Craigie On Main

Came here for the first time and, after hearing lots of good things, were pretty disappointed. All around, food was good, but not excellent, and there was a general lack of thoughtfulness for the diner’s experience. We did the vegetarian tasting menu. We started with a beet hummus that was a wonderful color, but served with a total of six vegetable bites, and the cauliflower was too big to dip into the jar of hummus. Not a big deal if not for contributing to the “lack of attention” theme. The big disappointment was that the vegetarian main was a heap of blackened vegetables. They were farm fresh and tasted good enough, for sure, but to serve a pile of vegetables as a main shows a real lack of creativity. They even served it with the sauce that was meant for the meat main (a plum-like sauce, for duck), as if grilled zucchini and duck have the same flavor profile. Felt like being a vegetarian at a large catered event where your only choice is grilled vegetables or portobello—so they can just do the same thing to the vegetables that they do to the meat. For ~$125 a head, I’d expect something that felt less like an accommodation and more intentional. Another lack-of-attention detail was that we spent the evening listening to the kitchen’s music, which was more Tony Hawk skate jam than outdoor fine dining. Nothing wrong with the music per se, just doesn’t match the vibe at all. The wine, however, was delicious, and our waitress was quite attentive—so the meal had lots of redeeming features. I think maybe if I’d paid half the price and hadn’t been sold a “fine dining” experience, it would have been perfectly good. It just didn’t meet its own expectations.

Love this wonderful restaurant. The burger is always worth the hype. The ever-changing menu never fails to bring wonderful ingredients to the table full of flavor and beautifully presented. The Craigie Next Door patio is an awesome response to the limitations from the pandemic, and the food lives up to the restaurant’s reputation from before.

We sat "ringside" and got to see each dish for the evening carefully prepared - really neat! Everyone seemed to be all about "the burger" but don't miss out on the awesome dinner menu. Our favorite dish was the squid ink pasta - spicy, salty, and savory in all the right amounts. Also enjoyed the rice pudding dessert that ended up being an interesting take on a pavlova, and the chocolate mousse. The mousse had a potentially dangerous combo: mint and orange, but tasted awesome. Will be back.

This is an amazing French restaurant! The food is out of this World! We had the pork 3 ways and the rib was one of the best ever! The black linguine with clams were great. The beef marrow in the bone was amazing. The chocolate dessert was great! I highly recommend this restaurant. Its not cheap but well worth it!

This is a review of the Chef's Whim tasting menu that is offered on Sunday evenings. We've dined at Craigie's a few times in the past and have had great experiences, but it's been a while since our last visit. Overall our experience this visit wasn't exceptional. The meal was inconsistent with both service and food. There were minor issues with pacing that aren't a big deal, but the meal did feel a bit rushed with the first course hitting the table before our drinks made it. The opening courses showcasing New England seafood (both raw and cooked) were excellent. Craigie utilizes it's full staff to assist with service - this means you can have 5 different people bring a dish out. This caused some inconsistencies as some servers were great about explaining what's been put in front of you, while others were not ("what is this black sauce?") The fish dish incorporated more shellfish (muscles) and cod. My wife's plate was cooked perfectly, but my cod had a very tough piece of fish muscle (or skin?) that made half of the cod incredibly chewy - not in a pleasant way. The meat dish consisted of venison two ways - half of the dish (and including the sauce) was super salty (and we have salty palettes). The venison sausage was great - tender, juicy, and flavorful. The final dishes included a palate cleanser and a gingerbread dessert course, both were very good. Since we had ordered a 6-course tasting, we were a bit surprised to be receiving the gingerbread dessert thinking it was our fifth. We asked one of the servers and they mentioned  that the palate cleanser was the 5th course. A thumbnail-sized ball of sorbet was a full course - that was a first for us! I wouldn't advertise it that way - luckily the upcharge from 4 to 6 courses isn't too drastic, but we still don't think we've seen a palate cleansing component treated as a dinner course before. Hoping this was an off-night as we've had great experiences here, unfortunately this wasn't one of them.

Sigh. Another day, another GREAT MEAL at COM. This place has evolved over several years into a ‘go to’ Boston institution for many (including myself) when in need of a solidly executed, consistently excellent, always creative meal that incorporates complex flavors, ingredients, and textures. The classic burger has attained cult-like status, so much so that it’s hard for locals to snag one unless they arrive early and get in line. The new burger of the month has relieved some of that stress and of the two months that I’ve had them, they’ve been excellent. Restaurant and pre fixe: are always top drawer. Bar food and cocktails: exceptional. Service: always 5/5, never stuffy or pretentious, always helpful and willing to accommodate. Don’t be afraid of the specials. Example: Recently I had a trout Kama (collar). Wow! There succulent flavor of the meat alone was beautiful. But the complexity brought by the salad and vinaigrette were something to behold. Two different crudo appetizers have been drop dead beautiful. If you can snag a seat at the ringside, do it. I once saw someone move from ringside to a table. Go figure. Tony Maws is a Boston icon, if for no other reason than being able to stay at the top of his game for so long with COM and his more casual sibling restaurant Kirkland Tap and Trotter.

Craigie on Main ranks high on many online as the go-to option for haute cuisine as well as bar food and cocktails. Despite the rave reviews, we felt there are ample other restaurants in Cambridge and Boston that do not succumb to the hype as Craigie did. Though the staff was excellent, the vibe was outstanding, and the whole team was on the same page; the food was just underwhelming. The limited option burger was not nearly as great as advertised (nor even as good as the Craigie-inspired burger restaurant in Fenway's Time Out Market), and sadly our swordfish entrée tasted solely of the overpowering salt it was seasoned with. Overall, big thumbs up on the ambiance and kind and helpful staff, but the food left much to wish for, especially considering the price point.

One of my favorite places to eat in or around Boston. I have been coming here for many years with my wife, and we leave delighted each time. While Craigie has aged since the initial wave of excitement, it has aged well -- still a must-visit restaurant if you're going to be in Boston for any lengthy period of time.