Orinoco
Category: Latin American [Edit]
Neighborhood: Brookline Village22 Harvard St
Brookline, MA 02445 (617) 232-9505
- Nearest Transit:
Brookline Village (Green)
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
13 Reviews for Orinoco
The food here is very good, but the service is spotty (especially on a busy night). Handling a crowd is clearly not a strong suit: the bartender rudely ignored my date and me while waiting on those who clearly came after us (a major faux pas-wtf!) and the host (obviously flummoxed at the numbers of people waiting for tables) coaxed us into giving up our bar seats to be "book ended" by two families of six each at the "communal table." When we were finally waited on (the service is tres slow), our waitress had considerable difficulty articulating the vagaries of the menu. Great food, but no way worth the hassle (and a tad too "Brookline" for us)! An overall negative experience-
ate here last night. it was crowded--about 1/2 hr wait on wed night, but we snagged a few seats at the bar and ended up just having dinner there. the bartender was really friendly and helpful w/ suggestions about the menu.
i did notice that by the time we were leaving (about 8:30), the crowd had lightened up a lot, so maybe try hitting it for a later dinner to avoid waits?
i had the cocktail that was rum, lime, mint and "spiced simple syrup". pricier than the rest, but YUM!
we split a few arepas which were pretty good.
i would have liked the homemade cheese one to maybe have an extra bit of something fresh (avocado? greens? tomato?) but they were good and served w/ this vinegary sauce on the side for dipping.
for dinner i had the salad w/ beets and added grilled chicken. really good, light and filling for a summer night!
next time i want to try more arepas or empanadas and the desserts sounded delicious!
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This place is cut from the exact same rustic, tin ceiling, amazing wood finished, muted hued, adorable! cloth as the South end location. great drinks, decent beer selection (5 or 6 from Brazil, Mexico, DR & sometimes Venezuela) and cheerful service.
The dishes are all speedily prepared and are actually authentic. We had a million dishes and had a sharing free for all, because that's what friends do. We had Mechada which is a salad with little beef empanada's around it, Maracuchitos, which is cheese wrapped in plantains, Polvoroso de Pollo, which is a flaky chicken pastry sweet treat, a handful of arepa selections and the Pabellon Criollo which is a standard dish with shredded beef, rice & plantains...reminded me of the Bim Bop of Venezuela..kind of.
Everything was great. They have the standard juices that my boyfriend requires like Guanabana and Tamarindo and the standard beers for me!
It's not a fancy propose to your girl kind of place, but it is adorable & precise. There is a simplicity and an elegance at Orinoco-that is hard to pull off.
The neurotic maniac that lives inside of me l-o-v-e-s that the credit card machine prints out your name in lowercase letters beneath your signature...but that's because I'm a little loco in the brain.
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This is an excellent addition to the current wealth of restaurants in Brookline Village. The atmosphere there is modern and fun. The huge variety of mojitos are so delicious, as is their food! Perfect portions & absolutely delictible! I go with my friends frequently!
Update: I just went last night and was floored again! Though the wait is a little long (due to popularity) the food is completely worth it! White sangria is amazing, especially Orinoco style. I have yet to eat anything I haven't loved! Two thumbs way up!
Previously on Orinoco Reviews (Episode 1: South End)...
Tom E loves it, orders amazing chicken pie, atmosphere and decor is fantastic, nice thick red wines and a wicked good chocolate cake. Tom E leaves very happy and impressed with service and value as well. Tom E gives it 5 stars without hesitation.
This week on Orinoco Reviews (Episode 2: Brookline Village)...
The same top quality cast is back for more but in a slightly less elegant setting and more populated by 40-pluses than dates. The menu is identical but still awesome and value through and through. Service is creasy but the iron of time will flatten that out. There is more emphasis this time on the bar area where mojitos are the norm. Also the kitchen is open in view and many diner will be asked to share the centerpiece antique long table. Tom E had another great episode but the loss of the South End style and the attractive supporting cast makes this a star less than before.
