Don’t Tell Aunty

I’m giving Don’t Tell Aunty a solid 3 out of 5. The food was actually really great—we were dining with an Indian friend who confirmed the flavors were on point and authentic, which definitely says a lot. The drinks were also good, and the atmosphere was lively and enjoyable. Making a reservation was super easy, which I appreciated. That said, the experience was a little disappointing on the service side. As soon as we sat down, we were told we only had 90 minutes, which is fine if the service is quick and efficient. Unfortunately, it took quite a while for someone to bring us waters and to take our order. It just felt a little off—if you're going to limit dining time, the staff should be prompt from the start. At the end of our meal, they politely but firmly asked us to leave because another party was waiting, which made us feel rushed. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being pushed out, especially when the service wasn’t exactly fast to begin with. Also, as expected in Boston, parking can be tricky—there’s very limited street parking and garages nearby can be pricey. Overall: ✔️ Great food ✔️ Good drinks ✔️ Nice vibe ✔️ Easy reservations ❌ Slow service ❌ Rushed at the end ❌ Tough parking Would I go back? Maybe, but I’d go knowing I’m on a tight clock and I’d hope the service matches that pace.

The atmosphere was incredible, and they even had a giant fake tree in the middle of the restaurant that looked incredible. The service was great, sending out our drinks at a rapid pace, then doing the same with our food. Speaking of the food, it could have been better. The chicken options were great, and so were the drinks. I especially enjoyed the Indian fusion chicken wings. But the vegetarian options were scarce, and though they were okay, they didn’t meet the standard that we expected of them. Overall, it is definitely worth going to.

Creative Indian Fusion & Cocktails place near Fenway and Backbay area in Boston “Don’t Tell Auntie” is a fun, modern spot in Boston’s Fenway/Back Bay area, perfect for after-work drinks and inventive Indian-inspired bites. The appetizers and cocktails are the real stars here—bold flavors, creative twists, and beautifully presented. 👍 Highlights: - Appetizers: Packed with flavor—we loved the unique fusion twists! - Cocktails: Absolutely delicious, well-balanced, and worth coming back for. - Vibe: Trendy, energetic, and great for small groups or casual dates. 👎 Skip: The naan—unfortunately, it tasted store-bought and reheated, not fresh like you’d expect from an Indian restaurant. Overall, a solid pick if you’re looking for creative small plates and excellent drinks in the area. Just stick to the appetizers and cocktails, and you’ll have a great time!🍸✨

Don’t Tell Aunty was a bit of a disappointment even though I was very excited about this new, local Indian establishment with a modern twist. The atmosphere is excellent; interior was nicely decorated with colorful light. I cannot believe this used to be the Boloco I frequently visited. While the Bollywood tunes were blasting to create the ambiance, it made it hard to have conversations and the bass was a bit overpowering. I think it could be a fun experience for drinks or pre-game before going out in Boston. I wished this restaurant printed out its menu, as the digital menu was hard to browse and understand which options were must-try’s versus the usual South Indian affairs. The appetizers were definitely on the smaller portion, perhaps taking the “tapas” experience a bit too far. Even the naans and rotis were not truly sharable for more than 2 people. I recommend the okra fries. I enjoyed the Goan fish curry the most. The Paneer curry was flavorful, but I could not actually find any pieces of paneer. The butter chicken dish was a bit too sweet for my likings and only had 2-3 pieces of chicken. I appreciated the attention of our server with recommendations. However, the dessert suggestion of gulab jamun cheesecake was a miss. The cheesecake was warm, flavorless, and felt like I was eating a hunk of cream cheese. Overall, it might be interesting to try once, but I’m not sure I would visit again. This Indian gastropub neither serves stellar Indian dishes nor western pub affairs.

Restaurant is still in soft launch and pays great attention to its service and food presentation. Interesting menu, loved the rasam ramen and chai infused cocktail, Mango lassi cheese cake was a standout. Lamb vindaloo was tasty but the potato was way undercooked, biggest let down was paneer maggi which was promptly replaced and taken off the bill. Lovely ambience, looking forward to a second visit soon!

