Good, not great. Â Okay, so I'm not a real foodie who wants adventure and envelope-pressing stuff on my plate. Â So I was a bit limited by the menu. There was still a great whole fish that I enjoyed. Our server was knowledgeable, friendly but distant enough. Â Specialty cocktails were fine but the one I had wasn't exceptional. Â The wine pours were very friendly! Â The biggest downside - it is the loudest place I have been to in a long time. I was yelling the whole evening to my dinner companion. Â Truly. Â
A bit pricey for the serving side too.
It was fine but I won't be going back.
Mediocre, especially for the price tag. Â I appreciate what West Bridge is trying to do - local, fresh ingredients served in interesting ways. Â However, most of the small dishes we tried fell a bit short.
I was shocked to see the great reviews for the Egg in a Jar. Â It tasted like bland mashed potatoes. Â I actually thought it was horrible. Â The tomato salad was ok, but very unmemorable. Â The special lamb belly small plate was very good as was the pig's head, but the snails were just all right.
Long story short, we paid a lot of money for 6 small plates and 3 drinks and left completely underwhelmed. Â Also, my glass of savignon blanc tasted a little off, but shame on me for not saying anything. Â Nice atmosphere and good service, however.
I really, really, really wanted to like West Bridge. Specifically, the Egg in a Jar after seeing it hyped up in a variety of places.
Unfortunately, West Bridge just did not deliver. Â
Beginning with the service - our server Emily pushed the tasting menu before we could even read the actual menu. She then came over too often and fast before we could decide upon what we wanted, and, when we ordered, she did not come back at all. She was slow to return and refill drinks or take new drink orders. At one point a manger -type person came over and had to pick up some slack on her uneven attention to our table.
The food came out with an uneven execution - including the egg in the jar. It was improperly cooked and appeared to be sad, congealed mess. It was cold on the top, cooked in the middle, and hot on the bottom. It was slopped in a pasty heap of mashed potatoes and there were hard, unappetizing chunks of bacon in it. It clearly was sitting too long- perhaps due to the spotty service. The mushroom soup was served a bowl that was simply too big to be classified as "soup" - it was a plate, really, with liquid and mushrooms in it.
The small plates are not small plates that are meant for sharing, based on the type of food and the size - perhaps it was our misunderstanding of the menu (thanks, Emily).
All in all, it was much too loud as well - even for a trendy bar spot - so loud, you had to shout and lean in to be heard. Not a good atmosphere dining, but great for a bar.
We most likely won't be back. Big miss here.
Nice place for  drink and snack after work. I dig the ambiance: exposed ceiling, lots of wood and metal.. an modern feel but still welcoming.  We stopped in for a couple of cocktails and some small plates a few months ago. I can't remember the specifics on the cocktails but they were creative and good. The cauliflower dish was flavor packed and lovely. The Egg in a Jar was totally disappointing--like eating mashed potatoes with a bit of crispy bits...boring and bland. Lastly, the we had a dish with duck confit and beans that was also lovely. Yes its a little pricey for small plates but the food was flavorful and creative enough to make me want to come back for a full dinner.
Review Source:Egg in a jar is possibly one of my favorite dishes ever. For dinner, I shared a couple of small plates and had a pretty decent cocktail. These included, besides the previously mentioned egg in a jar, the sunchoke salad, asparagus, octopus, and lambs and fava. I didn't care much for the octopus, but loved all of the other dishes. This place is definitely one of my new favorite places in Boston.
Review Source:This restaurant reminds me of The Publican in Chicago (my hometown! Love you Chi) so if you have been there, the decor is similar with the loft ish feeling and long benched tables. I do have to say their bathrooms are super awkward looking with office style bathrooms. Kind of a turn off but what do you expect when the restaurant is in Kendall Square? I always think that a wonderful restaurant should have a wonderful bathroom. Yes, a little obsessive.
My drink was "every rose has its thorn" with Hendricks Gin (my fave!) and it was so delicious and sweet. Perfect girly drink and a huge plus was that the proceeds went to the One Boston Fund. So you don't feel so guilty when you order more of these delicious goodness and get tipsy :)
My bf and I ordered several small plates- octopus, egg in jar, snails, pigs head, and duck. I was a huge fan of the egg in jar (obvi), duck, & pigs head. The octopus wasn't anything special and it was kind of bland.
Overall my experience was great. I'd totally come back and get that egg in jar plate & their delicious cocktails! Be warned, these dishes are very heavy so be prepared to starve yourself for the day.
6 of us went for birthday lunch, and lunch is very reasonably priced. The place looks industrial in a trendy way. The outdoor seating looks great for spring time
Lamb sandwich - $12 - probably my favorite for lunch, it uses a nice foccacia bun
West Bridge burger - $10 Â the meat the tender, plenty of veggies and sauce, would like more fries next time
Pork sandwich - $10, interestingly, one of our pork sandwiches had mold-like stain on the bottom of the bun. Upon finding, the server was extremely sorry and replaced us with a new one and put it on the house, plus a drink! I think they handled this very well.
