Smith & Wollensky

I have been here a few times and it has been up and down. The location in the castle is great. Always good food and service there. The leather/​financial district location is where I have experienced poor service and the food was lack luster for the price. The coconut cake tasted like refrigerator and was too dense, I ordered the Gorgonzola Brulee and my steak came out without it (the waiter tried to explain that it comes on the side now? but it was nowhere to be found), we were seated for over 45 minutes before our order was taken. It was pretty bad and we weren’t the only ones having a bad time. I think I will have to find another steak house unfortunately.

When you’re talking fine dining, the stakes are high. Why? Because at these price points, the onus is on the restaurant to justify value. Hence, with any slip-​up (which is bound to happen from time to time at any restaurant, especially during busy hours) the customer’s immediately going to bring up price with something along the lines of «at these prices…» They just are and they’re well within their rights to do so.
But let me tell you, as a young professional who works in finance where steak dinners are fairly common, my experience last night was awesome and beat my expectations to a pulp.
I was too busy stuffing my face to take pics but allow me work off memory to highlight the nuanced details that made the difference and really set this place apart.
Ambiance
When you decide to eat at a steakhouse, you enter with a certain expectation of what it should look like. A true steakhouse has certain features which typically involves red leather booths, rich woods, and visible wine displays that all contribute to a certain masculine elegance. This place was Hugh Jackman personified and with the main dining room door open to the patio, we had a view of the water and a slight summer breeze which was pretty amazing.
Apps
Steak tartare
Where a lot of places go wrong is over dressing the meat. Too many capers or mustard wipes out your palate. The meat here was perfectly seasoned and served with effervescent crips that highlighted the meat. One more shout out to the crisp which is the single best vehicle I’ve ever used to scoop tartare. A crisp or crustini that’s too thick or oily can easily detract from the meat and this light and airy crisp did just the opposite. It simply put on its cape and accepted its role as Robin because it knew the meat was Batman. Nice teamwork fellas!
Pork belly
Not usually a fan (can we please chill out with those baos already!) but this one blew my mind. I felt like an old person with no teeth as the meat literally melted in my mouth before I had the chance to chew.
Sides
Had the corn and sautéed spinach but the real Food Network Star was the braised beef mac and cheese. Just gtfo. Not only was it delicious but the consistency was right. So many restaurants (and I’m not just talking steakhouses) mess this up. Melting cheese properly is much more difficult than you think and it’s extremely difficult when it comes to making mac and cheese using real cheese. Sometimes, the cheese seizes up at which point you’re eating mac and cheese lasagna or it’s too loose where you’re drinking cheese soup with macaroni. But this place just nailed it where I could «spread» this goodness intermittently on my bites of steak. Perfect.
Entrée
10 oz. Filet
So a lot of hardcore steak heads would argue that this cut lacks fat and flavor and that you should get something like the ribeye or strip instead. That’s fine but fat needs to be rendered and what I like is beef carpaccio. Eating filet makes me feel like I have one big hunk of beef carpaccio all to myself (think Home Alone when Kevin finally gets that large cheese pizza). But, what’s essential to my carpaccio nugget is cooking the steak rare. A hard sear on the outside is all you need yet so many places get this wrong too by either forgetting about the steak on the grill or just assuming the customer doesn’t want it that rare. This place delivered my carpaccio muffin stump just the way I like it.
And last but certainly not least, the service. Tim the sommelier and Jordan our waiter flat-​out knew what they were doing. Casually gregarious yet not overbearing, they allowed me to enjoy my meal, my company, and that mesmerizing summer breeze (can’t say enough about that breeze) while making sure we had everything we need when we needed it. And as the ultimate sign of approval, I remembered their names even after throwing back a couple drinks =)
Long story short (and damn this story got long!), S&W on Congress Street had me at hello and blew away the expectations of a grizzled steakhouse veteran.

Great spot for dinner or drinks much better than their castle their other location in Boston. Apps are great for the buffalo fried oysters and sliders other night it was all perfect day outside had a martini while I waited bartender was attentive and friendly

Mmmmmmm it’s a chilly evening in Boston and what better way to warm up then to stroll into Smith and Wollensky on Atlantic wharf.
We were celebrating my husband’s birthday and wanted to be sure he would get his Prime Beef. He was not disappointed with his «Fred Flintstone 24 oz «bone in rib eye. He was grinning from ear to ear as the plate approached the table. I was equally ecstatic with my Gorgonzola encrusted filet minion… Utterly mouth watering.
Now listen because this is important… save room for the 3lb slice of Gigantic Chocolate cake. Sheer heaven!!!
To top off this impeccable dining experience was the service by our waiter Henry. A delight from beginning to end!
No doubt we will be back.
Well they say the sequel never measures up to the original but that’s not the case with S&W on the waterfront. We had been here in Feb and came back in May to see if we could relive the first visit. Sure enough it was. We even asked for our amazing waiter Henry. Fortunate for us he was available and he made our experience memorable once again.
We started with some angry shrimp which had a fabulous kick to them. Then I opted to repeat the Gorgonzola filet minion from my first experience. I had heard they had enhanced the sauce and indeed they did. Loved the dipping aspect including the cast iron pot it was in.
And then there is dessert. My favorite is their chocolate cake but on this occasion we indulged in their coconut cake. Another winner.
Needless to say we will be back for a Trifecta!

