I went here with my boss and we agreed that this place is sweet. Great food, great drinks and a solid atmosphere. It is somewhat expensive, but I think it's worth the cost. I had a burger with homemade chips. It was delicious. read more

my family and i were excited to try the new elm square oyster and overall really enjoyed our experience. the most positive pieces were the casual atmosphere, excellent service, cocktails, and especially the appetizers. it goes without saying that the oysters were delicious. unexpected surprises were the seasonal pickles and the light, crispy sweet potato fries. everyone really enjoyed all of the appetizers that made us very excited about the next course. i appreciated the shorter menu and thought that every entree i tasted was extremely good and the fish cooked perfectly. my husband really enjoyed the scallops, i thought my halibut was delicious and especially liked the smoked oysters, and i enjoyed the bite i got to have of the lobster roll. overall, everything was great but i do have to admit the appetizers were the real highlight. read more

I just went last night. A really good drink menu, and very different, in a good way, food menu selection. Very good food for sure. And my friend who had oysters said they were great, and very fresh. My biggest issue is the price. I know restaurants can get away with a lot in Andover when it comes to pricing (like the $21 meatball I had at the new Larossa's bar), but when this used to be Brasserie 28 Restaurant I complained then that I thought it was a rip off to pay $18 for scallops as a small plate to find only 3 on my dish. last night I ordered scallops as an entree, and those same 3 scallops cost me $30!!!! Yes, the food is great, but the pricing for what you get is obscene. A one-ounce piece of cheese is $7. One ounce of cured meat is $8 (and I pay $18 per POUND for top-grade prosciutto at a deli). And, their menu on their website is not the same menu they are currently serving. Me and my friend dropped $130 (NOT including tax and tip) for two cocktails, two glasses of wine, two appetizers, one salad, and one entree, and 4 oysters. Oddly enough, though, the drink prices are quite reasonable, especially compared to other area restaurants. My recommendation? Stop by for a drink, then go elsewhere for dinner. It is a complete rip-off. read more

Attended this restaurant for the first time today, after having made a reservation online for my mother's birthday. (My mother loves oysters.) I requested a quiet/corner table due to the fact that my father has difficulty hearing - not only did they provide that table, but stopped to check in and see if the table was what I had hoped. The waitress was lovely. The food was delectable. The atmosphere was excellent. A lot of thought clearly went into the menu, and that was obvious in the taste of each dish. read more

Loved the atmosphere, small, but perfect portion size that lets you to enjoy a desert after. Loved that there is no bread given as it safes you place in your tummy for better appetizers. I ordered the special Halibut with Bean salad, fish was done perfect, outstanding piece of fish. my husband got steak was served with fingerling potatoes and veggies. He loved it. Great oysters, tasty drinks, awesome service by Misha. We will be back. read more

Elm Square Oyster - Bars Near Me - Andover, Massachusetts

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In short - we had a fantastic experience. This in my book is the best sophisticated restaurant in Andover today. They have a very decent and shockingly tasty selection of oysters and a truly innovative menu. The menu is not quite molecular gastronomy but bordering that - fresh and enticing. The ingredients pairing is truly cutting edge - try fresh salmon with roobios tea jelly, almonds and something like Graham crackers. The octopus small plate is totally out of this world. Service and attention were very good once we got the waiters to notice us after we were sat at the table. Some time passed before we even got water but after that, it was great. Looking forward to coming there again. read more

Everything was out of this world! Creative, original, masterfully presented deliciousness. Prices are very fair for the quality of the cuisine. I never write Yelp reviews, but this place really made our night. Also don't forget to ask for Chris as he is such a wonderful server- his suggestions were excellent! Will be back soon. read more

I went here with a coworker, and was significantly disappointed. While the service was good, I think the chef was trying too hard, and things were not as described on the menu. My biggest disappointment was my dinner-Scallops with Potatoes, mushrooms, bacon/corn dressing. The scallops were almost dry, no sauce at all (cooked well, though). 6 scallops on the plate-At $5 per scallop, that is a bit steep, but I would have overlooked it if there was more flavor. Imagine my surprise in discovering that there were ONLY 3 scallops, and the potatoes (fingerlings) had been cut in half, so it APPEARED to be 6 scallops, but was, in fact, 3 scallops, and 3 potatoes. FOR $30!!!! NO SIDES. The dessert sounded promising, but again, had no depth of flavor. I was severely disappointed-If you have money to throw away (even if you don't), do not waste it here, where the food was underwhelming, and significantly overpriced. read more

