I think that Ironsides is a great place to go to meet up with friends and/or watch a game if you live in the Charlestown area. For a sport's bar I really enjoy their food but I think it's definitely on the expensive side. I would give the waitstaff 2 stars but that's just because I don't think there are enough of them when it's packed.
Review Source:the food is pretty bad. the service isn't much better. don't expect much from the kitchen. in fact, if you're lucky enough to sit at the bar by the service window, you'll see your cooks handle dirty wet rags and then pull a handful of your nachos out of a bin. classy. the server set our plates down in front of us without a word and then left.
if you're looking for a local spot for a few beers and you don't plan to eat, it may not be so bad.
I am surprised that I haven't reviewed this place already. Â This is a great dining and drinking option in Charlestown. Â The place has definitely been spiffed up over the years, and the addition of an outdoor patio is the icing on the cake. Â Unfortunately, Charlestown does not have a lot of outdoor dining options, or dining options at all for that matter, so the patio was a sight for sore eyes!
I would characterize the menu as eclectic pub food. Â There's definitely plenty of staples that you would expect on a bar menu --- wings, nachos, burgers, and pizzas. Â However they have definitely sprinkled in some other interesting items. Â For me, a standout is the tuna sashimi appetizer. Â If you are not super hungry, this can make a great meal. Â The buckwheat noodles are somewhat filling and there is sushi-grade tuna and seaweed on top. Â On the side are some dollops of sriracha and wasabi. Â It's delish! Â The Mediterranean plate is another solid choice, especially if you want to avoid fried foods. Â You get an assortment of raw veggies, some pita, and a good amount of hummus. Â
In terms of drinks, I'd say they are at their best with beer and mixed drinks. Â The beers tend to be more standard fare, though a good number are available on draft. Â It's light on craft beers, so if that's what you are looking for, this is not the place for you. Â
I've found the atmosphere to be a good reflection of the neighborhood - a mix of the changing neighborhood. Â The interior is on the darker side, though the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the patio let in a lot of light. Â There are forest green walls and lot of dark wood. Â It's a good place to watch a game, as there is a decent amount of bar space (actually a second row bar exists as well) and there are fair amount of TVs. Â They will pipe in the sound for big games. This place will always hold a fond spot in my heart as it is where I saw the Sox win the World Series in 2004.
The like the atmosphere and wouldn't want it any other way. Good music, and there's a nice outdoor patio in the summer.
The food is definitely hit or miss (avoid the french onion soup), but the beer selection is pretty good.
All in all, a nice place to have drinks, but don't expect much if you're coming for dinner.
I had a break during a 10 hour conference in a nearby building, and my friend and I were starving. We decided to try Ironside Grill because they were located just up the street and we liked the outside of the building when we passed it earlier in the day. We went in around 3:30 and it wasn't busy at all. The dining area was very nice, and they had an excellent selection of appetizers and beers on tap. My friend tried a couple of their beers, and they looked good. We each got a bowl of chowder as we didn't have time for a full meal. The service was slow. Very slow. Several of the servers had dinner and were eating at a nearby table (including our server). We saw our chowders waiting for several minutes before the chef had to whistle for her to come over and pick them up! Not a good impression and not very good service. She checked in with us once and got another beer for my friend. The chowder was very good and a large portion. I thought it was slightly overpriced though. We ended up paying in cash and needed change which took quite a bit of time with two people having to do it as if they didn't understand how to properly work the register. I would go again, but not if I had a limited time to eat.
Review Source:Went here last weekend on a pub crawl. Â I'd say it was my favorite of the 6 stops. Â Granted, we were ignored upon entry, and our friends were told to just "find an empty table" even though there weren't any... Â But after a few minutes my friend and I weaseled our way to seats at one of the long tables and other friends gathered round. Â Then a waitress came by and from there things were pretty smooth. Â Liked the beer selection. Â My mac and cheese had way too much cheese for how much mac was in there, but my friends' onion rings were some of the best I've ever had. Â Proper ratio of onion to coating. Â Also the music they were playing was awesome.
Review Source:Will never go back. Came in with a group of 10 for drinks on a fairly quiet Saturday night. Upon arriving we found two tables and we were approached by a rude waitress who said if we sat there we had to order from her. Â Not a big deal, but her delivery could've been a bit better. Then, they were showing a UFC fight on one of the TVs that some of the guys in our party were watching. All of a sudden the bartender shut it off and said that it makes the customers too rowdy. Really? Â So lame! Â They lost our business because we left right after our of principle. From reading some of the other reviews, looks like this place needs some serious work.
Review Source:I'd like to be able to actually comment on the Ironside Grill, but we were shooed away upon entry. It was late and we were on our way home from Canal Street and wanted to check out a local spot in our still-new neighborhood.
