The Wine Cellar

My boyfriend made a reservation here for dinner to celebrate our 1^st anniversary. He received confirmation emails from both Open Table and the restaurant itself.
We showed up on Saturday night (12÷7÷13) to find the tables set, but the restaurant closed and dark with sign on the door saying — «Closed for Renovations»
Not Cool, Wine Cellar, not cool!

A tiny semi-​underground restaurant that only seats about 36, reservations are a must here. but the atmosphere is romantic and the fondue amazing and great to share on a special date. the servers are impeccable, from refilling water glasses to navigating the tight space.
Great way to get a classy and delicious meal right in the Back Bay with a special someone or your favorite foodie buddies. The fondue was amazing. My girlfriend and I had tar-​tar hat which is awesome.

Yep, still amazing! I went with my boyfriend this time and got four meats with a Latin broth for our entrée. The meat was so fresh and tasty. For dessert we had a dark chocolate fondue. We left fat and happy. There was plenty of food for two people. Again, this place is so cute and cozy. The service was excellent and we didn’t get any dirty looks when I whipped out my Living Social coupon. The location of the Wine Cellar is right down the street from Symphony Hall so it’s a nice stop to make before a show.

I went to the Wine Cellar last night, groupon in hand and was seated immediately. I’ve been to the Melting Pot as well, and I definitely liked this better. The waiter, Scott, was also one of the nicest waiters I’ve ever had and answered all of our questions happily.
The cheese fondue was AH-​mazing. Comes with bread and ready-​cooked chunks of potato. After the cheese we had ravioli, which was fine, didn’t seem to go with the meal, but it came with the groupon so we ate it. Then there was the main course which I suppose was closer to hibachi than to actual fondue, as you cook beef, pork, chicken and shrimp on a flat stone at your table, rather than in a pot of boiling oil. (This was just the option that came with the groupon, they may have true fondue on the menu as well.) The meat was of good quality and they had a good selection of sauces to pick from. FInally, the chocolate fondue, which was served with the usual assortment of fruits, pound cake and brownie, was divine, but when is chocolate fondue not good? Anyway, the chocolate wasn’t too sweet, not too bitter, and the consistency was right as well.
Overall a great experience, though on my budget I’ll probably have to wait for another groupon before I can go back.

This is one of the places that no one there knows how to cook, but unfortunately to us, they run a restaurant. and they are super stingy.
1. I went there because i heard it was good. so i got the groupon and made reservation through opentable. but they told me if you use groupon, you can’t make reservation through open table, so they canceled it for me~~
2. they groupon was for the hot stone table top cooking. it was a very unsafe experiences. first of all, the stone was not hot enough, so it took forever to cook stuff. and they put chicken with other kind of meat and shrimp. none of the meat was marinaded before, they give some sauce for dipping, for me, they looked like from stored bought salad dressing. with the not hot stone (you can touch it without burning your fingers), not marinade chicken (even no oil on it), by the time, the chicken was cooked through, you can imagine how the chicken was like~~
3. after the meal, we felt unsafe and sick (mentally)
this is the worst place i have ever been in 2013!

The Wine Cellar is a fun fondue alternative to The Melting Pot chain. It is located downstairs in this TINY restaurant in the Back Bay. Coming from NYC, we are used to small cramped places, but I can see that other people on Unilocal don’t like the fact that you will literally bump elbows with your neighbor.
CHEESE FONDUE: The swiss/​gruyère cheese starter doesn’t look huge, but it is. We tried our best, but could not finish the entire boiling pot of melted cheese (which is hard to believe because we love cheese). It was very heavy and somewhat salty, but still good. The dipping bread and potatoes are nice, but nothing special.
ENTREE: You get to select several types of meats and veggies for your entrée and cook them on a granite slab at your own table. I see that a lot of people complain on here that the portions aren’t large enough, but I think quite the contrary — I thought the portions were plenty big and ended up being really filling. There are several types of dipping sauces and I recommend the wasabi cucumber — it was spicy and refreshing.
CHOCOLATE FONDUE: I really love that you can order the chocolate fondue with several different types of dessert rather than just a whole lot of one dessert. There were at least 4 – 5 pieces EACH of chocolate fudge, brownies, shortbread, marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, and grapes, so both you and your date can try everything. Dessert was my favorite part of the meal and I wish I had saved more room.