Next week on Orinoco Reviews (Episode 3: Enya)...
Tom E thwarts the Irish New Age bint in one fell swoop. Huzzah!
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a big thanks to tom e. for his review! i love the orinoco in the south end and was thrilled to find a branch so close by.
the place has a different feel than its south end counterpart. a bit more open, rustic lines and an more easily accessible bar area. the ecletic colors and decor works well here. i feel like i am in a different city from the chairs alone.
the food was excellent. empanadas and arepas, tostones and fried cheese rolly thingies that i love. great drinks (heads up, they are not kidding about the spicy mojito). clean flavors prepared and plated well.
the crowd on a friday night was young, lots of couples; even though there were a few geriatrics mixed in, the overall feel was energetic and lively.
prices can't be beat - two apps, two entrees and a side, for $33? i will be back with friends.
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Yes, yes, yes. I'm so excited to have Orinoco's near by! Can't you tell! I have long seen and read about the original in the south end but had never been mostly because of location. But down from pure exuberance to info:
1. What you used to be here: crappy fish place.
2. Now, a small romantically light u-shaped space. In the center of the U is the bar, see more later. Around the sides are several 2 and 4 person tables and in the center a long table that they sit one or more parties, so be prepared.
3. The food was so good and the place smelled so good that you almost forget that the food is fairly low-priced. We had dinner for 3 with appetizers, drinks and dessert and spent the same as Matt Murphy's for less food. The steak dishes were great and as well as the mechada (sp) empananda. For moving us and delaying our seating, we did watch 4 groups of similarly sized get seated ahead of us - no reservations? They compted us 2 molten chocolate cakes...
4. What you first need to know about my review of their chocolate cake, is that I don't have a sweet tooth - a fat tooth, yes - but no sweet tooth. I can take it or leave it. I still think about this cake/airy/runny/dark chocolate heaven. Honestly, it was amazing.
5. Bar/drinks. They clearly have some professional bartenders and an interesting drink list. My first try was way to sweet for me but I'm sure delicious to a sweet drink lover. For brookline and esp of brookline village it is a very fun bar to sit at and watch. Maybe it's b/c the spot opened so recently but it certainly was the most diverse crowd I've seen around the area. You can also eat at the bar which is good to know.
6. So, I know I'm rambling but I really really loved this place. The only reason I'm withholding one star is b/c of the numerous parties seated ahead of us without reason - they don't take reservation. I'm completely willing to revise later if it was a factor of welcoming all the their friends/regulars/benefactors in their first week. (I do suppose that if I went to my friends restaurant that I'd want some perks)
Go!
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Today all my wishes came true! Thanks to a good friend of mine, I had become addicted to Orinoco, now there is an Orinoco a mere block from my front door! I have been eagerly anticipating its opening and today, I saw the sign: "Soft Opening, 6:30- 10:30," and I knew my time had come. I spent some time admiring how much more beautiful the space is now that they have had their way with it. The Village Fish was nothing to look at, this is beautiful. It is a little awkward with the bar right up against the door in the window, but not too awkward when you notice that this location has a full bar!!! There is a great communal table right in front of the open kitchen, and even on this (I think first night) the staff is on top of it. This colorful spot will be warm and fun through the summer and a welcome respite from grey and dreary winter.
As for the food, its freaking outstanding, VERY affordable (my most expensive meal here involved several glasses of wine and was $60 total for 2), and the portions are huge! I have never been able to order an entree because by the time we've eaten the small plates I'm stuffed! I want to though and now that its a 30 second walk away, I'm sure I will! The plentiful reviews for the South End location can tell you all about the food...but, I must say no matter what get the following things at least once!
1. Empanadas Verdes and Mancheda.
These come with the most perfect salad. I can't decide whether I prefer the vegetarian Verde or carnivorous Mancheda best...but, the salad is to die for. In six years of living in Boston I have not found a salad that could satisfy my craving for, "just a really fresh, tasty, not iceberg or bibb, salad," until I discovered Orinoco.
