Gargoyles On The Square

I went with my girlfriend during restaurant week. They had pork rangoons, which I never knew existed. Absolutely delicious.
I also had the duck which was pretty good, but the skin was a bit overdone in my opinion.
They also had a sake sampler which was great.
The layout is a bit crowded

I had dinner only once a couple of years ago. I had an excellent experience, wishing I came back much sooner before it closed :(
The live acoustic music in front by the bar was great! I found Gargoyles to be extremely intimate and romantic. Lovely date spot. I recall how much I enjoyed the choice of music while dinning. The server was accommodating, down to earth and sweet. Our entrée, wine and desert were all delectable. The prices were a bit steep.

While I am not a big fan of disco music, I came here one Sunday for their weekly Disco Brunch. At first, I was a little disappointed with the menu because it wasn’t particularly interesting but I was very impressed with the presentation and value of the food. I had the smoked salmon, which is actually a first course, but it was definitely enough food for one person. The salmon came with a dollop of delicious chive cream cheese, pickled onions (which were delicious), 3 slices of french bread, and of course smoked salmon. I made my own bruschetta like creations with the ingredients on the plate and needless to say, I was very happy with my meal.
My companion had their blueberry pancakes. They were topped with a delicious lemon curd. We also ordered a side of hash browns and a side of eggs. The sides were $ 3 each and our plates ranged from $ 8-​$ 10. For the amount of food we got, the prices were extremely reasonable. Our server was also friendly and attentive.

Love the atmosphere, but wasn’t a big fan of the available space in the restaurant. Understandable since my friends and I went during Restaurant Week, and we had a seating of 8 in a place that looks like it can seat a maximum of 25, but it was a bit cramped with the host and waiters/​waitresses walking back and forth bumping into our chairs.
The food was superb! I had the duck leg which was moist and packed with flavor from the crispy skin to the tender meat underneath.
While the dining ended in a relatively high note, it didn’t end as such when we left the door. Our waiter made a couple mistakes on our check, overcharging us by an extra 2 meals and a drink, and it took a while for them to figure it out. Should have been easy to sort out, but it dragged out longer than usual.
Not in a huge rush, but I’d definitely visit Gargoyles again.

They’ve gone DOWNHILL.
Jason’s gone all kinds of crazy ever since being on Hells Kitchen. I think he’s coming up with awkward dishes because he still thinks he’s on a reality show. Reality is he’s delusional.
I used to love it here. Came here for a birthday with a shitton of friends, most Sundays for the Disco brunch, and on quite a few occasions where I just wanted something with a little extra panache. But seriously, ever since Jason went on TV, this place shat the bed.
Portions are ridiculously small for the price, the seasoning is just way off, cooked temperatures are random at best, and sometimes a little editing eye would go a long way. Most recent disappointment: huevos rancheros for brunch — two poached eggs, guac, and salsa on two tiny tortillas. Dude, $ 13? It wasn’t even good. Seasoning was off, guac was brown, salsa reminded me of store-​brand cheap sh*t. And I wasn’t even full. Right around the corner for $ 5, I get better at Blue Shirt Café. That one sealed the deal (after horrendous rendezvous with monkfish, beef short ribs, and hangar steak — all within the last couple months). Don’t get me wrong — they USED TO have HUGE portions of quality food, but that’s what pisses me off the most.
I still love Paul. He’s the bartender. Best. Bartender. Ever. (Well, he and Trina from Trina’s Starlight Lounge) And I’ll get their burger on occasion, but no more dining room. Ever.
Sorry, Gargoyles. You done f*cked up. You’re going to need Gordon Ramsay again, except this time for Kitchen Nightmares.
My new go-​to in Davis for high-​end (ish): Posto (check them out — they’re cute). Haven’t been to Foundary, but I’ve heard they’re a mixed bag/​risky too.

I’ve been to Gargoyles for lunch and brunch and have been pretty pleased with the food. The service was not attentive or fast but was still friendly. They do disco brunch when in their main dining room which is loud and festive. I enjoyed sitting in the front room near the bar since its more quite and calm… I know I sound like that old lady ;)
The mussels, smoked salmon blt, dumpling, salmon, and salads were all tasty and enjoyable. The food is solid, the service is spotty, the ambiance is nice but nothing special, and the prices are reasonable. It’s a nice option while in Davis Sq. but I won’t be in a rush to come back.

