The Bluebird Bar

Love the $1 oysters! Actually there’s tons of options on the menu that I like. Smoked tuna dip, chicken wings, beets with whipped ricotta, herb fries, . The roast chicken was amazing. The specials menu is always testing great stuff. Cocktail menu never disappoints.

Wife and I are in town for a few days. We were looking for a quick late night bite. Found this place on Google maps. Absolutely did not disappoint. Food, service, atmosphere were absolutely great! Great local spot!

Great for date night (there is a movie theater across the street too)! This accidental find was amazing! The staff is welcoming and willing to tell you about their favorites. Bar seating is comfortable for one or inviting friends. The sautéed calamari is a flavor marvel, with a surprising kick 💥 The mashed potatoes were light and complimented the calamari. Outside seating is available when the weather permits. Street parking 🅿️ is available and free after 6pm. Can’t wait to go back and have entrees!!

$1 fresh local oysters from 3-5 pm *DAILY* is enough reason for anyone nearby to become a regular. Now add a cool calm vibe during those hours, a respectful crowd, great drink selections, decent food options, and really nice bartenders/staff, you really have *every* reason to be a regular. Stay a bit longer on Monday nights for live jazz to soothe the soul. Just saying, I'll definitely see you around sometime!

Dinner for three was wonderful. The Oyster special between 3-5 is a great happy hour appetizer to share. They were fresh and delicious. The service was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The kabobs are amazing with lots of choices. The cauliflower side dish with pistachios is a must try. TV on the bar side has the games on and not extremely noisy. Great place

I liked the place. The food tasted great. You can choose from salad or a warm grain bowl and add there a shish kebab. They have different options for shish kebabs. I ordered a Caesar salad with chicken kebab. It was great. They have a nice drink menu. They even had 3 different options of Spritzes which is nice because I like them. My friends and I had a good time, we ordered desserts. We had Pot de Crème and some kind of donuts. Everything was so tasty. However, our waiter took forever to place our orders each time and to bring our checks. And he was always mumbling something. It was not a great experience. Other than that everything was perfect. There is parking available behind the building. This place is kinda small, I highly recommend making a reservation before you go there.

My husband and i came for a celebratory date night this past weekend and fell in love with this spot! Rob took the best care of us and made our night extra special. The food was outstanding, the restaurant is cozy, warm and inviting and all of the staff was amazing! Highly recommend. Thank you Rob!

What an awesome neighborhood bar and restaurant! I just found out about this yesterday and went for dinner with friends. It's an incredible little spot with great vibes. The food was really fantastic, stand up for me was the Barada dip and the shrimp skewer. I don't know what they marinated the shrimp in but they were absolutely delicious. Great selection of wines and a full bar, all right there in W. Newton Square.Big thumbs up from me.

It was a bit more upscale than we had meant to go for the evening...! But we had a fantastic time. The restaurant feels cozy and fancy. it has the tin ceiling effect going on. We both got the burger, and a table side of brussel sprouts with bacon. The burger came with fries and some slices of a excellent pickle. For the first time ever, I had an $18 burger at a restaurant and actually felt like I got what I paid for. The plate was so very good. The brussels were also good. Our waiter was really great. My husband was apparently dehydrated and the waiter was on top of it and refilled his glass like, 5 or 6 times. We didn't wait for any service and he seemed to be the only one?! The cocktail menu was kind of entertaining. A really solid date night - one of the few things open in this neighborhood after the last movie showings at the West Newton Cinema across the street. Loved it. Expensive though.

I really enjoyed dining at The Bluebird. The room and bar were both beautiful, and the service was impeccable. Unfortunately, the food did not live up to expectations. The Caesar salad was chopped into tiny pieces and dressed with a subtle dressing that lacked flavor. The major issue was that nearly every dish was overly charred. For instance, my swordfish skewer was so burned that I couldn't even tell what vegetables were between the pieces--presumably onions, but they were completely black. The swordfish pieces themselves were very small. Similarly, the steak tips were not simply overcooked; they were entirely burned on the outside, which gave them an unpleasant flavor. While the cocktails and wine were excellent, given the upscale pricing, I think next time I'll opt for a seat at the bar instead and enjoy one of their fine cocktails

