South End walking tour for foodies

The South End neighborhood of Boston is flush these days with street after street of destinations for lovers of food, wine, drinks, and all things culinary. Walk the streets, however, and you realize that the neighborhood is also full of a creative, gritty energy that’s nothing short of invigorating.

Our photo essay gives you a taste of the South End’s creative vibe. Visually and virtually, of course, but a taste nonetheless!

Statue and fountain in Worcester Square, just off Washington Street.

Street art, signed by the artist.

Some gems are hidden -- literally.

And others -- like these three men relocating cafe tables across a parking lot -- are right in front of your eyes.

The Berkeley Street Community Garden, at the corner of Berkeley and Tremont, got its start in the 1970s when the City knocked down a full block of brick townhouses to make way for an artery connection to Route 93. This urban renewal project stalled and local Chinese immigrants cleared the rubble and garbage and began farming on the site. The City eventually recognized the squatters and the value of the community garden when it transferred the title of the property to the non-profit, South End Lower Roxbury Open Space Land Trust. Today it is the second largest community garden in Boston with over 100 garden plots.

Most Community Garden members are Chinese and they have collected odds and ends from the trash, like shoes and refrigerator shelves, and bound them together to create trellised walls and ceilings on which to grow bitter melons and other foods of their native cuisine. The overall effect is of exotic, urban, subsistence farming. (Source: Jonathan Keep)

The South End hosts storefronts to smaller-scale food businesses, like this catering company called Above and Beyond on Plympton Street.

Foodie's Urban Market, located on Washington Street directly across from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, is an active in-kind supporter of neighborhood organizations.

Mohr & McPherson, a home furnishings store located on Harrison Avenue, opened its cafe just a few weeks ago. The cafe serves baked goods, like these cakes, made by a local chef "whose only machine is her hands."

The South End's food community is anchored by restaurants like Myers + Chang and Gaslight, by wine shops like BRIX, and by cafes like the South End Buttery.

Chef Matthew Barros of Myers + Chang, with the eclectic decor of the restaurant behind him.

Gaslight Brasserie du Coin on Harrison Avenue offers a neighborhood (Parisian) atmosphere and classic takes on brasserie cuisine.

Gaslight Brasserie's categorized wine "cellar."

Klaudia Mally of BRIX on Washington Street pours wine samples. The shop hosts free wine tastings on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m.

South End Formaggio, an offshoot of Formaggio's main Cambridge location, offers quality cheeses, charcuterie, prepared foods, wine, and specialty beers.

Formaggio's beer buyer, Anthony Liberti, pours samples during a Saturday afternoon beer and cheese pairing session.

Co-owner Richard Gordon, a former criminal prosecutor, now brings quality food and beverages to the South End Buttery from morning till night.

Mini chocolate cupcakes at the South End Buttery.

South End Buttery only serves their cupcakes for 24 hours after they're baked. After that, they use the cupcakes as "mush-ins" for their ice cream.