From the outside, the bar looked busy and a sign said they closed at 1. No problem, we though, it wasn't even 12:30. Wrong. The door was locked (isn't this a fire hazard?) and a hostess just inside ignored our knock. Some girls left and held the door for us and two other people came in right behind. A bouncer mumbled something to us about last call and pointed to the door for us to leave. But the people who walked in with us seemed to be friends of his and he was really nice to them and it sounded like he offered them a drink.
Look, I get that you all want to close up so you can go home for the night. I even get that sometimes your friends will come to the watering hole you work at and you'll want to hook them up. I just don't think it's OK to be rude to potential customers.
We won't be back, which is too bad because we're still looking for a regular "spot" to frequent.
Great space with open doors and windows that is completed wasted by the current management. Â Here is the data:
1. Food is the basic TIGF fare found in any number of suburban mid priced restaurants.
2. Prices are over the top even by Boston's lofty standards of what is acceptable.
3. Service is simply awful. The staff seemed more intent on chatting with friends sitting at the bar or with each other than waiting on customers.
Give this one a wide berth.
After a fun Sunday stroll over the North Park Bridge, my husband and I stopped in for a late lunch at the Ironside Grill. We'd been there before, and although I recall it being perfectly mediocre, we went again, since they had outdoor seating and it was an utterly beautiful day.
But this isn't really a redemption story.
We weren't seated immediately, We stood awkwardly in the entrance until one of the three waitresses there noticed us. We were instructed to seat ourselves outside. So we did. Someone came by to take our drink order, though with no sense of urgency. The patio was about half-filled with diners, with fewer indoors. Despite the heavy staff load, it took more than twenty minutes for the waitress to come take our food order. In fact, a couple who arrived after us were eating their quesadilla before we were even approached to order.
It's not our style to speak up unless something is really wrong, so we just sat, sipped our beers and chatted the afternoon away, enjoying the company. Eventually the food came--a fish sandwich and a veggie burger. We asked for a side of tartar sauce. It came more than five minutes later. I can't complain about the food, nor can I commend it. It was average, though pricey for what it was. My pint of draught beer was $6.50. I drink a lot of beer in a lot of places and that's unusually expensive. Unless you're at one of the top-tier Boston eateries, in which case I have no problem paying a little more, if for no other reason than for the unadulterated joy of watching someone use a scoopula to remedy the mess I've inevitably made with the dinner rolls. It's like watching Bob Ross paint, but backwards. Sort of.
Anyway...
I get frustrated by restaurants that could be awesome, and for no reason than apathy, are completely middle-of-the-road. Ironside Grill appears to be operating on a business model that depends on USS Constitution-goers who want to grab a slightly overpriced lunch at the place named for the relic. Why bother being great when you can earn a tidy profit from tourists you'll never have to depend on for repeat business?!
I suppose it's only fitting that they're as forgettable to us as we were to them.
I came here for an early mid-week dinner and was not disappointed. Â The place wasn't crowded yet, the servers were attentive and the food was good. Â All of us ordered the Ironside burger and how good it was was really determined by the way it was to be cooked. Â Mine was medium rare and PERFECTION. Â Someone else ordered it medium well and it was a hockey puck. Â There didn't seem to be an in between.
Review Source:Four stars for being open late when we rolled into town. Service was kind of slow and we had to flag down our waitress on several occasions and we also noted that they did not pay close attention to us as we were having dinner. BLT and chowder along with friend shrimp. Place was loud, and I mean loud with most of the folks in there concentrating on drinking and visiting. Nice place, clean, but need to improve service even if it's later in the night past the main dining period.
Review Source:I know it was july 4th, but it was really awful. I have given the place a few tries, each one dissapointing, but this was just awful. We waited over an hour and a half,only to be given food that was cold or sour or bad or all three. Sorry,but even the free round of drinks didn't make up for it. The only reason I gave it 2 stars is because I like the bar area and outdoor patio. Othewise it would be zero stars. C'mon you can do better than this
Review Source:I would like to say that this place at least hit the spot. Unfortunately it missed "the spot" by a huge margin. It was a bit pricey, but would have been fair if the food was any good. The fish + chips were flavorless but seemed to be an improvement over my wife's undercooked chicken. The service was sub-par seeing as our server acted less than enthused to be in our presence. Unless you are joining friends for a drink and to watch a game, I would avoid this place for dinner at all costs.
Review Source:I met Shawn Thorton from the BRUINS and got a picture so of course I'm a fan of this place!!! Good service. Never had an empty glass. I hear the food is really good there and I will be back to try it and hopefully see more athletes. They have a nice outdoor patio area with the Zakim Bridge in the background. Â
Parking stinks!