Had the most disappointing dining experience possible here last night as part of a party of 12. The waiters and servers were absolutely horrible. To start, they forgot to bring my wife’s glass of wine. Then they said they were out, and substituted with something twice the price. But I just felt lucky to pay my bill and get out. Several couples didn’t tip, and now I wish that I hadn’t. To top it off, the food — steak fare, etc. was average at best. We had several guests from France, and they were just disgusted. If I could rate this place as 0 stars, I would.

Always wonderful. Yummy steak and the chocolate cake mmmmm
The martinis are awesome, I guess everything tastes good after that.

I have to say, if you are a high end steak house you better get that right!
The place has great ambiance, good for classy date night or a family meal.
The wait staff was spot on; Great service.
The appetizers were good. Not great, but good.
The salad was good.
The onion rings were good.
The steaks?
You’ve got to be kidding.
They were flavourful and all kinds of neat saucing options.
But get the meat right!
I had a bone-​in fillet.
Not including the bone, ¹⁄₃ of it was trimmed away as
fat and grizzle.
Mine was not alone.
There others in our party got the Rib-​eye.
Two of those meals had that same-​olé «Fatty Experience.»
I’m all for utilizing all parts of the animal, but not
all at once on the same plate.
At those prices, you’ve GOT to be KIDDING.
I’m going start a revolt.
Fire the butcher! Fire the butcher!
Or, hire one of the ones from Costco; they do a much better job.
The saving grace of the evening is that I really
enjoyed the company of my co-​diners.
I WILL NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN!
EVER!

Best steakhouse! Classic place, with a bit of a country club feel but also Hollywood. Food has over sized portion. Esp. Cakes… Chocolate cake is to die for 1 piece can be for 5 people.

Fantastic foods and great wine selections. The service was excellent and this restaurant didn’t disappoint me with the cost vs. value! I know it was little more than what I want to spend but watching my family enjoying the dine out experience, it was so worth the every single penny!
I had the ribeye steak and I highly recommend it… oh yes did I mention they have a wonderful lobster Mac n cheese!!!

Great service. Salmon is great. My husband says they have the best steak. Location is really good. Very Gud crowd.

My favorite place to get a drink on the waterfront. I really only come in the summer because I love the outdoor bar. It’s a super relaxing place to grab a drink and some snacks. I love the sliders, their tuna tar tar is great and fries! They make great drinks too and the bartenders are always super friendly. Not my fav steak in the city but a great place to grab snacks and drinks — oh and their desserts!

Solid steakhouse in Boston.
I have been to their location in Manhattan several times and decided to try this Boston location with some friends for New Year’s Eve. I mean, what better way to enter 2016 than devouring some red meat and alcohol before the clock strikes midnight. Overall, my group enjoyed their experience.
The atmosphere was classy. The dining room and table settings were aesthetically pleasing. The restaurant’s location (Atlantic Wharf) also adds a nice touch. Service was very good. Our waiter did a nice job of surveying our group for newcomers, explaining the menus, and answering questions.
The food was excellent. I ordered the dry-​aged sirloin medium-​rare. The cut was tasteful and prepared as ordered. My girlfriend ordered the filet «au poivre» (with pepper), while my brother went with the bone-​in filet. Naturally, I tried both of these steaks and they were great. Others in my group tried the Filet Oscar and enjoyed that selection. Sides, including truffled mac & cheese, creamed spinach, and hashed brown potatoes, were worthy additions to our meat entrées.
It was nice to experience good consistency between the restaurant’s locations. I recommend this restaurant for carnivores.

FOOD: Divine.
My wife had the Bone-​In Filet w/​roasted garlic and cippolini onions, whereas I had the Coffee & Cocoa Rubbed Filet with ancho chili butter and angry onions. I liked her steak better; you can never go wrong with a bone-​in filet. My dish was more of a novelty, once in a lifetime thing. I could taste the Coffee & Cocoa, but that life is not for me.
SERVICE: Love the attentiveness
Every time we needed clean plates, fresh ones would arrive. Every time we dropped a utensil, when I turned around, there one would be. You get the idea. Our waiter also gave us the brilliant idea of «halving» our side orders so we got to try both the pan roasted wild mushrooms and creamed spinach — a win in my book.

