It's well worth 2.5 hr drive. This place is better than most restaurants in Boston. Service is amazing. Got loud after 7 pm. We had the 9 course meal that got me stuffed. Would totally come back. I was worried because several reviews said food was salty. Only 2 dishes were salty. The rest were very good with deep flavors and innovative. Drinks are very generous with mix of cocktails, wine and ice coffee at the end. read more

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Incredible night! We have been here a few times but not since they do the coursed meals. We had the 14 course and the meal was incredible! So many dishes were just an explosion of flavor in your mouth! I'm not a huge foodie or get weirded easily by consistency and I went all in and was so grateful! The service was impeccable! Squad is on top of it and all the little delights of surprise were the perfect touch! Especially the Verona chocolate add on as we exited! Ambiance was moody and just the vibe we wanted for our long overdue date night! A++ all around and can't wait to go back! read more

Nightshade Noodle Bar - Vietnamese Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

Came here for a special occasion and the service was top notch. Every member of staff was attentive and friendly, and the dessert was served with candles and a card for the birthday girl. The food was hit or miss for us, but at least all the dishes were pretty unique and varied in flavors and presentation. The most unique dish we had was the barnacles, which we had never tried before. The glass noodles with tomato were delicious, but the egg noodles were too salty. The sticky rice that came with the foie gras was the perfect amount of chewy and sweet, but the piece that came with the uni was too dry. I had been wanting to come to this place for a while, but we got less seafood dishes than expected from browsing their online menus. Because of our dairy allergy, we weren't allowed to request any dishes for our tasting, which was disappointing. It was also heavily implied to us that the 20% included fee was not a tip and therefore we should also tip on top. Why do this instead of being transparent about the total cost of a meal to your customers upfront? Overall, the service was excellent and the food was unique to try, but probably not the best to visit if you have dietary restrictions and are really hoping for some seafood dishes. read more

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We decided to go all in and experience the 14-course fully blind tasting menu at Nightshade Noodle Bar--and overall, it was a really memorable night. From the start, the experience shines. The service was excellent: attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely welcoming without feeling overbearing. The ambiance carries a really fun New Orleans-inspired flair--lively, energetic, and unique. It sets the tone for something special. I also loved how the blind tasting pushed me out of my comfort zone--I got to try several things for the first time, which is always exciting. The standout dish for me was the kabocha squash bột chiên. The duck tongue was exceptional with the acidic crunchy carrots with a delicious and spicy fish sauce. It truly hit all five senses--tangy, sweet, spicy, savory, and full of umami. It was one of those dishes that just keeps unfolding as you eat it. A close second was the sweet coconut sticky rice with pork floss--honestly incredible. It was so good I found myself scraping and practically drinking every last bit off the plate. Another highlight was trying chilled Portuguese percebes for the first time. Super interesting texture and flavor. While the heavy black pepper lime sauce wasn't my favorite it was something that I'd definitely love to have again. Experiences like that make it easy to see why this place has received so much recognition. That said, there were a few things that held the experience back for me. The music felt a bit off--louder than expected and not quite matching the vibe--but that's something I could look past. The bigger issue was the overall seasoning across the menu. Many of the dishes leaned very salty and rich. By around courses 10-11, I started to hit real flavor fatigue. The biggest miss of the night was the shredded cabbage salad that was presented as a palate cleanser around that same point in the meal. I was genuinely excited for something bright, acidic, and refreshing to reset after all the richness--but instead, it ended up being the saltiest dish of the night, which made it feel like a missed opportunity. The fish sauce or whatever salty component was super over bearing. Dessert followed a similar pattern. While not bad by any means, the two desserts leaned quite sweet, and the final course--a salted caramel mousse--again brought a strong salty note. At that point, I was really hoping for something lighter or more refreshing to close things out. Overall, I think Nightshade is a really cool restaurant with a great vibe and a lot of creativity. I'd definitely recommend it--but personally, I'd suggest going with the 9-course tasting menu instead of the 14. A shorter format would likely keep the experience more balanced and prevent that flavor fatigue. It is also a significant investment--our experience came out to around $800 for the 3 of us--which naturally raises expectations and really the only reason I felt compelled to write such a detailed review. With just a bit more balance, especially incorporating more bright, acidic, or lighter elements throughout the experience, could match the level of creativity and become truly exceptional. NOTE: photos not in the order it was served read more

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If I could rate Nightshade a 6/5 I would! We had an absolutely amazing experience here and can't wait to be back. Even though the restaurant isn't super big, it has a super welcoming and cozy atmosphere. We decided to try the 9 course blind tasting menu and I can't even begin to explain how delicious everything was! The entire menu felt like it was meticulously curated and hit all the notes you'd want in a meal. The staff and waiters were so friendly and explained all the dishes so well. They were so fun and made the experience so memorable! We were there to celebrate a birthday and they even brought out some ice cream with a candle to end the meal along with a birthday card. I highly recommend making a reservation to celebrate a special occasion or to treat yourself! read more