Pretty overrated... saw someone say this is the best restaurant in Newton, MA-- I wouldn't count on it. Came here before watching a movie at West Newton cinema as it's right across the street. Consider it a one and done kinda deal. Average service, small venue, limited menu, and mediocre food. My mom and I walked in on a Saturday with a reservation, place was empty. My mom ordered a cappuccino which was more like an espresso, she was shocked at how strong it was but it tasted good nonetheless. I ordered a burger, it was below average. It came with bacon-onion jam, which made it sweet, subjectively speaking it was not my thing. My mom ordered the falafel wrap, which was better than my burger but very dry and didn't have much falafel. Pita was hard and the sandwich lacked sauce. Tasted better though. I would order it to try once but not again. Fries were the star of the show, absolutely delicious. But, when the fries are better than the entree it's not the greatest. Asked for yellow mustard and got Dijon. Burger bun was overly fluffy, fell apart, so I didn't eat it. Host was working three jobs, felt bad. I'd skip this one unless you have no other option.

Great for date night (there is a movie theater across the street too)! This accidental find was amazing! The staff is welcoming and willing to tell you about their favorites. Bar seating is comfortable for one or inviting friends. The sautéed calamari is a flavor marvel, with a surprising kick The mashed potatoes were light and complimented the calamari. Outside seating is available when the weather permits. Street parking is available and free after 6pm. Can't wait to go back and have entrees!!

Came for their $1 happy hour oysters and they were delicious! The catch is they cap you at a dozen per person I believe and it's a minimum $10 purchase not including the oysters. But the service was very speedy and it's pretty cute inside. Would recommend the crispy Brussels sprouts with bacon as well.

Blue bird, blue sky, Blue ribbon!!!! You cannot go wrong here, especially for a perfectly crafted cocktail!!! I brought my friend here on a weekday for a birthday lunch, and we were blown away. The cocktails were absolutely top notch. And in case you actually wanted to do more than imbibe, we were also very pleased with our falafel wrap, and fattoush salad! The decor was beautiful with gilded ceilings and a very relaxed vibe, although I can imagine it could be a poppin happy hour scene. Service was very helpful and prompt. Newton locals have a true gem in the neighborhood!!

In Newton, Mondays got a little more interesting!! I discovered BlueBird a few months ago and was drawn in by the daily oyster deals and surprise Monday night specials + Jazz. The food went on to blow me away with some of the freshest, tastiest oysters ($1 from 3-5pm daily) and some of the best Fish n' chips (Monday blue plate special) and Eggs Benny + Homefries (Sunday brunch) I've had. Great cocktail menu and friendly atmosphere make this a spot to return to with friends, a date, or solo!

$1 fresh local oysters from 3-5 pm *DAILY* is enough reason for anyone nearby to become a regular. Now add a cool calm vibe during those hours, a respectful crowd, great drink selections, decent food options, and really nice bartenders/staff, you really have *every* reason to be a regular. Stay a bit longer on Monday nights for live jazz to soothe the soul. Just saying, I'll definitely see you around sometime!

Very poor experience here...besides the oysters, nothing else is particularly good in my opinion, but it gets worse. Despite the fact that the restaurant's website advertises $1 oysters daily between 3pm to 5pm (see restaurant website and Yelp page screenshots), the restaurant has imposed a RECENT "secret" unannounced new oyster limit -- "sometime in the past couple of weeks" -- of one dozen $1 oysters per person. This is contrary to their longstanding practice of unlimited $1 oysters since inception and the information provided on their website, official Yelp business page, menu, and/or verbally by restaurant employees. You only learn about this new limitation unless and until you try to reorder additional oysters -- well Into your meal. So, how do they inform people about the new rule? It's prettydisingenuous, at best...not through their website, not through the supplemental daily special menu page,, and not from the waitress when ordering...Only after you've consumed your initial one dozen oysters (and whatever else you might have ordered), and attempt to order additional $1 oysters are you informed about the new limit and shut off. Had we know about $1 oyster limit, we would not have come to dine at this establishment at the odd hours of 3-5PM, ediecially given the food quality, having tried numerous items on the menu during this and prior visits. The lack of customers in the establishment after 5PM clearly attests to this lack of interest. Dismayed at having been shut off after having made the treck to this restaurant at 4 PM -- we appealed to the owner and explained that we came for unlimited $1 oysters based the combination of our prior experience here and their own publicly available information. However, the owner's response downright aggressive and rude, alluding to the fact that he can't make money with unlimited $1 oysters, despite the fact that his overhead is paid for at this time and the incremental labor costs are pretty low. Perhaps this is because many others agree that the food just isn't very good and there's nothing there worth eating besides the $1 oysters, albeit they should be able to make it up on alcohol with $9 beers and $15 cocktails, but I'm not trying to tell him how to run his business; I just feel he has an obligation to provide appropriate notice regarding such a meaningful limitation (and change in policy), especially for people who make an effort to come to his restaurant at the odd and otherwise unappealing time of 3pm to 5pm. Very poor taste for food that doesn't taste very good, except for the oysters which are/were excellent.

