Metropolis Cafe

I ordered probably the best chicken I've ever tasted. Excellent food all around and the staff was very friendly. Very reasonable for the trendy location. I would highly recommend.

Pros: Excellent Cuisine, Great Staff

Cons: Small so may have to wait

Posted 03/18/09

I live around the corner and have been coming to Metropolis for years. I love the small space - very cozy, even if it is cramped and a little uncomfortable (and seats by the door are FREEZING in the winter!). It feels like a city spot and I like that. Dinner is great - pretty simple dishes that are very well prepared with quality ingredients. I guess I'm pretty picky but at Metropolis I would be happy ordering nearly any item on the menu. It's really too bad, therefore, that their breakfast/brunch is so horrific. I want to like it. I really have tried to like it but, honestly, it just fails miserably. It begins with the service, which is a sour, bitter, lazy, barely awake and just rude crew. And I'm being kind. Coffee is never refilled unless you ask (and, if you do, you're really inconveniencing them...). The staff is painfully slow and inefficient. Aside from the service, the already ridiculously small tables are half filled with any and every condiment you may or may not need (Tobasco, ketchup, jams, syrup, sugar, cream, salt, pepper,...), leaving little room for plates and cups and no room for anything else - including your hands/arms. The food has greatly improved in recent months but it still is nothing special and doesn't make up for the other shortcomings of this place. Make dinner plans here but skip the breakfast!

Pros: Great dinner, good location

Cons: Terrible service

Posted 09/21/08

6:15 on a Friday night no reservations and a quest for something different led my wife and I to the Metropolis Cafe. We started with the tour of the many tempting spots on Tremont Street (which were all full with a long wait) when we wandered by the Metropolis. We both took a look at the menu and decided to see if they had any spots. Once inside we were taken by how nice and cozy it was and that you could hear ourselves talk. The maitre'd said that they were full but there was a table that may be available in 10 minutes if we could wait. We sat at the bar, reviewed the wine list and asked the bar tender if we could have a taste of two we were thinking of and to our surprise he said yes. While the wine list is a bit shallow it is very well priced with a lot of very good wines in the $30 to $60 dollar range. After being seated we were served a wonderful bread with a oil and garlic dipping sauce to get us started. The waiter told us the specials and answered a few questions before we ordered. One of the specials was Spaghetti & Meatballs and on a whim I ordered it and I must tell you it was the best I have ever had. My wife had a veal dish which was wonderful and very well prepared. For desert we had a Creme Brulee and and finished off the wine while relaxing and enjoying the view. The Metropolis it one of those rare finds that is a great place to enjoy a evening over great food, good wine in an inviting, cozy atmosphere.

We will be back

Pros: Charming, cozy & romantic.

Cons: Parking

Posted 09/21/08

I frequent Metropolis Cafe since it is right down the street and the prices aren't as outrageous as you find at many of the other South End spots. They frequently have delicious specials and their chicken entree is awesome. I try not to order chicken out (so I can try something different), but once you try it, it is hard to resist!!

Pros: Romantic, reliable food, average-good service

Cons: A bit small, If the bar is full and you have to wait there is no place to stand

Posted 02/25/08

I worked there several years ago as a brunch server. I can tell you that the staff (chef, sous-chef, prep cooks, servers, etc.) at the time genuinely cared about quality and my coworkers and I worked our butts off during brunch. The fresh fruit, granola, omelets, etc. were really high-quality and very tasty. Another secret: The pancake batter isn't just "like" Bisquick - it IS Bisquick. As far as waiting 45 minutes for a table, well, in a place with something like 14 tables, if you show up mid-brunch service, that's what to expect! It's a brunch town, folks.

