The OtherSide Cafe
Categories: American (Traditional), Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhood: Back Bay407 Newbury St
(between E Charlesgate & Massachusetts Ave)
Boston, MA 02115 (617) 536-8437
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
Fri 11:30 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
Sat 10:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
Sun 10:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. - Menu: MenuPages
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner, Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
219 Reviews for The OtherSide Cafe
The food sucks, the beer's good, the staff are chill.
The food can be hit or miss, but the pies & cakes look good! The beer list is pretty decent and those phat boys & girls have the knack of pouring those German heffe-weisse's just the right way.
The Other Side is a good place to chill when it's quiet and the staff are friendly and laid back, and on a hot summer's night it's got nice and quiet outdoor seating.
I worked hard trying to like the OtherSide Cafe, just as the OtherSide Cafe has worked hard to portray itself as a counter to Newbury Street's posh gleam. The place is just riddled with a 'too cool' apathy that I found really annoying. The service is terrible - consistently - and I am tired of hearing that somehow that's a good thing.
The food varies wildly and more often then not is of questionable freshness. I dig the beer list but it seems wasted on all the hipsters sipping their swill PBR. The interior is dark and dirty, and I'm big into dive appreciation but this place just seems like it's trying to be a dive. The whole thing comes off with a forced insincerity.
One thing is for sure this place is heavy on creating an identity and whether or not you identify with it determines how much you like it. Maybe I'm just not cool or elitist enough for The OtherSide Cafe as I find the posh snobs on Newbury Street much less annoying.
The best :) a great bar, ($9 pitchers of PBR) and great food, veggie and vegan friendly, great event nights, perfect for people watching, the outside deck is my favorite place to sit, then the corner upstairs under the white curtain thingy, or when I'm alone I sit upstairs at the balcony and watch the chaos :) Service can be slow; it's good for just hanging out. Awesome people, very friendly staff, you can graffiti anything you get your hands on... go with friends or alone to meet interesting people.
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Where do you go when you're due for a potentially awkward catch-up lunch with an ex? When neither too upscale nor too casual will do, zany may not be a bad third option.
Not being of the piercings, tats, or veggie sets myself, in addition to being almost tragically unhip, I was still quite comfortable there. The ambiance on a lovely spring day was very nice (even though it's a stone's throw away from the Pike onramp) and the food was good. Apparently they have something like 35,000 pies there as well.
I would warn that this is not a place to go if you're in a rush: it took a good 20 minutes to flag down a server, and then maybe 30 more to just get the sandwiches! But if you've got an afternoon to kill with friends in the sun, you could certainly do worse than gathering around a table at The OtherSide.
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This is a really fun place to go and meet someone, but don't come here if you have to be back in your office in under and hour. Sometimes the service is wicked s l o w. I love the variety of drinks (sodas, coffees, beer, etc) as well as the sandwiches. The salads are usually good, too. Just watch what you put in your mouth, cuz I've gotten some really rotten lettuce, which you don't want unless you want food poisoning. I actually did get sick after eating there once, but once out of say 40 times isn't too bad. My husband likes their vegetarian chili, and I like their hummus wrap. Good stuff.
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I went here for lunch the other day and I'm now in love with the OtherSide Cafe. The atmosphere was great; we sat outside in the sun and had some amazing veggie burritos. We also got a pitcher of beer, which came with chips, fresh salsa and guacamole.
As a vegan, I am particularly impressed with this place. They mark their vegan options on the menu and give you the option to make some non-vegan dishes vegan if you'd like to. There aren't too many places in Boston where you'll find this, and it's just lovely. I'm excited to get back to OtherSide to try out their vegan breakfast next (all day breakfast by the way!). I'm also pretty stoked to try the buffalo tempeh sandwich and spicy lettuce wraps.
aaand i'm hungry. Hope you all go check it out!
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The Jumbo Bloody Mary.
The otherside has recently lost it's liquor license. Or a part of it, I'm not sure because I wasn't in too much of a state to pay attention to our waitress. They can still serve sake and beer but not liquor? Whatever.
Food is good, and I love a place that serves good breakfast all day (the menu for brunch expands and contracts throughout the day). But best of all, are the jumbo bloody mary's. I haven't had the recent sake infused concoction, but when there was still liquor in it, it was divine.
