A group lunch can be easier when everyone can choose their own counter. Boston Public Market is an indoor, year-round market at 100 Hanover Street with New England food producers and artisans. It combines prepared meals with ingredients to take home, so the same visit can cover a meal and part of your grocery list.

Make one loop before ordering

The current vendor directory lists options including Bagel Guild, Beantown Pastrami Company, Bon Appetit Crêperie and Bon Me. Check the individual counter before committing to an order. One look around helps a group compare menus, prices and queue lengths rather than splitting up immediately.

For a shopping stop, the market's grocery guide lists vendors such as Siena Farms for produce, Red's Best for seafood, Curio Spice Co. for spices and blends, and George Howell Coffee for coffee. Buy anything that needs refrigeration toward the end of your trip and plan how you will carry it home.

Get there and give yourself time

General market hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with some vendor hours differing. Confirm the counter you especially want to visit. The directions page places the market beside Haymarket station on the Orange and Green lines; North Station is another option if you are arriving by commuter rail.

Open directions to 100 Hanover Street. Decide whether this is a quick meal or a longer browse before adding another stop. The market's Terminal C location at Logan is separate from this downtown guide.

Check for something extra

The official events calendar includes a mix of tastings, children's activities, workshops and other programming. Read the listing for the particular day: some activities are free, while others require tickets. A market visit does not automatically include every scheduled event.