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Live Music, Specialty Cocktails, $$$, Bar Scene, Date Spot, Dine At The Bar, Group Dining, Happy Hour, Historic Setting, Live Music, Lunch Spot, Notable Beer List, Special Occasion Dining, Theater District Dining
My co-workers and I stopped here because it was close to our hotel. Their food was really very good. We also appreciated the prompt service because we were tired and ready for bed. They were just great.
Posted 08/22/08 | Report Abuse
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right on the edge of China town in Boston is one of Boston's oldest restaurants, nothing fancy but excellent food, the type of food I would call old new england fare-- comfort food
Posted 06/09/08 | Report Abuse
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NOT a place to get authentic German food
by Treadmill
I am a German living in Boston. If you ask me where in the Boston area you can get good German food, the answer is simple: You can't.
The schnitzel are sub par. And what's with the dill and sweet peas in the spaetzle? That is just odd.
Serving something with a side of sauerkraut doesn't make it a German dish. And why Americans think lemon butter is a staple in the German cuisine eludes me.
On the plus side: The potato pancakes aren't horrible if you leave out the cinnamon creme fraiche.
Pros: Good beer selection
Cons: Overpriced American cuisine, masking as ethnic restaurant
Posted 04/12/09
if not for the potato fries...
by freewilly7
my colleagues and i would go there for happy hour purely bc it's conveniently located in our area, but once and again, if you arrive too late you won't even get one of the few tables in the bar (as opposed to dinner) section because they'll either be occupied or reserved. waiter service has been apathetic at best and sometimes bordering on rude. on a good day, you can order one thing at a time coz they'd usually disappear before your first sentence ends.
we've had mostly bar food (sweet potato fries rock! some like their pretzels), but main courses... i can't really find much that suits me (could be an cultural thing but i'm not used to calling a link of sausage and some mashed potato dinner). i once had a dish i think it's some kind of stewed beef (i probably can't pronounce the name correctly); the sauce was good but meat too dry and chewy.
only reason to return? they're one of the few places i know that serve hoegaarden (belgium white beer), and sweet potato fries.
one thing special about this place is that they have a live piano sing-along group that gathers every friday night. they have a whole book of lyrics for anyone (old and new) who inclines to join. they're hardcore man!
:)
Pros: sweet potato fries, friday sing-along group
Cons: sub-par waiter service
Posted 04/11/08
Slow, ran out of food, free parking was not really free
by onyx2006
I dont know what to think of this place. I was so excited to eat here. Well they messed up one of our orders so they comped it and gave free desserts. While i shouldnt complain about that, they even messed up the dessert. They also informed me that the last sauerbraten had been plated for the evening. P.S. it was about 6pm. The service was really slow, so the free parking didn't really matter. We were still charged $15 for parkign there for 15 mins over the limit so you really don't get free parking, especially with such slow service. The waiter was really nice, but really I went there for two things, neither of which existed there on the night that I went. As far as atmosphere, it was good..it felt like a pub but was really loud so you couldn't carry on a convo with the person sitting next to you.
Basically, if you are looking for German food, I wish I could recommend this place for that, but how can I when they really didn't have anything left? Also, again, while free parking in the city is unheard of, you will still be paying for it since the service was really slow.
Pros: One of the few places to find German food
Cons: Ran out of food early, not free parking, not the best service
Posted 01/25/08
Over 50 different beers and good food
by frap
We were a party of five on a Saturday evening without reservations so we had to go to the bar while we waited for a table. It was the best thing that could have happened to us. They serve over 50 different beers with many on tap. The bartender was very knowledgeable. We told him what we liked ?dark, fruity, Sam Adams, and he recommended a beer for us to try. He was right on!!! We all loved his choices. Two rounds and probably eight different beers later we were seated.
We ordered the Beef, Mushroom and Ale Pie, Sauerbraten and the Pork Schnitzel. All were good and the Sauerbraten was just as described...?melt in your mouth?.
Make sure you get there early if you want a full selection of items. We got the last two Sauerbraten and they were out of several other dishes.
Pros: variety, good food
Cons: loud
Posted 12/12/07
Great beer selection
by bosox04
I had been to jacob wirth a few times in the past but never noticed the extensive beer menu till I saw it here and I went back in for lunch to check out the list. Its huge, they have so many good brews. You can even get a flight of them, so you can sample a few different kinds. Grab a brat while your there to go with a nice german brew. Thanks Jake, great beer and food.
