The Blue Room

My go to spot for lamb ribs! I’m from Navajo Nation, best I could get out here :) amazing ambiance and cozy in the fall and winter. Great made from scratch drinks & cocktails.

Have been there a few times. Every time the service wasn’t great. But great ambiance and great food. Not really worth the money though.

My wife and I always go here when we are in/​near Kendal Sq. Since it’s the two of us we sit at the bar and will have dinner. We are vegetarian (I will sometimes eat fish) and we have always found the kitchen to be accommodating and able to come up with dishes that are both favorable and filling, and don’t include pasta (!).
If you are a vegetarian and eat out frequently you will know what I mean about pasta and risotto, enough said.
Since we weren’t up for a big meal we both had multiple appetizers, and were they yummy! I had the beet salad and my wife had the cheese plate. Our bartender recommended a great but very reasonable wine to cap off our meal.
A great restaurant that I can always count on.

Attended a conference in Cambridge, and The Blue Room was the dinner place one night. Not easy to find if you’re not familiar with the city. 1 Kendall Square is a vanity address. The nav takes you to the edge of the «square» and announces you have arrived at your destination, which doesn’t really help you find parking or the restaurant. Kendall Square is actually a group of buildings housing shops, restaurants and business offices. Somewhere in the midst of this spread is The Blue Room. We managed to find it, but we’ll probably never find it again.
No complaints about the food; thought it was very good after a day of sitting in a conference room and being talked at. We had the radicchio/​arugula salad, roasted vegetables and mussels to start. All were very nice. I especially liked the salad. It was simple, nicely dressed and generously sized. The mussels were fine, too, though I cannot honestly remember what the sauce was.
Main course for me was the risotto. Again, a simple preparation that led to more than the sum of its parts. I thought it was quite satisfying while others at the table only saw a pile of rice and a few spears of asparagus.
Don’t forget to have your parking validated if you drive. It was not something the staff told us about, but when we asked, they gave us a special ticket that reduced parking down to $ 5.
I wouldn’t mind going back to The Blue Room the next time I am in the area. That, of course, assumes I can find it again.

Went to the Blue Room for a birthday celebration and it was amazing! First of all do not miss the octopus salad or the sardines– they are delicious. I had the special — a whole mackerel and we all tried the lamb and the grilled tuna. Service was excellent and the energy of the place on a Saturday night was great. I can’t wait to come back and enjoy the outdoor patio this summer.

Main courses:
Fish of the day 3 stars — nothing memorable
Ossobuco with risotto 2 stars — meat a bit dry and risotto had no flavor
Appetizers:
Gnocchi 4 stars — very good dish
Pizza 4 stars — enjoyed it
Octopus 4 stars — found it a very original dish well made and quite good
Jasmine cocktail 4 stars
Service 4 stars — good
Price 3 stars — a bit overpriced

Short story: I’ve been here twice, once for drinks at a company event, once for food during Restaurant Week. Food was bland but drinks were great. I’d go again for drinks but not for food.
Like:
— Waitress was very friendly and had a great grasp of the bar and menu items
— Atmosphere inside isn’t bad
Don’t Like:
— Food was uninspired (had pork belly and pork shoulder, both things we’ve made ourselves at home — somehow the dishes were both completely lacking in flavor, I’ve literally never had pork belly I didn’t love until here)
— Expensive
— Location is weak (probably subjective)

Beware, Beef Lovers!
Upon receiving a well done steak, we were told by our server that Blue Room does medium differently «cooking the meat all the way through». After decades of being a carnivore, we were speechless as this is the first time we have encountered a medium with no pink.
While they brought out aperitifs to make up for the ‘confusion’, beef lovers beware.

Great and fresh local food on the menu. Staff are friendly and the restaurant is quaint.
I had the duck liver mezzaluna, small portion but big flavor.

