No. 9 Park

The service was good, but the food was to be desired. We had the $ 98 7-​course tasting menu and the dishes were over complicated, but didn’t taste as good as they sounded on the menu.
The first course was a sea urchin with apples, but it was under-​salted and hard to figure out how the apples added to the taste of the sea urchin. Swordfish was the next course and it was in a cream ratatouille sauce that was heavy and cold by the time it arrived to our table. The rest of the dinner was more of the same. Dessert was the one bright spot of the 7-​course menu. It was a rice ball served with sorbet and was very different, but the flavors worked well together!
Overall, $ 300 (without wine) for an average dinner is too much. Maybe the a la carte menu is better, but I would advise staying away from the tasting menu.

We ordered the steak which added an additional $ 30 per person on the prix fixe. My steak had huge chunks of inedible fat on it. It was disgusting and also very disappointing. I thought the restaurant would have better quality control than that. I pointed out the massive fat pieces to the waitstaff and they were very apologetic and didn’t charge me for it, but still, I was looking forward to a good meal and instead we had a completely unpalatable dinner.

My husband and I have been wanting to try Barbara Lynch’s flagship restaurant for a long time, but never had a chance to until last Wednesday for his birthday. We are fans of her other establishments plus we had a gift card… so it was finally time to give No. 9 Park a try.
Seems like you can only choose prix fixe ($ 76) or the tasting menu ($ 120 + any supplements). We went with the prix fixe because tasting menus usually aren’t filling enough for us (we’re fatties).
Here’s what we ordered:
DRINKS
* Dejeneur Royale for me, since I love anything elderflower + grapefruit + bubbly
FIRST COURSE
* prune-​stuffed gnocchi served with foie gras
* parsnip velouté with lobster — fancy word for soup, which they poured into my bowl from a ceramic pitcher
SECOND
* pork belly with fried rock shrimp
* short rib rossini with baby brussel sprouts, brioche toast and foie gras topping
THIRD
* caramel coulant aka. caramel version of a molten lava cake
* banana rum chiffon with cookie butter
* complimentary apple beignet (for my husband’s birthday)
Everything was excellent and perfectly cooked. Presentation was Instagram-​worthy. Portions were generous — we were *very* stuffed by the end. Favorite dish was definitely the gnocchi. I normally dislike gnocchi because to me, it’s boring pieces of dough. No. 9 Park’s gnocchi was incredible — wish we had both ordered that for our first course! The pork belly and short rib were both so fatty and flavorful — might be the best we’ve ever had. The soup was probably our least favorite dish of the night, but it was still good. The bread was more of an afterthought but who cares about the bread.
Service was professional — napkin folding, crumb cleaning, water refills aplenty, dish and silverware clearing, timely pacing, etc. Bite-​sized chocolate cookies and figgy bars came with the bill — love little farewell treats. Ambiance was stuffy as expected with business talk all around us, while we were gushing about every delectable bite, oops.
Husband was very pleased with his birthday dinner and I was able to reap the benefit — lucky me ;) We would definitely return, with or without a gift card.

Went in for price fix NYE, really excited. Massive disappointment. The forced menu was boring and the execution failed on every single dish. all were clearly keep the under heat lamps too long as it all was rubberized. 2 of the fish dishes were not edible, so fishy it tasted rotten. Duck was fatty, truffle parsnip pasta was definitely not worth an extra $ 60 on top of the ridiculous $ 200 per person. Best part was the chocolate dessert that no one touched as we were so dissatisfied with the whole experience. Saves a star for the awesome staff that did everything they could to accommodate my admittedly difficult party.
This was really really bad.

I tried 9 Park with my girlfriend and enjoyed every part of it.
The ambience was great and the service was excellent.
I did the tasting menu with wine pairing. And the food was excellent and the wine was paired very well.
This restaurant is expensive, but worth it.