I used to work close by here, and would sometimes go here for lunch and it was ok. Â I do really like the atmosphere, and I wouldn't mind going back but it's not the best for the area. Â The food is fine, the drinks are fine and the patio is really nice.
Also, one time I went in and asked if I could taste their chardonnays since they removed my favorite from their list. Â Their bartender said absolutely not, it was too expensive. Â So I walked out. Â Oh well. Â Like I said, it's a good place, just not the best.
I;ve been here several times and never been disappointed, Â It's a great local bar to watch a game and have a few beers. All of the staff is friendly and the bartenders are especially accommodating. Â If you're looking for good pub food, then this is your place. Â It's likely the best bar in Charlestown, especially with the outdoor patio in the summer.
Review Source:At first glance, this looks like many of the pub/restaurants that Charlestown has so many of, but this one is different.
There's the ambiance. Â Tables aren't stacked one on top of another, it's decently lit and clean - the kind of clean even Howie Mandel would appreciate. Servers are uniform in appearance and friendly, adding to the professional and inviting atmosphere.
Then there's location. Proximal to most of the tourist areas and nice hotels in Charlestown (205 Â yds from the Marriott Residence Inn), it's easy to get to on foot. There are no harbor views like you'd find at Tavern on the Water, but what you lose on the view you more than make up for in comfort, convenience and a lack of claustrophobia inside.
Menu. Â The food was great, prepared quickly and delivered with a smile. Â I had the turkey club, and portion size was tremendous; fries were large steak-fry type, overdone for my taste but popular with many customers. Drink specials were inventive too - I tried the stars and stripes, which tasted suspiciously like a mojito without the cane in it (despite different ingredients.... but it was great. Â They offer an eclectic menu as well, from burgers to chicken wraps to chicken parmesan and more.
I can't say enough about this place - it's not your average pub.
A warm, well-lit corner restaurant that caters to the Navy Yard gnomes and highfalutin Chahztownies.
Standard pub fare with a few creative twists (the smoked pulled pork spring rolls with toasted corn and sriracha were a hit!), the exclusivity, lack of competitive options - save Warren Tavern and, seasonally, Tavern on the Water - and curbside appeal means Ironside will continue to get away with severely overcharging for basic items. Ten dollars for a well vodka is completely irresponsible.
Plenty of screens to catch the game or, in tonight's case, The Bachelor, and the audience seems social enough to join in your bargument over who played the ultimate Bond. If the menu saw a 20% cut across the board, the Ironside would be a destination nightspot.
But it won't, so it isn't. A solid option if I'm in the area, just don't expect it on the short list of recommended must-sees.
This place was disturbingly quiet on a Friday night, just a few small parties scattered about. Â Perhaps people don't like the alternative and indie music that they had on (however, I love that music so I actually liked this place). Â The bartenders were friendly and attentive though. Â And they made us birthday shots which tasted like chocolate cake. Â Mmm...
Review Source:The prices are a bit more reasonable, their menu has changed a bit, and they're offering what appears to be a bit more value in their selection. I like this trend.
Plus you can still see the Sox games while the Celtics are beating the snot out of Orlando.
And Abdel behind the bar is my favorite guy ever.
The only reason the elusive fifth star remains off is that the typical clientele is like feeding time at the zoo.
went there last night for dinner - the outdoor patio was the appeal - ordered a glass of wine and water - they only had bottled due to the boil order. Â Things there are pretty pricey for what you get - it's ok bar food - that's it.
When I got the bill I was shocked to see the price for a bottle of plain water was $3!!!! Â I expect them to cover their costs of the water - but to gouge customers is REALLY REALLY REALLY tacky
Boo!
Went here last night when we realized that the Tavern on the Water closed their kitchen at 9- and we were starving!
Ironside was great. Very authentically "Boston" I'd say. We had great service, our waitress was really friendly and really quick in delivering our orders. We had the calamari, which was fantastic- and I ordered the arugula/goat cheese salad with the dried tomatoes.
Everything tasted great, and I was very pleasantly surprised to see how large the Blue Moon draft was.
Also, they played fantastic music!
Only downside is, their menu is pretty pricey.
I live on the same street as Ironside, but I have to say that I don't go here all the time (mainly because it would be too hard on my wallet). This is a great place to go to grab a beer and split an appetizer or two with a small group of friends.
When busy, it is a great atmosphere (usually later in the evening). The entrees are ridiculously priced (fish and chips for $20), but their Burgers (10-12) and their appetizers are reasonable.
Simply put, this place is pretty good, every once and a while.
I'm not sure why, but I love this place! Maybe it's the outdoor patio where you can watch all the tourists walk by and take pictures of trees and street signs as they walk up the hill towards the USS Constitution. Maybe its the greasy pub food and cold beer. Either way, I go here every chance I get...in the summertime.
