The Dish

Why oh why??! They had quite decent food at GREAT prices. I loved the small charming and minimalist space. They had the best Cajun meatloaf and chili and garlic skirt steak.
I guess I have to cross The Dish off of my list of places to revisit when I go to Boston.

I am very very sad that this place closed. It was really the only place in the South End that I would have been a regular. The food was great, the drinks were great and most importantly, the service was FRIENDLY. I don’t know if I’m the most unlucky diner in the South End (or just one of the few that isn’t white) but most places in this neighborhood have some seriously cold service. I’ve tried a range of places — Franklin Café, South End Buttery, Delux, Pops (not unfriendly just really slow), Toro, Masa, 28 degrees and I’d have to say most people act like they are sorry to see us. I don’t have complaints about the food at any of these places but I really don’t appreciate the «we’re too cool for you» attitude. Dish was different… alas!

Closed. :-(

So sad! This place is closed! I passed by on Friday night and it was all cleared out. :(

This was the first place I went to dinner with my boyfriend’s parents. The patio is nice on a warm night, and I much prefer it to the darker interior. For some reason, the inside doesn’t give off the same warm and cozy vibe that some of the other smaller spaces in south end do.
The menu features entrees and pizzas, so we went for both. Salads are interesting. Fish dishes have unique accompaniments, but flavor-​wise, they didn’t stand out. The pizzas weren’t bad, but there are lots of other pizza options in south end, like Joe V’s.
It’s got a good location on the corner, but it’s in a quiet part of Shawmut, and the restaurant doesn’t stand out much to people driving by.
When I drove by a couple of weeks ago, it seemed to be closed.

Came across The Dish late Friday evening on the way back from a few of the South End bars.
The high points of this place are it’s incredibly friendly and attentive wait staff and the cozy atmosphere. Personally, I found the food to be pleasant, but nothing incredible or special. My pizza (mushroom, goat cheese, truffle oil) was good, but it was lacking salt and pepper. Once I loaded on the parm. cheese and some additional s&p, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
My fiancé got the steak/​cheese/​caramelized onion pizza (one of their specials for the evening). It came out with a mound of cilantro on it (which the waitress neglected to mention) and, seeing that he hates cilantro («tastes like soap»), we had to say something. Our waitress apologized profusely and immediately went to get a new pizza and even offered him a complimentary salad. Bonus points for that!
Once it returned, he was quite pleased.
I’d definitely go back again if I was in the neighborhood. A great local establishment with a nice assortment of menu items/​wine/​booze.

Been going here for many years and still enjoy it. Decent prices. have enjoyed most of their meals. The pizzas are tasty. I get the meatloaf and cod often. Some really tasty specials. Apps are tasty but a little pricey. Great outdoor spot for the warmer months. Do get a ‘just OK’ meal on occasion, but it’s rare (I agree with the previous reviewer — the Mac & Cheese is just OK).
I go there regularly and enjoy it and love having a great place in my neighborhood.

Dish is great. I went there for the first time about a week ago and had a wonderful date night with my honey. While some our food was outstanding and elicited immediate phone calls to friends urging them to try a special dish, the rest was fairly ho-​hum.
Boyfriend got one of the specials: a mashed potato, roast beef, caramelized onion and rosemary pizza. It was so incredibly amazing that we both just kind of looked at each other, mouths agape, as we ate it. Unfortunately, as it was a special, we likely wont be able to eat it there again anytime soon :(And even worse was the taste of the special I tried, a pan-​seared pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes. It was a bit dry, and there wasn’t anything very special about it.
We went for dessert, just to check it out, though we were completely stuffed from the meal. He, again, won out with the pumpkin crème brûlée, and I sat there with a cold (wtf?) apple cobbler that made me wish I hadn’t ordered dessert.
Despite my dining misfortunes, I would most definitely go to Dish again and try another of their pizzas. And next time, I will most definitely stop by the Buttery on the way home for dessert instead.

YAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNN!
The only thing to write that is any bit amusing is the water service and the giggles created from that, more on the topic later.
Kinda cute place, cute little cramped patio, and it looked kinda promising. I ordered the cajun meatloaf (I really love me some meatloaf) served with spicy green beans, mashed potatoes, and salsa fresca. The plate was dominated by the salsa fresca (basically pico de gallo) which took up a third of the plate. There was a very small ice cream scoop of bland chunky dry mashed potatoes (it is called butter and cream, people, try it) they were pretty bad. A few green beans that were actually seasoned rather well and not over cooked. The meatloaf, however, was over cooked, dry, and the spicy seasoning did not get evenly distributed. I like spice and it had a pleasant kick to it, but only some bites and the rest tasted just like the powdery seasoning and nothing else. The portion was nothing to write home about. They seemed to make the main focus of the dish the salsa fresca even though it was to the side of the plate, since it was the majority of the plate. If I had wanted a plate of pico de gallo, I would have gone for Mexican food. Rather overpriced at $ 17.
My dining partner, Brian B., had the specialty salad with pears, nuts and a vinaigrette. He said he liked the taste of the nuts, yet I left his comment alone (even though we were in the South End). I thought the salad looked a little skimpy.
He also ordered the mac and cheese, which came out in a little crock. As is usually the case when someone at a table orders this classic dish, a bite was stolen. I thought it was good, but especially considering the small portion, not $ 14 good. The timing of the food was relaxed, but a little too relaxed and took a little too long.
Now here is the hidden secret with this place– it comes with a floor show. What is in the floor show you may ask? The water service. We could not stop laughing since we kept running out of water. Mind you, this wasn’t because they didn’t refill it enough times. They never filled the glass to the top! We kept on asking each other if there was a drought that we weren’t aware of. They would literally not fill these small glasses to within 1 — 2 inches of the top. We didn’t get it. They would also fill one glass and leave the other empty. It became such a comedy routine, that at the end of the meal, when the server asked if there was anything else he could get us, we were choking back laughs and tears, and biting our lips to not ask for another half a glass of water.
I would much prefer the Franklin Café less than a block away next time.

