[1041] 11/2019 We visited this local lunch spot since it's near the office. Parking is tight but seems there is parking around back. This a cool place to visit with tons of good food. We tried the pretzels appetizers which were not on the menu but luckily my team tried them before. They were very tasty. We also had fries which were good. For lunch I had the power lunch salad with chicken. It was large so I was plenty to take home for later. Our server was friendly. I loved the ambiance of the restaurant. We will definitely be back. read more

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In town for work (usually here every few months) and decided to try this place. It was a Monday night after 7 so no line and we were seated right away. The atmosphere is nice and comfortable. My coworker and I shared the homemade chips and dip as an app and they were warm and the dip was excellent- perfect blend on the onion and dill. I had the truffle gnocchi and the portion was decent- so much that I was unable to finish which is rare because I love gnocchi. My companion had the halibut and a side Greek. The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned pretty well but he did need to add a bit of salt. The service was attentive. Overall I would recommend this place and will come again in future office trips to the area. read more

The Local Kitchen & Drinks - Gnocchi, chips and dip and halibut - New American Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

Solid drinks and good food in noisy, but fun atmosphere. Server (Ricardo) was unpleasant and not attentive. Would have stayed for another round of drinks after dinner, but nobody in our party of 5 wanted to deal with Ricardo again (oh, and he got some of the cocktails wrong and never apologized). Would give a much higher star rating if service was good. read more

Last day in Boston and I hadn't had my lobster roll. Boo Hoo. The web menu said that they had them here but alas, the seasonal menu had just gone out of season. So I had another bowl of chowder and this bowl was delicious. Thick and creamy with bacon and onions. Throw in a side of truffle fries with a really super nice waiter who had to listen to us bitch about no lobster rolls and it was a perfect storm. Not too crowded at lunch on a weekday. Right around the corner from work, Nice atmosphere. Good solid food. read more

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The place is big and airy and modern and clean. They let us pick our seats which was really nice. Our waiter was laid back, always there when we needed him but not hovering., I was torn between two things so I asked him what I wanted, he didn't hem and haw, he picked one easily. The food was delicious, cooked, seasoned and plated very well. The green beans were a tad bit undercooked. The short rib was sooo good, fall apart with a spoon, and it wasn't fatty. We need one of these in my area. read more

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The food was average. Love Brussel sprouts and order them every time. The were disappointing. They really needed to be more crispy and have more flavor. The truffle fries were a bit soggy. We were brought bread and dipping sauce. Looked great. I ask the person who brought us the bread if they had gluten-free bread (I can't eat gluten) and she said The bread she brought was gluten-free. It was questionable to me so when the waitress came back to the table I asked her and she corrected the person who brought the bread and said that no the bread was not gluten-free. My husband then had a stuffed squash that was actually fabulous and he really enjoyed it the service was very good and everyone was very nice. It was also a very nice atmosphere. We will definitely give it another go in the future. read more

The Local Kitchen & Drinks - Bar area - New American Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

This restaurant use to be my go to for steak tips and French fries. I was disappointed when they changed away from their hand cut fries, but dealt with it. Last night I ordered the steak tips and was extremely surprised that not only did the price increase and the portion size decrease but they changed the steak tips entirely. The server mentioned a new distributor. The steak tips were what seemed like a teriyaki sweet marinade with small pieces versus what I had become use to. Needless to say, the meal did not meet my expectations and sadly I will not be coming back. read more

A friend and I made out way to The Local the other night. Inside is very modern and cute. Our server was really kind and patient with us. We started off with two Gingerbread mules (drink specials) and they were amazing, we ended up ordering ourselves another round. For starters we ordered, the pork dumplings and pan roasted mussels. The dumplings were so tasty! My friend was skeptical of the mussels, as they aren't something she usually would order, but she was in love (ended up rating them the best thing from the entire night.) For our entrees, I went with the seafood casserole and my friend ordered the Tw's Hand Cut Steak Tip - medium. I loved my seafood casserole, I should've said no to the blistered tomatoes as they were a bit much. Also for my leftover lovers, it tasted even better the next day in bed! I also loved the side creamy polenta! It was delicious and so soft. Unfortunately, my friend wasn't a fan of her Steak Tips. She believed it was a little too charred for her liking. Reason why I said our server was really patient is because, she didn't make a fuss when we asked to switch out the tips for the Pan Seared Haddock instead. Though, the haddock didn't look like it did on the website, my friend was satisfied. Originally, we were debating where to go for dinner but reviewing the menu online sold us with the Warm Skillet Cookie! It was sad to find out that by the time we arrived, they were already out of it. We were craving something sweet and weren't sure what to get. The server recommended against the beignets (dessert special) but we didn't listen. Big Mistake, they were more so cinnamon sugary donuts with a weird inner texture. We were not a fan. But all in all, this was a good trip and would recommend! read more