Came here for a business dinner. Very classy, noise level was great for a work dinner as it was not too loud and not too quiet either. Beams more crowded around 7 – 8 vs when we came at 6. Service was on point as my duck dish was taking longer and so they proactively gave us a complimentary appetizer in the meantime and also a glass of free wine for all three of us at the end which was great service! Did this without even being asked why our dish was late and it is this kind of proactive good service that gives it a 5 stars!
We all got the three course pre fixe.
I had the beet salad which was tasty though it could have benefited from a bit more acid maybe a light suace on the side?
The free scallop appetizer was a big hit! Wish I got this for the entre. The scallops were very tender, juicy and filled with flavor!
I got the duck as my entre done two ways. The larger piece on the side was tastier than the sliced pieces. Although it was a bit on the saltier side. The sauce was a nice complement.
My colleagues got the wagyu for two — the mushy potato side was heavenly! (Not good for new year resolutions tho!)
Dessert– I got the hazelnut semi Alfredo which was on point!
Overall food was great but service was what really made it 5 stars!
Would come back for future.

Service is atrocious.
Politely seated during their lunch special, holiday, prix fix program. Coats taken for check.
Seated at a nice deuce in the rear along a banquet.
Asked if you’d like still, tap or sparkling. Most spots I frequent have gotten over charging for sparkling water and make it in house these days for no charge. We order sparkling (assumptions made an ass of us) and only find out with the check that there’s a cost -$ 4.50 each.
Full disclosure, transparent up front. That’s how you run a Business — not up front non-​disclosure and back end fees.
Sounds like an airline — here’s the price for your ticket but it doesn’t include checked bags, snacks, food or beverages. Oh, and by the way, if you want room to seat comfortably, that will cost you extra too. Board early? Extra charge.
Finally order drinks. Two martinis ($ 14 each). Neither of which live up to those at say menton, grill 23, bistro du midi. Small and poorly put together, they’d clearly been sitting unattended on the bar for quite some time before delivery or they were made hastily with no vigorous shake or not enough time to melt.
35 minutes later they arrive without an apology or explanation.
The second round of one drink arrive 30 minutes after order as well.
The wine pairings are timely and filled mid course each and every time.
By this time we’ve already placed our order for five course tasting menu ($ 75pp).
With the wine pairing ($ 45pp).
Both mistakes. The food portions are enough to at least fill the belly but the $ 90 for wine could at least pour equivalent to a full bottle of wine for two people.
A yellow fin tuna tartare with prosciutto and celery arrives first. Delicate and tasty. Almost an amuse Bouche.
Seared salmon with bernaise sauce and blue potatoes. Green beans and pickled onion. A delicious but rather unimaginative creation. The salmon is fatty, juicy, tender and the skin is crisped exceedingly well.
House made pasta with pheasant and pheasant jus topped with shaved pamesean. Possibly the finest dish of the evening, the earthy jus sticks to the pasta and the pheasant is tender and pulled into shreds.
Supplement ($ 20) single order of foie gras terrine — mustard, oats and toast. Excellent toast, creAmy foie gras, crunchy oats. Small but rich dish which was not disclosed that per person, an additional $ 20 each it would be. On page to the left, the foie gras is listed as a $ 9 supplement. Again, transparency here.
However, once again, non disclosure arises — by ordering an order of foie gras to share at $ 20, this prompts an extra quarter glass of wine to be poured at an additional cost of $ 9pp ($ 18 in this case) which we again find out with the check at the end of the meal.
Steak with greens and potatoe. «And cheese,» our runner declares. (It was a Gorgonzola, whether he knew it or not I do not know). The steak is medium rare and very tender — works well with mustard greens and square deep fried potatoes with a fancy name. The Gorgonzola, thankfully is mild and not overpowering.
Dessert– a very dry chocolate chocolate ale and a date desert with ice cream. Nothing to write home about on either front.
The music was turned off for half of the meal making the close proximity to other diners almost unbearable.
The table next to us complained about an entrée and dessert and both were removed with no question. Our drinks taking an hour for two was never even mentioned.
Unfortunately for me, a restaurant of which I have heard only praise and been looking forward to trying for the last eight years was anything but memorable.
In fact, I said to my wife «I feel dirty» after having left the spot.
It’s a shame that we feel the need to up sell people without being transparent about it.
Again to my airline metaphor — I feel like I just got off of a Close quartered, smelly, long flight where I’ve been nickel and dimed for everything since I hit the buy button on the website.
The good food is not worth the filthy feeling I am currently experiencing. Back to service — I mean lack of discussion and lack of transparency and time passed of drinks being delivered. Bring us full circle.