I guess water has gotten more expensive than oil.
A friend and I decided to try this place because it has a nice outdoor seating area, and very nice atmosphere. And that did hold true — the weather and the corner and the table were very nice.
The staff were also very nice. In fact, they did check on us fairly often. «How are your entrees? Keep enjoying them» Three times. Same script (–ish). They might benefit by putting on those skate sneakers (which deserve their own scathing review) to get them moving a little faster, though.
The food. Eh.
— Their «special» salad tonight was a bleu cheese/​apple/​cranberry/​nut/​spinach unoriginal-​but-​still-​tasty salad I could have gotten at most any restaurant.
— The mac-​and-​cheese was ok too. A half star extra for trying to use bleu cheese there too. A half star less cuz it just didn’t taste that great.
— The cajun meatloaf was nice on first meeting but the cajun aftertaste turned out to be a big Trojan horse assaulting from the inside.
— The mashed potatoes? I think the grout in my tile floor is more moist.
The water. We drank plain iced tap water. Either it is wildly expensive, or there’s a huge drought right now, or they were giving us specially collected rainwater on a night with no rain. The first glasses were good. They progressively got less and less filled. Each time the waitstaff came to fill ‘em up, they put a little less in the glasses. Once, when my friend asked for a whole refill, a waitress came over and filled his glass, and left my completely empty glass… completely empty. I am not sure what the deal was, but water IS cheap. I guess it gave us something to laugh about. Every time they came to the table — thank the Gods for good company!
I thought perhaps this was a way to keep you from eating too fast… the food was hot, so you had to let it cool. Otherwise, HADES in your mouth with nothing left to extinguish it.
Next time I am going to order a half glass of water. It will probably just cover the bottom of the glass. Oh wait — I probably won’t be back.

Let me break this down:
5 stars for the waitstaff
4 stars for the Chenin Blanc from South Africa
3 stars for the $ 14 mac ‘n cheese — good, but not $ 14 good
2 stars for the…(the clearly forgettable)…oh yea, the $ 15 shrimp pizza.
Now, at the restaurant I used to work at (Paolo’s) they had an INCREDIBLE shrimp pizza. My favorite pizza ever — with fresh basil and a red pepper coulis. This shrimp pizza sounded delicious on paper (…spinach, fontina cheese, etc) but was bland as could be. The cornmeal on the thin pizza crust was too much and the dough tasted like flour. I would NEVER order that again. I had to douse the pizza in their «tabasco reduction» in order to achieve any sort of flavor.
All that being said, I would perhaps return for more wine and some of their appetizer dishes. But would I spend $$ there for dinner? «No way!»

I agree with others about friendly waitstaff, nice patio seating, and overall good experience. I think it was a bit more expensive than I would have liked, but about par for the area. My tilapia tacos were completely underwhelming, but we got the mussels as an appetizer and that was very, very good. Our waitress even saw us enjoying them so much that she brought bread out at the exact second we needed it to sop up the sauce. Talk about perfection! If it wouldn’t have freaked everyone out, I would have grovelled in thanks.

Really just 2 ½ stars. After driving around for 15 minutes trying to find the place, we walk in to a pretty empty restaurant with a puddle in front of the restaurant due to the AC. Not a good sign. We got a booth inside, as it was too hot to sit outside.
The place reminded me if someone renovated their apartment and made it a restaurant. We saw a list of specials, including drink specials, on chalkboards above the bar. Things started badly when my friend wanted a cosmo but they don’t have that liquor. So she settled on one of the drink specials, the lemonade, which was made with limoncello. I had the sangria, another special.
We started with the mozzerella, peppers and onion quesadilla, yet another special. It was really good actually and big enough to share. We both ordered the cornmeal encrusted cod. We both didn’t like it. The cod was not that great. It was tasteless, even with the additional lime. It was topped with some sweet jammy thing, which wasn’t good. The string beans, while cooked well, were too spicy. And the potatoes were hidden.
Service was a definite miss. At first she was great. But no waters offered. We had to ask the barman for those because she was too busy chatting. We couldn’t get her attention to order because she was talking about some date she had. When we asked for the check, she asked how things were and my friend told her she’s had better food. The waitress was shocked – what can we do to make it better? Did it taste bad? LET IT GO!
I don’t plan on getting back here ever again.