Had a deal for The Wine Cellar’s Meal for Two.
1) Cheese Fondue: We chose the French Gruyère. I was a little scared at the size when it came out. It was a lot of cheese, even for 2 people. As good as it was, we couldn’t finish, esp w/​an entrée and dessert to come.
2) Entrée: We chose the shrimp, scallops, lamb, and beef. We went with the Veggie broth. It was healthy and delicious! The portions were very manageable (about 2 – 4 pieces each). The real winner was the broth. I wish we would’ve asked for bowls and spoons. So flavorful and only enhanced by the meat and seafood we added to it.
3) Dessert: It was okay. Served with a small variety of biscuits, cake, and fruits.
The experience was fun, but I probably wouldn’t go back without another deal.

When they say small and intimate they mean it.
I went here with a friend for fondue the other night. Whoever concocted the theory that fondue was romantic when men had mustaches and wore turtlenecks is a liar. It’s such a strange and awkward meal to share with someone, albeit absolutely delicious. We got the crab and artichoke fondue, and it was awesomesauce.
Wine is $ 10 a glass. That’s basically it.

Boyfriend and I went there for diner. I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a few years now but for some reason, I have never made it there. well, maybe it was for the better as I definitely didn’t miss much.
The restaurant is very tiny and it’s located in a semi-​basement on Mass Ave & Comm Ave. It looks a lot like a tapas restaurant– the lights are dimmed and the tables are very close from each other.
The food is nothing special. We each had appetizer, entrée and desert. We tried the melted cheese for appetizer (it was just plain melted cheese — definitely not my type of food) — just some 10,000 calories plain food. The 2 outstanding dishes were: the entrée — Beef & Chicken Fondue Served with Vegetable Broth & Dipping Sauces. It was amazing-​hands down! The dipping sauces had so many flavors (5 different sauces) and the meat was just great!!! The chocolate fondue for desert was very good as well and I am not crazy about chocolate (I know a girl who’s not crazy about chocolate?! YES — go figure!!!)
The wine, (some rose) my boyfriend picked tasted more like white wine.
The service was okay. they brought my boyfriend’s entrée first and when he was almost done eating they brought mine too. not cool!!! As a server, you should know one thing — bring all the entrees to the table at ONCE!!!
Overall, it wasn’t worth the $ 150 we spent; I guess a better way to say it it is ‘been there done that’.

Nickel and dime-​ing menu, everything is an up charge. Meats tasted like they were prepared a week ago. Poor wine list. Sitting in a cellar is not romantic or cozy; it is dark, damp, and claustrophobic.
Go to the Melting Pot for better value and way better fondue.

Had dinner here last week for restaurant week, had fondue for all three courses, cheese to start, then meat, then chocolate.
Fondue was one of the best I have ever had. Quality of meat was high and service was also good.
Wine menu was limited and expensive for what we got.

Four stars for food/​value (it is a bit pricey), five stars for service.
The fondue was yummy, as all things dipped in cheese tend to be – add a wine paring of your choice and you will likely enjoy the meal.
I was most impressed, however, with the service. My boyfriend and I had a Living Social deal that expired on a Thursday, and we called the Saturday before to make a reservation for that night. It was the only night we’d be able to go together before the expiration date. They said they were all booked, and I was upset that I wouldn’t be able to use the deal with my boyfriend. We didn’t leave our number. Then, about two hours later, I got a call saying they’d had a cancellation and they could accommodate us. They just went through their call history, found my number, and called back. I went from frustrated to really touched, and I appreciated their reaching out. I will definitely be going back.