The dinner menus looks good too, I would definitely come back.
So I didn't have any particularly terrible experiences here, but I'd say this is a solidly mediocre place. I've been for dinner with one friend, and drinks with three girlfriends. Both times on Saturday nights.
Firstly- the decor is phenomenal. However, it implies rustic, farm to table, really funky loft, new food concepts, etc. Not pretty tiny portions for what you're paying fancy food. Based on the decor (I hadn't read any reviews before going the first time) I did not assume this was a fancy stuffed shirt restaurant. It is.
Secondly, the food was good, oh except that special of raw ground beef they scooped onto a piece of lettuce and served us. The scotch egg- delicious (but kind of hard to screw up)- the chef's special- beef tartar. Not exactly my thing, but our waitress really talked it up. It was raw ground beef. The texture, the taste, everything about it was not only disgusting, but pretty questionable in terms of sanitation and healthiness. Having seen we ate not more than a single bite of said "special," our waitress proceeded to act confused that we didn't enjoy it, took it away, and kept it on the bill (classy). The rest of the food was pretty good, this just left a really bad taste in my mouth. Don't talk up a special, be uncaring when your customers don't like it (the table next to ours had the same experience) and then charge us for something we didn't eat.
I went back for drinks a few weeks later with a group of girlfriends, hoping the experience would be redeeming. We sit in the cocktail lounge, order some drinks, and then wait.... for 25 minutes to have watered down drinks (really- how do you screw up a gin martini?) to arrive. We never saw our waitress, no waters delivered, and were prepared to walk out without receiving our order when she appeared, threw the drinks on the table, and left, never to be seen again (how are you drinks you'd expect she asked- she didn't). We complained to the manager- did not pay for the drinks- and walked out. I don't expect to come back.
Overall- food's good, service leaves much to be desired, and just not worth the pretentiousness for what it's offering. It's still Cambridge people- take it down a notch.
West Bridge served me an amazing meal that blew me away. Â How can this place tucked away in One Kendal with places like Tommy Doyle's be so good?! Â And what took me so long to get to West Bridge. Â Everything was fantastic from the knowledgable and patient server to the thoughtfully conceived and correctly executed plates. Â Again proof that Boston's dining scene is not in Boston at all, but, over the river in the People's Republic.
Review Source:While the service and ambience could use some finishing touches (more on that in a moment), the food was on par with the best you'd find at this price in New York or Chicago.
Small plates are the highlight here. A few standouts:
Egg in a Jar - enough's been said about this already and it's all true.
Cauliflower - served as a big roasted plank of the vegetable topped with a cold salad of shaved raw cauliflower, flat-leaf parsley, hazelnuts, and orange peel in a tangy vinaigrette. Total standout.
Black tuscan kale - shaved together with cress, fresh gooseberry, duck confit...this salad was EVERYTHING.
Crispy pigs head - pulled bits of pork in a deep-fried cake. Perfectly fried and crispy, this drew apart into tender bits of the pork. Drag it through the fried egg puree and top it with the frisee and radish salad in a lightly sour dressing. Intoxicating.
Cocktails here were flawless, too. Shout out in particular to the Conant's Island, a cucumber vodka, rice wine vinegar, and Green Tabasco creation.
As I mentioned the restaurant is still young and could use some polishing. The service was friendly but seemed timid or hesitant. We had to attract their attention a few times. And while the sleek, industrial space is cool and fun, it felt discordant with the quality of the food. TV's above your head during a $70pp meal? Come on.
Still, it's a testament to the quality of the food that West Bridge gets five stars. If it's small plates you want, say adios to Toro (which is getting pretty boring and careless at this point, but that's for another review) and head across the river to Kendall Square.
(This review only includes drinks. However the food looked amazing)
Yesterday was one of those first spring days in Boston, at the end of April. I decided to go with a coworker for a drink around Kendall. I had heard great things about West Bridge and I wanted to try it.
Even though the weather was nice and the terrace looks great, I thought it was going to get chilly without the sun so we decided to sit inside. The host took us to our table, a semi-tall one. The food menu come wrapped up inside the napkin (original. Strange. Not functional) and there was another menu for wine and another for cocktails. I tried two of them.
The first one was my favorite: Love and Fear, with xxxx. It was sweet, well balanced and summery. The second one, xxxx, could be described as manly, with attitude, strong alcohol and body.
Great cocktails, served in cold glasses without ice (like it), 11$ a piece and definitely coming back for food.
PS. Even though the restrooms are difficult to get to, they are simple and functional
Excellent customer service and attention to detail. Try earlier in the week to avoid weekend rush after the restaurants recent surge in popularity. I love the fact that the drinks and menu constantly rotate based on the season yet there's staples that you can count on. One of the few restaurants that innovate and continuously get me to try foods, spices, and blends that I would normally never consider. I've been once a month since June '12 and usually get red meat but I think I've only had the same dish twice. Good seafood and vegetarian selection as well. Try something new tonight!