I liked the place. The food tasted great. You can choose from salad or a warm grain bowl and add there a shish kebab. They have different options for shish kebabs. I ordered a Caesar salad with chicken kebab. It was great. They have a nice drink menu. They even had 3 different options of Spritzes which is nice because I like them. My friends and I had a good time, we ordered desserts. We had Pot de Crème and some kind of donuts. Everything was so tasty. However, our waiter took forever to place our orders each time and to bring our checks. And he was always mumbling something. It was not a great experience. Other than that everything was perfect. There is parking available behind the building. This place is kinda small, I highly recommend making a reservation before you go there.

We came for $1 oyster happy hour (3-5pm daily). The oysters are delicious, not sandy at all. A few were a little briny, but the vast majority were delicious. Really one of the best oyster happy hours in the area. Their sauces are also really good. This is such a good deal. We got the fries as well. While they were delicious, the $9 price tag is way too hefty. I would have expected a lot more fries for that price. Service was EXCELLENT. The waitstaff were super attentive and checked back frequently to see if we needed anything. Seating is plentiful, but Saturdays can be busy. Try to come at a different time to guarantee a table.

Small little bar with personable wait staff. Just came here for drinks (which were delicious) and had options for snacks rather than an entire appetizer. Excited to go back!

Great spot in West Newton for good cocktails and upgraded "bar food". Hummus is good, garnished well but a bit heavy on the EVOO. Burgers are great too!

I've been here approximately 8 times now and the consistency is really impressive. The staff, the food, the value and the vibe are just excellent. Food: Love their Mon night specials but I've been other nights and the specials are great as well. I haven't made it for $1 Oysters, but their raw bar is equivalent to a Row 34 and a much better value. Staff/Service: I always sit at the bar and the bartenders are just pros, all of them. Great drinks, very attentive service, without being too much, and just great all around. Vibe: To me, this is like the ideal neighborhood joint with elevated comfort food and spot on service. Fair amount of parking nearby as well. Wish: This is really a great bar from a drinks/beers/wines selection. My ONLY wish is that they had a few beers on Draft rather than cans only, minor, I know.

On Sunday 17 Sep 23, my wife and I were returning from a family get together for a celebration of life. We were on a mission to get oysters to go for family members. Found this absolute GEM on Yelp and jumped into the bar an hour before they closed that evening. We ordered a dozen oysters to give them a try before asking if take-out oysters was even a possibility. Well, first things first. The bartenders were super kind and the service was quick. Secondly, the oysters were scrumptious (as were the roasted brussel sprouts AND the beets with whipped ricotta). While we were devouring our "test meal", a gentleman who turned out to be one of the owners dropped by and we asked him if taking oysters take-out was something they could do. Sure enough, Dave (that's the rockstar co-owner's name) said, "SURE"! Not only did they partially shuck a dozen Duxberry delicious oysters and place them on ice, but they also were able to accommodate an order for shrimp cocktail "to go". It took me a few days to write this review, because I live in Hawai'i and wanted to ensure I took the time to put into words how impressed we were (and are) with this restaurant. In closing, I will just say... if Dave and his partner opened a place in Honolulu, we'd make it our new "date spot". LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this restaurant. We will go back every time we visit Boston, and in the interim, have raved to our family who live there, so hopefully they will hit it up soon, too. MAHALO, Dave and team!

Replacing the now defunct French restaurant Lumière, The Bluebird Bar is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise relatively stale Newton dining scene, bringing a modern mixology program and food. We just went for cocktails and had a wonderful time, with stellar service and even better drinks. My Mai Tai ($13) was quite possibly the best iteration of the drink I've ever had and my other drink, the Desdemona ($14) was also delightful and tasted like a vacation I can't afford with those tropical notes from the passion fruit and orgeat syrup. The olives ($8) were a tad pricey but delicious - and were marinated in garlic and citrus. I very much look forward to returning in the future for more drinks and some of their food. Glad there's something so vibrant in this sleepy part of town.

