The Stones Common House & Kitchen — Restaurant in Stoneham

Me, my husband and our 20 month old went here for dinner tonight. I think, overall, it was a pretty good experience, but there are a few things I would suggest if asked.

The food and drinks: We started with the fried pickles and the provolone arancini balls. The fried pickles were whole spears that were battered. We both had issues eating them because the batter fell off and the actual pickle was extremely hot. It was just awkward eating a whole battered pickle spear. The arancini (3 in order) weren't bad, but they were a little dry even with the sauce. For the main dishes, I ordered the fried chicken sandwich with the homemade chips and my husband got the burger with fries. We both cut our sandwiches in half to share. We liked the fried chicken sandwich a lot, it was very flavorful with a good pairing of toppings. The homemade chips were ok, then seemed a little overfried, but not bad. The burger was pretty good also, very juicy (although the pattie was on the thinner side) but the cheese was melted nicely and the bun was delicious. The fries were also good as they were seasoned with some fresh herbs and spices. I think we both agreed that the bread they served upon arrival was amazing, especially with the whipped butter. I didn't have an alcoholic drink, but my husband ordered an old fashioned. This is common drink he'll get when we go out and he usually likes it, but he said that he was underwhelmed by it, as the flavors didn't mend well and the garnish wasn't enough. Overall, the food was good. I'd maybe suggest either cutting the pickle wedges thinner or into chip slices. And for the old fashioned, perhaps a better garnish and a little tweaking with the ingredients.

Atmosphere: It's a very nice place, casual feel, good ambiance, lively, attractive decor. I wouldn't say it's much of a family restaurant on a Friday night, as we were the only couple with a baby at 6, but very welcoming with a friendly patronage and staff.

Pricing: Affordable and reasonably priced for the portion sizes.

Service: Our waitress (I don't recall her name) was very energetic and kind. Very prompt with the greeting and order taking as the food came with appropriate timing. The refills on the drinks and waters could've been a bit better, but seeing that it was pretty busy, she served with efficiency. The staff as a whole seemed upbeat and satisfied with their positions there, which is always nice to see.

I think we'll give it another try at some point and I'd still be keen on recommending it to someone looking to try a new...

My wife and I went to Stones Common House for "date night" before seeing a play in the theater across the street. This was on 5/11/2024, a Saturday. We'd never been there before.

We had 6 PM reservations, we arrived on time and were seated within 5 minutes. My first impression was that it was loud. In fact it was so loud that we had difficulty talking during dinner.

It took around 25 minutes for our meals to be delivered. My wife ordered chicken and I ordered steak tips which come with french fries and asparagus.

What I got was a massive plate of french fries, four asparagus spears and three steak tips sitting on top. Honestly I was shocked by the proportions. I'd ordered steak tips with a side of fries and what I got was fries with a side of steak tips. I looked under the fries to see if there were more tips, but there weren't any. The attached pictures will give you an idea of the lopsided proportions.

I spoke with the waitress and she said that my meal was normal and that the steak tips are served by weight. I should have rejected that meal and sent it back but we had timed tickets for the theater.

That quantity of fried carbs is not healthy. I ate all of the tips and asparagus and maybe one third of the fries.

To be truthful, everything was prepared properly. The steak tips, what there was of them, were delicious. But we will not be returning. I encourage anyone dining there to ask about meal proportions...

I feel like we were duped by the glorious appetizing menu photos. My wife and I were in town doing some shopping and we did the usual “food near me”. I saw the photo of the beef and was drawn in. Wife ordered the Jr. beef and it was a sad looking sandwich. I asked the server if there was a different menu because the beef looks nothing like in the photo. She explained to me that the photo is of a super beef and that super is larger than a junior. I must admit that I’ve never had something ladysplained before and it was rather comical. My take is that if you provide two sizes to a sandwich and you advertise a photo of one of the sizes, then it is reasonable to expect both sandwiches to look the same but at different scale. For the junior beef we got, you couldn’t tell what it was until the top bun was lifted to reveal a thick dried slice of beef. I regret not taking a photograph but it looked like the end of the roast, not the juicy middle. I mentioned twice to the server that I was disappointed, and I wasn’t looking for a freebie but nothing was offered. The only consolation we got was that their beef sandwiches aren’t going to look like the ones seen at local pizza shops. Okay then maybe take more realistic photos of your food. I’ve worked in kitchens before as a cook and I felt embarrassed that this made it...