Deep Ellum

I came here for a late lunch on a random afternoon and the servers were MIA. I’ve been here before for brunch on Saturday about two years ago and loved the «hipster» /​industrial vibes so I was excited to bring my friend here, but maybe I made a mistake coming during the week.
The service (³⁄₅)
— One bartender who doubled as the server, host… basically took on the role of the FOH
— No one greeted us, so we just sat at an open table and the bartender brought over the drink menu, menu, and water.
— When it got busier, we felt guilty asking for condiments. etc because there was literally one person working and the servers in the back were just coming in for their shift.
Food:
+ C H A R C U T E R I E P L A T E ($ 15): delicious and generous portion of their pates; loved this appetizer especially their pork belly & pickled radishes; would feed 2 – 4 people easily (⁵⁄₅)
+ H O U S E B U R G E R ($ 13): Everyone seems to rave about their burgers but my friend didn’t find it very special. He said it was satisfying/​filling, but nothing he would die over, as most of the reviewers seems to feel. But he did say that the meat patty was really juicy, but lacked seasoning. The fries that comes with the house burger was on POINT! It was crispy, thin, and crunchy. (³⁄₅)
+ T R U F F L E F R I E S ($ 5): YUMMMY! did not have the greasy aftertaste! I expected it to be sickening after the first couple of bites, but it wasn’t at all.
***however, b/​c we had an over abundance of fires, I suggest asking for a different side should you choose to get an order of the truffle fries & an entrée!

Deep Ellum has one of the best, most carefully curated beer lists in Boston. The prices are a little on the high side, but not unusual for the fantastic and often rare draft beers they get in. The food is fine, not really my taste: upscale pub food, basically. But I go for the beer, and it’s one of my go-​to places when friends are in from out of town and like fancy beer bars.
The biggest problem with this place, without a doubt, is how damn small it is, and how insanely crowded it gets. Several times we’ve been turned away because they’re at capacity, which I’m actually fine with — I just wish they’d call it «at capacity» much sooner. Even when you’re seated at a table, it takes gymnastic skill to wiggle out to go to the bathroom without serious contact with the people seated next to you.
Service is hit or miss: usually friendly enough, but often harried and running around and not super present.
This is a great place, but I strongly recommend going during off-​hours. The middle of the day on weekdays are delightful!

I was very disappointed with my experience at Deep Ellum. I was soooo excited to go to Deep Ellum and LoneStar bar after seeing them on Dinners, Drive ins And Dives. I Had my best friend visiting from Miami. So I wanted to take him to some cool food spots in Boston.. Lonestar was amazingggg. Great Food great and the drinks were excellent. Service was on point. Deep Ellum on the other hand wasnt very good. we ordered the pickle plate, and chicken 2 ways. Now I lovvvvveeee pickles but this was not good. The chicken 2 ways wasn’t either the sausage was gross. Best thing we had was the Pain killer drink even though it was more ice than drink. And service was not friendly. We felt very much like outsiders and unwelcomed. I would not go back to Deep Ellum and would not recommend it to friends, LoneStar on the other hand I highly recommend and cannot wait to go back. Its kinda crazy because they share the same kitchen yet are worlds apart.

By far, best cocktail bar in Brighton/​Allston. Devlins is a close second, but not the same. Deep Ellum serves until 2am and the food is epic. I never order chicken at restaurants and just had the Chicken 2 Ways (new on the menu) and it’s amazing. If you have the chance, get here!

Went here after a group of friends and I got ditched at another nearby restaurant. Guy at the door was extremely nice and invited us all in when he saw us walking by. We just had appetizers and drinks but it was very good. Very good selection on tap, and the Gorgonzola cheese fries were amazing and paired nicely with the beer. Menu is definitely not your average pub fair but in a good way and I plan on going back some night when I’m out again.

Deep Ellum– $$
Good food. Well balanced plate. Had chicken two ways. Great service. Food came to us quickly, but not too quickly. Enormous beer selection and other drinks. BUT The menu is quite limited. Creative dishes but not enough options. 6 – 8 entrées available. Environment pretty cool. Exposed brick. Tiled floors. But the low lighting made it hard to distinguish my food. Could have been anything.

Decided to go to brunch with my roommate and her parents and despite their short menu, the food was amazing. I ordered the French toast and munched on some pretzels and dip. Definitely going back– seeing as I live right next to ellum! Would recommend

This place is cool. It’s a simple darkish pub that sells pretty cool beers.
The food is pretty good as well.
Service can be slow, because it’s so busy.
The patio is dope but service is slow outside.
But the brunch, this is where the magic happens.
It’s so good and the drinks are strong.
Definitely worth a place to try.
Parking is hard.