I generally only make my way to the otherside when I think I'm going to die from a hangover. It's a perfect recovery spot. The waiters are understanding and they have everything a hangover ritual needs: breakfast, alcohol, tea, two close and easily accessed bathrooms... etc.
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This place is smaller than I thought it would be on the inside. People were positively draped across the patio railings. But they manage to pack the people in there in a cozy, funky way, not just an uncomfortably tight way. The food was all very fresh and I enjoyed watching the preparation and people from the balcony above. There is an extensive wine and beer menu, an assortment of hipsters, and really delicious hummus. So why the 3 stars??
A) Service- while it wasn't the worst I've had, we had difficulty getting the waiter's attention for those vitally important restaurant things like, oh... taking our order, giving us the check... One girl actually screamed at her waiter as he walked briskly by her table, "CAN YOU GET ME MORE WATERRR???"
B) Cleanliness- It's not like dirty dirty, but it's also not that clean.
C) Style- I guess this place just isn't my scene. While this didn't make me uncomfortable (in fact, I found it sort of charming), I spent my meal as I frequently do, analyzing how this place compares to my "dream cafe" that I will someday open. The verdict? It won't be anything like this.
The Otherside is a cool place to hang, but it's just not me.
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When I came to OtherSide, I felt as though I'd stepped into an early 90s time warp. Graffiti art abound, the latest REM album (which sounds like REM circa the 90s) on the stereo, tattooed/goateed service--you get the picture. My vegan breakfast combo (hash browns, "eggs", and vegan sausage) veered towards nondescript, but provided adequate sustenance. I wouldn't seek this place out, but I wouldn't avoid it, either.
I always have a good meal here, no matter if its breakfast, lunch or dinner. I'm not going to lie, I often feel like I'm not "scene-y" enough for this place, but I leave my insecurities at the door because the food is quite good. I took my cousin here for brunch the other day and we both got the huevos rancheros and could not finish our food, no matter how hard we tried. I am a meat eater, a hardcore carnivore, and I can admit that that vegan chili is damn good.
We also tried the tea here, the jade oolong was awesome, honey and fruity just like the description said. We got another tea, I forgot the name, but it was described as a spicy vanilla and we voted it as no bueno. Such is life. A constant trial and error... when trying teas.
The service here can be really hit or miss. Last Sunday we only waited a few minutes to be seated but then it took FOREVER to get our food.
I still love you, even if I'm not cool enough to wear tights under shorts. I just can't do it.
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Pros:
Great veggie, vegan, and even raw food options!
Large beer and tea selection.
Outdoor seating.
Grilled cheese + soup + PBR special = cheap and yummy.
Cons:
Service is on the slow side.
Don't sit upstairs when they are really busy (brunch mornings especially). You may walk out smelling like the kitchen.
Maybe the key is to not go on a Friday or Saturday night, as my experience with service here is completely different. I found the wait staff extremely friendly and helpful, and it's not like I'm covered in tattoos and piercings. The food, too, is pretty good, and I was surprised that they had meat on the menu as I'd always thought this was veggie only. Anyway, I did end up ordering something vegetarian anyway, and it was quite good. I think this might have been the best meatless chili I've ever had, and the corn bread served with the huevos rancheros had a nice sweetness to it. The beer selection here is also top-notch, though I was disappointed that their drink menus were out of date.
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We met up with friends at this cool little spot near the Massachusetts Avenue end of Newbury street. Seems like a great place to just lose yourself with friends or perhaps people watch from one of the balcony seats on the second floor. You just walk in, take a menu, and seat yourself (at least that's how they were doing it yesterday).
The good. The food is very good considering this is a cafe. What makes it special is the fact that they have a hefty vegan selection of foods to offer. The menu has lots of things to snack on. They also do breakfast all day.
As far as the scene goes, it's totally hipster-esq and would be right at home in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco. If you like that sort of thing then this is your place. They do it well.
The bad. I pleasantly enjoyed the slow service as we had nowhere in particular to be. But I can see how it might be an issue for some people. They also messed up one of our orders. They brought broccoli soup instead of tortilla soup. But in their defense the broccoli soup was quite good apparently.
