UpStairs on the Square

(617) 864-1933

91 Winthrop St
Cambridge, MA 02138 42.3721 -71.1208

Get Map & Directions »

Neighborhood: West Cambridge

UPSTAIRSONTHESQUARE.COM

@UpStairsonTheSq

UpStairs on the Square

Upstairs On The Square

What People Are Saying About UpStairs on the Square

The Editor

Eric Grossman

Citysearch

Like an elegantly demented take on "Alice in Wonderland," the restaurant's Monday Club Bar is all odd angles and colorful touches, while the upstairs Soiree Room is a vision in pink, outfitted with a mirrored ceiling. Fireplaces are everywhere, as are colorful, knowledgeable waiters. Options abound: The Soiree Room serves pricier, contemporary dishes (farm vegetables and tiny ricotta gnocchi dressed with cardamom wine broth, shitake mushrooms and mint), while the Monday Club Bar features a more affordable menu of smaller, offbeat items (beet chitarra with crisp short rib and candied ginger).…

1 Star Rating: Poor

03/28/09

A really bad experience

by customer2 at Citysearch

My party of four arrived at 8.30 pm for an 8.30 reservation. The hostess - an ugly disinterested troll - made us wait for 20 minutes in a dark crowded hallway where people were pushing past us to go to the washroom. A second hostess - a younger bimbo with no qualifications - told us that our table would be another 10 - 15 minutes. No apologies or explanation. We were treated like dirt.

(For those readers who think the previous paragraph is sexist, all I can say is that my wife concurs with this assessment of the appearance and behavior of the hostesses.)

We noticed that other people were invited to sit at the bar so we pushed our way into the restaurant and stood at the bar where we waited ten minutes to be served.

45 minutes after arriving I asked the bimbo when our table would be ready and said if it wasn't soon we would leave (which we should have done at that point). Nothing happened so after a few minutes I told her to go upstairs and find out if the table she had said would be ready in 15 minutes half an hour ago was ready. She came back and said it was. This was 45 minutes after the time of our reservation.

We went upstairs to find the staff throwing a tablecloth over a table that really was too big for four people.

We had planned to have the vegetarian and vegan tasting menus promoted on the website but first we didn't get menus for the tasting menu and then the waiter made it pretty clear that, because it was now 9.30, the tasting menu was not a good idea because it took a long time. As if the fact that it was so late was our fault? The vegan tasting menu was not on the menus we finally forced the waiter to give us.

So we left and had a nice meal for about one fifth of the cost nearby.

I can't comment on the food at Upstairs on the Square because we never got any.

But I can comment on the fact that if you plan to make a reservation at a nice restaurant and spend $150/person on the meal, then Upstairs on the Square is not the place to go because their ability to courteously host and seat their customers is hardly world class. In fact, it's unconsciounably bad.

  • Pros: None
  • Cons: Too many to list
2 Star Rating: Below Average

02/09/09

OVERPRICED HYPE: DON'T GO

by marylouisa at Citysearch

HAVING SEEN THE VERY FAVORABLE REVIEW OF "UPSTAIRS" ON CHRONICLE RECENTLY, MY FRIEND AND I WENT FOR BRUNCH YESTERDAY (02/09/09) AND LEFT FEELING VERY DISAPPOINTED FOR THESE REASONS: THE FOOD WAS ONLY MEDIOCRE--OUR APPETIZER OF PROSCIUTTO AND MELONS (AT $10) WAS SKIMPY WITH ONLY TWO THIN NOT-QUITE-RIPE SLICES OF HONEYDEW AND CANTALOUPE; MY ENTREE, FRENCH TOAST ($14) WAS SO DENSE AND SYRUPY RICH THAT I WAS UNABLE TO FINISH IT (IN FACT, I GAGGED AT THE MERE THOUGHT OF SUGAR FOR THE REST OF THE DAY); AND THE COFFEE WAS LUKEWARM, DESPITE REPEATED CUPS, EACH OF WHICH HAD GROUNDS SWIMMING IN THE BOTTOM. MY FRIEND'S FRESH-EGG TART ($13) WAS LITTLE MORE THAN MUSH, THOUGH SHE LIKED THE SALAD DRESSING ON THE GREENS THAT CAME WITH THE EGG DISH. THE BRUNCH MENU WAS VERY LIMITED.

ON THE BRIGHTER SIDE, OUR MALE WAITER, THOUGH VERY BUSY, WAS PLEASANT AND ATTENTIVE, AND THE REST OF THE STAFF SEEMED CHEERFUL. THIS, HOWEVER, WAS SCANT COMPENSATION FOR THE EXORBITANT PRICE OF OUR UNSATISFACTORY GOURMET EXPERIENCE. WE WILL ADVISE OUR FRIENDS NOT TO MAKE OUR MISTAKE, NOR DO WE PLAN TO RETURN.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

01/21/09

Perfect Date

by FPlover at Citysearch

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday, which also happened to be the night of Obama's inauguration. I can't imagine a better place to have spent this important day! We dined in the elegant and romantic soiree room and ordered from the special event menu. Between the two of us we tasted everything on the Obama menu. It's always a challenge finding a place that won't disappoint my boyfriend, a five-star chef by profession. Here he thoroughly enjoyed his meal and didn't try to analyze the complex flavors in his meal-- he simply enjoyed. They also surprised him by presenting him with a beautifully scripted birthday message on his dessert. (I had mentioned his birthday when I made reservations). Strongly recommended!

The Details on UpStairs on the Square

Parking:

There's a serious lack of parking in the immediate area. Expect to valet your car ($14) on busy nights and weekends.

What to Drink:

You'll never see a wine list (binder, really) compiled in such a fresh, wine-lover-focused way. Wine director Matthew Reiser will earnestly convince you to trust your palate.

Parking:

There's a serious lack of parking in the immediate area. Expect to valet your car ($14) on busy nights and weekends, or get validated at three nearby garages.

Know Before You Go:

Even if it's not on the menu, a five-course vegan tasting is available five nights a week. Ask and ye shall receive.

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Gift Certificate, American Express, Diners Club, Visa, Discover, MasterCard, Travelers Check

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining, Fine Dining, Outdoor Dining, Private Rooms, People Watching, Business Dining, Online Reservations, Group Dining, Fireplace, Dine At The Bar, Notable Wine List, Bar Scene

Cuisine:

New American, Traditional American, Seafood

Smoking Permitted:

No

Lists In Cambridge

Advertisement
Best of Citysearch

Things To Do Nearby UpStairs on the Square

Recent Reviews In Cambridge

Conga Bar and Restaurant

1 Eliot St, Cambridge, MA

2 Star Rating: Below Average

Midwest Grill

1124 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA

1 Star Rating: Poor

Chez Henri

1 Shepard St, Cambridge, MA

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

Hungry Mother

233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave, Cambridge, MA

Advertisement