BLIND DUCK

What a stunning sight high up! Would’ve loved to gone downstairs. Thing is we had a wonderful wedding down below. Always a beautiful thing to see people celebrating love! Shout out to the more than outstanding staff from door to bartender. Extra kudos for coat check w/no fee. I feel certain venues I been to could learn from that. Just cross ya fingers there ain’t an event going on or might not have a chance to explore the venue fully. I wonder if there’s a way to check if events are taking place. It may help future patrons thrive among planing around to reduce any possible disagreements that may arise. Personally I felt I had an Overall a breathtaking experience. Encourage to check this place out.

Had the pleasure of photographing here twice for weddings and both experiences were great. Very kind staff that was willing to help in any way. My couples were very happy. Ambience 100%.

The Blind Duck at Raffles Boston is a hidden gem that combines old-school speakeasy vibes with modern elegance. Tucked away on the upper floors of the hotel, it offers stunning panoramic views of the city and a beautifully intimate setting perfect for date nights or upscale gatherings. The cocktail menu is inventive and seasonally inspired—every drink feels like a work of art, both in flavor and presentation. The staff is knowledgeable and welcoming, elevating the whole experience with thoughtful recommendations and excellent service. It’s a little on the pricier side, but absolutely worth it for a unique and memorable night out in Boston.

Alright I was nervous to go after reading the reviews, but I had no where near the experience others talk about. I went two nights in a row - first time it was just me at 5pm, second was 3 people at 8:30pm. We got right in and the hostess was a gem! The views and atmosphere is incredible and I will absolutely go back! Haven't tried the food yet so I can't speak to it. The bartender was so kind and fun to talk with too. Great service.

I had no idea what to expect based on the wildly varied reviews. Here's my experience on a Saturday evening arriving around 6:30 - party of 2. We were welcomed at the door of the hotel. Getting into the Blind Duck, the host let us know all tables were taken but we were welcome to order at the bar and stand. It was busy, but easy enough to get a drink. The drinks were delicious. The view from the lower level is beautiful. Yes, you will drop $25 per drink. We completely enjoyed ourselves.

Beautiful place, randomly went there early on a Tuesday night and had great cocktails. Whoever picked wallpaper - it’s beautiful! 😁

I had one of the most disturbing experiences I’ve ever had in a public space at this establishment, and I feel it’s important to share especially for women. While using their unisex bathroom, the door was opened on me twice, leaving me completely exposed. This wasn’t just uncomfortable it was a clear violation of my privacy and sense of safety. To make matters worse, during the ordeal, someone threatened me, adding a layer of fear and intimidation to an already unacceptable situation. I immediately and calmly reported everything to the staff, expecting at minimum a serious response. Instead, I was met with indifference. They offered no apology, no assistance, and no action whatsoever. Their failure to intervene or acknowledge the seriousness of what happened made it clear they were not equipped or willing to prioritize guest safety. This business is not a safe environment for women, particularly given the lack of safeguards around their unisex bathroom and the staff’s refusal to take accountability when violations occur. Every person deserves to feel secure and protected in a public space. That basic expectation was completely disregarded here.

After reading some of the other negative reviews I feel like I needed to provide my own thoughts for people. This place can be a bit challenging to get into. They don’t take reservations, but I imagine they are holding space for hotel guests. While this can be a bit frustrating to plan around it is kind of nice once you are in. The place doesn’t feel too packed, but it still feels lively. With the negative part out of the way I have to say these are the best cocktails I’ve ever had. The presentation is excellent and the flavors are incredible. The signature drinks have me ordering things with base spirits I normally don’t even like. The service also from my experience has been excellent. I’ve seen some people complain about speed of drinks getting to you. While things aren’t rapid here; I always feel excellently taken care of. The wait staff walking around is always so kind and attentive to all the minor details of the experience. The bar tenders themselves are also top tier talent. I’ve come here for anniversaries, birthdays, and just spur of the moment drop ins. This has become my go to spot if I want to feel like I want a special experience and a moment to relax.

Love this speakeasy! Showed up around 6pm Friday night with no reservation and were seated immediately. We only had the table until 7:30pm but it worked for us because we were going elsewhere for dinner. Ambiance was upscale, moody, and there were beautiful views of the city. Drinks were delicious and ~$20 price tags were expected from such a nice place and research beforehand. We also enjoyed the free snacks (almonds and pita chips) that they brought with the drinks. Service was good at first then very slow. Also, we were seated by the bathroom and there was a lot of going in and out so that was distracting.

