Centre Street Sanctuary

THIS REVIEW WAS FROM WHEN I WENT ON 2÷25÷15
This place is has a really classic look. Almost religious. Well actually it has actual pieces that are straight from churches so make sure you say an Our Father or Hail Mary once you sit down… ;)
Anyway they are known for their burgers. I unfortunately had wings on the brain. Tried the soy molasses. Yum! A sweet and slightly tangy mix hit the spot. Add an order of fried mac and cheese balls and I was a happy girl. Yes to Panko crumbs please!
Give this place a try. I hear the brunch is pretty cool as well. When in JP this is on my list of GO TO places…

Returned last night and I am sad to report that the food quality has dropped while service remains friendly and attentive.
On the positive side the Greek salad and the Napoleon Complex (grilled eggplant, zucchini, portable mushroom, and mozzarella with basil pesto sauce) was excellent. On the other hand, the duck was seriously overcooked, the steak tips a bit tough and the salmon burger, lacking a coherent mixture of seasonings and flavors; overall it was a mushy, fishy mix.
Most disappointing, were the lack of any interesting desserts, i.e. only chocolate or cheese cakes were offered.
While the management was deeply concerned about our experience and did everything in their power to see that we were satisfied, I still feel compelled to remove one star until we have a chance to try it again.

I’m honestly SO surprised that Sanctuary only has 3.5 stars on Unilocal.I live in JP, and it’s probably my favorite restaurant and definitely my favorite place to drink in town. I love the vibe here. Laid back and cool but somehow relatively nice, too. I love that they do different things like Salsa, trivia night, etc. It’s usually pretty full inside, but I’ve never had to wait, which is nice. The service is occasionally on the slower side, but they are super friendly, helpful, and get to know you and your favorite drink and food order quickly if you’re a regular. My friends and I go here all the time since we live nearby. We’ve probably gone like 50 times at this point and have NEVER had anything but a delicious food & drink experience.
I love the fried mac n cheese balls, Our Daily Bread (available in the warmer months) is usually pretty good, though a bit expensive, LOVE the caprese ravioli and the fries. My friends love all the wings and love the burgers, too. Breakfast is also delicious here! I’m very picky and can be hard to please, which is a part of why I’m shocked that I love this place so much (and have been so consistently happy with it) and it only has mixed reviews.
Basically, if you’ve never been here, definitely come try it out. If you have and didn’t love it, give it another try!

Whenever I have friends visiting from out of town, I take them here for brunch. I also come here every Wednesday to play trivia with my roommates, and it’s always a good time.
The food here is very good in my opinion, and I have pretty particular taste. The sweet potato fries are some of the best I’ve ever had, they always come out nice and hot and crispy with the perfect sprinkle of seasoning. The dipping sauce is delicious too. I’m not sure what it is, tastes kind of like a homemade honey mustard or maple mustard maybe, either way it goes perfect with the fries
The service is very good. The staff is super friendly, and very knowledgable and I’ve never had bad food or service here.
I feel like some people like to give this place bad reviews because it’s relatively new and doesn’t have a worn-​in feel that some people in JP, for some reason, need everything to have.
If you’re pretty down-​to-​earth, then I think you’ll really enjoy this place and have a great time.

I went here for the first time today with two girlfriends for Sunday brunch at 12pm. We had a reservation, but didn’t necessarily need one. The place was not busy, but had a moderate amount of people inside.
I liked the atmosphere and think it’s a pleasant place with very fair prices. I do think the waiter could’ve taken our order sooner, as it wasn’t very busy.
I ordered an egg breakfast sandwich. While it looked quite small, for $ 7, I felt it was worth the price. It was tasty enough and I liked whatever vegetables they mixed in with the side of potatoes.
My friend ordered a burger and the only disappointments were that they had no ranch and didn’t tell her they didn’t have sweet potato fries until right before serving the burger. My other friend ordered a pancake which was large and looked delicious. She also ordered a side of fries which looked plentiful.
Overall, I appreciate the fair prices and good food and would come again.