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The food was presented simply but beautifully. I did have a favorite. The uni brûlée. That was excellent. I also liked the lacquered fois gra and the bone marrow bahn mi and a slaw salad w apple and mushroom. Also highly enjoyed the ice cream at the end. The waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. And the woman- I think the front of the house manager was also kind and polite. Now for the rest of the food. We got the 14 course tasting menu. I wish I could grant it 5 stars but my husband And I agree it is a 3 star rating. The flavors were powerful on each dish - the overwhelming taste however was much TOO SALTY. This was the case for the egg noodles, the kale, the bahn mi, scallops even the chocolate mousse at the end. We also feel the portion sizes were just too small. Literally one bite for the majority. Some were 3 or 4 bites (salads). I know it's not the same type of restaurant but I can't help but to compare it to the Zuma experience at the Four Seasons in Boston. THAT was amazing. And the portions were 5 times bigger. Steak. Lobster. of course sushi and a magnificent dessert boat of highest quality gelato and fruit. An experience memorable for life. Nightshade won so many awards. We had to try it. But it didn't meet our exoectations. Portions need to be bigger. Flavors need to be more subtle on the salt. It is a beautiful and casual at the same time environment - people very friendly. And we appreciated the Anniversary card! read more

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I have been dining at Nightshade Noodle Bar since they opened. The food is spectacular and will excite your tastebuds. 7 9 14 course blind tasting menu. The drink program is also top shelf. Make a reservation asap! read more

Nightshade Noodle Bar - Foie gras on sticky rice - Vietnamese Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

Nightshade Noodle Bar offers a memorable dining experience. The caviar service was a standout, beautifully presented with a delicious dip that elevated the flavors. The uni crème brûlée was a surprising and delightful twist, perfectly balancing sweet and savory notes. Oh and the sticky rice lollipop was delicious! For dessert, the 60% chocolate mousse was rich and satisfying, capping off a fantastic meal. Who would have imagined such a cool place in Lynn? 20% service charge include. While I would have tipped anyway, the fact that there is no option to change it, and patrons are forced to pay it kinda sucks. What is someone doesn't want to pay as much? Please give people a choice. read more

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It's a small intimate restaurant, and great for date nights. We opted for the 9 course tasting menu, where you have the option to go completely blind for all 9 courses or pick 1-2 dishes from the menu with the other dishes being blind. They also offer a 5, 14 and 21 course menus. My favorites were the caviar service, baja uni brûlée, and claypot caramel foie gras. The coconut milk for the grilled coconut sticky rice pops was light and delicious. The moon rabbit cocktail was also refreshing. However, some dishes were too salty. The homemade egg noodles were quite salty, especially when the noodles absorb the salty sauce. The sauce on the chinese broccoli for the crispy soft shell crab was slightly salty. I personally was not a fan of the salted chocolate mousse as I'm not a fan of chocolate. We specifically asked for the crispy soft shell crab, and crispy black cod, however, the kitchen ran out of cod (our server said it is popular with regulars), but we were not informed until we asked about it at the end. Service was great, attentive, and friendly. Overall, it was a great experience with wonderful service. The restaurant is small and mainly have tables for 2, counter seats, and only two tables for four. It is mainly street parking in the area. read more

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tl;dr has potential, but way too much salt. Recommended: Coconut Sticky Rice Bar; Foi Gras Nigiri Reviewing a visit from Summer of 2024 My partner prefers to drink hot water. We sat down and asked for hot water. The waitress responded, "sorry, we don't have hot water". A confused look appeared on our faces. "We don't have a vessel that can safely serve hot water," she says. Okay, that's fair. A few minutes later, the table next to us is served a drink in what looks like a ceremic tea cup. Imagine the confused look on our faces. Later in the dining experience, due to the sheer amount of salt, we really, really needed water. But cold drinks made my partner's stomach feel unsettled. The hostess, upon learning of this, brings out hot water in a double walled glass cup. Great! But a little too late. Nightshade has a large menu and a format where you can choose to order 9, 14 or 21 course dinner. Our waitress explain that if there are specific items you desire, you can request those as part of the experience. Great, so which items will be served from the 10-course, so we may know if we need to put in special requests or not? The waitress responds, "Oh not even we know that! Chef Rachel will curate the menu for you based on your requests". "Can we put in special requests later?". "No, because Chef Rachel will curate the menu in a way that starts gentle on the flavor as to not blow our your palate right away, and increase the intensity gradually. We cannot change the menu once we put in the order". Wow, Chef Rachel must be be putting so much thought into the menu and our experience! The first item that was served was the "nightshade caviar service". Umami rich caviar with salty potato chips and eggspuma dip on the side. Rich, salty, flavorful. Tasty, but palate needed gentle warmup first. The second item was the "chilled portuguese precebes," i.e. goose barnacles, served with what tasted like Chinese black pepper sauce. We were instructed to dip the barnacles in the black peppper sauce. SO SALTY holy crap palate is completely blown at this point. Later, we were served a uni brulee with red curry hollandaise. It was a bowl of rich hollandaise sauce served in a sea urchin shell. Time to go fishing for uni! After some effort, we found two pieces of uni at the bottom of the bowl. Now what? We're left with a bown of hollandaise soup. Are we supposed to drink it by itself? There were some hits that night, like the Coconut Sticky Rice Bar and the Foi Gras Nigiri. Everything else though... salty like the sea. In general, everything we had was too rich and salty; there's a noticable lack of balance, a lack of acid, and a lack of vegetables. I have never been so thirsty after a meal in my entire life. My partner's eyelids were so, so swollen the next morning due to dehydration. Just recalling this meal is making thirsty. Would I go back? Honestly those two items were great. Go if you have a high salt tolerance. read more

