Beacon Street Tavern

A friend and I came to the Beacon Street Tavern over the Memorial Day weekend. We sat at the bar and asked the bartender for the food and drinks menu and started a tab. After a few minutes looking over the menu and discussing it together in Hindi, we ordered two non-alcoholic drinks. The bartender appeared incredibly annoyed and asked if that was all we were getting. We answered no, we were still looking and would decide on food in a few minutes. It seemed that he was hoping we would purchase alcohol - we don't drink for religious reasons. ""You're in a bar, you're in a bar, and you're not ordering beer?"" He brought us our drinks and pretended to take our orders. I use the term ""pretended"" because we ordered in English but the waiter kept telling us he didn't understand us, finally saying ""If you can't order in a language I can understand, I can't serve you."" This was completely absurd and we were confused and hurt. While we do have strong accents, our English is fluent and we've never encountered this kind of problem before. He then proceeded to tell us that he was closing up and we would need to leave. The bar was not closing, it seemed as though he just didn't want to serve us. He then gave us a handwritten bill for almost $20 - our drinks should have cost nowhere near this much. I have gone over this experience again and again in my mind and, while I hate to assume it had to do with our ethnicity, it's the only conclusion I can come to. I was embarrassed and shocked to be treated this way - it's never happened in Boston or any other city during my time in the U.S. I have no idea what the food tastes like, since I wasn't allowed to order any. Don't go here. Cons: Rude, discriminatory, refused me service more

all i wanted was a good burger ad fries, i got a burger that was burnt on the outside. the fries were perfect besides the cook adding peper to them- the waitress could not have been nicer. abe and louis on boyleston makes a perfect burger with good fries for the same price tag. Pros: wait staff, scenery Cons: burger and fries more

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I was starving and decided to give the place a try since it had outdoor seating and was next to a place where I needed to run errands. The only ""Tavern"" food available was a burger and beer. Otherwise it was upscale bistro fare on the expensive side. I opted for the cheapest entree...the burger (at 11.50) and ordered it medium. Well, when it came out, it was about 1/2 the size of the bun and wayyy over cooked. I was so hungry I ate it anyway. I don't mind spending money on good food, but for a burger, I'd go somewhere else. If you're looking for fiddlehead soup with tender pea tendrils, then give it a try. Don't forget your credit card! You'll need it. Pros: Great outdoor seating Cons: Expensive fare with mediocre food more

My daughter and I were walking to Fenway and stopped in before an evening game. The hostess, server and everyone were fabulous. We had drinks, oysters and appetizers. We were treated VERY WELL and will definitely go back. You can sit outside or in and we loved it! Pros: Fabulous crab cakes Cons: fancy menu more

When we walked in the door the Hostess told us that the kitchen would be closed in 30 minutes. So we ordered food promptly at the same time expecting it to come out all together. My friends food came out first, 10 minutes went by no sign of my food another 5 minutes I asked the server to check on my food as I knew the kitchen was closing soon. When I did get my food he asked us if we wanted another drink we declined and before I put a spoon full of food in my mouth our check was on the table. As the server hovered around the check presenter I could not wait to get out of the place evidently as much as he did. Pros: Nice interior Cons: Bad service more

I really enjoyed the steakhouse. Friendly staff, good music and icey cold beer which is important. Worth a second visit but make sure you tell them you don't like your steak overdone. Pros: Friendly staff Cons: Steak was overdone more

Kind of dark, but the food is great, the bartenders frequently have Irish accents, and the atmosphere can't be beat. Pros: ambience, food Cons: sometimes a bit of a wait more

i went to the beacon street tavern on thursday 6/12/08, met a friend at the bar and then we sat outside. my friend happens to be pregnant but does not look it and ordered a club soda, much to the chagrin of the waitress. we ordered, ate, paid the bill and left a 20% tip even though the waitress was mediocre and had a bit of a 'tude....within 5 minutes of paying the bill, the hostess came up and said that she needed the table (the inside of the restaurant was half-full) and that we would need to leave. are you kidding me?? i will never go to this place again, the food is good, but, not good enough for that kind of treatment....this is a city of a million restaurants where one need not be treated rudely. note to the beacon street tavern....treat your guests like guests, not like you are doing them a favor by letting them sit and eat for 40 minutes. ridiculous. more