Food was excellent We had five people and sampled seven or six appetizers. All were excellent with the exception of the habanero chicken wings they were cold and flavorless. The waitress said she would remove them from the bill but did not and I did not catch it until arriving at home. :( The shrimp tacos and the clam toast were excellent. Highly recommend the scallops and the lobster bisque. Obviously the oysters were excellent. We had a sampler plate with five varieties and all were fresh and tasty. Oh the BBQ ribs app was also very good. The hostess warned us that they would be busy and it was a Sat night. The waitress said they were were down staff so the service was slow but they did the best they could. Dinner took 3 hours and fifteen minutes. Overall food was excellent and service was average. Worth a stop if you are looking to try a new restaurant read more

Awful service starting with the owner/hostess. Unfriendly and argumentative. the food is mediocre and not well prepared which is scary when you have Oyster in your title. My advice is get in the car and drive 30 minutes to Island Creek Oyster in Boston. read more

I found this gem in 'Northshore Magazine', and I have to say... I was very impressed. If you are looking for a cool atmosphere, great food, and an entire menu dedicated to a variety of wine and spirits, creative cocktails, and craft beer than this is the place for you. I thought the portion sizes and prices were appropriate for the quality I was receiving. The only negative thing I could really say about this place is that the bathroom was a little too far, but that isn't even worth complaining about. I definitely recommend checking it out! read more

Went twice for the oysters. Best oysters around. Good drinks and decor. Unfortunately I will not return because the dessert chef kept licking his fingers and the spoons/knives he used while making the desserts. He did it the entire time I was there and I couldn't help but just watch him the entire time. Needless to say, we skipped dessert our last time there. read more

Great place for drinks and oysters but don't go outside of that. The portions are a joke and the prices are very high. It is unfortunate as we were hoping it was better than Brasserie 28 but the menu selection is very limited. Unfortunately, we will not be back. read more

Despite being seated next to the bathrooms (last table in the place) we had the most amazing dinner from the freshest oysters served with 2 delicious sauces to the arugula salad with lavender dressing! Amazing! Surely the mains couldn't be as good as our starters...then my husband got his scallop dinner and I received my piping hot crispy cod dinner and we argued over whose meal was the best!!! The Sancerre white wine is so delicious for those that like French / old world white wines. All in all amazing food experience. We'll come back when we are in the area. read more

This was the worst service I have ever had. We ordered at 6 and got our food at 8:45. They charged us $210 for a burnt cheese burger four scallops and some oysters. I don't recommend it!! read more

If you like oysters and innovative menu choices, give this reatuarant a try. Fantastic treat for a Friday night. Highly recommend the oysters and the chef has done a great job with the menu. Gluten free options were robust and accommodating- we asked that our fries be prepared in a dedicated fryer to avoid cross-contamination. Everything was delicious and made from scratch! Highly recommend. read more

Be sure you like raw or barely cooked seafood before you go here. Nothing "wrong" with the service or ambience; the food was just generally not to my liking. I'll concede that the cocktail shrimp were amazing: HUGE, cold and attractively presented, although for $3 each, I think they should be. Apparently the oysters are good, but for my first experience, the ones I tried from Alabama had hardly any flavor and a fair amount of sand. My dinner host said the ones from Maine would probably have been tastier, but the server recommended the "mild" ones. Hubby ordered salmon, which turned out to be "cured" not cooked. The server was gracious about taking it back and bring him a somewhat prosaic hamburger. My host had gnocchi, which she liked. I ordered the pork tenderloin which was served as two vertical cylindrical chunks with minimal sauce or seasoning, with a few paper thin apple slices. It didn't look like "dinner" to me. As it was a celebratory meal, I ordered dessert: chocolate ganache with pistachio brittle and cinnamon cake. The plate looked two big pieces of fudge, two triangles of brittle and two mostly crumbled forkfuls of cake. Again, disappointing. I think this place is for hardcore seafood fans or heavy drinkers, as the wine, beer and spirits list was quite extensive. read more

