Love the scrimp scampi! Perfect portion size. The house focaccia bread is delicious! Waitstaff are very friendly. The restaurant shares an entrance and elevator with equinox. It's funny to see folks dressed up in the elevator clearly going to the restaurant looking very confused as to why there are a bunch of people in the same elevator dressed for a workout. I think the signage for the restaurant could be better especially since it's hidden in the back behind the blu cafe which is also a great place for a quick snack but it is separate from the restaurant. The view from the restaurant of Washington st from the restaurant is very cool. read more

Very good service and the view is nice, but the food lacks some flavor. I ordered cod fish and it was just ok. But the Greek orange cake was really good. read more

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I went to the Blu cafe during the day and ordered the special of the day - chicken stir fry. The chicken tasted like it was microwaved and I wouldn't be surprised if the whole meal was microwaved. Almost all of the pieces of chicken were dry and some were inedible. Super disappointing for a dish that costs $20.00 The rest of the dish was rice, mixed vegetables, and a typical stir fry sauce. Skip this dish and stick with the smoothies and juices. read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - Chicken stir fry special - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I should never leave a review of things when I don't fully understand things because the customer is not always right. After thinking it over, I was so hungry , that I was more hungry than I was being rational. The food is good, atmosphere is good, very clean, and friendly and welcoming staff. I recommend the Chicken Salad Sandwich at lunch and the Mexican Breakfast Burritio is my favorite. Great salads as well. read more

Blu is located right in downtown Boston with a great view of the theater. It was a bit strange taking the elevator up and seeing an equinox gym as soon as you get off, Blu also has a cafe type lounge for grabbing food on the go that you walk through to get to the main dining area. My grilled swordfish was cooked perfectly, and my spicy tequila drink was so good I got another. Our server was very attentive, polite, and friendly. Overall a great spot to go to for a date night in town or with people who are visiting. read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - Grilled Swordfish - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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The location makes this restaurant! It is perfect for anyone going to see a show or just wanting to see the views. The service was incredible, we were there to celebrate a bachelorette and they were super accommodating and even gave us dessert. Food was amazing too! The focaccia to start was an incredible touch! read more

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This place wasn't bad and I would have rated it three stars if the prices were more in line with what you get. The good: the view is nice. The ambiance with the blue lights is fun. The Caprese Salad is good, fresh burrata. The scallops were really good. The Braised Short Rib Rigatoni was good. The not so good: the Caprese was not $19 good, nor was the Rigatoni $33 good. My Manhattan was watery and $19 despite the fact that they have the Bourbon I asked for it to be made with on the menu for $14. I guess the vermouth and water was $5?!? We arrived on time for our 5:30 reservation but nobody was at the host station. I walked back to find the place empty but for two servers standing by the bar looking at their phones. Overall the service was fine. I debated giving this place three stars because overall it was OK, but for the price, it should have been much better. When I get a $19 Manhattan, it better be fantastic; watery and $19 is two stars. read more

I was looking for a restaurant not far from my hotel so I didn't have to drive or walk too far to get there. I found Blù which is located in the Ritz-Carlton hotel so that was even better. Our table faced Washington Street and the Paramount theater. The view was stunning and when it got dark, the Paramount theater and all its lights make you feel like you were in Time Square. The menu was full of delicious choices which made it hard for us to pick our meals. We decided on salads, and for entrees, we had the grill sword fish with asparagus, I substituted my lobster mashed potatoes for a lobster risotto, my husband kept his dish as it was. My salad had fried goat meat balls which were si good that I asked to to have more as a side dish. For drinks we had a white Sangria (wouldn't recommend it) and for dessert, a delicious bread pudding with salted caramel ice cream... simply delicious. We made it back to our room stuffed but very satisfied. read more

