OK, finally had the pizza!!!
So far its the absolute best I've had in Lowell. Â Way better than Pizza Express, which is Yelps #1 go to. Â I had the veggie and it was cooked perfectly. Â And the crust is perfectly thin and crispy and you can taste the slightly singed parts. Yummmmm.
I can't wait to go back for the BBQ chicken pizza. Â My friend wasn't interested in going out of his comfort zone so it will have to wait till next time. Â Decent price too, a little more $ than Pizza Express but at least you can eat this one! Â Pizza Express is a gooey greasy mess. Â
Oh, we also tried the Mac n Cheese appetizer and were pleasantly surprised. Â Not the best you'll ever have, but we certainly didn't leave any on the plate! Â
Again we had great service and yummy cocktails. Â You've def won me over Ward 8!!!
Craft beer at its best. I have lived in Lowell for most of my life and regardless of the name I always saw this bar as a place to grab a beer outside in the summer. Â Then Ward Eight came along and became the first place I became somewhat of a regular. Â What keeps me coming back? It's different than most other bars as in the bartenders are actually interested in what they are serving you. Â They have an astounding knowledge of craft beer and liquors and can be sure to please any palate. Â They are dedicated to carrying quality craft beers and artisan liquors that you may not have heard of but are sure to enjoy. Â So whether you like tequila, whiskey (ask Rich) or IPA's (ask Matt) you'll probably be introduced to something you like more than what you are accustomed too. They'll actually give you a taster to make sure you like what you're buying.
They have also converted the inside into resemble a prohibition era speakeasy including bartenders in bowtie and vests. It's a great place to grab a beer, get some dinner (the food is also great) or meet up with friends. Â The whole staff is friendly and personable. Â They usually have some solid entertainment on the weekends and I recommend friending them on Facebook as they regularly post their beer updates and any entertainment that is coming up. See you there!
This is probably the best micro brew bar in Lowell. Â They have about 10 taps and they're constantly changing. Â They also have a good bottle selection. Â If you're not a beer drinker they also have a nice selection of scotch and interesting selection of cocktails. Â
The atmosphere is pretty cool... speakeasy style prohibition era. Â The waitresses and bartenders wear vests and bow-ties depending on what time you get there (waitresses booty shorts). Â The food menu is pub style and far from fine dining and don't be surprised if they run out of menu items (twice they had to close the kitchen). Â They have a good selection of interesting grilled cheese sandwiches and personal pizzas. Â
This place is a beer bar that happens to offer food. Â If you go for the food and not the beer you will be disappointed. Â
During the mild weather months they have a great patio in front... but i prefer being inside at the bar. Â
Word has it Abe Lincoln gave a speech from the 2nd story balcony.
The bar is a very laid back environment where people aren't afraid to speak their mind... if you're looking for P.C. environment look elsewhere because you will bore us  to death.
The list of beers in the photos are irrelevant and very out of date... ignore it completely.
This place is a little too good. The staff know how to run a place. Sure, the service is crappy sometimes, but who cares? Better go with some good friends, or meet friends there, or else you'll end up making some at the bar. The food is good. The whiskey is good. They are open ungodly late. Occasionally- they get overrun with students. So, if you are on the mellow side, hit em up on a weeknight. Otherwise no complaints. All joy.
Review Source:Had a birthday party here for my boyfriend and I had made reservations the night before as it was a large party of 16. Â
My first impressions of this place was it was poorly lit, but it's more a pub/bar than a sit down restaurants. Â As we were seated, we were told there was only 1 chef working and only 5 of us can order at a time. Â Wait a second, I made sure to make reservations the night before to give them a heads up because I know a weekday would be slower. Â They didn't bother to get the chef any help for a few hours? Â At least my party was understanding and we ordered 5 at a time. Â
There was a very nice craft beer selection and an interesting mix drink menu. Â It's not girlish fruity drinks by any means. Â Many of the cocktails use whisky, absinthe, bitters, etc. Â The drinks were made well, and the beers were excellent. Â
The food was very good. Â They're known for their gourmet grill cheese. Â I shared the Organized Crime grilled cheese, and double beef burger. Â They were very good. Â I'd come back alone for the food. Â It's hard to mess up a grilled cheese, and the cheese and spread used, oh man. Â Yum! The double beef burger was cooked perfectly to medium rare, and it wasn't dripping in grease. Â They know how to cook their food, but I just feel bad for the chef cooking alone for our table! Â They were served with hand cut fries that were really good. Â
The service was fine, as it was a single girl taking care of our table. Â There wasn't any issue with the service that other reviewers wrote. Â Then again, it was the weekday, so maybe during the weekend it's slower? Â
The bartender was awesome. Â He was dressed with an adorable bow tie and really knew his drinks. Â He entertained us with some interesting flaming absinthe shots and good whisky. Â
Also, this place has a min $20 charge for credit cards, so bring cash and get some good craft beers and grill cheese~! Â I hope I'll be coming back soon for good foods and drinks.