The tattoo-​centric, rock star vibe of Deep Ellum really reminds me of some of the best spots back home in San Francisco. We chose to sit outside on the patio, which was packed with people yet we had no wait! That’s the best balance if you ask me.
The sun was beaming down with all its strength, but thankfully the venue set up colorful bright orange tents to protect their diners. If only these tents would ward off the buzzing bees that seemed to be just as enamored with Deep Ellum as the patrons!
The entire menu was seriously mouth-​watering. From the portugese sweet bread french toast, to the kielbasa and egg sandwich, it was hard to pick just one.
We ordered the Duck Confit Hash, which came complete with the braised swiss chard, fingerling potatoes, and red peppers topped with two fried eggs. The dish was presented on an adorable skillet, and was deliciously seasoned to perfection.
Though I usually go for the french toast option, I’ve been opting for savory as of late. I went with the Deep Ellum Breakfast Burrito, which came packed with scrambled eggs, house made chorizo, potatoes, salsa verde, longhorn cheese and crema. I got the salsa on the side since I wasn’t sure how spicy it was, but I would suggest to get it inside the burrito — it was so delicious I ended up dripping it on every bite!
The burrito was cooked perfectly and I pretty much devoured it. Coming from someone who prefers a sweet dish in the morning, this should tell you how great the dish is! It was hard to put it down.

This place used to be so good, but unfortunately that is no longer the case. I got my usual chicken fried steak today, and the gravy was thin (think milk thin), flavorless and cold. The steak itself was an oversalted and overcooked rock (barely edible).
The waitress didn’t even bother asking how it was and honestly I wanted to just choke it down and get out. I won’t be returning, which is unfortunate because I used to love going there.
I just feel like the quality has been very touch and go for the past year, but the shoddiness of today’s meal really put it over the edge. I would suggest that whatever cook was on duty today find a new career path better suited to his/​her talents :-P

I come here often as it’s one of the only places in allston with creative cocktails and a reliable beer selection. The food is also great! On slow days the staff is extremely friendly.
However, usually on busy nights, I’ve experienced a short tempered staff. One night when the place was full, the ex-​military bouncer was very short with me and my friends. We go there often and recognized him; we mentioned it. He replied «never seen you.» We laughed it off but he kept it awkward. He didn’t allow us in, which is understandable. Capacity. But it was no pleasure dealing with him.
Another night I had tried a sour on tap with my buddy. First try was just in a small glass. The bartender was kind enough to let us taste the beer without us asking. Soon we ordered a glass. The tap sort of exploded a bit with foam flying. Anyway the bartender filled the glass and I felt that it affected the taste. I noted this to him just to mention it may have altered the taste since the taste I had earlier felt different. I assured him I didnt want a refund but he responded with a blank look. Not really responding but listening and choosing to ignore. Rest of the night was fine.
The next time I came, I came with a group. I had been drinking for a while, no complaints. I ordered a shot of green chartreuse from an African American server (i mention this only for identification purposes.) When I got the shot, no doubt due to the very dark lighting, it looked yellow. I told the server, trying to be decent, that I thought I asked for green chartreuse instead of yellow. I said I would drink it I just didn’t know if there was a mix up. He responded «…that is green chartreuse.» I apologized and he promptly turned around, ignoring me. After drinking it, I realized it was green. The server returned and I apologized, saying I was wrong. He replied «Wooooww.» in a way that a high schooler would respond to getting yogurt spilled on them in the lunch room. I told him I was just trying to be nice. He again ignored me and left the table. It really made me feel poorly and I didn’t think he was being fair after I had admitted to making an honest mistake. He served us awkwardly the rest of the night. My friends at the table all agreed that the server was making us uncomfortable.
I’m sure the servers will read this calling me a piece of s*** or a poor customer, but based on my track record I think I am a reasonable customer and frequent visitor of Deep Ellum. As someone who has visited here and there for a few years, I have seen a decline in service since I first came. Instead of feeling welcomed, I feel like a burden to the staff, like they expect me to be a dumb college kid or someone looking to give a hard time.
For these reasons I will be spending my time elsewhere, which is too bad because of the quality of food and drinks they provide here.

