Ellis Square Social

The last time we were here, it was 4 stars. Last night the food was 2, but the cocktails were still great, so we are rounding up to 3 stars. The steak tartar isn't great. The chop is off and there was gristle. It was served with toasted (yet soft?) bread and fries. It would have been better served with fresh chips. His burger arrived incorrectly with a side salad, so they promptly brought a huge pile of fresh fries that were very good. He was happy. My chicken sandwich tasted fine, but we were laughing at how little chicken there was. I have never seen a chicken sandwich like this one before. They didn't forget the chicken because there was some on there, but it was very hard to find. The side salad it came with was just meh. The dressing was almost like a lemony mayo? And there was nothing but lettuce and that. I usually eat every bite of a salad and I left 2/3 of it there. We had a fairly flavorless chocolate dessert and realized the food isn't what it once was, so next time it's just cocktails.

Visited on a whim. We had planned to attend a comedy show around the corner but we arrived 45 minutes early. In locating Ellis Square we first noticed how warm it looked. It has a great design inside....see the picture with the brick and incredible lighting. We were given two seats at the bar, which was awesome. We only had a short time to grab a bite and get back to the theater and it could not have worked out any better!My wife ordered a glass of white and a veggie pizza. I ordered a side of mashed potatoes. I know, I know....kind of odd but it was exactly what I was looking for. The food and drinks arrived in perfect time. The mashed potatoes were awesome and my wife is still raving about the veggie pizza and how tasty it was!The bar was crowded as we noticed that most people had reservations. We realized that we were lucky to walk-in and get a great seat!I loved the vibe inside. The bartenders were very welcoming and were full of information and service with a smile.Parking is available on the Cabot Street....I believe there are meters but after dark, I believe parking is free. We will return....with a reservation and a bigger crowd! Great find for us!PS: I did not notice a tv in or near the bar....a nice change!

City food without the price tag and white table cloth. Highly, highly, highly recommend reserving a bar seat, which as plush and comfortable; I could spend an entire day here. Classic steak tartare, which is stellar, but the pork belly is the absolute star. My duck was cooked to perfection, and seasoned quite well. The burger is also great. Every dish is minimal ingredients, prepared and seasoned expertly. Its truly New-American perfection, in a great setting, with excellent bartenders.

Excellent food and very unique drink menu- would definitely recommend if you're enjoying an evening out in Beverly

This place has a great ambiance and is perfect for a few drinks or a date. After a few visits here, I've come to realize that the food isn't really for me here... I often find it to be overly seasoned and missing the mark taste wise BUT the seafood featured in any of their dishes is as fresh as you can get. Their cocktails are fantastic and their desserts are amazing. I'd come here for an end of night dessert and drinks but will likely head nearby for dinner.

It was a dark and stormy night. Cold-March-Saturday. Crowded. Seats by the front windows-drafty. Avoid that seating area. Beautiful ambiance. Fast & very friendly servers. We got linguini with lobster and clams. Lobster over cooked, pasta a bit more Al dente than I prefer. I would not order it again. Hubs got gnocchi with beef. He liked it, but also not looking to eat it again. People next to us at the bar got short ribs. They had the same reaction to that dish. The cocktails are above average. Best espresso martini I've ever had. Not sure why. It had a bite that was pleasant but not sweet. Summary-food just OK. Cocktails and ambiance fabulous.

Went for dinner before a show at the Cabot. This is definitely the place to go. Their dirty martini was excellent and the food as well. Service was outstanding. Our favorite place near the Cabot.

I almost don't want to tell people about this place because I want it to be my secret. It is SOOOOOO FREAKING GOOD. We just keep coming back. Some of our favorites:- Oysters: I don't know how their oysters are better than other local restaurants, but they are- Steak tartare: Utter PERFECTION. Possibly better than any other steak tartare I've ever had- Entrees that have all blown our minds: short ribs, steak frites, quail (seriously don't know how they made the lentils on the side THIS delicious), and burger.- nearly all of their whiskey-based cocktails, though I will say that some taste VERY similar to each other. The only thing we've ordered that was mediocre was the ricotta canelloni with braised lamb, but the rest of the meal was superb, and all other meals we've had there were superb, so I'd just skip that particular dish as the flavors really don't meld (though the lamb was delicious on its own, and the canelloni was delicious on its own).

Made a reservation for dinner before a show at The Cabot. All seats, even the bar, are by reservation when we went on a Saturday night. Drinks and food were great, servers were very busy but attentive. Halibut entree was fantastic.

Overall only ok. Decent setup and concept. To start, the air conditioning was broken, it was 83 degrees out and unknown inside, it was warm though. Should have just turned around, stayed though bc we made reservations and no time to look for anything different with making a show. Aside from it being hot inside, food came out at the table next to us who ordered after us. Chicken sandwich had clearly been sitting as it was only warmish, while likely waiting for other dish. I could probably look beyond that, but the content/meat was lacking, more bun than meat, and honestly I've had fuller sandwiches at Wendy's. Service was all right; but had to wait to take bill after indicating times were getting pushed for the show with the delay waiting for food (we had an 1.5 hrs from reservation to show time). Drink menu looks good, food is relatively reasonable; but honestly the food this night was just bland and lacking in content, which probably is a result of trying to prepare in the heat with no AC. I know it's a hard decision, but the restaurant should have just closed to for the night with no AC or windows able to open.