Savvor Restaurant and Lounge

My SO and I were really excited to try this place, however, the experience and food were both sub-​par. We were seated at an odd table next to a loud family in a near-​empty restaurant and the service was slow. The food just wasn’t good, not even the qualified good that happens in some southern places in New England.

TL;DR: Savvor money, go to Daryl’s Kitchen & Bar instead.
I’ve never heard of this place before, but I walk by it every day on my way to work. It seems nice from the outside and looks okay inside. The atmosphere is nice enough. This place advertises itself as a «soul food restaurant». My girlfriend was born and raised in the south. I’ve lived in the south for a good portion of my life. I can say with absolute certainty that this restaurant does NOT know what soul food is.
The gumbo was decent, but as an appetizer, I wasn’t expecting too much. My girlfriend and I got our gumbo without chicken, while the other nine people in our party got theirs as expected. We had to alert the waiter of such, and we got it. The chicken and waffles though? Terrible. The «waffles» are really three quadrants of a waffle. The waffle quadrants look and taste like they are made of cake batter. The maple «syrup» is watery as hell. The chicken tastes basic as hell. Why put hot sauce on the chicken and then fry it? Hot sauce and syrup? Where does that happen?
My girlfriend ordered the «cajun» pasta. Cajun is in quotes because it looked and tasted like Old Country Buffet pasta. She also asked our waiter if the sauce was a creamy white or tomato red. The waiter said red. You can guess what the pasta really was when she got it.
This has been the most expensive waste of my money in my entire life. Luckily, my purpose for visiting Savvor was for a friend’s birthday celebration, so we got some sort of package deal, which lowered the price for everyone… which is STILL too expensive.
The ONLY thing I was not disappointed by was the water. Thankfully, you can’t mess up water. Oh, and the chicken that came with the gumbo. That was pretty good.
I really wish restaurants in the Northeast stopped advertising themselves falsely. I regret leaving my warm apartment to sit in this cold restaurant eagerly awaiting what was to become disappointment.

Great drinks, unique dishes that are made fresh and are delicious. Staff is super friendly and the vibes there are super comfortable. They have amazing music and a layback relaxing yet romantic setting. I would recommend giving them a try if you’re in town. I had the puffy baked salmon and it was on point. Prices are average for dinner and drinks are strong yet good.

My boyfriend and I were really looking forward to this place, heard good things and finally had a Saturday free to try it (they’re closed Sundays). I made a reservation on Open Table for 8 pm, and we arrived right on time. Reservation probably not needed, the place was pretty dead despite having a good band playing. We ordered 2 mixed drinks, pretty good, a pain killer and some house infused bourbon. They brought some complimentary cornbread and butter out about 30 minutes after we were sat, it was «meh», but we ate since we were hungry. For apps we got the gumbo and street corn, again pretty «meh». The biggest disappointment of the night was our entrées. My boyfriend got the shrimp and grits, which he described as «interesting «. I had the Nashville hot fried chicken and waffles. It was pretty terrible. The fried chicken was not hot, not even close, huge disappointment. The waffles were cold and hard, it took a lot of effort to chew, I had to give up. Service here was awkward, our server kept asking what else he could bring us, I felt like he wanted us to order more food, it was strange not polite which I hope he was going for.
On the plus side, the lounge seemed cool, the band was great. I would go back for drinks in the lounge, but no way for food.
P. S. If you’re looking for Nashville hot fried chicken go to State Park in Cambridge!

The Mac and Cheese was out of this world!!! The flavor had a lasting impression on me. You must stop in for this and other flavorful options on the menu.

Chill ambiance, well executed dishes, soothing live music, beautiful and diverse crowd, tasty wines, and impeccable service from happy staff. Once the night crowd started rolling in, the dj eased right on in with them.
Planning a party here was seamless and the communication was clear and concise. Looking forward to my next visit… i might be a regular, real quick.
Food recommendation: jerk wings, mussels, chicken and waffles, coconut curry, i didnt try other things… but Savvor FAILS to dissappoint.
Bravo, Boston!

There aren’t that many restaurants in the heart of Boston that offers Southern Soul food. So I decided to check Savvor out on a Saturday in June as it is quite new in the area. We almost walked right past it because the sign of the restaurant wasn’t obvious. We got there at 5:30pm for dinner and there was no one else in there. The set-​up was quite nice with an ample space for dancing and tables for eating.
We ordered some drinks and I got the white peach sangria (I forgot the actual name of the drink). The drink was good. Our waitress brought out cornbread for us. It was soft, not too dry and buttery. We ordered grilled corn (they ran out of hushpuppies!), whole fish (not spicy) and coconut curry (spicy) for entrees. The grilled corn came out to be too dry for my liking. The fish was grilled just right, so the meat maintained its sweetness and juiciness. The rice and beans next to it was delicious. It was soft and tasty and didn’t drive the show away from the fish. The curry dish, however, was spicy. I could taste the coconut flavor, but the spicy kick didn’t come until after I swallowed. It was definitely hot. Our waitress didn’t ask us how spicy we wanted the curry dish. I’m assuming they made the curry in bulk. It would be nice to see this restaurant stick around.

