This is one of those places we used to walk by and wonder why we didn't go more often. West Side is dark and sexy, the perfect place to take a first date. It's always got people, but never bursting at the seams. It's easy to have a pleasant conversation.
It's open fairly late (12 or 1am depending on the day of the week), they serve brunch until 3pm on Sundays, they make some tasty cocktails and frequently play some rockin' 80s music.
On the menu, the truffle fries contain the ingredient "yum." I agree. It's pretty darn tasty and worth the fry overload.
Other standouts include the whipped goat cheese mashed potatoes that comes with the pan-seared chicken... and the super delectable garlic aioli that comes with the steak frites. So, the chicken and steak are good, too... but its the details that makes it extra tasty.
And they have a Corpse Reviver on their brunch drink list. It's worth it right there.
I ventured here w a lady friend interested in trying it out.
It was a Friday night around 9 and we just walked on in, which was nice. Cool atmosphere - dark and sorta chic. Cool music. Service was decent and the ppl were cool enough
-Knockout beer punch: lots flavors/juices - very excited but pretty bland
-Beetle juice: tasted like beets. I ate the ice beet ice cube later. It tasted like cold beet. Go figure
-blood orange margarita: tasty, sweet (but not crazy sweet) and not bitter
-complementary bread: light w olive oil and garlic, which was nice
-fried plantains/guac: large thick fried plantain chips and a decent amount of decent guac - mild and coulda used more flavor, but enjoyable
-grilled asparagus & Serrano ham: came in a little bowl (read not big) but really good
-fish tacos: my lady friend said they were fine. Not super flavorful but not bad
-steak frites: suggested by Yelp. The steak was cut in slices and well salted/flavored. The fries were thin, crispy, and plentiful - the way I like em. I quite enjoyed the steak, but I think I shoulda tried the scallops or tuna - both suggested by several staff, as steak isn't so hard to do well and those others would be more interesting.
-flourless chocolate cake: it was thick, rich, not that sweet, and with ice cream. I like sweet, so it wasnt perfect, but it was good
We drew West Side Lounge as the restaurant donor for Community Servings' LifeSavor event. Â Our party of six enjoyed an amazing seven course "tasting menu" with exceptional wine pairings. Â The portion sizes were most generous, and the service was outstanding. Â
We will definitely return.
I like the idea that this place is dark! A lounge should be. I like dark, wood, classic music when I am crying in my drink about how terrible my life is. I do not need rap music and stupid bartenders ringing a bell!
This is the perfect place for drinking alone, something I do, and it has nice barkeeps although I miss David like a desert missing the rain (OK I like Sade, shoot me). And the food is very well priced and tastey. The crowd is mature and mixed. Like me.
I've been coming to the West Side Lounge for years and have had many great evenings there. Â I'm writing this because I was there yesterday for Mothers day and it was awful. Â The food was awful. Â We waiting 45 minutes with a 4 year old for food that was awful, while other groups sitting after us got their food, ate it and paid and left in that same time span. Â When I asked our waitress twice where our food was, she said it was right on its way. Â Then we waited 20 more minutes. Â The eggs were overcooked, the steak was salty to the point of being inedible, not once did the offer to bring anything to our VERY antsy 4 year old. Â The last time we were there it wasn't really good but we thought it was just an off day, I mean, we'd loved it so many times. Â Now I'm writing because my mothers day was spent waiting a long time for terrible food.
Review Source:My friend and I had dinner at the bar at West Side Lounge last night. I like the lounge atmosphere. The host was very nice, coming to check on us at the bar to see if we wanted a table when one came open.
I had my first Slumbrew Porter Square Porter, which was pretty good, and the fish tacos, which were average. The fish was a little heavy, but I don't eat much fried food.
My friend had the Tofu Noodle Bowl and mulled wine and enjoyed it.
I loved the atmosphere, the staff was very nice, and I think I would like it better for cocktails and a snack than dinner.
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Went with a friend. Atmosphere was very  comfortable and inviting. Waitstaff was friendly, very helpful, and accommodating. Prices were reasonable.
My friend recommended an Old Fashion. A drink that has made a comeback since " Mad Men ".
I was surprised. It was very good. Substituted sugar for honey.
The bread arrived with a nice Olive Oil, garlic and spiced accompaniment.
We both had the Steak Frites , sliced marinated skirt steak, hand-cut fries with garlic aioli, and seared greens. Very tasty and made just right. Had the Brussel Sprouts as an appetizer which was also very good.