Pros: Brunch, location, atmosphere

Posted 04/08/07

I arrived there late by 8:30pm on a Saturday night with 3 friends - no reservations in South End restaurants on week-ends. They told us we could have a table in 45 minutes, and we could go get a drink across the street at Aquitaine meanwhile, they will call us. That was funny, but then I realized that they belong to same owner. So we went to Aquitaine - which was having some places afet like 15 minutes, but we decided to wait for Metropolis, since it's so highly recommended. Well, we were not disapointed ! The waiters were very nice with us when we came back, and every single dish we took was totally amazing, so well cooked and so tasty ! - we were all so enchanted by the food that we passed pieces to the others to try :). We took a Firestone Riesleing (yeah, the one from The Bachelor !), and the wine was really very good ! Too bad can never find it in wine stores... Anyway, we were the last to leave by 11:30, but we didn't feel pushed away. The staff remained nice and helpful, and we really enjoyed ourexperience there. The prices are very good for the high quality of dishes. The only con I see is that the place is really very small, therefore you have to be patient to get a place.

Pros: amazing food, great value, nice service

Cons: small place

Posted 02/28/07

I had heard this brunch was supposed to be great so I decided to stop by on a Sunday around 11. We had to wait outside for 45 minutes, only to be cramped into a slightly dirty table. The service was okay but our food was just bad. I ordered pancakes and bacon. The bacon was tasy but I could make better pancakes with bisquick. My boyfried had a bagel and cream cheese. The bagel looked like it was store bought and they brought out a little philly cream cheese container. Very disappointing

Posted 01/29/07

Brunch came highly recommended, so that was what we chose for our first "Metropolitan" experience. The heuvos rancheros, which were especially recommended, turned in a sub-par performance. While the heuvos were good, it seemed as if the chef tried a little too hard to deviate from the norm and in the process lost the essence of the dish. This place is busy, so expect to wait for a table and a wait staff that is a little frantic and unattentive. Other than that, the atmosphere is good and the heart and soul of a hot-spot exist, so we'll be giving them more opportunities in the future.

Posted 01/27/07

This place is just great ? I?ve been to many fancy upscale restaurants and all they try to do is wow you with thick sauces and foods you cannot pronounce?but the Metropolis Cafe simply serves amazing quality food cooked to perfection. It?s actually my entire family?s favorite place in Boston, and believe me we?ve been to many restaurants! Plus the setting is cozy and cute ? the perfect place to bring a date. Just make sure to get the banana bread pudding dessert.

Pros: Great food, good service. Best desserts around.

Cons: Small so sometimes there is a wait and you are close to other people. Limited menu.

Posted 12/07/06

Just wanted to say a big thank you as I came in with a date last night at 9:50, not knowing that dinner was served until 10. We didn't know and were prepared to leave, but the host/staff were great and insisted on seating us and didn't make us feel rushed or hurried. Food was great and the table in the front window made for a great date. I don't want to advocate coming in at the last minute, just pointing out the staff made us feel welcome even at a late hour and for that reason this a place I will frequent often (I promise to be there earlier next time though)

Posted 12/05/06

I've been to Metropolis several times for brunch and just recently for dinner. At brunch, I'm addicted to the Heuvos Rancheros and the grits! And the servers always make an effort to keep my coffee cup filled. Despite the fact that it is often very busy at brunch, I always feel taken care of.

At dinner, I was blown away with the atmosphere and the quality of food. The lighting was perfect for a date and the stars above the bar are beautiful. Even though I don't generally like fish, I tried the calamari on the server's recommendation and it was delicious! I had to fight my boyfriend for the final bites. The only downside was that it felt like the heat was on in the restaurant because the air conditioning was so bad. I'll probably wait until fall before I go back for dinner ... I just hope the servers and the food are still the same!

Pros: Attentive and Friendly Staff, Delicious Food, Great Value

Cons: Poor Air-Conditioning

Posted 07/25/06

I recenty enjoyed a fantastic Sunday brunch at Metropolis Cafe. The pancakes and Huevos Rancheros are the best I've had anywhere. For a start the granola, fruit and yogurt plate is fresh and delicious. The grilled blueberry muffin is also a must-try. The service was efficient, curteous and professional, but with a casual friendliness befitting this cozy neighborhood cafe where everyone feels like a regular. The staff and food combine for a fantastic brunch, one of the best in the area.

