Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks

Recommends

ELIZEBETH j.

Joined 2 years ago

AVERAGE. IT WAS A FUN PLACE TO HAVE DRINKS . I WAS NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE FOOD JUST AVERAGE

Doesn't Recommend

truman5

Joined 2 years ago

the worst of Boston. this has to be on the top of the worst of Boston list. Waited more than 15 minutes after being seated for anyone to come to the table ( ON A WED NIGHT) and then she could only pour us some water. Four different meals and all were mediocre to horrible and the service never got better through the entire meal. don't waste your time or money.

Doesn't Recommend

emayrfreeman

Joined 3 years ago

Unjustifiably pretentious. So this place mainly gets its few meager stars for the ambiance. It looked a lot like a 1920's NY bar. Kind of like the Campbell Apartments at Grand Central Station. Loved it when I walked in, very posh. HOWever, once inside, we sat at the bar with a work group. The bartenders were smug and wouldn't even listen to what i wanted to order. I don't drink martinis. I saw some bottled belgians. Golden. I'll have one of those. He essentially told me I couldn't order a beer because their drinks are so amazing.

Ok... So i picked one of the drink menu. Way too strong? Why? Because it's a martini, and by definition, martinis are strong. So I ask him for a Stoli Razz and Cranberry. Apparently they don't have cranberry or they make their own or something. So he told me to tell him what I liked and he'd concoct me a drink. He made two and they were both terrible. Again, martinis. I thought we had gotten past this, people.

So finally he gave me my razz and cran begrudgingly and their homemade recipe was terrrrible. Blegh.

Clearly, the (male) bartenders simply wanted the opportunity to show off their bosoms by shaking martinis up. And one of them liked it a little too much and shook the martini for about 30 seconds longer than it needed to be. I'm sorry, you didn't order the watered down cosmo, wait, i'll do it again...

Anyway, completely unimpressed with this place. Probably won't go back unless I sneak in a flask. That way I'll have a tasty beverage and enjoy the swank decor.

Doesn't Recommend

HelenScott

Joined 3 years ago

BAD event coordinating service!. DO NOT have your private function here if your event is in any way meaningful to you. We recently had our wedding there, and I don't know what else to say other than that the private events coordinator wrecked it! She did not care about helping us at all. We'd have to chase her down only to have basic questions half-answered. It was impossible to meet with her or to talk to her. The restaurant itself is still great, but its private event services are something else.

Recommends

trishofthetrade

Joined 3 years ago

Drinks please. I'll be honest and say I'm a pub and dive bar kinda girl. I like small places with aged bar stools where you could probably hang out during the day and no one would really care. Eastern Standard is not that place...but, I still come around every now and again.

I haven't sampled much of their food so I will concentrate on their drinks. Again, as a pub girl, the prices are a little expensive for me, but those bartenders really know what they're doing. Their Blueberry Thrill drink is one of my favorites. I think I slobber just a little whenever I think of their very own blueberry infused gin. This past weekend they had run out so they made a raspberry version. Ooh, still so delicious.

Their late night menu is always intriguing. I had a Grand Marnier freeze pop the other night. Yes, it's as interesting and yummy as it sounds.

On the whole the staff has been super nice and quick. Even when handling a large party, the waitresses have stayed calm and collected.

Right outside of the Kenmore Square T stop, I've never seen this place slow save for a late brunch one day. Be prepared for an "oh excuse me, pardon me, excuse me" situation if you're around the bar on a weekend night.

Recommends

TBella

Joined 3 years ago

Eastern Standard, I love you. Will you marry me?. There are few places I feel like home. It's basically, well, my home, and Eastern Standard.

The staff is so welcoming. It may be because my crew drops benjis here on a regular basis, but that's besides the point. They're well versed in every aspect of the menu & bar. Pleasant, attentive but not overly so.

One thing I really love about ES is that you can go and spend under $20 for an amazing burger with fries and a beer, or you can go all out with cocktails, raw bar, apps, dinner and dessert. The cocktails and raw bar is where the bills rack up, by the way. Though both are well, well worth it.

I love that the clientele is eclectic, from hotel guests to the regulars to people on dates to the after-Sox crowd, anyone can find something to enjoy.

Menu highlights:

- The Standard Burger. Juicy, perfect. One of the top 5 burgers in Boston.

- The bone marrow appetizer. I never had bone marrow before ES, and boy is this fatty meatyness of amazing so. damn. good. that my head nearly exploded.