A very nice restaurant for many occasions. Was there around 5:45 pm.
The atmosphere is great: dark, quiet, and comfortable. Slightly pricey, but more worth it than Temple Bar next door. Â The mixed drinks are very good, and the fish tacos are are the best I've had on the east coast. Â
The WSL is a standout. Â I want to go back there just thinking about it.
Went here based on walking by and yelp reviews. I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. The drink are very strong and the ambiance is great. We had the risotto balls for an appetizer and they were just ok. I had the veggie burger with truffle brussel sprouts. The burger itself was nothing outstanding but the brussel sprouts were really good. My friends had the chicken and cod and both commented they were delicious. It was middle road priced so not too expensive. Definitely a good hole in the wall joint off the normal porter square restaurants.
Review Source:I think we may have found our new Friday night date bar (now that Casablanca has closed... sigh!). We had a nice meal at the bar, good drinks (though a little on the weaker side), and great atmosphere. Caitlin at the bar was fantastic. I had the vege burger, and except for too much bread in the bun, it was very good. My husband had 2 appetizers - a pulled pork taco and a beet salad (I think that's right). Both were excellent. There's a good variety of interesting drinks, enough to keep us coming back to try more next time. And just the right atmosphere for a Friday night - not overcrowded or too noisy, but enough people around to make it a cozy, friendly atmosphere. Easy to walk to from Porter or Harvard T.
Review Source:Been here many times, but here's a current review: The Beet Salad is "OOTWA" ("Out of this world awesome") The Arancini's on the other hand needed some serious help tonight, what the hell guys?, it was totally tasteless and had no seasoning; maybe serve it with some marinara?The crusty bread & Oil is TDF (to die for!). The bread pudding totally sucked; it was too dense and hard, I couldn't taste the so called "burnt sugar" and I just didn't like the texture or consistency...And I think they can spare more than a tiny mellon-ball of vanilla Ice cream; come on, you can do better than this. I loved my waiter and the hostess! Definitely going back...please fix...
Review Source:Come here for Sunday brunch. Â Their menu is LEGIT.
Order the brunch burger. Â It's TOO LEGIT TO QUIT.
Seriously, they put out one of the best burgers I've had in a while. Â A perfectly-red medium rare is still juicy, but not destroying the bun. (I never approve of brioche for a bun, but what can you do) Â The thin layer of spread, the melted manchego cheese, the two strips of bacon: LDLs and ministers of grace defend us. The fries are not bad - not perfect, but not bad. Well-cooked, a little limp, but damn tasty.
Our delightfully attractive bartender was friendly, quick with the drinks and happy to chat about this, that or the other. Â The atmosphere of West Side Lounge is relaxed, unhurried and friendly. Â LOUNGE.
Come down here and kick with with a cocktail. Â I'll be there in ten minutes.
Service is terrible. Â Really. Â Come here for food if you enjoy being ignored.
Started with a drink: Tennessee mixer was okay. Too watery, no lemon flavor.
DInner; Steak frites. V tender but a bit overcooked (were ordered med rare). Â
Mussels were excellent--broth good on them but too salty by itself.
In summary, the back end was strong but the front end weak, and that made it hard to enjoy dinner.
Had a wonderful meal here on a recent Saturday evening. Â Made a reservation via Opentable for 7:00, which it didn't seem like we needed. Â However by 8:00 the place was full and incoming patrons were waiting at the bar and having a drink while waiting. Â Due to that, I think I would continue to make reservations as the bar is quite long, however if all the seats are full, there's not a ton of space to mill around while waiting for a table. Â
Prior to the arrival of my meal, I had the Pamplemousse cocktail. Â It was a lovely starter and if you are a fan of grapefruit, I would suggest ordering it. Â My dining companion started with the Quince Margarita, which was rather tangy as well. Â Both of us were quite hungry, so we split the calamari appetizer, which was dotted with slices of fried peppers and came with a chipotle aioli. Â It was a lovely combination and the aioli packed a bit of a punch. Â
For an entree, I selected the seared tuna over wasabi mashed potatoes, accompanied by a ponzu sauce. Â While it was quite good, I would have hoped for a little more tuna and a little less mashed potatoes. Â Nonetheless, it was quite good. Â My friend had the paella, which was chock full of seafood and was a good sized portion. Â In a return visit, I think I would try that (no knock to the tuna). Â
While our server was quite nice and was able to make some menu suggestions, the service is on the slow side. Â Luckily, we were not in a rush so no harm no foul. Â
In conclusion, good food at fair prices and an awesome drink list with healthy pours!
