Waltham Beer Works?

That is so awesome, Mark... thanks for coming, and thanks for posting this fine review. I hope we see a whole lot more of you down at BTT. We'll fill those other 24 taps soon. (Makes me feel like a kid in a big ole candy store...)

 

Can't wait to visit here when in the area. Any chance the Thread Title can be edited to reflect the Brewers Tap & Table name?

 

Looking forward to checking this place out sometime in the next week or two. Only about 10 minutes from my house.

 

Bumped. Husband/wife team that opened the restaurant is already out. What are people's thoughts on this place? I feel like buzz died pretty quickly.

http://boston.eater.com/2017/3/20/14980224/brewers-tap-table-waltham-team-changes

 

The space is really nice and the taplist is the best in Waltham by a mile (fwiw Matt said it won't change in quality). I've been there a good amount, the food has always been very good, if a little fancy for this Waltham dirtbag. Hopefully BTT doesn't take a downturn in quality in food or drink.

Just me inferring from the FB post but it seems like a shitty situation. Matt and Nancy were always very visibly active behind the bar/in the kitchen and accommodating to guests and staff alike.

 

I agree with @jimmyfausto. I live within walking distance and it's a great spot - always a very good tap list and I'm a fan of the food. It will be interesting to see what happens now that Matt and Nancy are out. I hadn't heard comments on the draft list but I hope that's accurate and that it remains solid.

 

Interesting. I assumed they were a significant part of the ownership team, but I guess that's not the case? Anyone know who the actual/current owners are?

 

It's owned by Beer Works

 

Trying the high-end beer & food thing was a mistake, especially in that large space in that area. Too bad the pearl-clutchers in power in Waltham refused to let a simple BeerWorks brewery go there as originally intended - to replace the f'ing previous brewery there for 20+ years!!!! Would've been a success.

 

They're too busy working on that rt 128 monorail, can't waste city hall time supporting local businesses, sure local breweries are working in (let me check) oh just about every other city and town in the state, but monorail

 

On the one hand, I enjoyed going there the few times that I went. Very good beer selection, though I often felt like they got the second or third best offering from a brewery rather than the best offering. I understand why this happens, of course, but even many of the good breweries don't have depth in a particular style. Regarding the business itself, I enjoyed most of what I ate, but was rather consistently surprised at how not-crowded it was. As other mentioned, it was perhaps a bit expensive for the typical beer going crowd and definitely cavernous. I also found more than once that I arrived and asked for a table and was told the wait was extremely long - even though there was a ton of space open. Assuming those were reservations? I'm not sure taking reservations was a good call, if that's the case.

 

I popped in there once on a Friday night and sat right up at the bar with a friend, and that was fine. It seems like they really quickly dropped the prices there. I remember when they first opened it was like $26 - $43 for an entree, and when I went it was closer to $15 - $25. I think they learned that in a room that big it's hard to support a high class dining place on Moody st. The only ones who can really get away with it currently is Moody's Backroom.

Brewer's was fine, got some appetizers, beer selection was pretty OK, but I agree with you, it wasn't the top selections of the breweries that they had, and I would have liked a bit more variety. I think there were like, 4 or 5 Mystic Beers on tap when I went, but no Maine, Single Cut, or Night Shift.

 

The Red Bird is also ludicrously priced over on Moody. Nice place, but hella expensive. Solea is also not cheap, but I think it was the only tapas place in the proper suburbs for a long time.

There are tech companies in the mill buildings on the Charles that definitely contribute to the gentrification over there. Plus the apartments right there at the top of Moody.

Personally, I'm in it for the dollar tacos at the Guatemalan place about a block down from the Gaff.

 

May I recommend Taqueria El Amigo on the corner of River and Willow if you want your mind blown with hilariously inexpensive and astoundingly delicious Mexican food.

Yeah, all the new Apartments and Condos in Waltham are crazy. My wife and I are moving in a week or so because it's getting WAY too expensive here. It's incredible to me that we only have the commuter rail and SOME bus service, yet the prices in town are like if we lived in Brighton or Cambridge now.

 

I know this is completely off topic, but Taqueria el Amigo is legit. Possibly my favorite place to get food in watertown/waltham and my favorite mexican food in the area by a landslide. I'm also getting priced out of the area. And when I move, el Amigo will be one of the things I miss most.

 

Oh trust me, I'm familiar with El Amigos. Best tacos in MA hands down. I'll bring it slightly back on topic and say there's a decent liquor store around the corner too.

 

Phantomchef was the husband, correct?

 

Correct

 

Correct

 

Bummer to hear, usually once something like this happens it never goes well after. How are they even still open and operating normally?

I understand the ownership part but losing the day to day managers kind of screws it all up.