Hobgoblin

4 out of 5 stars. Hobgoblin has been on my list to try for a while and I was glad to go to Park Street to do so. The highlight of the restaurant was the decor/ambiance. They lean heavily into a magic/potions theme. The restaurant was decorated in a way that gave off an old-world Europe feel. It was especially refreshing with so many restaurants now built off the clean-minimalist aesthetic. The food and drinks for the most part were very good, especially the pad thai. The main reason this restaurant wasn’t 5 stars imo was the price. The dishes were quite expensive and portions were not large. I feel like the driving factor for the price point is the downtown location (Park Street). Still, overall a good experience and I would recommend checking it out

I only came here for drinks and would love to come back for dinner. I got the espresso martini and it was delicious. There was a pianist playing downstairs and a singer upstairs and they were both so talented. Bartender was quick and efficient. Service all around seemed to be exceptional. Prices are as to be expected for a Boston bar. Around $20 for a drink.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston. If you go downstairs, there is live music by the piano. The dishes are absolutely delicious and have very authentic Thai flavors to them. A must try is the lemongrass steak and the shrimp Tom Yum dumpling. The raspberry lobster Rangoon dip is a fun twist on traditional crab rangoons. The cocktails are also really fun and come with a spell to say out loud when you get it

Without question, this is one of the swankiest restaurants in Boston. Two floors, top with a unique bar with excellent, well crafted wood work with a design that shows off its many taps well, and the bottom floor holding a grand piano and classy jazz music in evening. The staff is skilled, polite, and well managed as I have seen the manager's omniscient gaze surveying the scene often, ready to handle whatever may arise. I have enjoyed some well made drinks, craft beers, and some of the food. All this was great, but I have only sampled a small part of the menu thus far.

First time in this Asian fusion resturant… good food and mix of flavors…. Lobster dip and pork cheeks appetizers were great. The entry was good but not very big, tasty and enjoyable. Need to improve on the service.

Loved the atmosphere! Very friendly staff. Great vibes and cocktails. Bar is amazing. Food was only 4/5 due to price. Great location. Enjoy!

Very chill vibes with decent food in downtown Boston. We got reservations for the piano lounge downstairs and the live music is really lovely. Try the roasted duck noodle!

We went to Hobgoblin for a friend’s birthday with a group of 15, expecting it to be a really good bar with just okay food. But we were so wrong. The food was incredible!! I’m not much of a drinker, so having such delicious food really made my night. Our table ordered a ton of food and drinks, and honestly, everything hit the mark. Not a single dish disappointed. The drinks were super fun too, served with little cards that added a playful twist. Our server was super fun and made the night even better!

Beautiful cocktail bar! It was a bit more expensive than I was anticipating but could've checked the menu. I also was expecting live piano music but seems they aren't doing that, at least on Saturday nights. Perfect for a date

the interior is a mix of classy and mystical, and the chandeliers make it feel upscale. I wouldn't say the layout is ideal for a date spot, but the long galley tables are great for (smaller) group gatherings! The cocktails list was certainly unique, but kind of difficult to understand the flavor profile you're ordering. But I like the clever twist on the names and descriptions! I got pucks potion, which I expected to be a heavy cherry amaretto, but it was surprisingly light and refreshing, although not very strong. Also, a bottle of coors light is only $5- weirdly a steal while their other beers are on the higher end. I will note the service we experienced wasn't great. We put our drinks orders in quickly and they were delivered promptly, but it took forever to flag the bartender down for the bill. However the bartenders are fun to watch as they like to get showy with their mixology techniques. Overall, I'd come again to see the lower floor and to try out the food for sure!

cocktail blessing of ganesha 2/5 cocktail daughter of oceanus 2/5 braised lamb shank massaman 4.5/5 duck satay 4/5 fried chicken drunken noodles 3.5/5 grilled scallops w/mango salsa 3.5/5 sirloin w/jim jaew dipping sauce 3.5/5 Squid Karaage 3.5/5 Food is ok, pricey for the amount of food that you get and the cocktails are really not very good - too sweet and not consistent with 2 orders of the same drink. There aren't many jazz bars in Boston so I would come here again for the vibes, but wouldn't have high expectations of the food or drinks. Ambience is quite nice as the jazz performance was not too loud even when we were sitting right next to the performance. Service is good as well, no complaints. I had made a reservation for a group of us and had no issues with the seating or with ordering. Parking could be quite difficult to find. You might get lucky during non-peak hours with street parking. Otherwise, it will be quite pricey parking in any of the garages nearby. Would recommend public transportation if you can.

