Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the best food around (even more so considering you're at the crossroads of BU and Fenway's sports bars). Recalls 1920s era without feeling too forced or kitsch. Service is attentive and informed.

Selection of drinks is small but of high quality, and when you pair your drink with the food, that's where the magic happens.

Always worth a visit when the wallet allows.

Just at the bar before a Red Sox game. Not much for draft selections BUT many many foreign and domestic choices. A VERY knowledgable bar tender who gave me info on many beer labels I'd never heard of. PLUS one of the better Calamari's I've had. I've been there before and never been disappointed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I prefer this place to the nearby Island Creek Oyster Bar. The food is very good if a bit funky. As a foodie, this is the reason why come here. The service superb. The beer selection was surprisingly diverse.

 

 

 

 

 

Very small and focused tap list with a fairly large bottle list. This place is more known for it's cocktail program and food. Both are amazing. Somewhat on the high end of the pricing spectrum but worth it for a couple cocktails at the end of the night.

 

 

 

 

 

We went to dinner here on a recent visit to Boston. Seated at 5PM on a busy Saturday night. I thought it had a typical Boston feel to it: large, open, and noisy (even at an early hour).
Four beers on tap. I had an Anchor Steam, and my kids had DFH Pumkin. Limited selection, but nice choices.
The food was outstanding. Our table enjoyed a ribeye steak, a flatiron steak (the nightly special), a cheeseburger, and rigatoni with lamb sausage. Nobody had any complaints. I wanted my ribeye very rare, and that's how it came. I think most restaurants have a difficult time making steaks that rare, and this restaurant cooked it perfectly for me.
Our waitperson was very good.
This is a place I would go back to, mostly for the food, but also for a small but excellent draft beer selection.

Visited last night before the Red Sox game with a group of work associates. Needless to say, it was very crowded and very loud. The place has a turn of the 20th Century, upscale hotel feel to it. Stood by the bar until I ordered appetizers, at which point the bartender said we'd have no place to put them. In the next 15 minutes, or so, he saved a seat at the bar for our food. On top of this, none of the bartenders seemed rushed or harried. Despite the crowd, no problem getting drinks and food. Quality of the food and drinks were outstanding (save a few Big Brewery standards) although the draft selection was very limited. Any place that serves tartar and offal better be making it fresh. Both were excellent. The two biggest minuses were the limited draft selection and the prices, which I felt were on the high side. Would I go back? Not sure. For a first visit, it was great. I want a place with an extensive draft selection, though. With three appetizers and two and a half rounds of drinks, the bill was over $100. Yes, the food and drinks were good, but I thought it was a bit much (strike 2). So, if I'm OK with the very good bottled beer, and don't mind paying a bit for food, I'll go again. Otherwise, the Sunset Grill or someplace new.

The Eastern Standard is kind of an upscale restaurant with a very decent bar. It's kind of fancy, but also with a common-man accessibility.

They have an excellent wine selection, and that carries over from the bottle selection into the glass selection, which is not particularly common.

Oddly, they only have 4 beers on tap. The rest of the selection is in bottles. What they have on tap is always good, and the bottle selection is wide-ranging.

The food is very excellent and should not be passed by. It's European with an American edge, and I'd highly recommend the escargot or mussels as an appetizer, and the baked rigatoni or pork tenderloin as entrees.

Additionally, the service is quite high caliber and highly welcomed.

Eastern Standard is certainly worth trying, even if you only stop by the bar for a beer.

If you plan to visit The Eastern Standard, may I recommend making plans for dinner? That isn't to say you can't appreciate the restaurant by sitting at the bar and enjoying a draft, but dining seems to be what draws people to the place.

The interior is extremely plush and elegant with classy music playing in the background. The customers inside seemed to be having a good time, including me. Multiple well-dressed and good serviced bartenders keep up with the high demand for drinks, may it be beer, wine, or a cocktail. In short, you can expect excellent service if you're sitting at the bar. Only a handful of drafts exist (Harpoon, Czechvar, and macros), but the bottle list, while lacking in quantity, made up in quality. The restaurant has a good selection of bottled Belgians, anchored by Duvel, Saison Dupont , a good number of lambics and gueuze, and Belgian-styled Maudite.