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The food here is amazing. They have the best pasta and the truffle fries are the best. Our server, Brendan, was always right there whenever we needed something. There is plenty of parking. We will definitely be back! read more

On a warm Sunday evening, we decided to try a local establishment called "The Local Kitchen & Drinks" in Waltham right off I95/128. With nicer weather finally here, we opted for outside seating to enjoy our drinks and meal. The food was very good; not exceptional, but probably better than we both anticipated for our first ever visit. The baked haddock was served in a very hot dish from the oven and was buttery and moist. Served with grilled green beans and a small sweet potato, this made for a healthier meal that other menu options (e.g., burgers, steak tips, tacos, pizza, butternut squash ravioli). I also started with a small garden salad which had a nice dressing which wasn't overly drenched with a hint of heat with the cool greens. The power salad with grilled chicken was packed with greens, kale, avocado, quinoa, tomatoes and other fresh ingredients. Both meals are recommended. As positive as the food was, the service was less than stellar. While extremely slow in terms of patrons inside the restaurant or on the patio, trips to the outside patio were slower than they should have been. . Before ordering, we asked clarification on the "Atlantic Salmon" being farmed or caught, and the waiter replied 'I think farmed." A more confident answer should be expected from the staff. Also, the power salad was asked to have the dressing on the side, but it came with the dressing on it. Questioning the waiter he said "they are so slow back there they are just rushing". What? It would make more sense to say "it is so busy here that they are trying to get meals out as fast as they can and missed the custom request." At one point our waiter even apologized although stopped short of admitting he got caught talking in the back. I would have liked to give the Local 4 stars based on the food, but the service just pulled that back into a solid 3 star review for me. Hopefully next time both aspects of the experience will live up to better expectations. read more

Disappointed in their courtesy. We had lunch there today, which was fine, no complaints about the lunch. However, we only ate half our lunches, the remainder was boxed and bagged to take home. In less than five minutes we were back at the restaurant when we realized we had forgotten the bag. The meals had already been thrown out. I told them at the desk that I thought that was pretty crummy that obvious forgotten bags could not have been set aside for 5 minutes in case we came back. I was still disgruntled when I came home so I phoned and spoke to a manager. He said he would speak to his staff about future situations, and I do hope that happens, because if it does not, be aware and hope you can make it to the door and back to your table if forgotten and hope your food was not already tossed. I can understand restaurant rules, protocols, etc. for throwing away food, but really, can't put it aside for a few minutes in case the person comes back. An expensive reminder for me to not leave things behind because people are not always nice and considerate. read more

Although my wife and I come here regularly as the food is really good and the ambiance is awesome, we held a bereavement luncheon at the Local yesterday for our mother. Tara made reserving the private function room easy. We had a total of 47 people and we picked buffet style. We picked Chicken Parm w/ raviolis, fresh garden salad, baked haddock, rice, sautéed string beans and broccoli. Everything was cooked to perfection and served steaming hot. The two servers who took care of us were on point, and never was there an empty glass. Every person there was super impressed by the professionalism of everyone involved. Thank you for making such a sad day so much better! read more

Ate here twice in one week. I rated it 3 stars because the food is pretty good. However, both time the service was terrible. On visit#1 we had a pleasant and talkative female but she spent more time talking than listening. It took several tries to get what we asked for. On visit#2 we had a surly male who decided we weren't worth his time when only one of us ordered alcohol. Even though we had made a reservation 2 weeks prior they tried to seat us at a high top table in the middle of the bar. ( 3 ladies over 65) I don't think we'll be going for a third strike. read more

Had a Xmas lunch here. Food was ok, nothing special. They needed more help to take care of the busy place. The place was fine, modern look.

Absolutely the worst meal I've had in quite sometime. Steak tacos . Meat was disgusting. Never again....

