Fool's Errand — Restaurant in Boston

I’ve been to this place before and absolutely loved it, which makes it all the more disappointing to say that tonight’s experience was the complete opposite.

We arrived around 10 PM—me, my husband, and three friends—after having a single drink each at TimeOut Market. When we walked up, the lights were so dim it looked closed, and if I hadn’t seen people inside, I wouldn’t have assumed they were closed. I usually love a moody, intimate vibe, but this just felt uninviting—like someone forgot to turn the lights on.

Once inside, it was clear the bartender (the only employee working) was focused on entertaining his group of friends rather than serving customers. From the start, we felt like an inconvenience. When my husband ordered a drink, the bartender immediately asked how many drinks he’d had that night—completely unprompted and unnecessary. He wasn’t slurring or stumbling—he had barely started his night. The drinks we eventually got were mediocre at best, and the service was cold and dismissive.

Meanwhile, the bartender continued serving his clearly intoxicated friends and even drinking with them behind the bar. As the night went on (just after the Red Sox game ended), he started telling new patrons that they were only offering “beer, wine, or shots”—which seemed like a lazy way of avoiding having to make cocktails from the menu. He asked another perfectly normal couple how much they had to drink too, which came across more like an excuse to not serve them rather than a genuine concern.

I was so excited to share this hidden gem with out-of-town friends, but unfortunately, the experience felt more like we had walked into someone’s private party than a welcoming cocktail bar. It’s really disappointing to see such a cool place lose its charm because of one employee more interested in hanging out than...

Pricey but swanky-chic. Fool's Errand is standing room only, but there are helpful hooks and bars aplenty for you to rest your hip or foot against while you're enjoying your $14 cocktails and $5-15 apps. Service is super friendly; our bartender was generous with the pillowy bread and sinfully delicious bread (complimentary, the butter comes shaped like a meringue which adds to the intrigue) and was furthermore enthusiastic about making / pouring / serving our drinks. I got the Poison Apple cocktail which was refreshing and not too sweet, even when I asked for them to go light on the alcohol (I know, I know, but I was driving that night). We also got the roni and mozz -- sort of a arancini / fried mac & cheese -- which the bartender helpfully put in an order of 4 given our group size (even though it typically comes with 3). We also ordered the crab dip. The crab dip was the TINIEST shmear, but it was delicious despite being a little hard to split 4-ways.

Ambiance is dark and Fool's Errand is one of the few bars I've discovered in Cambridge/Boston that doesn't have a TV...which I sort of love. I wish it were slightly less noisy, although the playlist is solid, full of great 90s hits -- Stevie Nicks, Simple Minds, and other great nostalgic songs. Even the bathroom is surprisingly nice: cloth towels and a little candy jar, which only called to mind Ellen DeGeneres's most recent Netflix comedy special.

All in all, a good place to get drinks, if you don't mind standing and loosening your purse strings a bit. Don't expect to get full, but expect to have a good and...

I love this Adult Snack Bar. We got a bunch of small plates, like 10, and split them between 4 of us. How it works is that you pop in and stand at the bar and get served everything right there and you see the chef and everyone right there. Everyone was terrific, they will explain things readily if you have questions about the food or menu. The place is so nice, a great atmosphere to be in. It's fancy, yet casual enough at the same time, great feel. All the food was well made and it's real food, you could taste the flavors of herbs, cheese, potato, avocado, radicchio, peaches, lobster toast, and more all marrying together in their individual dishes. It was wonderful to eat food that didn't rely on heavy salt and sugar for flavor-it felt great, satisfying and very fun!! The drinks were very nice as well-not sugar laden!! Quality ingredients. Oh and, oh my God, the burger, it was the best burger from any place I've tried, just gorgeous flavor to enjoy. ...