If you’re a cricket fan and happen to be visiting
the Boston suburb of Cambridge, a stop at Hit
Wicket is a must. The sports bar, which opened
in June, bills itself as the “first of its kind in the
U.S. to have the sport of cricket as a central theme
in a restaurant and bar.” Patrons can watch live
cricket matches (and other sports), look at displays
of cricket memorabilia and merchandise,
learn about cricket history and rules, and try out
cricket gear.
The menu also has a cricket theme—sort of. It
offers popular street food from major cricket playing
nations, such as India, Australia, New Zealand,
Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, England, South
Africa, and the West Indies. Boston Globe food critic
Glenn Yoder was particularly
impressed with the South
African bunny chow with
shrimp, Aussie meat pie, potato
sliders, and Trinidad’s paneer roti wrap.
So far, the sports bar is busy only during cricket
matches, but co-owner Shubha Ramesh Kumar,
who opened the restaurant with her friend Nada
Heredia and two family investors, remains optimistic.
“We hope that once the word spreads that
the food is good, people will come in all the time,”
she told the Globe. “But right now, it is centered
mostly around big [cricket] games.”
That cricket can consistently fill up a restaurant
in an American city is remarkable in itself.