great restaurant! recommend it, awsome staff great service
Han Z.
Place rating: 2 Boston, MA
Food is ok. 10 $ special food is also decent. No complaint about the food… But the waiter/waitress was so inattentive that it was off-putting. It was after 2pm, so barely any people dinning but still took forever for that waiter to bring the bill. He never bothered to check how I was doing(not that I care about him asking) but where the hell was anybody when I tried to find someone to bring the damn bill???
Janis A.
Place rating: 1 Belmont, MA
I’ve been here many times over the years without complaint but recently it’s just awful. All my favorites are gone from the menu. I know they do change their menu but EVERYTHING I like? Last night the restaurant was ½ empty yet we waited 30 minutes for a table. Their explanation was th as the the kitchen couldn’t keep up. At least 15 people exited the restaurant before we finally got a seat. Dirty utensils on the table. The seltzer tastes like tap water with fizz added. Undrinkable. All that being said our waiter was excellent. The food was ok. Out of the dessert I wanted(5PM in a ½ empty restaurant. I hope management gets their act together and starts running this restaurant more efficiently. I feel bad for the employees who have to keep apologizing to the patrons(heard it a # of times).
Harry M.
Place rating: 2 Brighton, MA
Nothing to write home about here. The 99 is what it is. Have heard many issues of service here and the food is okay. Took my little brother here because it’s close to his house and he loves their clam chowder. Clam chowder did its job. They served popcorn when you got to the tabl3 which is always a plus in my book
David D.
Place rating: 4 Waltham, MA
My visit there was quite enjoyable /food was good/drinks are reasonably priced /&all waitstaff seemed 2 go above & beyond. my hats off 2 all u all!!!
Andrea K.
Place rating: 2 Auburndale, MA
Inattentive servers. I sat at the bar, with three other customers. Apparently the bartender/server needs new tires as she was so engaged in conversation with two customers she didn’t check to see if I had everything I needed. Luckily the condiments were visible & I could walk over and get my own while her back was to me. Then, I waited 15 mins for the check while all the servers chatted about tires. She never asked if I wanted a second drink & was so slow I thought about chewing & screwing. Instead, I just left a 10% tip, I never tip less than 20% but she was SO inattentive
Jessica G.
Place rating: 1 Waltham, MA
I always hate giving a bad review but tonight my boyfriend and I went to the 99 for dinner and I am seriously considering not going back. The 5 – 10 mins wait when we got there wasn’t bad. We sat down the waitress came over with popcorn and got our drink order. I asked for a Diet Coke and a water and only got the diet. We order an app of boneless buffalo tenders that came out really quick and they were very good. My boyfriend ordered an all star burger with no tomatoes and of course when he got it it had tomatoes. I ordered the Vermont cheddar burger with no caramelized onions and of course there were the onions. I would have just scraped them off but I didn’t want to lose the cheese. I informed our waitress and she took it back to the kitchen. She came back to apologize and said they were making a new one. Waited about 15 mins for a «new» one which was just my old burger with the onions scrapped off. How do I know this you ask… Well before I sent my burger back I cut it in half when I got it back it was still cut in half. And it was cold. At this point I was just annoyed. The waitress came back we told her that I was all set with it. Of course they took it off the bill but I hate going out to dinner and leaving still hungry. The service here has really gone down hill. Something needs to happen.
Mary I.
Place rating: 2 Stoneham, MA
The food is good, but had a bad experience at this location. At the end when we were paying, the waitress(i forget her name) lost my moms credit card and no one seemed it care. It eventually was found, I just thought it was rude that none of the staff really cared about a lost credit card.
Danielle W.
Place rating: 1 Chicago, IL
I am giving this one star only because I have to. I have been coming to the 99 Restaurant for 15+ years and this place has gone downhill. The food and service is inconsistent. After dining here tonight I will not be returning. The service was the worst. Having been in the service industry for 8 years I was trying to make excuses for the server but everything he did was wrong. With all the great dining options in Waltham, this place should be the last on your list.
Santosh C.