Great hanger steak n frites. The carrot cake was too small, not what I expected. I should have asked. I was surprised by Edradour on the whisky list. Kudos to them for finding the smallest whisky distillery in Scotland!

This one of Boston’s classic and elegant dining experiences. The décor is gorgeous and the crowd shouts (whispers) old-​money-​Boston.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the food measured up to the pretense of the restaurant. I ordered the Chicken Milanese (essentially breaded chicken or really, chicken tenders) and the potato gnocchi. Neither dish was anything to rave about and I had even asked our server about the dishes I was ordering and if I should order X or Y instead.
The wine was good, but again, not worth the price tag or the hype.

This was the best meal I’ve ever had in my life. Totally worth the money (112 for the 6 course Chef’s tasting).
Service was great and each course was lovely (minus the broccoli soup)
1^st-​Broccoli purée soup with a quail egg. Plain and way too grassy. Not my fave.
2^nd– Scallop with celery purée and truffle– yum
3^rd– Chicken liver with pasta. SO DELICIOUS.
4^th– Prune stuffed gnocchi — when all the reviews say to order this… Order it! So good.
5^th– Duck with brussel sprouts, potato and truffle — perfectly cooked!
6^th– Steak with buckwheat. The steak was good but I wasn’t a huge fan of the buckwheat.
7^th– Profiteroles with pistachio ice cream. Ice cream was good, profiteroles were average.
We had a bunch of drinks and the dishes were timed perfectly. I enjoyed everything and the flow of the tasting was very fluid. There were a few things that really stood out and the flavors were amazing. I can’t wait to come back! Best tasting I’ve had in Boston– doubt it can be beat.

Dreadful.
Our party of ten came for a 21^st birthday celebration. For the exorbitant prices, the quality of food was unacceptable. While some appetizers were good (scallops), the entrées were all forgettable. The dessert I received (carrot cake) was dry, tasteless, and frankly, inedible.
As we are students from abroad, most did not have appropriate ID. While we respect the management’s decision to be stringent, the server was ridiculously short and rude when conversing with us. Finally, as the birthday girl did not bring her passport to prove her age, a server decided to gift her a free mocktail. Fine. Great. Except they CHARGED US FOR IT. While that was rectified in the end, the quality of service needs more attention to detail. For such an up-​scale establishment, the amount of faults we encountered was unacceptable.
We will not be returning.

Just had dinner here tonight with my wife and brother in law. The meal was excellent and definitely worth splurging for. This is Barbara Lynch’s flagship restaurant and I can see why. There is a bar area that you can get drinks before your dinner or even have dinner at. You can eat 3 different ways here. You can choose to have the full tasting menu which is like 6 – 7 dishes total. You can have the 3 course prix fixe meal, or you can choose to order a la carte.
Tonight we chose the full tasting menu with wine pairing. The dishes were delicious and showcased what the chef is able to put together. There were a few dishes that we thought was just ok, but most of them were great with amazing flavor. The wine pairings were pretty spot on as well and complemented the meal. Be sure to bring an appetite because there will be a lot of food coming. We did add on the artisanal cheese course as well to give us a little break before dessert and they had a great selection to choose from.
All in all it was a great meal to have and worth coming for that special occasion or if you just want a great meal and have money to burn. Be sure to keep your pockets deep because the tasting will cost you $ 120 plus an additional $ 80 for the wine pairing.

