Polish Fast Food - Zaps

A Zap is a cheap and delicious open-faced sandwich served at Zaps restaurant on Brighton Avenue in Allston. The slim, 16-inch loaf is sliced lengthwise, topped with cheese, mushrooms, and onions and toasted. The basic Zap costs $3.99, and you can add keilbasa, ham, olives, corn, and other goodies for another dollar or two.

The bread is soft inside, crisp on the outside, and the melted cheese is just gooey enough to be divine.

Zaps, sodas, and chips are all the restaurant serves, but what else do you need?

The young owner of Zaps is from Poland, where the sandwich originated. He faces a challenge because the restaurant is tucked in behind another business, and only the door is visible from the street.

I hope the place catches on. It's getting a lot of buzz with the shop owners and the BU crowd. I love seeing someone walking down the street with a foil-wrapped, torpedo-shaped package under the arm.