Brick & Mortar — Restaurant in Cambridge

What a cool place! Not quite a speakeasy, but definitely gives off that "secret spot" vibe. The "community seating" encourages guests to strike up a conversation with their neighbors and get to know someone new, but the dark, intimate atmosphere gives you equal freedom to imagine you have the whole place to yourself. It is a subtle triumph of interior design to make a small crowded space feel both private and shared at the same time.

The sweeping, solid copper bar is beautiful on its own, but there are lots of nooks and small, artistic touches that create an overall mysterious, romantic ambiance that we loved.

It would be sad if a place as well-designed as this didn't have an equally brilliant menu, but Brick & Mortar does NOT disappoint! Inventive, complex cocktails evolve in the glass. This is a great place for an aspiring mixologist (like myself) to come for inspiration, and to spend time trying to deconstruct the alchemy of the experience.

The staff is also top notch. We came on a Thursday evening to have a cocktail before heading down the street to Asmara for an Eritrean feast (also highly recommended). It was so good, we decided to come back later the same night for a night cap. Not only did the staff remember us and welcome us back, but when we moved from the wall where we were standing and waiting for a seat to the bar, the bartender already knew who we were and which drinks we'd ordered. It's maybe a little thing, but I appreciate knowing there's a team of people working together, communicating to create a pleasant experience for their guests.

This is the kind of place that makes people like me fantasize about opening up my own bar someday. 😎 They create a wonderful experience and make it seem effortless. Highly...

This was my second time visiting brick and mortar. Was visiting Boston with some friends from New York. I had lived in Boston last summer and found this place and loved it. The atmosphere & the cocktails are fantastic, perfect for a night out with friends or for a date. The bartenders are fantastic at what they do, there is not one drink on the menu that won’t be great. We were quite disappointed with our service this night though. It took quite a bit of time for a bartender to come over and ask us about the drink options, and what we were ordering. It was very busy, but we were very close to the bar and we were not serviced timely at all. We ordered some food, but the kitchen had closed… Quite a bit of time went by before the bartender finally came back to us and let us know that the kitchen had closed and that they were not able to submit our order after all. Disappointing. And,the bartender did not check on us often. Ultimately, our cocktails were great and we had a great time. It was very loud, so it was challenging to hear one another, and we decided to leave. I like brick-and-mortar for the environment and the quality cocktails, but the service could’ve been much better. I have sat directly at the bar in the past, and the service has never been bad there. We were at a table adjacent from the bar in the corner, it was not as pleasant as the other times I have been to this location. Looking forward to better...

I've been coming to Brick and Mortar for a long time - they have great cocktails and bartenders are the best. However I had a bad experience last week, celebrating my bday there. Since this is a no reservations type of place I went there with my husband earlier around 5:30pm to be able to find a spot. We were about 12-13 people and sat at the table when you first come in plus the space next to it since the table is for 6 people. We were asked by the manager to either sit at the table or occupy only the standing spot so other people can fit in, which was ridiculous to ask since the table was for 6 people and we were already occupying the area and was feeling pretty tight. Then she came back again and asked with an attitude to move our group to another table at the back next to the toilets, explaining that this was for walk in groups ,which we obviously were! Anyway, we moved to a table that could fit 10 ppl so we still had people standing; I think when you have a group making you good $$$ ordering drinks all night it's not the best decision to treat them like that - zero professionalism, awful attitude, when asked for her card she refused to give me her contact and name. I hope they change management because this place is otherwise good, but to treat people like this is not. There are plenty of other new great bars in Boston where you are treated like a customer. Not coming back any time...