I sat at the bar and got into a decent consversation with the couple sitting next to me, who were enjoying a botle of Dupont together. I took the affordable route and ordered a pint of Harpoon. My beer was presented in a chilled shaker, not the greatest presentation for a place as elegant as this, nor at the price you pay. Beers run a little more expensive than at other establishments, and the food is pricey as well; the couple I chatted with spent about $100 between themselves.

When going to the Eastern Standard, my advice is to leave the kids at home and go out with someone you hope to make an impression on.

Had dinner here this past Sunday night with the family. I had never been before and at the recommendation of a friend I suggested it to the people I was with. We sat outside in the patio area as the day was perfect and the sun was just setting. The waitress immediately came over and gave us menus, filled our water glasses, and asked how we were doing. Very friendly service with a smile. It's a rather large place with a long black bar inside on the left side and seating everywhere else. Outside seating probably maxes out at about 20 people or so. They have an outside lounge area with leather seats, which I would presume is nice for enjoying a drink on a sunny afternoon while people watching.

This is not a beer bar. It's an upscale restaurant with an extensive wine list and about 15-20 bottles and 5 taps. 2 harpoon taps, stella, sam, and czechvar. The bottle selection is really where it's at with the likes of ayinger, unibroue, cisco, saison dupont, foret, southampton, anchor, delerium, duvel, chimay, and a few others. Lots of lagers and lots of saisons. They don't have any locals on the list--I'm talking smutty, bbc, or wachusett--or anything that I was excited about ordering. Prices ranged from $5 (red stripe) to $17 (foret). My maudite was served in the appropriate glassware, which was nice. Saison dupont at $11--nice.

Food was excellent. The rolls served beforehand? not so much---cold, hard, and tasted like wet cardboard. Menu included sandwiches, apps, raw bar, and entrees. I like that they have a daily special that doesn't change--makes it interesting when you pop in on a random day. Entrees at the time included a veal schnitzel, lamb sausage rigatoni, halibut, salmon, hanger steak, and prime rib. I enjoyed the lamb sausage rigatoni and I never order a pasta based dish when I'm out to eat. Definitely a good restaurant. Entrees are in the $20-$30 range.

While I enjoyed the food immensely, I would not ever go here for the beer. Synopsis: Selection isn't that great. quality is good. Service is top notch. food is excellent. It is not a beer bar.

**update** harpoon ufo draft $7 is unacceptable. poor form.

I wanted to hate this place. It's trendy and has been real busy since it opened a while back. But, I have to say, I love it. Like I said, it is busy, so you may need reservations to get a table on a Friday or when there is a game. It can be loud too. I like that though. The service here is great. I have been four or five times now and have been amazed each time. They really know how to train the staff. Beer selection is great and well though out. They have several Belgians and locals. I just love ordering a Saison Dupont 750 to split with dinner. They have proper glassware as well. The food is excellent. I recently had the hanger steak which was great. The shot rib is fantastic. I love a place that offers offal, a cheese plate, oysters, charcuterie and pressed sandwiches. The food is not cheap, but worth it for the quality and the service.

Stopped in here on Saturday afternoon 5/26/07 for a drink after a nice day out enjoying the sun. I have been here several times for dinner, and every meal has been outstanding. Can't say enough about the food. But today we just stopped in for a nice drink. The outside seating was full (no surprise) so we got some seats at the bar close to the windows and the breeze. The atmosphere in here is very cool, it can either be dressy if you want it to be, or it can be very relaxed if that's more your style. It's a great place for all types of people to hang out. The bartenders here are top-notch, always quick and knowledgeable, and willing to strike up a conversation even if they are busy. The beers here are quite good, with a nice selection of draught beers and an even better list of bottled beers. We were served our Ayinger Weisse and Unibroue Ephemere in the correct glasses and poured correctly right in front of us too. Bonus points for the glass of water without asking on this warm day. Eastern Standard is a fabulous restaurant with a great wine list and I highly recommend eating here. But just as good, sit at the bar and try one of their funky cocktails or choose something from their great beer line-up. A can't miss kind of place.

