80 Thoreau

I have been dining at 80 Thoreau since almost day 1. Last night my dinner was simply wonderful. The foie gras pudding was exquisite. The bavette of beef was cooked to a beautiful rare and the accompanying gratin was pure comfort. The wine selected was perfect. All in all one of the best meals I ever had.

I’ve been coming to 80 Thoreau regularly since I moved to the area and it’s about time I write a review. I love this place! I mostly sit at the bar and the bartenders, Bella and Evan, are amazing. They are super friendly folks that always take great care to make you feel comfortable. Their craft cocktails can’t be beat. Try any whiskey cocktail, you won’t regret it. And the food! Yes! The burger is the best burger ever. It’s all about the sauce. And the meat quality. All of the bar bites are awesome. Eat anything duck on the menu-​you can thank me later.

It’s a cozy restaurant and the food is really good. I enjoy the food every time; therefore, I would love to take my family there when they are in town. However, I just made a phone call to make a reservation for party of 5. I was told the available time is 9:45 pm for party of 5. I understand it’s not a big restaurant, but I did try to make a reservation more than 3 weeks earlier. In addition, I can see the time all available on that day on open table if your party size is smaller. Why the restaurant can’t give us two tables next to each other? Does it means this restaurant doesn’t welcome family dining?

Fantastic, really enjoyed the meal the the service was wonderful

80 Thoreau and Sarma are the only two restaurants in the Boston area that get 5 stars from me. It’s all about the food, which is consistently superb. Flavorful, fresh, and beautifully plated without pretense.

Love 80 Thoreau. My boyfriend and I came here to celebrate a work promotion and it was the perfect spot. Great for dates — intimate setting and super friendly staff. Really love the food here.

Just a great experience every time! We like to sit in the bar area order cocktails an app or two and their amazing burger! They do everything well but there is just something about that burger that is perfection… the pickled vegetables, house-​made ketchup and perfectly cooked fries are the perfect accompaniment. The staff and service are always on point, the atmosphere is comfortably elegant and the cocktails are fresh and yummy! Love that they don’t use pre made cocktail mixes. So lucky to have this place in our town!

The best meal here. Everything was phenomenal. And Vincent and Ian, the owners, are the best.

I enjoyed my meal at 80 Thoreau. The service was commensurate with an upscale restaurant such as this. I had the striped bass which was delicious and cooked perfectly. The kale soup was a fantastic way to start the meal. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the scallops. We sat near the open kitchen and i enjoyed watching the buzz of activity as orders were prepared and picked up for delivery.
The bill was pricy, as we knew it would be, but we both felt that we got our money’s worth from this experience. Definitely a good choice for fresh food prepared very well.

Yes
Really good
Really good
But maybe not great?
Not sure
Will have to revisit
Creative menu
Great bartender /​cocktails
Wines by rate glass fair
Very nice corn soup
Ok tomato salad
Gnocchi fair

Yummmmmm the grilled pork tenderloin is THE BEST! Ammmmmazing experience, the staff the food the drinks everything was outstanding
My new favorite spot!

I am so pleased that I live near this restaurant. Morels and gnocchi are always my favorite. The quail is delicious and the red wine never fails to please.
I also find the cooking staff to be very humble and kind, and it is a treat watching them cook while seated at the «hot bar.»

Consistently excellent with a dedication to service and and tasty local foods. You can always expect to have a great time here given their attentiveness

I had an excellent birthday experience. Our waitress Nina was very friendly and was great with menu suggestions and wine choices. I had the Kale soup which was absolutely excellent and very unique with the yogurt included. Everything on the swordfish plate was cooked perfectly and filled with flavor. I was very surprised how well the garnish was done because usually it’s just sought as an afterthought. I’m not a desert guy, but if you love chocolate it was very rich and sweet. Blackberries were my favorite part of the desert dish. A 2012 bottle of Pinot noir was the perfect touch needed for a delicious birthday meal. It was slightly confusing finding the place, but I was amazed once I did because it was beautiful and very inviting. Would love to return at some point.

The food here is very good. To say «amazing» (an awfully overused and undescriptive term) would be pushing it, though.
Soft shell crab appetizer was lightly breaded and plated with a few peas and tendrils and a spicy mayonnaise. Perfectly cooked, but one small crab for $ 16? C’mon!
The veal flank came with a roulade of shredded veal and sweetbreads. The little strips of veal were slightly chewy, but the veal roll was excellent, although not much of the sweetbread flavor or texture was evident. My friend had a humongous lamb chop, perfectly done at medium rare, and with great lamby flavor. In general though, all the food could have done with a little less salt.
Desserts were unremarkable. Nicely presented with little flowers, but nothing special. The flourless chocolate cake with a very fancy French name and the lemon cake did however, both adequately satisfy the after dinner sweet tooth. At the end of the meal they give the tiniest squares of a cookie cake thing that almost literally needed a microscope to find on the plate. The wine list is a very nice mix of French, American and Italian, and for the most part is fairly priced.
Service was ok. Not quite up to snuff for a place of this kind. Not in harmony with the sophisticated ambience, food and price point. Mostly young, semi-​experienced women from the ‘hood. I guess what charming, smooth, brilliant, aspiring actors, medical students, or professional waitstaff can be found in Concord to do this job?
Overall, however, one of the best restaurants in the area.

