Eat your way through Waffle Day all weekend long

Far and wide, today is World Waffle Day, and while the tradition’s history is rooted in Sweden, America has happily adopted the day for itself. Boston is full of delicious crisp and golden options — but what to eat on the most celebratory waffle day of them all?

Put a bird on it

Chicken and waffles is one of our favorite southern imports — right up there with fried okra and hot chicken — but our pick swings with eastern influences at Shojo in Chinatown. Their Chicken & Waffles v 3.0 ($15) features a “Hong Kong waffle,” which means the batter is cooked in an iron that resembles a mini egg-crate, creating puffy spheres that you can pull apart with your hands and pop into your mouth one-by-one. The popular street snack is paired with five spice butter and “sizurrp,” meaning Mrs. Butterworth better step up her game.

Go to the source

Actual Swedish waffles — or Våfflor — are hard to find in Boston (read: impossible), but their Belgian brothers, while characteristically totally different, are available by the dozens. We’re in favor of Saus, a frites and beer joint by City Hall Plaza that also offers super sweet pearl sugar-crusted Liege Waffles ($3.75) as a post-booze snack. They can come topped with lemon cream or chocolate-hazelnut spread — or our favorite, a mix of salted caramel and Biscoff crumble, for an extra $0.75 a pop.

Better than bread

Unless you’re a sweet vs. savory brunch purist, any opportunity to meld the new on a breakfast plate is on that’s A-OK by us. Back Bay’s Corner Tavern has a waffle sandwich on its weekend brunch menu that hits us in all the right spots, and is one of those magical compositions — turkey sausage, herby egg whites and Swiss between blueberry waffles ($9) — that has the illusion of being totally healthy for you. Totally.

For the traditionalist

There’s a reason why there’s always a line out the door at conveyor belt of a breakfast place, The Paramount, in Beacon Hill. Your simple request for a waffle topped with syrup, sugar, butter or all of the above can be found here for $7, but an extra $4 will spot you a mound of fresh fruit on top.