The Salty Pig — Restaurant in Boston

First, let me say that it’s been 4 years since we had last visited The Salty Pig. It’s a favorite spot of ours! The food did not disappoint and fully held up to our memories of the place.

However… we had the strangest service last night which unfortunately brings my rating down to 3 stars! Truly odd, honestly.

We felt incredibly rushed (cannot emphasize how stressful this meal was!) to order and then close out, though it was a 6:45 PM weeknight reservation. At first, we thought they just wanted to flip the table fast (understandable!) but there were 3 x 4-tops that were completely empty for a full hour right around us, and they were 90 minutes from closing by the end, so this couldn’t have been based on a need for space or reservations they were waiting on.

Our server was changed out to a new person halfway through the meal with no notice or acknowledgement. We were there to celebrate a birthday, which we mentioned at the start, and didn’t receive any type of candle or dessert — totally fine, but slightly sad. Our 2nd server cleared our plates while we were still eating. We had multiple people come to the table to take away all of our glassware and clear our silverware without asking if we wanted dessert or another round.

I only had one drink the entire 90 minutes because no one took a second drink order. When they cleared our silverware, I asked if I could have another drink and see a dessert menu. We put in a round of drinks and dessert — and one of the drinks was forgotten about entirely. We left with the restaurant half full — we certainly were not the last table — around 8 PM.

It seemed like they were under some mandate to get folks in and out ASAP… and it just felt super strange. We likely won’t be back...

This place is definitely a kind of hidden gem. Surrounded by other more popular restaurants this establishment often goes unnoticed, especially by those unfamiliar with the area. Located directly outside of Copley and across from Back Bay station this place is a must visit. Whether you are a foodie or looking for a great date night location (especially on their patio in the summer) you won't be second guessing your decision.

It starts with the atmosphere. Big high top wooden tables for a big group or to share with others combined with a very open layout and high ceilings make this restaurant very inviting. You can sit at the bar or get a table. In addition, the staff is extremely nice and always there when you need them.

And it doesn't stop there of course. They're always changing beers on tap combined with a rotating selection of bottles and cans (favorite is the Bengali Tiger). Additionally, they have a pretty good wine list and special cocktails that you can only find at Salty Pig.

Then you get to the food. I've had 4 or 5 different items on this menu and have never been disappointed. From the charcuterie with the assortment of pork, prosciutto, cheese, olives, etc. to the Braised Beef Shoulder Sandwich you will be in pork heaven. And for dinner definitely check out the Pork Tasting and Salty Pig pizza.

The other awesome part of this place is it won't break the bank. For the quality of food that you get combined with the atmosphere and service you would definitely expect to pay more.

But heed this warning...any future pork you eat moving forward will never live up to what you experience...

The pizza was - in my opinion - quite bad. I was hoping for a Neapolitan pizza, this is not it. The bottom is overly crispy and edges extremely dry, the dough has no flavor and is lacking salt (I asked for some to sprinkle on top - the salt grinder was not working but some kind soul brought me some in a ramekin). The oven is, btw, gas, not wood fired. I had a half margherita, half pepperoni pizza. The pepperoni half was better, with the topping masking the blandness of the foundation - which was fully exposed by the simple margherita side of it.

The charcuterie board was nice, and actually quite generous. Had I eaten it all, I wouldn’t have needed any pizza. :) The bread that comes with it - nicely charred, crispy and chewy - was the best part of the meal. The pork patee and cheese were also nice, as were the pickles. So my stars for the food are mostly for the appetizer. Had to ask for the olive oil though, which took a long time to come.

Has a chain restaurant feel and energy, waiters frantically dashing around.

The check is delivered between a little notebook with handwritten scribbles on all the pages. I suppose it is supposed to be endearing and cute - to me it was just messy and frankly a bit gross.

Price was reasonable, including wine.

Overall a disappointment though, I had really hoped for something better. :(

Ps. What the heck is this? They are making the dough right next to the...