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I went out to dinner here with several friends before we went to see The Nutcracker. The restaurant is somewhat difficult to find- it is located at Equinox, in the Ritz Carlton (on the fourth floor). It took me several frustrating minutes to find the door. Once I finally did find the door, I took the escalator up to the restaurant. I was immediately seated once I got there, and our table had a great view of Washington Street. The rest of my party was somewhat belated in getting to the restaurant, but luckily Blu serves complimentary bread/rolls, which were quite tasty. I ordered the Vegan Feast, with the bread pudding for dessert. The vegan feast was delicious! The butternut squash, sautéed kale, grilled zucchini, and quinoa were covered in a scrumptious cilantro-sunflower pesto. Even if you aren't vegan/vegetarian, I recommend trying the vegan feast! The bread pudding was warm and dense, but not dry. If you are in the area/want somewhere to eat before going to the ballet, I recommend giving Blu a try! read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - Bread Pudding - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We go to the Nutcracker for our Christmas tradition and this was the first year trying Blu. I am so glad we did. Food, service and ambiance were all amazing! We started off with the calamari. It was lightly fried and the aioli was very tasty. I had the salmon, my sister in law had the cod, my daughter had the steak and her daughter had the raviolis with pesto. All tasted amazing as were the sides. My only slight complaint was the steak was a bit drier than she liked but nothing worth of sending back. Us ladies had each a wine, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, both of which were nice. The girls each finished with a desert. Her daughter had the cheesecake and my daughter had the mouse. They polished off those plates and pretty sure they would have licked them clean had we let them lol. Our waitress was personable and professional. She only checked on us when she could see a drink was low or how our food was. I like when they give us time to have our conversations and not check in every 5 mins. Ambiance was amazing. The view of downtown crossing at night really sets the mood. The restaurant is a bit dark but with the candles at the table and the blue lighting you can still see everything fine. I would definitely recommend Blu to anyone looking for a nice dinner in Boston. read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - View from our table - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Beautiful evening view from this 4th floor restaurant. We chose the Duck (very tender) and Scallops (with lobster risotto...phenomenal!) for this romantic dinner. Excellent cocktails. For desert, New York cheesecake in a white chocolate shell! Our server was attentive without hovering. read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - View of Paramount theater sign and Washington St. - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Came here before we saw the nutcracker. The ambiance is beautiful. We were a party of six and they seated us in what almost felt like a private room with a beautiful chandelier. I ordered the herb roasted cod, my brother had the diver sea scallops, and my son had the salmon. The sea scallops and salmon were amazing. They were kind enough to let me try their dishes. My cod lacked seasoning but was okay. I would definitely recommend the sea scallops. The lobster risotto was YUM. Service was impeccable. You could not beat the view as it overlooked the theater district. I would definitely come back the next time we go to see a show. read more

Great views of the theater district.. and if that's all you care about, this is the place for you. Other than that, don't waste your money. read more

The food is amazing and the service immaculate! The seating is a full glass view over Avery Street! read more

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I had high hopes based on the Yelp reviews. The venue is cool unless you're stuck at the last table on the left with no view where the waiter can't see you either. Took awhile to be acknowledged in any way, shape, or form. If you like bread, don't bother asking for more. The waiter will respond in a super judgey way with an "I'll see" and then act like you never asked. $48 steak supposed to be Medium Rare and came out Medium. On the plus side, the view seems fantastic if you're not in a corner. The focaccia is amazing if you only want one piece. And the mashed potatoes are delicious. Palette saving tip: the ginger ale is real...drink with care. read more

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Stopped in for a quick drink last night after dinner with a friend. It's actually a great spot to go for dinner as well-based on my friend's recommendation. It's next door to the Ritz-Carleton and on the 4th floor of the adjoining residence building. (Much of this building is under construction right now). The views of the theater district are lovely. Our bartender was super friendly and took care of us. We had an Irish coffee (not on the menu but she hooked me up), a mixed beverage (again-not on the menu but done just right) and a rye on the rocks. It was quiet and easy to have a conversation. I understand that it's rather busy during the pre-show hours but it's a great place to go if you're not interested in the loud club/bar scene and just want to chill with fiends. read more

Food was fine, services was fine, dining experience was fine. Nothing special to support the higher pricing.

Came here for my birthday dinner and happy to say that I had a great time. The service here was really friendly and food came out decently fast. Even if it was slow, I think I still wouldn't have minded because there is so much to observe from the view. It was awesome! To start, we tried the sampler appetizer with lobster ravioli, fried fish and lamb. Definitely worth the try but I wasn't too crazy about it. Regardless, it was the perfect amount of food to get your stomach ready for the meal and you get to taste a variety of different things. I ordered the steak and thought that it was average. Not too bad, not too good. What really stole the show for me was the risotto. Super creamy and bursting with flavor - so good. We also got the fish and this was pretty good as well. Fish was light and cooked nicely. There were other things that came on the dish that we weren't too big a fan of but the main star was good. Finished off the meal with the bread pudding - absolutely delicious! read more