I have been going here off and on since they opened and while the food is still excellent, I must say the service here is AWFUL. Bartenders who don't refill your beer, waitresses who don't take your order, swearing from the staff. The management of this place should be embarrassed.
On a recent trip, we sat at the bar for almost 10 minutes before anyone even bothered to take our drink order (and even then, I had to flag someone down to do it). The bartender and wait staff was busy having a conversation and food down the other end of the bar. When we got our food, they didn't give us any silverware or napkins. I asked for some and it took several minutes before we got any. Meanwhile, our food was getting cold. It's really too bad they don't have people who actually want to serve the customers. Their food is so good, but I'm done with this place.
went to ward 8 when they first opened just to check it out. it opened where the courtyard used to be. prime outdoor area in downtown lowell. very cool theme, very cool decor, very cool atmosphere. the beer selection was top notch. grilled cheese was amazing. service was very slow (we were 2 of maybe 6 people there). took 10 minutes to catch bartenders attention (not sure what he was doing). chalked it up to it being opening week.
the 2 times i've visited since then have been awful experiences (the last visit was the nail in the coffin, and i will not return). their beer draught list does not match what they actually have. how frustrating is it when you see one of your favorite craft beers listed on a menu, only to be told they no longer have it?! after this happening twice, i kindly told the waitress to tell me what they actually DO have, so I don't have to keep guessing. again, service is more than extremely slow. we sat with empty beers for 15+ minutes. after a couple rounds, we cashed out. our $25 tab could have easily been $50, had they been on top of their customers.
8 of us went there for a friends birthday over the weekend. again, some of the beers on their menu were no longer found on tap. it's okay though, they still have the grilled cheese. wait. no. they don't. the ONLY good thing they had, they got rid of "to try new things". i can go anywhere in lowell to get sliders and chicken sandwiches. you were the only ones with grilled cheese. brilliant idea. our waitress was good. on top of her game, but could only move as fast as the bartender would feed her our drinks and the kitchen would cook our food. which was painfully slow on both counts. i ordered the "chicken club". i got a chicken sandwich. i've never seen a club that doesn't have 3 pieces of toasted bread. this was a hamburger roll, with 2 tiny chicken fingers, wilted lettuce and tomatoes that were see-through. i don't even want to know how long ago they were prepped. our group ordered 3 pizzas. we were told they can only cook 2 at a time, so the third would come out much later than the rest of the food. okayyyyy. so the 2 pizzas come out. the manager dumps one on the ground. barely apologizes and says he'll get it remade right away. (i'm thinking "how fast is 'right away' when they can only cook 2 at a time, and have a decent dinner crowd'?") well, i was right, 25 minutes later, they bring out the re-made pizza. only it's the wrong one. back they go. at this point, everybody was done eating, so we told the waitress to stop them from remaking it. she says she's sorry and will take it off the bill. do ya think?!?! the kitchen employee throws an absolute temper tantrum right in front of us (i don't blame him, it wasn't his fault, but completely unprofessional). i ask to speak with a manager. this kid comes over, stares at a TV while i'm explaining the situation, thanks me for informing him. and does nothing. no apologies, absolutely nothing to make the situation better. at least pretend you care about the customers that pay your salary.
i'm not the kind of person that writes negative reviews. i've worked in the restaurant industry for 10+ years. i know how it goes. you have bad nights here and there. this has been bad experience upon bad experience at this place. i will no longer try to give them a chance.
for any potential future customers, for the love of god, bring back the grilled cheese. nobody wants another pub serving the same boring food. you had a good thing going on.
Great looking menu. Definitely above average pub fare choices and then some. Had to try one of their "gourmet" grilled cheeses. Wow!!! I had the volstead act. BBQ chicken, cheddar cheese, bacon and tomato. Came with fresh French fries and a half sour pickle. Cole slaw is an alternative option to fries. Â Delicious. Service was great and fast, but it was slow at lunch. Â Decor was outdated and very dark. Â It's a speakeasy atmosphere. Â I'd go back, I'd love to try their salads and pizza. Â Very close to the district courthouse.
Review Source:We stopped in for dinner tonight and received great service! The bartender (Richard) was friendly and personable but not intrusive, the food was delicious (LOVE the suped up grilled cheese selection!) and yummy beers too! The only reason they got a 4 and not 5 from me was that they were out of a few beers we were looking to try. Otherwise- GREAT!
Review Source:Really liked it here tried the sweet sausage pizza which was very good & arrived piping hot! Shared that with 2 others. Also split the Organized Crime grilled cheese it was quite yummy , the bread had a buttery sweet flavor which was nicely paired with the steak & cheese filling it was delicious. We will be back. We also took to go menus. The prices were really reasonable, the location was all redone clean & comfy. This is a good fit for Lowell not another new place trying to open up with Boston prices.