Place rating: 2 Auburndale, MA
Service is good, but food is definitely made off of frozen food as indicated by few others. No wonder why very few customers on Saturday night. Drinks were also below average:(
Steven C.
Place rating: 5 Waltham, MA
Never had a problem with service or food quality. Hey Joseph S, aren’t you the kid who walked out in the middle of your shift at papa ginos because you said no one respected you? Still living with your mom lol?
Joseph S.
Place rating: 2 Waltham, MA
I want to personally congratulate the cooks in the back for this below average dinner. They were able to successfully keep the poor cooking of steaks streak I have going now with their help it is 20 straight steaks that have been cooked incorrectly. Best think of the night server was cute and mozzarella stick came out quick, well if you call 5 mins for apps quick. Entrees were more so like 15 mins after appetizers. Poor service I ordered the chopped steak, for those of you like myself this is similar to a salisbury steak or hamburger for layman terms. Good luck on a scale of 0 – 100 they say 99(haha) I give them a whopping 46⁄100 Fail.
Melissa M.
Place rating: 2 Waltham, MA
Call me crazy but the 99 has slipped. While the inside looks nicer, the food quality seems like it took a hit. The last 3 times I went here with friends, the entrees were skimpy and the food somewhat cold. A bit of a disappointment. I won’t be going back.
KEith J.
Place rating: 1 Newton, MA
I really feel bad about giving a bad review but maybe this will inspire the 99 to do better. I ate there on Monday, May 25,2015, for lunch. The 99 has for many years been my go to place for steak tips … maybe not the very best but always good and reasonably priced. In the past I would go at least three or four times a month and always enjoyed the meal. Sometime, more than six months ago I went with my Dad and we both noticed that the quality of the meat, in the steak tips, had changed … it was tougher and not quite as tasty. I had a talk with management and was told that their purveyor had changed. After not being there in a while … I decided to go there today. At lunch the kitchen service was so slow that the wait person apologized, When the steak tips arrived, cooked medium, three of the four were tough. The fourth one was inedible. It could not be cut with a serrated knife. I pointed this out to the waitress, showing her that it couldn’t be cut. While not making a big deal about it I expected a visit from a concerned manager … maybe even trying to make good on the situation. Nada. The side dishes were at best room temperature and the broccoli maybe even a little cold. Let me repeat … this was a go to place for me … I recommended it to people. When you pay for food that you can’t eat and no one seems really concerned … it makes me doubt that I will go back again. Nice parking lot, clean and attractive building, and a nice wait staff … if they could only get the food right. Maybe call in Restaurant Impossible or Undercover Boss … needs some kind of help. On their web site: Our Founder’s Motto: You only get one chance to please the guest. Give the guest what they want and they’ll always come back for more. — Charlie Doe, 99 Restaurants founder
… FAIL …
Len C.
Place rating: 2 West Newton, MA
We go to the 99 in Waltham about three times a month. It is close by and food was good. However the last few times the service has been awful. Last two times we had to ask someone to send a waitress over. Then they did not serve our meals at the same time. The wait staff changes weekly. There are just two many places around the area to go to rather than someplace with poor service. Not sure if we will go back.
Jennifer N.
Place rating: 4 Cergy, France
I have to admit I am not a fan of American chains however this place surely surprised me. Not only do they have great prices on meals such as $ 9.99 entrees and additional soup and dessert for an additional $ 3.49 the food is actually good! They have incredible portions that will surely last you for 2 meals. The customer service is excellent. I have never seen a place so generous on making your meal perfect even if there’s hardly anything wrong with the meal. Not to mention if you’re in a rush or don’t want to dine in, they have a great Curb-Side To Go where you can order over the phone 15 minutes beforehand and then park in the designated area where you can pay and receive your food. Be Aware — it does get busy Friday and Saturday night. I highly recommend the prime rib that’s only available Thursday — Sunday, it’s a hefty portion and delicious. Their gold fever tenders are also addicting and their salads are hefty and filling. The reason why I didn’t put a 5 star is because it’s not over-the-top amazing with different varieties. It has the conventional American pub/cuisine but with great portions and prices.
Nick M.
