07/22/08

I wouldn't

by JamesMifton

Few places are as consistently rude and pompous. I am frequently forced to bring clients to Abe and Louie's due to work stipulations and never seem to have a pleasant experience. The Maitre d's that "welcome" you do so in a way that exudes arrogance and superiority. This would be excusable if the food backed it up, but I find that Abe and Louie's rides on their name and "reputation", and delivers a subpar meal and overall dining experience. You can definitely get over charged at much finer places

• Pros: You wont have to buy lottery tickets to waste your money
• Cons: Poor service, arrogance, sub-par meal

10/21/09

Terrible Experience

by RhinoMA

My parents were in town visitng, and I decided toward the end of their stay to take them to Abe and Louies. BIG MISTAKE. The waiter was an overly rude snob. When we arrived, there were about 15 minutes left where they were still serving the brunch menu. We wanted lunch, and mentioned this to Daniel (I think that was his name) our waiter. He refused to let us have a lunch menu and then refused to let us order cocktails and appetizers until the 15 minutes had passed and the lunch menu would be available. We decided to leave, and upon our exit, the host stopped us to ask why we were leaving. When I explained what had just happened, his jaw was practically on the floor. He said, he would allow us to pick from the lunch menu, and that he would go talk to the waiter. We decided to pass on this 'experience' and go elsewhere. Awful resturant, and even worse waitstaff. I was so embarrased my family and I had to endure this while they were supossed to be on vacation.

• Pros: None come to mind...
• Cons: Too many to list...

03/27/09

You can do better

by Kim4930

My first impression of Abe & Louie's was poor, as the host couldn't seem to find the reservation I had called in two days earlier, and curtly told me to stand in the lobby and wait until the rest of my party arrived.

Dinner ran us about $92 each, including one drink, one steak, one side dish, and one dessert with coffee each, including tax and tip.

There has got to be better food in Boston for this price. My Caesar salad was dry and bland. The bread assortment was rather dry also, and included only dark breads. My $13 glass of wine was a rather frugal pour. The chocolate layer cake, advertised as being made with imported chocolate, was disapointing too. Plenty of cake, but nothing special about the chocolate -- and, you guessed it, pretty dry.

The steaks, mashed potatoes, and Abe & Louie's salad with apples and pistachios went over better. But not enough to get us to return.

Noise level was very high -- lots of heavy-drinking, loud-talking men at neighboring tables.

• Pros: Very nice waiter
• Cons: Overpriced for the quality

03/10/09

Delish!

by jsb06

I frequented Abe & Louie's on my last visit to Boston. The experience was fantastic! Great food, service and location -- and, most important, great times were had by all. Would definitely recco to anyone looking for a steakhouse dinner in Back Bay.

02/27/09

DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES....or if you like filet...........or customer service

by spelunker9

My last visit here was terrible. My wife and I were craving steak so we headed to A&L. My wife has a food allergy (gluten) that we immediately brought to the attention of the hostess and our waiter. They assured us that they handle this kind of allergy all the time and that there would be nothing to worry about. Sure enough, my wife's salad came out full of croutons. The waiter apologized and sent it back. He then brought out "another" salad that upon first glance seemed fine. As my wife started eating it, she found another crouton in the middle of the salad. I assume they just tried to take the croutons out of the original salad. For all of you celiacs out there that know that this is unacceptable as any cross contamination can cause a severe reaction, DO NOT GO TO A&L. My wife's filet was flavorless at best. My strip was fine so i can't complain about that. The manager came out to see if everything was ok. Of course we told him about the salad situation. His response " I will give you my phone number, please call if your wife get's sick". Yeah, because, we were going to call him from the hospital at 3am when she gets sick... The best part was that the manager left to get his business card and never came back. Last but not least, we were charged for the salad. Never going back to A&L

• Pros: strip steak was ok
• Cons: filet was flavorless,...customer service attrocious,... not food allergy friendly

01/13/09

Always a great experiance

by TruthHonorJustice

No matter what they always strive to a grand high level of customer service and I never hesitate to go or suggest to others that they eat here.

A fine example of great service, food and ambiance.

• Pros: All Pros , just go and enjoy!
• Cons: None

08/25/08

Great Filet!

by Devyn28

This is a great place to go if you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or any special event. The atmosphere is like a study from an old movie with rich woods, high back chairs and white linens. The service was good but a little slow...but the food makes up for it! Their house salad is great and my filet was cooked perfectly! We had a great bottle of wine and shared a dessert recommended by our waiter which was also fabulous!

08/01/08

Steakhouse staples and an appropriately upscale atmosphere in the Back Bay.

by Eric Grossman

In Short
Families and packs of salespeople tuck into their meals, linen napkins buttoned to their collars (literally--the napkins come with button-holes). From the dark-veneered wooden booths to the roaring fireplace and dessert cart, someone worked overtime to ensure that this multi-chambered space lives up to the clubby aesthetic of the New York steakhouse stereotype. The usual steakhouse staples proliferate: charred rib eye, carefully grilled salmon fillets, sides of creamed spinach and rich mashed potatoes.

07/20/08

Best restaurant in Boston

by HardestToPlease

Between the beautiful ambience, consistently delicious food and amazing service, Abe and Louie's has and remains to be my favorite restaurant in Boston.

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: No Cons

05/16/08

Review reader - A returning customer.

by juliananguyen

It's funny. I was reading all the review before taking my boyfriend here for his birthday.

I've been to A&L's before, but it was years ago and I didn't quite remember what it was like.

I was a bit nervous because I really wanted him to have an excellent meal on his birthday.

The person who answered the phone was a bit rude so I was VERY nervous that the waiters might be the same way. Not true at all. (We went on a Thursday night) First of all, it is LOUD in there. Most of its customers are Professionals. I had to speak loudly and my boyfriend was less than 3 feet away from me. Second, yes, the hostesses wear clothing that is... scandalous. Low LOW LOW cut shirts and Short Short skirts.... haha. Third, they did basically clear our table/fill our drinks QUICKLY. This can be a pro or con for people. Our glasses of water were never even half empty! It was a little bit annoying that the waitstaff was coming over every 5minutes to literally throw water into our glasses while I was trying to have a conversation with my bf. Otherwise, it was quite amusing seeing that woman fly through tables filling up water glasses, place bread on their tables, and clear plates. Food was excellent. We both had the filet-on the bone. Full of flavor! I didn't even use the sauce on the side. The potatos and asparagas that we ordered was a different story.. we weren't too impressed by them.

• Pros: Friendly staff, Excellent food, Great wine selection
• Cons: Loud- can hardly hear myself speaking