I came here for a Sunday brunch. At almost $ 30, I was expecting some more upscale (especially seafood) entrees, but the only seafood was some baked salmon, which was fine but nothing special. The roasted leg of lamb, arugula salad with goat cheese, and chicken pot pie were the best of what I tried. Many here raved about the pancakes, which were fine, but nothing much better than I could make myself, and I’m not a cordon bleu chef by any stretch. I did find our waitress very attentive, keeping the water glasses full, leaving our napkins folded when we left the table for refills, and resupplying us with clean silverware between trips.
Food ***
Atmosphere ****
Service **** (for a buffet)

It had been several years since my first and only visit to the Blue Room. Went back recently with 2 girlfriends. It was a lovely evening, but chilly enough that we opted to sit inside. Next time, I want to stay outside in their sweetly lit patio.
My review after a few years basically has not changed. The ambiance is a bit upscale, but still mostly casual. The food was excellent, from appetizers to an incredible dessert. The service still stunk, though not as bad as my initial visit.
With Kendall Square hopping now, with an abundance and variety of restaurants that continue to pop up, I’m happy that Blue Room is still there and can still turn out a great meal.

We came here for restaurant week and were excited to try it out. Food was good, but service was pretty slow for a Friday evening at 6:00, we had reservations but it was empty. We kind of got turned off by that, I had to ask for the check, for him to take it etc.

This place has a nice outdoor patio. Our waitress was sweet and attentive. I ordered two appetizers. One was really good, one was awful. But the reason I’m writing this review is because of the ridiculous service by the hostess. I arrived at 5:05pm on Saturday evening (June 7, 2014.) There were no customers inside or out and they had clearly just opened for service. I asked her for a table for two. The hostess asked if my whole party was here yet. I told her no, that my friend would arrive in about 10 minutes. She said «We don’t seat people until the whole party has arrived. It’s the principle of it.»
I looked around and reminded her that there was nobody either inside or out. She completely ignored this and asked if I wanted to «have a seat in the Adirondack chairs outside.» These are two bright red chairs about 4 inches off the ground right by the door. They looked quite uncomfortable and in an awkward place. I passed and went up into the courtyard to wait for my friend. Over the course of the 15 minutes I waited for my friend, I watched two other couples enter. That’s it.
I completely understand that at a busy time a restaurant cannot seat people before everyone has arrived, but there was NO ONE there. NOT ONE CUSTOMER. And the snippy, dismissive attitude, complete with no eye contact was extremely irritating. I strongly urge management to train this hostess and anyone else with this attitude about customer service and the reasons why people go out to dinner. It’s not just about wanting a good meal, people want to be treated well.

This was my last trip to the blue room because the food was just so disappointing. We went for a collection of apps and they were all a disappointment and we didn’t finish a single one. Gnocchi and polenta were terribly seasoned and incredibly salty. The pork belly took forever and was dry and tough. The Brussels sprouts were pretty good but again heavy on the salt.
With Boston having so many good restaurants it is not worth paying for a bad one.

The Blue Room… friends of mine raved about how good this place was and so I decided to book this place for a restaurant week dinner.
My husband and I had an okay experience here. Simply put, his dinner was great and the best part of mine were the frisee salade, chocolate pistachio crepes, and I ordered rooibos tea to accompany dessert. The chicken was raved about immensely by our waiter, but I found it to be very salty. Sides/​accompaniments were good though.
Service was fine, and our waiter and server were friendly and attentive. I think the one thing that threw me off… like really threw me off… was the cockroach that was on my bag. I’m sure it came from outside or something, but it threw me off and I asked to switch tables, which was accommodated almost immediately. Other than that hiccup, I was fine with all else.

