East Side Bar & Grille

It’s a nice restaurant in terms of ambiance and service, but the food is not good. I ordered the eggplant parmesan which comes with salad and pasta. You get multiple choices for type of salad and pasta; I chose caesar and penne pasta. The salad was decent, the penne pasta wasn’t good — it tasted like pasta you could easily make at home. Don’t expect handmade pasta here, it’s out of the box pasta. The eggplant parmesan also wasn’t good. It was just bland with too much sauce, and it was sloppily presented. Altogether it was the type of food you would get when all the good food places are closed and you just need some sustenance to fill you up.

It was really JUST okay. Food was blah. Our server was very friendly and polite. The owner was friendly but kinda had this anxiousness about him that rubbed off on us. Don’t have a reason to return. Nothing to rave about.

We moved into our new place a couple of blocks away, and I think this will be a go-​to spot. When we arrived, we were greeted by at least three friendly people. Water and drinks were brought immediately.
Their menu is impressive, with a lot of awesome looking Italian dishes. We opted for non-​Italian though. I got steak tips, and my girlfriend got blackened meatloaf. The tips were great, and the meatloaf was some of the best I’ve ever had, two big slices grilled firm with gravy.
We’ll definitely be going here a lot.

Great little neighborhood place. Clean, quiet, nice décor with a Sinatra/​Rat Pack theme, TV’s if you want to catch a game. Great service, very attentive. We tried the Unilocal-​mentioned faves, Steak Tips and Blackened Chicken Pasta. Steak tips were great – marinated, tender, delicious. Onion rings on the side were crispy & perfect, not greasy. My husband didn’t like his pasta – too spicy – but your call. It looked delicious… I didn’t try it since I have spice issues. We would definitely go back here.

As I was in town for some business, I turned to Unilocal to find a nice sit-​down restaurant where I could get a quality meal.
East Side Bar and Grille is a quaint restaurant with a good amount of seating for both the bar and just for dining. They also have large store front windows that open, giving a view of Cambridge street.
I was promptly seated and offered bread and butter. I ordered the steak tips (cooked medium) with a red wine pairing and the linguini as a side. The steak tips were well marinated and plentiful. The lack of five stars, however, stems from the meat just being slightly rubbery, which made it difficult to cut and chew. This does not deter me from re-​ordering the same meal, as it was overall very good. The linguini was your run of the mill pasta with red sauce and was also tasty. I am also a big fan of the amount of food for each serving. Not only was there complimentary bread and butter, but my meal came with a salad and side of my choice.
The ambience was also very nice — it was not too loud to have a conversation with your friends, and it was very comfortable. Overall, I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the service and the food. I will definitely be revisiting and recommend East Side Bar and Grille.

Great décor, service, and food. Went in on a Saturday night and was seated quickly. The food and drinks were excellent. They make amazing steak tips!

Solid food and awesome service. Took my family of four and everyone was happy. Steak tips were cooked perfectly. Nice cocktails from the bar.

We were visiting the Boston area and staying in Cambridge and wanted to go somewhere walking distance. We found East Side Bar and Grille on Unilocal and loved it so much we went there two nights in row because no one else close had as good a rating; we were not disappointed either night. The food was delicious, the staff was super friendly and the prices were within expectations. We had the steak tips and ravioli one night, the next night we had the Charlie A’s (I think that is what it was called) — basically haddock, scallops and shrimp crumbed and baked — that was superb, not too gooey with butter but just right! Highly recommend this place for anything on their menu.

Was in Boston on business and used my go to app ( Unilocal) for finding the best local eating establishments. 4.5 Stars had to check it out… and I was not dissatisfied I any way! Service was solid had to sit at the bar (I was a single and it was very busy) keep that in mind. I had one of their signature dishes the Beef Tips and they were done perfectly!!! The bread was fresh as was the side salad. Would go back in a heartbeat.

The food was great and the owner came to the table to make sure we enjoyed. The waitstaff was so nice.

Not worthy of a rating. John Taffer needs to overhaul this restaurant and the owner needs to check his attitude by taking anger management courses.
I made a reservation for fourteen to celebrate my birthday with family and friends. We were running 10 minutes late but called ahead to inform the restaurant. Shortly after ordering appetizers the owner came over and rudely informed us that since we were late we had to be finished and out in an hour. He was extremely rude and treated any question as an attack. There were 14 people in the party but only 12 at the table. We texted the other two and found out they were kicked out for waiting because «the restaurant was too packed». Our party was so offended that we left after our appetizers. The wait staff was nice at least.