Review Source:Did a tasting menu here and beverage pairing (wine and cocktails included). We had two amuse bouches which were just: curry turnip on a pita and an eel preparation. The tasting menu was the following: 1) mussels nicoise 2) fluke with spinach puree and beet reduction 3) oxtail 4) lamb loin 5) parsnip semifreddo The standouts were: oxtail and the fluke, but we truly enjoyed every dish in the tasting and the pairings were well done. Chris, our server, provided very nice and friendly service, and one of the owners came by to personally chat with us which was a nice touch. Loved the atmosphere which was very casual and lively (jeans are acceptable). Did not have a pretentious hipster feel either. Parking is easy with the Cinema lot nearby ($21 for the day).
Review Source:I should have known better. My husband tried to get me to go here for dinner last week, but I looked at the menu and wasn't interested. Today I was in the Kendall area and decided to check out West Bridge for lunch since he keeps talking about going there.
I like the ambiance and decor. Â But there are just too many things on the menu I don't particularly like. The lamb sandwich seemed the most interesting, but I don't like olives. The quinoa sounded interesting as well, but I don't like beets. Anyway, I settled for the lamb sandwich with the yogurt/olive spread on the side. Olives were already mixed in, according to the server, and he didn't offer plain yogurt instead (though obviously they have some), and I didn't ask.
The sandwich came with a large pile of what appeared to be home made potato chips, and I think sweet potato crispy strips? Also a few picked vegetables. I wish I could taste the potato in the chips, but it mostly tasted like salt and grease. Sweet potato strips were better. The sandwich was meh, with the exception of the bread, which was great. It was a perfectly crispy onion roll. But the lamb really tasted like roast beef, and the added lettuce and tomato were very average sandwich material. So really I felt like I ate a roast beef sandwich on nice bread. Definitely not worth $12 + tax/tip.
Service was ok. Efficient, but after I got my food nobody stopped to refill my water or ask how my meal was, just got the check at the end. Overall, I won't be going back, at least not for the food. I think this place tried hard to be unique and different with its menu and ingredients, but they didn't focus enough on taste/flavor/quality.
Udpate - I took my husband here for cocktails and appetizers after having raved about this place. And boy, we were NOT disappointed! After discussing drink options with our fabulous waiter (Adam?), we decided on Love & Fear (me) - described as crisp, refreshing, and multi-faceted - and a Mariachi Mule (think a Moscow Mule but with smokey mescal tequila) and WHOA was it good, interesting from start to finish to aftertaste. Adam - great choices!
Food: when you order here, they give you a complimentary soup shooter, which is delicious. We ordered the requisite egg in a jar, fab as usual. A side of crispy duck (chicken?) skin (see earlier review, it's SOOO worth the calories), and Oxtail & Oysters with white beans, kohlrabi, pear. Â Hands down, the Oxtail won. The oysters are pureed into an aioli sauce that sits on top of the dish, and the oxtail is prepared via sous vide (if memory serves from talking to the bus boy). However, the Oxtail is a winter dish and will be rotated off the menu soon so go get it, NOW! You will literally be licking your plate.
One day I will actually go to dinner at West Bridge, and will have another glowing update. Â Something to note here is that each and every staff member here is knowledgeable of the food, how it's prepared, and is extremely grateful when a customer "gets" the concept of multidimensional, flavor laden, creatively playful food. Have FUN here!
Another side note: the chef's wife is gluten free, so he's VERY understanding and accommodating if you have any GF needs, like I do.
Came here late one night with a friend for drinks, and since we hadn't eaten dinner yet, we eagerly took to the bar menu as well. Most of the bar bites were so-so, but I did enjoy the duck rillette sandwich and would highly recommend it. The cocktails stand out a lot more, and in particular the Kitty Kiernan, a tasty mix of ginger and whiskey and Becherovka bitters.
The ambiance is a bit more suited to being a restaurant; we came in around 10:30 pm or so and the whole place was still brightly lit, even though the people in there were mostly having drinks. The location is a bit remote for a night out since it's surrounded by office buildings and itself is tucked into one. If you're looking for some good cocktails in the area it's not a bad option, and you'll probably have a better drink there than at Cuchi Cuchi in my opinion, but it seems like it's much better for dinners.
Will definitely go again! Great service. Great drinks and delicious food. Perfect for a special meal with friends who enjoy trying interesting small plates and sharing tastes of delicious dishes.
We went out for a girls night out and shared three dishes and were nicely full and satisfied. Had the duck egg in a jar (my favorite), the roasted lamb neck (so soft and tasty) and the third...well i actually don't recall the details (not my favorite so it didn't leave a strong positive or negative, i think it was a veggie or bean dish?). The cocktails were good (not the best, but decently made and sized) and the dessert (deconstructed lemon meringue) was the perfect way to end a nice dinner.
