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Long-rolling Longwood Medical Area food cart may have served its last kebab wrap

By adamg on Thu, 02/14/2019 - 3:54pm

Boston Restaurant Talk reports what could be the end of Sami's, which has been feeding hospital staffers and medical, college and high-school students in the Longwood area since 1979.

Neighborhoods: 
Roxbury
Topics: 
Dining
Free tagging: 
Longwood Medical Area
Middle Eastern food


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Comments

By mg on Thu, 02/14/2019 - 4:55pm.

:(

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By anon on Thu, 02/14/2019 - 5:40pm.

NOOOOO!!! I met my husband there in 1989 after leaving the Metro on Landsdowne. Sami's fed all of us after leaving the clubs back then. Doctors, nurses, punk rockers from Kenmore, all in line together to enjoy the comfort food of Sami's!!

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By Robert Winters on Thu, 02/14/2019 - 6:12pm.

Say it ain't so!

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By Deepfreeze on Thu, 02/14/2019 - 7:37pm.

Well, at least it lives on somewhat in Cafe Beirut, which is owned by Sami's son (and itself was once a Sami's).

I loved their coffee so much that my college roommate tried to get a bag for me straight from Sami himself. He wouldn't part with it, but at least acquiesed to some packaging so I could look it up and get it myself.

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By MC Slim JB on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 10:16am.

a rare local place for wee-hours dining in the early 90s, when I often met cops, firefighters and EMTs in line. I also remember writing a piece very early in my career (ten-plus years ago, I'll guess) about "food trucks" in Boston, waaaay before the boom, when it was Sami's, Boston Speed's Famous Hot Dog Wagon (with Ezra still at the helm), M&M Ribs, my favorite pre-Sox Lansdowne Street sausage cart, and a couple of others I can't recall now.

The folks behind it have gone on to open at least one brick-and-mortar, so that's something. So long, Sami's, and thanks for all the falafel wraps!

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By Sonicyouth on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 8:22am.

I’m gonna take this opportunity to open up my Lebanese food truck.

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By Gary C on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 8:45am.

I always got the chicken kabob roll-up, but the other stuff always smelled so good that I branched out and tried their falafel, which was also really good. Guess I'll have to venture to Cafe Beirut in JP the next time I need my Sami's fix.

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By Saddlebrook7 on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 10:16am.

I am going to miss the falafel & hummus wraps. Also, before their first closure, they used to do a dish they called "Amy's Rice" that was very tasty. Having to go the the medical area usually means something unpleasant is afoot; being able to soothe the soul with a tasty meal is some compensation.

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By VolksDragon on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 11:04am.

They were the food truck before there was the food truck fad! Mom worked in the Medical area for decades, and I spent many hours there with her, this was always a top lunch destination where you could rub elbows with Doctors, Residents, the cleaning staff and any other kind of human being you can think of. Great food, great community presence. I'll be sad to see it go.

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By Not signed in today on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 11:08am.

Back around 1993, I was waiting on the street in Roslindale for a bus to work. Sami himself saw me there, pulled over and asked if I wanted a ride to the Medical area. He knew me as a frequent customer. During the ride in, we chatted about his business and the several locations of his restaurant that had come and gone. The funny part was, for each location the story about why he ended up closing that store always centered around what a prick the landlord had been and ended with, "And so I told the guy to go f*ck himself."

RIP Sami and Sami's trolley

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By Deepfreeze on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 2:38pm.

Uh, Sami is still kicking.

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By anon on Sat, 02/16/2019 - 1:17pm.

Amy's been running the truck since 2013.

http://jamaicaplaingazette.com/2013/02/11/obituary-ghazi-sami-saba-found...

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By Scratchie on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 12:11pm.

One of the best falafel places in the metro area. Chicken shawarma with garlic sauce or falafel with hummus.

Am I remembering correctly that the cart closed down at one point? Late 90s? I was under the impression that it was gone already.

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By MC Slim JB on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 2:54pm.

in 2012, but came back in 2014 after the trailer was rebuilt to code.

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By Scratchie on Fri, 02/15/2019 - 3:15pm.

Seems like it was earlier than that but my memory ain't what it used to be.

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