Conclusion. Look if you're really not into hipsters-a-go-go then this might not be your place. We're not into that scene (but it's still fun to visit), but we still really liked it. The food was great for a cafe and the menu has lots to choose from. I'd certainly go back.
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I've always had a soft(ish) spot for this place. They had an amazing brie and pear sandwich that blows my mind and a superb cheese and fruit plate. They make really good smoothies, have vegetarian chili and I've been told some great non veggie options. They also serve beer and have an outside patio so it's a nice spot to sit in the summer. I'm sure I am just echoing some of the words of others so I'll leave it there. 4 stars, but not 5.
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Only place I've walked out of, twice. Worst service on the planet. What should be a 30 minute meal turns into waiting 30 minutes to have someone take your order.
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My favorite spot for brunch hands down. This is the place to get coffee and a PBR the morning/afternoon after a great night out. Yes, a coffee and a PBR - I promise it's an amazing combo. Apparently they clean their draft lines every week, so a PBR at the otherside is unlike any other PBR you've had before.
The food is decent. I almost always get breakfast food. The eggs in a nest sandwich is my default. It's hit or miss, like their homefries, but leaning on the side of hit. But it's not really about the food. It's about spending an hour or two, drinking with your friends, just chilling out, reminiscing, planning, people-watching, etc.
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Its great that they built a retirement home for bike messengers who just cant move on but no amount of tattoos, lip piercings and angst can justify the terrible service. I get it.........you are too cool for both your job and jeans that fit.
The food is very good and it is one of the few places I can go with Vegan friends but the "F you" service is about as cool a hep C.
Terrible.
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I'm on the fence after one visit. I like the vibe for hanging out. I noticed lots of people camping out with their laptops. They are sort of a coffee house but serve beer--that's very cool. But I arrived to meet a group after a big late lunch, so I just wanted coffee. My coffee was strong, like I like it--and cold. Okay, I'll give you 'tepid' instead of cold. Rather than raise a fuss with a group I barely know when I was not one of the people eating, I let it go.
The food at my table looked okay. They try to present it with flair. But my mouth was still not watering over it.
Someone in our group noted that for a place with such low ceiling, they hire awfully tall servers. Poor guys have to duck while doing their job; their backs must hurt after work.
so I'll give it another try and get a bite too. But if my coffee is cold, rest assured stars will be deducted here.
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I took a friend from college here who was at Hynes for a conference. I thought it would be a nice break from the mall food court/PF Changs/Cheesecake Factory/Legal Seafood fare that most conference-goers end up eating in Boston.
I got the BLT and it hit the spot. Perfectly toasted multigrain bread, crisp bacon and lettuce, juicy tomato slices and a tasty secret sauce (I probably could have spent some time figuring out what it was but I was just satisfied to eat it). Plain potato chips on the side made for a cheap and filling dinner. My friend got the fruit and nut salad and enjoyed it. These weren't mindblowing recipes, but they were great tasting and priced right. As for drinks, while normally I get beer there -- I opted for the raspberry rickey...sooo good and refreshing!
Now, there's a lots of back and forth on here about a "hipper than thou" waitstaff/clientele, but I did not find this to be the case. I was dressed up in my teacher clothes, and she was similarly dressed, and no one looked at us like we had 3 heads. Our waiter was really nice, funny and friendly. Albeit, service was slow, but when I asked for the check it was promptly brought.
Bottom line: if two of the most unhip people ever can enjoy a meal there, so can you!
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The only thing I ever liked about this place was that you could smoke out on the patio. This is not something I can benefit from any longer in my life.
There is just something about this place that does not sit right with me at all. It has a "too cool" kind of environment. Don't need that either.
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For D&C.
Best Cheese and Fruit Platter? Outdoor Patio right by the highway? Five glasses of Wine easily gone? Sandwiches to All day breakfast? Sake Bloody Mary? Pitchers of Dogfish IPA? Hot list of decent Teas? $2 PBR? All sorts of desserts? Opened till 12AM?
That's why this wondrous place has become our safe haven as of late. The staff is probably sick of our shenanigans (questions after questions, constantly switching seats, arts & crafts for valentine's day, mcdonalds bags of fries, etc,,, ) but is always helpful, polite and effortlessly smokin'.