Great vibe for date night and hangout with friends. Basement floor has live music. Front desk host was super nice and friendly However, the drinks were bad (had several cocktails, all too sweet). The margarita was not bad

This place was so fun! The food was great and the atmosphere was unique. It's pretty dark, the lighting is moody, and the cool food choices made it even better

Great vibe, fresh inspired food, and kind staff! Will be back! Highly recommend you try it!

Cute bar with quite the unique atmosphere. Didn't get to go to the basement where we were told is a piano room, but I loved the lounge area we were seated. Great service and tasty drinks!

We ate upstairs at the bar where the bartender was very friendly. The entire place is gorgeous. Our hummus appetizer was delicious and our drink was good but a bit pricey.

This place was a little... weird. Fun sounding cocktail menu, lots of cool names (I think each one was a different spell?) and ingredients but the ones we tried didn't *quite* hit. No specific problems, just didn't quite live up to the descriptions. The vibe was confusing. The name and some of the ambiance seems like it should be a cool old creepy British pub, but it was kind of also trying to be a bit clubby... and I think it was also pam-Asian food-wise? The service was very attentive, I just couldn't quite get a grasp on what experience we were supposed to be having. Hecate does spell-themed drinks with a more convincing vibe. This place just seemed a little confused.

Went to the Hobgoblin Bar with my friend on a Friday night after a longgggg week. It turned out, Hobgoblin Bar was exactly what we needed! Hobgoblin Bar is located on 48 Temple Pl, Boston, MA, and it is fairly new. They have live piano performances in the basement, which is very cool. I didn't get a good look of the first floor, but the basement was definitely decorated with all kinds of goblin decorations that look like Dobby from Harry Potter. The restaurant was packed! But we made a reservation beforehand so we didn't have any issues getting a table. The food at Hobgoblin is Asian fusion and let me tell ya, everything is delicious! We started with the duck satay and the raspberry lobster rangoon dip. I really love how they put their own spin on the food. The duck satay literally melts in your mouth. Duck is a pretty fatty meat but the sauce that accompanies with the duck really balances the flavor. My favorite has got to be the friend chicken drunken noodles. It has sooo much flavor; perfect contrast between sweet and spicy. The cocktails are also very unique. Each cocktail is some sort of "potion" and brings you different things in your life. For example, I ordered the beckoning hand drink and it's supposed to bring me money and prosperity. I'd say overall my friend and I had a pretty awesome experience. We will definitely be back to try other dishes and "potions" on the menu!

The ambiance was amazing with live music and a gorgeous interior. The drink menu is very creative and the chive dumplings were to die for.

Hobgoblin was the first place I've been too since getting back to Boston from traveling internationally. This place was like nothing else I have been to in the area. From 7-9 there was live music (2 sets both were brilliant) which accompanied the great vibes of the bottom floor. We had the bison meatballs and scallops with mango salsa. For the entree I had the lamb shank where the meat fell off the bone!! Only reason I am not giving 5 stars is it was my birthday and after 2 hours they told us we had to go for other reservations, even though we were ordering drinks well after we finished our entrees. Also liked that even with the live music you could still converse with people at your table which seems to be hard to do at many dining spots in this town lately - kudos for that!

This place is always so great for food whenever I come to town for work. The pad Thai dish is the best one I've had so far. I tried the sweet and spicy wings and fried rice plate. The wings were absolutely delicious and cooked well but the rice was not fried. It was white rice with some veggies and some sauce but not your traditional white rice. The service is prompt and the waiter was nice. The ambience is very dark and reminds me of speakeasy from back in the prohibition days.

