This is a dual review. Late last week, I and three friends came here for drinks and a light meal. Our server was late, curt, unhelpful, and rarely to be found. Given the level of service - or lack thereof - we tipped accordingly.
Fast forward to tonight. Now in a party of 7, we want to enjoy a post-concert repast. We convene here again, upstairs this time, and find ourselves with the same. Exact. Server. His haughty, all-knowing attitude changes as he recognizes the three of us present at both events. Verbally abusive and swearing in front of other customers and staff, he refuses to serve us, then attempts to prejudice his co-worker into either not serving us or not treating us like the paying guests we planned to be.
Management was spoken to. Food and drinks were NOT partaken, and it'll take either an act of Congress or God or that server's job before I set foot there again.
I was quite excited to try this place out. Â Not only is it just next door to our office in Cambridge (convenience is a big selling point sometimes), they also offer a large selection of draft beers. Â On top of that, I was told be several people that the food was really good.
So what happened? Â Bad service. Â Actually, I wouldn't even say "bad". Â Our waitress would have had to come around more often to deliver bad service. Â How about inattentive service instead? Â After fulfilling our (what turned out to be first and last) drink order and taking our meal requests, we never saw her again. Â She never came over to see how we were doing or to take another drink order. Â You see, what happened is that a 12+ person party a few tables over got and kept her attention. Â Our 4 person table never stood a chance. Â Only after we were done with our food did she ask if we wanted anything else to drink. Â Too late.
I'm not going to bother reviewing the food or anything else. Â For me, if the service is not right, there is no point in talking about anything else. Â It's too bad, I could have been a regular here during my stay in Cambridge. Â I'll go to the Asgard next time I want a good craft beer.
I LOVE Meadhall!!!! I first discovered it with my parents and aunt, so I sort of wrote it off as a fun bar to go with an older crowd, but not much more than that. Then I started going to Meadhall with friends and realized it is an incredibly fun place.
The drinks are great -- such variety and they let you sample before you order. Â The food is also good, especially the fries, sliders, and Ceasar salad. Â I love the ambiance at Meadhall. If you can snag a seat at the bar, the layout of the bar is good for people watching. Â There's an interesting crowd - a mix of young and older. Â The bartenders and barbacks are all incredibly friendly and fun to engage with. I have fun every time I go!
I've been coming to Meadhall since the first week it opened, and it's still one of my favorite spots in Cambridge.
They serve the most. delicious. burger. ever. Plus it's one of the least expensive food items on the menu, so that's what my friends and I tend to get. Â I tried one of their specials once-I think it was wild boar--and the amount I paid for such so little meat/so much bone was a little hard to swallow, so that's another reason I stick to the burger. Â Props to the chef for being adventurous, though. Their smaller plates are really tasty, too. And their fries? Oh boy.
I think they've improved with this, but sometimes it can be hard to get a certain beer because either the kegs are dry or they don't have any more of the proper glassware to serve it in--which is at the same time commendable and frustrating. Luckily, the beer menu is so large that it's not hard to find another drink.
Definitely worth checking out, if not for the beer or burger, then for the space. Beautiful bar and high ceilings, windows open in the summer...always feel relaxed after a trip there.
Beer selection was good. But I won't give more than 1 star. The service was bad, and the lady was the most rude bartender I have ever seen. First, they did not check our IDs at the entrance, after most of us ordered ( and received ) drinks, the bartender kicked us out because one of us forgot her id. She did not order alcohol, but the bartender was very rude. She said the kitchen was closed, so our friend can not stay in the bar. But they were still serving food, and they did not give us a table because we did not want food (which apparently does not come from the kitchen). Anyway, if she can not be in there they should check the ids at the entrance, like other places do.
Review Source:I arrived at 8pm on a Thursday: I've never seen so many grown men with backpacks at one bar in my life.
100 beers on tap, nothing to complain about there, but service is slow at a packed bar. Â Maybe put some more hands on the taps.
