The Street Bar — Restaurant in Boston

We stopped by this bar without a reservation, and were pleasantly surprised that they found a table for us—just the two of us, on a Friday evening. The tall waiter in glasses greeted us kindly, and water was brought right away. So far, so good.

It took us some time to look through the menu, and when I asked for a cocktail with a sweet-and-sour profile, I was told that none of the listed drinks matched that taste. I then asked about a Porn Star Martini, and the waiter said it’s not on the menu but added that I could describe what I wanted, and they could try to make something for me. While I appreciate the gesture, as someone simply looking to relax after a long week, I didn’t feel like crafting a cocktail recipe on the spot. I would have loved a bit more guidance, like: “Would you prefer a gin- or vodka-based cocktail? Our bartender is great at customizing something for you.”

As someone who’s worked in the hospitality field both as a waitress and currently as a customer service representative at Boston Logan Airport, I pay attention to the details of guest service. When my boyfriend ordered for both of us and asked to serve the dessert after the main, the response from the waiter was: “Yes, sir, that’s how we serve desserts.” It felt a bit sarcastic. A warmer answer would have made a difference—something like, “Absolutely, we’ll bring it after the mains.”

Some positives: the Caesar salad was plentiful and nicely split into two portions for us. I appreciated the extra Parmesan on the fries, which made them especially tasty. But the small things added up—empty plates stayed on the table too long even though the restaurant had quieted down, and no one checked in about a second drink while I was clearly debating it. The dessert was brought like 10 good min after the plates were set for it at the table. “Did they forget?” Asked me my bf. When we finally wanted the check, it took around 10 minutes to find our waitress.

Altogether, we spent around $140. While that’s not unusual for a fine dining setting, the overall experience didn’t match the price point. I’ve had more fulfilling evenings at far less expensive places. The cocktail “smth #2” wasn’t great in taste, my bfs Newbury 42 neither - plain.

As a Ukrainian who has worked as a wine and food journalist for over five years, I know and value great hospitality. I also know how much every night out means—especially when time and money are limited.

We chose this place partly because a Ukrainian friend of mine works at the hotel (although she wasn’t on shift that evening). We stayed to honor the place and its reputation, but unfortunately, the experience didn’t leave us with a desire to return.

I don’t write this with anger—just honest feedback from someone who values meaningful service and hospitality. Hopefully, this helps...

Long wait time (more than 1 hour), rude staff, underwhelming food. Rudest manager and hostess in Boston - this place makes Karen’s diner look polite. I have never encountered such rude, unprofessional staff. We were told the wait would be 30 minutes but ended up sitting around for over an hour. Had I not constantly gone up to the hostess and practically begged for a table, we probably would have waited another hour.

My friend stood outside waiting (there’s a sign that says wait outside), hoping to be greeted by someone. When she walked in to check, the manager aggressively told her to “get out.” Astonishingly, minutes later, a couple strolls in, and I step inside to see if they’d be treated the same. No surprise—the manager doesn’t say a word to them. When I pointed this out, he comes up to me with an attitude, repeating, “the table needs more time” as if that was ever an excuse for his rude behavior. Unbelievable.

After waiting over an hour, the manager and hostess tried to seat us with another couple at the same table because they “didn’t have space.” There were multiple empty tables around which could easily sit 2. What kind of proper restaurant does this? Absolutely ridiculous.

We were finally given a table in the library area, which had zero atmosphere—might as well have been sitting in a storage room. But just minutes later, they came over and told us to get up because the table was “for hotel guests only.” The service here is a literal joke. We finally got seated after all that waiting, and then told to move to another table? Who in their right mind runs a restaurant like this? Unbelievable.

As for the food? The burger, hyped up as a local favorite, was underwhelming (6/10). It was downright mediocre at best. The club sandwich? A nauseating 3/10—the turkey smelled like fish and the ingredients tasted like they’d been sitting out for days. And the fries? Extremely salty. You’d need a whole glass of water just to survive the salt attack.

Avoid this place unless you want to deal with absolute chaos and complete incompetence. If you want to experience complete disrespect and mediocre underwhelming food, then this is your place. If i could rate it...

I was there last night grabbing a drink before meeting up with some friends. I walked into the bar and it was full; I asked the bartender if anyone was closing out soon and he said no. No problem, I stood and ordered a drink. A white patron next to me told me two young gentleman at the end of the bar were closing out so I moved over there to ask them if that was true.

They said it wasn’t but we chatted further about some other things until the bartender rudely interrupted and “berated” me for “killing” the vibe by asking the two gentleman. I apologized because I actually have manners and told him I was misinformed. I later sat down & I apologized again to which he responded with “I just didn’t want you to go down the line and ask everyone” and I said that was not my intention. He quipped back that he had stopped me before I asked everyone at the bar if they’re closing out soon.

Okay weird, whatever. A lady was having a glass of wine I found intriguing and I asked for it, mind you, in front of me was my first drink. He tells me I need to finish that before he’ll get me something different – I tell him to just dump my cocktail and get me my wine. I’ve never had any bartender care about my drinks; much less when I walk in sober.

The level of unprofessionalism displayed in a matter of 30-40 minutes by the bartender was appalling. I am a young black woman & I was alone, I honestly felt like he was being a douche to me because of my race & age. I still over tipped his ignorant ass but such a disappointing encounter in a bar that would have otherwise...