100 Water Street, Worcester
(508) 753-3233
www.thebroadway.org
Bernard Whitmore
Broadway for breakfast. Broadway for ice cream. Of course, both have been traditions in Worcester for nearly a century. But Broadway for dinner? This was outside my experience but didn’t come as a complete surprise. The last time I had breakfast at The Broadway, I noticed their sign announcing their dinner specials. However, it wasn’t until their inclusion in Worcester’s Restaurant Week that I took serious notice; their line-up of specials served as notice that they were ready to assume a position in the city’s dining scene. On a Saturday night, we joined neighbors for dinner at The Broadway.
Water Street has long been the center of gravity for Worcester family markets, delicatessens, and bakers. The echoes of that tradition are still evident in the old storefronts, but many of those beloved businesses have been replaced. The Broadway remains timeless; if you haven’t been there in a while, don’t worry, the seat you last dined in is probably still there, patiently waiting for you.
One of the constants at The Broadway is the welcoming and attentive service. From the initial greeting at the counter to the care provided by your server, the staff ensures every guest feels at home. Dining at The Broadway is reminiscent of visiting an old friend’s house, where warmth and familiarity are always on the menu.
The Broadway’s menu is anchored by an impressive array of breakfast items, eggs, waffles, pancakes, and more, served in countless combinations. Their ice cream offerings, including soda fountain sundaes and take-home treats, are equally renowned. Beyond breakfast and dessert, the menu features a range of salads, deli sandwiches, burgers, and classic American comfort foods. During Restaurant Week, guests could enjoy a special menu of soup, entrée, and dessert, or stick with the menu of regular favorites.
Our mission was clear from its onset. Two members of the group had come to The Broadway specifically for the Restaurant Week menu and were soon indulging in New England Clam chowder served in bowls filled so high that spoonfuls had to be removed before there was room enough for oyster crackers. Thick and creamy with rich clam flavor, soft potato chunks, and plenty of chopped clams; this was a chowder to take pride in.
From there, one of them chose the twelve-ounce New York Sirloin Steak meal. If anything, the steak looked larger than advertised and came lightly charred to lock in juices and beef up the flavor. It arrived perfectly medium-rare, served with sautéed sliced carrots and a thick pile of mashed potatoes. He was delighted with the sirloin and went on to praise the carrots: “I can’t believe I’m eating the carrots! They’re so good!” That was the highest praise he’s ever lavished on vegetables.
My other friend was enjoying a reprise of Thanksgiving with The Broadway’s Turkey Dinner. There was a time when restaurant kitchens passed off hydraulically pressed turkey scraps as real turkey meat. Happily, we no longer need to fear this industrial product, especially at The Broadway, where they served slab upon slab of honest-to-goodness turkey breast meat over a base of turkey stuffing and cranberry sauce, plus another mound of those fluffy mashed potatoes.
I kept things basic with Broadway’s Build Your Own Burger. This section of the menu lists numerous options, and our waiter seemed ready to go much further. But in the end, I joined lettuce and tomato slices with bacon and fried onions on a grilled brioche bun. On presentation, murmurs rose from the group, “that’s one beautiful burger!” The gleaming golden-brown bun was stacked with burger patties plus the add-ons and then stabbed with a steak knife to keep everything together. The blend of flavors was excellent, even better with the stack of fried onion rings.
Restaurant Week desserts were brownie ice cream sundaes, served in large glass goblets with mounds of fluffy whipped cream and topped with a cherry. Their soda fountain is a big factor in what made The Broadway a family favorite for generations; to this day, ice cream is what sets them apart.
That plus breakfast…
A couple months ago, I relented from my carbo-free breakfast regimen and ordered Broadway’s Chunky Monkey Pancake. Softened chocolate chips, gooey banana slices, and crunchy walnuts crammed into a plate-sized pancake served hot off the griddle. What a breakfast!
After one chunky monkey + one quart of pancake syrup, I left The Broadway in a glycemic state of desire to do it all again next weekend.
.