The Farmhouse — Restaurant in Needham

Food was quite good (farmers salad and bolognese were great) and the host, waiters, and support staff were all attentive and kind. This could be a 5-star local favorite, but there are parts of the atmosphere that we think could use some improvement.

The lighting throughout 80% of the restaurant is a fantastic warm lighting from well-thought-out Edison bulb fixtures. However, if you are seated at any of the 4-5 tables at the back by the kitchen, not only are the tables a little bit too close together (I’m guessing just under 12” between tables), but you are also unfortunately enveloped by the bright white lights from the kitchen. Same goes for the very front of the restaurant. There is a very bright spotlight in the front of the building that affects about 3 of the tables against the front windows. We went at night, so perhaps this is not an issue for early reservations or lunch, but it was quite noticeable. Interestingly, the table next to us (we were sitting at the front) actually asked to be moved about 5 minutes after sitting down. It is worth noting that if you come to sit at the bar or with a party of 4, you may never encounter this issue because the atmosphere in the very center of the restaurant is excellent with all warm lighting at a long bar flanked by 4-seater tables.

Regardless of your party size, this next item might still affect you, and that is the music selection. We felt it was a bit loud and incongruous with the warm farm to table restaurant vibe you are greeted with. In fact, the song we walked into was “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction absolutely blasting out of the speakers. This could easily have been remedied by choosing a playlist with little to no top hits or generally softer, less interruptive music.

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves but there were a couple moments where we were on the verge of politely leaving and saving the money for another night. I strongly believe the atmosphere can make or break a night out. With relatively small and inexpensive (or free) improvements this place could truly be...

We haven’t been here in a while, and came back to a fabulous dining experience. We were seated promptly in the charming outdoor space. Although the noise level was high, our intimate table for two still felt private. The wait staff was super professional and took our orders promptly. The food came out so quickly I couldn’t believe it! They had a great selection of creative cocktails appetizers and main courses. We ordered the tuna tartare and crabcakes as appetizers, and both were delicious, beautiful, and generous. We had the sole and the shrimp tacos for our main courses, and the latter came with 3 giant tacos with HUGE shrimp— delicious ($29). The soul was a bit skimpy for someone with a hearty appetite, but I was happy to share one of my three huge tacos. The only disappointment on the menu was no dessert options without dairy. While I appreciate a highly curated menu, lots of us need/want a dessert choice that isn’t rich, just to end on a special note. Their hostess staff was also superb and efficient. I believe that their use of handheld wireless ordering devices must be adding speed to their turnaround. Kudos to The Farmhouse! We will be...

First time at the Farmhouse. a little journey from Concord, but not a bad ride. With my wife and eldest son on a Saturday night. Very nice room, was smaller than what I imagined, but the room was quite busy, not noisy per se, but definitely energetic. We started with the arancini and olives to start. Arancini were smaller than one would find in a Sicilian restaurant, but were plentiful for the 3 of us as a shared starter. Fried risotto stuffed with cheese. Came with a marinara sauce. Very enjoyable. For dinner, my son had the Bolognese, and thought that it was very good (but he did say mine was better!), my wife had the Maine Halibut, large piece of fish, not overcooked, all the accompaniments were great. I had the Chicken Milanese, which frankly was gigantic and needed to bring a third home with me (too much for me!). It was dressed with arugula, romano, tomatoes, red onion, capers. Almost a piccata. Cocktails before dinner (is Mezcal the new goto liquor? I see it on every cocktail menu now, no matter what the cuisine. am happy with that) and a few glasses of a good French chard with dinner. No room for dessert. Will definitely come back if down...