It's not that it's about being 'HIP' here.. it;s just about sitting in your seat, looking at the people you are with and not complaining about the grime on the silverware or the scandalous animations on walls but instead bitching/raving about your everyday life. Relax, nobody said they were cooler than you. Duvel, Chimay and La Fin Du Monde for you beer maniacs. Plus where else can you sit on a indoor balcony and watch people pass a container of cheese balls around table to counter to table underneath...
If OtherSide had a body, I'd draw hearts all over it with a red sharpie .. wait I can just go to their bathroom and do that.
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There are a lot of reviews here already, so I won't waste too much of your time with this one. The hot points:
Decent seating, even though the actual seating process may be ambiguous. Do I wait? Do I just grab something?
Nice brunch menu options. If you like eggs & bacon, they've got you covered. If you're into the sweeter side of brunch, Other Side has your back with that stuff too.
I had the swan french toast or whatever. it was good, but kind of heavy on the cream cheese side. ah well, easy enough to remedy.
boyfriend had the bama breakfast, greens, eggs, sausage, grits. he said it was pretty good for boston southern food.
as everyone else has mentioned, this is not a good place to go if you're in a hurry, or really used to impeccable service. ours wasn't bad but it definitely wasn't impressive either.
update: my boyfriend says this place smells like hipsters. "like our house and herrells" was the phrase he used. just so you're prepared.
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I've only come here for breakfast once and a couple of quick drinks. The beer selection is good, but they sometimes run out of my favs (lambics and hard ciders). The staff know their stuff so if they're out of stock of your choice, they always suggest something equally delicious... a good way to broaden one's drinking horizons.
Inside is quite noisy and dark... at first I didn't think my argyle cardigan and corduroy-clad self would feel comfortable, but the atmosphere is super relaxed. Grab a menu, seat yourself, and try the dip that looks like hummus but isn't hummus (what the heck was that?) and served with beet chips. I can't wait for summer to arrive so I can relax on the patio on a lazy Saturday afternoon, sipping on some delish sangria. Yum... that image is going to help me get through the cold, dark days of winter.
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The OtherSide Cafe is one of the places I bring people when they are visiting from out of town. Not everyone, but usually people like my friends from high school who are still afraid of the subway, or my girlfriend's parents.
There are a few reasons for this:
The food is tasty and hearty with some creative variations of old favorites. Everyone can find something that looks good to them, but the culinary twists lend a sense of adventure to every meal. This is where I discovered I like curry, oddly enough, and the Curry chicken salad wrap is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Plus their half sandwich + cup of soup combos are perfectly portioned.
They have cheap beer. And I love beer.
But the reason I like it most is because until a few years ago, every inch of surface space was covered in constantly changing graffiti and fun little drawings. There was nowhere in Boston like it. The only place you can see a shadow of its former glory now is in the bathrooms. They didn't paint the over, and the crazy graffiti in the bathrooms is now completely out of context. It's like stepping into the bathroom of an 80's punk rock dive bar and can be a little off putting to drop your pants in without knowing the back story.
You can choose whether or not you wish to prepare your dining companions for this. I choose to let people discover this gem on their own because it's funny to watch people come out of a bathroom looking surprised.
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Definitely not the cleanest place in the world! There may have been just one or two really persistent flies hanging out around our table, but it was just enough to gross me out. The food isn't impressive... beet chips? As in uncooked slices of BEET to stick in your mystery dip? No. The nachos were also lacking in the very important ingredient called CHEESE and cost $10. The place was noisy and really cramped upstairs... as in watch your head. The $2.50 PBRs were not bad, though, and the patio and movie screen could be useful.
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Around 5pm Otherside is like an indie rock club serving food a few Zagat points up from Food Not Bombs. Equipped with girls in headbands behind the counter re-reviewing the day's gossip and boys in tight pants yelling outrageous things like "vagina claw," it feels like an art school dorm. But if you're in the mood for sitting outside with your bike and smoking in the summer or reading a book in the mists of a chaos that Boston rarely ever offers with a beer in hand, it's the perfect place to spend an afternoon. And if you're lookin' for a skinny boy cruising ground, the Tuesday movie nights ain't too shabby either.
