Cobblestones of Lowell — Restaurant in Lowell

This review is overdue. I just moved to Lowell last October from Southie. My girlfriend Karen came to visit about a month ago and we went to Cobblestones after reviewing their menu. Karen has been a chef for 20 years and i waited tables in fine dining restaurants in Boston before moving to Newport, RI to run a small hotel. We love to try restaurants that are new to us. When we sat down, we immediately inquired about the oysters and were told that three gentlemen had thrown back 213 of them in the bar and while fascinating, we were dismayed to hear this and didn't understand why they wouldn't go out and get more. Anyway, our server, Larissa was very professional, polite and knew the answers to all of our inquiries about the menu and wine list, although she was new. We were impressed by this because like I said, she was new, but she's smart because if you don't have the knowledge, you cannot sell product. I forget the name of the bottle of wine we ordered but anyway, they had 86'd it and that is when Amy came into the picture whom I understand is the GM. She approached our table, introduced herself and we discussed a replacement for the wine they were out of. She hooked us up with something fantastic, a cabernet savignon of some kind. She was also gracious enough to inform us that they had replenished their oyster supply much to our delight. The owners of this establishment need to know that Amy is definitely a huge asset to their restaurant. She is magical, truly she is. Amy also displayed the obvious fact that she loves what she does and takes pride in the restaurant itself and her work. We chatted with her for a few minutes and before we knew it, she was inviting us to their block party for Folk Festival weekend. She was so accommodating in every way and really made it seem effortless and seamless. Karen overloaded on the oysters while I had the wedge salad. Everything was perfect. For entrees we both had the short ribs which were great. We usually indulge in desert but the food was so flavorful and presentation beautiful that we didn't bother saving room for it. Thank you Amy and Larissa for going the extra mile in making our experience an enjoyable one as well as memorable. I also liked the esthetics of the restaurant and it was extremely clean, which is key....

Honestly this place has really high competition. Four of my favorite restaurants in Lowell are within a half a mile and although there's not anything technically wrong with cobblestones I think it's really overpriced for Fairly mediocre food. And the service wasn't that great either. We were there for live music last weekend and sat at the bar to get some food before the music started. One waitress took our order ain't that our drinks for us and then we never saw her again. We ordered our food from another waitress who never checked back in to make sure it was okay. And then when our beverages were empty and we wanted to ask someone about getting the next round in outdoor cups the three waitresses that were buzzing around the bar had their heads down and never once made eye contact with us or scanned to see that we might need something. Clear there was only six people in the entire bar room area including all the tables so there was half as many waitresses as there were customers. They should have been able to provide Stellar service. We ordered the Reuben sandwich and it never mentioned in the description that there was going to be an extra layer of bread in the sandwich like a club sandwich. And it was quite clear that that was done in order to mask that there was barely any meat in the sandwich. And the sandwich was very pricey. Just not very impressive. And the value just wasn't there. I have nothing against the place I just think that the value to price ratio leaves a lot to be desired and the service could certainly be improved with a little staff training. All that being said I'm tickled that they're hosting live music once a month through the summer. We will definitely the attending these events but I think from now on we'll just have a drink while we're there and eat...

Stars didn't align for this visit. Hostess was friendly. Reservation seated immediately for a party of 8. Server was pleasant. The decor had a industrial Victorian charm. Downhill slide from there.

Server tried to be attentive but seemed spread thin. Time between water, drink order, appetizer order, food order, and eventual food service was almost 90 minutes. Server had one mode, "creepy smile", regardless of request, comment, or complaint as if suspending disbelief to get through the day.

The kitchen must have been in a tailspin. Main dishes were delivered in 3 waves, 1 entre, then 6, then 1, presumably forgotten because it was so late. The Texas Tips, all 2 of them, were served warm and would more appropriately be called the Rhode Island Tips given their size. The KISS local greens salad with grilled chicken was missing.... (dramatic pause)... the chicken, and the chickpeas, but included surprise bonus couscous which wasn't listed on the menu. The highlight would have been the Hot-honey Fried Chicken sandwich had it been hot-honey and the lettuce wasn't wilted like a wet napkin. The fries were ok though. The eggs looked like slop from powder and wouldn't have been served at Army boot camp.

Credit to management for eventually paying the table a visit to ensure me the $8 side of four bacon strips with the hair would be taken off the bill. Though complimentary desserts were offered, we weren't ready to risk it.

Management did explain the staff was new, including the kitchen was still getting sorted out whom they brought over from the sister restaurant that just went under. What!? That line of thinking may benefit from reevaluation. Give them a try, your...