My husband puts it best — «the best foie gras preparation I’ve ever had.» And trust me — we have had a lot of foie gras.
Went to no. 9 Park a few nights ago while visiting Boston. Wasn’t one of our original reservations, but after eating at Sportello the night before, we decided to continue to explore the Barbara Lynch empire further. We were not disappointed.
Arrived about 15 mins early for a Sunday night reservation; they seated us at a lovely table in the front room overlooking Park St and the garden. After studying the menu — and as good as the three course looked — we went for the tasting menu with wine pairings. My husband requested he sub the foie gras (a supplement item) for one of his courses. No problem at all.
Our first course was the chilled lobster with a brut rose. Delicious, a good amount, and I loved the blood orange oil. The next course, the Arctic char, was probably my favorite of the night. Cooked beautifully, I loved the chive hollandaise. Next was the pasta with sungold tomatoes (for me) and my husband’s foie gras, which came with a pumpkin purée and a spice cake. Unbelievable. What a genius preparation.
The meal continued with a poached egg over hen of the words mushrooms and chicken confit. The final course was the hanger steak, which was incredibly juicy and a gorgeous medium rare. The pairing with the hanger steak, a Sangiovese, was the only «just ok» pairing (the rest were spot-​on). I would have loved to see a Cab or Bordeaux with the steak.
The strangest part of the evening came at the end, with dessert. My husband and I aren’t port fans, so when the wine pairing glasses were put down, we asked if we could not have port. Guess that’s what they had planned, because they said no problem and took the glasses back. Then dessert came (which was delicious) but no pairing appeared. Maybe it was how we phrased our request but the whole situation seemed strange — no offer to substitute a different wine, etc. We just thought the whole thing seemed odd.
When the bill arrived, they charged us for 5 pairings, so it was fine, not like we ended up paying for something we didn’t get. Again, just strange, but not even enough to knock off a star — the food was THAT good. Overall, if I ever go back to Boston, this will be the first reservation I make.

As soon as I walked in, I knew I was in for a good night. Dim lighting and low background chatter set the mood for this Boston favorite, and I was already excited for dinner.
The staff seated my friend and I at a small but cozy table. We decided to order the three course prix fixe with some additions — the staff is happy to accommodate any bizarre alterations to your normal meal (having your cheese course first, additions of appetizers or entrees to your prix fixe, etc).
To start, we had a few of the Wellfleet oysters and the foie gras appetizer. The oysters were clean and fresh, but I wished they were slightly colder. They were seemingly neglected children of the appetizer family, barely adorned with just a simple mignonette and a single lemon. The foie gras, on the other hand, was much more impressive. A thick slab of Hudson Valley (the best duck foie gras purveyer on the Eastern seaboard) foie gras pressed with duck confit was decorated with Cara Cara orange, mustard infused onion, and purée of orange, and served alongside toasted brioche. When it was brought to the table, I commented that it was a «very healthy portion of foie gras» to which the server chuckled and remarked «that’s one way to put it» — which it was! We could barely finish it lest our hearts clog with happiness and fatty glee.
Our «real» first courses were the fluke crudo and the sunchoke veloute with shrimp. The fluke crudo was delicious, the sauce elevating the raw fish to a godlike status. It was adorned with olives, sliced radish, fennel, and blood orange, cute accouterments that were fun to eat. The sunchoke veloute with shrimp, on the other hand, was an unappetizing brown color and tasted muddy. The shrimp «en brik» was once a crisp shrimp roll, but sitting in the soup for an extended period of time made it soggy and unpleasant.
Mains are strong. We ordered the Duet of Rohan Duck and Colorado Lamb. The duck breast was perfectly cooked, causing me to question whether it was cooked sous vide or roasted by wizards. The duck leg was even more impressive, the skin subtly melting in your mouth while crackling ever so slightly, with a tinge of bright, ducky sweetness. A side actor of rapini was flavorless though, and my dining companion pushed it to the edge of his plate in disgust.
Colorado lamb was tender and the toasted farro it was served atop provided pleasant crunch, though I wish there were slightly more variety in my plate. I quickly grew bored and dreamt of more fantastic sides but the lamb kept my interest and grounded me at appropriate intervals.
Desserts are fantastic. I ordered the Caramelized White Chocolate Mousse, a beautifully plated play on textures. White chocolate mousse was so creamy I started to feel high from eating it, and the crunch of pecans and dark chocolate shavings provided a gratifying contrast.
Service is affable and comforting, and provided all the answers I needed in navigating the menu and deep wine list. There is a lot of great wine on the menu, but some of it may not appear on the glass list itself. I enjoyed a great glass of Robert Sinskey POV, a steal at $ 18, and rarely seen on any wine by the glass list.
Overall, a great experience with a few forgivable missteps. But the high notes make up for the low ones and it’s a steal at $ 69 for the prix fixe. Highly recommended.