Short version: Great drinks, OK food.
I’ll start with the good stuff, if I was just rating this it would be 5 stars. The drink menu here was innovative and awesome. I had some really good martini type drink that had Sriracha in it and was nice and strong with a little heat. I can easily see myself heading back here for drinks on a regular occasion.
Next the important stuff, food. Now, it wasn’t a bad experience and the staff was pleasant but I expected better then an OK meal. We had two dishes. First was the Monkfish «Osso Buco» but they were out of Monkfish so they substituted salmon. No big deal. The issue here was that the fish was dry and overcooked and white bean ragout was undercooked and was a bit cold. There was a lot going on with the plate but it just seemed to have to much going on and didn’t really meet expectations. I had venison which was a really great cut and cooked to perfection but the sauce and sides were on the bland side which may have been by design for a more natural tasting meat.
All in all I do expect to go back here and try again and fully expect it to be a 4 star place but in this as far as dinner it was good but nothing special.

Disco Brunch!!! Waaa-​hooo.
In my opinion, this is the kind of place you come to for one thing only…
For me that one thing is — RED VELVET PANCAKES!
I spotted these amazing pancakes on Urban Daddy and had to give them a shot. We had no idea we would get a disco themed brunch out of the deal, but fine by me.
Definitely a fun place to come with friends on a Sunday morning. The menu as a whole didn’t really impress me but those pancakes were out of this world delicious. We also tried their homemade donuts with lemon curd — amazing as well. Cocktails were good too. By the end I was full, happy, and singing along to Donna Summer and Boy George. Success.

This is a tough one to review for me …
The place had an extremely cool vibe. I was psyched when we walked in and even upon reviewing the menu, I was really looking forward to a new culinary experience!
The menu has fresh/​creative items, the waitress was AWESOME and very knowledgeable about all aspects of the menu & their ingredients. She had strong opinions and recommendations for us (which I really appreciate!) and continued to keep me quite happy with our restaurant choice.
The beer selection was poor but this restaurant is more of a wine/​cocktail place than pub — which we totally expected so I was totally fine with that.
Then the food came … sadly the food was just fair. We had calamari & escargot — both of which wasn’t anything to write home about (or Unilocal!). I ordered Ribs & Dumpling which while REALLY tasty was an odd combination and very awkward to eat. The others in our party weren’t particularly happy/​impressed with their meals either.
With the restaurant competition in Davis Square, this place didn’t do enough to make us want to come back… except maybe for their Disco Brunch which looked like a total blast but wasn’t very highly recommended by our waitress. SORRY!

I suppose if I lived near Davis Square I’d be a bit more enthusiastic about Gargoyles, but instead I’ve gotta say that it’s not worth a 10 minute subway ride in its own right. I won’t try to come up with a grand theory about why many places in Davis Square flounder in pretentious mediocrity, I’ll just focus on how to best approach Gargoyles: don’t eat there.
The bar is fine. I’ve been there a few times over the years. But the food is so-​so at best, and as other Unilocalers have recently noted the service is delivered with an attitude. Last weekend a group of us went to Gargoyle’s «Disco Brunch» which, to be honest, sounded like a bad idea from the start. My managed expectations were largely met — it was ok but I’d never choose to go again. Does anyone really want to eat an omelette while Donna Summers is blaring and strobe lights are flashing? The glow sticks at the table were … nominally cute, I guess. No, actually they were just lame.
I’d been feasting on rich food all weekend, so I wasn’t in the mood for standard brunch fare. My friends who got red velvet pancakes thought they were delicious. I ordered a simple green salad, which was fine, and an appetizer of pork-​cilantro dumplings. Which were pretty gross, because for some reason they’d been deep fried. The exterior was hard and flavorless, and the filling had shriveled into hard lumps. The dipping sauce was super salty and quite obviously straight out of a bottle. The only redeeming thing was the bed of pickles the dumplings sat upon, which lent a much needed bit of moisture.
Gargoyles … meh.

Food was great. Had the Kobe steak.
Clean, well maintained place. Professional staff and service.