Beautiful place but food here it’s not worth a penny waitress delivery a poor service I do not recommend this place at all

Bottom line the food was good, but the overall experience was very poor. Clearly it’s the holiday season and the waiter mentioned they were very busy on Thursday night, but it was almost like the place was operating through a hangover last night.
The service was extremely slow — it took almost 45 minutes to get our first drink after being seated (we had a 7:30 reservation and finished at 11:30). Part of the challenge was that of the three different wines that we selected they only had one bottle left of any of them. The waiter kept coming back and trying to upsell us ALL the time without giving any recommendations on comparable wines. When we tried to get a second bottle the two additional wines were also sold out. Now I understand that Christmas is busy, but for a chain like S&W’s it’s all about inventory management — it’s wine — you can stock up on cases of Stag’s Leap and Phelps — you know you’re going to sell them!
The haggling over trying to find a comparable wine without being constantly presented with $ 200+ bottles got tiresome and impacted the atmosphere. Also, given the situation I’d have expected the sommelier to stop on by to make a recommendation. But no — nothing!
For $ 250 per couple I could think of a lot of other places to eat expensive steak — Capital Grill or Palm in Boston or if you’re willing to travel a little further afield The Bancroft in Burlington which is very, very good!
For a steak restaurant it’s ALL about the experience — especially during the holiday season, but this was an EPIC fail and I would not recommend this to friends or any of my clients.

came here twice already. the steak was good, the seafood was fresh and the wine selection was also pretty extensive.
impressed with service both time so I would definitely come back again

Great place. Great ambiance. Great service.
I had one of the best salmon in a while. It is on costlier side but its worth it.
Highly recommend– Pan seared salmon.

What happened to my favorite coconut cake?
I was SUPER excited when I saw this place because I went to the same chain in NY and loved their cake.
So I came in here and ordered a slice to go.
What happened to your cake?
It wasn’t very moist and tasted old, and you replaced the coconut syrup with some gosh awful sauce.
Extremely disappointed at my $ 11 investment into your awful cake.

I’m not sure what I’m missing here looking at some of the positive reviews from people I know. Our experience was less than stellar. I’m a borderline two on this chain. We sat outside on a breezy Saturday night. Maybe the service and experience sitting inside is better, but I kept hearing people complain about how cold it was inside so we felt like enjoying the outdoors even if the wind was whipping at 15 – 20 mph.
The cadence of the service team was off. Once again, I don’t know if it would be different/​better on the inside, but I felt like we were waiting too long for some things (sparkling water we ordered when sitting down) or somethings were coming too fast. Our main course came before our waiter had returned so I could order a glass of wine with my steak (very important!). Our primary waiter was very agreeable.
The by the glass wine list is mediocre and over priced. I couldn’t get over the Liberty School Cab Sav for $ 14. I first saw this in Market Basket in NH selling for $ 10 a bottle on sale… Ditto for the $ 15 a glass Educated Guess and $ 14 Trapiche Malbec. I’ve seen them both in the store for less than what is charged by the glass. I ended up going with the S&W Meritage for $ 19 which was very enjoyable. I don’t mind spending money on good wine, but I just felt like this menu was either boring or not reasonably priced at all. Sorry to be a downer. On a positive note, my wife had the prosecco for $ 12 and it was very good and fairly priced.
We started by sharing a caesar salad. The portion of the salad was fine, but the salad itself was pretty said. It was just some iceberg lettuce, Parmesan cheese and very light dressing. Both my wife and I like the dressing on the lighter side, but we really had to go searching for a sprig with dressing on it.
I ordered the 21 ounce Bone In New York Sirloin (dry aged) for $ 55. The cut of meat itself was beautiful. It really is a perfect specimen of meat. Then they ruined it. My medium rare steak was medium well to well done and had to be sent back which caused my wife to have to wait for me. Once the second steak came out it was perfectly prepared, except for the fact that it was drenched in butter. There is no need for the amount of butter they put on their already perfect steaks. The only other time I’ve been to a high end steakhouse that uses this much butter was at a place with the initials RC, and they actually used more butter. If you like butter on top of your already marbled meat then you will like this, if not, you might want to ask them to go light on the butter.
My wife had the seared tuna. It was a good portion and perfectly cooked (seared rare on the inside). No complaints on the tuna. Good work.
Everything on the menu seemed to be 10−20% more expensive than what it should be. In my opinion there are much better chains when it comes to service, execution and value (and wine selection). This place is probably best if you want to get some bites at the patio bar and enjoy nice weather when we have it.

How often do you get to feast in a castle? This is the closest I’ve gotten to so far. The waiter explained to us that the room we were dining in used to be army barracks and sleeping quarters for revolutionary soldiers!
When I dined here, we had a prix fixe menu consisting of buttery bread topped with thyme, a light Wollensky Salad, Whipped Potatoes, and The Crusted Beef Tenderloin Duo.
This duo is an epic dish, in keeping with the dining-​in-​a-​castle theme. One piece is topped with bone marrow butter, and the other is topped with gorgonzola.
We ended with a scrumptious Chocolate Cake, fruits, and raspberry sauce for a sweet finish.
Everything here, from the ambiance, to the friendly and knowledgeable wait staff, to the food itself is impeccable. Don’t miss the tenderloin and the chocolate cake!