(617) 494-9034

1 Kendall Sq (Cardinal Medeiros Avenue)
Cambridge, MA 02139 42.3671 -71.0931

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Neighborhood: Area IV

theblueroom.net

Years in business

Established in 1996

Hours:

Mon-Thu 5:30pm-10pm

Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm

Sun 11am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10pm

Price:

$$$

Last updated 10.16.11

Category:

Restaurants, Banquet Rooms

Payment Methods:

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

Catering Services:

Restaurant Management

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Celeb Hangout, Private Rooms, Romantic Dining, Brunch, Outdoor Dining, Chef's Table, Group Dining, Dine At The Bar, Bar Scene, Notable Wine List

Cuisine:

Greek, Eclectic & International, New American, Traditional American

Smoking Permitted:

No

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Blue Room

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – The Blue Room's award-winning cuisine has long been a favorite among local foodies and eager tourists. But the restaurant's atmosphere--loads of local art, a bustling open kitchen and an upbeat, three-sided bar--is worth the trip alone. The famously colorful Sunday brunch is all the more enjoyable when the weather allows diners to enjoy the outdoor patio. Attentive servers are pleased to discuss the menu's intricacies. – – The Food – The menu changes every few weeks, due in part to an affinity for seasonal ingredients. Depending on when you visit, the…

