Kitchen

I want to love this place – it’s right across the street from our apartment, and my fiancé and I have been there twice now. The first time was in the middle of the day and we were the only ones in the restaurant. As a result, the chef was able to focus only on our food and it was quite good – that’s why I’m giving Kitchen two stars, not one. Our second experience here was truly a one-​star experience. We went for dinner at 7pm on a Friday, and it was quite crowded, but not entirely full. First off, our waitress wasn’t very friendly, never introduced herself, and seemed totally overwhelmed by the crowd and the small spaces she had to navigate in between scrunched tables. Not a pleasant atmosphere. She gave us some house made chips to start off, which were overly salty, stale-​tasting, and cold. I ordered the shrimp scampi with risotto after asking her first whether it was a cheesy and creamy risotto. She assured me that it was. When it arrived, it was immediately clear there was no cheesiness or creaminess at all. The entire bowl was a brown, bland-​tasting mush of undercooked rice. Literally NO taste whatsoever. I had to drown it in salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese to make it the least bit edible. The shrimp were small and rubbery, probably frozen. My fiancé ordered clam chowder and lobster cocktail for his meal. The clams were grainy and tasted weird, and the chowder itself was such a measly portion size that we both laughed in disbelief when we saw it. The lobster cocktail was good – but how do you mess up chilled lobster in a glass, anyway? Never going back, and we love to eat local. A real shame.

I really enjoy Kitchen. They have some fun drinks I wouldn’t normally get elsewhere, like a singapore sling — very tasty. ALL of the bartenders are super friendly and the atmosphere is super cute. The food isn’t out of this world but fine to grab a bite with drinks.
I have never sat down at the table but have gone to the bar 5 or 6 times. The only time I was ever disappointed is once when they let us order a round of champagne then told us immediately after serving us that they would be closing shortly and we would have to leave. Had I known this I would have obviously not ordered the drinks and just wish they told me before. Otherwise, this place is great and have had all great experiences.

This place is great for casual dining on Tremont St! Food was on point and delicious. The staff is always friendly and laid back. I will definitely be here again either for drinks or another date night!

Et tu, Unilocal?!After seeing this little location change hands multiple times in the past 6 – 8 years, we decided 4 Unilocal stars are encouraging enough to try Kitchen for dinner, over other trustworthy wonderful places (Metropolis in particular, a neighborhood gem)
What a mistake.
Mussels were ok — it’s also very hard to screw up — the chips were incredibly salty and too hard (as opposed to crisp). I had one, didn’t manage to force myself to eat more. The pasta was incredibly soupy with runny cream and doughy pills of pasta. It was very salty, again. Also, just TOO rich. But at least that was edible… the killer was the burger: that was truly awful.
* overcooked and WAY too overground: it’s a puck of meat that has no texture
* Way too salty: my tongue was so numb after one bite I didn’t touch it anymore
* no lettuce, no tomato, no onion. Just a piece of pickle for the burger + side of fries (again strongly salted). Nothing to balance the greasy, salty cheese and the hard, salty meat
* hard, dry bun: not a soft brioche or a potato bun, nor a nicely toasted sesame bun… And it’s not even a conscious choice to go unique like the sturdy roll at the Breslin in nyc. This is just a dry, hard piece of carb.
Very disappointed… had hoped for more good places to eat in my new neighborhood…

We came for brunch on a cold Sunday morning. The tables are comfy, design is very upscale diner/​bistro (black and white) and the food is well done. The blueberry pancakes were DELICIOUS and the meaty special I had — baked in a dish, tomatoes, eggs, yum, was also yummy. The service was speedy, not very attentive, but fine. Nice place for a small group brunch.

Meh. Crab cakes were terrible. T E R R I B L E. Service was mediocre — bad attitudes and inattentive. Brussels sprouts were okay. Husband’s cod was soooooo lame and flavorless. Asked for salt and pepper and extra lemon and were given one slice of lemon on a bar napkin and wordlessly given salt and pepper. Would never go back or recommend.

Maybe they should just stick to seafood.
I tried the roast chicken and thought I was eating dog food. The texture was similar to a hardened gelatin, and the taste was off the charts with high salt. The mashed potato was more soup than solid.
I should have trusted my gut.

Kitchen is an excellent restaurant in the South End with great ambience. The place is small and makes you feel special for securing a table — definitely a hidden gem for sure.
Kitchen is intimate but casual, and all the servers keep things chill but are hospitable as well. The food is good, and everything was solid. But nothing was spectacular. However, it’s hard to find outstanding food these days, so everything else made up for it.
Overall, Kitchen is a solid spot for dinner with both seafood and traditional dishes. Bring your girlfriends, dates, or family here!