I used to love coming here for brunch all the time but on my last visit it just was not as good as it used to be. I will say the waitresses are all really nice but in terms of food it just wasn’t what I expected. My friends and I ordered the Poutine to start, which was more like disco fries, as they definitely did not use cheese curds, if they did, they were not fresh.
As for main dishes, I got the BBQ Breakfast, and my friends got the Duck Confit Hash, and the Breakfast Burrito. For the BBQ Breakfast everything was pretty standard (because you should really not be screwing up just cooked meat and cornbread) except I ordered the eggs runny, and when it came it was completely cooked; my friend who got the breakfast burrito also had an egg that was completely cooked. My other friend who got the Duck Confit Hash literally got a plate full of potatoes and very few pieces of duck. We were not super satisfied with our meal, as we have come here before and had better.

I’ve been to Deep Ellum a couple times now and have to say it’s one of my favorite places in Allston/​Brighton. The vibe is very Davis Square — lots of tattoos and facial piercings. The music in the background is pretty much a mashup of skateboard video soundtracks. It’s a very small place, so they don’t take reservations. Seating is first-​come, first-​serve. It gets VERY crowded, so I’d only recommend going on a Sunday night during a blizzard.
The cocktails are some of the best I’ve had outside of my true love, Barbara Lynch’s Drink. I love how they have a whole section of Manhattan-​style drinks. I tried the Ipswich Old Fashioned, which was an Old Fashioned made with dark rum. I also had the Toronto, which was a Manhattan with Fernet instead of Vermouth. I really loved the Toronto — awesome flavor, and served up so it never got diluted.
For appetizers we had the pickled plate and charcuterie. I woudn’t get either again, to be honest. The picked plate had pickled pears and various peppers, which were okay. Probably good for stimulating your taste buds, but not really for satisfying any sort of appetite. The charcuterie was 2 types of cold cuts (4 slices each), and a small cup of fat to spread on bread (which we got a few slices of) (a few). I should have just got the poutine and pretzels.
I had the burger for my main course which was excellent. Best burger I’ve had in a while. It was topped with cheddar, smoked tomato aioli, bacon onion jam, homemade pickles, and arugula. Such a powerhouse of flavor. I can’t really see myself getting anything but the burger during future visits.
For dessert, I had the Café Sacho, which is coffee, tequila, agave nectar, mole bitters, topped with fresh whipped cream with Mexican chocolate. It was good, but I’m not a huge fan of coffee and tequila. Awesome execution — just not my jam.
Service was decent overall… We are 32 and definitely don’t look like teenagers, so I don’t really get why they had to grill our IDs for a couple minutes at the door. When you start the night off like that, it makes me feel like I’m entering a college dive bar… After our 3^rd round of drinks, the servers stopped coming over to us. No water refills, nobody asked if we wanted another round. Our bill was well over $ 200, but we wouldn’t have minded staying a little longer. We sort of got the hint that they wanted us to leave. So we did.
Parking in that part of town is horrific so just take an Über if you live close-​by. Otherwise, wear footwear conducive to walking.
End of the day, if you want excellent, creative cuisine and libations, I can’t think of a better place in Allston/​Brighton/​Brookline.

My friends and I went here for brunch. They had so many different kinds of items there was something for everyone. I got the BBQ breakfast and it was amazing. While the mimosas were not in champagne glasses they were made with fresh orange juice which was a pleasant surprise. If you like a chill atmosphere with a trendy looking staff you’ll love it here.
The only criticism I have is that the coffee was not very good.

Deep Ellum is a bastion of creative, well-​made food, delicious cocktails, and a phenomenal draft beer list for daily brunch and dinner. Check out the Truffled Gorgonzola Fries, Kimchi Dog, and Root Beer Braised Pork Belly. In warmer weather, take advantage of their patio dining area in the back.

— BOTTOM LINE (S):
Hipster vibe with awesome food and great beer list.
Crowded pretty much all the time, except for early weekday nights.
Ask your waiter for beer suggestions! They always have something in mind.
Check out Lone Star next door if it’s too crowded.
Deep Ellum is also one of the few bars in Allston with a nice outdoor patio, which gets super crowded given Bostonians can only use outdoor spaces for 4 months of the year.
— FOOD + BEER:
No real theme to their menu. Just really good, hearty food that will taste great with your beer.
Maple Habanero BBQ Fried Chicken is unimaginably delicious — moist and flavorful, sweet and spicy, crispy and soft.
I also appreciate their healthier options, which change seasonally, when I’m in the mood to offset my beer ingestion with something a little more well-​rounded. They have awesome salads, such as the cauliflower one I had in the summer.
Charcuterie plates are excellent for groups.
As mentioned, beer list is extensive. I tell the waiter/​bartender what I like and they always pull through.
— SPACE:
It’s really dark. Almost too dark sometimes for my liking. It also can get really loud and packed, so I’d avoid it if you’re looking for a substantial intimate experience with your drinking/​dining mate. Outdoor patio is a favorite of mine — it’s nestled behind a couple of buildings so you feel worlds away from Allston. Gets *really* crowded though. So come early to grab a seat outside.