Editor's Tips

Parking:
Kendall Square's limited meters are in demand on weekends; the restaurant offers validated parking in the nearby cinema's lot for $5.
The Extras:
Enjoy a drink in the comfy bar or nip around the corner to Flat Top Johnny's for a game of pool.
ambiance
91.66999816894531% positive
  1. “great atmosphere, brick and woodsy and warm and cozy.”
  2. “The room is cozy and still fun (not stuffy).”
  3. “We sat outside on the patio and had lovely ambience, excellent service and an absolutely delicious meal.”
  4. “The food is great, the ambience is pretty cool (esp.”
  5. “The Blue Room has been a haven for Boston area foodies who seek creative, beautifully prepared Mediterranean specialties and stylish comfort food in an atmosphere that seems to be all things to all people.”
  6. “As for the food, it's decent, but with that kind of atmosphere and treatment, it can transform any decent meal into a horrible experience.”
dessert
41.66999816894531% positive
  1. “The dessert (poached pear) was also cold, so we were not sure if the food was prepared as it should have been prepared or if the server was slow.”
  2. “The mahi mahi was cold and undercooked inside, and the combination with mango salad, black beans and plantain cake was not a great-tasting combination.”
  3. “By the time our waitress finally came around to bring us the dessert menus, we figured we would simply make up for the horrible meal with dessert.”
  4. “The creme brulee was actually made interesting with some cardamom, and the cream cheese tart thing was quite sweet and good, especially well paired with a rich caramel sauce and graham cracker cookie crust.”
  5. “Their cognac parfait is ethereal, with prunes soaked in cognac and their chocolate pot de creme is delicious.”
  6. “Our waitress was very friendly and did a good job, though the kitchen was slow in getting our desserts out,and annoyingingly, two of our four dinner entrees came a few minutes later than the first two.”
drinks
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “The food is always great and the wine list is always accomodating to any occasion.”
  2. “The wine list was extensive and had many good wines priced in the twenties.”
  3. “especially love the wine tasting nights!”
  4. “We were seated immediately, our waiter had the most wonderful suggestions and was incredibly intelligible about how the dishes were prepared and what wine to pair with them, etc.”
  5. “The waitress was forgetful and the drinks were bad!”
  6. “the wine list changes often and is always a good value.”
food quality
74.14000034332275% positive
  1. “You'll find asaparagus, salmon, funky refreshing salads, etc.”
  2. “The service is always pleasant; the food is always delicious, hot and interesting.”
  3. “For dinner, the chicken is excellent as are the fried plantains.”
  4. “The food was almost too gourmet to even enjoy and it seemed as though the chef spent more time on presentation than actually preparing food that was tasty.”
  5. “Entrees; the Tilapia was very salty, the duck was very good, the pasta special (being kind) uneventful and bland.”
  6. “The food is always great and the wine list is always accomodating to any occasion.”
  7. “Their cognac parfait is ethereal, with prunes soaked in cognac and their chocolate pot de creme is delicious.”
  8. “By the time our waitress finally came around to bring us the dessert menus, we figured we would simply make up for the horrible meal with dessert.”
  9. “The "chieftan's" wild-rice, bonded together by some mysterious substance was terrible and the thin port reduction seemed unreduced.”
  10. “Everything is fresh and delicious.”
  11. “The dessert (poached pear) was also cold, so we were not sure if the food was prepared as it should have been prepared or if the server was slow.”
  12. “The mahi mahi was cold and undercooked inside, and the combination with mango salad, black beans and plantain cake was not a great-tasting combination.”
  13. “We sat outside on the patio and had lovely ambience, excellent service and an absolutely delicious meal.”
  14. “The Blue Room has been a haven for Boston area foodies who seek creative, beautifully prepared Mediterranean specialties and stylish comfort food in an atmosphere that seems to be all things to all people.”
  15. “As for the food, it's decent, but with that kind of atmosphere and treatment, it can transform any decent meal into a horrible experience.”
  16. “recently went to the Blue Room for brunch and the food was excellent.”
  17. “The food is great, the ambience is pretty cool (esp.”
  18. “extremely disappointing service and food”
  19. “The creme brulee was actually made interesting with some cardamom, and the cream cheese tart thing was quite sweet and good, especially well paired with a rich caramel sauce and graham cracker cookie crust.”
  20. “Kind of loungy; the cuisine varies from Mediterranean to Asian; the service is OK; the quality of the food is not AMAZING but is not terribl.”
  21. “cold rack of lamb atop a mound of dry buck wheat 'salad' and dates.”
  22. “the blue room is a cool restaurant they have a lot of good food there and it is in a laid back type of relaxing setting i enjoy their food a.”
  23. “The goat cheese pizza with roasted nuts was a good starter, as was the perfectly seasoned venison sausage.”
  24. “The server threw in a free creme brulee to make up for the disappointing meal, which was nice.”
  25. “The food can be fantastic, but it wholly depends on the replenishment of the supply as well as how many other guests are there.”
  26. “As I've found with many Boston restaurants like this, the food is very good and somewhat creative, but it's not earth shattering.”
  27. “Over-all the staff was polite and well mannered but our server didn't seem to have the time to notice that we left much of our food on our plate.”
  28. “The food was great - I will defintely say that, but the service continued to be horrible.”
  29. “We were seated immediately, our waiter had the most wonderful suggestions and was incredibly intelligible about how the dishes were prepared and what wine to pair with them, etc.”
menu variety
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. “By the time our waitress finally came around to bring us the dessert menus, we figured we would simply make up for the horrible meal with dessert.”
  2. “The wine list was extensive and had many good wines priced in the twenties.”
  3. “But when all the conditions are met, Blue Room does what it's known for best - a fantastic rotating menu made with local, unique ingredients.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “great place”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “definitely would recommend the Blue Room and would go back, though it's not at the absolute top of my list due to a few inconsistencies in our night.”
service
52.5% positive
  1. “By the time our waitress finally came around to bring us the dessert menus, we figured we would simply make up for the horrible meal with dessert.”
  2. “The food was great - I will defintely say that, but the service continued to be horrible.”
  3. “Over-all the staff was polite and well mannered but our server didn't seem to have the time to notice that we left much of our food on our plate.”
  4. “Our waitress was very friendly and did a good job, though the kitchen was slow in getting our desserts out,and annoyingingly, two of our four dinner entrees came a few minutes later than the first two.”
  5. “We sat outside on the patio and had lovely ambience, excellent service and an absolutely delicious meal.”
  6. “The service was pretty good, most of the time, but some staff were terse (including the hostess) and not even that receptive to my party's "thank yous.”
  7. “We were seated immediately, our waiter had the most wonderful suggestions and was incredibly intelligible about how the dishes were prepared and what wine to pair with them, etc.”
  8. “went back and had terrible service.”
  9. “extremely disappointing service and food”
  10. “The service is always pleasant; the food is always delicious, hot and interesting.”
  11. “Kind of loungy; the cuisine varies from Mediterranean to Asian; the service is OK; the quality of the food is not AMAZING but is not terribl.”
  12. “The ultimate indignancy, after all that, could not get the check or the waiter to take our payment and got to wait another inordinate amount of time to pay for an awful experience.”
  13. “The waitress was forgetful and the drinks were bad!”
  14. “Most horrific experience - rude and unaccomodating hostesses, terrible atmospher, esp for business meals”
  15. “The staff made great recommendations, and saw to it that we had everything we needed and more.”
  16. “Awful experience made worse by staff and management's total lack of interest in the customer or the product”
  17. “The Blue Room has been a haven for Boston area foodies who seek creative, beautifully prepared Mediterranean specialties and stylish comfort food in an atmosphere that seems to be all things to all people.”
  18. “The wait staff is professional and knowledgable, the managment are accessible and friendly.”
  19. “The dessert (poached pear) was also cold, so we were not sure if the food was prepared as it should have been prepared or if the server was slow.”
  20. “The server threw in a free creme brulee to make up for the disappointing meal, which was nice.”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “the wine list changes often and is always a good value.”
wait time
25.0% positive
  1. “The dessert (poached pear) was also cold, so we were not sure if the food was prepared as it should have been prepared or if the server was slow.”
  2. “Our waitress was very friendly and did a good job, though the kitchen was slow in getting our desserts out,and annoyingingly, two of our four dinner entrees came a few minutes later than the first two.”
3 Star Rating: Average