I stopped by here this past Monday night by myself for dinner. The Local ended up being my pick for dinner due to the fact that I wanted something relatively close to my hotel that looked good. Whenever I arrived to the restaurant at 7:30 PM it was absolutely packed. I mean I had to ask the waitress if there was a table because all of the bar seating looked full. The inside of this place was massive with a large bar type area in the front and a dining room behind that. If I had to guess there were close to 100 people in each section but I may be overestimating a bit. In any case the bar area had a ton of seating and right behind that were a number of high top tables. There were two flat screen TVs on the wall both with sports on. Then the dining room consisted of booths and tables with some large old time looking photos on the walls. I ended up getting seated in a side area that sort of straddled the two rooms and man was it loud there. For dinner on this day I decided to start out with the New England clam chowder and crispy calamari. The clam chowder came to the table looking good with crispy bacon on top. Amazingly even after submerging them into the soup, they stayed crispy. Then the broth was thick and creamy and there were a ton of potatoes in it. It tasted really good and if I had a complaint it was that it took me awhile to find the clams which were all at the very bottom under the bacon and potatoes. Once I got to them though I was quite happy as they were good sized and tender too. After I finished with the clam chowder I started on the calamari which ended up being really good too. The breading was light and the calamari was still tender in it which was nice. I also really enjoyed the breaded spicy peppers and there were enough of them that by the end of the appetizer (I ate half), my mouth was on fire. The only miss for me was the sauce which was syrupy sweet which I found to be bizarre but it also seemed to have a good spicy kick to it. After I had finished with both apps, my entree came out. It was a fun play on fish and chips as it came out in a metal basket. That did make eating it difficult though as my fork kept going through the paper while trying to cut it. As for the fish itself, yeah it was good. The batter was super crispy and had that nice beer batter flavor. Then it was cooked perfectly as it was glistening. I enjoyed dipping the fish into the tartar sauce which was flavorful. Meanwhile there were a ton of fries and they looked like they were handcut. They were seasoned nicely and a majority were crispy on the outside and soft of the inside. Not all were though and there were definitely some limp ones in there too. It also came with cole slaw but I was too full to even attempt to try it. The bottom line for me is that I would stop by here again in the future. I came to The Local with mixed expectations and it really exceeded them. Next time I will have to try some of their less fried food though. read more

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Went in on a Saturday afternoon. Sat at the bar. Nice and quiet before the dinner rush. The hamburger was delicious along with the truffle fries. Opted for the house made margaritas which was really good as well. Hubby liked his French dip. I've been there before and will definitely go back. read more

Great food and service. Get the French Dip! Also had the warm chips and guac plus the cookie at the end. Great meal!

I've been here lots of times with friends and with my girlfriend. The atmosphere is cozy and happy, and the service is consistently good. The food is solid- always good, but never anything incredible. My go to is always the brussel sprouts to start. The pizzas and pastas are yummy and the portions are big- I like the truffle mushroom pizza. Fish tacos and burgers are good too. Parking is easy, which is another perk. read more

Had a surprisingly outstanding lunch at The Local The fried brussel sprouts appetizer was very tasty We had a beet salad which was excellent. The french dip sandwich was very meaty, juicy and one of the best we've had Wish they had these in CA read more

Very hipster bar and hangout. But not friendly staff at all. At first I thought it was just me, but several peeps at the bar mentioned how off-putting the staff are. If they were busy I'd understand. But I walked in early, only six people at a bar that looks like it can hold thirty, with three bartenders working. But it did get smashed out crowded later. Food was.....not so good. I was in Boston on business, eating alone, early evening (still happy hour), sat at the bar. Ordered sliders. They were burnt to the point of having a crusty char on the outside. To say they were dry doesn't quite capture it: they were almost as thin as White Castles' patties, so picture a burnt WC patty or blackened bacon and you're there. Guy next to me ordered the Tuna Poke, said it wasn't very good. He ordered a pizza to follow the Poke, said it wasn't so great either but he ate almost the whole pizza. I thought that was impressive, eating the poke and a pizza. He's one of those super-skinny guys though, early fifties, still has all his hair, probably super-high metabolism so he can eat anything he wants and still look good (do I sound envious? probably). Place got outrageous busy by about 7:30 or so. So I guess they do something right. Methinks the crowd is there after work to drink and hookup. The guy next to me had protein- and carbo- loaded, so he was probably ready to find company and party through the night. It does appear to be the place for that. Not my scene, so after eating, having a drink, watching some pre-game stuff on the TVs (NFL Thursday Night and World Series, closed-captioned), I gave my seat to a waiting hipster (probably a Cleveland Hipster) and decamped. read more

