Stella's

Doesn't Recommend

ga02108

Joined 6 years ago

Not so Stellar. I generally eat out a lot. I have friends come in from out of state often and like to take them to different places around the city. I have been to Stella a few times and found the restaurant and staff rather pleasant. Tonight however was a horrible experience. I had made a reservation that was honored timely, but the problem was the restaurant was hot. I found this odd because the last time I dined there it was the same situation. I never dreamed it would be a reoccurring situation . I opted to sit outside rather than in the dining room and was told that it was first come, first serve. I suppose normally I wouldn't have a problem with that, but inside was almost unbearable. Because it was late we decided to stay in. BIG MISTAKE! As I said it was hot. And then it preceded to get worse. Everyone around was asking the same question to the guy in the suit (host, manager?) but the answer we received was unacceptable. "The A.C. can't compete with the weather." It was hotter inside than out. The general atmosphere was a bummer. It was uncomfortable, the drinks took to long, there was nobody around to refill the water. The food took a long time and the tall, rail thin waiter who brought our food was sweaty and miserable. Not appetizing. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. These things happen, I run a small business. The entire dinning room emptied pretty quick with a bunch of unhappy customers. We ate some food and left promptly. To me twice out of the few times I have been is a bad average. It wasn't relaxing and I felt like a bad host. I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed for the establishment. Definitely not the summer hang out spot if they can't even get there act together to deal with the seasons. The food isn't good enough, and the drinks (if they arrive) aren't worth it if you are looking for a great spot to enjoy the night out. The only good thing was the parking. I don't think I will be returning to this "posh" spot. Proof that all that glitters is not gold.

Doesn't Recommend

boston80

Joined 6 years ago

NASTY Service. So here we go, a friend and I have been going to Stella for a couple months now.. for the outdoor dinning. Service was OK, food is OK-nothing to brag about. Until one horrible Saturday night, our waiter took forever, couldn't understand our order, since he manged to foul up everything from the drinks to the pizza. Lets not even get into the pizza... bacon (not prosciutto) was under cooked and just pale white and slimy, the appetizers were cold and as for the pasta... do these people even know what bolognese sauce is!?!?

To my "nasty" accusation, get ready for this one.. Our not so present waiter was flirting with the table of woman next to us, no big deal right, Until these woman started to leave and had a dog with them.. ya it was cute... cute enough for the WAITER TO BE PETTING THE DOG! yes in a food establishment, our not so attentive waiter was petting a "a little sick" as the owner said dog.. needless to say we left. As much as we luv our dogs... that crossed the line. Only thing going for this place is the drinks, but since that night I never will step into that place again.



For those that gave it good reviews.... you need to get out more often. Ive realized allot of people really haven't the faintest clue about good food and service, and get suckered in by the new smoke and mirrors restaurants. Sorry to be so rough, but don't bother with this one folks.

Doesn't Recommend

rmcp

Joined 6 years ago

Good people watching, mediocre food, TERRIBLE service. We sat outside and had TERRIBLE service. In fact on more than one occasion our waiter was MIA. In addition the food was mediocre (if you want real good Italian go to the North End). The best part of Stella for me was the people watching.

Doesn't Recommend

aldam

Joined 6 years ago

Good food, terrible service at brunch. My friend and I went here for a special brunch. When we sat down, two people asked us what we'd like to drink and a manager came by to ask if everything was going well - all within about 5 minutes. But then we waited. And waited. And waited. Forty-five minutes, 3 complaints, and two drink order confirmations later, we were finally served our apparently complicated beverages: 1 black tea, 1 coffee, and 1 bellini. My friend stole some half and half from another table for me, thank goodness, becuase I am sure I wouldn't have ever received that. That food was good, but considering that this place was lited a a "best brunch place," I expected them to be able to serve drinks. Staff were completely unapologetic - the manager said she would take the drinks off the bill, but never did. Grumblings from other tables indicated that others were being treated the same way. Advice for Stella: hire for talent, not looks.

Recommends

mpendrell

Joined 8 years ago

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE. I can not say enough good things about Stella. The food is excellent the staff is wonderful and I love the modern simple decore. Stella is hands down my favourtie resturant in the city and everytime i go i'm treated special whether it's 7pm or 12 am the staff is always accomdating and the food is always wonderful...

Recommends

phlordsfo

Joined 9 years ago

Very pleasant brunch spot. After reading the typical Boston Globe review in which average food but pretty people results in an outstanding recommendation, I was reluctant to try Stella. Finally, one Sunday, we went for brunch, as it generally has seating. I was very pleasantly surprised. The menu offered a diverse array of options, with a nice enough twist to differentiate it from Union, Metropolis, et al. My personal favorite has become the pasta carbonara which is bound to send me right back to sleep because it is so rich and complex. I think that being able to break the poached egg and mix it into the pasta makes this so wonderful and unique. I also liked their take on eggs benedict, which had a spicy kick, but they weren't served totally hot, which was disappointing. The drink selection is great, and I've had a fabulous bellini and a less than stellar mixed berry drink that just seemed too dull. It needed some sort of kick (probably more alcohol too). The service has ranged from competent to wonderful, and I appreciate that they have not rushed us, even as my party spent far more time than it should have on more than one occasion. I definitely recommend this place, as they seem to really have their act together and offer a solidly enjoyable meal. It may not be the most innovative meal you'll ever have, but it's different enough that it stands out in the South End. Try to grab a table in the front room on sunny Sunday mornings -it's really cheerful in there. Oh, and I really hope they change their menu more often. I want to see more of their ideas!

Recommends

hockiemack

Joined 7 years ago

For large groups of 30-somethings. I had read so many great reviews, but my experience at stella made me feel reluctant to go back until 2011. The manager, hostess and my server were excellent. All were friendly and polite with great recommendations. The food wasn't spectacular though. My tuna dish had a bit too much pepper, so I'm glad I refused my server's offer for fresh ground pepper. My date's gnocchi, while flavorful and delicious, wasn't enough to fill his stomach. He felt like the cheese plate at the end of meal should have been his entree.

There were several large groups, which made the restaurant incredibly noisy. I had to shout across the table and constantly ask "can you repeat that?" I also felt VERY young, but it was actually nice to know I'll have a place to go if I'm single in my 30s.

Doesn't Recommend

mc2d

Joined 7 years ago

Don't bother. The food was below average and the service was very poor. We received tea with no water, overcooked pasta, burned pizza and one of the employees offered us drinks at the bar to give up our table.

Recommends

piper28

Joined 8 years ago

Great Service. A girlfriend and I went in for a drink and a bite to eat before we headed out on the town, we sat at the bar and experienced great service the bartenders were attentive and extremely friendly! We both had a martini then we split two thin crust pizzas that were to die for.

Recommends

haniz

Joined 7 years ago

LOVED the bolognese and the pizza but rough night with the bartenders!. I enjoyed the food as always tried the Bolognese loved every bit of it! I love Stella and usually the bartender that serves me is OUTSTANDING. I guess he was on vacation this past Friday and it was unfortunate because the two bartenders that were on this past on were completely weak! They took so long in acknowledging our presence, they barely smiled. We requested menus and it took another 10 minutes to get them and it wasn't even busy. I tried to make the best of it and I smiled, tried some light chatting but one of them would not even bare a smile, the other was completely in another world. WHAT IS GOING ON! The barback had to finally get the menus. He was pleasant and smiled a lot. But the bartenders honestly were horrible. We missed our regular bartender Michael. This guy has more charisma then both of these bartenders combined!