DO NOT COME here if you are a family! The waitstaff and management loathe families and small children. I have never been treated so rudely by staff at a restaurant in my life. I came with my family and 1 year olds twins for Mother's Day lunch on Saturday 5/13/23. We live in the area, so this was my third time at this establishment, first time with my small children. Towards the end of the meal we noticed the on staff manager giving our table dirty looks and making comments about the small amount of spilled water and food droppings under the high chairs of our 1 year old twins. See attached pictures below. The male manager seemed very shocked and visibly disgruntled with us, at no point did our waitress or manager make any effort to clean the spilled water or provide us with napkins to clean it up. Our waitress who was a tall blonde women with a eastern European accent and tattoos on her arm. Took the insults a step further by berating our skills as parents and insulting the behavior of my 1 year old twins. She made it a point as she was dropping of the check to rudely tell us verbatim "please pick up your mess it's the worse we have ever seen, and it is your jobs as parents to teach children table manners." My twins are 1 year old babies by the way. The experience was absolutely degrading and to experience this as a mother on Mother's Day weekend was absolutely shameful. I also would like to note the restaurant was empty at the time of our reservation except for a family of three seated a few tables away who told us they where equally horrified by the staffs remarks and the treatment of our family. I called the restaurant as soon as we left to voice a complaint. The man who answered was the same rude manager who had overseen our table and refused to give us his name or the name of any manager and rudely hung up the phone. In case there is anyone at this restaurant who actually cares, he was the short heavyset man with a beard. As a member of the community I sincerely hope the owners have a retraining of the managers and waitstaff on how to properly serve families with small children with dignity and respect. Or maybe they should post a sign that families aren't welcome here.

Food was absolutely outstanding. Drinks were professionally crafted. Service was friendly, helpful and provided with great care to our table's experience (Thanks Rob). Atmosphere is very relaxing and made us all feel wonderful. This is a definite winner and such a boost to the community.

I have been to this restaurant 6 times but refuse to go back after my last visit. I've always had luck parking in the city lot out back but parking can be an issue. I sat at the bar each time we went. First couple of times was because of the $1- oysters from 3-5pm and then we of course got drinks and other food. All went well besides the pretentious bartenders who think they are amazing but aren't that good at all. Dirty martini comes in the smallest coup glass ever. Decent wine list but the pours are terrible and this is all because of the bartender's attitude. The reason that I won't ever go back is because of this story. My wife went to the restaurant at 4:30 and got us some seats at the bar. I was running late and showed up at 4:55. She had already told the bartender that I wanted 2 dozen oysters to start with. He said to wait as I was almost there. I get there and by the time he came over and took my drink order and I put in for the oysters it was 5:03 and he was like, sorry it past 5pm. Knowing full well that he told my wife to hold off and he would get them. Nope. No oysters. At this point, my wife is very upset because he had just told her that it wouldn't be an isssue. We finish our drinks and we left. We didn't order dinner or anything else that we would normally order. Every time we would go was at least a $200- dinner and they will never get another dollar from me. Plenty of other better places around the area that will appreciate you and your business. With their attitude, they will be out of business in no time. Customer Service is everything and they don't quite understand what that is.

Very nice atmosphere. The food was delicious and the staff great, too. When I emailed them and told them it was our anniversary I wasn't expecting them to comp with ur dessert and coffees.

My friend Ellen and I haven been frequenting Bluebird every 2-3 weeks for over 1 year. We come for the $1 oyster special (cold, raw and delicious) and amazing appetizers. We order Arincini (outstanding), and either Charred Chicken Wings, Sauteed Calamari, or Baba Ghanoush- all mouthwatering and perfectly spiced dishes. The wait staff is friendly, efficient and accommodating. The ambiance is relaxed and fun. Dave, the owner, knows us by name and makes us feel very welcome. Make sure to check out the beautiful ceiling! We highly recommended the Bluebird -5 delectable stars!! Ellenx2

We stumbled upon this bird sitting directly across the street from the West Newton Cinema, while in search of a quick bite before our movie.The bartender made me a delicious fauxloma (virgin Paloma) and we shared a burger & fries. It was one of the best burgers we've had in the greater Boston area. Succulent with not even a hint of gristle, the grilled burger exuded a subtle smokey flavor complimented by a touch of aioli and bacon onion jam that left me saying "Cowaburger" instead of singing the blues!