In a word… sublime
No. 9 Park is part of the Barbara Lynch Gruppo and has been one of the standards for celebrating special occasions among Bostonians. Located right on the Boston Common, No. 9 Park carries the elegance, prestige, and warmth of its Beacon Hill neighborhood. Steps away from the State House, No. 9 Park is a frequent haunt of business moguls, political masterminds, and those seeking to challenge their already elite palates. But more importantly, it is a place where couples, families, and friends come to mark an important occasion. In the case of my wife and me, we were celebrating her birthday.
Arriving at No. 9 Park is fairly painless. Because it is near the Common, one can take public transportation (the T a great option) or drive. The Common has ample parking but the restaurant also has valet (for $ 21). Upon arriving, we found the staff to be very warm and friendly. I had dined at No. 9 once before and remembered how pleasant the staff are. The interior is dark but warm; elegant but not pretentious.
No. 9 Park synthesizes elements from traditional Italian and French cuisine but arrives at something very unique. The menu offers ala carte options, a 3-​course prix fixe menu (~$ 70/​person), and the Chef’s 6-​course tasting menu (~$ 120/​person). Given our need to celebrate, we went for the 6-​course tasting menu (and added one additional course). If the desire is to enjoy a great meal but not break-​the-​bank, the 3-​course prix fixe is a terrific option. We knew going into this that we were going all-​in.
The highlights of our meal included:
1) The hamachi crudo: fresh sushi grade yellowtail tuna with a buttermilk vinaigrette, sweet corn, and thinly sliced red pepper. It was a perfect, refreshing way to start the meal
2) The arctic char over a basil pea purée: the fish was fresh and perfectly seared with a incredibly savory crunchy skin. Light but with great flavor.
3) The homemade linguine with escarole, pistachios, and a butter sauce: perfectly cooked pasta with just enough resistance to the teeth. Although rich, the sauce was delicate and the flavors understated.
4) The prune stuffed gnocchi (supplemental addition): large stuffed gnocchi with sweet prune and a foie gras sauce. The salt from the foie gras perfectly balanced the sweet gnocchi. My wife had the sauteed foie gras supplemental course and loved it.
5) The speck-​wrapped squab was to this point the peak of the meal. Smoky and salty, it was served on the rare side and was juicy and tender.
6) The roasted lamb exceeded all expectations. Like the squab, it was served rare. Cooking it more would not do it justice. It was without doubt, the best lamb I have every had. My wife agreed.
7) The peanut butter mousse: served on a dense thin chocolate cake with banana ice cream, this was a great end to the meal. Like a gourmet peanut butter, chocolate and banana sandwich, it hits you in the comfort food zone!
Overall, we had a blast at No. 9 Park. The food was truly sublime. But, the tasting menu experience was not to be undersold. It was a lot of fun waiting and anticipating the next part of the meal. We were seated by the window and the view of the Boston Common was priceless. Speaking of price, our dinner at No. 9 Park did qualify as an indulgence. Certainly, we will not be regulars. However, we do know where to celebrate our precious moments from now on!