Can we say; GREAT MIMOSAS!
I’ve visited a couple times now (dinner & brunch) MUST say it is one of my favorite brunch places on sunday’s. They have an amazing veggie omelet. Almost everything on the menu is fantastic. Just wish they had sour cream. LOL.

I still love this place. It is our go-​to dinner spot if we’re too lazy to cook AND our favorite place to take out of town guests we want to impress. We had brunch here when it was still warm enough to eat outside and later when it was cold and we had a large group with us. Both times were really impressive. The brunch food (and boozy drinks) were SO GOOD. Omg that donut thing! And the pancakes! And the coffee is even delicious. I love you, CSS, you really are my sanctuary.

I don’t really understand why this place is getting such bad reviews. I think Sanctuary is located in the wrong place. It doesn’t have the kind of atmosphere that JP/​Hyde Square people flock to especially when there are so many other bars closer to the T. I’m not really sure what the place envisions itself as, but whatever that is doesn’t match up with the local JP/​Hyde Square demographic.
That said, I’ve been here and handful of times and have never been disappointed. They’ve got a wide selection of reasonably priced beers, and the servers are knowledgeable about it. I like their food better than Canary Square. I’ve had good burgers, really good salads, and a couple actually excellent appetizers. On my last visit with a few friends, two of us gobbled down the wings. I had sliders which were a little overcooked for my liking but all the accoutrements were tasty. The first bite I had of my [GIANT] side of kale was overwhelmingly garlicky, but the rest tasted great. The only real downside of the night was that the place was completely empty on a Saturday.
I don’t know, man. I hope Sanctuary gets more popular because I’d like it to stick around. It’s nice to have a local bar where you can get good food, good drinks, and don’t have to shout your conversation.

The reviews listed here come as a complete shock to me. I went this past Saturday for their jazz brunch with my parents since they were in town. I had never been here before, but wanted to give it a go. Honestly, we were amazed by the food! The service was a little on the slow side, but it was nice because we didn’t feel at all rushed to get out of there. It was also nice because when the food came out, it was all piping hot!
For the food/​drink, we had:
— Egg sandwich (forgot the name): Came with hash browns and was honestly delicious.
— Jalapeño infused Bloody Mary: Delicious! Super spicy, but really great (my dad and I loved it).
— Coffee: Some of the better coffee I’ve had in the greater Boston area.
— Pancake (with a side of bacon, which it comes with): Holy macaroni was this thing delicious. It easily has become one of my favorite pancakes of all time, and I’ve eaten quite a few pancakes in my life. I don’t eat bacon, but both my parents said it was some of the better bacon they’ve had out.
— Vegetable omelette: My mom had this and said it was the best omelette she’s had in her life. Now that is DEFINITELY saying something, because we are a family of much omelette eating!
— Sanctuary breakfast: My dad LOVED the sausage in particular because it was not sausage links, but rather, actual chunks of sausage.
Maybe they got a new chef or something, but our food was on point, and the price was right! For all of the above (three breakfast entrees, one alcoholic beverage, cup of coffee, and a pancake), it came to $ 41 (plus tip). We’ve spent way more on much worse food in Boston, so this price tag pleased us.
I will be going back this upcoming weekend to check it out again and will update my review if necessary.

My one time visit was… Was… Just okay.
Best dish we had was the big ass bowl of poutine.
Steak tips, meh. Salads, meh. Grilled chicken, meh.
Chicken wings and burgers were okay, and the possible bright spot was the liberal use of pork belly in dishes.
Otherwise, I’m not clamoring to get back.

We are new in the neighborhood and were given a gift card to this place. I was too lazy to make dinner and remembered that we had this gift card. My boyfriend walked over to pick up our food and mentioned that the service was really off and rude when he returned.
Onto the food. I ordered salmon and it was cold. The portion size was tiny too considering how much it cost. My boyfriend got a burger and it was average. Glad we used a gift card and didn’t waste our money on a mediocre meal.