- Lamb Sausage Rigatoni. Someone in your party must order this because it is the best baked pasta dish I've had in my life (don't tell my mother). Lamb sausage and rigatoni in a pink vodka sauce baked with mozzarella & parmesan with a dollop of ricotta on top. Jesus tap dancing Christ, this makes my life. It's served in your own personal crock, and it will beat you. You will not finish it without help. But that's okay, because it is amazing lunch the next day.

- They do some great specials. I had rabbit once (my first time!) and it was heavenly.

- The butterscotch bread pudding. I love bread pudding, and this is one of the best I've ever had.

Bonus: spacious (& heated!) patio. Great for people watching. Can't wait til it's patio season again!

Recommends

BostonBurgerBlog

Joined 3 years ago

very good burger. We might be getting to the heavy-hitters right about now. I'm dying to go to Craigie on Main, Radius, and all the other high end restaurants in town that serve burgers. But, I'm totally aware that these are fine-dining restaurants, not burger specific eateries, and if you don't think that matters, think again. I fully expect all these "high end" burgers to be outstanding, my expectations are high, and I may not be so kind in my reviews, not that I have been in any way so far. Value is a huge aspect in finding the best burger, in my opinion, and spending any more than $10 is borderline pricey for something that is a food for the people, and should be affordable to all.

Eastern Standard is just over that threshold, running $12 for lunch, or $13 should you come for dinner. We happened to be there for the awkward mid-day/late night menu, which runs from 2:30 to 5pm. Awkward because the hostesses didn't know what to do with us. The main dining area was closed off, even though it was clear people were seated there, some who arrived after us, guess we weren't important enough. So we had to choose between eating at the bar, or a side table next to the bar, we chose the latter. The table (actually two pushed together) was uncomfortable, and I assumed was better suited for a cocktail or small snack than for a main course, or perhaps a rendezvous with Mrs. Robinson. Rude hostesses aside, our waiter was terrific, very engaging and friendly, and everything was served promptly. Three burgers were ordered, a pretty straightforward offering in fact, listed only as The Standard burger, cheddar, brioche, and fries. But boy did they deliver. The burger, from the first bite to the last, was delicious, absolutely juicy, and full of flavor, not specifically beefy flavor, but flavor nonetheless, seasoned perfectly, melted cheese (for a change) and a beautiful bun. I'm not always a huge fan of brioche on a burger, too much bread usually, but this was nice and fresh, airy, and buttery, like every good brioche should be. The fries, while seasoned to perfection and completely crispy, fell just a little short. Crispy on the outside, they lacked a little on the interior, hollow even, and as Wit pointed out, tasted nothing of a potato. Burgers that weren't beefy and fries that didn't resemble a potato? Maybe, but flavor is flavor, and the Standard burger sure had it, good to the last bite and totally satisfying.

Eastern Standard delivers a very good burger, but for $12, I almost expect a little more. But to be fair, that's not in line with their philosophy. All the dishes here are simple, classic techniques, just executed well, and I can't complain too much about that. Easily the tastiest burger I've had on my journey, but we still have a lot of burgers to go

Recommends

burner1

Joined 6 years ago

Average, that's all....... The only thing that stood out to me at Eastern Standard was the atmosphere. For a wednesday evening it was filled with a young professional crowd, but not to over crowded. I had no wait for a table for two on the patio. Greeted by our server within a minute of being seated, informed of the nights specials and drink order was taken, expected but not taken for granted anymore. The food was well prepared, tasty but not something that I will remember. The prices are a little high but should be expected as the Kenmore Square area clientle is BU students and young professionals living of trust funds and their parents money, not all but the majority. In my experience, the food was average but over priced. The service was above average, but in reading other reviews it appears that I was lucky. I would visit again but would probably choose to try somewhere else first.

Doesn't Recommend

blackadder

Joined 4 years ago

Horrible Food. The food at this place is overpriced and not that good. about the only thing they know how to cook well is a burger and fries. the pasta sauce tastes like ragu and the pasta is undercooked. there is nothing special about this place. next time I will go to bertucci's or uno's and save a few dollars.

Doesn't Recommend

BuddyJ

Joined 5 years ago

Great water!. Been raised in a restaurant family and have paid my dos in the industry. Anniversary late night desert & drinks "Didn't Happen", cocktail waitress' took 15 minutes on water, and then another 15 minutes on bringing the desert menu. So after a half an hour we left.

at expensive prices it shouldn't be that much of a pain to get served.

The dumb minded service you get in this town is incredible.

Note to all that work in the service industry.

"YOU WAIT ON THE CUSTOMER THE CUSTOMER DOESN'T WAIT ON YOU"

"IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG TRY TO MAKE IT UP TO YOUR CUSTOMER"

"IF YOU HATE YOUR JOB .......QUIT"