Mul's Diner
When it comes to Boston-area eating “institutions”, I have been hesitant thus far. The only uniquely Bostonian place I’ve previously been to was Durgin Park in the Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market area. The food there was bland and overpriced, and the atmosphere was like the cafeteria of a 1940’s retirement home. It is no secret that Boston’s culinary past is spotty at best, and for that reason alone, I have focused my attention mainly on the more recent additions to the area. Sadly, that means I have neglected my own neighborhood here in
With that in mind, Jenny and I set out up A Street to the chrome-plated gem that is Mul’s Diner for a late Sunday breakfast. Mul’s has long been the hangout of locals, construction workers, cops, and Irish mobsters and has a reputation among the younger generations as home to one of the area’s best hangover curing, greasy-spoon cooking.
The interior is much like one would expect from a classic diner; self-seating at either tables or red vinyl booths, chrome and counters, neon signs and glass cases of cakes, pies, and cinnamon buns. The menu is breakfast-oriented but there are enough sandwich and other lunch options to quell whatever craving you have. The wait staff is friendly and attentive, with a heaping helping of townie charm.
I ordered the Irish Breakfast with a cinnamon bun on the side while Jenny had one of their many permutations of breakfast combos. The coffee was quick to arrive, quickly to be refilled, and hot as hell. It was classic diner coffee; what it lacked in body, it made up for in caffeine payload, in other words, it was just what the doctor ordered.
The cinnamon bun arrived with the coffee, warm icing and molten cinnamon sugar dripping down its side. It was hot, soft, and delicious, best of all, it was homemade.
Our breakfasts arrived quickly, just as we finished off the cinnamon bun. There was nothing on my plate that I didn’t immediately want to devour, with the exception of the grilled tomato slices, but that is just a personal bias of mine, and Jenny was more than happy to eat them. The Irish bacon was very flavorful, and made a great blanket for the garlicky red potato home fries, which were tasty despite needing a bit more cooking time to crisp up. The two eggs, cooked perfectly over easy were happy passengers on the whole wheat buttered toast. The two sausage links, with natural casings (always a nice touch), were juicy and decent, but tasted a little too “hot doggy” to me. But the real stars of the breakfast were newcomers to my palate; black and white pudding. The white pudding was a oniony mix of pork and Irish oatmeal stuffed into a sausage casing and fried with a mild warming spice running throughout that found me reminiscing about pork shumai, this pudding was Jenny’s favorite of the two. The black pudding was like nothing I have ever had before, again a mix of pork and Irish oatmeal in a sausage casing, but with blood and a savory spice mix including cloves bringing the whole thing together. The black pudding has to be my pick of the meal, bar none.
Jenny had more of a traditional American breakfast of bacon, eggs, home fries, and toast. The bacon was decent, but it lacked flavor, which was surprising to me. Aside from that, the home fries and eggs were the same as on my plate.
We left Mul’s diner sated and very happy. Even with me ordering the most expensive breakfast on the menu (a bargain at 11 dollars), our bill still came to under twenty dollars. I cannot recommend this Southie institution enough, with the well-deserved reputation of being such. My advice to you is this: eat local, eat on the cheap, and always try the specials of the house.