The food here is good although a little expensive for what it is. Â The portions are generous, the waitstaff pleasant and prompt. Â The green chairs with the holes in the back are surprisingly uncomfortable. Â Unless you're one of those people who have perfect posture, then they're probably great. Â
Our food arrived so quickly that the kitchen must have been really bored. Â I'm talking within five minutes we had our appetizers (onion soup, fried calamari, both were nice), and then 15 minutes later our entrees (the boys had steaks - Hubby's was a little over cooked, but my dad's was cooked perfectly- and I had shrimp scampi). Â
All in all it was pleasant and if my dad stayed at this hotel again for business I wouldn't say no to meeting him for dinner.
Stayed at this Marriott for a family affair, and hung out in the restaurant a lot during our stay. A bit pricy and food was decent but nothing remarkable. The dumplings were the tastiest thing on the menu, along with the steak salad. Very convenient if you're staying at the hotel; a comfortable experience overall.
Review Source:This review pertains to the restaurant at Boston Marriott Newton.
My family and I have had Christmas lunch/dinner at this Marriott for at least the past 5 years. Every year we have been so incredibly impressed with the spread... until this year. It's my understanding that this restaurant/hotel is under new management, and if that is the case, then he or she better get his or her act together... fast.
Our reservations were for 2 PM on Christmas day. Usually, we receive a nice basket full of bread and crackers, sometimes a plate of hummus, and enjoy the extensive buffet selection. This year, however, there were no crackers, no hummus, and the buffet selection was literally TERRIBLE.
At 2 PM Christmas day, my options for a meal were the following: basically flavorless beef, poorly cooked salmon, home fries, scrambled eggs that were a few hours old, boxed cereal, cold oatmeal (labeled beef soup), various fresh fruit, "smoked" salmon (which resembled the texture of a fruit roll up), shrimp cocktail, bagels, a small omelet station, bacon and sausage. I challenge the management at Boston Marriott Newton to combine these ingredients into an acceptable Christmas meal. I was expecting the same high end cuisine I've received in previous years, not a high protein combination of food that no one in their right mind would order.
Upon realizing there were absolutely no vegetable options, members of my family asked staff if we could please have some vegetables. After going through 3 staff members, including the manager (who was probably the least friendly person I have ever encountered in a restaurant setting.. and I have worked in numerous restaurants), we finally received some plain, steamed asparagus and carrots (a single, small plate... for 8 people).
As a side note, the table next to us had requested chicken earlier on in the meal, and apparently a waiter/waitress had relayed this message to the chef, who then took it upon himself to storm out of the kitchen and yell at the neighboring table for not eating the chicken that he prepared specifically for them, which was now part of the buffet (clearly, these people had already forced down the food that was originally offered, and didn't want to subject themselves to anymore of this fine cuisine).
I could go on and on about how extremely terrible the food was in detail, but what was most upsetting about this visit, is that numerous staff members tried to convince my family, including my elderly grandparents (all of whom have been loyal customers to this restaurant for years) that this has always been the spread on Christmas day. Not only do I feel incredibly disrespected by this year's menu options, but I am angry that Boston Marriott Newton's staff would also feel the need to make matters worse by trying to convince my family that we are liars.
All complaints aside, our waitress was a breath of fresh air amongst this whole experience. She went out of her way, within her abilities, to be accommodating to my family and other patrons, who were very unhappy with their visit to the restaurant.
I am in town for the weekend visiting family/friends and we decided to come here for brunch today.
My advise to you if you stay at this hotel or are in the area?
Skip the brunch and go out to eat- Â today's brunch was one of the worst I have ever experienced.
Very slow service- dirty plates were not removed until we had paid- despite multiple people making 2nd trips up to get food/new plates throughout the meal.
Horrible tasting desert options. Mediocre omelet station. Cheap bagels and bread, no hearty/good bread options.
Overall it just felt like they were trying to go the cheap route yet the cost of brunch was anything but cheap.
One star for the view.
We've been coming to the Riverbend for YEARS. Whenever my parents drive from a vacation in Maine back to their home in CT, we meet up for brunch/lunch here, as it's easily accessible from the Mass Pike and 95.
We went this weekend and were all blown away by the renovations to both the hotel and the restaurant. They are both GORGEOUS now and way more upscale! The Riverbend took down all the college pennants, which was a cute touch, but it looks so much nicer.
Anyway, on to the important stuff.
Food-wise, it's decent. It's not the best food I've ever had, but it's consistently good and filling.
In an effort to be healthy this past weekend, my mom and I decided to split 2 wraps. One was the Vegetable Wrap (grilled seasonable vegetables, hummus, whole wheat tortilla, organic spinach salad, mandarin oranges, almonds, raspberry vinaigrette) and one was the Cajun Grilled Chicken Sandwich (avocado, jack cheese, crisp onion strings, ranch dressing, on a toasted ciabatta roll - but we got it as a wrap). We asked for a salad with both instead of fries. My dad ordered the Cuban Panini (thin sliced roast pork, lettuce, tomato, ham, cheese, pickles, lime, cilantro, garlic aioli) and asked for a salad too. The waitress said she'd have to charge us all for the salads - we said fine.
She brought 2 decent-sized salads as appetizers and told my mom that hers comes with a salad. Turns out, the organic spinach salad, oranges, almonds and vinaigrette were a side salad - not actually IN the wrap. We were both confused by that. I did not like the Vegetable Wrap and my mom wasn't enamored of it either (plus, there were mushrooms in it, which ruins it for me!).