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One of the only vegan brunches in the city. Their tofu scramble isn't the most amazing thing I've ever eaten but you have to hand it to them for being one of two places I know that actually serves it!
Service is awesome, don't listen to anyone. I eat here all the time. They are not going to wipe their mouth for you, really. Get into it -- it's just how the place works. Those people rock.
They have raw options that are actually good, even if they are nut-heavy, so if you like to dabble in the raw foods they have it going for you. My recommendations are the burritos and really anything to do with their brown rice. They do it up well. Good spot to chill by yourself (I would know).
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I though about ranking in at 4 stars, but being able to bring my dog to eat with me is just short of the best thing in the world. The outdoor seating (available only when it's warm) is the best and I am often times not the only one who is lunching with their dog. There is a water bowl there too. Their vegan options (and even raw, now!) are a god-send, adding to the small but ever-growing options for us vegans. One of the only places that does Breakfast All Day, Yummy. So yes, it just may be that this is a skip short of Hipster's Paradise, but it's good. The vegan food can sometimes be off, depending on who's cooking. But whatever, I can eat it so it's fair game.
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When we walked through the door, there was a "waiter" (which is a nice word for a surly wannabe hipster who doesn't make any effort actually help or serve you) who grunted that we had to grab our own menus and find our own table. He was clearly tormented by our request. Perhaps he had to wake up too early that morning because it takes time to apply so many products to look like you just rolled out of bed. Not like he'd ever admit to that. No. He's way too cool.
Once seated, we had to scream and vie for a waiter's attention like he was a piece of meat. They are all very happy to blow you off. To up the frustration factor, they all look strikingly similar- stained/old faded white t-shirt that is just small enough to fit but is intentionally loose enough so it can't possibly be considered tight, an array of large tattoos randomly placed all over their arms, tight pants to further the hipster connection and, of course, hair doused in pomade.
You could literally sit for an hour without being noticed. It was like trying to flag down a cab at 3AM on New Years in Central Square.
I ordered the vegan stew thinking I would get a warm stew with vegetables and lentils. But no. What was placed in front of me was cold, purple and solid, the equivalent to a cold beet salad. I usually don't make requests but I asked one of the waiters to heat it up. Five minutes go by. Then ten. I remind a waiter (again, it's hard to tell them apart- if you see anyone, you have to flag them down- you may not get a second chance). Then fifteen going on twenty. Finally, one of the waiters notices I am sitting with an empty plate. He asks me what I'm waiting for, I explain and then change my order to the vegetarian chili. I have more faith that the chili will arrive warm and in the expected brown to red to green color family.
Finally, one of the waiters brings up the [unimpressive] chili which wasn't microwaved long enough and served with chips (by far the best part of my meal). By this time, my friend has already finished her so-so Guinness Stew and grilled cheese (which she was so generous to share with me during the epic waiting period).
We were surprised when the waiter who realized I hadn't received my stew brought up a round of drinks on him (which was very nice) but then charged me for the stew, not the chili. There was only a $2 difference between the two but it's the principle- does anyone who works here have half of a brain? Maybe they were too cool to pay attention in junior high and then too high to pay attention in high school.
By the time we made it downstairs to pay our bill, my friend and I, for the first time in our lives, seriously considered just walking out. No one even noticed that we were standing there. We decided to give one of the four people behind the counter five minutes to find the register and ring us up. Finally, they rang us up (obviously mixing up our checks). Another minute and we would have been gone.
UPDATE: On February 12, 2008, the owner contacted me to inform me that he took all of the bad yelp reviews to heart and made changes to the staff, menu and customer service. Since I have really enjoyed going there in the past, it might be worth giving The Other Side another shot.
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I went here with friends for the first time and it was great. I actually found free parking right in the street in front of it and got free nachos with a pitcher of beer. Great deal and awesome amosphere.
I will definately come back again.
I was reluctant to try this place after reading the service reviews, but decided to try it anyway. Heck, I've been away from home for over a week now, so I needed my dose of hipster hell.
First impressions: awesome venue for this restaurant - two levels, just enough lighting to make it intimate enough. Second level seating was the best feature. I got myself a seat along the rail to peer down on the kitchen and folks downstairs.