Value just not here and food was spectacular and not great based on course. We went with another couple and they really liked it. Having recently gone to Mooncusser in Boston, which is the same price, it was hard to rate this highly when some courses were not great while a couple were fabulous. The sticky rice pops were just exceptional in all ways. One of the top favorites for all of us. The crawfish and percebes were weird to eat, didn't taste great. Disappointing. Felt as though they had them on the menu simply because they are unusual and not because they are exceptional. Chips with dip and caviar service were nice, but not exceptional. Bottom line is that I wouldn't go back but if rice pops were available for take out, I'd pay handsomely to get just that to go. I will always remember that dish. wait staff were wonderful and although 20% was already added to bill, we left more. read more

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The ambiance and the servers and service are spectacular. We chose a price fixed tasting menu that was very hit or miss and a lot of it unmemorable and completely uninteresting. But thankfully or regrettably you only get about a mouthful of each serving. The blowfish lollipops were good. Too many mousse style dishes that were a muddle of flavors & I've never seen such tiny dessert portions. Literally appears to be a glass milk bottle cap filled with pudding. All this amidst a 1980 - 2000's chill-hop-synth soundtrack. Most of the good reviews here seem like they went to a different restaurant so YMMV. Being a huge Asian food fan I don't get this place. Some people love it. Count me out. read more

Nightshade Noodle Bar - Fried oyster with lettuce soup. - Vietnamese Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

We joined for 9-course menu to celebrate our marriages together with our favorite couple. The music was loud but not too loud so that we can have enjoyable conversations among the group as well as with staffs. The restaurant is actually giving the bar vibes. All if the staffs were nice and friendly, which added up for our perfect night. We love all the dishes except the garlic noodle with crab cake. It was too salty and heavy on spices. It could be nice the noodle alone but also the taste of garlic noodle was also exotic and bit sour with lemon. Overall it was awesome !!!! I would definitely visit again. read more

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Just wow! Amazing experience for any type of night - we went for my birthday and had a great time! We got there a bit early for our reservation and had to wait as a result to get seated which wasn't a big deal, albeit we did end up waiting past our time which was less than ideal. There was no real waiting area so we were asked to stand in the back near the bathrooms due to the tighter space. The ambiance overall was pretty nice - darker lighting and good decorations. Nonetheless, the night only got better from there after we got seated. Our server was friendly and super knowledgeable. The blind tasting menu changes portions depending on how many courses (less courses = bigger portions) so essentially any upcharge was paying for more variety. We got the 14 course blind tasting menu which we thought was a good mix of foods. You're allowed to put in requests for dishes, but ultimately the kitchen is deciding a majority of what you eat so every experience is unique. My personal favorites were the banh mi, sea urchin, and prawn dishes. Everything was well-paced in terms of service - nothing came out too fast or too slow. They were also super attentive with drinks and the messier plates came out with towelettes which was super nice. At the end of the meal, they also gave us some homemade sauce and tea - not sure if they do that for everyone or because it was a birthday celebration, but either way it was super kind of them. Overall, I would highly recommend this spot if you live in the area or don't have a car so the drive isn't too bad. The food was super fresh, tasty, and high quality. The service was also very good and the workers were super kind - thanks, Nightshade! read more

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Fun place with great decor and good drinks. There are several tasting menus to choose from - we upgraded from 9 to 14 (because I was starving), but 9 would've been fine. I noticed the other diners had larger portion sizes for the 9, but I'm glad we got to try a variety. We also opted for the wine pairing, and it was about 3 glasses of wine and 2 small cocktails. The pairings was okay but not incredible. I didn't realize the tasting menu is shared - at other places you can request substitutions for one person and not the other but we were told it's one tasting menu, so note that when reserving. I really enjoyed the Jonah crab - it was refreshing with the chilled rice noodles. I also liked the foie gras and bone marrow banh mi (especially in a smaller portion since they were quite rich!) My husband loved the egg noodles (so much we ordered another to-go). It was too salty for me, but it was intensely flavored and smoky. We also enjoyed the kabocha squash bot chien (the duck tongue is not very noticeable!) The percebes were interesting. Served chilled with a black pepper lime sauce. I've never had them before so it was cool to try them but definitely not better than other seafood. The bruleed uni I was most excited about but the uni was very hidden. Our server informed us that the chef actually created it for people who don't like uni. I do like uni so it was a bit of a bummer. It also needed more texture - it was very creamy and almost like a sauce. The tasting menu posted online is about the same as what we saw. We wanted to choose 2 guarantees as the menu said but our server seemed miffed about it. The food timing was a bit off sometimes - the next dish would be placed before we were done and other times we would be waiting for a while. This also affected the wine pairing since sometimes the wine came later. Service was decent but not up to par for this price point (especially in a tasting menu focused restaurant). Our reservation was at 5, but we and another table had to wait past 5 for our tables (and wait as in outside the restaurant because their doors were still locked). The menu seems pretty consistent (and not seasonal) and the slightly off service doesn't quite put this near Michelin contender but it's a fun concept and still a good time, despite the price point. Stick with 9 courses and buy ala carte drinks over the wine pairing. read more

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The food is fantastic /wonderful. It is definitely done by a gourmet chef. The atmosphere and staff are great. It's a great place for a special occasion or a night out with your friends. read more