I have to say, the setting was very nice. Not too loud or too quiet so you could have a nice lively conversation without worrying about everyone hearing you and yet you could hear the person sitting at your table no problem.
The decor is simple but not sterile. Good place to hang out without feeling overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Â I appreciate having a real wood table top and silverware with a nice quality feel to it. I hate to admit it, but i loved their spoons and will now seek some with that kind of nicely shaped bowl for myself!
Our waiters were top notch. Very attentive and offered great suggestions on food and drink and didn't rush us out the door. They also gave us a sample of the soup (i think it was carrot?) that was delicious and cutely served in a tall shot glass (at the perfect temp).
Another small and nice touch is that they also give you endless sparkling water as an option to regular water.
Valentine's day tasting menu was amazing. The place was packed by 6pm but still maintained a pleasantly romantic feel. (Thank you for not squeezing all the tables together like the SF restaurants did on Valentine's.)
There's no written menu for the tasting menu so I really don't remember what I ate. All I know is everything was delicious. Just leave it to the chef and enjoy his creations. We did one wine pairing for the two of us, given that I was majorly light-weight when it comes to drinking. It was more than sufficient. The complimentary wine that they started the meal with had enough kick for me for the rest of the night.
Definitely a lovely place.
My lovely BF and I celebrated our second-year anniversary here. If you decide to do small plates and have a few hours to savor some delicious flavors, I recommend ordering two to three plates at a time so that you can focus on the plates while they are hot. To start, we got the black tuscan kale and the burgundy snails. The snail dish was incredibly unique and was probably one of my favorite dishes. It is a bit garlicky so I wouldn't recommend ordering it on the first date. The duck confit in the kale dish really gave the dish more flavor but overall it was kind of bland. If you had to select one dish off the menu, I wouldn't recommend it. However if you're looking for something nutritional to balance out the other dishes, this is a good dish to choose.
For the second round, we got the calamari and the oxtail & oysters. The calamari was so unique and soft. I could have eaten a whole bowl of it by myself. The oxtail was incredibly soft but rather fatty. The sauce in the oxtail dish was rich in flavor and I enjoyed how the white beans soaked up that flavor.
For the third round, we got the mussels and the egg in a jar. The mussels were eh. A lot of the shells didn't have meat in it and the sauce was kind of standard. The egg in a jar is like breakfast in a jar. The egg in a jar comes with bread for you to dip it in and it's so hearty that you would defin want to order another beer with it.
Embarrassingly, I was feeling rather hungover early that day and so I stuck with beer. I had the BBC steel rail and it defin hit the spot. The strawberry cobler cocktail looked amazing and a neighboring patron said that it was fabulous. My bf had one of their cocktails and wine but t I had no interest in smelling or trying them so we will definitely go back and try more of their drinks soon.
I wasn't thrilled by our waiter. He did an adequate job of coming to take our orders, filling our water glass, etc. but at times I felt he was really stressed. He was serving the entire bar area, which can have be high traffic area on a Saturday night. I'm sure the restaurant management decided to put him in that area because he could handle the stress but at times I felt if he had asked other servers for help or if there was another server working the tables with him, the service would have been better. What I was really impressed was that the server switched our plates and silverware after every round of food, which I wasn't expecting but definitely helped in terms of savoring the taste for each dish.
Good, but not great. Â The menu drew me in - lots of interesting mixtures of foods and preparations, but it is lacking the most important thing - taste. Â None of the many things we sampled were awesome - they were simply good.
We did not try any entrees, just medium and small plates to share.
Got the cauliflower on the recommendation of the bartender. Â He was right on. Â The best thing by far. Â
Egg in a jar? Â Cool presentation, but meh......
The decor is very cool - great bar and good drinks. Â
A good pre or post dinner option.
Not bad! It's definitely a place for the more adventurous eater, and one who can appreciate the complexity of tastes in food. I came here for a post-celebration for the hubster who passed his defense and got his playa-hatin'-degree from the Institute next door.
First, LOVED our waitress. She was so excited about the dishes of the restaurant, and was really attentive when she served us.
Second, food was pretty good. I just wish I had more of an appetite to appreciate all the foods that I was ordering, but my palette still enjoyed it. I got the Egg in a Jar as everyone suggested. I didn't expect it to be as creamy as it was, but it was pretty good. I actually enjoyed my mother-in-law's Broccolini dish, and my sister's Kale salad, even more. I felt that it had more flavor. Being a Filipina gal, I grew up on curious egg dishes and pork skin, so I guess that's why it wasn't a crazy good dish, but thanks Yelpers for recommending it. For entree, I got the duck breast which was soooo yummy and done to the right tenderness. For my drink, I got the windmill cocktail, which kind of tasted like a floral perfume -- I didn't detest it, I still drank it anyway.