Anyway, while the waitress did NOT charge us for the salads, she DID bring both my dad's and my sandwiches with fries. Now, they were good fries - nice and crispy, but not overly so, with great flavor - but we had specifically said we didn't want them. She even asked when she brought the food if I had said no fries. At that point, I just wanted to eat, so I said it was fine.
The Cajun Chicken Wrap was really tasty but SUPER spicy. My mom couldn't handle it, so we ended up not splitting the wraps and I ate the entire thing. I don't mind the spice, but it was a bit much. The Cuban panini (which my husband got as well), was a typical Cuban panini - not amazing, but decent.
The service is good - not superb, but the servers are always friendly and pleasant.
The Riverbend doesn't false advertise - it's a hotel restaurant in a great location with a nice view. Will I be back? Yes - the next time my parents do the drive home and we meet for lunch, and we'll have a great time and a good meal. Otherwise, I will go to one of the other restaurants in the area.
I've been here a handful of times for their brunch buffet. I've never had any serious complaints. There seems to be a bit of a difference between weekday and weekend brunch buffet servings though. The weekends seem to be a lot more plentiful in terms of what they put out but that's understandable seeing as it's mostly business men and women grabbing a quick brunch during the week and it can range from that type of clientele to big families on the weekend.
The staff is extremely friendly. The omelette station wasn't out on the weekday that I came in but our waitress made sure to let us know that she could inform the chefs out back of our omelette order and bring it out to us.
One of the best parts about this place is the amazing view. I've never been at night but on a beautiful day, you look out into the river and just see the day reflecting off of the water. Such a nice and relaxing way to start the day.
We went here for the Easter brunch and overall it was a very enjoyable experience. For about $40 a person you get to feast on a brunch/dinner buffet including a pastry/cake dessert table. The brunch portion included omelet stations as well as the typical Marriott crumbly scrambled eggs. The omelets were good, but featured some interesting mixins like Lobster and Shrimp. The dinner portion included carving stations with lamb and brisket and then some other options like chicken and salmon. Most of these options ranged from forgettable to borderline inedible, but there were plenty of eggs and desserts to feast on.
The hostess was friendly and the chefs were helpful in explaining which foods contained gluten. They provided a fruit plate for dessert since the entire dessert table including the chocolate mousse contained gluten.
Overall it was a nice way to spend Easter without having to cook, but I think next year we're going to focus solely on brunch somewhere else.
I don't know why so many people are hating on the Riverbend.
I know it's not the Ritz, but I don't think it's supposed to be.
It's good basic "restaurant" food, ain't perfect, ain't bad, but can definitely stand on it's own.
I have had many very decent meals here, as it was a favorite of my beloved uncle.
I've had chowder, shrimp, and burgers and fries, that were good to very good.
This is  pretty much your option if you are staying at the Marriott Newton. The place is strangely inconsistent. The service is very nice: prompt, pleasant, efficient. There is a nice view of the river, but it is marred by the dirty, streaked windows. I ordered from the weekly specials menu of "sustainable," "locally sourced" foods. I had the short ribs. The sauce was delicious, as was the fennel-potato mash. However, the ribs themselves were tough, impossible to get into edible pieces with the table knife and fork. The *whole point* of short ribs is to be meltingly tender, no? The onion strings that came on the side had good flavor, but were limp and cold. I think there are probably some good ideas here but some failures in cooking execution.
Review Source:If you are staying here and have no transportation, this restaurant is your only option unless you want a danish from the Starbucks kiosk in the lobby. This place sits in the back of the hotel on the ground level and has plenty of seating and is decorated kin of cool with all sorts of Crew flags and boats. The view is spectacular of the Charles River with a large window running the entire length of the rear of the restaurant.
The menu is what you would expect with your typical steak and seafood dishes and a mediocre breakfast selection. The service is slow and unattentive which was surprising. The food is average and nothing special. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here if not staying at the hotel or attending a conference. The other issue I had was that this place is deocrated better than the rest of this hotel. Very strange, dated decor throughout the rest of this place.
I was staying in the Boston Newton Marriott so I decided to check out the restaurant near the lobby - Riverbend. Â I sat at the bar area because like 90% of the patrons I was staying at the hotel for business and was by myself. Â Needless to say, the crowd was of the Always-wearing-a-Bluetooth-even-when-not-talking variety. Â One guy took it a step further and had a Bluetooth headset AND a laptop with him. Â This guy needs a hobby. Â Their ad in the hotel directory said it was located right on the Charles River and had soothing music, making it a perfect place to unwind. Â Well, it was dark so I couldn't see the river and they played Fall Out Boy, J-Lo, and new country. Â I'm not really sure which of those was supposed to be soothing.
Anyway, the beer/liquor selection was great, but I stuck with a Sam Adams Winter because I'm in Boston and when in Rome... Â The service was a little spotty. Â I think it was just because the guy at the bar was way overworked. Â He seemed to be friendly, but I had to ask for a menu twice and it took 10 minutes after that before anyone took my order. Â
The food was okay...slightly above average. Â I had been overdoing seafood so I had the porcini-encrusted tenderloin. Â It was cooked just as ordered and was very flavorful, but a little on the salty side. Â If you're worried about your blood pressure, you might want to look for something else. Â The creamed spinach on the side was a little soggy and gross, but I think that's the point with creamed spinach. Â The cup of clam chowder was tasty, but a little bit watery. Â
Overall, if you're staying at the Marriott and don't mind shelling out some bucks, it's a good option. Â Otherwise, it's not worth the trip.
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