Oceana
(617) 227-3838
296 State St
Boston,
MA
02109
42.3598
-71.0511
Neighborhoods: Central, North End
What People Are Saying About Oceana
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
Located in one of the city's biggest, busiest hotels, business travelers and tourists fill the majority of the tables in the semicircular, nautically-themed dining room. For those not interested in dinner, there's a terrace bar that sits just outside of the dining room and has the same panoramic view of the harbor and its vessels. The spacious indoor bar has a good selection of beers and an extensive wine list. Service in all quarters is friendly.
The Food
Spare preparations of fresh fish and steaks are of decent quality. Starters include fresh salads and homemade soups and chowders. Thick cuts of swordfish and mako shark, grilled and served with lemon, are typical of the entrees. Accompaniments like sauteed mushrooms and potato cakes help add flavor to the meals. Desserts like toasted coconut cream pie with a Macadamia shell are large enough to share.
User Reviews
cdcny
May 11, 2009
I went to Oceana last Saturday night. Surprisingly even at 7PM the place was dead. We were one of only about 4-5 groups in the entire restaurant. View was nice. My food was below average but in Oceana's defense everyone else in my group liked their food. So maybe I just got a lot. Service was OK but not very friendly or overly helpful. Unles this night was an exception, I don't think they will be in business for much longer.
read full review22Foodie22
May 11, 2009
I was VERY disappointed in our Mother's Day Brunch. After being shut out of Henrietta's where we went last year, I had hopes of entertaining my mother and father with a worthy dining experience. This was DEFINITELY not worth the price we paid and was below average hotel dining. The waitstaff was sloppy and the food was even more disappointing with overcooked fish, greasy sauces, tasteless waffles and limited appetizer offerings. The salad consisted of just lettuce and 2 choices of dressings. The shrimp cocktail and the raspberry lemon cake, however, were delicious. Stop in for dessert but make a reservation elsewhere for the main event.
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liveinboston
November 04, 2006
I reserve at Oceana for a Saturday night for 3 reasons: 1. My father, would not stand in a restaurant in South End to wait for a table for 1hr 2. My grand-mother will be present, and she can not wait for a table for 1 hr. 3. Oceana offers 2 hrs free valet parking! We arrived on-time for our early, 7:00 pm reservation, but had to wait 15 minutes to be sat although there are obviously free tables, and we have an old person with us. So we find place at the bar, and wait forever to be served, while there was no other costumer to be served at that moment. Once were finally sat at our table, we made up our mind quite fast and ordered. Nothing comes, not even bread! Its already 7:35 pm. We ask for bread, and we had to ask for the wine list, that they forgot to give us. We order the wine, which comes immediately, and have to wait for the bread still, so we asked for it again. Finally, by 7:45, the bread comes, then only at 7:55 comes the appetizers (raw oysters and fried calamari why did it take so long?). I asked them to speed up for the entries, which were OK but nothing unforgettable, then asked them again to speed for the check. At this point, we waited a lot, were not impressed by the food, and were closing on those two hours of free valet parking, and franckly, it was not worth staying there any extra minute. We finally made it out close to those 2 hrs, unfortunately 2 minutes late for the valet parking, at which point they were trying to make us pay an extra hour, and its $25.00 per hour, this parking. We negociated away. In conclusion, avoid the place: the staff is going out of its way to do whatever they can to ignore you so you get over the 2 hours free parking, and the food has absolutely nothing special to it. Now, if you just want to have a nice view during the day while eating, sure, no problem, but this place is definitely not for a dining experience.
read full reviewThe Details on Oceana
Parking:
Patrons of the main dining room are entitled to valet their car for two hours in the hotel parking lot.
Save Money:
There's a separate lounge menu that features appetizers and smaller, more modestly priced items, such as sandwiches and soups.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Travelers Check
Restaurant Special Features:
Family-Friendly Dining, Hotel Restaurants, Breakfast, Brunch, Waterfront Dining, Online Reservations, Dine At The Bar
Cuisine:
Smoking Permitted:
On patio
