Baleia

Had such a lovely experience at Baleia! I'm here from LA and have not had great experiences dining in Boston so far, but this place was great!First off, the ambiance is fantastic. I love the lighting and decor is simple but pretty. Our waiter was great and attentive, and the front of house staff were all sweet. I had an accommodation request and they made it happen which I greatly appreciated.Lastly the food was delicious, came at a good pace and the portions were good. The drinks were also great! Overall a great place to dine, a place I'd look forward to coming back to next time I'm in town.

Had a wonderful dinner at Baleia last night with a friend! I was not sure what to expect as this was my first time trying Portuguese tapas, but this place definitely did not disappoint. Firstly, just wanted to call out how beautiful the restaurant was decorated! Good service as well! We ordered the Octopus carpaccio ($18), Grilled mushrooms ($17), Shirmp Mozambique ($18), and Duck Rice ($38). All the food tasted fresh and was full of flavor! The duck rice was a bit salty but worked well with the duck on top. The dessert here was wonderful as well! We shared a Pasteis de Nata ($4) and Sonhos ($12). The sonhos were nice and fluffy. The caramel and dulce de leche paired well with it. We enjoyed this with oolong tea which paired nicely as well.Overall, would recommend!

Interior is stunning, with gorgeous seats and an ambiance that is perfect for a date night. The cozy, luxurious seating enhances the overall experience and the service was excellent.We got:- Portuguese Sweet Rolls w/ chamomile butter ($8) - Salt Cod Bolinhos w/ saffron mayo ($15) - Shrimp Mozambique w/ chili, lemon, cerveja ($18)- Grilled Mushrooms w/ harissa, charred onion yogurt, fried shallot ($17)- Piri Piri Poussin w/ fries, roasted garlic aioli ($34)For dessert we got: - Portuguese Egg Tart- SohnosThe sweet rolls were a great starter, not the best I've had but good enough. The piri piri and fries were heavily salted, but everything else was delicious and highly recommended. Do note that a 3% "administrative fee" is added to the end of your meal. Overall, a great dining experience.

A beautiful restaurant with great food and ambiance! Our server kindly guided us through the menu since it was our first time there. Standout dishes included the Portuguese sweet rolls, the octopus carpaccio, and the carrots vindaloo. We would definitely come back for these dishes!

Beautiful restaurant with friendly and attentive service. Food was good overall and of high quality, but nothing really knocked my socks off. Glad I tried it out though.PORTUGUESE SWEET ROLLS chamomile butter- served warm. subtle sweetness with a sprinkle of course sea salt on top creating a nice combination. Butter was nice and creamy, but the chamomile flavor was not very noticable. Still delicious! 4.5/5MERGUEZ SAUSAGE- Decent. Spices gave the sausage good flavor, but was a bit on the mild side. I wish the sausage had a bit more snap to it too. Still good though 3.5/5Sardines- three huge sardines. Very fresh, with that nice ocean flavor you want. 4/5Suckling pig- perfectly cooked. A nice crunch on outside and perfectly juicy and tender on inside. Good natural flavor. I just wish they added a little something to it. Like a sauce or light seasoning to make it a bit more memorable. 4/5Corn flan- highlight of the night. Sweet savory corn flavor perfect for the fall. It was so delicious, light, and refreshing. Candied almonds added a great texture. 5/5Overall experience 4/5.

I don't know what can be said about Baleia that hasn't been said before. It's gorgeous inside - warm and inviting. The service was outstanding. Our waiter was friendly, attentive and gave great recommendations. Added a little welcomed personality to our evening. The food leans more rustic and traditional than I expected - which I definitely enjoyed. Great depth of flavor, masterful cookery. Place is a well-oiled machine in terms of timing. Oh, and the cocktails were spot on. Well balanced, tasty, pretty - what's not to love? It's a perfect date-night by restaurant.

Baleia was such an amazing dinner experience for my birthday and I can't wait to go back! Immediately when we walked in, we felt like it was cozy with a really sophisticated vibe. I recommend sharing a few plates so you get to try a bunch of the delicious options. We ordered the Portuguese sweet rolls, octopus carpaccio, seared cod, and steamed baby clams which were all great and super flavorful. Definitely save room for dessert because they have a bunch of yummy options like pasteis de nata. The staff was super attentive and friendly and our first courses came out really quick. The other dishes were spaced a bit apart but overall, it was a great experience enjoying each dish!

We made a reservation at 5 p.m., and we were the first to dine in. The atmosphere and design are beautiful and very relaxing. The service was great at the beginning, but as we were almost finishing the meal, we kind of got ignored. Even though the place wasn't packed until around 6 p.m., only four tables were dining, including us. The food is mainly tapas style, and some of the dishes are overpriced for the portion. OYSTERS piri piri, sercial 10 year madeira 4ea (Oyster was salty but it was fresh.)PORTUGUESE SWEET ROLLS chamomile butter 8 (I like the butter; it was light and fluffy. The bread is like Texas Roadhouse but on the sweeter side, and the top with salt tastes like pretzel.) OCTOPUS CARPACCIO crispy potato, pimenta aioli, black olive* 18 (The octopus is thinly sliced, so it makes it easy to chew on, but I am not a fan of the seasoning - probably I don't like the olive)GRILLED MUSHROOMS harissa, charred onion yogurt 17 (You will like it if you like a smokey taste)SHRIMP MOZAMBIQUE chili, lemon, cerveja 18 (It's definitely not worth the price even though it tastes good. The seasoning was light and the shrimp was not overly cooked making it easy to eat. There were only 2 shrimps that were cut in half.)PIRI PIRI POUSSIN fries, roasted garlic aioli* 34 (The chicken is juicy and not overly seasoned, but the fries are so fried that you can even see potatoes)SUCKLING PIG orange, braised greens, crispy pigs' ears 35 (I have never eaten pork that is soft and juicy, and the skin was crispy. The pigs' ears are super crunchy)Portuguese tart 4 ea (Amar's tastes way better. The tart was warm and crispy on the outside; however, the egg custard was cold and not even lukewarm. It could be better tart, but it is a nice dessert, not too sweet to end your meal.)Overall, our bill came out to be around $182 + tips. The tapas are better than the main dishes.

SRV is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston, so trying out their latest sister restaurant was a must. We came for dinner on a Wednesday with a reservation to celebrate our anniversary and had a great experience.The large space, previously occupied by a pizza place, has since been transformed into a warm setting with stunning architectural touches from floor to ceiling. There's a wide variety of seating options, but I would recommend making a reservation since it got pretty busy.Between the two of us we ordered four dishes, which was more than enough. We also ordered non-alcoholic drinks and appreciated how many options there were. My favorite dishes were the Portuguese Sweet Rolls and the Salted Cod Bohlinhos. We also got the Carrots Vindaloo and Duck Rice. The waiter was super friendly as were the hosts. They were sweet enough to give us complimentary non-alcoholic drinks in honor of our anniversary. While Baleia isn't a cheap meal, I'd definitely come back for another special occasion.

Great new tapas style spot on the edge of the south end with a warm but modern aesthetic. The menu is ideal if you eat a lot of seafood and vegetables but there are some meat and poultry options as well. The tuna was simple and very fresh. Spanish mackerel was very well seasoned and flavorful but smaller portion of fish. The sardines were fun to try but if bones bother you skip it. The octopus carpaccio was delicious with a prominent smoky chipotle flavor. The cocktail menu was very creative with a lot of unique and unexpected ingredients. Service was very fast and all the staff were attentive and helpful. Definitely a place I would go back to to check out the rest of the menu.