My roommate and I got a gift card for Sanctuary almost 2 months ago. We were in the mood for brunch so we decided to try this place out. The coffee was spot on. So freaking good I drank 3 cups while I was there :) The large cinnamon bun was awesome and came out warm with icing dripping over the sides. Heaven. Our omelet and eggs were cooked well, and the home fires were tasty too. I’m glad to know this spot is just a short 5 min drive from me here in JP. The drink list looked pretty good so I’ll be back to check out dinner sometime soon

This place is just bad.
Went there for brunch and had a truly gross breakfast burrito. I’m really not picky when it comes to breakfast food and can’t fathom how this was so bad. It was watery and tough, and filled with slime, basically. In my opinion, even when burritos are bad, they’re pretty good, but this was a definite exception.
Also, the service was terrible! Our server seemed like she had a really rough night the night before… at least, when I look that much like death and move that slowly, it’s because I’m hungover, so… yeah.
There were multiple issues with the kitchen and with the bar– wrong drinks, forgotten food, messed up side dishes, etc. If this place were even ¹⁄₃ the price I probably still wouldn’t go here again, because it’s just not worth it to be served up a watery heap of disappointment when you were hoping for some breakfast.

There’s a beer deal where they have things cheaper if they’re trying to get rid of them – ask about it! We did and our server wanted to double check what was still available before telling us, which I think was great. Nothing to my interest so I ended up getting a normal priced beer that I loved (and happily found at my nearby packie). Everyone was happy with their beers, which is great because the menu is huge!
However, the food was incredibly average. We got the mac n cheese balls which were fine… but any that I’ve had at other places were better. I’m never going to say fried mac n cheese balls are bad. We also got the cheese two ways plate, which was also fine, but was off balance: 2 pieces of brie on the larger side and 3 pieces of baguette toast? Need more toast. The honey and blueberries with it were great. Not sure what was on top of the cooked brie, but I wasn’t a fan. We also go the special of Parmesan focaccia which had no flavor and I would not have called it focaccia.
Live music was great!

I LoveD this place. The portions and quality have gone down. I’d skip dinner here and go for brunch. The manager on Saturday mornings is very nice and so are some of the staff. I don’t know what’s going with upper management here because there has been a big change recently. The ‘new’ chef has re-​vamped the menu from the original one so I can’t complain about that, but something needs to be done about portion size– god, at least get smaller bowls and plates to trick people! I got a Greek salad and there wasn’t a lot there to feast upon. Something has changed recently this is the second time Sanctuary has produced something like the picture posted.

I’m happy to welcome this relatively new addition to the Hyde-​Jackson neighborhood. I’m also not surprised at the fluctuating reviews, as I also have noticed some inconsistency in their food and service as they got their feet under them (which I believe they now have for the most part).
I think they’ve made great strides and have an excellent role to play in the neighborhood business scene; I hope they continue to take feedback and improve.
The food ranges from decent to excellent, and most portion sizes are good — though don’t expect to leave with leftovers. I would say that the Harvest Ravioli and the Vegetable Milanese are the best values on the menu: great tasting, filling, and middle of the road on price. The Cod Provencal tastes wonderful but the portion size is quite small.
They also have a great selection of wines and unique cocktails, and regularly host events such as Paint Nite and live music. Pleasing décor and a nice outside patio area up front.

We came here on a Saturday night for dinner based on a review we either read in a magazine or saw on the Phantom Gourmet (sorry I can’t remember) so we were psyched to try it out. We were completely underwhelmed. We had a reservation we were late for and were worried that we wouldn’t be able to get in. However, when we arrived it turned out to be a ghost town. There were only 2 other tables occupied and a handful of people at the bar. By the time we finished dinner, we were the only diners in the restaurant!
Anyways, on to the food. As others have said, the food was ok but not in any way new, interesting or special. We got honey chipotle wings and the poutine as appetizers. They were both fine, the poutine was actually good but that’s where the good food stopped. For entrees, my mom got the salmon with raspberry buerre blanc, while I got the roast chicken with mushroom gravy and my husband got the burger. The burger, salmon and chicken in and of itself were all ok but the chicken and salmon were absolutely *drenched* in sauce/​gravy (ever see the ABC «Don’t Drown Your Food» PSA from the 70s/​80s??) making it almost inedible. I asked for the sweet pea risotto with my chicken but got mashed potatoes instead. I was brought a side dish of the risotto and it just looked like gray matter. Presentation is part of what makes people want to eat the food!
Service itself was fine. Our waitress was attentive and did a good job waiting on us. The vibe in the restaurant was kind of strange though. As someone else mentioned, they were playing weird dated 80s music (not even cool 80s music!) and gave the restaurant a low energy vibe.
The most important thing I look for in a restaurant I want to visit is good food. But I will forgive the food aspect if other qualities about the restaurant stand out such as good service or good vibes. Since Centre Street Sanctuary was lacking in all 3 areas, the likelihood of me returning is slim.