***Restaurant Week Review***
I was looking forward to my first visit to Gargoyles on the Square because I’ve been so wanting to try their Signature Hoisin & Honey Glazed Duck Confit — sweet sticky rice, mango, cashews, young coconut milk. I mean, doesn’t that sound absolutely delicious? But for $ 25 a pop, it was a bit rich for my blood. However, during Restaurant Week, it was $ 33.10 for three courses, INCLUDING the infamous duck and some little figs too! Okay, done and done!
If you’ve never been to this restaurant before, it is a short walk from the Davis Square T stop: After you walk through the sliding gates, take the left exit. As you exit the station, take a left and walk, and you will see Mike’s (restaurant on a corner, huge sign, you can’t miss it). Cross the street to Mike’s and walk on, passing Mike’s on your left — at this point you will be on Elm Street. Walk a couple of blocks and the green leafy garden on your left, across from Citizens Bank at 212 Elm Street, is actually Gargoyles in disguise.
If you drove, don’t park out front — the meters there have a 1 hour limit and don’t shut off until 8pm Mon-​Sat. Fortunately, however, Gargoyles has a parking lot in the back, accessible through Grove Street.
Once you enter Gargoyles, you are greeted by a reception desk situated just in front of the bar area, but fear not! Just beyond to the right, there is a nice high ceilinged dining room for your comfort.
The wait staff here seems to play tag, as we were served by three or four different individuals throughout the night, ranging in attitude from «I don’t really want to be here, and you’re probably not going to tip well any ways seeing as it is Restaurant Week, so I’m just going to give you the minimum amount of service I can get away with while not smiling» to «My pleasure to serve you! The food here is terrific!»
The bread was a good start — olive oily slices of bread — but would have probably been better off served with a plate of olive oil or some sort of bean spread rather than the butter it arrived with.
The Summer Corn Bisque was tempting in presentation with the double platooned armada floating atop with a good portion of the lobster salad spooned on. The soup itself was good, but nothing to shout about as it wasn’t particularly corny.
Of the two appetizers, I preferred the Cast Iron Baked Figs, with the contrast of the tender sweet figs, and salty blue cheese and pancetta, although an additional slice of baguette would have been nice.
The duck was truly worth the wait! Two yummy tender duck legs made for a respectable portion for the price, and the rice was tasty without being gooey sweet like I imagined. The saucy bean sprouts were a touch on the salty side. The only thing I’d suggest that they consider changing about this dish is the addition of some other vegetables to make for a slightly heathier entrée choice. The Marinated Grilled Hanger Steak basil polenta, stewed tomatoes, wilted spinach, marinated mozzarella was tasty but a bit tough and chewy, and the tomatoes a bit too strongly flavored.
For dessert, we split the Chocolate Cake and Carrot Cake Cup Cake — both good choices. The chocolate cake was really dark looking yet light and moist. I was actually hesitant about choosing the carrot cake since my current favorite is my sister’s homemade one. But we asked the server taking our order for her advice, and once we reminded her we could only pick two, she did not hesitate on her recommendations, so I switched from the martini glass of Fresh Cherry Tiramisu to the Carrot Cup Cake, and am I glad I did! The cake itself was tasty and moist, while the sweet frosting could have been improved with a higher cream cheese ratio, but was still good.
Tables were a bit too close to each other — I could not help but to scrape the edge of our neighboring table as I made my escape from my seat.
2 sizeable single unisex bathrooms are located on either side of the cubby hole at the far right end of the dining room, stocked with these cool really strong hand blow dryers.
Tip — They only seat whole parties. I don’t know though if this is a RW thing or an every day thing, but they posted a sign by the reception area.

Please note: this review applies to a special event at Gargoyles (a viewing of the second-​to-​last episode of Hell’s Kitchen, in which Chef Jason Santos was competing).
I attended the Hell’s Kitchen viewing with my boyfriend and my parents. My parents and I ordered from the regular menu, and Joel got the special Hell’s Kitchen prix fixe menu. Aside from Joel’s pork, which was on the dry side, the food was all great.
Service, however, was atrocious. It actually felt like we were eating in Hell’s Kitchen. Entrees arrived while we were still eating appetizers, and then dessert came much, much later. Worse, the wine we ordered at the beginning of the meal also came 45+ minutes later, after the entrees were already cleared. When we were able to grab a server, she told us the bar was backed up. It’s a bottle of wine that’s uncorked at the table, not a cocktail. How hard is it to grab the bottle after we told you we’ve been waiting a half hour and we’re already done eating? Not impressed, but since it was a special event, I understand that circumstances were different than usual.
I’d be willing to give it another shot on a non-​event night because the food was solid.
Check out my full review on my blog (with food porny photos!) —