I have eaten at the Beacon Street Tavern several times. Most recently, my boyfriend and I went on a Tuesday night and were seated promptly. They have great beers on tap and a nice wine-by-the-glass list. I ordered the Mushroom Scampi Pasta and my boyrfirend had the Lamb; both were excellent! The pace of the meal was nice: not rushed, nice spacing between starters and entrees, however service was inattentive even though the restaurant was not at all crowded. Maybe this can be chalked up to our waitress, I have eaten there before and been pleased with the service. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the food, wine, and ambience...we just wished someone would have refilled our water glasses at some point during the meal! Pros: ambience, great food, nice outdoor patio Cons: service can be inattentive more

Still no late night menu here, but the giant gnome (?) at the end of the bar and the beautiful mistletoe toting bartender (!) more than make up for it. Another consideration might be valet service and i still would love to see the bar menu offered after 10 pm. Pros: good music always, cute staff Cons: kitchen closes early more

I've grown increasingly tired of reading rants rather than reviews. This space is for reviewing the restaurant not writing about your perception of ""mean bartenders"" or ""lost hostesses."" It's amazing to me how many people think that during a Friday night dinner rush it's okay for 4 people to come in and take up table space drinking a drink each and eating an appetizer. For you information, $80.00 for 4 people on a Friday night is a PATHETIC amount of money, especially when there is a two hour wait for dinner. Think before you decide to begin complaining. \r \r Secondly, the bread issue. Bread comes with dinner it is not a replacement for dinner, so if you are not ordering dinner, then don't expect to get bread! \r \r Thirdly, most service industry people are nice and willing to accomadate most requests, but remember, they work off tips, which is why when you are sitting at a table with an $80.00 check for 3 hours, they want you to leave--plus I can guarantee that you will not leave 15%.\r \r Lastly, ask yourself, how you are approaching the staff. Are you demeaning? Demanding? difficult? Are you blaming the staff memeber for an error in the kitchen or for the meal being less than what you expected? Are you taking up space drinking water? \r \r Here's so advice: if you don't want to wait, go elsewhere. If you are angry, don't go out. \r \r This place is lovely and so is the staff. Pros: nice staff more

I have always been a big fan of good spots in boston to have a good meal on the cheap i.e. silvertone, the franklin, the b side. My only grip is that there is NEVER walkin seating or open seats at the bar after 7pm. \r \r That said I think I've found my new favorite spot in Brookline. We have been about several times since the place opened. The menu is pretty big with 5-6 starters, 3 platters and, 5-6 entrees. The wine list is a little steep, but true value is found in the daily wine specials. We ahve noticed that a few times we went in the place seemed pretty chaotic. If you don't want to wait for a table they have bar tables hidden in the back bar room which are first come first serve. \r \r Last night We went for dinner. I had the halibut $21 and my girlfriend tried to break the bank with the sirloin $23 add a bottle of grenache $40 and call it a cheap meal. Where else in boston can you find a worthy sirloin for under $30? I've read all of the reviews on this site and I think what people are missing is the fact that this is a tavern, a true bistro, a neighborhood joint where the bartender yells your name because your in the way. If I want to pick over the finer points of service and atmosphere I go to Grill 23 and pay for it. But when I need a place to go grab a bite on a wednsday night after work I will most definitly be going down to the beacon street. Pros: brunch, big a s s margarita $8 Cons: patio closing soon more

bring on the summer and open up the patio!!!!!!!!!!Still enjoy going here for eats service and food are great and value for money is undeniable. I like to go there on the quieter nights (Weds) where service is more attentive. Fri and Sat are always packed and service is a little more pressured. Pros: value, good service Cons: no reservations more