Went late late night Saturday and it was fun. Nice looking crowd, even though I would’ve like to see a little more testosterone. Also, the AC wasn’t working so I’m happy it wasn’t a super hot night and that I arrived with only an hour and a half time left.

This rating is based on the food and clearly the name of this restaurant reflects the meal! I had the grilled whole fish and my son had the fried chicken and waffles which were so amazing and delicious! We also shared some jerk wings and it was indeed authentic! Not only am I going to return to this restaurant, I will recommend it highly!!! I should also mention that our server Derrick was exceptionally gracious and professional!

Food is just ok, alcoholic drinks horrible. The entire cocktail menu was unavailable. .Gave 2.5 stars based on ambience and the live band is awesome. Hostess and waitress gave great service.

Ate here last night, and really enjoyed it. There’s nothing else in Boston that comes close to Savvor. I really like the relaxed yet swanky atmosphere, and partway through dinner there was live music. It looks like its truly set up to be a lounge, but the food is great and worth the trip all on its own.
First, the drinks were excellent. I got the French 75 and my date got the Martinez. I’m neutral on the cornbread appetizer. But that was complimentary, so I can’t really complain.
I got the mussels — which were incredible. Date got the roasted corn, which might have been even better than the mussels. The corn was that good. Our entrees were both excellent, and were elevated versions of southern classics.
My only issue with the food was that two of the dishes — the mussels and the sauteed turnip greens — I thought were too spicy. I had an unpleasant burning in the back of my throat after the curried mussels. I really like spicy food, but I’ve met a lot of people in Boston who don’t, so that might be something to ask about.
The waitstaff were very good, too!

I have a heart for Savvor. I really do, because it should work. Right now, it’s in its great potential stage.
I have been here a few times because I have refused to give up on this place. It reminds me of the scene in my beloved Atlanta. The low-​key ambiance is a plus for those of us in our mid-​late 20s. I have had the chicken and waffles, the mac and cheese, and the grilled whole porgy. I think they would fare so well under the direction of an executive chef. That is truly the missing piece of what would put Savvor in the excellence category. The owner was extremely aware of this and was fair about addressing this in one of the visits I had there. I have considered hosting events at this venue, but would definitely want to bring in catering. The waitress was attentive, seemed a bit new but I appreciated the effort. I want to see what becomes of Savvor over these next few years — I hope great things. That’s all I have.

Well it was a mixed bag for sure. Early on a Thurs. in the middle of the crappiest winter ever, it was pretty dead with just 4 other people there. The menus were flimsy paper and they were out of 3 items. Plus it was pretty chilly in there. We had the coupon deal that got you 2 apps, 2 entrees and 2 drinks for $ 49. Just went with wine and an IPA and waited for our fried catfish and mussels. Took a while and the catfish was tasty altho the green beans w/​it tasted old and stale, like they were grilled the day before and left laying around. The mussels were the saddest looking things you’ve ever seen. Tiny, almost chewed up looking. The bartender was very apologetic (I think he may be a mgr or owner too) and said he’d comp us our next drinks since we had that pkg (I skipped a 2^nd wine, A got another beer). That was very nice and then things picked up when we got the replacement app of jerk chicken wings. Meaty, spicy, tasty, good stuff. Friend got the chicken and waffles and loved it plus the side of mac n cheese was huge and good for just $ 6. My pork chop was nothing impressive, kind of like one you’d cook yourself being on the thinner side. But it was fine and the grits, black eyed peas and greens were very good. The bartender was super nice and ended up comping the mac too and letting us keep the coupon. So they’re trying and I wish them luck, but the room is weird and it was definitely up and down on our visit. Since I’m not in the downtown area much, probably won’t be back but we’ll see.