Review Source:When it was still called The Courtyard, I always enjoyed going to this place in warm weather due to the awesome outdoor seating. Â So I was intrigued to see what was going on now that they've changed. Â I went by for drinks on their opening weekend and was surprised by their great draft beer selection (which included Lagunitas, Stone, Bear Republic, and Allagash among others). Â I was also surprised to see the employees dressed like it was the early 1900s, which learned made sense because they're going for a prohibition-era theme for some reason. Â That night it was pretty busy and I heard various people complaining that it was "too fancy" and saying they were upset because they served all these microbrews instead of regular old bud or whatever. Â I don't get that really... you can just go to literally any other hole in the wall in Lowell to get cheap crappy beer, so if that's what you want, you'd be better sticking to the Worthen. Â
That first night the drink sizes were inconsistent, as I'd order the same beer and one would come in a 10oz mug and another in a slightly larger mug. Â When asked if they had larger sizes, the waitress said that was "the big one"... and it was no more than a pint, if that. Â Which brings me to another cool point -- there are waitresses who will come out and take your drink orders. Â Nice.
I finally went back last weekend in the afternoon to grab lunch and a couple beers. Â The service was good, and the beer selection looked like it had shrunk a little, but they were more detailed about what the sizes and prices were. Â The food menu looked good but was kind of limited. Â A lot of pizza, burgers, fancy grilled cheeses, and a few salads. Â The waitress looked a little uncomfortable when I ordered one of the grilled cheeses but asked to replace the meat with egg and tomato because I'm vegetarian. Â But they came through and it was delicious. Â I'd definitely go back for food, or just drinks. Â Probably has the best outdoor area in downtown Lowell, and now that's coupled with a much better beer selection.
To follow up on my previous visit - we went back for another visit after receiving a very nice note from the management. Â They have updated their beer pricing to adjust for pints of beer making them affordable. Â They also promised to keep an eye on the crowd to make sure everyone had a good experience.
This visit was much better. Â Better crowd control, much better atmosphere. Â Thank you for listening and making changes based on your customer's feedback! Â Hopefully this will continue. Â On another note, our server mentioned that more bread options would be coming (besides white). Â That would be a great idea!
This place is a dump. I heard great things about the food from a friend who visited when it first opened. From what I've heard its a big step above the biker bar that occupied this space before it. However, Lowell bars have started to step it up with the atmosphere and facilities at newer locations (Garcia Brogans, Fuse Bistro) but this doesn't even come close. The food and the servers don't nearly make up for the way this place looks inside. It's tasty if you like cheese, but there isn't much more selection that four cheese this and four cheese that. I wouldn't bother. Go somewhere else.
Review Source:My boyfriend and I decided to try Lowell's newest bar on a Friday night very soon after they opened. We both ordered hamburgers and were very pleased -- these are big, messy, delicious burgers. The fries are quite good too; they are the hand-cut kind with skin left on many of them. I like that there's a lengthy list of grilled cheese sandwiches to choose from, and the pizza I spied at the next table over looked really good.
Great draft and bottle beer selection here; I should warn anyone who saw their menu online that the draft prices are for an 8-oz glass; you'll pay double for 16 oz, but that's fine -- the prices are pretty comparable to other places, and actually, having the 8-oz option is great for sampling the different offerings on tap.
Service was good; no complaints there at all. Bathrooms were clean, which is definitely worth mentioning for a Friday evening.
The restaurant has a really good atmosphere, and I'm really looking forward to summer, when we can sit outside in the fenced-in front patio area.
My date and I had drinks and dinner there just a few days after they opened. They are still shaking out how things work, so I'll def be back to check on their progress. The theme of this place is a prohibition speakeasy. There's a good sized bar and a bunch of tables, with a few big screens and prohibition photographs on the wall; the coolest decoration is an old boiler which they found in the basement and incorporated behind the bar, which gives it a kind of a Steam punk feeling. The staff was very friendly and welcoming; the bartenders wore the traditional tie & vest; The waitresses were all cuties. The crowd seemed pretty cool; mostly hipsters, not the townies/bikers that frequented the establishment before Ward 8; I think it's a good concept for Lowell right now. Paul, the owner, is an accomplished restauranteur, so his beverage and food choices are well thought out; aps, a big grilled cheese selection/pizzas, salads and burgers mostly; the grilled cheese and burger we had were excellent quality and the prices were very fair. We didn't try it, but the pizza looked delicious.
The beer selection is very good as well. They have a menu of classic cocktails. The bar is named after a 19th century whisky cocktail invented at Locke-Ober in Boston. I tried 2 different kinds; they both went down very easily. The good news is that they're priced pretty fairly considering the premium ingredients that go in them; I think they were $8, compared to some places that charge $10-$12, which seems pretty high for Lowell. The bad news is that I thought  the cocktails were pretty small; it filled half the glass; they should either pour a bigger drink or get smaller glasses; I recommend the former. The upstairs is a rooming house, which gives Ward 8 customers some options.
We just had lunch and drinks here. Â They are still working out the kinks of a new business, but we were very happy with the food, beer and service. Â The bartender made decent cocktails, and the beer list was interesting, with something for everyone. Â My companions said the burgers were cooked correctly. Â My grilled cheese with avocado, bacon and tomato didn't disappoint. Â We started with the nachos. Â They were huge and very good. Â Very promising start!
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