Hobgoblin — Restaurant in Boston

I really enjoy Hobgoblin, and I will note that all of my experiences at this place so far have been downstairs, in the piano room.

I would suggest reserving a spot around 9pm - I really love that you can listen to a live performance while having your meal, and in the times I've gone the musicians have been quite fantastic - this is one of the best parts of this restaurant.

The meals I've had have all been great, and while they tout an elevated Asian fusion cuisine, I wanted to note that most of the flavors seem to be Southeast or South Asian, which is really spicy and sharp and vibrant.

The whole branzino was the highlight of the meals we've had and well worth the price (changes daily) - it's flavorful and the meat is very tender (watch out for bones though!). The mussels were also delicious and I was happy that the broth was fairly spicy! The bison meatballs were interesting, and the satay was nothing special but a good sharing plate. The crab curry was another highlight but the portion was a bit disappointing - I received a thin half of a crab dangling over the side of my curry. Even though I really enjoyed the taste of the curry, there wasn't a satisfying enough amout of crabmeat that I would consider getting this again in the future for its price.

The biggest drawback is that depending on the night the jazzy dim atmosphere of the piano bar and the performance of the musicians can be drowned out by the loud chatter of the diners. I wish the restaurant imposed some etiquette standards for enjoying the piano room downstairs so we could all fully enjoy what it set out to do. It doesn't need to be a silent dinner but rather some guidelines on volume of...

From the moment you step through the street entrance of The Hobgoblin in downtown Boston, you're faced with a choice: the fine dining and sleek, shiny bar upstairs, or the basement—a dark, jazz-infused, Broadway-styled haven with warm, earthy tones of brown and ruby. For me, it was a no-brainer. As soon as we settled in, the first thing we asked was if this place had any connection to the Wychwood Brewery from Oxfordshire, England, known for its Hobgoblin Beer. The answer was, unfortunately, no, which was a bit of a letdown. But they do serve Hobgoblin Beer, so that comforted us. The beer list here is intentionally short, but it's packed with quality - the best contemporary brews you could want. However, the beer isn’t the best part of this bar. The food is. You might be tempted to call it comfort food, but that would be an understatement. It’s more like the best finger food you’ve ever had - seriously, "WTF this is amazing" kind of food.The liquor selection is another highlight, with an intriguing array of international liqueurs that can spark countless conversations. And as you move from the upstairs area to the basement, there's a certain camaraderie that fills the air. Everyone becomes the best of buddies, even with total strangers. If you're looking for a night to remember in Boston, make your way to The Hobgoblin. The atmosphere, the food, and the overall experience are something you won’t...

Man, we were so excited about this place and it was just a very meh experience. I will say the service we received was pretty good- our waiter checked on us several times and brought us new water without having to be asked and cocktails were fun, however that's sort of where the good ends. I read that there were monsters and gargoyles for decor but the downstair lounge just looks like the old bar that used to be there. There is no sound proofing so the piano is just too loud to be enjoyable- we were yelling over the table at each other. One of our table legs was too short so our table was jumping around/unstable. The real issue is with the kitchen though- the price to portion ratio is absolutely absurd when you look at the quality of food being put out. I ordered the shrimp pad Thai which came in basically a small ice cream bowl with literally 2 over cooked shrimp on top. There were 4 people in our party and every single entree came at a different time to the point that the first 3 people's food was cold by the time my pad Thai came. The $12 pad Thai from my local Thai place is a far superior product at less than half the price, in a city that isn't lacking in fantastic asian options.

The concept is great so I really hope they get their stuff together because there's definitely better and cheaper food and ambiance...