The Essex Boston — Restaurant in Boston

I booked a rooftop table for our anniversary dinner expecting a beautiful restaurant and a nice view of Boston. It started off well — we arrived at the ground floor restaurant and were greeted by a friendly hostess who directed us to the elevator. Once we reached the rooftop, the first impression was okay.

However, as soon as we were seated, the waitress came over within a minute and immediately asked what we wanted to order — even though we hadn’t had a chance to look at the menu yet. Just two minutes later, she came back again with the same question, clearly rushing us.

We also didn’t like the table we were given because it had tall, uncomfortable chairs. We noticed some empty tables with regular chairs and asked if we could switch. Instead of checking quickly, the waitress took about 15 minutes walking around before finally coming back to tell us that all tables were “taken.”

We had chosen some drinks and asked about the main courses, since the menu only had appetizers and small bites. She pointed vaguely at one dish and walked away without any explanation.

Eventually, we decided to go downstairs to the main restaurant after being told that main dishes were only served there. Strangely, we were asked to close out our rooftop tab right away, which felt odd since it’s technically the same restaurant. When we asked if our drinks could be brought downstairs, the waitress told us we had to carry them ourselves — incredibly unprofessional.

The service on the rooftop was terrible, and the whole experience was a huge disappointment. On top of that, if you’re expecting a beautiful view — don’t. What you get is a view of a train track and a construction site. It completely ruined the evening and left us with a negative impression of the rooftop.

However, once we got to the downstairs restaurant, things improved. We were warmly welcomed by the hostess and bartender, allowed to sit wherever we liked, and finally had a delicious dinner. The drinks were much better — not watered down like on the rooftop — and the service was excellent.

So, if you’re considering this place, skip the rooftop entirely. It’s not worth it. The view is disappointing, and the staff there are rude and inattentive. But if you want a decent evening with good food, drinks, and service, go straight to the restaurant on the first floor. That’s the only part that saved our night from being a complete disaster.

If I could give the rooftop zero stars and rate the downstairs restaurant separately with a good score — I...

My review is based specifically about my experience and how I (and my group) felt during my short stay in the restaurant.

We arrived around 7h20PM (on a Wednesday!) and initially we were all happy about the costumer service and how we were treated, the view is great and the environment looks nice. After we sat at a table was when unfortunately our experience went in a different direction. We received tap water and some menus after almost 20 minutes of arrival and after that we waited another 40 minutes before we decided to leave without any food served. Nobody came to our table and we kept seeing people coming in, receiving assistance, getting their food while we were just with the tap water. Initially we thought we were forgotten because we were “distant” from their eyes, but after a couple sat next to us and got their food before we even order was when we decided to leave. I did mention to one of the hosts what happened briefly but I didn’t want to over explain during my mother’s birthday, we just wanted food and great time. One of us mentioned how the host didn’t even try to make it right, he just said sorry and that was it, he went on with his job like they didn’t lose costumers. We did notice we were the only people of color in there and we felt like we just were looked over because “we didn’t belong” in that space. Not saying it was done on purpose, but it was how we felt, which was really unfortunate because like I said it initially was a nice first impression, but now all of us are remembering the restaurant as “we shouldn’t go there again, because we’re not welcome”.

I’m leaving this review not only because it was frustrating but also because I understand the importance of feedback. Once again this review is based on our experience and how we felt. I know working in a restaurant isn’t easy, but the place was not in any way packed and nobody should feel like that even if it...

Let me describe to you the perfect night out: We arrived at Essex on Broadway at about 5:30pm and went up to the roof deck bar for fantastic cocktails and oysters. The views are incredible, the atmosphere is lively and the service friendly. After enjoying our delicious libations we went downstairs to the main floor restaurant for dinner. This intimate restaurant with elegant bar is very stylish and sexy. But, the best part was the food! OMG incredible! I am a bit of a risotto connoisseur and this pea risotto was the best I have ever had. The parmesan sauce....scrumptious! So full of flavor when many 5 star restaurants make this dish so bland. I can't wait to go back to try the Cauliflower Steak. Thank you to the chef for having two vegetarian entrees on the menu! So often I have only one or no choices. My three meat loving companions all had the steak and all cleared their plates. My son said the accompanying potatoes were one of the best things he has ever eaten and all three steaks were cooked to perfection. On the topic of potatoes; The Za'Tar fries were flavorful and crispy. Perfection finished off by the deconstructed s'mores which were a delight. After dinner we proceeded back to the roof deck bar for one more celebratory drink (comped on the house for my husband's birthday...so sweet of them!) with perfect timing for a gorgeous sunset over the Boston Skyline. Truly a perfect evening. My only regret is we did not take more photos I could share with you! The restaurant is brand new, so I suggest you get in while you can. As soon as word gets out this place will have a line...