I love sitting outside first of all. The area is perfect for an outdoor bite. It's never too crowded and the staff has always been super friendly to me. The food is nothing special. Typical pub fare but I've never had a bad meal. The one item on the menu that absolutely blew my mind were the onion rings. Hand-battered, salty, crunchy, delicious, just plain AMAZING! Other things I usually order are the tuna melt, taco salad, steak tips.
If you are in the area (it's nice and sunny) stop by Ironsides for a quick, fulfilling bite.
Good place to go for after work drinks and some appetizers. Place can get crowded very quickly though!
For food...I've mostly stuck to the appetizers that usually they can do no wrong with. Loaded nachos, Spinach dip, Fried Calamari, and the Sweet Potato fries are the way to go.
Went before a Celtics game to get dinner and will have to recommend to everyone to SKIP the angus hamburger. My bro ordered that one and made us all take a bite because he thought it looked/tasted weird. I don't know what kind of meat it was, but definitely not good.
I'll be back for drinks and apps
I went here for a weird charity event that my friend wanted me to go to where you paid $20 for no reason other than to support said charity. I know, I'm a heartless bastard, but usually when you donate x amount of money, you get SOMETHING in return.
OK. That's a lie. There was a buffet of Ironside Grille's finest crappetizers lined up. I had a  modicum of class and initially poo poo'd the spread. But then I pounced on the buffet while my friend vigorously shook her head "no" when asked if she wanted anything.
Laid out before me were...
Pork spring rolls
Chicken Wings (Buffalo, BBQ teriyaki)
Onion Rings
Fried Mozzarella
Nachos
Sounds great, right? Amazingly enough, this stuff had just come out of the tiny door in the kitchen to the bartender who promptly put it out on display. As the bartender was transferring the food onto the the bar for us, I was standing up to get it. I came back to sit down and eat it and the food was at room temperature. From the kitchen to my stomach, it was a total of maybe two minutes and the food lost its temperature that drastically? Maybe they only break out the economy-size Fry Daddy for actual paying customers, not for charity folk?
I frowned a lot but begrudgingly ate the crappetizers and the chef from the kitchen glanced at me through the tiny head-sized door looking very Jambi-like sans turban and blue skin. He gave me a slight head nod and a knowing smirk that said, "Do you wish you had better food?"
Mekka-lekka hi mekka hiney ho!
Mekka-lekka hi mekka chahney ho!
Mola-mekka chala mekka hola hayla hey!
You wish is granted.
Didn't work.
I guess I shouldn't have expected much from a Bud Lite drinking crowd.
Ironside is nothing extraordinary, just a solid Charlestown neighborhood bar and grill. Â I imagine locals want it to stay that way ... don't think they have much to worry about. Â In the spirit of it's 44 gun frigate namesake, Let me explain the hits and misses.
Food - warning shot. Â Steak tips and tofu burgers are good, sweet potato fries are a hit. Â Veggie and beef burgers were not impressive. Â Commented my dining companions, "rubbery" and "tastes like it came out of a freezer".
Service and atmosphere - glancing shot. Â Friendly local crowd, outdoor seating, plenty of barspace and tables, new flatscreens for sports viewing. Â Friendly, playful and accomodating service.
No significant misfires, no crippling blows. Â This sailor limped away full and happy.
I've been going to Ironsides for the better part of 3 years now so I've seen the transformation that others have talked about but in all honesty I think its for the best. Â Its the best place to watch the game in c-town and the food is good too. Â The burgers and porkchops are my favorite but it's starting to get a little expensive for an upscale pub. Â Staff is always friendly but the place can sometimes be understaffed.
Review Source:If you live in Charlestown this is a great local choice, and if you happen to be in the area it's worth a stop for a beer or two and a low key dinner.  My friends and I are now c-town residents and Ironside Grille has become our Thursday night spot. In our old age (late 20's) we are too lazy to make the effort to get our butts back in to the city for a real thirsty Thursday. Ironside is in our backyard and  adequately meets all of our Thursday night needs: good crowd, Sox game is on, large beer selection, indoor or outdoor patio seating, friendly staff, and good food. From reading the other post I would have to venture to say everything at Ironside Grille has drastically improved in the last year.
Review Source:This place used to be AWESOME. A real hidden neighborhood gem (albeit a gem with ridiculously slow service because they always seemed to be understaffed). The food was great, the presentation was nice, they had good wine and beer selections, etc.
HOWEVER, something changed around a year ago (I think it was a management change) and it is a total sports bar now. The food is not as good, the clientele is a little different, and it's just a little shady.
Fine for a sandwich, fine for a beer. No longer a dinner establishment, I don't think.
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