Steel & Rye — Restaurant in Milton

Steel & Rye has some amazing staff members and I’ve been meaning to share glowing reviews for a while. Whether I’ve run in to grab a baguette or dinner, everyone is friendly, attentive and helpful but on three occasions the staff really stood out.

The first was when a friend and I were ready to order our third drink our lovely waitress kindly asked if we were driving home (we were not in any way acting intoxicated but I think she knew a third for us could really change things). As someone who always uses a car ride app or walks if having more than one drink, I appreciated her intent of making sure everyone was safe (and that we wouldn’t harm others!). I didn’t find her question intrusive but rather caring and smart. I’ve never been asked that but perhaps more servers should. We were walking and did enjoy a third drink ☺️

Right before Christmas, I popped in with the goal of having a quick meal at the bar so I could sample one of the holiday batched cocktails before committing to that purchase. I was right from work with a baseball hat and sweats and immediately felt out of place (didn’t expect such a lively feel with nicely dressed people on a Tuesday) and surprisingly blurted this out to the lovely host, Laura. She encouraged me to stick with my plan—even being so kind as to say a group of sweatpant-wearing teachers had just left! When it turned out the bar was full, I opted to grab takeout. Laura suggested I have a seat and explained she would bring me the cocktail in the waiting area to enjoy while I waited for my takeout. It was a very nice gesture and allowed me to feel at ease and accomplish my tasting goal. She went out of her way to make sure I was taken care of and comfortable, which was the bright spot at the end of my 13 hour work day.

Lastly, my friend and I also had a fantastic waiter over the summer named….Andrew? He had the best, unassuming personality and was attentive yet gave us space. He patiently answered our questions and even lamented with me that a favorite pasta dish was no longer on the menu. He made us feel like we were in someone’s home rather than a restaurant and it is a big reason we return to...

I’m local business owner from the area that has frequently visited Steel and Rye. Upon one of my visit I had a horrible experience with a waiter, that ended with the manager insisting my guest and I take gift cards. I explained then, that it wasn’t about the money, it was about the combative nature of the waiter, but the manager continued to insist we take two $25 gift cards. Months later I decided to give them another chance since I had their gift card in my wallet, and we live in the area. The food was horrible, the drinks were okay, and the bill totaled $193. I decided to use their measly gift cards, in addition to my own Visa card, and they responded with “this gift card has zero balance”. I proceeded to tell the waiter that “I just took it out of its original envelop, and have never used them.” A general manager came over and the first things out of his mouth were “the gift card has been redeemed on May 28 and this envelop isn’t even from our restaurant ”. So I then responded by describing the night we were there, and the previous manager who originally gave us the gift cards, and he combatively said “no such manager works here, I’m the only manger.” So we proceeded to tell him to just charge our visas, as he was making a scene and causing us to feel embarrassed by other patrons. Then he came back and acted like he did us a favor by removing $50 off the bill, despite the fact that we could afford it and we told him that we didn’t care about the money, but rather about the fact that he was questioning our integrity and embarrassing us in front of everyone. It was just a ridiculously offensive experience and I won’t be coming back here again. If you’re someone has any taste buds and any idea of what good service is supposed to be, go spend your money elsewhere. I recommend Novara or Abby Park, cause Steel and Rye is the worse restaurant in the Lower Mills...

Let me first start by saying we have been coming to S&R for years, but have seen a dramatic decline in quality, service and cleanliness. Our most recent experience and review on drinks, food, cleanliness and overall satisfaction: The hours are confusing. Suggestion: just pick hours for breakfast, lunch, dinner, current hours are a mess and annoying. Drinks were meh, historically, a place hyper focused on unique, creative cocktails, now are rather simple and unoriginal. One of our cocktails was served in a chipped glass, look I get it happens, but this highlights the lack of care and/or awareness to quality, which typically would not be overlooked. We ordered two pizzas, the chorizo and the mushroom. Both had a lack of flavor. Suggestion: A little salt and pepper goes a long way. After being frustrated with the above, we asked for a to-go-box. Upon receiving said pizza box, it was a dirty, used box, of which yes, they did replace. However, this continues to show a lack of awareness, care or general cleanliness of the current establishment. Finally, the men's room was disgusting, smelled of urine and toilet paper on the floors.

If the above was not enough, we were double charged for the drinks. They did remove the mistake and rectify by providing a drink on the house. Which was of course a nice gesture and brings me to my conclusion, I write this review not expecting anything for free, however to let management know that today's service was a fail, from lack of cleanliness, severe miss on execution of cocktails and food, to overall dissatisfaction of a restaurant that once set themselves apart. This experience will deter us from returning and from providing, what historically would elicit a positive verbal review, now will be met with a very negative response.

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