Before our comedy show at the Wang Theater, we stopped by this restaurant, which used to be the old Stoddard's. Even tough it was a chilly Wednesday night, the restaurant was still busy enough that the waitstaff didn't manage to find sufficient time to stop by and check in on us, so we had to flag them down at times. We weren't too hungry so we ordered only a few dishes. While the beet salad was refreshing with yellow and red beets, it wasn't anything too special but could also serve as a palate cleanser between heavy plates. The crab curry was uniquely pleasant and eyebrow-raising with a higher spice level and rich herbal overtones balanced by creaminess, but the curry was on the smaller side. How often do you come across satay that isn't chicken or beef and you find on the menu it's duck? These were tender, juicy 1-inch cubes of duck breast and had the right sort of gaminess that was so balanced enough to enjoy the red curry paste and coconut cream that we had to order another dish! It was the right decision. Wished my picture was clearer but the interior lighting isn't the greatest so you'll just have to come over and order it and hopefully your knife and fork were put down to savor each chew. If you happen to stop by closer to the weekend, every Thursday-Saturday night, they have live jazz and cabaret downstairs where there's a separate bar, sit-down tables, and a piano at the corner.

Came here with my lady last weekend on a rainy Saturday afternoon and we had a good time here. The restaurant had a nice vibe to it and the waitresses were very nice. The best dish on the menu was the fried chicken drunken noodles that my lady ordered. She let me try some of her food and I loved it so much we started sharing her dish. Then they brought out the appetizer which was the duck satay which I wasn't really a fan of because of the sauce they used. Finally they brought out my dish which was the sweet'n hot chili wings and HBG fried rice. Although the chicken was very good, the rice was just okay. The drinks were delicious as my lady ordered "The Use of Pleasure" and I ordered "The Sun Also Rises"......overall good experience and I'd definitely come back for the Drunken Noodles

Really cool place, the ambiance was fantastic. The drinks were fairly priced but I would question the amount of alcohol.

The cocktails here are delicious and there are a lot of fun options! All of the food was perfectly spicy and tasted amazing. The service was good and the atmosphere was fun!

Nice stop before the Opera House. Aphrodite and the beckoning hand were great drinks. Potions are a cool concept. Music was great and design/decor is neat.

I went to the hobgoblin bar located on 48 Temple Pl in Boston with a few girlfriends on Sunday. This piano bar has immaculate gothic vibes and has over 20 taps of local craft beer. For cocktails we got a few of their "Magic potion"cocktails that come with a spell card. The "Song of Eros" which was made with tequila, lemon, miele, and rosemary syrup was our favorite drink 9/10. The "Binding of Oath" had gin, sage, lime, and mint and was also very good 8/10. The "Blessing of Ganesha" was not my favorite and was a bit too syrupy it had ginger liqueur, orange biters and lemon 2/10. For appetizers we got the raspberry lobster rangoon dip this came with crispy wonton chips. This was a delicious and unique spin on crab rangoon dip 8/10. We also got the homemade shrimp potstickers in tom yum broth. The potstickers were nicely seasoned and I loved the ginger taste in the broth 9/10. Finally, we got the hobgoblin crab cake that came with bearnaise sauce. I wasn't a very big fan of this. I think it lacked the cake aspect of what a typical crab cake should be 5/10. For main dishes we got the salted salmon fried rice, the grilled sirloin with jim jaew dipping sauce, and the fried chicken drunken noodles. I think we all agreed the sirloin was the star dish of the entrees! The sirloin with the sauce tasted amazingly and came precut 8/10. The fried chicken and drunken noodles had a good amount of heat to them (if you cant handle spice I would suggest not getting these). The chicken was more of a chicken finger style and the breading fell off a bit when eating 6/10. The salmon fried rice was decent and a easy dish to share with others at your table 7/10. Overall, this spot is perfect for late night drinks and for some music entertainment. As the website says: embrace your inner hobgoblin and check them out! Food: 7/10 Affordability: 7/10 (drinks were a decent price $15-16/food a bit higher $20+) Ambiance: 9/10 (gothic vibes all around)

Went here for drinks and they didn't have any tables available but the host helped us (a big group of 5) find a comfortable place near the bar. The idea around the cocktails is so cute. I got the "MAGIC MIRROR (BREAKING OF HEXES AND CURSES". Not too sweet, a little bitter, and really delicious to me. On top they had one of the old school really dark maraschino cherries that was so yummy. I got too excited about saying the spell over my drink I forgot to snap a pic. Didn't try any of the food but would go back! The decor is really old school medieval Harry Potter pub like. Cocktails were like 15 bucks- not bad.