I opted to try one of their specials which included a grilled cheese sandwich with a choice of soup and beer. I added tempeh bacon as extra on my grilled cheese, PBR for the beer, and the vegan stew.
The grilled cheese was awesome with the tempeh bacon. The stew (which had chickpeas, okra and kale) could have been almost perfect if it had been heated all the way through - it was lukewarm at best.
Service was good at first - I was greeted when I sat down and my order was taken promptly, my food was put in front of me in a reasonable time. Nobody came by to check up on me during my meal (maybe I'm spoiled that way - a simple "how is it?" goes a long way), and after finishing my meal, it took about 10 minutes to get my check.
I'd come back again for sure, they had a lot of good vegetarian options I want to try.
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I don't understand the whole "this place is too cool" thing. It's just a bar that serves average food (the vegetarian chili slopped into a bowl or mug is tasty...) and cold beers. I think it is definitely the deck that makes it a hot spot. A place to drink and smoke outside! That is legal! And not my back porch! I gave up the death sticks though, so no longer do I seek out such places. I spent A LOT of time here when I first arrived in Boston, and I'll always have a soft spot for The OtherSide, for that reason. The loos are feral, but the staff are friendly...if maybe a little distracted. One time I was there, a dude walked straight up to the cake display case....and took a pie out and walked straight out the door again. No one noticed. I have never seen anyone steal a pie so blatantly before. It was amazing! I told one of the waiters and he just shrugged his shoulders. meh. Another night they had some indie film screening...and man, they had the volume up way too loud. I know it was 'art' and all....but the noise almost made my ears bleed. You don't have to be 'hip' to go to The OtherSide....you don't even need to have had a shower.
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Oh mah wurd I loved this place.
Where to start?
How about the fact that it reminded me of two of my favorite movies. First, the young, Bohemian atmosphere left me with an aura of "Moulin Rouge"--cut to my imagination running wild with the idea of throwin' back some absinthe with Christian & Satine as children of the revolution. In addition, we were seated upstairs where looking down at the the first floor I felt as if I was Aurelia from "Love Actually" during the proposal scene in Portugal...JUST IN CASES!
If you don't understand those above references, then you'll probably think I'm crazy and we'd never enjoy movie nights together.
Moving on...the food? Delicious. I enjoyed a Buffalo Tom sandwich that at first I felt kinda hipster in the vegetarian sense. I put an end to that REAL QUICK with the $1.50 prosciutto add. There was an array of beers & wines to choose from so that's always something for EVERYONE to look forward to. At the end of our meal, I was encouraged to share some dessert. Twist my arm why don't you? We ordered cheesecake. We liked it, but we weren't satisfied. So clearly, we ordered some warm pecan pie as well. And dear lord the pecan pie--well--MOTHER MAY I!?
The service was also great here. Our waiter dressed young and had a youthful charm about him, but a quick look at his hands and the wrinkles on his face I thought, "Who is he kidding?" But that's neither here nor there. He did a great job and kept us entertained with his playful personality and quality service. His only snafu was a mix-up with the credit cards of our bill and another table--but I won't hold that against him.
I will definitely return. And I will definitely be ordering the warmed pecan pie again. I'm not sure I'll share it this time though--GET YOUR OWN.
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It took me a while before I ventured to the OtherSide, but in a way I'm glad that it took me a while because finding places like this makes me stay in Boston just a little bit longer, but maybe that's a bad thing considering my intolerance of winter temperatures.
Anyways, this is the kind of venue I adore, from the odd sheet entity hanging from the upstairs ceiling to the crazy restroom art and my fav, vegetarian chili.
It's a pretty straightforward type of place where you grab a menu on the way in and apparently the waiters/waitresses are interchangeable so everyone is there to help. I personally, keep ordering the same brie and apple sandwich. I just can't help it because I'm that kind of customer, but whatevs. I only nibble what other people get so I can't testify to much of their menu. I know that they also have movie nights on Tuesdays I believe, stuff like Goonies etc.
Check it out, it may be your scene, it may not. As one of my friends says, it seems Berklee appropriate, but I am not very familiar with their student body so I have no opinion on such things.
Also, if it's really crowded and you have no intention of sitting around forever, I'd say pass, since it seems pretty hard for them to handle a full house.