My 3 friends and I got pretty lucky coming to West Side Lounge for dinner. Â Upon landing in Boston on a Saturday, I was hungry and ready to experience some Boston dining on Mass. Ave. Â West Side Lounge was happy to accommodate last minute dinner indulgences.
Ambiance - a definite lounge with mood lighting and deep colors. Not too loud so you can have a decent conversation while wining and dining.
Food - the cuisine was hard to put my finger on...and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Â I would classify West Side Lounge dishes as those that contain stereotypical, mouthwatering ingredients. Â Think "truffle oil" Â "lobster" Â "crab cakes" "seared ahi tuna" "steak" Â "salmon." Â It all sounds good, but can this restaurant really cover the breadth of these fine ingredients? Â When the food arrived the answer was, "yes, yes they can." Â
My pan seared salmon was excellent. Â The salmon locked in its flavor and when you put your fork to it, the fish flakes apart to release a treasure of flavor. Â Mmm! Â The lemon polenta cakes, bed of seared spinach, and caper, lemon, tomato adornments were perfect complements to the salmon. Â It was a great meal and more than enough to eat. Â
My friends also ordered the sesame-encrusted ahi tuna, pan seared cod, parmesan truffle fries, pan seared crab cakes, and goat cheese and roasted beet salad. Â I had tastings of all their dishes and I gotta say...I would mostly recommend them all (the parmesan truffle fries were too rich to stomach that we left a good amount left). :) Â So when these dishes run for less than $20 each, you think this is going to be a decent meal. Â Actually, we were in for an awesome meal! Â
Service (minus one star) - We couldn't expect a good meal without its drawbacks. Â It took over an hour to get our food. Â We were even joking that "they were still out there on the boat trying to catch our fish." Â When many surrounding patrons sipped and laughed, our tummies grumbled at the slow service. Â The kitchen must have been understaffed or something. Â Waiter service was also lagging and we even had to flag the waitstaff down to inquire about our dishes. Â Perhaps if we got drinks, the long wait would be easily ignored and the waitstaff would be more attentive? Â They seemed pretty pushy to have us order drinks...
Overall - good food, but don't come hungry.
This is the place to go to when it's Friday night and you don't have any rese's anywhere; you're totally starving and need food STAT but don't want to wait too long.
Food: Meh to A-OK to decent
Drinks- Average
Service- Totally slow
Ambiance- Brilliant music selection. Â Like woah, total dance party in your seat.
Trying to find a place to eat dinner while visiting family in the area, and voila, West Side Lounge. Â Made a quick reservation on Open Table but upon arriving, realized it wasn't really necessary. However, I was not swayed by the empty seats and we enjoyed a pretty good dinner.
FOOD: Apps are OK - we had 4 people in our group ad everything seemed to be served in 3s. Something to think about since my starving self had to sacrifice and eat 1/2. Â Ordered the risotto special - pretty good stuff, and my husband had the fish tacos, which he claimed were some of the best he's ever had. Yes, we ordered some interesting things - next time I'll try the burger!
DRINKS: Had a delicious margarita that had a chipotle/smoky vibe going for it. No complaints on the interesting drink menu.
OVERALL: Would definitely go back, even if just for drinks. Laid back vibe and what I would expect for the area.
I've been to West Side Lounge about 6 or 7 times (for dinner and brunch) in the past year. I have yet to leave without a full stomach and a smile on my face.
Whether it's morning or night, the service is excellent, the prices are reasonable, and the food is absolutely delicious. The music and the relaxed atmosphere are the perfect complements.
A bit more about brunch: The eggs are fluffy, the potatoes are well-seasoned, and the burger and fries (if that's your kind of thing) are so, so good. Even the coffee is wonderful!
A bit more about dinner: The parmesan-crusted cod is probably my favorite dish in the area. My wife swears by the salmon, but, again, you really can't go wrong. We even had our engagement dinner here and the staff went above and beyond to make it an unforgettable Monday night. (The ring helped, too, but still ...)
Absolutely love this place. I highly recommend it.