This Asian fusion menu is a joy to taste in a trendy atmosphere from the piano bar downstairs to the intimate table settings on the entrance floor. The service was knowledgeable , courteous, and fun. For octogenarians like me I suddenly felt decades younger. Oh to be young again!

We were seated in the Basement where the piano room is. It smelled funky (like burnt oil ), food was ok (have had better asain food in Boston), cocktails were so so

Great new addition to the downtown crossing area, and more unique than most around there. Took over the old Stoddard's space and the new vibe is very swanky. The live jazz was a great touch, cocktails were good but a bit overpriced though fun, food was delicious and fresh but also a bit pricey, and service was friendly. All in all a good meal, but you are paying more for the space and vibe, as I have many local Thai places that are as good and half the price

Came back for dinner and while I enjoyed the flavors I did find the dishes to be incredibly expensive and small for what they were. Restaurant was also out of my favorite cocktail from last time which was a huge bummer... still need to come back for the piano bar but might mark this place down as a late night snack and cocktail spot rather than full blown dinner. Or, a cute dinner spot if you're planning to bounce around to sample different places throughout the night

If you're out looking for some tasty cocktails with some live piano, this is your spot. Really loved the ambiance of this place. Both downstairs and upstairs. Got to try quite a few of their cocktails on the menu and all of them were good and tasty. The food was pretty good as well, but taste, presentation, nothing really about it blew me away. The only area in which this place kind of suffers is the service. Our waiter wasn't bad, but wasn't good either. He was attentive tho I will say. There was one person who was bringing food to our table and he would mutter the name of the dish, but when we I asked him again what he said, he would look at me and then go to the person closest to him and ask what is the dish called and then tell me... I found it humorous, but not good for the restaurant. Also had another waiter when I transferred downstairs and unfortunately I had no idea what she was saying. Most of their staff are all esl, but barely know English, which I don't want to really point out as a negative, but others might see it that way. Overall was a great new spot. Will be returning. Just make sure you arrive with good company otherwise don't expect to strike any conversations from the staff.

Phenomenal experience. Food was incredible and beer list is top notch. Glad I made the unexpected stop, and Julian (and the owner) crushed it on the service front. Will be back as this is an A+ spot!

We came to Hobgoblin because we thought the piano bar concept would be something cool and different. I made a reservation for the piano area but upon arriving was told that our reservation was for the upstairs section and we could not sit downstairs. When we got to the table, one of our friends was already there with a menu. We asked the waitress for more menus (we were a party of four) and she said we couldn't have any more and that they were out of menus. She then kept pushing us to put in an order despite the fact that she expected us to all share one menu. I finally got up and went to the host station and asked for more menus. The host pulled four menus off a giant stack and gave them to me. We ended up giving one of the menus to a neighboring table since they also didn't have a menu and couldn't get the waitress to give them one. We each ordered a drink and a food item. The drinks were fine - about what you would expect for a mixed drink in terms of price and quality in Boston. The food was disappointing. First off, the food menu is confusing - there's no rhyme or reason to how things are laid out. Second, I'm not sure if it's meant to be eaten tapas style, but the portions are tiny and do not reflect the very high prices. The actual meals are also not really sharing-friendly, so the whole thing was just bizarre. The food itself was very salty and each person's food came out individually and at least 5 minutes apart. By the time the last person got their food, everyone else's food was cold. Between the four of us, we paid over $180 and left hungry. We ended up going across the street and getting food elsewhere when we were done.