Place rating: 3 Newton, MA
I was always a little naïve, I never quite grasped where the 99 in «99 Restaurant» came from. I was always too embarrassed to ask. But I went here tonight with my girlfriend, and now I know. Turns out, it’s the average age of their patrons. I can’t make that a mark against the restaurant itself, but they could solve the problem if they wanted to: just take out the wheelchair access and the average age drops to 60, or anyone who has had only one hip replaced instead of both. Or they could stop offering free oxygen tank refills with the purchase of any drink. Now, granted, the restaurant itself is fine. It’s no modern marvel, but it is actually pretty nice inside. My girlfriend and I had a good time since we tend to always have laughs no matter where we are. It was mainly me making AARP jokes and her telling me to stop talking so loud, but I don’t think we were within range of anyone’s hearing aids anyway, so we had a fun time. Our waiter was nice, I’d say he did his job really well, I can’t imagine it’s super easy getting excited to go to work at a senior center every day, but he was attentive and offered a different soup when we weren’t thrilled with the lobster bisque, so I do respect him for doing his job well when I’m sure it isn’t the thrill of his life. The rest of our meal was fine, I had a burger and she had the country fried chicken, both were good. All in all this place is decent. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to avoid either. Wouldn’t recommend it for a first date unless you met on , in which case, going here is a must. P. S. I hope I didn’t offend anyone’s grandparent’s writing this, but if they’ve heard of Unilocal,they probably think it was an old Jewish man calling out for assistance.
Kevin D.
Place rating: 5 Waltham, MA
This place has great food, friendly staff, a great place to just hang out with the buds and eat a fresh hot meal !
David P.
Place rating: 2 Westerly, RI
Ninety-Nine in Waltham! What could be better? Sandpaper on your nipples? Jalapeño juice in your contact lenses? Jerk Sauce in your underwear? Lo! Ninety Nine does indeed have pretzels and cheese sauce. And it’s pretty amazing. But I dare you to try and order the Chicken-Fried Steak. Is it steak or chicken under that gelatinous, mucous sauce? Ha ha! You’ll never know! That’s hilarious. When you walk in, be prepared for the hostess to be suspicious of you – suspicious enough for her to tell you so, but not suspicious enough for her NOT to tell you that your server will be right over with the specials, but I just HAVE to tell you about the Prime Rib Special! You can upgrade for $ 3 and get the 3– course meal with a dessert! It’s great. Your server will arrive; it will be her second day, and she won’t know how much the Prime Rib is, but she’ll check. Sorry, we don’t do that till 4:30 tonight! OMG so sorry! Can I get you a drink? A mimosa? I’ll be right back! I’m so sorry; we don’t have Champagne. What’s sparkling wine? Sorry. Here comes lunch! Now, the«mashed potatoes» have sugar in them and also have the viscosity of frozen yogurt. But to Ninety-Nine’s benefit, they DO leave the red skins on. And there was this soup that was Way too sweet, and the Caesar salad is boring, and I think that’s supposed to be cranberry sauce??? Eeewwwwwwww… It IS cranberry sauce. Lol. Try breaking apart that flaky, steaming hot, melts-in-your-mouth biscuit? Oh? It’s not breaking apart? It’s 5 days old and stale? It sounds like a bongo when you bang on it? Hockey puck? In the end, they will end up comping you something. But really; why not just cut out the middleman and just not come here at all? Ever? Where’s the motivation? Where’s the drive? Passion? Love? Execution? Life? As Palahniuk’s narrator states in «Fight Club»: «Everything’s a copy of a copy of a copy.» That’s how I feel about 99.
Steven R.
Place rating: 4 Brookline, MA
The food we ordered was very good. It was honestly much better than I was expecting since it was a diner. I really like going to diners and I know they can be very hit or miss given the day and time you go, but I have to say I’d eat here again. The service was a little slow, but not bad at all considering the number of people that come in. I think the food was especially good for the price though. If you are a fan of going to these kinda places for lunch I would definitely recommend it. –The only odd thing was that the coffee I ordered came to me cold. I just went ahead and drank it and the next cup was hot like normal. I expect these kind of things in a diner, but maybe I should have dropped it down to 3 stars.