A group of us went for Restaurant Week for Lunch a while back — it was an expensive lunch for the 4 of us with meals and beers, but was so worth it and we still talk about how good it was!
Everything from start to finish was delicious. The flavors are deep, heavy, and rich in the best kind of way. The mini Swedish meatballs were amazing, as was the bread that came with it. Shrimp thermidor, duck and cherry risotto — yum. Menu changes frequently so those dishes are no longer on the menu.

Great spot for lunch! Go to the kitchen if you’re in the mood for a healthy and/​or creative sandwich! I got the black bean sandwich on the gluten free bread and it was seriously amazing! Get the poppers as well! They are like tater tots and have the best sauces!
Great service and very reasonable prices! There is street parking and a free lot down the street.

Walked by this establishment randomly before a scheduled dinner at a fancy restaurant nearby. We had an hour to kill. Had a hankering for oysters (only 6 for $ 8– what a steal!) and found ourselves pleasantly surprised by our impromptu side trip. This place is warm, comfortable, and seats plenty at the bar. We found the bartender had a deft hand with an old-​fashioned, and was open and friendly. The oysters were fresh, tangy and not-​too-​salty. Also tried the clams, steamed in a subtly sweet, white wine broth — highly recommended. My compliments to the chef– will definitely be back!

Kitchen has recently (9÷23÷2015 was day One!) undergone a transformation into a local seafood restaurant! And I had to go check it out. For half price. Because they like me. Okay, because they were having a couple of special friends and family evenings. So if you just happened to eat there when we did, they still told you about the special and treated you to a half price meal. Food only. Sorry, this state doesn’t allow discounted alcohol.
. Mussels $ 12 garlic & white wine
Tasty, but the liquid was a bit salty when I sipped it. I wish they gave us more bread that I could have used to sop it up (and to cut down on the saltiness!).
. Crab cakes $ 15 gluten free & house mayo
Meaty and light on filler, but of a soft consistency. It had a heat that tingled my mouth, and the flavor somehow didn’t do it for either of us.
. Six Fried Oysters $ 12 Lemon & Tartar sauce
Light and crisp, and nicely served in the half shell.
. Pan Seared Scallops $ 28 corn & chanterelle mushrooms
Tasty, but not filling enough a dish to rate being called an entrée.
The only non-​seafood item we had was the gratis potato chips that they had set before us as we mulled over the menu. Eh, we’ll get our veggie fix another day!
For non-​seafood lovers, land options still exist interspersed among the menu.
From the Oyster Station (normally $ 2.50 each) 6 for $ 8 bar special, 5−6pm and 9−10pm!
Bathrooms are down in the basement. And the restaurant itself is slightly below sidewalk level. No elevator. But they did have a patio set outside the night we visited.

Went for dine out boston, i had the mushroom app wich is really good, the beef wellington which was good but had no foie gras which was dissapointing. The «donuts» were good bur the fruit sauce was the star. We also ordered a side of parm fries which are good and the deviled eggs had a nice smokey flavor. My wife had corn soup, roasted chicken and chocolate pudding.
Id def go back and try other menu items.

Kitchen is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston — but here I am writing a review after coming here countless times.
Came again for Restaurant Week /​Dine Out Boston, they have a lot more choices for appetizers and entrees than most other restaurants offer. I came with a friend (so we could take each others’ apps hehe)
We got the east coast oysters (6 per order), and the mussels cooked in a white wine broth. SO good paired with their buttery garlic bread.
Entrees
Roasted Duck Breast with Brussel Sprouts and Lentils — Yes. Get it. The duck is cooked at medium, just a slight pink in the middle. Skin is fatty and crispy (almost like Peking duck?). Brussel sprouts roasted to perfection, you can definitely tell it soaked up the aroma of the duck as well as the wonderful sauce that I can’t exactly pinpoint the flavors — but it’s great. And as for lentils… I hate lentils so not much comment there. But for those who feel otherwise, I’m sure it tastes great!
Beef Wellington — Gordon Ramsay needs to try this. (For those who don’t get it, Gordon Ramsay is terrified of ordering Beef Wellington because he is unrelenting in how he wants it cooked. I don’t blame him, it’s difficult.) But this is definitely worthy to be tried — the medium rare beef is so tender, juicy, and flavorful. The puff pastry is golden, flaky (almost like phyllo) very delicate, but I wish there was more! Soooo yummy.
Dessert — Mint Chip Ice Cream and donuts. The ice cream is most definitely house churned, you can tell right off the bat. They also offer vanilla and coffee! Anyway, it’s not super rich and creamy like a Haagen Dasz would be — which I like. It’s just enough, more of a sorbet feel and delicate mint flavor. The donuts are served warm with a raspberry jam/​sauce and drizzled with vanilla bean sauce. They taste like how Christmas feels.
⁵⁄₅ Would come again.