So the food was good (although my eggs were not cooked as requested) but the rating is for the music that was too loud we couldn't hear each other and the service was adequate. We asked about turning down the volume and were told the staff doesn't control it. It ruined the entire experience and wouldn't go here again - unless you're alone. read more

I don't understand why this eatery is showing 3.5 stars. My server Shawn was engaging and friendly. He provided good menu advice. My blackened tuna app was hearty and decadent and well worth the price. For my entree I had the Power Lunch salad.The citrus vinaigrette paired beautifully with spinach arugula quinoa pistachios and Brussel sprouts - yum! The interior is cozy and my booth is comfortable.I really enjoyed this meal. read more

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The ambiance of this place was great. It has an outdoor patio dining area. My husband and I chose the inside dining since it was getting too hot to eat outside, but it looked like many people enjoyed it. Service was pleasant but slow. Food was okay, but my husband liked his avocado toast. The brunch menu included complimentary mimosa or Bloody Mary. read more

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Great food. The ambiance and service was excellent! I will definitely come back when I'm in the Boston area again.

I really liked the setting, our waiter was super friendly and the sweetest! The food was okay for the most part but the set up and the customer service was totally worth it. read more

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Unremarkable food. Poor service if you don't order appetizers and drinks. If you go, you are paying for ambiance.

Went here for lunch after my mom got out of the hospital across the way. We came in and we're greeted by a severely underdressed host who lacked basic hygiene. Then greeted by our waiter, wearing a brazil pin, who was standoffish and grumpy the whole time we were there. Drinks were underwhelming at best, food was unacceptably bad. Smash patty was dryer than the sahara, the french dip made my mom go back to the hospital. Avoid this place like the plague. read more

Terrible, indigent service. The bartender was a trooper and became our waiter when our waitress was too busy chatting and looking at her phone. The table next to us also waited and waited for service. Our waitress then got our order incorrect, laughed it off and never returned. Nothing to do with covid, just poor service. 2 stars and not one only for the hard working bartender with a beard. Sit at the bar. Food was solid read more

This place is the WORST. Absolutely mortified by the service here. Came here at 3:00 pm on a Monday after Christmas with a large group after a funeral. The funeral was also for a former restaurant owner! Granted we were a large group, the restaurant that could have fit 300 people could not handle the group we brought in even tho they only have 4 current tables lol. Coming from an experienced bartender/server of 10+ years working in extremely high volume venues in Boston, whoever manages that place needs to be fired immediately. He was extremely rude, not sympathetic to the circumstance, and did not have a handle on absolutely anything (he continued to hide in the back). They had about 5 servers on for the 4 tables they had and were unable to bus two tables after 30 minutes had passed (which is just plain disgusting). They claimed they didn't have a busser, but any decent restaurant employee knows when to step up and help out. Not to mention we had a reservation on top of that for 30 people which I don't think they could've handled regardless. They turned away THOUSANDS of dollars and a great tip. Bottom line, that restaurant screamed "we are lazy! this is too much hard work!". Makes sense considering the absolute idiot they had running the place. Shame on you. Please do not support this business and put that manager in a cubicle where he can hide all day and suck at his job. read more

Delicious upscale American fare here. Got some take out cocktails (winter sangria and mai tai) both were delicious, and priced at market. The salmon and veggies was very well done and plentiful, and the noodle bowl was also well seasoned and filled with veggies. Star off for messing up a detail on the order, but being charged for it. To be fair, we didn't get in touch as it wasn't a big deal. read more

Sylvia was extremely rude. She did not come over for about 25 minutes and when she did she was incredibly rude and did not wait until I was finished asking a question to say what she had to say. it was a shame. she treated us like we did not belong here and we were extremely disrespected. others around us specifically asked not to have her as a server. read more

Loved the venue and service was great but my shrimp tasted as if it had been recently defrosted and reheated with a leaky pic lighter. Server tried to warn me they were small, but should have said they tasted bad too. Good beer and reasonably priced though, so maybe just an off night. read more

