I've only been here once for trivia on a Wednesday night but it was really fun! The servers were pretty attentive considering there was a lot going on and we were a big group switching around spots a lot. Â Plus, we did pitchers of beer and for the N End (and Boston in general) the prices didn't make me want to cry, which was great. Â I definitely plan on being back.
Review Source:Food was decent for your typical pub fare and prices were decent for the area, but I was more upset about the service. Â An elderly gentleman in my group accidentally knocked over his almost full beer. Â I work in the industry and in most circumstances you'll replace it free of charge and just write it off. Â Not at Waterfront, they brought him a new one for full price. Â Additionally, we were in a party of 6 and had gratuity included, which is standard; however it was 20% which I think is a little high, especially for a pub.
I may return for a beer, but not for food/table service.
I am a regular here (what is that, two or three check ins? Pssssh). On Mondays. .25 cent wing night. Buffalo. All. The. Time. So. Good. I haven't had anything but their wings, beer and fries. Their fries are okay (spruce up with salt/pepper), but these wings are pretty dern good for their price.
Review Source:I like this place. It's near my apartment and it's solid when it comes to drinks, food, and service. In the North End, sometimes you just want a mellow place to escape, particularly on weekends. This is it. Not overly touristy, though if you are a tourist, don't worry. It's basically a no frills sports bar, but they do great food. Typical pub fare like wings, burgers, etc, but they also have Italian selections if you just gotta have it.
Review Source:This bar is next to my apartment so that makes it an easy go-to place for a week day beer. They have deals like wing night and buy one get one free pizza. I have gotten take-out and eaten-in, around 5 times total and this place is really bad. A few times the food was alright but most of the time it's not. The place is also dirty, has sticky menus and dust in the corners. I ordered the appetizer platter and it was fried to a dark brown color, had mozzarella sticks, wings, chicken fingers, jalapeno poppers, and calamari ( which we were not planning to eat anyway). OMG was it disgusting. The calamari was like gloobs of smelly fish in a burnt fried batter. They recently wrote some raw bar options on to the menu in pen, I would steer clear of that for sure. It is a nice setting when the doors are open in the summer so I might go back for a beer but NOT food.
Review Source:Came in early in the night on a Friday. I got a Red Bull abnd vodka (my signature drink) and an order of popcorn shrimp. The bar is not that big ut on a Thursday night it was not overcrowded either. The crowd that was there was friendly and fun. Worth checking out for a low key Thursday night.
Review Source:Went out to celebrate and walked out disappointed. Â The staff is friendly and always has been. Â The drinks were overpriced, especially once I checked my receipt and saw EACH mixed drink had a $1 surcharge for ice ("rocks" on the receipt). Â Come on, Waterfront, you're supposed to be better than that. Â Once my favorite place to go, I will now take my business elsewhere. Â I hate getting nickel and dimed....
Review Source:This is my watering hole in the north end. I have lived here on and off for 7 years and love their pizza - my favorite is sausage and mushroom. They gave a buy one get one deal on Tuesday nights when it is usually dead. The burgers are great as long as you order them in house - got one to go and it was a soggy mess. Steak tips are decent and come with a great side of onions, peppers, and mushrooms.
My main complaint is that they stopped cooking poppy seeds into the pizza crust! I thought this was great and made their pizza stand out - you can still request it, but sometimes they forget.
I love the beer selection - big props for getting slumbrew on draft.
The service is usually good - I prefer to sit at the bar due to better service at times.
If you are planning on going during a major game - go early... it bugs me that there is no system and people are forced to hover over tables and fight over who was there first. Could be solved with a good host/ess.
Despite the ups and downs I continue to love the pizza and will be back.
The poor service here incited me to Yelp this place after a long time off Yelp.
We went here last night to watch the final quarter of the Celtics. Â We'd watched other games here. Â Last night, a man with a greasy pony-tail stopped us out front, said the place was full (though clearly not as full as other nights we'd been there). Â There were 4 minutes left in the game. Â We said fine and stood on the sidewalk to catch the game until the next commercial break. Â He told us we can't stand there, on public property. Â We moved on to the Fairmount Hotel bar pne block away, where no one kicked us out and the beers cost the same. Â Why bother with a sports bar like this in the North End - where there are dozens of bars all showing the same games, all with similar priced beers, better food, and without the attitude? Â Our answer is that we will not patronize this establishment again.
One thing that I find super annoying and forgot about till this weekend, some of the servers assume that while you used whatever dipping sauce you used during your dinner, you don't want that the next day with your left overs.
