Power: Places

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Deals don’t get done over a cruller and cup of joe at Dunkin’ Donuts. Nine haunts favored by VIPs looking to network while they nosh.

Bristol Lounge
The Four Seasons, 200 Boylston St., Boston, 617-351-2037
Regulars Fox 25 “Heavy Hitters” Cosmo Macero Jr. and Peter Kadzis (they stop by together after their segments); former DNC chair Steve Grossman (when he’s not at Henrietta’s Table); Suffolk construction cheese John Fish; ex–Attorney General Tom Reilly; Mintz Levin chairman Bob Popeo; trial lawyer James Sokolove; Boston Chamber of Commerce chair Ralph Martin
Popular Orders Hot Irish oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar; four-egg-white omelet; Maine lobster frittata with asparagus, tomato, and local goat cheese

Flour Bakery + Café
1595 Washington St., Boston, 617-267-4300
Regulars Keith Lockhart; Fresh cosmetics cofounder Lev Glazman; Tedy Bruschi; actress Marcia Cross; Gordon Hamersley; Ming Tsai
Popular Orders Banana bread; sour cream coffeecake; oatmeal-maple and lemon-ginger scones

Café Fleuri
The Langham Hotel, 250 Franklin St., Boston, 617-451-1900
Regulars Boston Private Bank honcho Tim Vaill; Goodwin Procter litigator Wayne Budd; Citizen Schools board chair Sherif Nada; PR titan Larry Rasky; Ralph Martin
Popular Orders The “Patriot” (eggs and choice of breakfast meat, plus toast or pastry, juice, coffee or tea); house-made maple-smoked salmon

Henrietta’s Table
The Charles Hotel, One Bennett St., Cambridge, 617-661-5005
Regulars Steve Grossman (when he’s not at the Bristol); SJC Chief Justice Margaret Marshall; venture capitalist David Fialkow; philanthropist Barbara Lee; Harvard Law dean Elena Kagan; HBS prof Michael Porter
Popular Orders Homemade granola parfait with apples, berries, yogurt, and honey; three-egg omelet with signature hash browns; red flannel hash (or if it’s sometime guest Al Gore, anything he can get his hands on)

Mike’s City Diner
1714 Washington St., Boston, 617-267-9393
Regulars Mayor Tom Menino; Richie Serino, chief of the city’s emergency services; the itinerant Ralph Martin
Popular Orders Eggs, grits, and cinnamon-walnut Belgian waffles; the “Emergency Room” (eggs, choice of meat, choice of home fries or grits, toast, and fruit pancakes)

Mul’s Diner
75 W. Broadway, South Boston, 617-268-5748
Regulars Chief Menino aide Michael Kineavy; union bosses Michael Monahan of the Electricians Local 103 and Jay Hurley of the Ironworkers Local 7
Popular Orders Pancakes; corned beef hash; eggs and hash browns; bottomless coffee

The Paramount
44 Charles St., Boston, 617-720-1152
Regulars Representative Marty Walsh; former mayor Kevin White and family; Sox co-owner Tom Werner; Huntington Theatre artistic director Nicholas Martin; healthcare activists Barbara and Stephen Roop; Tom Birmingham and Tom Finneran (who like to sit way in the back)
Popular Orders Pancakes or waffles with fruit. Or for Martin, when he’s watching his weight, a plate of eggs “dropped on wheat toast.”

Johnny’s Luncheonette
30 Langley Rd., Newton Centre, 617-527-3223
Machers Barry Shrage of Combined Jewish Philanthropies; Democratic moneyman Alan Solomont; Israel Policy Forum executive committee member Geoff Lewis; style entrepreneur Gretchen Monahan
Popular Orders The “Deli” (scrambled eggs with lox and onions); “crunchy” French toast, crusted with walnuts, cornflakes, and almonds

Poppa B’s
1100 Blue Hill Ave., Boston, 617-825-0700
Regulars Pals of owner and ex–political operative Boyce Slayman, including Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts president Darnell Williams; Boston Neighborhood Development head Charlotte Golar Richie; former state Senator Bill Owens; state Senator Dianne Wilkerson; Reverends Eugene Rivers, Bruce Wall, and Ray Hammond
Popular Orders Wilkerson always asks for some honey mustard when ordering the fried catfish (which comes with eggs, grits, or home fries or French toast in specials like the “Gone Fishin’” and the “French Filet,” respectively).