Mistral Restaurant
(617) 867-9300
223 Columbus Ave
Boston,
MA
02116
42.348
-71.0727
Neighborhoods: Downtown, Central
Reviews & Ratings for Mistral Restaurant
53 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 53 reviews
Go early to enjoy a quite meal. Go late for the scene.
by gbutler
August 05, 2006
Truly great cuisine married with attentive but not overweening service. For a romantic and delicious dinner, go early, before it gets busy. The booth seating is extremely comfortable - request it. For those interested in seeing and beeing seen, later is better.
- Pros: Inventive yet accessible menu.
- Cons: None
Suitable ambiance for a special event
by Raina413
April 17, 2009
I've come here for a few my birthday dinners over the years and am never disappointed. Definitely the ambiance is representative of the South of France and I clearly remember the actual Mistral in Provence, that famous wind that sweeps through violently and often out of nowhere. This restaurant has the same sort of enchantment and allure of being in Southern France itself whatwith not only the shrubbery in pots around the room, but also with the gynormous photos of lavendar fiedls and other Provencal scenery hanging around the room. The high ceilings give you a great sense of vertical space and rising. For my special occasion, I had the Kir Royale, and escargot, and the catch of the day which was Red Snapper. For dessert the profiteroles were delectable, covered in not only yummo fudge sauce but also pistachios. My friends and I were well attended to and the service was 5-star. Would definitely go again for a special occasion and/ or to just sit up at the bar which has a lively and buzzing atmosphere separate from the dining room, with the shrubs acting as a natural and pretty noise / wall barrier.
- Pros: South of France feel / 5-star service
- Cons: a tad overpriced / portion sizes are a little small
Oh, please! Let it just be because it was Restaurant Week
by Mabelline
March 27, 2009
I've always really enjoyed my experience at Mistral, and have made it a regular choice for business dining. But last night was an unmitigated disaster. Hectic and unorganized, the stage was set early when I was unable to get a cocktail at the bar, and made worse when twice during the three courses, I was served the wrong meal. Perhaps I should have taken it, though, as food was a surprising let-down: my salmon was overcooked and under seasoned, and I feel ill this morning.
The real issue, however, was the service. Our waiter was rude and abrupt, interrupting conversation and rolling his eyes at questions on the menu. I finished my glass of wine before my entree arrived, and he took the glass away without asking if I'd like another. Dessert was served without asking if we'd like coffee. But the most embarrassing aspect of the evening happened as we were collecting our coats at the front of the restaurant: our waiter chased after us, loudly calling out that we'd forgotten to pay. As everyone turned to stare, we tried to talk discreetly, but he kept his voice loud. It seems that we'd left the unsigned "guest copy" credit card slip on top in the bill folder and though the signed receipt was underneath, he hadn't noticed before causing a scene. He scarcely even apologized as we called it to his attention. Atrocious.
I pray that this was a fluke experience brought on by the stress of Restaurant Week, but I've already changed the location of my client dinner next week.
- Pros: Usually a great scene, excellent food
- Cons: Noisy, apparently spotty service
great place if....
by quincycat810
July 10, 2008
I live right down the street from Mistral and have been going there for years. The food is excellent (love the fois gras appetizer), the atmosphere is terrific...however, the service at the bar is absolutely unbearable. I went there this past weekend with my boyfriend and we were pleasantly surprised to see it was quiet at the bar. Most likely because it was a holiday weekend. I swear, we sat at the bar and waited at least 10 minutes for someone...anyone to acknowledge us!!!!!! We just wanted to order a cocktail. Probably several. You would think that one of the 2 bartenders could have even addressed us. I don't know, perhaps with a "I'll be right with you." I mean really. IHow rude. Isn't that how they make their money? through tips? Needless to say, we walked out and gave our money to another establishment who actually was courteous and acknowledged us upon sitting down.
Get it together. The place may be busy with the folks driving in from the suburbs because they've heard great things but you should also pay attention to the regular neighborhood customers who would probably frequent it more than when we can get a babysitter and head into town. I will say, that when we are looking a place to go and have a nice bottle of wine or meet friends out for drinks, it will not be at Mistral. Dinner with a reservation, perhaps someday when I get the anger out of my system for how we were treated. There are many other good options all within an arms reach.
- Pros: Food is consistently good
- Cons: service is poor at bar and sitting in the lounge
Good service and great food
by foodiegirl31
May 22, 2008
Aside from the random hostess or clientele that may seem to look you up and down, this place gets it right on all fronts. From their amazing ambience to their tenderloin pizza to their mini ice cream sandwiches, this place knows what they are doing. Their service is just about top notch and their management staff is wonderful. Either make reservations or expect to wait for a seat in the bar but either way it is worth it.
- Pros: Ambience, food, service
- Cons: Long wait, price
Great Atmosphere and Food
by kelbot74
December 25, 2007
We went here for Christmas Eve dinner for the first time and we were really impressed with the service. They were extremely busy and it did take a little longer than usual for our bottle of wine and food to come, however our server was very charming and was up front with us about the situation and took very good care of us. The decor is very chic and comfortable at the same time. The fois gras with duck confit and brioche was the best we have ever had and the chefs are obviously masters at creating great sauces and combining flavors. The Colorado lamb and the steak were if the highest quality and cooked perfectly. I would definitely eat here again, however the food is very rich and would not be a place I could eat every week if I wanted to stay in shape (not that I would not want to!)
Top three for an NYC dining experience in Boston.
by palazzino
December 11, 2007
For those of you in the know, the headline should cover it all. This is a large format restaurant so don't expect an NYC boutique dining experience. The one difference with NYC is that this place has not very well dressed people at the bar. I mean respectably dressed but not cool. The food is excellent, though the portions are approaching monstrous, which was not what I had in mind the day after Thanksgiving. Had the duck--excellent but could not finish it. Wine list is excellent.
- Pros: Very good overall.
- Cons: None that come to mind.
Train wreck on a plate
by foodiegirl28
September 02, 2007
My boyfriend and I went here for a romantic dinner. It was a total disappointment from start to finish. The valet service was nice, however. We ordered our dinner and literally five minutes later were being served our appetizers. Clearly these were NOT freshly made. I had the foie gras with duck. When the appetizer came out, it looked like a circus on the plate - some sort of enormous umbrella. The bottom of the umbrella consisted of a soggy monstrosity of bread underneath with duck shreds on top. Above the duck shreds was a huge piece of foie gras. It was totally impossible to eat as designed, and the duck tasted like pot-roast. The bread was both nasty and useless. I usually love foie gras, but it tasted like bone marrow. Though the portion size was huge. My boyfriend got the tenderloin carpaccio, which was quite good. Then we both had the tenderloin entree. Each tenderloin was a whopping $44. For $44 I would expect a great piece of beef. Instead I got a chunk of beef that was too charred on the outside, accompanied by an overpowering sauce, bland asparagus, okay whipped horseradish potatoes, and a totally hideous charred piece of garlic bread, which made no sense in light of the rest of the dish. This too came to us rather quickly, indicating that it was not made fresh to order. We decided to brave the dessert. I had the warm chocolate torte. It was bearable, but clearly had been warmed up in the microwave. My boyfriend had the creme brulee, which came out cold. At the end of the night, we spent a whopping $290, for a train wreck on a plate. Not impressed at all. Will never again go back.
- Pros: Nice looking restaurant, good valet service
- Cons: Horrible food, annoying service
Restaurant Week---Still the BEST!
by toneperc
August 10, 2007
My partner introduced me to Mistral last year and we have eaten there twice and we had our last visit there at the start of Restaurant week, Monday August 6 and what a great start it was! Mistral truly gives back to their customers and attempts to gain new ones as they do not cut corners and serve cheap and petite portions as many of their counterparts do. I had the Roast Chicken and my partner had the Salmon. Both were outstanding and nice portions. My Ceasar salad was the best that I have ever tasted, the dressing was not overpowering as so many are. The chocolate Mousse and the baked fruit crisp were also outstanding. Mistral knows how to give back and this is why loyal customers continue to return when it is not Restaurant week! Service A+ as always.
- Pros: MISTRAL DOES NOT SKIMP OUT ON RESTAURANT WEEK, AS THEY REWARD LOYAL CUSTOMERS AND SURELY GAIN NEW ONES!
- Cons: NONE
Posh restaurant with great food.
by customer2005
July 20, 2007
My husband and I went here for our anniversary dinner after hearing and reading reviews of this place. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated, giving it a romantic and chic feel once you walk in. Our seats were not great, we were seated right in the corner where the wait staffs went to prepare tables and such - try to avoid this seat! We ordered the tuna tartare as an appetizer, I am a sushi lover and I have to say, that is a great dish - the sushi was very fresh. I ordered the duck and my husband order the steak. The portions were huge, my duck dish was literally half a duck. The breast was a bit dry but the drumstick was perfect. It has a sweet tang on the skin which helped with the gamey-ness of the duck however, I would not recommend this dish. On the other hand, my husband had the steak. The steak was cooked perfectly and the horseradish whipped potato was a perfect compliment to the dish. I'd have to say though, that other places we've been to such as Morton's, Capital Grill, Abe and Louie and etc. have better steak. Oh yes, we also had the creme brulee for dessert, it was creamy and the side fruit dish reminded us of a Hawaii trip we did. Overall, the experience was good despite not great service you would expect from a place like this. Definitely a place you should try once and make up their own decisions. I would not go back however since like I said, there are way better restaurants out there.
- Pros: Good food, romantic and chic ambience
- Cons: Service wasn't top notch
Great Place
by feliciascr
July 07, 2007
My employer had our Christmas party here in a private room with an open bar and three course meal that was impeccable. However, after the boss left a female manager was quite rude and kicked us all out of the restaurant. I loved the food so much I have been back twice since the Christmas party and my boyfriend and I absolutely love the food and the service! It is a wonderful restaurant that is absolutely worth the price. I had the beef tenderloin and my boyfriend had the duck which were both decadent choices. The waiter was very attentive and made us feel right at home. If you want to avoid the noise, make a reservation for early evening.
- Pros: Food, Service, Ambience
- Cons: Rude Female Manager