You know what really did it for me here besides our waitress? The BREAD. I don't know what it was but it was all sorts of crispy, chewy, sweet, and warm. It was the greatest addition to our meal. I guess it's like how Olive Garden's breadsticks make it for some people, West Bridge's bread made it for me.
Great addition to the Kendall Square area!
My wife and I had not been back to West Bridge since their opening night which is usually not a fair time to judge an establishment. Â We were back Saturday after seeing Lincoln and what a great night we had. Â We waited about ten minutes for two seats at the bar where Josh took great care of us. Â Started with several apps including "Duck egg in a Jar" outstanding and Broccolini with fried anchovies equally good. Â Main course Duck breast that had been lightly smoked and Venison which was not too gamy, cooked perfect. Â There have been some medium priced additions to the wine list so we found a nice italian red to accompany the main courses.
They did a great job renovating the space, large room, high ceilings, large windows but on a cold night it still felt warm and inviting inside.
We ont take so long to return. Keep up the good work.
Bottom Line - Get the (duck) Egg in a Jar, and a few other things. Â If you can't decide what else to get, just get another Egg in a Jar.
MONDAY, 28 JANUARY 2013 -DINNER SERVICE-
I just went for a solo dinner at the bar tonight, and only ordered a couple things:
Egg in a Jar ($12, duck egg, hen of the woods, pommel puree, rips skin) - When it comes, it's really nicely warm. What you do is gently use a spoon to fold the egg into itself while incorporating the crispy skin sitting on top. Delish! My friend said she usually eats 2 of these, but I wanted to try something else.I figure I will get another Egg in a Jar tomorrow, when I plan to return for more food at the bar.
Duck Breast ($27, parsnip, buttermilk, offee, fennel) - All duck breasts should come medium rare, and this is how mine came (did they cook it sous vide?). The meat was pretty tender, though could be a little more. It was on the heavy end of the light dish scale, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure I would order the duck again, but only because I'd like to try other things on the menu.
So along with my $4 ginger beer, my check came to $43.00 + 3.01 tax + 10.00 tip = $56.01 total for my solo seat at the bar.
Friendly bartenders, and I tried the infamous egg in a jar appetizer. Â The day before I went to order, I read an article about the signature dish and all its potentially inflated expectations ...I'm glad I did, b/c the article said exactly what I was thinking. Â First of all, it's much smaller than you would think from the photos...I have those flip top jars in my kitchen holding flour & sugar, but these jars are about the size of a small mug or large fist. Â Second, the ingredients & cooking method combine for a unique and tasty signature dish....love the rich duck egg, the woodsy mushrooms & pureed potatoes as the base. Â Third, definitely worth the extra few $ you may have previously squirreled away for eggs & potatoes, though the dish is not going to change your life, as other reviews might suggest.
The drinks are excellent, and the decor of this place is gorgeous (love the rope chandelier).
This is a GREAT restaurant.
My party of 4 and a little one came in for an early NYE dinner. Â My sister's family had been here before, but this was new to my gf and I. Â Immediately, we loved the look of the place.
The cocktails were great and our server had excellent recommendations for drinks and food. Â The duck was fantastic, but so were both the fish entrees. Â All of the dishes were cooked perfectly. Â It takes real skill to cook a fish so that it's moist and tender, but not underdone. Â And it takes equal finesse to get that crispy duck skin while keeping the meat tender and juicy. Â Our starters were also excellent - the egg in a jar, Burgundy snails, mussels, and chicken skins. Â The oxtail was delicious, but it should really say that it's with oyster essence since you don't actually see any oysters in it...not a biggie, but a little deceiving.
We couldn't leave without trying each of the desserts either. Â My personal favorite was the bread pudding, not to discount the smore or the other great desserts.
Restaurants that say they're French with an modern twist can go either way, but West Bridge takes it in the right direction. Â Couple that with excellent service and you can't go wrong with this establishment. Â In fact, we can't wait to go back.
It's rated $$$, but expect a starter, dinner, dessert, and a cocktail or two to set you back around $70/pp.
The most inventive and creative food that I've had in Boston since moving 4 months ago, with very attentive and predictive service.
Arrived at 900 on Satuday night in the thick of service with no reso, and we were offered a communal table. Sounds great -- I love making new friends. Ordered two cocktails (i'm speaking for me and my boyfriend) that were really delicious and on point. I'm terrified of frenet, but my cocktail used it in a great way. Wonderful.
As for the food: oxtail & oysters, egg in a jar, the broccolini, and by mistake, the cauilfowers (which we got to keep). All were very delicious and were creative use of flavors and ingredients. My boyfriend is more conservative in his culinary ventures, so I had to be like "try it dammit!," and he did and really enjoyed it. Finished up with a smores-like dessert. Service also included a soup amuse bouche, and our server was kind enough to pour us a bit of bubbles for our dessert course.