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I went here to an anniversary dinner. The view is beautiful with a relaxed atmosphere. The food was great and our waitress was very friendly and attentive. I ordered the shimp scampi and added scallops for an up charge. It was amazing read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - a view of the city at night - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Wonderful! Great atmosphere, view, food was very well done. Staff was very accommodating. Would definitely return! read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - Grilled Swordfish, Herb Roasted Cod - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I went to Blu for lunch and found it to be a great spot. I had the arugula salad with shrimp as well as a chocolate torte, both of which were extremely delicious. It's a very small place but at 12:00 on a Monday we were one of only a few parties present. Service was attentive.. no complaints on that front. Price wise, it's about what I would expect for the area, definitely not cheap but I did leave feeling full (granted I did have dessert). Decor is pretty unimpressive but there are huge windows along the main wall, making for a lovely city scape view, which made up for lack of decorations. read more

We had our large private party, so I didn't get the entire experience, but this place is classy and the epitome of fine dining. The service was top-notch as well - prices are really fair! It's a little hard to find, so be diligent! read more

This was a fun place to grab a bite to eat with excellent service! We had a very attentive and polite waitress! We weren't super hungry after seeing a movie so we decided to split a salad and the tapas platter and get desserts. There wasn't anything super special about the salad, but the tapas platter was a good way to try different foods with different flavors. The desserts were nice, again nothing too special but nothing bad - the view and the service were worth the experience! read more

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This place is offering late night dinner till 10 pm, it was near by the place where i was stating in Boston, everything was delicious as i planned to be. The sever was very kind and nice as well. The Bolognese pasta was amazing but i would like to advise that it is a small portion, please add some more. Thank you! read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - Bolognese Pasta - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

It was my first time eating here and I was extremely impressed by the food. I got a rack of lamb so tender you could cut it with a spoon. I also got a turtle lava cake for dessert that was to die for! read more

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Went to dinner with my wife, her sister and brother in law. We arrived once we found the place which is above the Equinox. The restaurant atmosphere was cool besides the fact there was no one there at 8:00 on a Saturday night. Can't always judge a book by the cover, but it didn't make me feel better. Overall the food was good. I had the scallops which was really good. And my wife had the lamb chops. I liked mine more than the rest of the group, and for the price, no one was overly impressed. I would try again but maybe for a lunch or apps. read more

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Terrific view, fun casual yet intimate atmosphere. Great food. Our service was top notch. read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - The view from our table at Blu - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I never complain about service or food, until now. we went to blu prior to a show. I ordered the free range chicken which arrived at the table dedicated to the point where I could not cut it with a knife. my group was mortified! when I complained to the waiter he said he would tell the manager. I told himhe should notify the chef. the waiter then proceeded to avoid our table when I got his attention I asked what was said. he replied they were sorry. nothing else. mind you this was a $300 dinner bill. I have never seen such bad food followed by " too bad for you " management response. Avoid this restaurant or risk a major dinning disappointment. never in my life! read more

Hard to find, but worth it! (It's on the 4th floor). Strongly recommend the Barbados Old Fashioned (who knew that rum worked in an Old Fashion?), the calamari, the arugula salad, and the baked cod. read more

I was hesitant to try this place given some of the bad reviews. To start, service was great. I was so impressed with how kind and attending our server was. I tried the mushroom and cauliflower soup which was delicious. The pistachios on top was a nice addition. The duck was good. Not my favorite I've ever had. I prefer a crispier skin and the rice pilaf that it came with was bland. I wish it was a hardier grain like a farro or even a mash of some sort. Given the convenience of the location to the theater, I wouldn't be opposed to coming back, though it didn't blow my skirt up.. as they say. read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - Mushroom and cauliflower soup - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Great place with a beautiful view! Located inside the Equinox club 4th floor, we stumbled upon a small cafe and then was seated with a wonderful window view. It's a modern, chic kind of place but not so much so that you'd feel uncomfortable. The staff was very cool. The diver sea scallops were amazing!! As well as the sour apple martini it all was delicious. I was a little skeptical about going here based off luke warm reviews but if your ever in Boston this place is definitely a go to! read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - Beautiful view - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Updated Review! I've been back to Blu a few times since my last review, figured it was worth an update. We were seated next to the kitchen AND adjacent to a rather large and LOUD party, which detracted from the romantic dining experience we were going for. Our waiter was taking care of the large party, so we sometimes received less than timely service (particularly when ordering and looking for the check), but food-plating was spot on. Started with the mushroom epanadas. These were tasty, but the insides oozed onto the plate the moment they were cut into. Short rib entree was very tender, but lacked a bit of flavor. Similarly, the grilled swordfish was cooked perfectly, but very bland (lobster mashed taters were good). The Royale Brulee Chocolate Cake was the highlight of the meal, the flourless chocolate cake tasted like a dense brownie, so not worth the $9. The view is great, lots of variety on the menu, very friendly staff. read more