One thing I noticed immediately is that this place is cursed acoustically. Â The din of intellectuals and beer snobs is not remotely enjoyable, especially when I was waiting to order my first $6 beer.
And it's true, every one of the beers I was served had the head like Andre the Giant.
This first hour made me want to give it a 1 or two star rating.
I ducked out and got a late dinner at Legal Seafood on the end of the block..
Returning at 11pm clamor of this place was significantly less blown up, and when the comfort of elbow room is included in the equation this place equates to = 3 Stars, no remainder.
There isn't a huge amount to be said that already hasn't. Â Huge tap list? Â Check. Â When I was there they even had Sam Adams Utopias...for $35 per ounce. Â So, expensive? Â Also check. Â I suppose the one bit of insight I will offer is that while you should not expect incredible, expedient service here, you should try to recognize that there are maybe half a dozen bar tenders servicing a huge amount of customers on an expanse of over 100 taps. Â I'm no expert, but I don't think it's too much to forgive a lack of intimate, personal attention from the wait staff.
The tricky part of this situation is that unlike a super-busy night club where service is equally as challenging, Meadhall specializes in craft beer, a drink that is often (and not at all wrongly) associated with precision and respect, and when larger bars like this fall short of regally attentive service, it comes off as a negative. Â But truth be told, I've faced the same situation at venues such as The Ginger Man in New York and Yard House in Las Vegas. Â If it took you five minutes to order a drink at a dance club, you'd think nothing of it, but when it happens in the presence of craft beer, it comes off as being ignored.
So, if you're able to set aside your expectations for pristine service here, you will absolutely not be disappointed by the array of beers they have to offer and the incredible atmosphere that Meadhall provides. Â It's an outstanding beer bar that no beer fanatic should miss while in Boston.
Two stars for a great beer list, but terrible, terrible service. Â If you are patient enough to wait and wait for a beer served in a glass with an inch of head on it (Seriously - with a tap list this long and the place being known for it's beer, the bar staff should be less lazy about their pours) - by all means. Â But if you are hungry and want someone to serve you at the bar - well, Champions is right around the corner and their food hits the spot.
Review Source:We stopped in for a drink or two on a Saturday afternoon, and I liked the feel of this space... large open windows, giant oval-shaped bar with a gagillion taps, two floors with a myriad of seating configurations and options (love the leather armchairs upstairs), and friendly staff. The beer selection is obviously excellent (bonus points for using the proper glasses for all of them!), but I was also intrigued by their cocktail list, and liked that they had 9 mead choices from 3 different local meaderies as well. Also well done is the food, or at least what we tried: a giant bowl of handcut fresh frites doused with herbs and parmesan, with sides of aioli and ketchup, for $6. Perfect bar snack, and a nice afternoon experience overall.
Review Source:Visited while coincidentally in town on Mother's Day 2013. Â We got there around 12:15, and it was pretty empty. Â It did pick up as we were leaving. Â We think it has something to do with Church and/or the holiday.
Anyway, the beer selection is quite impressive. Â Something like a hundred taps, with quite a few locals. Â Pretty Things, Dogfish Head, CBC, Cisco, Mayflower, Victory, and other beers are on tap. Â Everything was served in brewer, and most often beer specific glassware. Â Fresh tap lines, clean glassware, excellent selection... what more could one ask for?
We both ordered the Veggie Burger for lunch. Â It is made of lentils, farro, rice, with a tzatziki topping and a black olive tapenade. Â It had some Bibb lettuce and a tomato on the bun. Â Hand-cut fries were served on the side... sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Â I must say, the veggie burger was pretty fantastic. Â It was crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside. Â The flavor of it was very good too. Â The dishes are HUGE. Â We could have ordered one and split it.
The bathrooms were pretty cool, decked out in chalkboard and dolled up with logos from the beer companies they serve. Â Some blurbs about beer styles too. Â The ladies room had pretty much the entire beer list detailed in chalk on the stalls.