⸻ Loved the place! The drinks were decent — tried both mocktails and cocktails. Starters and fries were really good. The rumali roti was excellent, especially with the aunty ji paneer curry and mushroom fried rice. The paneer curry and fried rice were absolutely amazing — fried rice tasted like authentic Indo-Chinese food after such a long time. That bold Hakka flavor was just mind-blowing! The food flavours and spices were exactly to the point. Being a bengali I can say a must try one. Ended the meal with a mango cheesecake, which was quite good. A must try place. Loud music with beats amazing ambience. I would ask the owner to introduce a full indo chinese menu on their menu list including veg and non veg items like haka noodles, dry chilly chicken, chilli paneer etc. Plus if they can put more vegeterian option as well that would be great.

I absolutely love this place. A bar with indian food, and fusion recipes?! Sign me up. Came here several months back as part of a soft opening with a friend. We came hungry and left very happy. Our waiter was Prasad, who was wonderful to get us seated, very eager to explain the menu to us, and answer questions. We ordered various food items to test out the different items on the menu. Very surprised at how fresh the kale chaat was, and loved that initial dish to get things started! The Madurai fish fry was a great set of flavors -- loved the chutney (keep the spice; maybe add a little more). The kati rolls was terrific - keep the keema as is, and my friend really enjoyed the Kerala fried chicken sandwich. The parle-G ice cream sandwich though was probbaly the best ending I could have imagined. So light and filled with nostalgia! For price, it is definitely average considering the area. For parking, I highly recommend getting there early as street parking in that area of the restaurant is tough to find. However, the food, atmosphere, and service are all well worth it. Bonus points to Ankita, the manager, for coming out and asking about our experience at the end. Since we came in the middle of the day, we did not get drinks. That said, it's only further reason to come again soon! Thank you for having us, and hope Don't Tell Aunty is successful!

Absolutely loved every second spent here - the food, the music, the staff - everything was impressive. All the cocktails were amazing. I would go back for Durga Complex anyday. We tried a few dishes - my favourite were the podi wings and butter chicken croquettes. The Parle-G sandwiches were a nostalgic elevation to a basic ice-cream sandwich.

DTA was a solid restaurant! It's new and boston's first gastropub! Music was great and vibes were great! Food wise, the menu was unique but thought it was bit on the expensive side. These are not just traditional indian dishes, they definitely had a unique quality to them. Ordered the butter chicken and it came in minced chicken balls instead of normal chicken breast. Okra fries and the kale chaat were unique and yum! Dessert- parle g sandwich was so yummy! Drinks were also good, some could of been stronger. The night we went was super busy so servers were busy with tables. Service was good but could have been better! Since DTA is quite new, I expected the wait time but after we ordered, the food came quick!

I'll be as honest in this review as I can for the hope that a staff member reads this and considers it. DTA is brand new and they're definitely still finding their bearings. The drinks were exceptionally well balanced, creative and the bar staff knows what they're doing. I wouldn't change anything in this department. Great work here! Loved it. Let's talk about the food. The dips trio app was somewhat muted, and had a comically small portion of bread. The chaat-tots were served colder than I assume was intended. Both of these things can be fine tuned. The curries have a good depth of flavor - particularly the vindaloo. I enjoyed it! The only note would be to toast the spices more before cookery. Also, we found it bizarre rice had to be ordered separately. We were curious about the smash burger, and it was honestly *very* good. Cooked and constructed perfectly, and the seasoning on the fries was bold. Great work on this dish, my personal favorite, which is odd, cause it's the least Indian dish. The biryani was a little overcooked. My table enjoyed the flavors here. The service is where DTA starts to lose big points. It took a long time between seating and getting someone to take our first order. At every moment, in fact, we had to flag down a waiter to be noticed for a refill or to get us a check at the end of night. Interestingly, the time it took between orders and items to come out *was* very reasonable, so the timing issue isn't with the kitchen. Hopefully, this is just a hiccup of being a new restaurant while training new staff. The decor of the restaurant was quite lovely, modern and inviting. It certainly catches you by surprise in an otherwise student neighborhood. However, this *is* a restaurant - right? I have no idea why the goa-psy techno and trance music is at club volume. Don't get me wrong, I loved the music choice, - it just needed to be 30-40% quieter. My table was practically yelling to communicate. If DTA wants to be a party/dance place - great, but it seems to be struggling with identity since most patrons seemed to be there for dinner. DTA isn't bad. They're trying to be a different kind of Indian restaurant than the typical "curry house" model you see across the city - and I'll credit them for that. I'd be curious to see where they're at in a few months, if they've tightened up the service and other pain points. When they have, I'll update the review and rating accordingly.