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Cool place aesthetically speaking. I like the art, the ceilings are cool, they have the whole bad graffiti thing going... it all works.
However I have to agree with all the other reviews about the terrible service. It actually brought about debate at my table. We all agreed that the service was terrible, but my friend was defending them saying that such places don't require friendly service, it's not what they are about. If you come to these places, expect to get attitude (he used to work at another trendy bar in boston and said that it was indirectly encouraged to have attitude with customers). My argument was (and still) is that you can have 'character'- no need to be rude and mask that with 'cool attitude'. I'm not saying servers have to be bubbly all the time- If a customer is difficult, I can see why the attitude may come out, but if you have friendly customers, no matter how clean of tattoos their skin is, and no matter how hole-less their ears and faces are, there's no need to be rude. Your hipster girlfriends may think you are Gods, but the rest of us don't.
4/7/08 update: We went here Saturday night. The first thing I really liked was that the hostess sat us at a huge table even tho the rest of my party hadn't arrived yet. I always get really annoyed when places don't seat you until everyone has arrived. I understand why they do it but it makes me want to bust a cap. Then our server, despite my bullshit rant above, was very lovely. So lovely that I felt the need to update my review and let the world know. So I guess the service here can be as bad as some of the reviews say, but I am no longer convinced that everyone at the Otherside sucks. There is hope... I had a great time that night.
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Update:
Definitely improved since my initial negative experience. Service is much, much better-- it feels low-key and relaxed, instead of half-assed. Food is decent, if a bit overpriced. What's up with that, Boston? All these average organic places with high-end prices make me feel like we're becoming Marin fucking County.
Points for giving chips and salsa with a pitcher. Beats the shit out of popcorn on the table.
I've also noticed a great little thing that's worth mentioning for beer geeks. They pour different types of beer differently. I'd be just as happy to pour it myself, but it's nice to see people take that extra step in knowing the menu.
*****
Original:
Have you ever gone to a party where you didn't really know the hosts too well? Sometimes you feel right at home the minute you walk in the door, and it's fantastic. You meet new friends, and everyone's like family by the time you leave.
The OtherSide is the exact opposite. A group I'm in has tried to make this place our weekly gathering spot, but the entire thing felt like we were crashing someone's birthday party and pissing all over the cake.
Which is too bad, because the OtherSide has quite a bit going for it. Fantastic beer list. Organic Wine. Decent food. Outside deck where you can have a beer and a cigarette at the same time.
It's the attitude that kills this place. As someone who's worked in a number of restaurants, I have zero sympathy for servers who don't care at all about the restaurant. This place is in dire need of a good manager to turn it around. All it takes is one person who actually cares about the customers, and demands the staff does as well.
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you know the drill, tree hugging vegetarian here...so i am sure you assume what this review is going to be.
actually, i did enjoy the otherside (which may or may not having anything to do with the fact that I got to stare at nadya r. and my best from florida that was visiting while eating it...but i digress).
the options were plentiful and the fact that they had tempeh on the menu was shocking...in a good way! i had the greek pressed sandwich that was a spinach, feta and olive crunch explosion in my own mouth...DELICIOUS!
the LOUD, inappropriate music selections for the atmosphere and the hipster factor among the wait staff was palpable but able to be overcome by the food and the yummy beer selection.
i have a soft spot in my heart for vegetarian and vegan cuisine...what can i say, i will forever hug the trees and eat my tofu and be happy.
otherside, your food rocks my socks but there is some fine tuning to be done with the menu and the atmosphere (and the service) before i start doling out more stars...i am no star whore, come on now. i have standards!
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I would like to give this more, but it just doesn't cut it for me.
I found the veggie chili everyone was raving about hardly that great. The service was lackluster. I could see the bowls of chili we order sitting for about 10 minutes on the serving station, and the place was hardly full. When we finally got them the food had that slightly cold around the edges taste. And the attitude of the server was such that it would have been more hassle to complain that it was worth it.
They make a big deal about being vegan friendly, but frankly the selection is quite limited. And what you get is this somewhat-healthy-raw-shit most of the time that's so 1971. Come on. Not one nice vegan cake or anything like that for desert. Just some raw fruit. Lame.