

Regionally sourced, Mediterranean-inspired fare offered in energetic, stylishly decorated surrounds.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 50 Lovejoy Wharf, Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617) 248-0050
Website: http://alcoveboston.com/
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Order and Reservations
Reservations: alcoveboston.comopentable.com
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Reviews
Everybody has their own sense of taste, their own cultural roots and preferences – but –
I know enough to say that the cuisine is eclectic and genius, and visionary. Whoever is behind the design of this cooking, the range of wisdom that goes into its creation, knows very well what they’re doing, has been around, maybe the globe, and has talent, a smart palate and a wide palette, and divine sense of balance in taste and ingredients.
On a summer evening, nice weather, around sunset, the experience is peak and sublime. Unforgettable.
My only quibbles are the pushiness of the establishment in 2 ways – one, given that it’s basically a tapas place (small plates), the menu has advice to order 3-4 plates per person. OK, if it was a typical tapas place where you get one scallop or 2 chicken wings, or one pork rib – but each plate is about as much as a main dish in Paris or Tokyo. 3 large scallops, six healthy wings, 5 ribs (or so). They seem to assume that all Americans are either gluttonous or wealthy (we are neither). For our family of 3 adults (college kid), we ordered 2 meat, 2 fish, 2 veggie. Every plate was better than the next, and we could barely finish. Next time, 3 plates for 2 of us is going to do the trick.
The other quibble is, they’ve enclosed a large chunk of outdoor space, ringed with planters and pub lights, on Lovejoy Wharf. Speaking as a neighborhood person who passes by there on the regular, it seems they’re biting off quite a chunk of what appears to be public space, or possibly a right-of-way. They could pull it in a touch and not be appearing to block pedestrian traffic quite as much as they do.
Highly recommended!
The bread was delightful if small in “value”/portion sizing. Ditto the ice cream at the end.
Entrees felt generously portioned and were quite good, but the burger was a bit lackluster – just a little dull and not all that well presented- same for fries. Same for the chicken. Delicious, don’t get me wrong, but plating needs work- just very bland aesthetically. Feels like a 3/5 there but a solid 4.5/5 in flavor.
I’m doing the full 5/5 stars because we had a good time, felt well attended, and generally appreciate any seasonal and sustainable food even inclusive of small flaws or other unrelated issues.
Nothing “outstanding” or groundbreaking happening during our meal (summer 2023), but absolutely still a highlight of the town and it’s so nice to see sustainable high quality food taken seriously.
The food was SUPERB. We got the warm focaccia, grilled broccolini, roasted brussel sprouts, corn and scallion fritters, and smoked salmon pâté. All delicious, but my favorite was the broccolini. My husband’s was the salmon pâté (I don’t eat meat, so I can’t comment on that).
I also have to mention the drinks. These guys probably have the best cocktails I’ve ever had. We had never heard of milk punch before and I’m very glad we asked about it. Extremely strong, but utterly delectable.
All in all, pretty pricy date, but so so worth it. We also ordered a lot and got five drinks in total, so that adds up.
We’ll be back the next time we’re at the Garden.
We arrived and were immediately seated in a dark corner with no windows and absolutely no view. Meanwhile, the main dining room was maybe 30% full at best. Plenty of open tables. And we’re tucked into a shadowy corner like we asked for the overflow section.
I walked up to the host stand and waited about five minutes before anyone even acknowledged me. When they finally did, I politely asked if we could move to the main dining room since we reserved specifically for the view. They said no problem. Three minutes later, they moved us.
To the only tiny high-top table in the entire main dining room that had no view.
The table was sandwiched between the entrance and the dining area, directly in front of one of the only solid walls in the restaurant. Everywhere else had glass and scenery. We had drywall.
For context, I wore a suit. My partner wore a gorgeous silk dress with heels. We were clearly dressed for a real Valentine’s dinner and more formal than most of the guests in the room. This was a rare night out for us. We’re parents to a 6-year-old and a 1-year-old. We secured childcare. We made the effort.
My partner insisted we just make the best of it since we don’t get out much. So I decided to move forward and focus on the food and drinks.
We ordered the Cherry Noir. It tasted like a cup of tart cherry juice and bitters with a splash of tequila hiding somewhere in the background. It took us the entire meal to finish it. That was our first and only drink of the night.
We ordered the lobster ravioli with “fried plantain” for $50. The plantains looked and tasted like plantain chips from a local convenience store. The ravioli had almost no flavor, and the lobster somehow had even less. I had to use the salt and pepper from the table just to wake it up.
We also ordered the 16 oz ribeye for $80. On top of that, we paid $20 for a side of roasted Brussels sprouts. The ribeye was the best part of the meal, but the bar was already in hell. It was a regular, nothing-special cut of steak covered in another underwhelming sauce. Again, salt and pepper came to the rescue.
To finish, we ordered their Neapolitan flan for $30. It was the most basic-looking and basic-tasting dessert I’ve had at a restaurant period. No creativity. No presentation. An insult for dessert.
All in, we paid just over $250.
For that price point on Valentine’s Day, you expect an experience. You expect attention to detail. You expect food that doesn’t need table salt to carry it. You definitely expect the view you reserved days in advance when the restaurant isn’t even close to full capacity.
This was easily the worst Valentine’s date my partner and I have had in our entire relationship. The only saving grace was the fact that I’m blessed with someone who appreciates our own vibe enough to shrug off poor service and forgettable food.
But as for Alcove, never again!