Wicked Craft Co.
Everybody is always asking us for restaurant recommendations in the North End. So, I want to show you a true outlier in an otherwise Italian-centric neighborhood. It’s a place named Wicked Craft Company.
Wicked Craft has been serving craft cocktails and some truly crazy cuisine on Salem Street for about four years, and frankly, the North End has never seen another place quite like it. There’s lots of greenery and trees, neon signs, booths and high tops, so it’s very colorful and there’s always a lively crowd. And according to owner Steve Bisson, it’s the perfect place for a date night, a birthday party, or just a fun night out on the town.
“The initial idea is we wanted to be an alternative to all kind of the wine spots and Italian spots in the north end offer something a little bit different. Things are coming out presented differently, tasting differently… it's really part of an experience. It's a fun experience for groups… So we put a lot of emphasis, as much as we do for the food, we put a lot of emphasis on the cocktails, because I think it is such a part of the experience.”
Your experience at Wicked Craft should start with some shareables, because most of the dishes here are designed to have a bite of this and a bite of that. There are steak tips grilled and glazed in a sweet house marinade, served over a bowl full of wedge fries. Chicken Tacos drizzled in mango-pineapple pico de gallo and chipotle aioli. The Aloha Sliders are extremely popular, featuring wagyu beef, Swiss cheese, grilled pineapple, and sweet teriyaki sauce. And they even brand their logo on top of the Hawaiian sweet rolls. But the most dramatically delicious starter is the sizzling hot Coconut Shrimp.
“My favorite on the menu… Tender, sweet…little bit of an exotic feel… It turns a lot of heads. People ask, what is that? And, you know, often they'll order it. So the presentation is huge, and it gets people pulling their phones out and sharing it. But… it's got to taste good. And I think it, you know, it looks as good as it tastes.”
Small plates and sharing aren’t for everyone. So for the main meal, you might want to gobble up the signature Wicked Burger, stacked with American cheese, peppered bacon, and grilled onions on a sesame seed brioche bun. And as a nod to the neighborhood, you can even get a serious plate of Chicken Parm.
“And a lot of things we do in here are smaller, shareable, but with more traditional stuff like that, especially Italian dishes, we went a little bit bigger. It's fantastic…. it's traditional, it's well balanced… what you what you'd expect from a chicken parm. It's phenomenal.”
Wicked Craft also served a wicked popular brunch on the weekends. For the over 21 crowd, they offer homemade pop-tarts, filled with a strawberry and champagne reduction. And it’s served with dual flutes of actual strawberry infused champagne. But the biggest seller at brunch is this massive stack of Chicken and Waffles topped with spicy bourbon and butter-infused maple syrup.
“You're getting a good mix of that… crispier chicken and…the fluffy waffle. It's a must try, for sure….because of the popularity here, I'd say it's a must order, especially if you're with a group. You should, you should try it. Maybe let people share at the table, and the presentation is very nice on it as well. So a lot of good reasons to order it.”
Now, in a neighborhood full of Italian restaurants and bakeries, there are plenty of places to get Tiramisu in the North End. But I can guarantee none of them are quite like this: The Wicked Craft Flower Pot Tiramisu.
“So that comes out in a little flower pot with the flowers on top. Comes out with some smoke… Espresso Tiramisu comes out with a little shot of espresso… It has gummy worms on top of it… but it tastes phenomenal.”
So, without a doubt, this is one of the most Instagram-worthy restaurants in all of Greater Boston. And the food is wicked tasty too.
“Wicked craft is an experience…if you're looking to come in, and you're just focused on getting a good meal, you'll get that, but you're going to get a lot more than that…The atmosphere is huge here. I'm very big on, you know, the atmosphere and creating, creating a vibe… So you're going to enjoy your meal, you're going to enjoy your drinks, but you're going to get more than than you wanted, I think, not more than you wanted, more than you expected, and in a good way, because everything we do here is big, and everything we do here is about the full experience. And I can guarantee you, you're going to have a good time.”