Upstairs was pretty cool. Â They had a wall of signatures from brewers from around the world. Â Sam Calagione, someone from Brasserie d'Achouffe, and others adorned the wall. Â Sam decided to make a penis joke out of his... I'm not surprised. Â Upstairs also had a lot of comfy chairs and tables, I'll definitely be working here later. :)
I suspect, although cannot confirm that this is more of a college bar, given that MIT is just a couple blocks away.
I wish we lived closer to here. My husband was so excited to see a place that carries Delerium Tremens on tap. Now there are a lot of places that do but then there wasn't. I loved the beer selection and am constantly telling people who visit Cambridge to check it out! You should check it out too!
Review Source:+1 star for each cask conditioned ale
+1 star for having several nitro kegs
+0 for having lots of bottled beer (I might have well stayed home)
+0 for having lots of, well, ok +1 for having lots of obscure CO2 fed beers.
oh, but  +1 for charging $7/pint.  yikes.  no, I'm sorry, for charging AT LEAST $7/pint.  that'll keep you sober. (seriously, as a public health measure, it will, check the literature on smoking, for example, just saying)
(4/13/13) Â I'm a fan of the myriad beers on tap, the staff, the gorgeous interior, the comfy bar stools and spacious countertop, the fun people gathered here. NOT a fan of the food :). Â If you have to eat something, order the fries. Â Special note: loved that the beers were served in their breweries' glasses!
Review Source:Came here on a Friday night and were seated immediately. Â For such a happening place, were were very pleased by this! Â Â Â Bar area was packed. Â If you're going to order any food at all, just tell them you're there for dinner, I don't think they really care if you're seated at a table as long as your order something to eat. Â There's an upstairs area too (where the bathrooms are located) which looked pretty cool too. Â I really like the vibe/atmosphere of this place. Â
Beer selection is great by my standards. Â I had a cider which was super good. Â
I had the arugula salad, I have to be honest, when it first arrived, I was thinking "ummmm... where's all the stuff? Â it looks liked just a few pieces of beets and a few pieces of cheese, I was not impressed, then... I started eating and it was delicious and perfect and had just the right about of stuff in in it." Â I would totally go back just for the salad alone. Â Even the dressing was the perfect amount. Â The arugula was super fresh.
Definitely a great place worth venturing to in Boston on a Friday night. Â Came as a group of five at 8:30 PM and had a quick 20 minute wait for a table thanks to a cancellation. Â Two other friends joined us a little later and didn't have a problem pulling up chairs that were lined up around the place. Â
Meadhall itself is quite a large establishment with two floors with the main area lined with a plethora of beers on tap. Â The smaller lounge type area on the second floor had a smaller selection but had comfy chairs and what appears to be a private room for a large party. Â I definitely wasn't surprised to see the place filled and a bit loud from all the conversations going around so I wasn't surprised I felt like I lost my voice trying to talk through the night.
Typically I'm not a beer fan but I have to say the beer selection was vast and my choice of Allagash Witte wasn't half bad. Â I also sampled some of my friends' choices which were a bit more hoppy but definitely good. Â They also had a good Downeast Cider that was rated pretty highly by various websites. Â Just about everything they had was rated well. Â
Food was okay with the best things on the menu was the fries with the side of ketchup and garlic aioli. Â Pork Sliders were stuffed but could use some more seasoning. Â Typical beer food in my opinion so I say if you're in the mood for good beer and food to wash down. Â They try to make it fancy but I can't see how you can when the main attraction is alcohol. Â
Street parking was a bit hard to come by since after 6 PM you can kiss any close spots good bye. Â They do have a convenient parking garage that's in the center of Cambridge Center and thankfully if you come to Meadhall you can get a nice discount of $6 reduced from $30 since I stayed for a good 4 hours just hanging around. Â Just make sure you get it stamped by your waiter or the hosts.