Cute bistro took reservations for two and we sat near the shucking station in the back. We tried the $1.49 oyster special and ordered 2 dozen more. A good varied selection of oysters. This is why we came. Close to our home in Tewksbury without all the traffic and overpricing in Boston. We will be back! read more

So glad they are open again! Amazing oysters and creative menu items. Colin is the best behind the bar. Let's all patronize the Andover restaurants! read more

Fantastic time at Elm Square Oyster! Excellent hospitality from Roseann and her well trained staff. Food was delicious, including the standout Octopus! Bar Manger Colin has things well under control with a fun scene, superb drinks (try The Aviator), and a concise, yet very appealing wine list. I can't say enough good things about this suburban gem! -B Chase read more

To start they have a great selection of Wines and Beer. I suggest their version of Deviled eggs as an appetizer or there Blue Cheese plate. Cherry Stones were fresh, and their main coarse selection is all to desirable. The chef pairs combinations of food that compliment each other. Staff was very accommodating, and friendly. The kitchen is semi open and clean. The restaurant was clean, cozy and warm. This place is going in my top 5! read more

It's hard for me to give a bad review. I always try to find the best in everything but the portions are small and prices are high. I feel bad for the staff since they are stuck in the middle between the owners and customers. Tonight will cost three of us over $175.00 for drinks oysters and two small plates that we shared. Another review mentioned that it took 30 minutes to bring out the oysters and I agree. I think they did this so we ordered more drinks to make more profit. My estimate is another six months and this place will need to flip to a new place. Good luck and we will not be back. read more

Went with my husband and son last night and the food was FANTASTIC!! I had the autumn salad that was incredibly fresh and tangy with pink grapefruit and almonds, onto the fried oysters (my first oysters ever) and they were perfect, with some kind of awesome green sauce! Next, the clam chowder, deliciously-amazing, I could have had a vat of it! Excellent service and atmosphere! read more

Okay food but massively overpriced. We went on a weekend but it was horribly slow service. I guess you can go if you really want to gouged on some raw bar. read more

The food is mostly good. The decor/physical space is nice. It is TINY but cozy. However, it is very overpriced for what you're getting. Small town spot trying to be up scale city dining. Service in my one visit was not up to par with what they are trying to be. Felt like townie service. Lacked polish. Lacked warmth. Oh, and don't bring kids. You'll get eye rolls and sighs. They don't like kids so families beware. read more

Five of us ate dinner here last night. The service and atmosphere were very good but we were disappointed in the amount of food for the price. The charcuterie was expensive considering we were served three paper thin slices of soprasetta and a tiny piece of cheese. Our dinners (halibut, pork tenderloin, capellini) tasted great and but again the amount of food did not match the price. read more

Been here a few times now. Cool venue to have in the suburbs with a nice staff.This food is ok, but in my opinion quality doesn't match the higher price point. The crab cakes were priced like they were lumb crab, but I couldn't find any. Seemed like a lot of bread filler and claw meat. Had the Maple Manhattan as well, and it was definately not real maple syrup. For $13 bucks I shouldn't have a bunch of aunt jemima corn syrup at the bottom of my glass. A few of the other dishes were pretty creative which is great, and I was a big fan of Brasserie 28 too. Has potential, but feel it missed the mark in a few areas. read more

Great service and everything is made from scratch! Drinks are the best and some-the most unique I've had. Love the dirty heat and old fashioned. Their hot sauce is better than any BBQ place I've ever had! Their blue cheese stuffed olives puts everyone else to shame (in the dirty heat)! I'm extremely picky and eat at top end restaurants- this should be on your weekly list! read more

Went there for the first time tonight. Food was prepared very nice. Portions are on the small side. Water and drinks where forgotten about. Wait staff was in a huge hurry and was hard to track down. For the price they are charging i would not recommend. read more

We went here for drinks and apps at the bar. In short, the food and drinks were good but overpriced, small portions, not a good value. The $8 cod appetizer was the size of two crackers. The pork croquettes were good although I've made better myself. I will say that the oysters were good. I think the bar at Palmers is a better value. read more

Why did you ever take the burger off the menu? It was my favorite & of many other patrons I know. The bartenders are great. read more

Had a great dinner here during the holidays with friends and family. Food was awesome and service was excellent! My daughter has some food allergies, and the service staff went above and beyond to ensure that her meal was not going to cause problems. We couldn't have enjoyed ourselves any more. Look forward to returning there again soon! read more