I was pleasantly surprised by this place amid the range of reviews. I walked in not sure what to expect. Maybe because we walked in on a Thursday night after dinner, we got seated right away without any wait. The host and our server were actually friendly as well. The place was dark but just the right amount to set the vibes. The view was the selling point. I've been to another bar at the same place and safe to say Blind Duck has the better view. The drinks were pricey as expected. They were good but not phenomenal, but still strong tho. It can get pretty loud as the night progresses. All in all, a pretty solid fancy bar. Definitely go there if you want to drink and chill with nice views. Personally, this is more of a one time thing. -7/10

An unfortunate night at Raffles. After being refused entry at Long Bar, we decided to check out the Speakeasy. As we walk in, the hosts are arguing with a man who insists his friends enter the space even though there was a waitlist of about an hour. The man gets loud. The hosts eventually oblige. But then they tell the rest of us that it's an hour wait. Guess we should have yelled as well.

Had such a great time at blind duck! It was so fun to be in a Boston speakeasy that had immaculate views! We came in the after hours of the Kentucky Derby & it was definitely packed. We ordered a round a drinks, it felt very luxurious being so high in the sky. We would venture back here for more drinks.

We had a lovely experience here! Most speakeasy style bars I've been to have been disappointing but I loved this place. It's very new and trendy but the crowd is mostly late 20s,30s+ which was so nice and hard to find in Boston bar scene. Beautiful ambiance and the drinks were lovely. You can dress up here and not feel out of place .

Absolutely love this place. The cocktails are incredible. Spectacular views of Boston. Pricey cocktails (approx $20) but worth it for the view and taste. Drinks are served with snacks!

Prepare yourself early as your first entry into this speakeasy is a walk down a dramatic staircase into the main seating area. Even if you do your best Gloria Swanson impression, sadly they may not be looking at you but at the amazing view of the Back Bay flanking both sides of the room. We were seated at the bar downstairs and had a first hand view of the bartenders practicing their craft. Blowtorches ablaze infused a lingering smoky wood flavor to my spicy mezcal. I enjoyed the flavor, but wanted more heat from the habanero on the back end (I was told later that they can jazz it up, if you ask). The other drink pictured is a Grey Goose with a mix of spices -- not too sweet and an interesting flavor palette. I followed with a duck fat bourbon, which had a nice bit of texture making it much more interesting than the one at No. 9 Park (where the drink was supposedly invented). We were on our way to dinner so didn't eat, but I have it on good authority that the onion dip is divine. Overall a great stop for a romantic drink or to gather with friends.

Such a fun and up-scale bar! Seats are quite close together but with such a nice view the staff is really helpful and accommodating to try and get you seated in the area you want. We wanted to be seated in a less tight space and near the window and they happily moved us! We ordered two cocktails that came with complimentary snacks to munch on. Cocktails were great! Sooo yum, would recommend the two we got if you like more sweeter, less alcohol forward drinks. It was my friends birthday so I asked if they did anything for birthdays and the waiter said she got us. She had me pick from two desserts and we got the egg tart -- SO YUM!! But we ended up getting charged for it anyway even thought we were told otherwise which was....interesting. But regardless would love to come back again, apparently they'll have DJs and open dance floor but didn't get to confirm that with the workers.

Beware of the service here, there is some shady stuff going on.  I asked for the check and an itemized bill was provided which I verified to be correct, I proceeded to hand over my credit card to pay the bill at 8:50pm for $185.11 and the charged bill comes back at 8:58pm for $225.77 for me to sign. After having a few drinks, I shrugged it off thinking that the establishment decided to add auto gratuity for our table for 4... Not a huge deal but would be nice if it was disclosed upfront. I write included under the tip section and sign the receipt.  Fast forward to the next day, my coworker leaves negative feedback and the manager replies to him saying auto gratuity is not something they do at The Blind Duck. Red flag #1, the manager starts digging and finds what seems to be my bill but the items on it don't match up because there are two cranberry vodkas which our party didn't order and there was a 45$ tip added on. After comparing the CC# we were able to verify that this was indeed my bill and the server added two addition items after I handed them my CC they proceeded to add two items and charge it without bringing it back for me to verify. Red flag #2, the server then also gave themselves a 45$ tip after I crossed off the tip, wrote included, and signed the receipt. Which I believe is illegal to do.  I reached out to the manager and we talked about what happened. They refunded me the difference and the tip. However they were not able to provide me any details about what happened and how it happened. Ultimated they chalked it up as an honest "accident" and couldn't find the copy of receipt that I signed... Shocker right? Of course no one is going to admit they over charged the customer and gave themselves a tip, that would mean they become at risk of being fired.  I kept going back and forth on whether to leave a review and whether to give a 1 star or a 2 star rating. I want to move it to 2 stars but at the end of the day, if my coworker didn't do the survey, then I would have never known I got overcharged and that the server had tipped themselves. My biggest issue is with how the situation was handled, not what you would expect from a 5 star hotel.

I really loved it here. It's all walk-ins but there was one seat open at the bar and lots of space behind the seat when I went on a Thursday at 9pm. I got the cherry mocktail but spiked with gin. It was very pretty and tasty. The views here are great. I also loved that they gave us a little bowl of complementary nuts to snack on!