I don’t even know where to begin. I’m a bit angry with Wine Cellar and some of their business practices.
First of all, I am disappointed that Wine Cellar will do everything in their power to make it difficult to use OpenTable. Last time I stated in my review that they canceled my reservation upon arrival so I didn’t get the OpenTable credit. Fortunately, I resolved the situation with OpenTable.
After seeing a deal on Living Social ($ 12 for a cheese fondue for two), I decided to give this place another try. I wanted to like it so much that I bought TWO Living Social coupons. Of course the certificate states they don’t accept reservations through OpenTable; however, I decided to check out OpenTable for available times so I could research before I called. Nothing was available between 5:30 and 9:15 (according to the website). I called anyway, and the manager said he could accommodate me for 8:30. We arrived on time and the restaurant was absolutely dead; there was only one other small group. There was no way the OpenTable site was reflective of their true availability. The fact this place was empty on a SATURDAY night doesn’t sound good to me. Also, it seemed there were too many employees. So much that we had three people assisting our table throughout the evening. I think Wine Cellar uses OpenTable to give the illusion that it is an high-​demand place in order to fill odd times (such as 5:30 or after 9 p.m.).
We took advantage of a three course meal and used our Living Social deal to get $ 25 off the prix-​fixe option. Thank goodness we had a discount — Wine Cellar is severely overpriced. I think this restaurant would do a lot better if it charged less. Prices are on par with Melting Pot, but Melting Pot is also a chain restaurant, the Boston one being located in a hotel. They’re expected to charge as much as they do. Wine Cellar will penny pinch wherever they can. You have to pay extra for little sides, such as apples and veggies. I’ve gotten those with my meal at other fondue places.
I don’t have much to say about the entrée fondue. We had beef tenderloin, chicken and shrimp. It was okay.
By far the biggest disappointment was the chocolate fondue. Because it sounded interesting, we went with the Marshmallow Dream (marshmallows mixed with chocolate and buttered cookie pieces). We received a good amount of accompaniments, but our brownie was stale. I could’ve done without dessert.
We got our check, and I was a little offended that the restaurant decided to point out that we needed to leave a tip on the full amount (it was typed on the receipt). Maybe I’m being picky about this, but I’m one of those people who normally will tip on the full amount and think it’s common sense. I don’t mind if you include the full amount, but I don’t need a reminder of how I should tip (sad that people do).
I will say, the cheese fondue we had was delicious. We had the French Gruyère, and it was much easier to dip our foods than last time. Also, the servers have always been friendly and attentive. Someone was always there to fill our water, and our waitress didn’t rush us through our meal.
While I am a fan of their cheese fondue, I think I am done with Wine Cellar for awhile. I am planning on contacting Living Social to see if I can get a refund on my second coupon. I think this place could be great with new management.

A Small Family Fondue Restaurant in Back Bay!
ATMOSPHERE: Steps down into a small, dark cellar space.
If you’re thinking «how romantic,» hold on a minute.
The tables are on top of each other, (well, almost),
so much that the staff has to turn sideways to get by them.
It feels like communal dining, so conversation privacy = 0.
FOOD: I love fondue, so I was truly excited to try there’s.
The cheese was mild and mouthwatering,
but they served it only with bread and potato wedges.
(The Melting Pot offers apple slices, for a better contrast.)
The chocolate was rich and super sweet,
and came with a small plate of cookie bites.
(The Melting Pot offers better bites and cheesecake.)
SERVICE: The fondue all arrived at our table pre-​mixed.
(The Melting Pot makes your fondue in front of you.)
THE DEAL: For the tiny, dimly lit cellar space it over crowds,
I don’t think they justify charging $ 100 for dinner for 2.
Yet, a fondue fiend friend of mine informs me
that The Wine Cellar does better fondue than The Melting Pot.
I am a hobbyist at best, and could not taste the difference.

I would not recommend the wine cellar. The service was dismal with the waitress uninterested at best. They cheese fondue (this is a fondue house) was mediocre. It was like the rushed preparing it after we sat for a long (long) time waiting for any kind of attention or arrival of the orders. The cheese fondue still had solid lumps of cheese in it. The main fondue course was decent. The chocolate dessert fondue wasn’t good at all. There were some weird textural lumps in it and it doesn’t taste very good. We ate the fruit without it. To top it off the waitress accidently overcharged us for the bottle of wine (the place is called the Wine Cellar).
For the level of quality and service, this place is way overpriced (even with a Groupon).
You are better off at The Melting Pot; doing fondue by yourself at home or getting a pizza to go somewhere else. Better yet go get Asian style fondue (Hot Pot) at Shabu Zen…
Needless to say, we will not be back.