We were sat a 9-top communal table, at which they sat a 7-top. So it was a 7-top and us, a little 2-top at the end of the table. In total non-communal-table-etiquette, the party shifted (obviously) all of their place settings away from us and never acknowledged our existence, acting as if they had the entire table to themselves. Lame! Our server totally kept track of us and didn't lose us in the action. She rocked. Badass professional.
In all, a great experience and will definitely go back to see how the menu evolves over the seasons.
I still waited for at least 20 min even I had a reservation at 9pm. The environment was energetic and warm; however there was only one staff working on cocktails in the waiting lounge. I could understand why some customers feel frustrated when waiting for tables.
The food were fantastic. I tried Cauliflower, which was sweet vinegary. The broth in Mussels was AMAZING, I almost wanted to drink the rest of it. They did a great job in quinoa with carrot and duck breast was the best I've ever tasted. The downside was their dessert and cocktails. I had some minty version of mojito and it was a disaster. Dessert was way too sweet and it was like made from a box with a bunch of sugar.
Overall, I do recommend this place but stay away from their desserts.
There are way more hits than misses here, and the great cocktails and ambiance push this place over the top in my book, to be added into the regular rotation.
First, the drinks:
The cocktail menu features a nice array of reasonably-priced drinks to allow the flighty drinker to hop between bourbon, gin, vodka, etc. Â Each cocktail is inventive, well-balanced, and knock-your-socks-off strong. Â Beer on tap is a small but extremely interesting collection of mostly-local brews, and I have never had a problem finding something i loved or something I'd never heard of and wanted to try.
And the food:
As I stated above, there are way more hits than misses, but there are some misses. Â I've tried an array of items from the small plates section as well as one of the sharing dishes.
Egg in a jar ($12) - best item on the menu. Â at this point, I think i've had everything at least once, and this is the only thing I keep coming back to. Â I can barely describe it, but it's runny, smooth, silky, salty, warm (i know, i'm really not doing it justice here), and ABSOLUTELY the best thing on the menu. Â Order 2.
Short rib ($13) - unremarkable to be honest. The order is small, was a bit overcooked, and I feel like the waitress (who raved about it and told us it had just gotten on the menu that day) oversold it. Â She said it was one of the best things they had, and I'd have to strongly disagree. Â
Black Tuscan kale ($11) - While I usually recommend getting some veg to even out the fat that goes on with tapas, the kale salad was so forgettable that I'd probably just skip it in lieu of ANYTHING else. Â The beet salad seems like a tempting alternative to still getting in your veggies, but don't be fooled. Â While it's tasty (so i'm told - i think beets taste like the earth and thus can't eat them), the dish consisted of about 10 small cubes of beets and some sort of reduction on a large, white, sadly empty-looking plate. Â Maybe vegetables are West Bridge's kryptonite.
Calamari ($13) - the calamari here is done differently than you'd expect. Â They shred the tentacles into long, thin strips so they come out the shape and texture of ramen noodles. The small pile of squid noodles is served with a few clams in a small pool of broth. Â It is an interesting take on calamari, and was certainly tasty, but the broth fell flat for me, muting the taste of the entire dish.
Mussels ($11) - The best part of this dish (and the reason I will order it at every visit) is the broth the mussels are cooked/served in. Â Ask the server for extra bread (they give you thick, grilled focaccia slices), and push the mussels to the side for easier access to the buttery broth. Â Honestly, the mussels themselves are very underwhelming. Â Mine were all overcooked and rubbery and tasteless, so I discovered that pulling them out made my life more delightful, as i could then mainline the broth into my body without the shells slowing me down.
Radish toast ($7) - this was on the menu the first time I visited, but quickly disappeared. Â Unfortunate, too, as this dish (two crunchy/chewy toasts with pickled radish and a nice little rub of lardo) was light while still packing creamy, rich flavor.
Crispy pig's head ($13) - bit too fatty, bit too rich, bit too squishy. Â They took this off the menu the second and third time I visited, so hopefully it's not coming back. Â
Lamb shoulder ($45) with eggplant fig puree and goat cheese - This is a decent size for two people to share, but it won't fill you up so prepare to order other things to accompany. Â However, the lamb (though fatty-very fatty) is well-cooked, but the stars of the show are the puree and the creamy, whipped goat cheese. Â I wouldn't order the dish just for these sides ,but they certainly do help push the dish over the edge if you're in the mood for lamb.
Overall - the drinks are delicious and strong, the food is very hit-or-miss, but if you have some clues on the items, you'll well-navigate your meal and avoid wasting money on mediocrity.
The food is well made and quite delicious. The restaurant is clean. The wait staff is helpful and happy to see you. The menu is pretentious; bring a dictionary or keep your phone handy. Expect to pay handsomely for your meal. The wine selection is eclectic and almost silly.
At one point, my wife became so exasperated by the ordering experience that she felt she need to assure the waiter that we were all college educated and have each travelled away from our hometowns at least once in our individual lives.