Got a crazy afternoon traffic just back to boston last night, got a good dinner time with people I love, and joyful days finally started, like their fish tacos and pear cocktail!! Good view in the sets and I believe there also a gym next of the restaurant. read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - Love the bar - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Awesome place. Awesome service. Great drinks. Menu is good also. Will come back again. read more

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Pros: - Amazing view! - Above average drinks. - The steak and cheese spring rolls are exquisite! By far the best thing on the menu. Cons: - Food other than the spring rolls was just average. - Weird location in the Ritz Carlton building next to a gym and cafe. - Service could be better. The waiter did not understand our requests but he did accommodate substitutions, which I appreciated. read more

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Nice place. Food quality was very good and interesting enough with clever presentation and nicely complex flavors. The blue tinted setting was fun for the evening of pre-theater as we felt a bit like we were on a stage overlooking the Paramount. Wine selection is good and very reasonably priced. Service was good. One chief waiter stretched among many tables with multiple runners is not usually successful in my experience but it worked ok here. One drawback is that it feels like an extension of the equinox gymnasium. read more

The server is very nice and we got seated right away. Location is great and the view is nice . But the food was such a disappointment especially the price they charge is on the higher end. You would expect a better quality food, plating or even just the taste. The veggies are saggy and food is bland. read more

A friend recently rented out the bar section of Blu for her 40th birthday, and our experience there was fantastic. (1) The space is conveniently located by Boylston/Chinatown and has a beautiful elevated view of downtown Boston that is especially impressive at night. (2) The self-service/complimentary coat check made getting in and out of the party easy. (3) The passed appetizers (crab cakes, spring rolls, caprese, seasonal quiches and lemongrass chicken) were excellent quality and we had more than enough food. (4) Servers were attentive and friendly. (5) Before the event, my friend raved about the General Manager of Blu and how flexible she was with pushing back last call so the party could go on longer. During the event itself, the bartenders let us stay past the extended time so my friend could try to hit her bar minimum. Most places don't care about their customers that much. I enthusiastically recommend this place for private parties! read more

Blu Restaurant & Bar - New American Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Not a great experience. Waiter took our drink order and disappeared. Finally came back and took our order for apps and meals and disappeared again. Our calamari app came out relatively quick and was ok, but again nothing special, could have used more flavor. Then when the waiter picked up the app dish, he left us bread so I found that timing to be really weird but ok. Then it was easily a half hour before we saw our meals, which is also worth mentioning there were only about 4 occupied tables in the restaurant at 7:30 on a Saturday night. My wife enjoyed her shrimp scampi, but my steak was flavorless and not a very good cut of meat. All in all the bill came to $150 for two people for maybe $70 worth of quality. The restaurant tries to promote itself as a higher end restaurant but it's in a very awkward spot in the corner of a common space in a corporate space. Music playing in the background was weird for the setting as it was playing top40 pop music. read more

Downtown Crossing is such a dead zone for fine dining. Except for maybe Teatro. Teatro is awesome. But for more awesome-ness, you could walk a couple blocks down and spend half as much in Chinatown. On Chinese awesome-ness. Blu tries like one of the non-Kim Kardashians, but when you ain't got it, you ain't got it. The Wild Mushroom Soup was gross and tasted like burnt cardboard. And I'm the kind of mushroom lover who wants mushrooms scattered on my honeymoon bed in lieu of rose petals*. The Spicy Mussels weren't bad but weren't very fresh, and the accompanying toast was fried like James Franco post-exam week. The Polenta Fries were fine at first until we ran out of the truffled fondutta (they gave so little) and had to taste their unseasoned, over-fried starchiness on their own. Ugh! Some props for the Shrimp Fettuccini, which wasn't served with a cream sauce like I had assumed (I did not read the menu like a good girl) but a nice, thick marinara sauce. The boy, unimpressed by everything, made the only complimentary remark of the evening toward the shrimp. They were plump, juicy and tender. Go shrimp. For dessert, we split the Cinnamon Creme Brulee and it was...not good. The boy is an expert on creme brulee (you would be too if it were your favorite dessert that you'd had in every restaurant that ever served it) and I will quote him: "It's too runny and greasy". So no go on the broiled cream either. Props to our waitress though, who was very nice and patiently listened to the douchebag next to us who lectured her on why the menu shouldn't put "Dutch" and "cocoa" next to each other because apparently there's a tumultuous history there and he's the authoritative expert on anything that's ever happened anywhere ever, so his opinion is more important than yours. Yeah, mad props to her for humoring that jackass. I would have pretended I didn't understand English and taken a long break. _____ *To whom it may concern: not actually true, exaggerating for effect. Rose petals are good. read more