Went here for the first time this weekend. My boyfriend and I were waiting for a show to start at Lizard Lounge and wanted to grab a quick dinner and this is right across the street.
I recently transitioned to a vegan diet, and it's somewhat of a challenge to find a fulfilling meal at most restaurants, so looking at the menu I wasn't surprised there weren't too many veg-friendly options. Our waitress was super helpful and said the chef could actually prepare a plate for me. My boyfriend also wanted to customize his dish - instead of steak frites he requested steak and eggs and they had no problem doing it for him. My meal was delicous! I had the veggie spring rolls for an appetizer, and the chef made me a plate with grilled asparagus, carrots, onions, with cous cous, crispy tofu, and amazing succotash.
We were also excited to find out they served pisco at the bar (a Chilean brandy). As others have stated the only downside to this place is the slightly overpriced, small drinks, but I would highly recommend it, for the cool ambience, good music, and a staff that seems to accomodate many requests!
Hello,
The drinks are tiny for the price and much more filler than liquor and not that tasty. The service seems to never have any urgency to it. Last week i was there and it took 22 min to get a rum and coke and then was just dropped at the table with no sorry for taking so long or anything. There is on black male server named Jamal who seems to be the best waiter and who really gets it there. Great personality and server.
Though the food prices are okay the food itself is just so so. the Calamari has too many peppers for the price needs more actual calamari. I have had a burger there twice and was over cooked and never offered to do anything about it or a drink to make up for the long time waiting for the food or the second dish to arrive.
I have had the steak and the salmon dish both nothing to write home about. The crab cakes are 70% filler and very little crab and tiny, The salmon was very dry and over cooked.
I have been there a few time about 11pm and the bartender seemed to have been drinking and last time the female bartender Tammy had attitude and with only 4 of us at the bar and 3 others at tables she was not friendly and made my drink totally wrong. This was after I told her exactly what i wanted and how. She chose to make it the way she wanted. We paid our check and left.
This place my be trendy and a cool look and place to hangout. But very slow service with too much attitude for cafeteria food at best. There is better food at the Harvand Law School Student Ctr for sure.
Even though I can never remember the name of this place, and I find myself calling it the West End, I always have a great time here. I've been here for a birthday celebration or because the weather was finally nice and we wanted to dine Al Fresco pront.
My friend and I scored an outside table and debated over the menu before deciding on some small plates and dirty martinis. The drinks were strong and the apps were great. My favorites were the goat cheese and roasted beet salad and the fresh spring rolls. And of course people watching was fun too. What better way to spend the first beautiful day of spring, than over apps and cocktails on the patio?
Despite being able to walk here, I had never been. Â No idea why!
I probably would give a 4.5 if I could. Â The drinks are tiny and pricey, $10 for a cocktail. Â I know that is standard-ish but I still think it's kind of nuts and, here, they are pretty much served in dixie cups. Â The food prices are reasonable though. Â
Anyway, the food was awesome. Â We had an empanada appetizer special (we were advised against the crab cakes since they are "inconsistent'). Â I appreciate the warning but was also a little concerned that the food was bad enough that the waitstaff knows to tell guest not to get it...maybe it doesn't belong on the menu...
The empanada was light and crisp, not heavy at all. Â I had the steak frites entree which was super delicious and cooked perfectly. Â My husband made his own meal of moules frites by getting the mussels app & truffle parm fries app. Â Both of those were stellar too. Â
Our service was great too. Â We'll definitely be back!
I left this place with a bad taste in my mouth. The taste of salt.
Everything that we ordered was over the top salty. My tongue felt swollen by the end of the meal.
The fried goat cheese and beet salad was the highlight of the meal. We also ordered a basket of the fries and the calamari. I usually love hand cut fries, but they tasted more like grease than potatoes...basically they tasted like a dirty frier.
The calamari was nothing to write home about.
The ambience in this place is, however, incredible. It's dark and sultry and almost feels like a speakeasy they turn the lights down so low.
I would go back here for drinks (they have very, very heavy pours) but I would stay away from the food menu.
For weeks, I had been eagerly awaiting for my first trip to WSL. Each time we passed, I would look out the window like an excited dog, looking back at my gf, saying "can we go now!? How about now?!!!"
Finally, last night the time had arrived. I eagerly scampered through the door, only to be met by an emo host. OK, not the end of the world. This is Harvard Square and they have infiltrated every nook and cranny of the city (sometimes, I even find them hiding in my closet!).