Recently moved to the area and when I found out that this restaurant’s head chef was a contestant in this current season of Hell’s Kitchen I figured that I’d check it out. Long story short, the night before I went to have my shoulder surgery, I treated Erick H. to a dinner there because he was going to have a rough few days having to deal with me. Shoulder surgery would mean that he’d have to step up as a roommate and help me out a bit so buying him dinner was the least I could do.
We both made our way to Davis square and walked in all excited. The place is fairly small and was pretty crowded. Nevertheless we were easily seated at a table. The bar was crowded with people eating and drinking all kinds of things.
As I started to glance at the menu, my heart skipped a beat when I noticed pork belly in the appetizers section. I didn’t look further, my mind already made; the belly came served with lime sugar, huckleberry pudding, honeydew melon and pink pepper. It was neatly plated and the melon paired well with the pork; it was usual but delicious. The pork belly was full of flavor and it left me wanted more.
As an entrée I picked the moist and succulent pan roasted Statler chicken, which came with a potato purée, spinach, marsala jus, pancetta and a caprese-​inspired garnish. I originally was going to get the chicken special but the waitress recommended this one, which was a la carte and a few dollars cheaper. It was phenomenal.
The waitress was really friendly, the service very attentive and the prices were on par. The décor is modern, clean and doesn’t scream trendy; instead the lighting is dim and the ambiance subdued.
This neighborhood gem left me very impressed and I look forward to coming back so I can experience their disco brunch that I’ve heard so much about. And for another dinner at some point as well. This is a lovely addition to Davis square which doesn’t really have any high-​end dinning establishments except for this one.

This is only a brunch review but holy mama, they don’t skimp on the portions! My whole experience was kind of surreal, what with ordering a cocktail that the waitress blatantly told me she had no idea how to make, then watching her attempt to make it by following some step-​by-​step placemat thing, but wow wow wow, those portions!
Yogurt Parfait: HUGE!
Brown Sugar French Toast: ENORMOUS!
Morning Massacre: GINORMOUS FRIGGIN’ SKILLET OF EGGY, CHEESY GOODNESS!
Yes, folks, size DOES matter. At least when it comes to brunch.

Yum! This place may have moved up in the ranks of my favorite restaurant!
Don’t come here if you want your food straight up — Chef Santos has a bit of a flair about him and loves to mix things up.
Molecular Gastronomy — woo hoo!
#1 — order the calamari. just do it. it’s really good. i promise.
#2 — order dessert — doesn’t really matter which one (although i may suggest the truffle ice cream? lol)
#3 — the menu is always changing — gotta love Chef’s who keep you guessing on what’s next.
My next venture to Gargoyles will be to plant myself at the bar and try some of those fantastic looking drinks. Anyone want to come?

Note: This review may be slightly biased because of the free Godiva Liqueur martinis that the fabulous bar tender here made us multiple times :-)
But there no doubt in my mind why she gave us those drinks for free to welcome us to gargoyles because those drinks alone make me want to come here every single day just to sip on one of those chocolate dreams…
And if that drink isn’t your style, well from their bar menu (which is WAY more affordable than their regular restaurant menu but you can only order from at the bar) they have these duck confit fries that are TRULY AMAZING. Me, Matt J., Kelley B. and Jeff all split an order of these awesome fries that are smothered in blue cheese and grilled onions and come in a little skillet of its own, and we all took our share and all I could hear were sounds of euphoria from everyone, because each bite was heaven. We almost ordered another order that very second. So this is a MUST ORDER.
Their burger on their bar menu is pretty good too. Cooked very well, nice and juicy, and it comes with fries and their homemade ketchup which tastes a lot of freshly pureed tomatoes which I guess ketchup is ha ha Their duck drumettes (fancy word for wings! ha ha) were also pretty tasty, but we thought we could get more than three for the price. Lastly, their tuna maki bar menu item was some of the freshest tuna sashimi pieces I’ve had in Boston, but the maki rice rolls were just kind of bland…
You know what isn’t bland? The bill you get at the end of the meal here. Don’t get me wrong, these bar tenders are spot on – they down how to mix any drink and pour it right to the brim of that glass. The cocktail menu is awesome, and so is the décor. But those drinks are not the cheapest in the world, even if the bar menu food prices attempted to make up for it, we left here spending a little more than we wanted even with some free drinks! So be prepared for that, or just have an extra godiva martini and that may help too :-)