So when West Bridge moved into our neighborhood. At first we thought it was another Aquitane because the team came from that establishment.  We were not sold on Aquitane until one of our friends recommneded that we try them out.  And we did and I must say the food is excellent! The prices are reasonable. We had their signature small plate,"duck egg in a jar". We tried the  scallops and cauliflower. Then we split the duck entree.  The duck was exquisite prepared perfectly!  Great taste, excellent spices, good presentation. Â
The only downside is the tables for two are high top tables with wooden stools, not too comforatble. We settle for the bar which had a nice atmosphere!
The only reason they are not getting a 5 stars is because of the high top tables. I highly recommend West Bridge! Welcome to Kendall Square.
My boyfriend brought me here for my surprise birthday dinner last week!
The decor is modern, clean and has that "farm-esque" feel that some restaurants are doing these days. The space was open and although not huge the exposed ceilings and large windows make it seem very large.
Our waiter, James, was amazing. He made great food suggestions, explained what everything was and clearly knew the menu. He also had a great knowledge of wine and paired drinks with our food very well.
THE FOOD. Amazing.
We got:
Mussels
Mushrooms & Sunchokes
Calamari
Carrots & Quinoa
Short Rib
(2) Egg in a jar - The boyfriend knew we would each want our own because we are fat kids.
Dessert - Bread Pudding
Everything was so delicious, but I will speak about the dishes that still stand out in my mind. Egg in jar, as everyone says, is great. The crisp skin on top adds the perfect texture to the dish. The short rib was cooked perfectly and the little bits of blue cheese added a great taste without being too overpowering. The way the calamari was served was something I had never seen before. They were cut so the calamari actually seemed like noodles in a soup and then there were little clams. When I told my boyfriend I wanted to try the carrots & quinoa I could see the disappointment in his face. A meatless dish? But when he tried it he loved it because meatless dishes can be amazing too... especially when they involve goat cheese.
For my birthday dessert I chose the bread pudding, a favorite of mine. I have to say this was one of the best desserts I've had at a restaurant. I love desserts and food in general, that play with the taste buds and show creativity. The peppercorn flakes sprinkled on top of the bread pudding gave it this savory/spicy aftertaste that when combined with the vanilla ice cream gave me a "aaaaahhhhhhhh party in my mouth" feeling.
The service at West Bridge was awesome, when I stood up to use the restroom one of the servers folded my napkin and put it next to my plate again! - It's the little things that make me smile. Our waiter was attentive and very personable. All in all I'd say this is definitely a place everyone should try out.
West Bridge is my new favorite place in Cambridge.
We got a table near the window by making a reservation on Open Table. The place is well decorated and cool even though the table is too small and the stool is not comfy.
We ordered the foie gras pate for appetizer. It was really good. We did not have enough toasted, they were really kind to bring us more without extra charge. I had the fish special for the entree while my boyfriend had Venison. My fish was perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. Normally, I hate fish skin but for this dish, I did not leave anything on my plate. My boyfriend's Venison was really good as well. We would definitely going back.
There are two things that I want to complain though. First, the portion is really small. We left the restaurant at 8:00 pm. At 10:00, my boyfriend and I looked at each other and said "I am hungry". Second, their dessert is just ok. We had a bread pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream. It was just ok.
My plan for next time is that I am going to order a big plate to share and not order the dessert.
West Bridge was a great dining experience.
Made a reservation for 6 PM for Saturday night; parking sucked as normal and ended up parking in the Kendall Square Garage. I wished they'd validate the parking like Hungry Mother does (it was 14$ to park just for dinner), but maybe they'll start in the future.
The ambiance in the restaurant was great. The bar centers the dining room, where you can see the bartenders making the drinks from any angle. The restaurant has a large open feel, with very cool wooden tables (reclaimed wood maybe?) and folded up paper menus.
The service was spotty at first (about 10 minutes between saying we need a second to look at the drink menu and actually placing the drink order), but after that it was fine. The waiters and waitresses seem very knowledgeable about the menu, and the majority of the meal was top-notch.
Amuse from the kitchen was squid ink chips with a pork fat hummus. Hummus was rich and delicious, though the chips tasted a bit burnt. Also, ask for the bread! It's free but only comes if you request it. Can't go wrong with hot bread and homemade butter!
The menu is divided into 'small' (7-14$), 'large' (24-30$), and 'to share' (42-46$) plates. Â Instead of getting separate meals, the GF and I shared 6 of the 'small' plates.
We had the waitress bring them out 3 at a time to split up the meal and give us a bit of a rest.
1. Â Cauliflower w/ verjus grapes, bone marrow and harissa & sherry vinaigrette: tasty, but nothing mind-blowing. Couldn't taste the bone marrow but the grapes had a nice pop of flavor.
2. Â Burgundy snails w/ cous cous, garlic and parsley: these were great! Portion was good, and the garlicky, tender snails went great with the al dente cous cous.