Yeah… I want to LOVE this local place, I would love to spend my money here, but I just can’t. We’ve officially decided this place is OK for drinks and that’s it.
The food is extremely underwhelming and disappointing. It’s overpriced. The service is always a bit off too — food is not available, or dishes come out 15 minutes apart from each other, or we try to ask for extra sauce or for the food to be reheated and it’s treated as though that’s an impossible request.
We live right around the corner. At least a few times a month, we figure out where to get a bite in the area and run through the options: The Haven? Tres Gatos? Cuban place? Blue Nile? Burritos? Indian? All of those places get hit up regularly. When Centre Street Sanctuary comes up as an option, we both turn it down. Every single time.
Management: get the food together. Get the service together. JP can support a great restaurant, or a fun gastro pub, but we’re just not into lackluster food at inflated prices. We want to support you but you have to make it even possible!

Finally got in here for dinner (as opposed to just apps and drinks).
The lowdown — I like this place. It’s nothing fancy and it won’t «wow» you, and is probably just slightly overpriced because of that, but it’s a nice neighborhood place that I’d both visit again and recommend over nearby competitor Canary Square.
Went on a Tuesday night around 9 with some friends. Only 3 – 4 tables in the dining area were full, but sadly prompt service (mostly when it came to having our food order taken) was lacking (though very friendly).
They have a great drink menu, and Jill (the bartender) is easily one of my favorite service people around — super friendly, funny, and seems to love her job.
The house-​made chips and garlic aioli are AWESOME, and I was super happy they offered to refill the bowl after we inhaled them.
We got —
–The habanero wings — YES — an ample portion, deliciously sweet turns intense heat.
–The cauliflower soup — NO — no, no, no — was absolutely swimming in oil, the pureed soup part had little to no flavor, and a big pile of nuts, cranberries, and undercooked cauliflower in the middle. The menu read «Cauliflower, Gouda, Garlic, Sage», so maybe they just hadn’t updated the menu? Either way, it was really NOT good — they missed big on this one.
–The salmon w/​chimmichuri + roasted brussels sprouts — YES — I had asked a question about the kale but ordered the brussels instead, but our server forgot. She promptly brought the brussels sprouts too, though, when I reminded her. Either way, the kale was pretty great (and spicy) and I like my brussels sprouts well-​cooked and garlicky, and that’s exactly what they were. Oh — and they asked me how I wanted my salmon cooked! I said medium rare, and it was cooked perfectly — super flavorful too. I was very happy with my meal, and for a decent portion of seafood and a side, $ 17 ain’t that bad round these parts.
–The pork chop — YES — my friend seemed to like it a lot. I had a bite and thought it was good though nothing amazing, but it was a HUGE portion, and he left his plate completely empty.
So, ¾ food items were winners as was I’d say 75% of the service. Not bad — good place, not spectacular, but like I said — I’ll go back, and I“m happy it’s in my ‘hood.

Have been here both for late Saturday night drinks at the bar and for sit down dinner– both great experiences. The drink night, the bartender was extremely helpful and personable, we got a delicious daily bread and tried a few different drinks each. I like the atmosphere and décor and I think it feels spacious in there even when it gets busy.
When I went for dinner we were served promptly throughout by another friendly server. The drink special was some kind of watermelon margarita variant that was SO refreshing, my entire group ended up sticking with them the entire night. We all enjoyed our food, between us we tried the gnocchi, the sliders, and fish & chips. I still want to try the duck spring rolls! The prices are very reasonable.
All in all I’m now happy w/​this spot as a place to grab drinks locally on a low key weekend night, or to bring friends as a new place for dinner.