I have to say this place is really cool! When you walk in, the first floor is your typical bar vibes, dark with clubby music. Then right when you walk down the stairs you are transported into a jazz bar. Music was loud but it was great (come here more for a drink and a "show", because it's too loud to really have a deep conversation). Food was ok, nothing special, BUT I was excited to see had-yai chicken wings on the menu, and it was good! Crispy and flavorful. Would come back again :)

Amazing food. Fantastic cocktails. The decor is way cool. I loved this place. My boyfriend and I went yesterday around 4pm. We got the salted salmon fried rice, the bison meatballs and the lamb shank massaman. It was all delicious but I'm still thinking about the lamb shank massaman. That curry was crazy good! I also ordered the "The Beckoning Hand" potion cocktail for money and prosperity. It came with a spell! How cool is that! My boyfriend ordered a beer. They have a great selection (he was impressed). Now, I'm just waiting for the $$$ to roll in!!! We'll be back!! This is def. my new go to!

I think I'd have to spend at least $300 in food to feel remotely full. This portions are really tiny and very expensive. Like half the size of a tapas at the price of an entree. We left after 45 minutes and $100 still hungry. The atmosphere is beautifull. If I did go back, this is fine as a drinks only bar

Jazz and piano are fantastic! The mussels and broth were fantastic! I used the broth for the salmon fried rice- no enough salmon in the dish. This dish also came out too soon. The non alcoholic drinks should be $10 not $12.

Odd mix of vibes that don't seem to jibe. A long bar of different beer taps, pub-ish interior with predominantly Asian fusion food. Not much more nods to Asian culture except for blaring K-pop music, which seemed out of place on a quiet afternoon. And a staff that nearly all seemed to be unhappy to be working. Good choice of beers, though. But got the feeling the bartender knew next to nothing about the beer choices. Your mileage may vary but I won't be back.

Great food, great service, unique and funky decor, pretty reasonable prices for food. The potion cocktails are a neat concept--on the pricier side but their other drinks are reasonably priced.

The food is okay, th evibes are great. The servers at the restaurant were very rude. The waitress kicked us out of our table.

Great ambiance, unique drink concoctions that taste horrible. The chicken wing appetizer is extremely bland regardless of the flavor you get. The raspberry lobster ragoon is just cream cheese with a raspberry jam accompanied with fried wonton chips which are tasty but only comes with about 5. The curry crab dish was nicely flavored but literally had 1 piece of crab, the manager apologized as it was unacceptable. The shrimp pad Thai and chicken burger are prob the best two things on the entire menu. Lastly, which was a deal breaker and we won't be back... one of the bartenders was coughing and hacked in his hands. He literally turned on cold water at the bar sink, rinsed his hand for 1 sec literally with no soap and then proceeded to make someone's drink! DISGUSTING!!!!

I loved the candlelight ambiance and the live piano performance. The food was delicious and very well seasoned. Hobgoblin also had a great cocktail menu. The portion was a bit small for the price.

I went there for my friend's birthday, and it was not a great birthday dinner for her. She left the dinner frustrated and annoyed. The service is awful. We had a reservation at 9 and were seated 20 minutes later, without much of an apology. The waitress was not very friendly and gave us our bill before we finished dinner, she claimed she had to leave but when we were leaving she standing at the hostess. We wanted to get dessert since it was birthday dinner, but we were told that it was not possible since it was 10:30pm, and the kitchen was closed.The food was admittedly pretty good,The drinks were good for the most but the one I got tasted like toothpaste. The place is a bit smaller than I expected but the vibes are nice. I would say it's a good place to grab a drink, but for special occasions it lacks the attentiveness of the staff.

Very cool atmosphere and decor. The entire place has a speakeasy vibe with lots of attention to details. Very creative drink menu and friendly staff.

We stopped here for lunch after seeing a movie at the nearby AMC theater on a Sunday afternoon. Both my wife and I are cocktail fans and were excited to check this place out. Unfortunately when we arrived the hostess told us they weren't serving cocktails until 4pm, just beer and wine. We ordered a few small plates, the meatballs and the lamb shank. Both were really delicious. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. It's in the former Stoddards and kept the same layout. I really like the vibe and the decor.