Nightshade Noodle Bar - Vietnamese Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

I wish i could speak more highly of Nightshade. I was so excited to try it, along with my spouse and a couple of foodie friends/fine dining veterans. Although the food is solidly good, it simply isn't great. I didn't experience any flavors, combinations, or dishes that really blew me away. The service, too, is unpracticed and uneven. Perhaps most damning, after a nine-course tasting, we left hungry (and two of us are 5-ft tall slim ladies). Simply not acceptable and actually kind of embarrassing. I sort of think people who love the food here haven't had actually great Asian food (I say that as someone whose favorite restaurant in the world is French-infused Vietnamese, heh). read more

WOW! This meal was outstanding. Every dish was better than the next. We did the nine course tasting menu and we added the bone marrow fried rice as a 10th course. I was blown away by the flavors, plating and gorgeous colors. The service was also above and beyond - perfect amount of touchpoints and check-ins and descriptions of every dish. Everything about this meal was 15/10 stars. We would come back here in a heartbeat!!! read more

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We did the 9 course menu. Each table gets different selections by the Chef, so no two meals are the same. Service was impeccable. Atmosphere was amazing forest environment. Food was excellent. Good variety of cocktails. read more

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Every dish was amazing. The combinations of flavors were unique. So pleased that we came here for my wife's birthday. read more

Nightshade Noodle Bar - Vietnamese Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

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After years of anticipation, my party and I finally snagged reservations at Nightshade Noodle Bar and enthusiastically signed up for the 14-course tasting menu. Sadly, we left with a salty taste in our mouths--both literally and figuratively. For a reservation-only restaurant that fully controls the pacing of its tasting menu, the welcome was baffling. We stood unacknowledged for a solid 15 minutes upon arrival, then waited nearly an hour total before being seated. The waiting area? A tiny hallway wedged between the kitchen and the bathroom, complete with constant foot traffic. We ordered drinks to pass the time, but there was nowhere to put them. The host checked in exactly once during this ordeal. If you're going to orchestrate a tasting menu, timing guests' seating seems like a basic prerequisite. Once seated, things didn't improve much. Our wine arrived late, and ice cold. We were advised to wait before drinking it "so it wouldn't be unpleasant," which raises the question: does a restaurant at this price point not own a wine fridge calibrated for the ideal serving temperature? As for the food: everything was aggressively salty. And I say this as someone who loves salt and bold flavors. The opening potato chip and caviar course leaned heavily toward quantity over quality. The bone marrow bánh mì was wildly inconsistent; some bites were overwhelmingly salty, others strangely muted. The uni brûlée was so heavily spiced that the uni itself became an afterthought; between hunting for traces of uni and spooning up a creamy, one-note base with no textural contrast, my palate was mostly left battling spice. Ironically, this dish would have benefited greatly from... noodles. Which brings me to the name: Nightshade Noodle Bar. Over 14 courses, we had exactly one noodle dish, and it was thoroughly underwhelming. And just when you think dessert might bring relief, nope. The chocolate mousse was also, guess what, salty. The staff was kind, but the complete lack of acknowledgment around the chaotic and frankly unacceptable welcome set the tone for the evening, and it never recovered. For a restaurant that requires months-out reservations, a one-hour drive from Boston, and ~$250 per person, the experience fell far short of expectations. I don't anticipate returning. Some things are worth the wait, this wasn't one of them. read more

I came here for my birthday dinner after reading reviews and was absolutely blown away. So happy we came out to Lynn for this experience. It's a very small but well done space, I loved the ceiling. Dark and moody without being depressing. Our servers were lovely and the pacing of the courses was great. I love the preset menu concept and I think they execute it so well. We also got the drink pairings and were very happy with that. They paired extremely thoughtfully with our courses. I truly did like everything we were served, I saw a couple other reviews that weren't happy with the caviar with chips and the foamy dip but I thought it was delicious, the flavors and textures pair so nicely. The east vs west coast oysters was fun, my mom and I had just been talking about the differences so it was nice to have them next to each other. The percebes were one of the coolest things I've ever tried, those were probably my favorite dish of the night. Everything was so thoughtfully put together, I was so so happy with the flavors, combinations and presentation. They brought out the salted chocolate mousse with a little candle in it for my birthday which was super cute. Absolutely perfect pick for a special occasion. read more