I had never really noticed the Wine Cellar upon walking by since it’s literally a cellar, but the small space was really nice. Their specialty is fondue. I had a groupon so it was a pretty reasonable deal, but without a groupon, it’s fairly pricy.
The cheese fondue was really good but you could strongly taste the wine in it (not that that’s a problem). It was served with bread and flavorful potatoes. For our entrée we got to choose from five of their innovative meat or veggie choices. The whole idea of cooking raw meat kind of skeeves me out, but it ended up being ok. I highly recommend the pheasant sausage. The star of the meal was dessert — dark chocolate fondue with marshmallows, bananas, strawberries, cookies and brownies with fresh whipped cream. Awesome.
Definitely a good meal all around and our waiter was wonderful and a real character (in positive way).

What a disappointment!
I had gone here years ago, this was the first place I ever had fondue at a restaurant, and I had fond memories of the place. Decided to go back for my wife’s birthday this year.
We arrived a few minutes early, but there were very few people in the restaurant, so we were seated fairly promptly. It’s a small & cramped place, they squeeze too many tables into the space they have, but I understand the need to get as much as they can out of what they have. Our waiter came over promptly, went through the options, and gave us a good amount of time to make our choices. When he brought the drinks to the table, we were ready to place our order.
As our first course was delivered, other patrons came in. We swiftly gobbled up the cheese (there really wasn’t a lot of fondue in the pot anyway), and the waiter came to check on us, and was able to take the dishes away. Then we sat, for about a half hour, waiting for our main course. Customers that were seated while we finished off our cheese fondue were getting their main courses. I tried to get the waiters attention several times, and on about the fourth try, he noticed me. He said that several orders went in at the same time, and that the kitchen was addressing them as they came in. I told the waiter that we had ordered at least 10 minutes before the three tables surrounding us, so something was amiss. He said he’d check on our order. He came back a few minutes later and said it would be right up. We were told that another two times before they brought us our main course.
They set up the stand, and told us they were out of the heating candles meant for the stand, so brought us a smaller one, then the oil. The pot was very shallow, in that, not a single piece of food could actually be submerged in it. And the pot didn’t settle, so it kept rocking/​tipping. Hmm, pot of boiling oil tipping this way and that… reassuring. Anyway, we put or skewers of food in, and wait. It’s dimly lit, so it’s hard to tell when food’s done. The oil isn’t boiling, or bubbling at all, which is curious to me. We left our skewers in for about five minutes (when they recommend 1 minute), take the food out and taste it… it’s not cooked. We put another set of skewers in, and wait, oil doesn’t bubble/​boil and our food doesn’t cook. We try to get our waiters attention, but he’s not paying attention. We get another waitresses attention, and point the heating issue out. She confirms that the oil’s not hot enough and goes to grab a bigger one. She sets it up, and fairly quickly the oil begins to boil. We’re very hungry and ready to eat! Skewers in, pot tipping this way and that, the top lid continuously falling into the pot, we continue on.
Before being done with the main course, we order dessert, and request it to be brought out as soon as possible. They actually get the set up out there a few minutes later, and are annoyed because I hadn’t quite finished the main course… I finished moments after they set up dessert, and they promptly remove those settings.
Dessert was delicious, so at least it ended on a good note!
Service — Odd as hell. The waiter was «nice», but weird. I didn’t get the impression he really knew that there was an issue, or maybe he just didn’t care?
Food Quality — The quality of the food was good.
Portions — Too small. I went in with a monstrous appetite, having eaten at fondue places before. Wasn’t enough cheese, wasn’t enough meat, wasn’t enough sauce for the meats. While I could have gone for more treats with dessert, that was probably the only «appropriately portioned» course.
Ambiance — I liked the mural, and the lamps on the walls. Way too many tables for such a small place. I think one of the reasons I was getting crabby was because there were too many people for that small a space, and it was getting rather warm in there with no AC.
Value — See portion size and ambiance above. If you’re charging $ 110 for the meal, I expect A LOT more. I’m not just talking about portion size, I’m talking about elbow room, more oil in the pot to cook stuff in, everything.
Overall — The one star sums it up I think! Bye-​bye fond memories… I love fondue, and this place has potential, but fell extremely short. I can’t picture myself going back, and can’t recommend it to anyone.