Omfg… This place is Amazing! Not a single weakness. Great service, great drinks, great food. Do yourself a favor and go here asap!
First, atmosphere is great. Reminds me of a great place in Carmel I ate at. Bar area is nice and looks very classy. Second, service is five star. Wait staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly. A bit formal, but it fits the mood there. Food is outstanding! Not a disappointing bite! Had an asparagus flight special and even the asparagus custard desert was AWESOME.
Concord is a foofy town, so I could see some would find this place a bit pretentious, but it really isn’t. It’s a high end restaurant offering an amazing experience at a reasonable price point.

My wife and I have been wanting to go here for quite a while now, and so we took advantage of it being our 21^st anniversary (yes, we’re finally at a year where there is no traditional anniversary gift!) to go. And golly gosh, were we happy we did.
The atmosphere was relaxed and the interior was very nice. It was nice to watch the kitchen through the big windows — although I sympathize with the chefs who are under constant surveillance by the customers. None of this Julia Child thing of dropping food on the floor and putting it back on the counter because nobody sees!
Anyway, I digress. The food was amazing and was just the right amount too. Everything was perfectly prepared and delicious. If I had to criticize something it was the number of staff people circling the restaurant, waiting for the opportunity to swoop down on a finished plate or refill a water glass. I was reminded of a caged zoo animal, circling its space, and it did cut into the otherwise relaxed atmosphere. Still, it’s a minor quibble.
We hadn’t intended to mention that it was our anniversary, but it slipped out and they were very nice about it. Everybody was polite and professional and it was a thoroughly enjoyable meal. I’m sure we’ll return.

No Origami… Not needed when you have having the perfect Vesper on a GORGEOUS Spring evening. PERFECT foie gras custard that will make Luke New Orleans and Chef Besh drop to their knees. If you haven’t been here you have missed the most unpretentious «upper crust» flawless dining experience this side of Boston. You had me at Vesper. You had me at foie gras and custard. You put an arrow through my heart with veal and scallops. Hugs, wonderful staff, flawless service, and a kick-​ass chef. Oh how I have missed you!

I’ve been to 80 Thoreau about a half dozen times, at this point, and every type of experience has been first rate, both for food and for service. I’ve had the tasting menu twice, sitting at a counter overlooking the kitchen, and have multiple courses. It’s a real treat, with some spectacular dishes that are constantly changing. Last night, the standouts were the Nantucket scallops and also the lamb, with «beggar’s purses.» Really fantastic meal; we left full but not quite over the edge of being overly stuffed. Expect it to be a three-​hour affair, but it’s very fascinating to watch the cooks hard at work, making their magic, and the genius chef overseeing every last little detail. The wine parings are always exceptional, and they make really great cocktails.
We’ve had sizable groups (maybe eight people) there a few times, in the main dining room, and it’s terrific for that. The menu has something or everyone. My kids (9 and 12) love it, as do their parents and grandparents. But it’s probably most appropriate for most people as a date night destination, or for a leisurely hang with a couple friends.
The bar area is another great experience there. It serves simpler fare, but the quality is first rate. They make a mean burger, on a brioche bun. The cocktails are nicely thought out. Desserts are just gorgeous.
I’ve found the service to be consistently very strong, both for food and drink. They are friendly and helpful and knowledgeable. I tend to pepper servers with technical questions, but here, they always roll with it, and rush off to research any answers that they don’t know offhand. Very good sports, and they seem into what they are doing. When the conversation turns to travel, the owner Vincent is generous with restaurant recommendations for other cities!
To me, this is the area’s best restaurant, from Concord to the west. It’s consistently high quality and interesting, with decent value and varied experiences possible. They try really hard, and do a great job.

March 2015 — 80 Thoreau keeps getting better with time as a great restaurant should! The chef is up for best NE in Food And Wine and is MORE than deserving of the honor = congrats. The menu and service reflect the high standards and quality of the top «name» places in Boston. A must try spot for any foodie regardless of where your coming from (local or the city). They do a very nice job with the wine list (revolving and evolving) — nicely done all around.
Sept 2014 — Best restaurant in the area (unforetunaatly the bar is low BUT 80 Thoreau is a beacon in this vast culinary desolation) the menu, food, service very good to excellent depending on the season and server. Tip: The burger (from the bar menu) really is just awesome. The true star of this establishment is the pastry chef — desserts here are next level and works of art.