We came here last weekend for dinner and had an wonderful time. What’s not to enjoy? Excellent cocktails, terrific food, and great service.
Be sure to ask for the full cocktail list from the bar. The choices are overwhelming and amazing. We tried multiple different cocktails and loved each one.
As for the food, we went with the 3 course tasting menu. For my appetizer, I got the prune-​stuffed gnocchi, which went very well with the foie gras on top. I tried a bite of the sweetcorn ravioli, which was also delicious. For my entrée I enjoyed the Duet of Rohan duck. While the duck was very good, I didn’t love the flavor of the lentils that went with it.
The dessert choices were interesting, and I decided to try the Strawberry Eton Mess, which I had read about but never seen on a menu. I have to say, the combination of whipped cream, strawberries, cucumber, and meringue was quite delicious (in addition to being unique). I feel as though I’ve checked something off of my bucket list by getting that dessert.
All in all, it was a wonderful dinner. It’s not cheap, however, and it will definitely be reserved in the special occasion category. In the mean time, we will definitely be back for the cocktails.

Went here for drinks recently and had a fabulous night. The bartender was so on point — she warned me about a drink not being sweet like I might assume it would be. She was right to do so, it prepared me for a trip.
I can’t recall the name of the drink, but it was like biting into an island (I had just recently come back from a trip to the Caribbean) — it was fresh, clean, and ripe without being sweet or synthetic. Definitely one of the best imbibing sessions I’ve had in Boston (well, in terms of grown-​up cocktails, at least).
The ambiance is amazing — cozy yet elegant. Refined and at the same time innovative and interesting.
I can’t wait to go back for din!

Had an absolutely amazing dinner here last night. Came here on a whim and we ended up sitting at the bar. The bartender was great, he was talkative with us but also didn’t hover (and more people were sitting at the bar later on.) I had the best steak frites of my life omg. The fries were deliciously seasoned and the meat was perfectly cooked to my liking. It also didn’t have excess fat which I appreciated. I inhaled the damn thing and every last fry :) had the semifredo for dessert and all I can say is that it was like a much better version of a snickers ice cream bar, and I LOVE those.
Atmosphere is upscale, yet inviting. I feel it’s a misconception that you have to be dressed up and fancy to come here, and while you wouldn’t be out of place if you did dress up, you can also come here dressed more casually.

Everything here was perfect. From the moment you walk in the door, a great subdued, mature ambiance. We were seated a few minutes after our reservation but we got some drinks at the bar to start.
We were soon seated and decided to order from the pre-​fixe menu. But before that, we enjoyed some Orleans oysters. Yum!
For my meal, I enjoyed the below:
— Gnocchi with foie gras: rich and delectable. Really was more of an asian dumpling IMO however it was delicious.
— Duet of veal: tender and tasty. Loved the different textures between the duet.
— Buttermilk beignets with apricot: buttermilk and beignets, what’s there not to like?!? I could’ve done with the apricot on the side rather than on the inside but a perfect ending to my meal!
Service was impeccable. I will be back!

They have fantastic meat here! I was amazed at the quality of food. They even have a cheese table they roll around and let you select what you would like! Italian-​French cuisine, with the best combination of both.
First thing: bread. Delicious, with very flavorful butter on the side.
My friend and I had the Prune-​Stuffed Gnocchi (foie gras) which was absolutely delicious. We then split the special of the day which was a rib eye for you. Cooked to perfection, accompanied by greens and mashed potatoes. So good!
I highly recommend coming here!
Transportation: right next to park street station so every line (Orange, Red, Green, Silver) Cars: they have a valet parking option.
Suggestion: sit somewhere closer to the front of the restaurant because by the back there are no windows.