Really annoying when you are getting ready to eat them and then either have to try and track some down or do without.
I live a block away and this is my go-to for pub/italian takeout. Â Pizzas not bad - some hate it, I like it. It's my go-to if I want a drink on a Saturday and (1) don't want to wait in line, and (2) want to sit. Â Good steak tips and mushroom ravioli!
And they have weekday pizza/wing specials, I think - - I've just never gone.
They also have TVs everywhere and have every sporting event imaginable.
This is a perfect place to watch a UFC fight, and one of the only bars in Boston that actually shows them. There are TV's everywhere so ever seat has a good view. Â Average beer selection. Like all the reviewers, the steak tip sandwich is really good, on homemade bread. The owner was cordial, chatted us up and gave us free drinks. I'd definitely go back!
Review Source:I was warned, and on one occassion a witness to the obnoxious behavior of the bartender here. He is a big burly man, obviously the owner, and he puts on quite an act. Â One would assume he is a total jerk, and one would usually be correct. I however, won him over with my unparralled charm, seeing prior yelp reviews as a challenge instead of a threat.
Went here for lunch Saturday PI (Pre-Irene) and the city was D-E-A-D. You would have thought it was the apocalypse or something. Ordered the waterfront salad which I was gruffly told could not be made with dressing on the side. After a 5 minute exchange as to the reasons why this was not possible, and the recommendation of a simple grilled chicken salad by the owner, I said to hell with it, let my hair down and ordered the waterfront salad anyway. "Guess who" brought it to me with the dressing on the side? Yep, Mr. Grumpypants himself.
The salad was seriously awesome with delicious chicken, sun dried tomatos, gorgonzola, and other delightful salad toppings. Â After that I felt like he really loved our table, the others ordered burgers and fries and we had a few rounds of drinks before battling that bitch Irene. Thanks for ruining what was supposed to be a nice Saturday sight seeing with the visitng family- we were forced to drink numerous Scorpion Bowls at the Hong Kong to deal with the torrential downpours.
We even got a smile from the old softy and a wink on the way out the door.
My boyfriend and I liked it there a casual drinking hole, but now that we may possibly be welcomed with a smile rather than a grimace, and we know they have delicious food too, I am sure we will be back for more than a drink.
A real simple pub style neighborhood bar. In an area with so many Italian eateries that are all mostly upscale, it's nice to have a place to go for a beer and just chill.
That's what we did one afternoon after a run. We got a seat at the bar and ordered calamari and... something else, can't remember so must not have been extremely memorable. The calamari was good, no better or worse then most I've had at other places.
The service was quick but not friendly. The bartender seemed to be in a bad mood and just counting down the minutes til his shift was over (older, big guy... might be the owner, manager). Anyway, he was crabby and even arguing with some of the regulars... which seemed to be something they were used to and gave it right back to him - which really shows what type of local place this is (not necessarily a bad thing).
I'd come back for a beer or snack... it's perfect for that. Just know the staff are a little rough around the edges.
Stopped in for a beer and pie after playing some boccee ball across the street. Best part about this place, is that while they call it North End, there are no tourists here at all. This is no Hanover street.
Went in and down. Sox game was on. A bunch of locals were there watching. Ordered a pie and some beer. Pie came out nice and hot. A bit burnt underneath, but hard to tell. Sat in the open window area to enjoy a the night breeze off the water. Server was friendly and made several jokes. Bill came at the end and it was $40 bucks for a large pie and 4 beers. Cant beat that in the North End!!!
Living in the North End often it's difficult to find a place that isn't touristy-expensive and touristy-mediocre. Waterfront Cafe is the oasis.
Every time I've been there the service has been super friendly. There is usually someone (owner? manager?) on the customer's side of the bar who goes out of his way to make sure everything is perfect.
TVs everywhere!
Tap beer selection isn't going to win any awards, but it's decent. Drinks were cheap. Food was solid. This most recent visit I split a pizza with a buddy. $11 for a 18 inch pizza is a bargain! And it was tasty!
Oh, and they take credit cards!! Score.
The Waterfront Cafe is a neighborhood sports bar, stop trying to be anything else. Â The burgers and steak tips are great! Â Stay away from the appetizers, bland and boring. Â Everytime I see people eating seafood here I get scared, maybe that's just me but doesn't seem like the place.
I love beer & I drink it quickly, if you are a girl and expect service make sure you sit at the bar or have a guy waiting on you because the waitresses will ignore you to the point of dehydration.
