Banners Kitchen & Tap — Restaurant in Boston

DO NOT GO HERE! I REPEAT…DO NOT GO HERE! Thank me later.

I very rarely do this but my experience at Banners Kitchen & Tap, Boston, warranted a full out review. It was so bad I don’t even know where to begin. I guess I will start from the beginning.

Saturday May 7, 2:15 pm. Celtics playoff game at 3:30 pm. We arrived early to ensure we could get a seat. We find out that there are no open tables because all tables have been reserved. I didn’t even know you could just reserve all tables at a bar but when I got there I understood because it’s mostly standing room. Also, the upstairs was inexplicably closed. If that area is not open during a prime Celtics game, then when!? Trash. I decided not to get riled up and just accept it. I ask the hostess if there is any open seating at all. She indicated that there is open seating along the glass railing and by the main window facing out to the street. We were lucky enough to find seating right by the elevator, next to a TV by the main window. We had comfortable chairs and little couch like things. Things were looking up for us. Now this is when things went bad. I asked a nearby server if we could get service and she said yes someone would be right over. 30 minutes goes by, no service. I ask another waitress if we could get service and she said the area was closed. Huh? The area is closed? How can the area be closed if literally the entire area is filled with people seated and being served? I was s confused. Thus, I explained to her that the other waitress said we would get service and now that 30 minutes has gone by putting us in a tough spot because the place was filling up and there were no other seats. After a tense back and forth the waitress reluctantly and with attitude took our order for food but said we had to go get drinks up at the bar. I was peeved but I was willing to take the compromise because it seemed like she was doing us a favor (eyeroll).

Me and another buddy went up to the bar while the third buddy saved our seats. Holy hell the bar. The bar is this really long bar table with no seats. It was completely packed, and people were just spotted up there for the game. There were 3 bartenders maybe for about 100 people. It was a nightmare and horribly designed. We waited a good 20 minutes and finally got our drinks. Of course we had to bring them to our table ourselves because good service at this place is optional. We brought them back to our table and shortly after the food came. Sorry let me rephrase. UNFORTUNATELY, our food came.

The nachos. I don’t know how to put this delicately, so I won’t. The nachos were the worst nachos I have ever had any establishment. Honestly, I don’t even know how to describe the cheese. It was liquidy queso-like nonsense. So bad. Not even cheese, more like some chemical concoction they poured on the nachos. Then I guess there were beans and other stuff on there but man these were BAD. On top of that they were $19! I was speechless honestly. We maybe ate a few and didn’t touch the rest.

The burger. Completely overcooked. My buddy ate about half of it, said it was awful. I tried it myself. Awful. No worries though because it was only $20 LOL. Ridiculous.

The buffalo wings. Here we go. I consider myself a buffalo wing/tender connoisseur and these were 2/10 maybe. It felt like the wings were minimally cooked and buffalo sauce was just poured on top. And yup, you guessed, $18! I would have been better off buying the frozen ones from stop and shop and making those before I came. Those are 3/10 for reference.

Overall, the experience at this place was abysmal. The prices for the quality/service are so laughable that I am actually laughing writing this review. I don’t know what kind of operation they are running at Banners but it is NOT a good one. That place will be a one and done for me. Ridiculously overpriced and poorly run....

Restaurant Review: A Chaotic Sunday Afternoon

We visited this restaurant on a Sunday at 4 PM with four adults and three kids. Early October, before Bruins season kicked off. Things started off well — we were seated promptly — but it quickly went downhill. Fifteen minutes passed without service, and finally, a gracious waitress came over, sincerely apologizing for what she said was a miscommunication.

We ordered drinks, but things took a turn when she returned to tell us they were out of the pumpkin beer we had chosen (in October, in New England, no less!). She offered a different pumpkin beer, only to come back and tell us they didn’t have that either. After more back and forth, we finally settled on replacements, but it took another 10 minutes before the drinks arrived.

We immediately placed the kids’ food orders to avoid any meltdowns. After 15 minutes, we ordered our meals, but 30 more minutes passed before the waitress informed us the kitchen was backed up. Another 20 minutes went by as we watched tables seated after us getting their food. She finally admitted that the kitchen was a nightmare, with staff yelling, tickets falling to the floor, and being ignored. An hour into our wait, she confessed they had lost our ticket and didn’t know when we’d get our food.

At this point, my 5-year-old was crying and literally begging the waitress for his food. To her credit, she looked gut-wrenched and sincerely felt awful. She did everything she could to manage the situation, but the manager never came over to address the issue, which felt like a major oversight. After nearly an hour and a half, they comped all our food but still charged us for the five beers we had between three adults.

Some of the food eventually made it out, but several items were missing. After spending two and a half hours in the restaurant, with hungry kids, minimal food, and a chaotic atmosphere, we left feeling incredibly frustrated. Despite the waitress’s sincerity, the lack of management involvement and overall disorganization made for a miserable experience. We won’t be returning...

In the beating heart of Boston, where the ghosts of sports legends roam, you'll find Banners - a sports bar that's more crammed than a subway car during rush hour. This isn't just a bar; it's a shrine to sports, with a side of cheese.

Ambiance: Imagine walking into a place where TVs are more abundant than pigeons in a park. Banners is like a sports fan's fever dream, with screens so big you can count the blades of grass on the field. The décor is a tasteful blend of 'hockey rink chic' and 'did they just raid the Hall of Fame?'

Appetizer - Chili Cheese Fries: First up, the chili cheese fries, a dish with more layers than the plot of a soap opera. It's a symphony of fries, chili, and cheese, each bite an ode to overindulgence. These fries don't just set the bar; they are the bar.

Main Course - MAC & CHEESE: Then comes the mac and cheese, a dish that's basically a dairy pool party with pasta diving in. This isn't just any mac and cheese; this is cavatappi in a 5-cheese sauce with a Ritz cracker crumble that's fancier than a top hat on a cat. It's the kind of dish that whispers, "This is why you're not on a diet."

Service: The service at Banners is like a slow dance - charming but not exactly swift. It's a leisurely stroll through the park, but the park is full of hungry, slightly impatient sports fans. Your food will arrive, but you'll have learned three new stats about the Bruins in the meantime.

Overall: Banners is not just a sports bar; it's a carnival of fandom. If you're looking for a quiet dinner, look elsewhere. This is where you come to yell at TVs, bond with fellow fans over shared victories (or losses), and eat mac and cheese that's as bold as a buzzer-beater shot.

In short, Banners: A place where the mac and cheese tackles your hunger, the TVs are larger than life, and the only thing louder than the crowd is the crunch of that...