Gster and I have wanted to try Deep Ellum forever. We always try to go, but then either assume I won’t like anything on the menu (which isn’t true), or the line is long (which it always is). We also heard that they have one of the best brunches in Boston. One cold fall day, we walked over, and much to our surprise it was pretty empty. I was very impressed with the menu, both brunch and dinner… so we no longer have any excuses to not come here for dinner.
I got the french toast, Gster got the scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon. As usual, he had order regret. The bacon was one of the best I have ever had. My french toast was delciious, and they gave a HUGE serving. Literally enough for 2 people.
My only complaint is our waitress. While the bar staff was friendly, our waitress seemed like she had not only never worked before, but never eaten at a restaurant before. She was clumsy, extremely inattentive, forgetful, and seemed to be very distracted having social conversations with all the male servers.
Overall, a very impressive place. The bar is very cosmopolitan, making you feel that you are in the midst of the city, small, intimate, and welcoming.

The maple habanero bbq wings are to die for! The burger is great cooked to perfection with the bacon onion jam. Not a big fan of the kimchi dog but all in all great place great food. The only downside is that it is very small and when busy (which is always) it can be hard to carry a conversation without feeling like you are yelling across the table. Great extensive beer list. And the mixed drinks are fantastic as well.
All in all I would rate this the best restaurant in the Allston Brighton area. I have been trying to get the recipe for the bbq sauce for months now.

Went here on a Saturday for brunch. Came here around 1p and it was still a full house! But my friend and I managed to grab a table within a 10 minutes wait. The prices of the brunch menu are quite reasonable, or I should say quite cheap (priciest item is $ 15 !!). This is a good place to hang out with friends but if you are on a date or want a place with a low noise setting, then this might not be the place to go to (quite loud. basically had to shout a bit for people to hear you). Ended up ordering the duck confit hash and the bbq breakfast. Both are really delicious although I don’t think I see alot of duck on the duck confit hash? The tables are set very close to one another so you might have to squeeze your way into your seats

Typical Allston/​Brighton hipster bar. Food was bland! I would not suggest eating here. I ordered risotto which I didn’t like and they were extremely accommodating about bringing me another meal. I got the Mac and cheese instead… Nothing exciting.
Drinks on the other hand were good. Decent draft selection and lots of Local choices for cider and beer. It was extremely loud and dark… Staff was all very nice though, which was refreshing. Not my scene, but okay for a drink.

I’m 99% sure I am ready to be in a serious long-​term relationship with Deep Ellum. Sometimes, a meal just really takes your breath away and knocks you off your feet (by cholesterol induced heart attack, sheer deliciousness, etc.) My brunch at Deep Ellum was the latter, and made my commitment issues fly out the front door.
This place is exactly what you would expect from Allston. Total hipster vibe, filled with colorful people and personalities. They graced us with a playlist of classic rock, as the bearded bartender charmed everyone with his slightly standoffish, yet endearing, cool-​guy attitude. We sat in the corner booth so we could avoid aggravating our wine-​hangovers with too much sunlight and observe the interesting crowd of customers. The brunch menu is small, but mighty, and offers some great twists on classic
Our service was quick and our server knew the perfect times to chat with us, check in, and leave us be.
I ordered the BBQ Breakfast (which I would market more as a BBQ Benedict, but that’s a discussion for another day). Now, just the letters B-​B-​Q get me feelin’ «some sort of way», but my one true love has always been breakfast, so what could go wrong? An interesting, yet perfect combination of grilled sweet cornbread, amazingly tender pulled pork, perfectly fried egg, and a sort of honey mustard hollandaise I only thought existed in my dreams, topped with green onions came together on that day to steal my heart away.
Amigo #1 of mine tried the Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs, and naturally, (because he wouldn’t be my friend if he didn’t.) I got to sample this plate. I always shy away from chicken fried steak, I figure my arteries will thank me one day, but I will make an exception next time. The steak was tender and the breading had a sweetness to it that complimented it in a great way. Paired with eggs so fluffy they could float, it was a great hearty breakfast. Amiga #2 ordered the Duck Confit Hash. It arrived in a skillet with sauteed peppers and onions, and was absolutely delicious. I wasn’t quite sure to expect but was very pleased with the variety of flavors offered in the dish.
A wise human once said, «that life is not measured by the number of brunches we take, but by the brunches that take our breath away». Deep Ellum, thank you for taking my breath away.