Staying for a surgery for our child we decided to get some take out since relish is closed currently. So happy we did! Everything was fresh and so flavorful. Kids Mac n cheese with rice- 4/10- this was the only let down. Mac n cheese was not cheesy at all. Most noodles had no cheese at all. Rice tasted like vinegar and my daughter wouldn't eat it. I'm 7 months pregnant and also didn't like it. She did tho like the Mac n cheese. Husband had the French onion soup and chicken parm. Both he thought were very well made. I tried the pasta and chicken. The chicken was so damn good. I wish I had got another plate for later! I enjoyed a side Caesar salad and burger meal. The salad was so so but filling for its size. The burger and fries tho so delicious. The fries tasted homemade with love and the burger was spot on. read more

The service was good. My wife's chicken rice bowl: rice was not completely cooked and the chicken was tough, with a heavy batter. The food was terrible. I had a greasy hamburger. Go early, parking is very limited and fills up quickly. read more

We go to the location in Sudbury all the time and like it, so we were expecting the same from the Waltham location. The ambience and food were fine, but we had the WORST waitress (Anne I think it was?) we have ever encountered. We were a party of 4 with 3 adults and one child. We're pretty laid back and easy going and are always very friendly with our waiters/waitresses. When we checked in with the hostess we were told they were out of children's menus but were printing more and would bring one over to us after we sat down. No problem. After we had ordered drinks and appetizers we still hadn't gotten the children's menu, so we asked our waitress if she could get one for us. She acted like this was a major inconvenience, and said something to the effect of "Oh, we have the usual kids stuff" and then rattled off like 10-15 items in the span of like 5 seconds......like our 11 year old was going to remember all of that. When it came time to order our meals we again asked our waitress if they had finished printing the children's menus, and she acted insulted "I already told you what we have". Well yeah, but my child would like to SEE the menu so they can decide what they want. She left in a huff and eventually came back with a copy of the children's menu. Of course, some of the things she rattled off they did NOT serve, and she omitted several things they DID serve, which is why we wanted to see the menu in the first place, but whatever, let's move on. Fast forward to after the meal and the waitress asked our child what dessert they wanted that came with their meal. Our child wasn't interested in any of the desserts and we said we'll pass on the children's dessert, thanks. The waitress could not comprehend this for some reason, and then proceeded to try to pressure my 70 year old mother into deciding which of the children's desserts she wanted, because obviously someone HAD to eat the children's dessert. We politely kept telling her we were not interested in the children's dessert....you can still charge us for it, it's not about the money, we just don't want the damn dessert! Then when we were ordering dessert for the grown ups and to go boxes, she kept cutting everybody off mid-sentence and being extremely rude for some reason, which of course led to us having to re-ask things to confirm that she heard us in the first place "....and can I get a to-go container for my...." "YEAH, I already got that!" she snapped back to my mother. Of course when she came back with dessert and to go boxes she only brought one and missed the other. Look, I get it: sometimes its really busy or you're having a bad day. But we did absolutely NOTHING to deserve how we were treated by this lady. Every little interaction made it seem as if we were a major inconvenience or we were being jerks to her, which we certainly were NOT. Suffice it to say, we will NOT be back. read more

Enjoyed the menu and the service. It was very dark for lunchtime but I'd go back if in the area.

Dined with coworkers. The food was decent. The baked haddock was nicely prepared and flakey, not too buttery. All the portion size of other dishes - steak tips, salmon, burger looked reasonable as well. The appetizer fried brussel sprouts was good. Balsamic vineger sauce was a nice touch. I wouldn't order the burrata cheese appetizer again. It was fresh, but the items surrounding the cheese was minimal cracker and cured meats. The service could have been better, being more attentive and responsive with drink refills. It wasn't very busy, and there was enough staff, that I would have expected better service. read more

Trash. Asked about seating prior to going. Even though we said 5 people on patio, they said no problem. We arrive and the hostess and the floor Manger says they can't do it. No troubleshooting and were perplexed when we suggested a table for 2 and a table for 3 on the patio. As there was NO ONE on the patio. Nope. Can't figure it out. read more

I have been coming to this location for years and have always had a great dinner and service. In fact this was the first restaurant I went to dinner at when I started going out since the Pandemic started. Last Friday I took my wife and daughter for dinner and had the worst experience. Our waitress took our order and served the meal than left? I had to go to he hostess to Oder drinks and water for the table, than had to find a waitress for a take home box and our bill. Never mind requesting dessert. Service was awful and even when brought to the attention of management it got no better. Food also was only average and i have never received a bad meal here. Not sure what happened but i would have to think again to go here for dinner. One last thing I tried to contact the restaurant but received no reply before writing this review. read more