Came here on a whim knowing that I would get decent food and good service. I had the Tuna Poke, the cheese platter, and the Arugula salad with strawberries. The waitress who’s name I believe was Jen was awesome.
The cheese plate was pretty good. The standout item was the truffle honey. The honey complemented the soft cheese very well and was delicious enough to just have with the toasted bread. The overall cheese on the platter was lacking but it was good.
The Tuna Poke is something I have here usually and it’s one of my favs. The tuna chunks could be larger and be a more dominate flavor in the dish but still good.
Now the arugula salad with strawberries was interesting. It had a mix of dried and fresh strawberries. It also had smeared goat cheese on the plate. Now I’m not a fan of goat cheese since I find it too strong and needs to be limited to small amounts to be good so in this case, it was too much for me. The dried strawberries in the salad were too sweet and gummy and would rather of had more fresh strawberries.
Still one of the better dining areas in the Davis square area.
Food — ⁷⁄₁₀ — They mix up the menu and have good selections of apps and entrees. Their apps are good for meals.
Value — ⁷⁄₁₀ — Depends on the items but you get decent food presentation on them all with nothing that I found to be bland.
Chances you’ll be seated next someone on a first date — ⁷⁄₁₀ — Dim lighting and classy atmosphere with modest prices attract young love and close proximity will allow you to entertain you and your company with their conversations.

A-​OK pretty much sums it up. Honestly, I probably should have tried something more tantalizing, but I went with a dish I was sure wouldn’t disappoint me. I ordered the Kobe Chili Hot Dogs off the bar menu. They are served with «cheap yellow mustard» and Fritos. Literally, there is a bag of Fritos wedged between the two dogs… but don’t be fooled people… they cut the bottom off so that when you pick up the bag of Fritos… the Fritos come out the bottom! I didn’t want the Fritos… so that was a bummer… but the idea and the presentation get a thumbs up.
The hot dogs are big… the chili is mild… and the yellow mustard is a nice touch. All in all… very yummy. I barely made it through one… I don’t know how people can manage to tackle both.
I split a salad with my boyfriend… and it was definitely the highlight of my night. It was a spinach salad with root beer infused vinaigrette, topped with candied strawberries, fresh strawberries and smeared with the creamiest whipped goat cheese I’ve ever had. Super awesome salad. That plate was entered into the clean plate club!
A solid first experience.

We arrived at Gargoyle’s and there was a line out the door. Always a good sign to see a line, right? But lo, this line was just to talk to the host — not even people waiting to be seated! It kind of put me off but I thought whatever, it’s snowing, I have no where else to be, I’ll wait. After we let the host know about our reservation it took about 3 minutes to get seated, no biggie.
Our server was awesome and I feel terrible for not catching her name. She was bubbly, energetic, super laid back, just really cool. She was an expert of the menu (even though it was apparently new!). It was so busy that I reminded her about our drinks a few times but she was by no means neglectful.
Ok so, the food. Oh wow. Where to begin? Well, appetizers. We got the calamari and pork belly. The calamari was crispy, perfectly fresh, served with a peanut sauce, and over a bed of very spicy slaw. It was terrific. The pork belly was fork tender, marinated in maple syrup, over sweet gnocchi, and topped with a sunny side up egg. I haven’t tasted anything that good in a LONG time. I could have eaten a plate of those for dinner, it was seriously that good. For dinner I got the chicken breast topped with a pecan salad and over pastrami mac and cheese. The chicken was beautifully cooked, the flavor could have been more intense though. The salad was crisp and yummy. The mac and cheese could have been less on the pastrami and more on the cheese but it was still very tasty. Finally we got mint white chocolate ice cream for dessert (see picture!). It was rich, decadent, smooth, and so creamy.
This place is BUSY. So plan to be here for 2 hours. The people arround us was there for the exact length of time we were (just about 2 hours), if not longer. Despite the time investment, I highly recommend Gargoyle’s (especially if you want a dress-​up-​for-​no-​reason date night restaurant).