Cozy, lovely view. Would definitely come back here for brunch or something outside on the front patio.
Came here for Dine Out Boston and it was nice.
Duck Risotto — Our group really wanted to try this so we got two! — Not bad
Oysters — Nothing special, good though!
Mushrooms — Delicious, egg on top and they way they made it was spectacular
Mussels — Also delicious and buttery-ish…after three weeks of eating mussels they’re all starting to taste the same to me now
Beef Wellington with Foie Gras was nice! Although I wish our waitress asked how well we liked our beef but it wasn’t bad the way it was!
Donuts and cheesecake were good too!

Giving it a four because the service was outstanding (probably because it was a Wednesday night).
The food was alright, a 3/3.5 out of 5. I received a gift card here from Dine Out Boston, and decided to finally put it to use.
My mother ordered 3 deviled eggs, and she said it was mediocre. I personally don’t like them to try them. The chips & dip were my favorite. I’ve never had onion dip like that before, and it was obvious that it was homemade.
For our entrees, I ordered the Beef Wellington. I thought it was meh, the pastry that was wrapped around it was not cooked throughout. So when I ate, I could still taste the chewiness of the uncooked dough. The beef was cooked well, it just didn’t give me the satisfaction I was looking for. My mother did not like her entrée at all, she ordered the Lobster Thermidor. She said the lobster was overcooked, and it was too salty. It wasn’t anything special.
We didn’t spring for dessert. We did order a Lasagna Bolognese to take home for the family, and it said a lot when nobody wanted to eat it. So overall, it was meh… but the service was great.

I really really really wanted to like this place, and I think they probably have better service/​food for brunch. But– this place was really subpar for a Tuesday night.
Pros:
Beef Wellington (best dish of the night)
Cons:
Cod with spinach, tomatoes, etc. It was just dry and flavorless. You can’t do that in BOSTON!
Mussels– nothing special
Brussel Sprouts in Duck fat. It wasn’t seared enough
Dessert: This was the worst part of the night. We had the donuts and they were just heavy. The sauce was magically, but we didn’t even finish them all. I never never never not want to finish dessert!

Enjoyed dinner here — felt fortunate to get a table on a Friday night without a reservation (with a ~20−30 min wait) since the decision to go to the South End was relatively spontaneous.
Service was very friendly, efficient and polite. Restaurant is generally small so you will be close to your neighbors, but a cute, chic environment for a nice dinner.
Had the lobster & gnocchi, and the duck risotto. Both were nice complements — lobster dish was very creamy (slightly too rich for me, but the lobster was fresh, and the dish tasy) so it was nice having the duck risotto to be a more ‘salty’ balance.
Wouldn’t say this place had the most amazing food ever tasted but it was a good experience with well done dishes and great service

My boyfriend and I went to Kitchen for Dine Out Boston this year. I placed the reservation through OpenTable and received a phone call from the restaurant asking to confirm. We actually ended up at the restaurant about 15 min late which thankfully didn’t end up being an issue. We were promptly seated in the small room in the back, which was nice and private. I could see eating out there being absolutely wonderful in natural daylight but since it was dinner time the sun was going down. The waiter tried to offset the lack of natural light by turning on one light they have in the corner but it wasn’t nearly enough. All of the guests in that room were left to eating almost in the dark.
With Dine Out Week you’re asked to select an appetizer, entrée, and dessert item for each person in your group. I got the french onion soup as my appetizer — I was definitely unimpressed, I’m not sure what type of broth it was but I wasn’t a huge fan of it personally. I ordered the Lasagna bolognese as my entrée — they ran out of lasagna noodles so it ended up just being bolognese sauce with tagliatelle noodles. Holy smokes, the sauce absolutely made this dish — it was so tasty. My boyfriend and I were fighting over the leftovers the next day! For dessert I ordered the doughnuts — the berry jam was absolutely delicious, I couldn’t get enough of it.
Overall, it was a great meal — a bit overpriced (it ended up being over 100 for the 2 people and a tip) but I’m sure if you’re dining there not during restaurant week it will be cheaper since you can share appetizers and desserts. A definite must try in the Boston area.

I stumbled upon Kitchen with my dining companion after Picco and The Butcher Shop were both outfitted with a 90 minute wait. Poor planning on our part, but they promised a quick wait here, so after about twenty minutes we were seated in the back dining room.
This place fits the profile of the South End, but I can’t honestly say that anything really stood out. I ended up ordering raw oysters and scallops, but I’d be lying if I wrote that either were particularly memorable. If I can buy a dozen jumbo scallops at Market Basket for $ 12 then what was in that sauce to make two of them cost $ 15? The cocktails saved them from the negatives, however, as their Negroni and New York Sour were expertly crafted.
I think Kitchen is a bit of misnomer, cocktails are where this place deserves the most credit.