I am so, so impressed with The Blue Room. I met a friend there for drinks on Saturday evening. We didn’t realize it was restaurant week. Even during Restaurant Week, we were able to snag a spot at the bar area (not really up at the bar, but it’s communal seating like that).
Though we were just supposed to meet for drinks, my friend had skipped dinner so she ordered off the Restaurant Week menu. I shared her app and dessert. The appetizer was grits with spinach, potatoes, and carrots, with a poached egg on top. It was expertly executed. The egg was perfect, everything was nicely seasoned, the vegetables amazingly cooked.
Her entrée, roast chicken, was declared too salty by her, but the taste or 2 I shared was very delicious.
The dessert, a chai crème brûlée, was dark, crispy, and thick. It came with a shortbread which I liked, just not as much as I loved the chai crème brûlée.
My friend had a glass of red wine which she enjoyed, and I got the Corpse Reviver 2. Gin, absinthe, lemon, orange liquor, and vermouth. It was sweet, sour, and with each sip you could smell the absinthe. Very delicious. I only wish there had been more! (it was a partially filled glass).
I will be back to hopefully snag the seats by the kitchen. I can’t wait!

Hidden location off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus Had a business dinner with some out-​of-​town coworkers. The service was a little slow even though the restaurant was not very busy. Hats off and complements the best seared squid I’ve ever had, this was firm crisp marinated and very tasty. My beverage of choice for the evening was cranberry juice there was something special in the creation of this I’m not sure what it was but this was best tasting cranberry juice I have had. The couscous was fresh firm perfectly spiced and served warm. I also had a serving of Brussels sprouts which were perfectly prepared marinated and delicious. Prices were moderate. I love you open kitchen the decore is warm and inviting. The restrooms are actually shared in the business professional building above and not affiliated with the restaurant. It was a snowy evening there was no outdoor seating available however in the summer I can see it would be a very pleasant dining experience

I went here today for brunch. Reservations are a must. If you don’t make reservations you will end up sitting at the bar, which is not necessarily a bad thing but for families may not be ideal. The brunch is buffet style and is $ 27 per person.
The place gets packed and standing in line for the buffet is awkward. It is awkward because you end up standing next to tables while you wait. I almost feel rude, since you are crowding people seated at a table.
The brunch had some hits and misses. The breakfast sausage was awesome. They must make their own sausage. The salads were gourmet and delicious. The French toast casserole was the worst. The potatoes were undercooked. Everything else was pretty good.

This would have been a five star review if it wasn’t for the over charge on my credit card. I came here to celebrate my daughter’s 1^st birthday, and yes, I agree with most Unilocalers that the buffet brunch food here is delicious. It actually exceeded my expectations, and it’s way homier than the buffet brunch at Henrietta’s Table. The Blue Room’s buffet is very well prepared comfort foods as opposed to the gourmet, high end approach of the buffet at Henrietta’s Table. Memorable items included the pancakes, grits, smoked salmon, and the salads, cauliflower with raisins and capers and another one that was made with celery.
So, I was looking at my credit card statement online and noticed that the charge was higher than what I remembered. I pulled out the receipt, and in fact, I was charged an additional $ 46. Basically, I had been charged gratuity twice! I called the restaurant right away and the hostess revealed that the waiter was new and had done this before. She was quick to rectify the situation, sending me an email stating that they take this very seriously. Considering how quickly the issue was resolved, I would definitely come back again. Actually, I’m looking forward to my next visit. I just need a really good excuse to go there again!

The Blue Room is a surprisingly elegant dinner choice in Kendall Square.
I’ve eaten here twice now, once for Restaurant Week and once with colleagues following a conference at MIT. Both times, the food exceeded my expectations. Most recently, I enjoyed the dinner portion of the pasta with duck and brussels sprouts. It was absolutely delicious, and the tagliatelle was clearly freshly made. The menu is fairly limited, with maybe eight choices each for small plates and entrees.
The wine, both by the glass and the bottle, includes many affordable choices. The wine is primarily Italian, which I am not especially familiar with, but the staff will recommend a choice based on other wines you like. One thing I did not like was that the server combined wine from two bottles for my glass (the end of one bottle and the beginning of another) after having me taste a splash from the first bottle. Combining the wines defeats the purpose of the taste. It ended up being fine in this case, but it still stood out as an oddity.
Finally, I do like the ambiance of the Blue Room a lot. It’s cozy with brick walls and low lighting. It was a good choice for a business dinner but would also be appropriate for a date or happy hour.