Everyone has mornings, from time to time, when it is all we can do to line up the buttons on our shirt and get out the door. (This dreary morning was such an occasion in Bostonist's case, owing to Baby Bostonist's having been awake and crying all night with teething pains.) These are the mornings when breakfast and coffee are neglected at home and become imperative once we have reached the office. And it is at these times that Bostonist turns to the Hungry Traveler, a tiny beacon of low-brow breakfast salvation off Court Street downtown.
Bostonist is an avowed fan of cheap, no-frills dining, and the Hungry Traveler offers precisely that and nothing more. The menu is awash with specials comprising every possible combination of pancakes, eggs, bread, and bacon, all costing in the $3 - $4 range (including coffee). In the true lunch counter tradition, patrons can also order whatever standard they like (Bostonist goes for ham, egg, and swiss on a roll), and the mostly-non-English-speaking staff never has a problem understanding. Lunch sandwiches and entrees are also available, but Bostonist recommends you stick to the breakfast fare: we have found that just the right amount of greasiness for eggs at 8:00 a.m. feels too greasy for steak at noon. (A sign outside also indicates that all sandwiches are guaranteed two inches thick and a ruler will be provided on demand. We don't doubt the sandwiches' thickness, but suspect there is not a single ruler on the premises. If anyone does demand one, however, we would love to hear what happens.)
The decor and atmosphere are about what you'd imagine if you spent your time musing on such things. At some point, someone must have decided that the Hungry Traveler would draw a tourist crowd (it does not), so the walls have various kitschy Boston pictures, probably purchased at a framing shop closeout sale. The formica tables and wooden chairs are bathed in dingy fluorescent light as they cradle the elbows and rear ends of sundry bureaucrats and juvenile probation officers (seriously - we always see those guys in there). The overall effect is very socialist-realist, which is just the way Bostonist likes it. There is almost never a long wait.
The Hungry Traveler is on Court Square (off Court Street, all the way at the back of the alley). It is open weekdays for breakfast and lunch.
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