Possibly now my favorite speakeasy lounge. Drinks were amazing. Bar tenders were great! Very helpful and had personality and made sure you were taken care of. We sat on the second floor bar after being second in line before they even opened. Views were amazing Ambiance and vibes were top notch. Didn't stay past 8 so I couldn't say much more, but there was a DJ table so I'm assuming the place gets lit at later hours. Definitely will be returning!

The view is the only good feature here. Space is limited with no place to sit if you arrive without a reservation. I chose this place to meet my date before heading else where for dinner. I finally get in after waiting in line for a good 30 mins. The host told me there would be no guaranty that my guest would get in due to them nearing capacity. I was ok with that. What I was not ok with was the host forgetting to tell me that my guest had to wait in line when they arrived. Absolutely embarrassing. You'd think that as a compliment she would have made an exception. Negative. In fact the entire experience was unwelcoming.

There's speakeasies--secret doors, passwords, the weirdest cocktail lists out there--and then there's cool bars with unassuming entrances. Blind Duck is the latter and that's a good thing. Tucked down a hallway on the top floor of the Raffles you go through what might look like an Emergency Exit and are welcomed into a curtained off vestibule before entering a grand balcony bar with lounge seating. Downstairs is an even larger lounge area with comfy seating and those little teeny tiny circular tables that practically say "finish that drink or food asap!" One big plus to me is how dark the spot is! You really feel more present with your group huddled in the low lighting straining to read the menu and then look left or right at groups that are their own huddled masses of private convos and reconnections. You want need a flashlight to walk around, but you might use your phone screen to see what's on the table in front of you, for sure. Speaking of the menu, there's not that many options in the book so if you're not the adventurous type you'd better know what you want to drink ahead of time. Service was dope with consideration taken at every turn to provide an elevated experience. Only downside is on this night there wasn't a DJ and the music was way too low for me. I look forward to coming back for a more high-energy experience, for sure

Very fun vibe, especially for a Tuesday. We didn't have any bites but our cocktails were awesome - the Blaze On was delicious. Drinks are pricey but worth the overall experience our server was attentive and polite.

Beautiful sunset view and chic atmosphere. Cocktails are tasty, but weak. Service was awful. Had to flag down our server 3x after our first drink order. We ordered the French onion dip, but after 20 minutes of waiting for chips and having finished our cocktails we canceled our order since the kitchen was "backed up"--there were 5 tables of people at a cocktail lounge. Overall wouldn't come back.

My new favorite speakeasy! This has to be one of the coolest bars I've been to. You have a beautiful view of the city and river. We didn't have a reservation on a Friday night but hung out at the bar and got a seat at the bar in no time. Drinks were expensive but delicious. Highly recommend if you're looking for a fancy, upscale kind of night.

This place is a VIBE! We lucked out getting seats at the bar right at 8:30PM. The cocktails are on the pricier side but honestly worth it. The interior design of this place is grand and all around beautiful - an it spot to be. definitely recommend!!

Had an awesome night cap here. Cool vibes, with fantastic service, drinks, and bites. Has a very art deco feel to the ambiance which you feel immediately once entering the double doors. Cocktails were in the $20-25 range and bites in the $15-20 range.

Service could be improved, but quality of recommendation, drinks and bites were all excellent. Beautiful space and view, especially the lower floor. Would recommend and return.

Weekend reunion finished a late night here. Very cool spot! Prices aren't for the faint of heart (or wallet), but you are paying for top quality drinks and crowd.

Upscale speakeasy bar that is a fun alternative to most Boston establishments. Definitely has a high-end feel to it, the drinks are very expensive but well made and creative. The vibes are sexy but you really need reservations or to wait for a bar seat because there isn't much space to stand around. We did not book a table and felt a little like second class citizens. Beautiful view of the city and definitely worth checking out if you're into cocktails!

Was really excited to come to this speakeasy since it was my first time in Boston but it was a huge let down. The staff was really disorganized and waited 2 hours on the waitlist to never even be seated. I wouldn't waste my time coming here until they have a reservation system

Was finally able to get into Blind Duck last night for drinks and apps after a few attempts in the past. One time was told a 5 hour wait which was good sign. We got right in no wait two seats at the bar. Definitely speakeasy vibe inside and the bar itself was tricky to find being a secret door which was cool. Drinks were good. Customers terrible but that's not the bars fault. Other customers were just rude, acting like they are from out of town. Drinks and fries were great along with the service. Night was ruined and we closed the bill when the DJ came up to us and said we had to get out of our seats to set up his booth? What?! We didn't move but have never experienced that and called it and left. When we got up two people that were trying to sit at the bar for over 30 mins tried to take our seats but told them no he's setting up his booth now. What speakeasy has a live dj? And what dj does this in such a "elegantly advertised" bar.