Fun little place in downtown Boston - great to visit when you are visiting the commons. Good mocktails!

It was a delicious meal! We were in the piano room. The music was beautiful, definitely a little loud at time but overall we really enjoyed the ambiance. The drinks were unique and delicious. Definitely need to come back to try more. All of out food cam out at the same time, entrees and appetizers. The food was so spectacular! Will be going back!

Food was overpriced and portions were small. There were more onions than noodles in the drunken noodles and jumbo shrimp in the pad Thai lacked any meat

Great food great service and great music! And very nice decoration so beautiful bar at the first floor. The bar downstairs is small but huge piano sat right in there. Over all food, service and the piano is very nice.

Tired after a day of walking around the city, we were having trouble deciding on what to have for dinner or if we even wanted dinner. I'm so glad we ventured out to Hobgoblin. We ordered a cocktail each and then three appetizers. The crab cake is not a traditional crabcake. It had very little binding it together. It was more like a compact crab salad on a bed of greens. Very mild and wonderfully crabby. The chive dumplings were very tasty. We thought they needed a bit more punch. We asked for chili sauce and received a ramekin of siracha. It was the right combination. The shrimp potstickers in Tom Yum broth stole the show. We had two orders and I am going to be thinking about these long after we return home to California TuK Tuk was our server. She was very attentive and truly wanted us to enjoy your meal.

This place was awesome. The drinks were amazing and very unique and the food was really delicious. The service was pretty good too. I absolutely loved the interior - decor and vibe!!!

Atmosphere is extremely cool. Perfect mix of upbeat and chill, with live jazz downstairs. I've tried 5 drinks and thoroughly enjoyed 4 of them. Very unique and delicious.

Sirloin steak with thai dipping sauce is so yummy. Recommend! Don't miss this dish ! Also, the vibe is so good. Definitely, need to come back again

My husband and some of our friends stopped by Hobgoblin for drinks and small bites last week before heading over to the seaport for dinner. The drink menu was quite elaborate and high concept. There was a "craft cocktails" section and then a whole other section of "intentional potions" drink. It was all very overwhelming for a first timer -- as most people will be. It's best that you come with an open mind and prepared for this approach. Review the drink menu in advance if possible. There were really unique ingredients like galangal root, Mekong liqueur, and other such additives that we just didn't have any context for what they would taste like. So most of the drink we had to just assumed that 50-75% of the flavors we knew would ensure a successful order. We read the description and the delightful poem that accompanied each drink, ordered and crossed our fingers. The great news is that each and every one of the drinks were 10/10. I got the Ganesh drink and it was delightful. Crisp, delicate, sweet but not cloyingly so. It reminded me of a refreshing jasmine tea or a really nice glass of dessert wine. Others also enjoyed their drinks. I got to try each one and definitely agreed that you couldn't go wrong ordering. Just pick the one you think you'd like and you're likely to walk away happy. We order three dishes to share among the four of us: The scallops, potstickers, and wings. Everything was delicious but the potsticker broth was a delightful surprise. It was like a really really nice Tom yum broth. Best I've ever had. Others really enjoyed the chicken wings seasoning and marinate, but I enjoyed the delicate scallops. Give it a try. You'll enjoy your experience but do a bit of the heavy lifting before you get there and peep the drink menu to avoid game time decisions. Either way you'll be glad you did.

Interior is very cool looking, but nothing else was impressive. Service was so slow. The waitress had difficulty understanding that I wanted a root beer, even after I pointed at it on the menu. I had to help her select our meal choices on her ordering device. When I finally got my teriyaki salmon, it was a big bowl of jasmine rice with a bland salmon filet with a bit on teriyaki sauce on it. It didn't look visually appealing and was nothing special.

I have so many memories of the restaurant that existed before Hobgoblin. I think the bar is the most beautiful bar in Boston. I'm so glad they kept the iconic drafts and was even more thrilled to see they have Hill Farmstead on draft. This space is once again occupied by people who genuinely care about creating an environment where friends can gather over good food and drinks. I can't wait to visit again and congratulations on the great beginning!