Don't Tell Aunty was a solid dinner, but not necessarily one to write home about nor a place I will find myself craving going forward. We came in with a reservation for a group on a weeknight, couldn't be seated until the majority of the group was present, but were placed in a cute booth that could seat up to 8. Waiters checked in within the first 10 minutes of arriving but we were still waiting for a member of our group, so it took a little while for them to return after that. So, we placed orders for drinks and appetizers at the same time to minimize the wait. A few folks got cocktails and also we tried the mocktail - the mocktail was actually excellent, well balanced and spiced, and the cocktails ranged from unique and tasty (Kashmiri Velvet) to knid of one-note (Rum two ways). Apps we tried were: masala fries (nicely spiced, but served with plain ketchup), Chatar tots (good, but because tater tots are good - the seasoning was pretty tamarind heavy), okra fries (group liked these, i thought they were pretty oily), channa bunna masala (light, but not particularly spiced), and the avakaya hummus (good). We were done with the apps by the time we placed our main orders, and then those took a while to come out - we got: - mushroom fried rice - group really liked this, nicely garlicky and light mushroom taste - auntyji paneer - this was unusual, the paneer was grated into a very creamy, semi-sweet sauce, so it could have used some kind of texture in it - spinach dal - pretty good, but exactly what it sounds like (similar to what you'd make at home) - a south indian coconut curry - also seemed a little sweet and quite creamy General consensus was that the entrees were better than the apps. We finished off with the mango lassi cheesecake and the parle-g ice cream sandwich. I had been excited for the ice cream sandwich, but it was only okay. The parle-G were super soggy and almost fell apart as you ate them. The menu also said vanilla ice cream and it definitely tasted mango-y or something different. Weirdly, it actually tasted kind of similar to the mango lassi cheesecake (which I didn't try, but my friends said was decent). The final bill came out to about 40$/person before tip, which isn't too bad. All in, we were seated for 2 hours and 15 minutes, which feels like a slightly longer than expected time but not outrageous. A small note - around 8pm, the music got super loud. It was good music, but it was a weeknight and made it a little tricky to talk in a group. So - I feel like we tried the full experience here and had a pleasant time. I think they are still working on their menu items/flow since they just opened, so I'd be curious to see how things settle out!

What an awesome place! Such a fun ambiance and the staff is wonderful (Parshya was our server and he gave us excellent food and drink recommendations)! My group ordered several dishes--my favorites were the butter chicken croquettes and the mango lassi cheese cake. Please note that there is literally no parking so I highly suggest taking the T or a ride share. Also, the place has a "young feel" and it's fairly loud (could be difficult for someone who has a hearing disability).

I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could. Went on a Tuesday night with two other people. The decor is nice -- the ambiance is cool. As others noted, the music was a bit loud but not loud enough to really impede conversation. The service was mostly good, with a couple of minor misses (delays) that might be attributed to the restaurant being new. We had the biryani (pretty good), pork vindaloo (very good), and the paneer (excellent -- subtle and delicate spices). The vindaloo could have been 15% hotter but it would be fine for most people. Cost was reasonable for Back Bay; about $40 per person, with one drink each. I look forward to trying it again.