A roaring twenties-style brunch adorned with prohibition-era flair certainly sounds like a scene out of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. But you may be surprised to hear that this flapper-filled, big city brunch is happening every Sunday at Parla in Boston’s North End. The Italian speakeasy-style restaurant, which opened last spring, has brought new variety to the always-touristy Little Italy neighborhood.
When brunching in the past, I’ve been surprised by the North End’s lack of unique brunch options. Sure, there’s the boisterous North Street Grille and the always-delicious (read: greasy) Theo’s Cozy Corner. But there are few North End brunch options located in the heart of the neighborhood.
Enter Parla.
The restaurant’s themed brunch, located at the base of Hanover Street, is offering neighborhood residents a sophisticated and different alternative to your typical eggs and bloody mary brunch.
Created by Parla’s executive chef, Eric Buonagurio, the Sunday menu includes items named after The Great Gatsby characters and settings. Diners can order anything from “Daisy’s Pearls” (made to order jelly doughnuts, blueberry filling, whipped mascarpone, and mint syrup) to “The Old Sport” (home fry poutine, breakfast sausage gravy, bacon, cheddar cheese, and scrambled eggs).
The phenomenal breakfast cocktails included concoctions like “Wilson’s Painkiller” (captain’s spiced rum, allspice dram, orange juice, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, and nutmeg) and “The Kaiser’s Cousin” (orange juice, aperol, secco bianco, and giffard banane du bresil) – both of which I recommend. And for $52 to $76, diners can also enjoy a mimosa bar served inside of a top hat with fresh pressed juices.
You should also expect to see some of the brunch crew dressed up. On my recent visit, I noticed that several of the women wore flapper-like dresses while the men donned dapper, Gatsby-like suits. All of which made me feel quite underdressed in my own, shabby workout apparel (note: try to look cute when brunching at Parla).
The restaurant serves brunch every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For reservations and more information, check out their website. In the meantime, take a look at Parla’s brunch in the photos below!
All images via author
