Grill 23 & Bar

Grill 23 & Bar

161 Berkeley St.
Boston, MA 02116

Phone: 617-542-2255

Fax: 617-542-5114

Make a Reservation Now

A grand, high-ceilinged steakhouse located in the former Salada Tea building. Trust sommelier Alex DeWinter to recommend wines for chef Jay Murray’s beef tenderloin, tuna tartare, and other dishes served by white-coated waiters.

Featured In

Best of Boston 2008 Steakhouse
The better story would have been that finally, in this, the year of the cow, one among the city's numerous new upscale meateries...

Best of Boston 2007 Steakhouse
Sure, sometimes a single, tiny scallop garnished with edible flowers is enough to get the job done. For the rest of the time, there&#...

Best of Boston 2006 Restaurant, Steakhouse
Any good steakhouse offers oversized hunks of beef, a clubby atmosphere, and expert, deferential service. A truly great one, like Gri...

Best of Boston 2003 Hall of Fame: Steakhouse
The humble steak has come in and out of fashion over the years, but one thing has remained the same: the guilty, happy pleasure of in...

Best of Boston 2002 Steakhouse
Great steaks are only the tip of the iceberg at Grill 23. Sure, executive chef Jay Murray has a knack for cooking red meat, but the o...

Best of Boston 2001 Sommelier
This Harvard-educated sommelier spends most of her nights winning over the suit-and-tie crowd that flocks to Grill 23's polished inte...

Best of Boston 2001 Restaurant, Steakhouse
You can gripe until the cows come home about Boston's relative lack of great steakhouses, but until you've bitten into a richly marbl...

Sub par food. Appearance only goes so far.

Rating

Overall (3)	Food (1)	Service (3)
Decor (6)	Value (3)	Average (3.20)

Review
I have always been a fan of steak, being originally from the south, so of course I had to try Grill 23. Upon hearing good reviews about Grill 23, I decided to make reservations online for my recent graduation dinner on May 1, 2009. My party’s first impressions were positive. We had no trouble waiting for our table, and the décor was ambient and beautiful with wood paneling. I felt that my waiter was prompt and his service to our table was decent enough. When my party received our food we were initially impressed by the taste and presentation. However, our impressions abruptly went sour when one person in our party spotted a BUG on her mashed potatoes. She immediately called one of the waiter’s attention. The waiter took her plate away without an explanation or apology. We waited approximately 5-10 minutes before my friend contacted ANOTHER waiter and asked, “what are the restaurant’s procedures regarding a bug in your food?” The staff appeared to be negligent and unconcerned. When the manager finally arrived for what we thought would be a sympathetic apology, he stated that he could only replace her order. My friend stated, “I have lost my appetite and would rather not have another plate.” She then respectfully asked for a refund and the manager refused to give us any other options. He said, “I can only replace your order, but since you ate half of it, I can give you half of your order to go.” I have previously dined at a fast food joint where the manager refunded an order with no problem, regardless of the amount of the food consumed or other variables. Not only was the manager not prompt about this serious matter, but he was unprofessional and had some nerve. Overall, Grill 23 lacks in professional management, and promptness about a serious manner. The quality of the food was subpar and unsanitary. This is an occurrence one would expect at a fast food joint or chain restaurant, but not at a restaurant that has been deemed “Best of Boston.” I would highly recommend that you dine somewhere else – perhaps try another steak house in Boston such as Abe and Louie’s.
Posted by Deidre: May. May 6th, 2009 at 7:23 PM