Deep Ellum is a nice alternative option in the area. The décor is stylish western, and the bar is beautiful. Two TVs showed an old western when we came in, but were changed to the Bruins/​Canadiens game upon request. The crowd, ranging from old timer to families with children, didn’t seem to care either way.
We came for their duck gravy poutine, which was a bit underwhelming. The duck gravy was clearly homemade, and as far as «fancy» poutines go that could have been a lot worse. The gravy was thick, and did help make the cheese melt further, but it wasn’t nearly flavorful nor salty enough. The cheese, not using curds, had been already been hardened by putting the dish in the oven. The result were plaques of cheese, that you had to cut out with a knife. Defeats the point of being able to easily pick out bites with fries, curds and gravy.
We also tried the mussels, which were quite good albeit a bit on the smaller size. But then, at $ 14, it’s not like we were expecting a pound of fresh mussels either.
All in all, we had a pleasant experience at Deep Ellum. Nothing making us anxious to go back, but nothing bad either. In the neighborhood, I’m sure you could do a lot worse.

What a great spot! Got the poutine, Gorgonzola truffle fries and the bbq breakfast! All were amazing and the service was quick! Can’t wait to come back next time I’m in town!

Wow — this place was terrible.
My boyfriend and I were looking for a good brunch place nearby, and when I found this place I was sold. The menu looked great and the reviews on Unilocal were all favorable. When we got there, the wait was about 30 minutes. It went by quickly and we were seated in a tiny table tucked away in the corner of the restaurant.
Their first strike was with the layout and environment of the restaurant. It’s super tiny, super packed, and super loud. It’s impossible to move without hitting someone or bumping into a server, and even harder to carry a conversation — what with the crowd trying to speak over the punk music blaring from the speakers.
Aside from that, the service was nonexistent. We waited at least 20 minutes before a server finally came to our table to take our order. I ordered a cheeseburger, and my boyfriend ordered the steak and eggs. Then, the wait started.
20 minutes go by
45 minutes go by
People everywhere are getting their food and we’re still waiting for ours. After an hour of waiting, I finally got our server’s attention (who was less than present) and asked her how much longer it would be before our food arrived. She seemed shocked that it hadn’t come by yet, and went to go check on it.
She came back and told us they were «plating the dishes.» Naturally, I’m expecting a beautifully plated dish complete with garnishes. What we got instead was a burger and fries tossed onto a plate, and some eggs poured over a fried steak. My food was hot, but my boyfriend’s was very cold. He’d asked for his eggs over medium, but got them over hard.
Getting our server’s attention to send the food back was a challenge. I had to get up and ask another waitress if she could send our server over because we had a problem with the dish. She never came by. I got up and went directly to her. She apologized profusely for the quality of the dish and sent it back to the kitchen.
After another 15 minutes of waiting, his steak & eggs arrived. The food was hot this time, but the eggs were still over hard. The yolk was literally like a solid piece of clay. On top of that, the eggs had this grayish black color, so I imagine whatever they were cooking on had not been cleaned in a bit.
I’m very disappointed by the service and quality of this restaurant and will not be returning. The only thing that was good were my fries.

This is my go-​to place for brunch with friends. If weather permitting, try to get a table out on the patio. My sporty boyfriend was put off at first by the raging hipster scene but everyone is so friendly, the food is amazing, the beer is plentiful and the atmosphere (especially outside) is so fun (think ivy walls, plants and little outdoor lights) that he loves this place just as much as I do.
We always get what we like to call «the Big Three,» the pretzel with beer cheese (unghh), the poutine (cheese curd and duck gravy heaven) and the cheese plate (which is a different array of cheeses and jams and nuts every week).
The beer menu is lengthy and if you’re a beer fan like me, you’ll savor looking through the various choices (pages worth). Now I want to go to Deep Ellum!

Vibe is good — most young hip people but a little more upscale than the typical allston bar — which is always a good thing.
Ordered buffalo chicken wings which are easily the top 5 best wings I’ve had. The skim is crunchy but the meat is still tender, chewy and soft. Drinks are tasty too — I got a ward 8 (a whiskey based drink) per the waiter recommendation and loved it.
Would definitely come back to this place the next time I am in town. Definitely try to get a table at the patio if you can, deco is nice and air is fresh

Review for drinks only. Ok, and fries.
We stopped by for a few drinks before heading next door for food. We ended up grabbing the gorgonzola truffle fries, they came out fast and were a great snack with our drinks.
Our bartender was friendly and made some great cocktails. Didn’t get into beer but they looked to have a nice selection. It’s a great space, good music and a good vibe.