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I dined here recently with some friends. Nothing was bad, but neither was anything really exceptional. For a restaurant that clearly aspires to fine dining and charges fine dining prices -- we paid almost $250 per person between the food, drinks, obligatory service charge, and tax -- just OK isn't really good enough. The service was nothing special. Staff were kind, polite, and clearly trying. At a certain point, however, results are more important than effort. Despite being reservation-only, it took nearly an hour to get our table. It remains unclear whether our pre-dinner while-you-wait drinks didn't make it onto the final bill as a thank you for our patience, or due to an administrative error. That ambiguity of intent is itself somewhat damning. Eating at the restaurant required what amounted to a homework exercise over email before we had even arrived. It's not exactly clear that some of that information was successfully communicated to staff. We had to re-answer questions after we arrived. Our wine didn't arrive until our second or third dish. It was often hard or clumsy to eat the food due to the pile up of used plates, flatware, and serveware. It didn't do a lot to help highlight the hard work of the kitchen and put the food in its best light. This would be fine and expected at a neighborhood café. I wouldn't expect them to clear dishes in an elegant ballet, replace flatware after every bite, or wipe down the table after every course. But neighborhood cafés also don't serve 14-course blind tasting menus. There were whiffs of interestingness in the food, but again, nothing exceptional. The food was all basically well-cooked. We did not leave hungry. There were no split sauces, tremendously unbalanced dishes, or food meant to be hot that arrived too cold. The two-bite riff on a banh mi was an interesting idea that needs further development. The uni-laced savory crème brûlée had nice flavors but needed a contrast, like a crispy wonton (perhaps dipped in something acidic to cut the richness of the uni cream), to bring it together. And I'm not sure it needed to be more than one or two bites per person. I tried to lean into the concept and went in completely blind. It was somewhat baffling that in 14 courses at what purports to be a noodle bar, there was only one noodle dish. In the same way I'd except a good vanilla ice cream to really taste of vanilla, I expected a noodle bar to serve noodles. That the meal concluded with a maybe slightly-above-average chocolate mousse -- truly nothing special or remarkable -- was fitting. I would have been charmed at $50 per person as a sweet bite after a steak frites and a glass of wine at a neighborhood bistro. For what this restaurant clearly wants to be (or that its prices suggest), it didn't hit the mark. I'm not sure anything was actually over-seasoned. It felt more like the dishes weren't in an order that made the whole meal feel cohesive and intentional. Sequencing three dishes that should be well-seasoned back-to-back with nothing to break them up lacks harmony. The ambiance again was not terrible, but not exceptional either. I don't know that I have to have hushed voices, white tablecloths, or waiters in bow ties for fine dining. But equally, the décor wasn't bringing anything to the table in terms of getting me or my group excited, or helping to enhance the food. Case in point: during our nearly hourlong wait for our table, we had to mill around in the corridor between the kitchen and the bathroom -- lit by a single purple-tinted lightbulb -- with no seating and nowhere to put our drinks. There are some interesting ideas here, and it's great to see a restaurant that's aiming high in Greater Boston. But as a total package, between the time, effort, and cost of visiting, it's not quite all in balance and hard to recommend without serious reservations. The ideas need refinement, and the kitchen and front of house need to work better as a team to deliver a single, cohesive, delightful experience. read more

Came here for my boyfriends birthday and we had such a great time! We did the 9 course blind tasting but it was more like 12 courses with the desserts. The flavors were unlike anything i've ever tasted and everything was amazing! My favorites were the bone marrow banh mi and the caviar service. The staff was amazing in making my boyfriend's birthday special and even wrote him a note at the end. The only con here is how full you'll be leaving! read more

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Finally had a chance to get down to Lynn to try Nightshade Noodle Bar. As others have said, it is a dining adventure, and certainly not cheap, but I think worth the drive and the price. We were greeted and seated by Alex who gave a fantastic orientation. In fact, all the staff was great and the service was just about perfect. This is a "blind" tasting menu of 7/9/12 or 14 courses, you choose and it is priced accordingly. They present a menu of everything that might be served and confirm any food allergies and strong likes/dislikes, so that they can present food that you will enjoy. They allow you to choose up to two tastes that you think are a "must try". Since it was our first time, we went with 7 courses, which we found enjoyable. It was a good amount of food, we could have certainly eaten more, but we did not leave hungry. Our server Shayne explained that no matter how many courses you choose, the amount of food served is about the same. I asked why such a big difference in price between the 7 and 14 course, and she explained that some of the dishes have more expensive ingredients and/or are more labor intensive. I think we will move up to the 9 course on our next visit. All of the dishes were beautifully presented, and there is some real creativity in Chef Rachel's kitchen. One of our courses was a crispy blowfish tail, which turned out to be my favorite of 7 very tasty and interesting plates. My least favorite was a Chinese brocolli, and only because of the mouth feel. It tasted good, and I was excited to try a new vegetable, but the chewiness did not work for me. Cocktails were great, and Shayne was helpful and patient with me in selecting wine, bringing over a number of tastes from a rather eclectic list. While this style of dining will not appeal to all, I strongly recommend you give it a try if you want something out of the ordinary and are up for a bit of dining adventure! Plenty of easy on street, no hassle parking. read more

Nightshade Noodle Bar - Crispy blowfish tails - Vietnamese Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