Nice neighborhood. The décor is OK.
I tried to order a vegan style pizza (there wasn’t anything else on the menu that was vegan). The pizza was OK, but nothing special and expensive.

Comfy and chill. And small. Definite friendly neighborhood feel, with who I assume was the owner waving at friends who walked by the big front windows. The menu is split up into «small dish» «big dish» «wood oven pizza» and «side dish», and seems to shift slightly with the seasons. The wine list is longer than the menu, and the beer and desserts are up on the chalkboards over the bar.
He got a «Belgian» beer made in California, and I got a Sangiovese Chianti that I could smell as soon as it was set on the table; both thoroughly enjoyed. The waitress was very nice, informed, and attentive.
We split the salad special: apples, goat cheese, vinaigrette, etc, and a chicken pizza with tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella and parmesan cream. Both were good, but didn’t blow us away. The salad was a bit small for $ 9, and the flavors on the pizza were very nice, but it was a little dry, maybe too much chicken and not enough tomatoes. I’d like to go back and try something from the «big dish» menu next time.

Wonderful little hidden gem in the cutest neighborhood. The pork dumplings as an appetizer were unbeliveably delicious. They were cooked perfectly with a side of soy sauce, perfectly seasoned. For dinner I got the Cornmeal Crusted Cod, Lime-​Ginger Marmalade, Ricotta Mashed Potatoes, Spicy Green Beans. Let me tell you the best part was the marmalade, no lie! Pizzas are good too!
Downsides:
This place is small and the bar is small. I went on a quiet summer afternoon when it was dead but I can imagine there being a ridiculous wait at night.
The food is a bit pricey. I don’t mind paying for quality (especially here) but the prices were still a but much in my opinion.
It’s kind of hard to get to, I walked from Boylston here and back. Since it was July the walk was a bit… sweaty but still nice. Maybe there’s an easier way to get here, ah well.

Recently went to The Dish in South End, and was very charmed. The restaurant, while a little small in size, was very cozy and warm. It definitely had that neighborhood «where everybody knows your name» bistro feeling.
Straight away, coming into the restaurant, I was already pleased to see that the doorway had heavy velvet curtains to act as a barrier to cold winds coming in as people come in and out. This was very smart, especially for a wintry town like Boston!
But I digress, while I was a little surprised that the restaurant didn’t take reservations, I was assured that we wouldn’t have a problem to get a table when we arrived — and he was right. But a tip for those of you, having a dinner for a party more than 5, it may be tricky. You’ll have better luck to fit reasonably easy into a booth with a party of 4 or have a small round bistro style table for 3.
They have very interesting woodbrick pizza offerings, in addition to an interesting bistro style menu. You will rest easy to know that no matter the pickiness of your companions, there is an offering of pasta, pork, beef, and chicken to meet the palette of the most finicky eaters! In addition, the price was reasonable for an modest, upscale, trendy restaurant.
Now on to the food, I tried the shrimp and garlic pizza, and it was quite big, even though it’s considered an individual style pizza. It was delicious. The cheese was very hot and slices came away in melting strings. Defintiely a good quality to pizza. The shrimp and garlic was a great combination, without the garlic being to overpowering. I tend to be very suspicious of ordering shrimp on pizza, but I decided to take a risk. I was pleasantly surprised to not have rubbery, or salty, limp, clearly frozen and de-​thawed shrimp. It was definitely tasty, and a great choice. I found that after 2 slices, I was full, but couldn’t help myself to a 3^rd slice! One of my dinner partners ordered a bosc pear and chevre pizza (goat cheese) and it looked yummy as well.
Bottom line, I give it a two thumbs up and would definitely go again!

Came here once with a friend after reading Unilocal reviews. I suppose it was too cold to sit outside, but we did anyway. The kitchen was very accommodating with respect to our strange food requests (she’s a veg, I’m a definite omnivore), so when we asked for the fig and prosciutto pizza with the prosciutto on the side, they delivered. (I took the prosciutto and wrapped my half of the side of asparagus in it.)
The pizza was good (but kinda like CPK quality), the service great, but next time I’m sitting inside.

One of my favorite neighborhood spots, with a great menu (bolstered by incredible options of sides… the mashed potatoes make a meal in themselves), cozy nook tables, and outdoor seating in the summertime. Each time we go, I am certain that I will try something new; however, I end up ordering the corn encrusted cod every time (another side, the green beans, are also amazing).
Great wine list, and a few classic cocktails to round out the offerings. Campari and soda in the summertime while eating heirloom tomato salad is a slice of the divine.

On a nice summer day, it’s great to sit outside at their little tables. I was kind of bummed that they don’t have a full bar, so their drink menu is limited. We were all able to find something to drink, even if it wasn’t what we originally had in mind when we arrived.
We didn’t plan on eating, but ended up getting a couple of their pizzas. Good stuff. Much better than I was expecting.
Limited bar + good food = 3 stars