Oh good God this place has the worst service imaginable!! DO NOT GO THERE! We went there on a Saturday night and the place was moderately full. My girlfriend and I ask for a table outside and the hostess says it is a 30-35 minute wait. We decide to wait and have a drink. We waited well over the 30 minutes and fortunately bumped into friends who helped kill the time. However on our 2nd drink order, the bartender totally forgot about us, meanwhile our friends had reordered well after us and they got their drinks before us. So I motion again to the other bartender and he finally reminds the first one about our drink order. They should have given them to us on the house due to the ridiculous wait time but eventually we got refilled. Pathetic! Meanwhile, we're still waiting for our table and it is now 90 minutes after we had arrived. We notice tables where the checks are waiting to be picked up, but the waitresses obviously don't have it together enough to cash them out. Finally one couple tires of waiting and takes their check inside to the hostess to cash out. About another 15 minutes later, they finally clear the table and call on us to be seated. Now we sit with our friends at the table and our waitress is so nonchalant about things and certainly doesn't know that we've been waiting for almost 2 hours for the table. We order some appetizers and they are ridiculously tiny portions for the price. Half a dozen each of oysters and little neck clams and they are so tiny and barely enough for one person. My girlfriend ordered some vegetarian appetizer and it was such a small plate it was ridiculous. Then our waitress just disappears for awhile and never comes back to take our dinner order. We wait and wait and she finally appears to get us another round of drinks but never asks for our dinner order. She disappears again then finally comes back and says "do you guys want to order anything because the kitchen is closing soon!" Just prior to this, I had already told my girlfriend that we should just forget it because at this rate it will be midnight by the time we get our dinners. So sure enough we end up foregoing dinner and we get the bill for $167 for 2-3 rounds of drinks for the 4 of us and 2 appetizers! I couldn't believe it. I will never go back to this place. Terrible service, small portions, overpriced menu! The whole night, the 4 of us were complaining about how they really don't know what they're doing. The 2 hostesses were clueless and over their heads and the waitresses were inept and couldn't keep up. Absolutely the worst restaurant experience I can ever recall. read more

Always enjoy this place every time we come back to Andover for it's fresh oysters and other seafood. You can't go wrong if you have a craving for seafood. During summer time, there is outdoor sidewalk seating to enjoy the sun and people strolling by read more

Love the concept change..we sat at the bar. The two gentlemen working know everything about anything they sell! That was half the fun listening to their knowledge of menus, etc. Very impressive and great to see because 2 out of 5 restaurants have employees with zero knowledge. Fried clams, burger and lobster roll were on point! Keep up the great work! read more

Had great drinks and food at the bar. Bartenders were very friendly and made a fantastic dirty martini.

Had a wonderful meal with the wife at elm square oyster. Started with hot squash app which was delicious and presented beautifully. Also had the scallop crudo which was very fresh and delicate. Also presented well. I had the burger which was perfectly cooked and yummy. Really hit the spot. My wife had the lobster roll which was outstanding. Finished with chocolate and peanut butter dessert for the perfect ending. Again artistically presented. Drinks were also very good. read more

The food here is great, but I am thoroughly disappointed in the fact that they (apparently) only have ONE high chair available for the entire restaurant. So nobody that has two kids in high chairs, or no groups of friends that have a couple of kids with them, can dine here? My children are extremely well-behaved, and I can't help but feel discriminated against for taking them out to eat. read more

Finally, a nice place to get craft beer and oysters in Andover Center! Nice bar area, knowledgable staff. A little pricey, but it's ok. Recommend. read more

After seeing a lot of local publicity, my wife and I had dinner here on 7/30. Interesting restaurant design, and generally friendly staff. However, our food left much to be desired. We both ordered the "Lobster BLT" priced at $24.00. It was the equivalent of a half-sandwich in size, and came only with chips that were pretty good. The portion size (for $24) was was way overpriced, and the lobster mix (and mayo, etc) was just fair. Nothing as good as your basic seaside lobster roll at 100 beach establishments. My wife had a nice cocktail, and the total bill including our tip was $75.01. Are you kidding me? The next night in New London, NH at a country inn, we paid only $25 more and had a fantastic dinner of two full entrees, salad, drinks, etc. read more