The only reason I giving this place 3 stars is because the music was on point. But the food, no bueno. The jerk was spicy but non flavorful, and the hush puppies tasted like oily deep fried cornbread. Won’t be coming bk

If I could give this restaurant half a star I would! Good lord. Two items on the small menu were not available, okay no biggie. But send my steak out with onion rings when the menu says steak potatoes and salad and not tell me and hope I don’t notice?! That is a problem! Major! My husband’s fish tasted and smelled like stinky old fish. So guess what, both dishes will be sent back. The black eyed peas and rice were hard, I’m not an expert but I don’t think they should be al dente? We were so hungry that we picked through it. I had wine and you can’t really mess that up, so I can’t say much for the drinks. Ps the place was pretty empty so the poor service and horrible food was not due to it being over crowded. We left so I can’t review for the dancing part of this place. Never again.

I was really worried when I entered this place at 6:30 on a Saturday and it was completely empty. There were only a few tables in the place as well. It seemed like dinner service wasn’t a big thing here. The more we ate the more my worries disappeared. They’re doing a service to Southern food here and it’s pretty damned good. Corn bread had a terrific sweet crust and wasn’t too dry. I was skeptical at ordering a $ 14 bowl of gumbo, but this thing was well worth it’s price tag. Chock full of goodies such as a chicken confit leg, several shrimp, and okra, it packed a flavorful punch. This was a great dish and worth a repeat. Also worth repeating was the chicken and waffles. Juicy fried chicken paired with a nice fluffy waffle that wasn’t too sweet. Eating these together was blissful. The pork chop was just decent, but the sides were Southern classics and great. Drinks were small but strong and well made.
The food made the visit worthwhile but I worry that it won’t be around much longer at this location.

Hello I’m street eating legend King Eat, and today I’ll be reviewing Savvor Restaurant and Lounge!
Savvor was not bad I gotta say.
Keep in mind they play live music here so the place is going to be loud. If you’re looking to discuss stocks and bonds, or talk about the weather… it’ll be difficult, but you knew that because they play live music.
The waitstaff was very friendly, always a plus.
Our meal started off with some complimentary biscuits and cornbread. Not bad. Neither of them were anything crazy, but for being complimentary? I’m not going to complain.
Next up for an app we got the tempura fried catfish, which was actually pretty good. I guess they realized they were in Chinatown and tried to do something more regional to their surroundings. Personally I’d be happier with some cornmeal fried catfish, but it was still good, I’d recommend it.
As a table side we got the mac and cheese, and I hate to say it, but it was pretty bland. No real cheesy flavor, it tasted like it was all cream, and no cheese.
My main course was the Hot Fried Chicken and waffle. Was it hot? I mean… temperature wise it was, but in terms of spice like Tennessee hot fried chicken should be? No. It still tasted good, and was cooked well. The waffle was cool, once again nothing fantastic, but good.
The sweet potato pie we had for dessert. tasted like sweet potato pie. Nothing outstanding, but it was good because it’s sweet potato pie, and it’s always good.
All in all: Would I go back? Sure. However there are some places for certain items I’d hit first before going to Savvor

This might be one of my new favorite spots in the city. It’s hidden on the out skirts of Chinatown, not far from South Station. Street parking is available.
The food was amazing! I went with a group we ordered a whole bunch of food. We ordered Johnny cakes, hush puppies, jerk wings topped with onion fritters, tostones, Tennessee Fried chicken and the corn which had some great flavors.
Fully satisfied with the service, our bartender was great! Responsive and helpful and very attentive. We met the owners who made sure we were enjoying our meal.
The atmosphere is trendy and calming, they also displayed the work of local artists.
A cool place that I will throughly check out again!

Came to enjoy a little night life in Boston and this place is super HOT! I was just standing and couldn’t enjoy myself to dance because it’s so SUPER HOT! They owners need to need to work on their cooling system ASAP!!! This makes no sense how hot it is!
It’s a cute location with cute art and deco I do like. The Dj needs to play more Caribbean music dough!

I am visiting Boston for my first time and my family bought me here to enjoy a more descent experience on African American cuisine. You may not notice this shop at first glance because the sign board is black and the street is quiet too.
Menu is simple and direct, you can make the choice easily. You can always ask the waitress what is the special of the day and she will be happy to tell you. I ordered a Catfish small plate and it was just nice for me. The Terriyaki sauce taste so special that I almost lick the plate. The specialty Chicken and waffles (one of the African American dishes) is different from the traditional Chicken and Waffles too. They sprinkled some peppers on top which enrich the flavor. Waffles are fluffy and chicken is juicy with a little spices on the skin. If you are ordering this for children, make sure you tell the waitress no spicy.
They have a bar and a dance floor too. Different liquors, beers and wine are served. Just check out on the menu and order what you want.
I love the arts/​painting that the restaurant has. it just make the restaurant looks so different at different time.
Good place to chill with friends for couple drinks and also have a good family dinner.