I wanted to like this place because I steered my friends away from Sunset Grill to come here. If Meadhall had been great my friends and I would have been happy and I'd have come away feeling better for making a good recommendation. But spotty service, way overpriced food, and overall unharmonious vibes from Meadhall ruined all that.
First, the layout: it's really strange, and I don't like it. The bar is huge, and right smack in the middle. As soon as you walk in you have no space at all and are right in the middle of everyone. I think I inadvertently elbowed someone two seconds after I walked in - that's how little space there was. Also, this middle bar design makes the place feel less ... inviting. I mean, it's huge. You can't see past it. You can't see around it. It makes the environment feel really impersonal. Also, the place feels too big. Our table felt like it was miles away from other tables. It felt like we were alone in the place, and yet it was super loud somehow. Weird. Unharmonious.
On to the food: this place's menu is just plain weird. They have pork rinds, burgers, french fries, and market-price duck (which came out to twenty-eight bucks!!), which the server attempted to upsell my friend on. Maybe it's just me but that price for duck in a beer hall, and $21 for roasted chicken just makes me feel uncomfortable. Give me some medium-priced pub food and I'd be happy.
But the problem wasn't so much the price as it was that there was incongruity between the prices and what was actually delivered. The service and food were mediocre, akin to what you'd get in a dive bar. Chicken wings came in at $11 a plate and yet were par with what I've had at Chili's free wings hour: ridiculously small and bony. The fries were decent but fries are hard to mess up. The burger was acceptable for the price $13.
Finally, I wasn't a fan of the server, who made several mistakes throughout the night. I caught an error on the bill which saved us $7. The whole night just felt weird.
The beer list was decent, and I suppose that's what keeps people coming back. Everything else to me felt off.
The incredible selection here can't be denied. Â Gave it a try on St. Pats weekend. Â Downsides were that it was pretty crowded, standing room only, and the prices aren't exactly cheap.
Upside is we had a dozen in our group and no one got the same thing. Â I feel like this is a place I'd like to make myself a regular at and try a draft per week.
Came here by chance after looking for a bar near the office buildings in Cambridge. Meadhall's beer selection was truly impressive, and the restaurant space itself was pretty cool as well.
Given the extensive number of beers, I asked the bartender for recommendations and was not disappointed with any of them. Would definitely come back here again, although ideally not during the crowded happy hour time slot.
Also, not sure if they have this all the time, but there were people walking around with samples of seasonal/specialty beers, which was awesome.
Very friendly staff with some of the best beer selection I've seen in Boston. I enjoyed their unique stout beers and was very impressed with their seasonal desert (it was an oatmeal glazed with honey with generous portions of figs and served with a dollop of whipped cream). Great place and definitely gives an MIT vibe when you go upstairs.
Review Source:The beer selection here is absolutely astonishing - literally hundreds of Euro/craft beers to choose from. It's also one of very few decent places to eat and drink in the immediate area.
I popped in for a quick couple of pints on a busy evening, sat at the bar and had a very good moules frites with a Belgian pale ale. The mussels were creamy and the broth was excellent. Â
It is a cavernous, noisy space so not really suitable for intimate dining, but it would a great place for a beery evening with friends.
I had never heard of Meadhall when my friend suggested we go there after a movie at the Kendall Sq Cinema. It ended up being a perfect choice.
Not only is the restaurant beautiful, but it hit high marks on all the other important points as well.
Food: We ordered a "small" plate of french fries. There was nothing small about it. They were hot, covered in garlic and parmesan. YUM. They came with garlic aioli. We also shared the beet salad, which had arugula, blue cheese, and heirloom beets in a vinagrette. Very delish.
Drink: My friend had a red wine she loved, and I tried the Downeaster cider. Now I have a new favorite cider. Go for it!
Service: Our server was fantastic. He didn't bother us during our meal, we found him when we needed him, and he was quick bringing out all our dishes. Such a nice guy, too.
Can't wait to go back!