Came here for restaurant week with my friend. It was amazing!!!
Appetizers:
— escargot — my friend loved it. I’m personally not a fan of snails.
— french onion soup — no cheese pastry on top of the bowl, but with bread (croûton-​sized) pieces baked into the soup with lots of cheese and delicious onions. Not overly seasoned like most French onion soups I have gotten here had been. Delicious!
Entrée:
— rack of lamb — my friend also loved this.
— steak frites — my order. The steak was quite sizeable. I was surprised that they didn’t ask me how I’d want my meat cooked, but it came out perfectly. Medium — to medium-​rare. I chose the creamy sauce as opposed to the demi glacé and it was great! Nom nom nom. The fries were crispy and non-​oily, and well seasoned with rosemary.
Dessert:
— the dessert fondue with extra chocolate liquor. O.m.g. This was definitely a great end to this feast. The plate of desserts to be dipped included: ladyfingers, grapes, strawberries, brownie, marshmallow, banana.

You can cook your own food well at Wine Cellar, but I don’t recommend letting them cook it for you. The food isn’t terrible, but it’s your typical French meat-​and-​potatoes dishes — some well-​made highlights with none of the Oo-​la-​la factor of Aquitaine. I’d come back only if the prices weren’t so exorbitant.
My Rack of Lamb was a pretty-​in-​pink medium rare, but a bit too fatty to taste the gamey lamb flavor. The mushroom rosemary reduction added richness without being overpowering, and it was a decent dish overall… Which is more than I can say for the side of potatoes gratin. My French has gotten rusty over the years, but I’m pretty sure gratin doesn’t mean so-overbaked-they’re-grainy nastiness. Don’t order this, it’s awful!
The Steak Frites was far better than I expected. Great flavor in the beef, loved the creamy bernaise. Don’t know who their saucier is, but I’d like to… The fries were also perfect, but would you expect any less from the inventors of the pommes frites? A kiss on both cheeks for the steak, and a slightly upturned nose for the lamb. If I ever come back, I’ll be fondueing.

How delightful is this little hole in the wall?! EXTREMELY.
At Wine Cellar, it really is all about the cheese fondues.
I got there with an 8:30p reservation for 3 on a Saturday and they had our table ready within 5 minutes (this guy with a French (?) accent said I could wait outside if I wanted… haha, what a jokester. It was below freezing!). It is a tiny little room but somehow, they time everything really well.
They have «appetizer» cheese fondues that come with crispy bread and delicious deep-​fried potato wedges, but they really understate their portions. We ordered two $ 22 cheese ones (Savoyard and French Gruyère). These supposedly feed 1 – 2 people for appetizer only, but our party of 3 was stuffed after the appetizer, and yes! They don’t skimp on the bread and potatoes! We even had to downsize our entrée order of the Chef’s Fondue (beef, sausage, chicken). The entrée fondues are very similar to shabu and really not that memorable. If I were to do it again, I’d just get the cheese ones, and I’d highly recommend either of the two mentioned above. Both are very strong and probably made with a quality white wine.
Honestly, it probably is a little awkward for a first date since you end up stringing cheese everywhere, but it’s terrific for an anniversary or small group of friends. We saw people with chocolate fondues that looked really good too.
Some major no-no’s that prevent me from giving this place 5 stars… we weren’t given napkins, had to ask for plates, my skewer was dirty and unwashed, and the waitress was kind of fake-​friendly and looked like she just wanted to go home. But I’d really recommend this place and definitely be back!