Rack (Reported Closed)

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Closed 1/07 -- Haven for young professionals and athletes who like pop music, microbrews, martinis and pool.. The Scene
With two full-service bars and a consistent scene, this upscale pool hall (22 tables) is a logical hot spot even for those who can't sink the eight ball. Local pro athletes come here to unwind, while unattached fans drool over them. The interior is about soft wood and even softer lighting, all the better to frame the beautiful people. In warmer months, 20 outdoor dining tables provide a nice view of Faneuil Hall.

The Draw
The club features live music seven nights a week, including rock, pop, blues and reggae. The Rack also has food, but don't expect four-star dining. Coconut-crusted shrimp are tender inside, but notably greasy outside. A starter of bruschetta is decent, loaded with diced tomato and fresh, fragrant basil. As for entrees, the simpler the better. A minimalist grilled tuna topped with scallion butter beats a more-ambitious sauteed chicken breast in an overly acidic marsala sauce.

Doesn't Recommend

splendid

Joined 7 years ago

Horrible dining service! Decent bar scene.. I made reservations for a large party for dinner. Our table was ready on time, but otherwise the service was the worst I have ever received. The server was nowhere to be found and did not come to greet us for a full 20minutes. The food was very slow in arriving and tasted mediocre at best. The staff essentially paid us no attention whatsoever. One member of our party actually had to physically track down our server to get the check. I realize that we were there on a Friday night but it was still relatively early. Once it turned over to the "bar scene" it seemed like it was a pretty decent place to drink, dance and play pool. But don't go there to eat!!!

Doesn't Recommend

shel5235

Joined 7 years ago

Worst restaurant experience EVER!!!. We arrived while the restaurant was holding a casting call for a movie. It is understandable that it would be busy in a situation like this, so as a manager wouldn't you have a little more staff working than usual?? We arrived and there was only one waitress on the entire floor (if you haven't been there the place is pretty huge somewhere around 3000 sq feet). The waitress was serving the inside and outside, along with cocktailing behind the bar. It took 20 minutes for her to finally take our order (this happened only after asking the bus boy if he could find her, since we hadn't seen her for 15 minutes. I knew this because we were watching the clock due to the garage parking next door which was $10 an hour). On the plus side our food was delivered fairly quickly however it was far from appetizing. Half way through the meal I asked to talk to a manager. When he finally came over to us I realized it was a guy who'd been standing around doing nothing at the bar (his name is Glen by the way). I told him there was nothing wrong with our waitress but that perhaps there should be some other people on the floor helping since she could hardly help everyone. He said sorry someone called in sick. I then said thats understandable however maybe since he was the manager he could maybe check up on the customers and help the server out. He said he had better things to do and that if we wanted fast food we should go to McDonalds and then just walked away. I was completely shocked and asked him for his business card and he said I don't have one, my name is Glen. I then asked what is you last name? He replied, "thats all you need to know" and then again kept walking. Needless to say I won't be going back.

Doesn't Recommend

tarothfuss

Joined 8 years ago

It's All Been Said Before.... But if this helps accurately balance the overall rating for The Rack, then I thought I'd add a review. The adjectives that have already been used are accurate: depressing, dank, overpriced, elitist, rude, bad staff, bad doorpeople, bad clientele. Uggh.

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sheehane

Joined 8 years ago

Had a Blast - Loved The Rack.. I went with 3 of my girlfriends after work, had dinner and the food was amazing - I was shocked actually because of being a pool club - but the prices were really reasonable too! then we went to the bar & dance floor and we had a blast. It was a friday night and the music was awesome - loud but good & we danced - had these poles that made it even more crazy and fun. People are dressed nice and not these townie types. Very professional crowd - had these new booths I didnt recognize from last time - a new vip area with these cool private booths. Met a great guy to boot! Will definately be back! woo woo!

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stevemurphy22

Joined 8 years ago

AN AWESOME DANCE CROWD- 3 STRIPPER POLES!. The Rack is a great place to dance and meet men! If you are single in the city this is the place to go.......Alot of guys are playing pool and women sipping martinis. Dinner was amazing too......the shrimp lollipops were great!

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dre900

Joined 8 years ago

Off night. Must've been an off night when I went on a friday night a few weeks back. The place was half empty, didn't even have to wait a second to get in. The drinks are reasonably priced. Dance floor is kinda small but you have tons of pool tables. More of a Bar atmosphere as opposed to a Club atmosphere.

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bostonputt

Joined 8 years ago

Haven't been there in a while..... and I must say that the place is back to its old self- a great local place to hang and meet new people who live and work in town. My friends and me last night had a great (unreal) time. The recent renovations are cool- hdtv's everywhere and smooooooth flets on the tables. We did have to wait for a pool table, but after watching the talent and having a few drinks on the patio, it was well worth it. Looks like I've got my Friday night planned....

Doesn't Recommend

jessiesmithsmiles

Joined 8 years ago

LOVE THE RACK SO MANY HOT GUYS!. The Rack is great ! Their are so many hot single guysand The Rack has done so many renovations it looks amazing. They have a new hot chef that cooks the best cocoa dusted sirloin I have ever had....... and in regards to the dress code this guy must have been a jerk at the door or something because I got in in my jeans and sandals ... no problem. The Rack has so many down to earth people its not all pretentious like all those other new bars .....its nice to have a hometown local bar that's been around forever!

Doesn't Recommend

abp

Joined 8 years ago

A Pool Hall with Pool as the lowest priority.. If you like pool, stay away. If you like a meat market, this is your place. Went there, we tried to play pool, but there were so many people and the layout of the tables was so poor that shooting pool was near impossible. The rate is outrageous. Pretty waitresses, but you can get the same at Jillians or Boston Billiard Club. Parking? Where? It's next to Faneuil hall, a tourist nightmare. Trendsters rejoice!