I've always thought this place has great potential. Unfortunately, for a place so close to MIT, they use so very little social media to engage those of us in the community who enjoy really fantastic craft beer. Â No functioning website, Facebook is not updated and I can't find them on Twitter. Â Further, I've gone there twice and they've been closed for private events. Â Unless they get their act together, there are a host of other great places such as Lord Hobo, Sunset Grill, Deep Ellum and Publick House who will continue to get our business instead.
Review Source:I've had maybe one or two good experiences here and several mediocre ones. Â While the tap selection is pretty phenomenal, the overall atmosphere is meh. Â
The design is really strange, with unclear boundaries between the restaurant and the bar. Â And somehow the bar area can be extraordinarily crowded and still feel weirdly empty, with big areas of open space with no people and no seats. Â It's almost like the building is too big for the business. Â If you walk in when it's quieter, it feels really desolate.
I've been looking forward to writing this review because it's always nice to tell everyone about where you can get good beer and good food at the same place. Â There are few establishments like that. Â First, the beer. Â The draft list is amazing and neatly organized by style. Â They have any beer style you can imagine from west coast IPAs to Flemmish ales. Â All of the beers are served in the proper glassware too which adds to the experience. Â Also, the beers are clean and crisp with no off flavors which suggests that the tap lines are regularly cleaned and maintained. Â The food is above average hearty fare. Â Think bratwurst, meatloaf, fish and chips and roast chicken. Â The meatloaf, in my opinion, is the highlight of the menu and is served with a massive helping of mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. Â Cheers to the chef! Â
So what keeps this place from getting 5 stars? Â Well, the service was very slow each time I've been here. Â It's not a big deal waiting for food when you're out with friends and the conversation is lively but waiting too long for beer is unacceptable. Â If the waitstaff could get their act together Meadhall would be a 5 star gastropub. Nonetheless, I see myself as becoming a regular at Meadhall.
Love me some 50+ beer taps, knowledgeable bar staff, and garlic fries. So I guess that about does her...
Why three stars? The general je ne sais quoi of the place...it's just so loud. Really. I'm a loud person, but I've lost my voice after nights at the Meadhall. The bar goes down the middle length of the main room, and if you're chilling on the dining room side, you're likely going to be leaning into someone's meal accidentally. There aren't enough chairs for the plethora of professorial types in this place, and the waitstaff are a little busy trying to hold everything together. They're all really wonderful--friendly and fun! Especially Carla!
The upstairs strikes me as being an excellent event venue, and I'd love to go to a CMYE here. I do wish there were bathrooms on the main level, though.
It's tough to find places in Boston where you can sit at the bar and make friends with your neighbors, and the Meadhall is a diamond in the rough in that regard. Just don't bring a big bag or coat with you that you'll regret having to hold onto all night.
Meadhall is awesome if you're into craft beer and looking to just drink beer. Â When I visited, they were doing the "12 Brewers of Christmas" and had a variety of beers from each of those 12 brewhouses. Â I think it's cool that they do their (massive) draft list on a theme, rather than just a few staples and then a random mash-up of seasonals like most places do. Â Creativity points for that!
Why 3 stars, you ask? Â The food was completely "meh" and the service was just so-so, and the place was almost empty at 5pm on a cold winter day. Â If I was in the neighborhood with friends and we were just after a beer, I might stop again, but there are many other places in the area I'd stop to eat before I'd go here.
I returned to Meadhall, and they've made some good changes! They're off probation for now.
This time we sat downstairs for dinner. None of the beers we ordered were out. The menu offered a better range of choices, particularly in the lower price range, although it still skews expensive for a beer hall. The food I ordered--a Caesar salad and beef tartare--was pretty good, particularly the tartare. Everyone else at the table also enjoyed their meals.
However, all is not yet perfect in the Meadhall. First, the upstairs seating area remains confusing and weird, like someone beamed your living room into a bar. Second, it was ridiculously crowded downstairs, to the point where people drinking from the bar were standing right next to our table and bumping us. Our waitress was great about shooing them away, but that doesn't change the issue of an uncomfortable set-up.