Why I'll go back: The variety and creativity of the menu and not knowing what's coming next makes the experience both delicious and fun! You HAVE to order: Technically you can't order anything specific from the menu, but if you make note of anything to your server, they'll make it happen. I would say you HAVE to order something you think you wouldn't like (uni, blowfish, whatever), because the kitchen will do something really interesting with it. Tony's Tip: It's pretty easy to find parking, either on street or at a lot nearby. I know, I know - you want me to drive to Lynn?!! On windy old school Massachusetts roads? For a meal? Yes...yes, I do. Because Nightshade Noodle Bar is that unique. And that good. The wife had the same reaction when I told her where we were headed as we hopped into the car for a surprise date. I said, "chill, and trust me." It did take us 30 minutes from downtown Boston, and you gotta pay attention to catch the exits and turns. But when we walked into that little space with big energy, I knew we were in for something special. I also knew it because the bartenders and servers all yell "WELCOME!" (or "HELLO!" - I kind forget now) to everyone as they enter. Again, it's a cozy space - about ten tables and another ten seats or so at the bar. We had a high top for two reserved, but pivoted to bar seats when we got there. That was a good call because Pearl (did I get your name right?) was a sparkling bundle of positivity that had us covered all night. She's a fab bartender, a good conversationalist, and full of great advice to make the experience special. Everything is arranged as a fixed price tasting course experience, with options to do as few as 7 courses and as many as 14 (plus a 5-course option on Sundays). They say the amount of food doesn't vary, just the variety. But the 14-course costs almost twice as much as the 7-course, so I didn't really "get" that part. Regardless, we felt 9 courses was a good balance between our perception of how much and how many. By the end of the evening, we felt that was perfect. We were full for sure, but we never got to the "I lost count and I hope this is the last course because I'm stuffed" stage. I'll let my pictures do most of the talking, but we both agreed that there wasn't a single dish that we didn't like, and most were "lick the bowl clean" delicious. We both loved the coconut sticky rice with brown butter pork floss. I thought the duck tongue was really tender. And I particularly enjoyed the dark chocolate mousse at the end. We obviously missed a number of items on the menu, and the menu turns over as well. So, I think we gotta head back and explore this place a little more. Which reminds me - it's small...and popular. So, you gotta book pretty far out. Go ahead and make a date night out of it. Better yet, a "surprise" date night. Your date might not be crazy about trekking out to Lynn either. But I'm pretty sure by the end of the night, they'll be making plans to go back again. read more

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I have been among the many trying to get a reservation at Nightshade Noodle Bar since it's James Beard nomination. I was really rooting for this place but was frankly disappointed with the most important part of the experience: the food. While there were some standout elements, overall the dishes were largely imbalanced. Presentation, style, and originality were all there but there were definitely editing issues. A few positives, fun ambiance, cool moody decor and really friendly, solid service at the bar. The individual ingredients were obviously fresh, thoughtfully sourced, and prepared with skill, they just didn't come together as a whole as well as I would have liked. It was a delight to have a wider mocktail menu, but while the NA rose was good the mocktail was way too sweet. We ordered some club soda on the side to help tame the sweet and this sort of subtle need to alter to make palatable was a theme over our 7 courses :/ Also while they advertise 5 courses for $60 on Sunday's it was not available so we went with 7 courses for $85. Not a huge deal at the moment because we were so excited to try, but felt a little bait and switch after the fact. Also keep in mind that unlike a traditional prefixe this was 7 courses total to be shared by the party (I don't know what they do for parties larger than 2) so don't expect to get your own plate (it was plenty of food but still important to note). The restaurant does the automatic 20% service fee, I did not take issue with that as the service was good and the bartender told us when she dropped the bill. We went with blind tasting, chefs choice. 7 courses 3 were heavy mousse dishes, which by the 3rd was unappetizing. There were plenty of options it just was what was chosen by the chef for our tasting. The first was the caviar service, heavy but tasty eggspuma dip with crispy garlic potato chips and classic white sturgeon caviar. Flavors on the dip, solid, but there was too much or not enough chips, and the caviar was just kinda there. Cute presentation but it didn't connect. It was followed a bit too quickly (this happened our whole meal - each course came one on top of the other which felt rushed) by the malty shrimp toast with white sesame with dill pollen. Which was okay; nice crunch but a little salty and dry. Was better when you spread the eggspuma on it which we still had plenty of. This would set the dill theme for the evening which was prevalent. I didn't mind it but if you aren't REALLY into dill this will not be your place. The fried duck tongue was surprisingly delicious and the pickled vegetables complimented it well but the kabocha squash felt like an afterthought and threw off the texture - just one too many elements on the plate. The cabbage salad was great texturally but was dying for acid to cut the sweetness of the maple. The noodles were the stand out but it didn't come with the listed egg noodles which would have been far better than the buckwheat noodles that just didn't hold up. I will say the flour for both the shrimp toast and the buckwheat noodles came from one mighty mill across the street which made it feel thoughtful - this is definitely a neighborhood minded spot which I really appreciate. I was sitting at the bar thinking ... I am interested to try her next place or the one after, when the dishes and vibe seem calmer and more focused. And on the way home the mousse after mousse after mousse just left me feeling a little bleh. In any case it didn't quite live up to the hype and price and the Beard nod felt a little premature. read more

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After seeing the rave reviews, especially in the Boston Globe, I RAN to make a reservation at this spot. There is a good amount of parking in the area, and we managed to snag a street parking spot right nearby. Despite booking ahead and the restaurant being nearly empty, we were seated at the bar which wasn't ideal. Regardless, service was fine enough although not very attentive, kind of felt like we were inconveniencing them and forcing them to keep the place open. The space is very moody and dark and probably a little more hopping on any night that isn't Sunday. We went for the tasting menu, and you have the ability to choose the number of courses you want. Since it was a Sunday, 5 courses (the smallest menu) was available so we went for that. Based on what we ate (chef's choice), it felt like the dishes were trying to do too much with too many flavors. There wasn't anything particularly memorable about the dinner, other than my palate was a little too overwhelmed. Even though the menus are reasonably priced, the add-ons, drinks, and automatic gratuity/kitchen fee really do add up quickly. It's a bit out of the way, so I'm not sure I'll be back. But I do hope our experience was a fluke! read more