There was a 30 minute wait for table seating, so we decided to go with the bar. We're casual people, we love interacting, let's do the bar!! FAIL. Our "bartender" finally arrived and asked if we wanted drinks in an oh-so-blasé manner. I go with a dirty martini, my gf picks a beer, but wait, they don't have that beer anymore. OK, she'll have a different beer. I will say that both were good, so plus 1 point there.
Next up, foods. After looking at the menu, which I think I could have created after a trip to Johnny Food Master and $30, we went with caesar salad, fries, and calamari. 1) the caesar salad consisted of lettuce picked on Saturday (it's Tuesday) and then left in the sun, Hidden Valley dressing, and canned fish. 2) The fries. No complaints here. The fries were good. The aioli, wait, I mean the mayo they served with the fries was rancid. 3) Yummm calamari. Delish. Wait, what, you deep fry it with a sack of garbage? I had never heard of garbage calamari, but that's what it should be advertised as, because it was trash. They should serve complimentary toilet paper with their food.
After consuming our 1 star meal, we decided it was time to go home. "I call dibs on the bathroom first!" Thankfully, the bartender was kind enough to get settle-up with us asap. HA! I got ya! Yah right! He proceeded to make 17 mojitos and chat up his lady friends. At this point, we passed on paying with a card and simply put down cash, to which he said, "I can run your card now." Oh you can run our card now? How kind of you because I thought you were too busy mulling avocado and blueberries to take our money. Thanks.
I will now only be patronizing Rafiki, which is next door. In fact, I might stand outside of WSL with a sign imploring people to come with. That is unless they like garbage calamari.
Can anyone please explain to me the reasoning behind my bypassing West Side Lounge on so many occasions? Could it be the fantastic cocktail menu? The warm and inviting decor? The friendly staff? Or the slamming brunch menu that features Eggs Benedict with prosciutto for a measly $8.95?!
Oh wait...those all of the reasons I should have be coming here this entire freaking time! And, while looking for a quick mid-evening snack to tide us over before dinner, we stopped in here and realized what we've been missing out on, right here in my very own neighborhood: an affordable, comforting, neighborhood bar with excellent drinks, welcoming people and good food.
Big time reasons to return: seasonal cocktail specials! The currently featured Winter Warmer and the bacon-infused Maker's Mark cocktail, served with a lettuce ice cube, are perfect seasonal creations!
Suggestions for Improvement: The calamari, while seasoned well with the right amount of fiery spice and thin, crispy fried onions, it was pretty chewy. And the fruit that accompanies breakfast is just honeydew and cantaloupe...not enticing for people who don't like melons!
For more drinks, for more brunches and to try the dinner menu, I'll be back to West Side for sure!
First off - HUGE shout outs to John the Manager and Dave the Bartender. Â These guys rocked Thirsty Thursday and made fans of us all!
The Unofficial Yelp Event (UYE): Thirsty Thursday is quickly becoming an essential in my life. Â One Thursday in each month, we rally the troops who feel like going out, but not going all the way into the city. Â For the September Edition - West Side Lounge pleased the masses!
I had never been to WSL, but based on reviews and location, I picked it without looking back - I have to say, it was a good decision.
I called ahead when they opened at 5 PM the day of to let them know the Thirsty Thursdonians were going to descend upon their establishment - it is pretty awesome when the Manager is excited on the phone and looking forward to your group coming in, some treat it like a curse. Â John was pumped and got me even more hyped up!
The place is small and cozy. Â It was impressively busy for a Thursday night at 8 PM when we got there. Â Even the waitstaff was patient with us while we were in the way rolling 15+ deep (and in their way most of the night at the bar), which was awesome of them. Â
The cocktail list is great - not too fancy, it has classic staples with a little extra swagger - much like the faces that line the walls. Â The food looks AND tastes amazing - a rare combo. Â Even the music was snazzy - a little bit from every genre, we enjoyed everything from Eartha Kitt to Q-Tip!
West Side Lounge - you have created a lifer out of me. Â
The ambiance, the cocktails, the grub and the staff - all were stellar (and noteworthy)!
Current must-haves include the Lavender Grapefruit Gimlet, the ever-satisfying Ginger-tini, and the Rhubarb sour.
I do feel a bit despondent that Leo's Fiery Margarita has disappeared from the menu, and I'm desperately hoping that it is on sabbatical and not retired. Awaiting availability of fresh, roof-grown habanero peppers, perhaps.