I came here for lunch one afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. I expected basic bar / pub type food. I would be willing to go out on a limb and suggest it is slightly higher quality. We ordered pizza, wings, and beer. Granted, it is difficult to mess up any of these 3 items, however, the pizza rivaled some of the best in the North End. The wings were very crispy, but did not have much (if any) wing sauce.
Prices were reasonable, service was above average.
I stopped in here on a Friday and unfortunately was unable to find street parking and had to pay to park in a garage for an hour. Â Seems like a common problem in the North End. Â
The ambiance is pretty typical for a smaller pub that seems to focus more on drinks than food. Â We did get an order of Chicken Nachos that was pretty good, and the service was attentive.
Seems like a good place for a drink with some friends.
The coffee is good. Had some really good espresso there. Again it was beer who got us there. We had some beer and after 10 bars we knew what was the average selection in every place that sell alcohol. Anyway you could see that this was a Sunday. Â about 15 clients that was mainly some locals. We met another Canadian dude from Vancouver looking for place far from local tourist place. It was pretty good. We were there for one beer and ended up having 1 beer, espresso's and a good chat.
Review Source:A fine little Italian-American pub, a rare neighborhood-feeling place in the North End
Staying power is rare in the restaurant business. Every week I note the closing of some joint that I duly recorded on my new-restaurants list but never managed to visit: it came and went too fast. I have no such excuse with the Waterfront Café, which has been quietly operating at the edge of the North End and haunting my to-try list since the turn of the 21st century. Leaving a Bruins game hungry recently, I finally had my chance and pounced -- and as often happens, left a couple hours later thinking, "I should've gotten here sooner -- there's a reason this place has stuck around."
That reason is an evergreen formula: super-casual ambience, cheap drinks, many TVs, and solid if unspectacular food. The versatile menu includes steamers, grilled meats, fried seafood, oven-baked subs, deli-style sandwiches, big burgers, and Italian-American entrées, pastas, and pizza. None of it is extraordinary, but some of it is really good, much better than I expect from most neighborhood watering holes. Steak tips ($12) boast a one-pound portion with a hint of sweet marinade, good char-grilled crust, the right interior temperature, and two fistsful of thin, crisp fries. Fish and chips ($15) feature two big haddock filets with an expert deep-frying job and another mountain of fries. Chicken parmigiana ($12) covers half a large plate, a giant breaded and fried cutlet amply coated with marinara and gooey mozzarella. (It seems uncharitable to complain that the accompanying ziti is stone cold.)
A better surprise is the pizza ($11, plus $1 per added topping, such as a generous covering of sliced meatballs), a very fine rendition of the medium-crust Italian-American style. At 18" across, it's slightly floppy but still substantially chewy and not too greasy, arriving scalding from the oven. It's a simple, impeccable accompaniment to big icy pitchers of beer ($15-$17), plonky red wines by the glass (like a 2006 Castelvecchio Chianti, $6), and simultaneous broadcasts of five different sports and hilariously seamy Mexican soap operas. (Skip the too-sweet cocktails, based on cordials and flavored vodkas, thanks to a limited license.) Don't expect them to know what Cynar is, either, even though the bar stocks it. (My server: "I've been working here for eight years and no one has ever ordered that.")
Service is brusque but friendly, and (unlike many North End restaurants) more concerned with its regulars than tourists. Unsung in the press and rarely mentioned by Chowhounds or Yelpers, the Waterfront abides, even as artier, flashier places drop like mayflies. Linger here over pitchers, pizza, and the game with a few friends and you'll see why.
This is my local, and they have continued to put up with me in my most "cheery" state .. maybe once or twice (or fifty times) before, so I'll be back. Â Great place to watch a game, as they have maximized the TV real estate.
The food is OK, except for the pizza which is surprisingly good, and although I sincerely doubt they have a wood fired oven, it is pretty close. Â Oh yeah ..get the pizza.
The beer is always cold, and even though they have a full bar, I'd stick with the beer. Â I've watched the same bottle of Hypnotic (on display in a fancy blue neon display case) slowly go from half full to half empty in 3 years. Â What the f*** is Hypnotic anyway? Â I'm so intrigued now .. I will no doubt try it next time I'm there! Â ha!
2 stars food
3 stars beer
4 stars neighborhood-y place appeal
average 3*s.
Went here to watch MNF one time (I think) back in the fall, and then ended up here again one time post-dinner. Honestly, it's a neighborhood place and that's exactly why it has appeal to me. I love small places.
As far as the food/drink....as a vege-saurus it was tough. I think I got some variety of fried food and probably a salad or something. But luckily they had beer, and all was well with the world.