For fans of the Washington Square Tavern like myself, Beacon Street Tavern does not disappoint. My friend and I enjoyed a memorable meal there recently, and the prices were extremely reasonable! We both ordered the sirloin medium rare - both meals were cooked to perfection. The broccoli was crisp and delicious, and the potato wedges were a perfect complement. We were fortunate enough to sample the rich, decadent chocolate cake (a new addition). The server was friendly and attentive. Like its sister restaurant, BST provides a wonderful atmosphere for a chat with a friend or a date. The staff was even able to accommodate a party of over twenty guests comfortably! Pros: Food, price, atmosphere Cons: Slightly crowded more

I have been in the restaurant business for 15+ years, and it is appaling to hear waht people are complaining about. \r Hasn't The Tavern just opened recently?? Give all of the managers and servers some credit. The Tavern is a work in progress and it is not easy to open a new restaurant and please EVERYONE!! \r I just don't understand why people have to complain so much about waiting ""40"" minutes when they are told ""30"" minutes. Give the hosts some credit. They are NOT mind readers and a ""wait"" is a rought estimate. \r My advice to all of you who run to your computers after going out for dinner is simple. Work in a restaurant for a week...then you may appreciate your dining experience a little more next time you go out.\r more

Restaurant, pub, tavern ( whatever you call yourself) if you've got a bar- you're a bar. And people are suppose to enjoy themselves at a bar, right? Our bartender was so mean we were actually afraid to ask for another round of martinis and decided to order beer so he wouldn't have to work so hard. Forget about a smile or a ""you're welcome"". Is this a new trend for bartendenders? We went somewhere else and had a good time. You should too. more

A few of my friends and I decided to head to the Beacon Street Tavern for my birthday dinner.\r It looked nice and had a patio. Although the night was nice the outside was too dark after the sun went down and was a longer wait than for seating inside. ( good thing we sat inside or we would still be there )\r After putting in our name the ""hostess"" who could only concentrate on one thing at a time \r ( this being a resteraunt at dinner time , not so good) looked more than confused since other people were waiting behind us.. Luckily found a seat at the bar to wait.\r The selection of drinks is large and the bartenders seemed slightly less friendly than a scared dog. After about 45 or so minutes we finally got a table.\r Our waiter greeted us with , ""what do you want to order, can i get you more drinks"".\r Now that is the proper greeting after saying hello my name is blah blah.\r We ordered bread for 4 people that was lets say the size of a larger finger. \r The dinner selection was not large, with fancy names. The food was good, not excellent .\r We asked for our check 3 times before it was brought to us. I do not suggest this place\r unless you are in for a 2 hour meal, that is 1 course long. more

A few friends of mine joined up to celebrate a friend's birthday with drinks and appetizers one evening, and as soon as we walked in to Beacon Street Tavern, we were unfortunately treated like secondary customers. It seems that even though the restaurant was mostly vacant, the waitstaff had no patience for customers who were not all purchasing entrees. We ordered enough food and drinks to run up an $80 bill, and yet we were STILL asked to leave in order to make room for a new table for the waiter (this being under an hour at the table). Additionally, the food (despite its expense and its exotic titles) was surprisingly ordinary and bland. Although the cocktails were not half bad, I can't think of any reason why I would ever wish to come back, particularly in a city where so much more can be found almost anywhere. Pros: Tasty cocktails Cons: Poor yet pompous food and service more

I love the Washington Square Tavern and was excited to have a similar experience closer to home. Unfortunately the waitstaff is obviously untrained or just doesn't care. Two of us ordered hot entrees and the third a salad. The entrees came out, and we sat waiting about 7-8 minutes for the simple, mixed green salad to arrive. The waitress and busboy were hovering, attempting to take our plates before we were halfway done. Yes, the bar was croweded but we had drinks and meals in front of us. I have to say I'll never go back and that's no way to build a clientele. In addition, there's somethign wrong with the heating in there, about which I overheard the hostess say ""It's just 'cause the bar is crowded."" Well, our table couldn't have been further from the bar and it was steamy. The food was ok but the overall experience? Blech. Pros: Food's ok but overpriced Cons: Rushed service more