Awesome place! Drinks were awesome! Ordered the east burger and it was great. We got the mozz apps & calamari app. Which were great! Our server michele was so nice and helpful! We’re from out of town and she helped if figure out boston! I would probably come back just based off of her!

Came here for a friends birthday dinner — the waiter was really friendly and recommended us some of his favorite dishes.
I ordered the steak tips with a red wine pairing. It was amazing! The waiter told us that they marinate the meat for at least 3 days before cooking it — it was so flavorful
This place is in the middle of nowhere but if you happened to be in the area, this place has good food and good vibes to catch up with friends!

I love this place, I’ve been here at least a dozen times.
Being a Jersey-​Italian living up in Boston for the past 10 years, this place makes me feel right at home. It’s not the standard Italian food you’ll find in the North End, but hey I find most places in the North End a little underwhelming for the wait time and price. The ticket time for meals is always pretty quick and the food comes out delicious.
When they are in season, definitely try the Ribs, I know it seems odd for an Italian place to have BBQ, but the Chef /​Owner smokes them all day and has even won some local awards for them. He’s a Cambridge native, super friendly, and always has some Celtics/​Bruins/​Red Sox game on the big screen by the bar, so it makes for a good spot to grab some good food, a beer of glass of wine.

The two-​star rating is mostly for the food. The service and atmosphere were both better than expected.
We started out with some fried ravioli, which was all gummy pasta and no ricotta creaminess. I mean there was cheese in them, but its flavor and texture were totally lost in the thick pasta. Just not what I’m looking for in a good fried rav.
I got the blackened chicken pasta with fettuccine. The pasta and sauce were flavorful and pretty tasty, like a slightly lighter, more garlicky alfredo sauce. The chicken was gross though. Plentiful, but gross. I don’t know if they need a meat tenderizer or what, but this was the toughest chicken I’ve had in a long, long, time. I mostly ignored it in favor of the pasta.
The bf got fish and chips and said it was par for the course, but he said to mention they gave him a jumbo size lemon wedge to squeeze on it, which he appreciated. Also the «chips» are actually the thick british-​style wedgy fries, great for scooping up ketchup or *shiver* tartar sauce.
On the plus side, everything came out hot, and the portions were huge, we both got another meal out of our leftovers. It was a little expensive, but at least you’re getting value. I just wasn’t impressed with anything I ate.

After a tiring workweek, we walked around Kendall Sq. on a Friday night looking for somewhere to enjoy dinner that wasn’t so obnoxiously loud that we couldn’t hear each other. We checked out a few places with disappointment then headed back to the car. My boyfriend wanted steak tips so I Googled «steak near me» as a last-​ditch effort and low and behold, up came East Side Bar & Grille. We were a 6 minute drive away, so I figured let’s give it a shot.
I have to say, finding a parking spot wasn’t easy but when is it when you’re 5 miles within reach of Boston? But once we did find a space and made it to the restaurant, we were very pleased. Even on a busy Friday night, the host seated us right away, our waitress was very attentive and friendly and the manager even stopped by during our meals to check on us. The place smelled delicious, a reflection of the wonderfully cooked food and we will definitely be back again to try more on the menu. Definitely a hidden gem in East Cambridge. And not a hipster in sight — the best part!

Was very pleased. Walked in to a little bit of a wait which can be expected on a Friday night at any good restaurant. The owner or manager not sure which he was was very attentive to everyone waiting. Constantly giving updates.
Once sat down we ordered an app which came out very fast and was great. It’s hard to mess up mozzarella triangles but I’ve been to places that have. Then we ordered dinner and I love that all of the entrees come wit a side salad and a regular side. That’s what I remember getting growing up everywhere.
Overall great service and atmosphere in the place. Will be back for more hopefully sooner than later