05/14/10

pretty solid brunch spot

by jujukoo , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

The Blue Room is a hit or miss with me when it comes to brunch. The food can be fantastic, but it wholly depends on the replenishment of the supply as well as how many other guests are there. Too many brunch guests and you may not get to try a helping of whatever is on their rotating menu, and too few guests may leave you with lukewarm food.

But when all the conditions are met, Blue Room does what it's known for best - a fantastic rotating menu made with local, unique ingredients.

  • Pros: seasonal, local food, cooked in front of you!
  • Cons: varies by the day!
1 Star Rating: Poor

09/21/08

disppointing not sure what the hype is?

by CanWeTawk at Citysearch

We had three app's. The "signature" cheese plate. Sadly we were looking for the cheese on the plate, not nearly as "special" as the server described it. The Lobster soup was tepid. The organic greens fortunately were fine. Entrees; the Tilapia was very salty, the duck was very good, the pasta special (being kind) uneventful and bland. The dessert, a blueberry cobbler was dry and shouldn't have been served to anyone but a homeless person, the chocolate eclairs were yummy. The service was OK however we felt very hurried as our server rushed around. Yes,we didn't "want" for anything but it felt as though our waiter was "rushing" to tell us the specials and each time he came to the table it felt to us as if he "had to be somewhere else", the waiter was young and seemed more concerned about getting to the next table than providing us with a welcome, hospitable tone. Not much for "hospitality"..... . Was it an off night? Were they understaffed? Should we be more forgiving....Hmmmm?? Neither of the prior excuses mattered to us when we got the bill which came out to about $70 pp. Paying that kind of money you expect so much more than one gets at a sandwich shop. From the moment we entered the restaurant we felt tension in the air as everyone was rushing around....Eeek, it made us feel anxious. Over-all the staff was polite and well mannered but our server didn't seem to have the time to notice that we left much of our food on our plate. If he did notice he didn't ask why. Here's our question, Why Go Back????