My second time there. The staff is mega-welcoming and friendly. The baba ghanoush was great. The grain bowl was excellent as was the steak kebab. There was live music (on a Monday!), and the place was bustling.

The food here (I had seafood) was better than most because the flavor profiles were more sophisticated. I wouldn't have guessed it because the atmosphere was low key and not pretentious. Great staff. I'd definitely eat here again.

Went for Sunday brunch and it was delicious. The fried egg sandwich was perfect. Definitely recommend getting the pink flamingo for a cocktail! The owner, Patrick, was very nice! Street parking in that area can be tricky, but there is a lot right down the side street the restaurant is on! It was also fair pricing!

This cozy neighborhood bar is a step up from your usual neighborhood pub. The bar area is pretty and the small shareable plates are a nice add to the menu. We had the kebabs, which were yummy as were the beets. We started with the pickled vegetables, I did not care for that but did enjoy the ceviche. The drink and wine choices were nice as well. I will be coming back here!

My wife and I along with another couple went here for dinner last night (3/30/24). Very disappointing. I got the warm grain bowl with a shrimp skewer. My wife ordered bolognese while our friends had a hamburger and warm grain bowl respectively. First off the portion size of the grain bowl was small. Secondly, it wasn't presented well; it felt like they just threw the ingredients together. And 3rd, it didn't have much taste. Maybe a grain bowl isn't the "right thing" to order but if you're going to put it on your menu, at least have a little pride in how its made and served. Our friend was equally put off by her grain bowl dinner. My wife was not impressed with her bolognese. I tasted it and could see why. The pasta was overcooked and the bolognese itself was too creamy. She ate about 25% of it and then pushed it away. The burger did seem to be pretty good as our friend finished it although, at 6 oz., it wasn't an overly generous size.

Great new bar that opened up recently. Awesome food and our bartender was the best Friendly and made great recommendations for is.

Stopped in after the movies and the meal was not commensurate with the value we paid. For the positives, salt cod fritters were tasty and palomas were good. The service was very slow for the most part and our server seemed generally apathetic. A lot of the staff was standing around chatting, which is fine, given everything is cooked well, fast service, etc. My wife had the caesar salad with two kabobs and said it was all inedible with too much dressing. The kabobs were torched. I had a little piece of one and it was all burnt. We told our server about the salad and kabobs and they showed zero reaction nor did anyone come by to talk to us. My half chicken was fine but portions were small like others have mentioned. On top of everything else, the high top we were at was dusty. Not gross but but when you're dropping $150+ on a meal not ideal.

Oof. Five stars for the cocktails. 0 stars for the food. The food situation is outrageous and I will NEVER eat here again. My friend ordered the $56 ribeye, which somehow was a moderately sized steak that was well done after he ordered medium. I got the mussels, which tasted SO fishy and otherwise flavorless. I get that mussels are seafood, but this was not a fresh type of fishy. If you eat seafood, you get it. My friend had a dried up lamb skewer over flavorless couscous. 2 stars for the service because it's friendly but SO SLOW. SO SO SO SO SLOW. EVEN WHEN THE BAR IS EMPTY.

Eat at the bar if you must (which I'm guessing you would when all of the other restaurants in West Newton have a wait and this is the only one with open tables). The waitresses stand by the food runner/expedite area and ignore you to the point where we had to flag down our waitress on multiple occasions (our drink glasses were empty for more than half of our meal). At one point we flagged down the manager because we were given the wrong check (a $332 check for the table of 6 sitting next to us and we were a party of 2) and he didn't even bring the check back to us (our missing waitress did, which is when I noticed the $2 bread up charge). Long story to say if you order the burrata appetizer, which costs $15 and has 4 small pieces of thinly sliced "Iggy" toast, check your bill for the $2 extra charge for extra bread (they are more than happy to offer more bread, but don't tell you about this charge and will tell you it's listed on the menu under sides as a recent change). The steak frites were overly charred to the point of tasting like charcoal and had our waitress even checked on us after the food was delivered I would have been able to send it back! I was hungry and ate around it by cutting the top/bottom. Service is horrible and I would normally overlook that, but the waitress brought the check to me confidently with attitude saying she had to charge me the $2 for extra bread when she did not tell me about this charge, ignored us the entire time, and clearly didn't know what was going on at any of her tables. I won't be back.