FOOD — 5 stars
Shrimp Bianco w/​linguini: DELICIOUS! The chef here did an EXCELLENT job of incorporating bold flavors into the shrimp, sun-​dried tomatoes… AND the pasta! I typically expect excellent flavors out of the protein, but not the pasta. This pasta was so good that I ate almost all of it and was uncomfortably full for the rest of the night (but totally worth it!)
Chicken Parmesan w/​penne: I had gotten a bit gun shy of ordering chicken parm, but I decided to go for it tonight. It was DELICIOUS!!! The chicken was nice and crispy on the outside and still moist on the inside. The cheese was perfectly melted on top, but did not make the breading soggy. The penne was perfectly al dente and ALSO well flavored, like the linguini.
This restaurant’s head chef knows how to flavor dishes and make the entire dish taste amazing. Kudos to him/​her!
DRINKS — 2 stars
Pamapolitain: 3 star for flavor, 2 star for serving size
A «martini» of Three Olives pomegranate-​flavored vodka w/​pomegranate syrup. The drink itself tasted ok, but considering it was served in a mini-​sized martini glass, it was WAY overpriced and not what was advertised on the menu.
Mai tai: 2 star for flavor, 2 star for serving size
It was a reasonably strong drink, but not as good as the ones we make at home (but when you have your own custom recipe that is optimized for your own taste buds, it’s hard for other drinks to compete). This was also an overpriced drink.
Margaritas with 1800 tequila, 100 proof: 5 star for flavor, 3 star for serving size
A delightfully balanced mix of flavors. Great lime flavor perfectly balanced with the tequila taste. Loved it and would order it again!
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: 4 star for flavor, 4 star for serving size
This wine had all the typical of the flavors I expect out of a NZ Sauv Blanc. Decent pour size & price. I would order this again.

I’ve been staying at the Fairfield Marriott in Cambridge and this was one of the recommendations by the front desk staff. I came with my team and we had a very positive experience. The ambient music and lighting offered a nice and peaceful dinner after a long day of work. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly; I started with the clam chowder and caesar salad, both delicious in comparison to the ones I’ve had before. My entrée consisted of the swordfish steak, cooked to perfection and seasoned just right. Only about 6 blocks away from the hotel, we’ll be dining here the next time we’re in town —
Best,
Charlie

Just a stones throw from Harvard University is a quaint neighborhood Italian restaurant. The hotel I was staying at recommended it highly. The food the atmosphere the staff and the patrons were all exceptional. The crusted salmon was cooked to perfection the vegetable medley the perfect complement. I highly recommend anyone who is in the Cambridge area to go there

The wife and I were hungry. Sorry, did I say hungry? I meant that I was ready to start picking cars up like the Incredible Hulk and shaking them above me hoping for food to fall out. With everything closed due to the July 4^th holiday weekend, we were in dire straits. But, look, there’s an Italian restaurant not too far away from the hotel.
I walk in wearing my casual clothes from an entire day of exploring the city. I get it, stuff us in the back. I would do the same. They sat us and said they would be back with some waters. No drink menu. After about 10 minutes, the server comes back to the table with waters and the drink menu, walking away again. I’m thinking, maybe I wanted to order a drink other than water. When he comes back in 5 minutes with the menu, I explained that I wasn’t happy sitting in the back for, now, 15 – 20 minutes with no drinks or any attention. He kind of shrugged it off and left to get our beers. I was seriously about to leave.
We only wanted pizza. After looking at the menu prices, I thought that people had to be high to put up with that level of service and spend those prices. Additionally, I was concerned that they were going to bring us some small, thin crust pizza that would end with me eating a half bag of pretzels or chips. Then, the experience took a turn.
The sever got us our drinks quickly. Soon after, a huge half cheese, half pineapple pizza came out. One bite of that pizza and I knew it was amazing. This place ranks up with my top 5 pizza places. Personally, it was a tiny bit too thin crust for me (I’m from Pittsburgh where our pizza is medium thickness). But, I loved the sweetness of the sauce and the perfection of cheese. The pineapple did not taste like it was from the can. It was fresh and ripe, however it could still be from a can. Who knows. Service was much better after I talked to the server.
Anyways, what went from me walking out ended up some of thee best pizza I’ve ever had.

Got the linguini with clams here and it was pretty good. The portion was not as big as I had expected — once the clams were gone there wasn’t that much pasta left, though the meal as a whole was still filling. The pasta specials also come with a small salad to start and there was a choice between house, Greek, and Caesar which I thought was nice. The staff was very friendly when we were there, but the service was too slow. We waited a long time for our orders to be taken and then an even longer time for our food to come out. Overall the restaurant seems to be a nice neighborhood joint and I’d go back, but my first experience was nothing to rave about.