This is another one of those places, that's just close to the bf on the waterfront (it's tough to find places close to the waterfront here - it's all about restaurants on/around Hanover!). So I'll likely find myself here again, but I don't have high expecations of it being some amazing bar, and neither should you. It's a local watering hole with lots of TVs and nothing more...
Fantastic place. The inside is really hip but really comfy. A great place to watch a game, though with the small confines, I can completely understand being turned away for a popular game; this should not be unexpected, and therefore the negative reviews about that are completely misleading. Like Sarah S., said, this is a great place to come on a chilly Boston Tuesday night to warm yourself and it's not that expensive of a place. The new renovations done about a year or a year and a half ago were a major improvement.
Review Source:I was there to watch the Pats game. Got in early at a table next to the waiter station and the bar. I faced the TV my friend faced the bar. We ordered mozz sticks, and poppers. The poppers were cheddar cheese and served with marinara sauce, they sucked.
My friend drinks liquor and she was disappointed at their selection of Gin and when I looked for their top shelf there was about 5 bottles total
out.
As the night goes on more tables fill up. 2 patrons decided to stand in front of the waiter station and in my personal space. If I shifted in my seat I would hit the girl standing there. I looked down the bar and sure the seats were full but plenty of standing room. The content of the girls' conversation made me want to go insane, and it was right in my ear. It was super obnoxious and we left.
I feel bad for the waitress's who had to keep asking them to step aside to get through and do their job.
Nice little neighborhood pub. Â Good place to get a beer before a game/concert @ the garden. Â Not top of the line cuisine, but it is a pub. Â Our cute waitress (Rachel) was excellent & very attentive. Â We clearly were not townies, but she was still very nice and helpful (checking in on us regularly). Â Burgers, apps & salad (all iceberg, but it was ok) were all good.
They have a large screen tv & a bunch of others, so no whiplash looking around to get updated on whatever.
Another gem (it was already mentioned as well) is that they do serve Stella on draft (in the Stella glasses) - which is worth the price of admission alone.
One minus is that they let ppl smoke right outside the front door so it's as though they've set up an ashtray on your table if you're near the door. Â I thought the ordinance was more than three feet from the establishment?
This food here is decent. A good place to warm your bones on a cold wintry night. Have a beer and watch the Sox game. It's a small, neighborhood joint, with little ambiance. It's about burgers and fried food, period. And beer.
Just imagine a scene from Treasure Island: Â the winds are whippin', the tides are high and dangerous, and the door to the inn suddenly blows open--a violent burst of snow produces a pneumonia-filled wind and behind it, a peg-legged pirate! Yeah, that's like this place.
"The Front" is about as solid as it gets, a great sports bar. The owner really does look like The Gas Man from Dumb & Dumber, it's borderline uncanny. Great burger and assorted bar food, they have some seafood dishes but I haven't gone there, seems like an unnecessary roll of the dice. Â Decent selection of beers on draft and in the bottle, they just have a license for "cordials" so they don't have your standard hard liquors. Â For instance, you can get Absolut Citron but not Absolut. Â Boston blue laws, go figure. Not really an issue to me but if you have a drinking problem you might want to try someplace else for your Jack Daniels fix. Â A solid pregame spot for any Garden event, or just to pop in and watch a game on the telee (they have many of them).
Review Source:This place is the shizzy.  They have an atmosphere that is unmatched by any other bar in Boston.  It is laid back, hip an classy all in the same sip of grappa.  Indulge in their menu selections.  They have good options and you will suddenly feel like you are eating in a small restaraunt not a bar.  The beer selection is spot on.  It isn't  the largest assortment around but it has the important ones.  If you are in the area and want to grab a brew and a bite this is not an option to overlook.
The straight-nice simple bar-but in the nice way.
What's good-location is aces and it is nice while maintaining a local feel.
The slap-the layout can be a bit odd.
Good place to camp out for a sox or pats game!
The good is above average bar grub, the beer selection is less daunting then that of Sunset Grill (but still stocked with whatever you're craving), and the drinks will get the job done!
The crowd is also notable; mixing all ages, etc!
Order a dish, grab a drink and make sure one of the 10+ TVs are visual from your table (not hard, don't fret)!
Such a cute bar and so enjoyably close to my apt! Not too crowded, good drinks, nice atmosphere, etc. The "bouncer" knows the regulars and it just seems generally friendly and great. Not the place to go for a crazy night on the town. But if you want to just hang out and get drinks with some friends, I highly recommend this bar!
Review Source: