like thin sliced corned beef as it lacked pastrami seasoning. And it was dry. I wouldn't order this sandwich again. read more

Scali Cafe - Half of The Big Pappi Sandwich. Dry "pastrami" and barely noticeable bacon and cheese. - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Great hungover food. Yummy, fast, and cheap. Staff is friendly and helpful. Lots of options and each meal comes with a lot of food. I got the veggie omelet (came with potatoes and toast)- potatoes were fire, the toast was toast (not in a bad way, just normal toast), and the omelette was pretty good but the vegetables could've been cooked longer and the cheese was liquidy (not gooey). Also, didn't appreciate their use of plastic silverware and styrofoam plates for dine in orders, especially in a city like Boston that is trying to discourage plastic waste. read more

Scali Cafe - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

In a word...bad. I ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese on a hard roll. It was 1 small fried egg with one or two small sausages split in half lengthways and one piece of cheese on a stale roll. Looked and tasted disgusting. Rest of my family got ridiculously overpriced bagels that weren't very good either. This place is terrible. Go somewhere else. read more

I went to eat there 2 weeks ago and the food was delicious but the guy who said it's the owner is very rude to the guy who makes the coffee, I was super shocked that he treated him that way. read more

Being from the south we like comfort breakfast food! This place knocked it out of the park! Or as they say here in Boston "Pahk"! Came up for a Sox game and this was the perfect breakfast after a long night out! I'm not normally a fan of breakfast potatoes but these are probably the best I've ever eaten! The service was wonderful! They made sure I had everything make the trek back to the hotel to coax my wife out of bed! Food, coffee, Pedialyte! read more

Good greasy spoon type of place. Nice big omelets, and they even have gluten-free toast!

Went there on break ordered waited 25 min and 4 of us didnt get breakfast!!! Place is a joke!!! So we lost our break and never got food!!! Will never go there again or recommend the place!!! And there are 100 guys on our job!!!! read more

Great place, hearty portions fresh ingredients made fresh and delivered in a clean but no-frills atmosphere.

The food was good and came out quick. This place has that hometown neighborhood dive vibe with just about something for everyone.

Great breakfast in Boston! Got 2 eggs, bacon, toast, and home fries. Close to Faneuil Hall. Delish! read more

Scali Cafe - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Always fresh - Always good. Use the online ordering via their website for pre-pay grab and go. Very punctual with their orders. The place is exceptionally clean and well run! read more

Gets a little busy in here, but if you don't mind busy the prices and the food are great! I rewrote the review to give this business a fair chance. I'm Come try for yourselves. You won't be disappointed! read more

Always a good meal and good value. I had not been in since pre-covid, the business has been remodeled and looks great! My lunch was very good too! read more

WARNING: Do not eat here if you have anywhere important to be after lunch. I sat here for maybe 30 minutes with a couple of friends yesterday. My sweater stunk like grease for the rest of the day, and now it's been almost 24 hours and my coat still stinks. Everyone on the T this morning thought I was nuts, because I kept sniffing my coat. I'm going to have to pick up some Febreze tonight like it's 1999 and I'm heading back to my dorm room at Warren Towers. On the bright side, the food was pretty good and they offered whole wheat wraps (always a plus). So take-out would be A-OK. read more

Scali Cafe - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I had lunch here and wasn't overly impressed. Its another quick deli style place to get lunch in downtown Boston. The prices were good (under 8 bucks) and the servings were large (not as large as Al Capones). Just don't expect it to be a life changing experience. When I walked in, I asked the guy at the counter for his recommendation. He said "Viga". He laughed, and another guy behind the counter (there were a whole bunch of them) recommended the Chicken Marsala. The chicken was really tender, but the rice was really salty, and looked like Rice A Roni's Rice Pilaf. The sauce not overly tasty. Overall it didn't impress me. There is plenty of seating, and the service was quick, so I might go back again to try the sandwiches, but there are so many great places around, it will probably be a while. read more

My hotel recommended this place, as I didn't want to eat at a chain, but instead a local, Boston deli/cafe within walking distance. So I went and boy, do I wish I hadn't. The line was decent, maybe 5 ahead of me. Very modest walk-up grab & go deli spot. You order your choice, then pay. Friendly guy at the register. The gentleman ahead of me ordered the chicken parmigiana hot sub, and it came pretty quickly. So I decided to do the same - it sounded yummy and I was craving something other than the fancy hotel food. Not only was the bread spongy, but worse, the chicken was a very low quality breaded, fatty chicken patty. I had three bites and decided not to finish it. Based on the reviews, seems other choices are a better bet, but another review that mentions chicken says "you'll be disappointed". This is one of those times I didn't check Yelp beforehand and I'm kicking myself for it. It's unfortunate that perhaps due to the choice of chicken, the choices are sub-par, even for a modest deli. Even thought I'll be in Boston often for business, I probably won't return and instead, opt for something I know. read more

super breakfast great prices fantastic service! Don't usually gush about a breakfast place but these guys did a great job. Big order, fast service. And it was all SO GOOD. will go back every time I'm in town. read more

Eggs -ehh. Home fry potatoes I thought could have been a little more crispy. The French toast were delicious.

I don't recommend this place at all. The man who answers the phone was highly rude and disrespectful, he hung up the phone on me when I called multiple times. He said he was the "business owner" but didn't even know the menu. read more

This is a downtown Boston staple for both laborers and office folks, the owner and staff always greet you with great hospitality and the food is good and made to order the way you like. I wouldn't count on them to have homemade bread or the worlds best bagels but def quality, quick, breakfast and lunch. They randomly serve ice cream too which is great for a summer afternoon treat or to just get a quick iced coffee. I also love their new design!! It's looking great and so much more inviting in there. read more

Scali Cafe - Full dining area - Delis Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Stale wrap, just got a wrap and the thing just feel apart as it was stale.. Too bad because everything looked decent..nothing is worse that stale bread or wraps as it ruins the entire meal.. most disappointing it can be easily avoided as sandwich makes can tell and evidently they do not care...too bad I was going here 3+ times a week and now with things opening up again I will not be back here soon.. GoodLuck! read more

Price is ok - food is decent- service is good - solid option in the financial district

Scali has breakfast and coffee items available to go and also has tables for dine in. They are able to crank out a lot of menu items in a short amount of time, so it's fine in a pinch. Seems like a popular place with plenty of regulars coming in from nearby worksites. Pancakes were a bit soggy and so my son wouldn't eat them which is hard to do. But the breakfast roll sandwich options were decent and the ingredients were for the most part fresh. Good value and good selection. Accommodating and courteous staff. Would return, would recommend the sandwich items. read more

The whole family was there when we got our delicious breakfast sandwiches! They were characters! The service was fantastic and the prices were reasonable. read more