What an awesome neighborhood bar and restaurant! I just found out about this yesterday and went for dinner with friends. It's an incredible little spot with great vibes. The food was really fantastic, stand up for me was the Barada dip and the shrimp skewer. I don't know what they marinated the shrimp in but they were absolutely delicious. Great selection of wines and a full bar, all right there in W. Newton Square.Big thumbs up from me.

Huge bar. Very interesting menu and reasonable pricing. Booth tables and casual eats at the bar. Definitely worth checking out..Booths are big enough for four adults. The bar seems to turn from dinner hour to cocktail hour around 8:30pm but it's too early in the opening to tell how the vibe will change. Food: I tried their version of the Cheese Burger and it was cooked perfect to my order. Very tasty beef with a BBQ seasoning sauce on the potato bun. Fantastic. The beef skewers were seasoned and grilled, tender delicious starters paired with the Arugula salad is a generous portion, so save room for more. Bar Craft: Bartenders are friendly and attentive considering how busy evenings are. Very nice choice in wine by the glass and bottle. Bartenders appear to be very experienced and make nice cocktails Ambience: One obvious note is that this is not a sports type bar. No TVs playing during dinner and cocktail evening hours which is a welcome change. "Bar" is the operative word here. People talking, classic soul music playing in the background, accent lighting at the bar, much credit to whoever designed the bar ..nice work. The music by way ...they are spinning Vinyl! I expect the Bluebird Bar will be the "Go to" spot moving forward in West Newton Center and definitely a complement to the other established restaurants in the area. Guys...leave your ball cap in the car. The clientele appear to be between mid twenties to the older professional types, nice mix of both women and men.

Delicious food and very attentive service at this new neighborhood spot. They have a nice selection of small plates + some larger entrees--the two of us shared the hummus dip, which came with some amazing fresh flatbread; the steamed mussels appetizer, which tasted nice and fresh and were served in a lemony sauce I wanted to spoon right up; and the chicory salad with dates, which was perfectly dressed. We had wine, but will look forward to trying cocktails next time. We finished with cinnamon espresso brownie with homemade marshmallow--how could you go wrong? (my only note: it would have been even better if the brownie was warm!) Dropped by before 6 pm on a Wednesday night without a reservation & got seated right away--though by the time we left, plenty of tables were full and the bar was lively. One of the owners came over to introduce himself and said they'll be continuing to expand and refine the menu as they get up and running in the next few weeks. All the staff were fully masked, which was great to see--our server was lovely & did a great job noting a nut allergy and making sure we had everything we need. We'll look forward to being back soon!

Excellent food and great vibe! We shared the salmon and several of the sides - all were scrumptious. The flan and pot de crème desserts were fantastic! Highly recommend the Bluebird.

I came here alone on a business trip. I arrived around 8PM on a Tuesday and was seated at a table so I could read my book. I will be back soon. Vibe: 5. Love the music and singing waitstaff. They were having fun, and it showed. Lights were dim but not so dark that I could not read my book. The food came out quickly, but I didn't feel rushed (I spent about 2 hrs in the booth). Very relaxed environment - potentially a downside for those in a rush. Waitstaff: 5. They knew I wanted to be left alone and let me be. When I needed water, they filled my glass. When my drink was low, they asked if I wanted another. After a few bites of food, they asked how everything was. There was just enough interaction to ensure I was having a good time and still leave me alone to read. They laughed and joked amongst themselves, sang, and obviously enjoyed working there. Drinks: 5+. I got a Jungle Bird and a Paloma. Standard drinks, but jazzed-up a bit. When ordering a fruity drink, my fear is always that it will be like drinking fruit punch (not always bad, but I enjoy a little more complexity). For the jungle bird, the sour-sugar-bitter-alcohol ratio was excellent. Enough sugar and acid to cut the alcohol flavor, bitter to cut the sweet fruit. For the paloma, the arette blanco has a pleasantly smooth, less vegetal and more earthy flavor that really let the grapefruit shine. Food: 3-4. This was a let-down, but I know how to order it next time to get what I want. I got a caesar salad with 2 kebabs (salmon, lamb) and the beets. Dessert was the affogato. Beets were fantastic, nicely paired with whipped ricotta, just enough dairy fat to play with the earthy sweet beets and parsley to brighten it. Salad was slathered in too much dressing. Kebabs had no sauce at all (to balance with the over-dressed salad?). Both kebabs were overcooked - salmon very charred and more dry than I like, lamb almost inedible dry. Salmon was appropriately flavored, lamb was very spicy and was not warned that it is robustly flavored (pleasant surprise for me - I love heat! - but potentially unpleasant for others). The affogato was a show-stopper. This is what brings the food score to a 3-4 instead of a 2-3. The star was the sherry (thick, sweet, robust fig, plums, toffee, coffee, hints of cherry and oak, pepper on the back of the palate) and was tamed by the creamy gelato and earthy candied walnuts.