Since I've had this B-side shaped hole in my heart, WSL's been on double-duty, and so far they've risen to the challenge. But with the new, Southern wannabe, "home cookin'" slant to their menu I'm afraid they're steering towards Highland Kitchen territory.
Please, please, please WSL, keep your cocktails as wonderful as they have been. And if you wanted to throw in some chicken n' waffles or resurrect B-side's wonderous sweet potato biscuits with white sausage gravy, I wouldn't exactly complain.
I just hope that you stay true to the roots that your patrons love. i.e. vodka martinis with 3 blue-cheese stuffed olives. i.e. the bubbly pear. i.e. the ginger martini i.e. the Caipirinha i.e. some fruit mojito
Heaven.
So after the disaster that was Tapeo my out of town friend and I were looking for some substance that wasn't laughable, cue West Side Lounge.
This place is within walking distance of my apartment and now I'm a fan. The music was awesome, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Interpool, The Killers, the list goes on. We were loving that.
The Service: We were promptly seated by the window which was fun for people watching, we loved the mixed media art on the wall. Our waitress totally screwed up though by not putting in our orders and forgetting what we had told her, but she was honest about it, so all was totally forgiven.
The food:
Calamari - On the spicy side, the rings were smaller than I was used to. There were mini squids that were tasty. The sauce was unusual, a greenish ginger concoction, but it cooled down the spiciness of the rings.
Sweet Potato Gnocci w/ stuffed mushroom & mixed salad - My friend had  this but I of course tried it. The gnocci was bland, but was okay. The mushroom had a lot of flavor. The salad was ehhhhh.
Miso and Saki infused Salmon with rice and seaweed salad- My salmon was cooked to perfection, I loved this! It was incredible and I can't stress enough that if you love salmon this is an awesome dish. The seaweed salad was also delish and the rice was yummy as well.
All in all it was a good meal. Our service was slow but the server was friendly.
My friend is going to be an aunt, so on Saturday night 6 of us went to West Side Lounge to celebrate with a drink (or two or more depending on the friend).
So it looks pretty classy from the outside and has really cool art on the walls inside. Â But it's just another townie bar (not that there is anything wrong with that) for the Cambridge crowd.
The friendly drunk people at the bar were a riot, the out-of-it bartender was okay, but very forgetful and slow..
The mojitos were good, but definitely not the best I've had. Â Andy's Prickly Pear margarita was good (his words).
A pretty cool and chill vibe, though kind of empty for a Saturday (which is concerning for business), which I like, but some people don't.
I'd probably go back if in the neighborhood (which is where I often find myself).
I can only rate our experience at West Side, based on our drinks because we couldn't shut up long enough to bother with food consumption. My roommate works here a couple nights a week as a hostess (Hi Brooklyn!) and absolutely adores her coworkers, i.e. good staff.
We sat down in a booth towards the front, were offered drink menus and were properly identified as both, indeed, being of age to drink. He ordered a guinness, and I, a ginger martini. I was sort of torn between the dark & stormy and the martini, but was swayed by our waitress who was so kind during our stay, returning to check on our drinks and if we actually planned on eating. I had taken a quick scan of the menu, and quickly determined that the selection to be halitosis inducing. Goat cheese. Calamari. Garlic whatever. I wasn't particularly interested in having to keep a 3 foot block of personal space between us on the car ride home.
The atmosphere was nice, dimly lit, dark colors and felt warm and inviting. The drinks were....meh. The martini wasn't much to write home about, and afterwards I had the blood orange margherita. The tequila tasted cheap, so I was sort of turned off, but I'm not one to leave a drink lonely hearted, so I finished it. We stayed until chairs began to get piled atop tables, and I realized how annoying we were being by staying while they were blatantly trying to close up shop. Sorry guys!
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Update 2/11/08
Brooklyn brought me in for brunch this past weekend and I was incredibly impressed. I ordered a coffee, an OJ, and the french toast with maple marscapone. Perfect. The french toast wasn't soggy and the marscapone was a really nice touch in addition to the REAL maple syrup (+300 pts for having this, really). I had really wanted to try the blood and sand drink on the menu, but had decided that drinking scotch at 11:30 am wasn't exactly the direction I wanted my afternoon to take. Well done!
