Buttonwood — Restaurant in Newton

Very Special. My wife and I go out to dinner a fair amount. It gives me great pleasure to find a place where I feel like each course is special. Too often, we go out and have a perfectly fine meal but feel that nothing was terribly special or different from what we have had many times before. With Buttonwood, we both feel like it is a true treat to eat there. Last night, we came home raving about a dish that actually does not sound exciting at all: Grilled peach and cucumber salad. What made the dish special was a perfect combination of flavors. The sweetness of the peach, a light asian vinaigrette sauce with basil, halloumi and pistachios, then complementing the cucumber. It was spectacular. Early in the summer, they had a fresh snap pea and tuna salad that was to die for. And the main courses show the same attentiveness to creativeness. Last night, for example, what made the swordfish dish wasn't really the very moist swordfish but the accompanying flavors from marinated summer squash and capers. Fantastic. Earlier we had a cod dish that again was made by the creative dish the cod was part of. We told friends about it and heard back agreement that it was excellent. So, bottom line, we can't say enough about this restaurant. We feel lucky to...

Inattentive server - cold entrees - rude manager.

This was our 4th time dining at Buttonwood, which had been a local favorite. No more though. The restaurant was not crowded yet there were times our server disappeared for stretches at a time.

We did not have any appetizers this time but went straight for entrees - the pork chop and chicken under brick. One bite of both and we could tell they had been sitting out for a while. The corn bread was hotter than our entrees. After finally finding our server we sent both dishes back. When new dishes were served, we saw they were the same entrees, just reheated. Besides being not sanitary, both dishes were now over cooked. (In my experience, in nicer restaurants, if a dish needs to be redone for any reason, you start new).

When the manager came over we explained the issue. He visibly sighed, rolled his eyes, and walked away from us. It was the rudest experience I have ever encountered at a supposedly nice restaurant. We were dumbstruck. He never returned so we left and went to the Irish pub around the corner having a much better overall experience

It's sad because Buttonwood had been a nice place, but when management insults patrons like that, they...

I HIGHLY recommend buttonwood to anyone in the Newton/Chestnut Hill area. Even if you don’t live near that area it is worth the drive! My husband and I enjoy this as our favorite spot for a date night. This is perfect for a night out that makes you feel like you’re going into the city, but not quite in the city. The menu has SO many options. It is seasonal, fresh and absolutely delightful. We recently went for my birthday over the weekend. We enjoyed the delcious chicken wings (cooked & flavored so perfectly!), the cornbread with the Tabasco butter (a must have!), my husband got the chicken under a brick & I got their pasta special (gnocchi with a duck ragout…. AMAZING). To top it all off, they provided complimentary cannolis for each of us for my birthday!! And then we ordered the banana pudding… (also a must have!!) We left with full bellies and full hearts from such an amazing dining experience. Thank you...