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I wish I could give this place like a 4.7. It was so good, not perfect but still great. I came here for a friend's birthday and we got the 12-course blind tasting menu. The food was fun and unique. I think my favorites were definitely the coconut sticky rice pops with pork floss, the foie gras and soft shell crab. I also loved the homemade noodles (very much like a dan dan style noodle) and the uni crème brûlée dish (though this was super rich, I would've loved a toast point or a noodle with the uni). I didn't LOVE the scallops with almond romesco sauce but they weren't bad either. I just expect for a menu like this that I should be WOWED by everything. Really fun experience though and recommend it for anyone looking to try something new. The service was pretty great - clearly very knowledgeable about the menu. The brought dishes out at a regular pace, explained everything and how to eat it, and recommended drinks (the coconut marg was a favorite). The space itself was small and intimate but great decor. Lots of plants and just a cool area, even though I don't love the location itself. Overall, pretty pricey as well but delicious so no complaints for an occasion meal. read more

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No shade here: Nightshade Noodle Bar is a vibe! We went on a Thursday night when they have the more affordable 5-course option for $50pp (FYI starting in April, they are moving this to Sunday nights at $60pp). Our very friendly server explained that when you choose fewer courses, it doesn't mean you get less food than if you went with the 14-course tasting menu because you'll get larger portions, so it will still be a full meal. Love that! To drink, my hubs got a non-alcoholic cocktail, which was pretty and flavorful. I opted for the Custom Spritz option, which entailed our server asking me a few questions about the types of flavors I enjoy (sweet? fruity? bitter? citric? floral?) and then developing a delish spritz to my liking. Such a fun experience, and the drink I got (made with l'aperitivo nonino) was perfection! The French-Vietnamese tasting menu kicked off with a rich crab dip topped with crispy chilis in oil and artful leaves, served with baguette. We then received coconut sticky rice pops with tamarind brown butter pork floss, compliments of the chef. Very unique flavors and textures - this was the most interesting bite of the night. We went on to enjoy cajun crawfish (they kindly brought more baguette for us to sop up the delish garlicky sauce) and noodles with mushrooms and fish sauce. We were quite full at this point, but still devoured the delectable dessert: a rich Valrhona chocolate mousse sprinkled with sea salt. They even put a candle in it since we were celebrating our anniversary! Throughout the night, service was spectacular, as multiple people checked on us and brought out our dishes, patiently explaining each. The space is dimly lit, with a long bar on one side, upbeat tunes playing, plants on the wallpaper and live plants as well, making you feel like you're in the coolest jungle nightclub. read more

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My girlfriend and I came all the way from New Bedford to try the blind tasting menu and could not have been any more thrilled with our experience. We sat at the bar and got an open view of the behind the scenes in the kitchen, which is always fun for me having worked in restaurants. I have a huge respect for the craft and how hard the chefs are working back there to bring everybody in attendance a wonderful and flavorful experience, and they make it look easy! I don't want to spoil any of the menu for people looking to be surprised but I'll just say having 9 courses and even a bonus course I am left craving more of each of the items we received (I'm going to use this as an excuse to come back) towards the end of our meal I got a round for the chefs and got to take a shot with the whole crew, and we got to have a conversation with the head chef which was just the icing on the cake for the whole experience. All of the dishes were creative and visually stunning, and equally as delicious. I would have licked the plates clean if nobody was watching. From the moment we walked in the door the wait staff was very friendly and made us feel at home. I'm not sure if they say this to everybody to make them feel good but I even was told I had the best tattoos and shirt of the night! I will undoubtedly be returning here, maybe next time for the 30 course menu! read more

Nightshade Noodle Bar - View of the kitchen - Vietnamese Near Me - Lynn, Massachusetts

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We came here for an anniversary dinner after making a reservation over a month in advance due to a friend's recommendation. The space is on the smaller side, but we were seated at the table closest to the back so it didn't feel too crowded. There are lots of plants adorning the space and the atmosphere is pretty lively. There are two tables that fit four people, but the rest of the seats are at the bar or high-tops for two. We decided on the 12-course menu, which ended up being the perfect amount of food. My favorite was the pork floss + sticky rice on a stick, as well as the noodle dish. The plates were spaced out, which gave us ample time to savor everything. We ended up being there for almost two hours. I appreciate that there was a variety of flavors, but it all felt cohesive. There were also some pretty creative combinations, so it might be an adventure for some folks. The service was also fantastic. Our waitress, MJ, was friendly and attentive. We even got champagne in honor of our anniversary. I would definitely come here for a special occasion, or just a good old date night if you're willing to splurge. Would recommend coming in with no expectations and a willingness to try new things! read more

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Ambience and service were spot on. Wait staff were all friendly, fast, and professional. We ordered the 14 course meal, about 3 hours long. Many of the dishes had good hints of the flavor they were attempting to convey but we felt the flavor was being overshadowed by the heaviness of salt/seasoning used. Each dish's saltiness elevated the next dishes saltiness. Presentation of all the dishes were We enjoyed the nnb caviar service. The Maine uni brûlée was pleasant, I would have preferred slightly less saltiness but pleasant nonetheless. The garlic noodles had good flavors, the noodle had mushy texture I didn't prefer. The salted chocolate mouse was a pleasant way to end the meal. I appreciate the choice of dishes and cups. read more