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Update 4/21/08
The huervos rancheros at brunch are really fantastic too, but as a suggestion, keep some sour cream on hand. Please? The rhubarb sour was a fantastic cocktail as well, perfectly fit for summer. KEEP IT ON THE MENU, PLEEEEEEZZZZ!
In LA there are more "hip lounges" than you can shake a fake blonde at and those types of places have never really been my thing. So when the wife expressed an interest in checking this place out, I protested a bit. We are back in Cambridge after all and aren't there other spots we can drop into rather than a...a lounge. Â Until that fateful summer evening...
window seat - bam!
great mojitos - zap!
steak frites, mussels and an arugula salad - Shazam!
Two more mojitos please.
Went there on a whim with a friend, which lessens the disappointment. Had heard that this was a hip and funky restaurant with great drinks and innovative food. We started off at the bar, and discreetly ordered cosmos (2 guys with fruity drinks does not look good). They were tasty - very good, in fact. Shortly thereafter we got a tabe which was 4 times bigger than necessary - kind of fun, but also kind of silly as me and my buddy had to raise our voices to actually speak to one another.
Okay, first criticism - ceiling tiles. At some while standing at the bar, I looked up, did a double take, in fact. I could not believe a place that was touted as funky, hip and alternative could actually have a drop-ceiling with office grade tiles. Atmosphere is a subtle thing ,based on the confluence of a series of aesthetic decisions. RMV ceiling tiles don't fly. Next was the decor: sort of hip paintings, kind of nice seating, and kind of generic carpeting - all in all not at all what I was expecting, again based on friends' reviews.
Now on to the food - I had a couple apps, my homey had pork loin, I think. Bland, bland bland. Mussels without any distinction - how about a little white wine in the broth? A little depth, complexity? And a beet salad. Loved the beets, but the salad offered no flare, no crunch, no heft. No yang to the yin. From what I could tell, my mate's pork was tasty, but he was starving and would have eaten rat if it were grilled atop a dollop of mashed potatoes.
Dessert - very disappointing. We had a special chocolate cake with ice cream and it was really bad. The cake was completely dry, no richness, no chocolate depth. The ice cream had no real flavor, was watery, and bad. Had I not been with my bro I would have sent it back. But not being one to make waves, especially when we are otherwise having a good time, I let it go.
Maybe we hit the holes in the menu, maybe I should give it another shot. I am willing to give it a try if the chef complies...friends have given it serious credibility, and for that I would go back to try again. But as of now, it's definitely on my "b" list, as opposed to the "a" list.
I'll make this short.. I just needed to quickly express my love for the West Side Lounge.
This is the type of place you could spend hours at, talking over appetizers and drinking martinis or wine or whatever. So chill... I just wish it was a tad less pricey to justify eating here more often.
Parking on Mass Ave can be annoying but it's worth trying to find a spot :)
Ok...apologies to the others below, but here is my tragic West Side Lounge story...
...first of all, I loved it - I lived around the corner (literally) and would go there all the time. Almost too much...then *it* happened. Sometimes *it* only has to happen once... here we go (not for the squeamish)...
...I'm there with a friend. We're at one of the tables by the bar..having a good time. I'm enjoying my red wine (forget what it was)...and, uh., I get to the bottom of the glass....
...I look down and see... (ready?) .... two cherry pits and a cigarette butt.
(Not quite like finding a fried rat in your KFC, but damn near close.)
The staff was very kind and apologized profusely... and then offered me a free dinner for myself and a friend. Uh...no, no thank you.
Two stars for all the good times in the past. -100 stars for each cherry pit.
Relatively few know of this place, which is good because it's a pretty small space and there is often a wait of 30 minutes or more. Â
It looks like a bar on the outside, and it does have excellent mixed drinks, but it is primarily a part gourmet American part comfort food restaurant. Â I particularly like the tuna (though one time it was a bit runny as one reviewer complained), burger with mushrooms and gorgonzola, spinach salad, goat cheese appetizer, nuts and olives, and if I remember correctly the steak as well. Â Most dishes are mid to upper teens, much more reasonable than most places in the nearby culinary wasteland of Harvard Square. Â
The atmosphere is low-key with dim lighting, good music, and comfy booths. Â I also went once for a private reception and the food and drinks were great. Â Definitely recommended for a small party. Â
I used to go all the time when I lived nearby, though now I've only been once over the course of a year in Central Square. Â I still think it's worth a short trip on the T or by cab.
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