Posted 07/19/07
Best beer selection anywhere
by onnorwoodpond
Hundreds of beers to choose from and alot are on tap.... Unreal German food- Salads were great... has great old time ambiance as it is a very very old establishment....
Pros: so much good beer to choose from
Cons: none we loved it
Posted 01/15/07
Inconsistent
by boston_dude05
Have eaten here twice. Once I had a more traditonal German meal and an entree salad and the other time a sandwich. It's really so-so. The plus is there are lots of different beers, particularly German/Belgian ones and prices are $4-6 each. The entrees were OK, not super inspiring especially at relatively above average prices. I had a pastrami sandwich and the sandwich, esp the pretzel roll, was very good. The fries they served were soggy unforunately. I'd recommend for for ppl who really want to have German meal or are enthusiasts of German beer. Others may find that it's about average for food and value.
Pros: Lots of German/European beer selections
Cons: Food is disappointing
Posted 10/10/06
Historic and Great Food
by michaeldv
I recently ate at Jacob Wirth, and I had a great experience. We were late arriving for our reservation, and they were able to find us a table right away. Our waitress was so kind. She took the time to walk us through the menu, reccomended the right beer and steered us towards a great dessert. The Beer List is UNBELIEVABLE!!! They have imports that I have never seen before and boutique domestics that are hard to find in Boston. I wouldn't think twice about going back soon!
Pros: Value, Atmosphere
Posted 02/12/06
Best Pre-Show Restaurant in the Theatre District
by mcostigian
Jacob Wirth has been a tradition in my family for generations. The menu selections have changed over time, but the atmoshpere at Jake's will always be the same. It is a great place to meet-up with friends for a drink, to bring the family (they've got a great little children's menu) or to go before a show at one of teh nearby theaters.
It's casual, relaxed, teh food is great and the imported beer selection is hard to match. The service is prompt, friendly and polite. There's a valet parkign lot next door, which validtes for 2 free hours of parking (hardly common for a Boston restaurant). I definitely recommend stopping at Jacob Wirth if your in the area.
Pros: Inexpensive, Fun, Great Food
Posted 01/04/06
Oktoberfest in Chinatown
by theduke37
Good German food and lots of great beers ranging from high quality imports to very inexpensive pitchers of PBR. I thought the sauerbraten was good here, as were all the different varieties of sausage in the mixed grill.
Posted 03/02/05
Little Germany
by schimster
I feel very lucky to have stumbled across Jake's shortly after I came to Boston. After being here 5 years, it is still one of my favorite places. It is as close as you will get to the beer halls of Bavaria with great beer, awesome food, and atmosphere. I have suggested it to many people and they are never disappointed.
Pros: Food, Service, Beer
Posted 03/03/03
Bar Great - Table Service Lacks
by nannahs_evol
I like this place. They have a huge variety of beers and the menu has something for most everyone (it is a Germanish place). BUT... they need to clean their beer tap lines, they need a new wait staff (desperately) and they need a new recipe for Saurbraten. If you are running a German restaurant, a great saurbraten is manditory. So is tasty spaetzle for that matter... theirs is nasty.
Stick to the bar for all eating and drinking and you will be happy. Weekends can include raucous singing at the piano. Good fun if you are not looking for romantic and intimate.
Pros: Great Beer, Chocolate beer (yum)
Cons: Crap Saurbraten, BAD waitstaff
Posted 12/09/02
Wirth a visit
by dadslittlegirl
I loved this place for it's ambiance. The sleepy but attentive waiter seemed to be coming off a successful binge weekend. The red cabbage and sauerkraut was so good, the bratwurst and wasserwurst(?) okay- but really pretty. The chicken pot pie delightful and flakey, the pot roast heavily beer flavored. I'd go back just because of the wooden floor, white table-cloth, saloon-y old German feeling stereotype. Oh, yes. The potato salad is great.
Pros: ambiance, food choice, presentation
Cons: parking, price
Posted 11/12/02
Let the Good Times Roll
by Sabalom
Still the best place in Boston to throw down a cold frosty one while soaking up the old-time Boston ambience. Some imaginative appetizers would be nice to chomp on while sitting at the bar.
No matter what and no matter what trendoid places with micro brewerys crop up Jake's is the place to go. And the more the merrier.
Pros: Price, Pitchers of Beer
Cons: Noise
Posted 07/18/02