Celebrated my birthday here and it was fun and delicious - choupique caviar service was a scrumptious start to our 9 course "blind tasting". Unique and creative cocktails and wonderful service in a cozy setting. Highly recommend. read more

A one of its kind restaurant with a very unique concept. Being a fusion of Vietnamese and French inspired cuisine. The menus are fixed with portion of getting more dishes for the higher price option. See pictures for what you will likely get. Reservations must be made in advance! It was quite far away from Boston but the experience was worth it. 20% tip is automatically charged with, I believe, additional fees for kitchen appreciation. read more

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My boyfriend and I celebrated his birthday with the 9-course tasting menu (plenty of food)- we elected to do the chef's choice rather than selecting to definitely have 2 or 3 of the menu options included. Nothing was disappointing and everything came out in a unique presentation. The service was excellent- attentive, but didn't hover. They even sent us home with house made chili crunch and some house curated tea. read more

We did a seven course tasting. Wasn't sure what to expect seeing some of the unusual ingredients on some of the previous menus. We had seven courses of savory two of sweet and varieties of wine and mixed drinks Omg amazing. It was even better than we expected. We were a group of four at Father's Day what a perfect evening. Thanks Knight and Noodle Bar. We will be going back. Irena read more

The staff was incredible here. They're the best part. They're polite and engaging. Every single person was a delight. They deserve 5 stars. They check vaccination cards which I thought was awesome. You can use a pic on your phone if you have that. The staff is masked up, which is great because it's tight in there and they're often talking to you inches above the food they're serving. The ambiance is nice. Very pleasing atmosphere. The food is served at a reasonable pace. There's time in between each course. The tasting menu itself was unfortunately a bit disappointing. For the price, I expected a bit more quality and creativity. The first dish, a take on chips and dip, was served with Wise style potato chips. There's a small container of caviar to top your chips and dip with. This is a hard dish to elevate and I didn't feel this was successful for me. I could have made this at home and it would have tasted better. There's a tiny container of jello which is supposed to be a cleanser for your palate but counts as a course. I was eating jello at almost $200 per person cost. Yikes. There were two courses served with sticky rice but the ratio of rice far exceeded the other ingredients. It really drowned out the small amount of uni and foie gras. Way too much sticky rice. Hard to imagine they skimp on the protein at this price point. All I could taste was sticky rice in two dishes. The barnacles were not particularly great. I guess I would have preferred oysters or something else. Considering the barnacles aren't prepared any special way, any shellfish would have been better, in my opinion. The fresh sea urchin was cool and tasty, but the tangy ness of the vermicelli noodle sauce overpowered the creaminess of the uni. I was excited when it arrived but one bite in and I was wishing it was just uni. The lobster cocktail with vanilla was interesting. It was tiny. You had two small morsels of lobster and a very heavy vanilla flavor. Creative, but not something I would crave again. Vanilla is strong flavor. A little goes a long way. The crab dip was a stand out for me. I liked that one alot. Also the homemade noodles were awesome. Both of these dishes had homemade chili flake sauce adding to the depth of them. I loved the profile of these both. I would have come just to get the noodles dish in a big bowl, if that was an option. Unfortunately it's not. But they could make a living as a noodle bar with how awesome this dish was. I wanted more of that. So fresh. The chocolate mousse with cognac was so good. That was an impressive way to end. 12 courses. About $180 per person, with the automatic gratuity they add. The staff deserve the 20% for sure. Be careful when paying via phone app, it will add another 20% tip, totaling 40% if you aren't careful. For nearly $200, if you drink, this meal was not worth it. I left still hungry. I love a good tasting menu. I love omakase, in terms of blind tasting. This is not an experience I would return for at this time. I would rather put that $200 into Omakase experiences. Props to the staff though. They were awesome. read more

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This place was DELICIOUS. Staff was AWESOME! Reserve ahead because this place gets booked for up a reason! They have different number courses to pick from and it will be a pre picked meal for the night you dine in. The dishes were all so unique and nicely presented! We went here for a birthday dinner and I would recommend this spot for a date spot. I also appreciated that they really took careful consideration of my allergies prior to coming to dine here. They communicated via email to make sure they could accommodate my allergies to the meal they were prepping. They also have very unique cocktails, they tasted good but the dishes are a lot more impressive! The ambience of the restaurant was amazing too with plants and greenery inside. Very asthetically pleasing! read more

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Incredible dining experience! We were traveling from out of town and made sure we could make a reservation to come here. I'm so glad we did. Nightshade Noodle Bar is Vietnamese & French inspired cuisine (two of my three favorite cuisines) offering a multi course blind tasting menu. You can choose 7, 9, 14 or 21 courses. 7/9/14 courses we were told would equate to the same amount of food, just the more courses allowed you to taste more dishes, but 21 courses would be a lot more. We had the 9 course meal, it was everything we hoped for and more. We let the chef choose everything to get the true blind tasting experience. Although if there are any dishes you really wanted to try, you could select up to two to be a part of your experience. Each dish just got better and better, my favorites were the: + sea urchin creme brûlée + kabocha squash bột chiên (rice cakes, green chili sauce, duck tongues, pickles) + Crispy Black Cod + claypot caramel foie gras Everything was delicious. Aaron took care of us for the evening and he was fantastic! Aaron made our dining experience even more enjoyable. Thank you to the Nightshare Noodlebar team - truly amazing! read more

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