3. Black tuscan kale w/ gooseberry, duck confit, upland cress: surprisingly my favorite out of the first 3 dishes. The dressing was awesome (the gooseberries really made this dish) and the duck confit made it that much better.
After our digestive break, we moved to the last three, much richer, courses. These were heads and tails better than the first 3 IMO.
4. Egg in a jar- nothing more to say than has already been said. Amazing. Ridiculously smooth and creamy potatoes, mouth-coating and rich duck egg, mushrooms, and crispy skin; how can you go wrong? I think every table I saw in the restaurant ordered at least one of this dish.
5. Duck liver terrine w/ broccoli, sherry-maple vinaigrette, brioche: best terrine I've ever had. You knew you were eating liver but it wasn't overtly organny; I couldn't stop eating it! The portion (albeit visually small) was more than enough to generously coat 4 slices of brioche. So friggin' tasty.
6. Crispy pig head w/ pickled rutabaga and mustard aioli: slow-roasted face meat formed into a patty and deep-fried. I don't think I need to describe it, but it was SO GOOD.
Also, I got the smores pudding for dessert. GET THIS. I never really remember desserts (even from high-end restaurants); I'll remember this. Along with the Craigie donut, this is the best dessert I've ever had. Graham cracker crumble, the smoothest marshmallow I've ever eaten, and a chocolate panna cotta in a parfait-style layering. The not-too-sweet panna cotta balanced perfectly with the other two components.
I think the just ok service and the fact that the first three courses weren't mind-blowing merits the 4 stars. However I will be back and can't wait to see what Chef Guadet creates next- I think a 5 star rating is in the future..
Is there such a thing as love at first bite? I'm going to say yes, because West Bridge had me at the amuse bouche.
West Bridge may be the new kid on the block, but chef Matthew Gaudet and Co. are quickly establishing themselves as a culinary force to be reckoned with. The egg in a jar that everyone raves about was quite satisfying, but paled in comparison to the calamari appetizer my mother and I had to start, which was like no other squid preparation I've had before (shredded until it took on the appearance and texture of ramen). We made sure to sop up all of the broth that we could with the wonderful bread that is available if you so desire (um, yes please, and I'll have seconds too).
For an entree, we chose to split the lamb shoulder with eggplant/fig puree and goat cheese. This was perhaps one of the best cuts of lamb I have ever had. And for $45, it's actually quite a good deal. We had leftovers the next day, and that NEVER happens. There were some chewy pieces, but that is probably to be expected when you are served an entire lamb shoulder. It was a bit of a meat fest, however, as there was no starch or vegetable to accompany it. No worries, when I mentioned this to our waiter (who was an absolute delight all evening long), he whisked into the kitchen only to return moments later with a piping hot bowl of hearty farro (on the house, of course).
Dinner concluded with the chef's take on s'mores, a dessert I'll be dreaming about until  the next time I visit, which shouldn't be too long from now. Welcome to the neighborhood, West Bridge. Why don't you take off your shoes and stay a while?
Coming from NYC, and being in the industry and having worked (and dined) in some of the best restaurants in NY, I have pretty high standards for a great restaurant experience. I had heard so much about other Boston restaurants (Craigie on Main, Hungry Mother, ICOB, Toro, etc), and while those have all been pretty good, I must say that hands down, West Bridge outdoes them in originality, cocktail program, space, etc!
I've never had one bad dish or cocktail here, and while service is not something that can be compared to with 3-michelin star restaurants, I believe that their food is! Their braised short rib literally left me speechless.
It's awesome that they are open for lunch, are open late, and they keep it real all day long. All the staff are super friendly, all the dishes perfectly executed, and the space!! Who doesn't love those benches along the window?
This is the closest I've come to filling that "NYC restaurant-shaped-hole" in my life here in Boston. Thanks for redeeming the food scene!
After a brutal week at work and a nice paycheck as a result I decided I was due for a solo "Treat Yo Self" dinner at the spur of the moment. Â Sat at the bar and sampled the egg in the jar (as amazing as everyone says), and two other appetizers that escape me* at the moment, but I remember being also delicious. Â The bartender was extremely well informed about the menu, which isn't the most common occurrence, and somehow they had a saison on tap that I've never heard of. Decent but not excellent bourbon selection. I will be back.
*I went about a month ago, and can't remember the dishes not because they were forgettable but rather because I ended up having a rather late (read: drunken) night after!
SO good.
I had been wanting to try West Bridge for a little while and was really pleased with the experience overall. The ambiance is really nice, service was as good as expected of a slightly pricier joint, and the drinks and food were amazing! The drinks were of "mixology bar" standards, creative combos with fun names -- I highly recommend Love & Fear. Thanks to Yelp, we got the Egg in a Jar, which is basically like eggy delicious mashed potatoes. My date and I shared the mussels small plate and I got the swordfish special for dinner. The whole table oohed and ahhed over everything and it made the final tab (about 160 before tip for four) worth it.
Definitely going back and bringing more friends and fam!
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