Another great BA recommendation, this one from noob. In Boston for work, this turned out to be a great place to go with the female co-worker I was with. Great atmosphere and very hip. Awesome and very large marble topped bar with wonderful lighting, cool tables in the bar area and a great dining area adjacent to the bar. The whole place is very open feeling. We arrived a bit early for dinner so we hung out at one of the tables at the bar area and ordered some appetizers off the lunch menu. Beer selection wasn't huge but it was quality. I was drinking Geary's Hampshire Ale on tap most of the night. They also had a nice selection of bottled Belgians. The cocktail menu was very impressive but my co-worker Kim was actually drinking the raspberry UFO, which she loved. The food was outstanding, I had the burger which was served on a brioche roll, and Kim had the grilled cheese which was served on thick rye bread with white cheddar. We eventually moved to the bar to have some more beers and the service was impeccable. Overall an awesome to place to eat with a great bar, I will definitely be back next time I'm in Boston.

This restaurant is about a year old, located in Kenmore Sq. in the Hotel Commonwealth where the Rat (punk club) used to be. Bar is on the left running the length of the place when you walk in, table seating is on the right and the place has ample outdoor seating. Huge ceilings, bistro feel, often w/ Jazz in the background, but i did notice Pinkerton playing one night. Mirrors, wood, leather, and the huge ceiling make this a very comfortable place.

Service from waiters has been spotty at best, but the bartenders are some of the best in Boston, a couple classically trained at the B-Side in Cambridge. Grab a seat at the bar if at all possible.

Tap selection is decent, but limited. Two sets of the same 4-5 taps: Anchor Steam, Czechvar, Miller Lite, Sam or Harpoon, maybe Bass or Guinness recently. The bottle selection is pretty respectable for a trendy restaurant. De Ranke XX, some Unibroue, a couple Sams, DuPont, Allagash, Cisco, some British brews. Might be a bit overpriced, but it is a trendy restaurant.

Food is good, but pricey. ES might have the best burger in Boston. Juicy and hot patty, the bun is toasted, with lots of butter. And great fries. 13 bucks. But try it. Other food hightlights: pork chop was tasty and tender, cheese plate is interesting. They sport a raw bar, much like Great Bay down the street.

Overall, an ok beer place. Its a good place for a date, if you want to have a good brew selection and really impress the lady at the same time. GREAT drink menu (again, some B-Side favorites pop up). Hit the bar, grab a burger, and see what a great atmosphere feels like.

This is a somewhat trendy new place that has opened next to the Hotel Commonwealth on Comm Ave in Kenmore Sq. It does share the hotel's bathrooms so it must have some connection anyway. Kenmore square has changed so much over the past 5 years or so, it is amazing. What used to be somewhat on the dingy side has now gone almost Ritzy. I dont know whether I like it better or not- I suppose there are plusses and minusses to both.

Eastern Standard has this big black awning hanging all around the front of the place with a nice big bar along the left side as you walk in. There is a good amount of outdoor seating which is where we decided to sit. The beers selection for a place that is more of a resaturant than a bar is very nice.The drafts were pretty good--Sam Adams, Anchor Steam, Czechvar--I think there was one other one that I liked and the others were standard Bass, Guinness, Etc. The bottle selection was much more interesting. I got a De Ranke XX which came with no glass at first but when I asked for one, the correct glassweare was used. Other bottles I remember were Ayinger, Pacifico, Duvel, Saison Dupont--it was a pretty decent list.

The food in here was absolutely fantastic. We were there for brunch- we had a charcuterie plate (excellent) I had this thing like hash and eggs but the hash was made from duck. It was so good I would have a hard time ordering anything else in this place again. The Belgian beers are always fairly expensive so overall I wouldnt say the prices on them were too high.--the food prices are actually pretty reasonable especially considering the quality.

Service started out lacking but improved quite a bit after we had been there for a little while.