I still think Meadhall is too much of a mashup of casual beer hall and fine dining. A restaurant with this many beers on tap is going to draw people who want to drink a lot of beer, and those people are going to want food compatible with a long night of drinking a lot of beer.
Meadhall is worth at least one more shot for its beer list alone. Hopefully its menu is improved even more next time.
Beer and service = 5 stars
Food = 3 stars
Average = 4 (I can do simple math!)
I've been here on a number of occasions. Â Every time I'm glad I got a reservation as it's always (!) pretty crowded.
Came out with a group of 4 a couple Friday's ago. Â We had a great time -- felt no pressure sitting at a table for 4 (!!) hours. Â Worth noting -- you can drink a lot of high ABV craft beers in 4 hours. Â Exert caution.
My only regret is my food orders. Â I'm not sure what I was thinking ordering mussels/frites. Â I usually don't branch outside of the burger (perfectly cooked, always satisfying) and I don't think I will again.
What an awesome addition to Boston's beer scene. Tons of taps with a great range and a few hard to find things. Waitstaff are generally knowledgeable, and happy to bring small pours of beers for you to try when you can't decide. I'm quite indecisive, so always end up having quite a few tastes. ; ) Food leans on the not very fancy gastro-pub side, but with a really, really excellent vegi burger.
As a bonus, they have a great upstairs balcony area, with a small bar, couches and a private room, perfect for events. I did my wedding reception here and they were Super accommodating and didn't even charge extra for the space.
Hot tip: The bathroom chalkboard art has got to be the best. Pick your next beer when you're in the stall.
So cool we ate here twice! Â (Wish we'd skipped Legal Seafood and come here a 3rd time) Â Humungous beer selection on tap, and the bartenders seem to know it well. Â No complaints about the food.
Another positive: NO television at the bar! Â You can go and hang out and actually talk to the people you're with!
Meadhall, I want to be good friends with you. We live close to one another, you offer a wonderful selection of beer in a nice setting. I want to introduce you to others who appreciate such a vast array of suds. You provided me with my newest obsession, Downeast Cider. I'm even willing to overlook the fact I get yelled at by every private party upstairs when I just want to use the restroom. But Meadhall, I think you're too damn popular for your own good.
I can't  reasonably fault you for being busy when I want come looking for some quality time with you. I don't mind standing while imbibing if it means I get to enjoy your presence. Unfortunately, it seems like you don't even want me there when I try to get a drink - you ignore the standing patrons and choose to chat with your seated customers, pouring samples while I wait empty handed for 15 minutes to get my first sip.
Meadhall, I'll accept you can't always give one-on-one time when I stop in to say 'hi', but one more incident that ends with me walking out without getting a single beverage due to inattentive service, this one-sided friendship is over.
Jersey shore moved north and Jwoww found a job at Meadhall since MTV decided to cancel the show. Unfortunately, she brought her attitude as well. Obviously, I'm referring to Jwoww's doppleganger who just so happened to be our server tonight...
Since we had such a large party, one person opened a tab at the bar, but then finally found his way over to us. In the rudest of tones, she asked him to close out his tab at the bar and only order his drinks through her. It seemed less like a request and more like an order. No worries though, she treated us ok. For the time being.
Well, she got me a cook and I never saw her again. In fact, I don't think the rest of our table did either. And there were about 14 of us there. We got our food, and then at the end when we needed our bill, she was there. Of course, there were other people checking up on us, but for about 30 minutes we went about without a refill on our soda.
The food is trying so hard to be good. Seriously, it looks really good, but tastes very plain. And, what kind of place serves wings but doesn't have ranch or even bleu cheese. Sure, I've heard of places without ranch, as ridiculous as that sounds, but no bleu cheese? It didn't matter, the wings were tasteless anyways.
Don't come here for food. If you like drinking, I guess you can enjoy the beer selection. Otherwise, go elsewhere.
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