1 Star Rating: Poor

02/15/08

Horrible Service, Subpar Food

by veryblue at Citysearch

We had a reservation to the Blue Room for this first time on Friday. When we arrived we were seated at a table (which was not even close to level) right in the path of all the waiter traffic even though other tables were open. The waitress mumbled as we ordered our Sangria "22", which was a watered down version of what you would get at the local dive. We were pleased with the appetizers, but when our entrees arrived, I could not even take a second bite of the rubbery cod. Additionally, our entrees looked very peculiar since all of the sauce kept sliding to one side of the plate (of course the slanted table was to blame for that). The staff that came by to clear the table was not our waitress and did not ask us about our meal. By the time our waitress finally came around to bring us the dessert menus, we figured we would simply make up for the horrible meal with dessert. The waitress came back to take our dessert orders 20 minutes later (after serving another table 4 times) and by then they had lost all chance to redeem themselves. We will certainly not be returning to The Blue Room.

  • Pros: Ambience
  • Cons: Food does not match value, very poor service
4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/15/08

Very dependable American cuisine with a few pleasant surprises

by phlordsfo at Citysearch

I definitely would recommend the Blue Room and would go back, though it's not at the absolute top of my list due to a few inconsistencies in our night. The dining room is quite pleasant, but the awkward layout means there are a lot of bad tables... from booths that make for strange pairings of couples who don't know each other within close proximity and facing each other, to tables near the very cold front door and others near the multiple kitchen and bar entrances, it seems like your odds are pretty good of getting a so-so table. We were close to a service area and the kitchen, but it wasn't so bad. The service was pretty good, most of the time, but some staff were terse (including the hostess) and not even that receptive to my party's "thank yous." Our waitress was very friendly and did a good job, though the kitchen was slow in getting our desserts out,and annoyingingly, two of our four dinner entrees came a few minutes later than the first two. The menu offered a delightful array of seafood and a pretty good selection of meat. My medium rare muscovy duck breast with wild rice was just as i expected. Not overly innovative, but incredibly rich and dependably good. My friend's cod "tasted kind of like fish sticks." But the other two fish entrees were very well received. The goat cheese pizza with roasted nuts was a good starter, as was the perfectly seasoned venison sausage. We waited for a long time for our desserts, but agreed that they were very well made albeit unoriginal. The creme brulee was actually made interesting with some cardamom, and the cream cheese tart thing was quite sweet and good, especially well paired with a rich caramel sauce and graham cracker cookie crust. As I've found with many Boston restaurants like this, the food is very good and somewhat creative, but it's not earth shattering. It would have been in the late 90s, but not now. Would be nice to have seen some more innovation, but the quality was top notch.

  • Pros: Extensive wine list (tho pricey), reliable and diverse menu
  • Cons: Slightly inconsistent service, quite a few crummy tables
1 Star Rating: Poor

03/31/07

extremely disappointing service and food

by twomangosteens at Citysearch

We went to the Blue Room for the first time on a busy Saturday night after hearing some good reviews about the restaurant. However, we were seated right by the door, less than a foot away from the people next to us and behind us. The server was impersonal and not friendly at all, acting as if we were an additional burden to him - he told us the food would take up to 40 minutes. The tuna was ok, but somewhat cold with some undercooked rice. The mahi mahi was cold and undercooked inside, and the combination with mango salad, black beans and plantain cake was not a great-tasting combination. The dessert (poached pear) was also cold, so we were not sure if the food was prepared as it should have been prepared or if the server was slow. We were so disappointed with the overall atmosphere/food- we never want to return again.

The Details on Blue Room

Place Categories:

  • great stylish comfort food
  • recommend restaurant
  • awful experience
  • always pleasant service
  • absolutely delicious disappointing meal
  • uneventful duck
  • cold mahi
  • especially love wine
  • delicious everything
  • funky refreshing salad
  • disappointing meal
  • rude esp
  • not amazing quality
  • nice place
  • recommend blue room
  • rude waitress
  • most wonderful suggestions
  • incredible blandness
  • unique ingredients
  • bad drinks
  • terrible wildrice
  • bad business practice
  • terrible atmospher
  • knowledgable wait staff
  • rude hostesses
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