Pros: Pancakes, Eggs Benedict & Service

Cons: Difficult for large groups

Posted 07/22/06

My boyfriend loves Metropolis blueberry pancakes and even I have to admit, their granola, fruit, and yogurt dish is delicious.

HOWEVER

We've visited the resturant four or five times, and while the service has never been great, on our past two visits, the service has been awful. This past time, the server ignored us, took an extraordinarily long time before asking us for our food order, didn't refill our drinks when asked, didn't BRING US EATING UTENSILS, and then kept us waiting for OVER HALF AN HOUR for the check after asked. I left without tipping after telling the server exactly how I felt about her service.

Conclusion:

There are many good places to have brunch in the South End, all of whom reward your patronage with friendly, dependable servers. Don't have your Sunday ruined Metropolis.

Posted 07/05/06

Fabulous brunch spot in the South End with great french toast, pancakes and Monte Cristo! Service leaves a bit to be desired - had to ask three times for a glass of water over the course of 20 minutes for one guest who had nothing to drink at all (after we were served our orders!) and waited another 20 minutes after our party had finished to have plates cleared and get check.

Pros: Delicious brunch

Cons: Mediocre service

Posted 06/17/06

I went with my boyfriend for dinner and this was the worst dining experience! After we were seated, our waiter took our order and brought us our drinks and some bread. Once he took our orders, a table was seated behind us. Their order was taken and their food was brought to them before ours were. Forty (yes, 40!) minutes later, a kitchen staff tells us that they never got our order. I was like "Are you kidding me?" In the meantime, the table seated behind us had finished their meal and the table seated next to us was given the royal treatment by the waiter (friends of his). I was really upset at this point and there was nothing the kitchen staff person nor the waiter could say to assuage my anger. Finally, the host did come by and said that our meal was being comped.

Posted 04/18/06

An average place in the South End. Decent food, but very heavy as is typical in Seth Woods style. Too many sauces and food on the plate. It used to be and could be better.

Posted 01/16/06

I went to the Metropolis Cafe with a couple of friends and was pleasantly surprised. All our dishes were elegantly prepared with the highest quality ingredients and great attention to detail. The wine list, while small in size, had great variety and quality. Best of all, however, was the service. The wait staff goes out of their way to make your meal a memorable one.

Pros: Wine List, Deserts

Cons: Small and Crowded

Posted 12/19/05

Sunday brunch was wonderful. The space is cozy and inviting, and not too loud. My friend had the most amazingly fluffy banana pancakes I've ever tasted, and I had a great rendition of the classic monte cristo. The food was really top notch. Not at all pretentious, but attractively served, delicious, and plentiful. The service was fine. Prices not too bad for the area. We were seated immediately at the counter. The wait for a table was expected to be 20 minutes, while other neighboring establishments were quoting wait times of 30 - 45 minutes that day. I look forward to visiting for dinner soon.

Pros: Food, Atmosphere

Posted 12/11/05

My girlfriend and I went up and down all of the South End's Restaurants over the past 6 months and this place, hands down has the best value: terrific, hip atmosphere with great lighting, cute layout, great location, and a terrific staff. The few waitresses that work in this small bistro provide better service than all the wait & bus staff across the street. It's a little pricey and a bit crowded, but if you are looking for a great meal, and a fun yet sophisticated atmosphere, this is the spot, especially for groups of two or three.

Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere

Posted 11/28/05

For 2 years I lived in an apartment which backed up to the back this restaurant, and if their performance as the most conscientious neighbors doesn't say enough... We chose this restaurant's food over any other in the city every time. If we ever waited, the manager bought us a drink - or dessert. It's loud, but you should expect that from a bistro on a weekend night! The food is absolutely amazing! New Year's 2003- not only was the food amazing, but each of the wine pairings was so right on. The servers are always so friendly - even if they are not designated to your table, they will help anyway. I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. Enjoy!

Pros: Fun, Valet

Posted 10/06/03