2. Tequenos
These are little bites of heaven. Cheese in dough with spicy catchup... its good in all cultures!!!
3. Arepas, any and all! With Mojo sauce.
I don't know what Mojo sauce is, but I want to put it on everything. I have literally spooned it our of its little dish and eaten it plain. It makes a delicious and fresh addition to perfect bites of these little pocket sammies...I like the Mechada and Reina Pepiada best!
Okay, now who wants to join me for Brunch when they're done with the Soft Open?!
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This place is absolutely excellent.
First, a few words. This isn't Mexican food, it's Venezuelan food. They're different. I'm not a HUGE Mexican food fan; i like it, but could never LOVE it. This place, however, is excellent!
What I really like about the menu here (besides the perfect execution) is that it's just very different from any restaurant I've been to in a long while. A few small plates, a few entrees... and lots of Sangria.
I'm not going to ramble on incessantly about what I had and why I liked it. Instead I'll just urge you to give it a try, and I'll try to assure you that you won't be disappointed....
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Great first meal during their soft opening. They'll need more seating and ahve the room. Service was spotty but can grade them down when they're just opening. They do need some crowd control plans.
Just to be fair, I went to Orinoco during their soft opening.
And while I've got to tell you, the food was amazing, service was terrible. orders were mixed up, items were forgotten, and even when the kitchen ran out of something, the server never came to let us know, he just never brought the dish out. Also, we waited for a REALLY long time to get everything. Which is surprising with the huge number of people waiting to get in.
I'll definitely be back to try it when they've gotten their bearings, and hope they can improve some of their service aspects, cause they really do have great food! The arepas were awesome!
A terrific new restaurant in Brookline Village, serving outstanding Venezuelan food. Try the empanadas and any of the steak dishes.
We tried Orinoco today for the 1st time for a birthday lunch, and were very happy with it. I could see that Rick who met us at the door - the manager, perhaps - watched over the service from his post at the bar and came by our table several times to check on things. He and our server were both absolutely professional, but also fun and pleasant; always a good start.
Three of the four items we ordered were outstanding.
(1.)The beet and goat cheese salad with pine nuts and the freshest and tastiest baby greens was just delicious. The dressing was made with a light hand and was a perfect compliment to the ingredients. We will go back again just for this salad.
(2.) The quanabana drink we had was excellent. It is made from frozen fruit and, really, it tasted like what we make in Mexico from the fresh fruit. It is such a refreshing drink! Try it.
(3.) Oh dear. I'm not sure I remember the name of the item we weren't as crazy about. Shredded beef or pork in a corn meal pocket. Arepas, maybe. It wasn't bad at all, but not something I would order again because it was a little heavy for us for lunch and after the hearty beet salad we'd already had. I think if you come in with a bigger appetite you would enjoy it; it is a hearty and flavorful bite.
(4.) The molten chocolate dessert is, to quote our waitress, TO DIE FOR. Yes, absolutely. It was intensely dark and molten and heavenly.
(5.) My husband also ordered a coffee, espresso I think, that came in its own little brewing pot and looked thick enough to walk on, which is just how he likes it. Delicious.
So that's actually four out of five items on the menu that we give five stars to.
In addition, the room itself is great. Brick walled with lots of photos of old Venezuela, I guess, that are interesting to browse. The music is high-energy Latino, pleasantly audible but not getting in the way of conversation at lunch.
Rick mentioned that they do open for dinner at 5:30 and that's a good time to come if you don't want to wait for a table, so we will probably follow up on that tip soon. Apparently they are very busy at dinner, deservedly so. This is a great addition to the eclectic mix of places for foodies in Brookline,
My husband and I are celebrating our 40th anniversary this month, so we're trying out places new to us in our neighborhood (Brookline Village to Coolidge Corner). We could easily come back here several times this month to the exclusion of others. To Brookline folks who know the references, this place is up there with Mike's Deli and Bottega Fiorentina. Oh yeah.
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