As a local, I gave this place fair a few chances to prove itself. I've been consistently underwhelmed by the food, and especially by an "acclaimed" burger that disintegrated with a cheap, soggy bottom. But the last straw was when I, as a solo diner at the bar, was asked -- mid-bite -- if I would move seats to accommodate some sort of "Newton VIP" When I suggested that that was rude I was told that the bar was "not a public space." I was going to ask to speak to the manager/owner, but when I saw that he was already aware and not at all concerned, I decided to just leave instead.

Since this place has opened it's been my neighborhood spot. The drinks are can't miss, and the kabobs and hummus are fantastic. I get the burger all the time or the half chicken. Bluebird is exactly what West Newton needed.

Patrick, Jordan and Dan I'm sorry for this review. I'm sure you know who this is from. I've been a patron since you opened and have brought dozens of associates into your establishment. I've always been treated with respect and I actually gifted you my grandfathers cocktail book. Tonight was another story. I came for Jazz with my girlfriend and sat with an empty drink for 20 minutes. I respectfully approached David an owner to make a comment. He immediately wanted to talk outside and told me that all I do is complain and that the bar was busy. Actually only 12 people at the bar. The bartender was rude and inefficient and David well he was an asshole. So you've lost a long term customer and my grandfather's cocktail book. David find a new career. You obviously don't know customer service or how to manage. And get new bartenders for Monday's.

We got there early on a Saturday night and were quickly seated. The waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. Our drinks came quickly and then we move onto the apps. Dinner was slow to come out. I got the salmon with sweet potato fries for dinner. The salmon was good but the fries were undercooked and hard. I could not eat them. Then the restaurant manager determine that he needed our table. We got check-in's every 2-3 min to see what else we needed, clearing sending the message that we have overstayed our welcome. It was so obvious I asked what is going on. I was told that the table was needed. There were at least 3 other tables open. I would have happily moved to another table or the bar if asked. For a place that is working to be a friendly neighborhood restaurant, it missed the mark for me.

The food at this busy bar was terrific...even if we did have to wait a very long time to get it. Our waiter was clearly overwhelmed even delayed taking our order. IF we go back it won't be on a Friday night. The place clearly can't handle a crowd. Also the waiter was very unhelpful to a person in our party who can't tolerate dairy products.

The atmosphere was energetic, ambiance nice and service was outstanding but sadly, the food was literally dripping with oil and butter. Even the healthy harvest bowl was soaked in some sort of oil. I wouldn't go back and was very disappointed because without the heavy butter and oil, the food would've been outstanding as well.

We were being spontaneous, I didn't really think we'd get a place at the bar. But we did and what a bar! It's huge and gorgeous! I noticed that the TV's are tucked away, not on constantly and flickering at you. Genius. Save them for the next worldwide catastrophe or mandatory sports ball game. I had the Chronic, twice, I love a cocktail with tea in it. We split the shrimp fritters, they were delicious and remind me of the classic RI clam cake. I had the cheese burger, perfectly medium rare, bacon jam....bacon jaaaammmm, was my jam. The fries seemed doubled fried, excellent and worth the calories. Husband had the panko crusted haddock. I had a bit of dinner envy! Huge piece of fish, beautifully cooked on a bed of dressed arugula, fingerling potatoes and olives. I am having that the next time we go. Staff was great; friendly, music was fun; not too loud, good lighting...pretty excited for our next visit!!

Went there for dinner before going to a movie across the street, we didn't have a lot of time to dine and told our waiter, they expedited our appetizers and made us feel like family. Yes Chloe and I will be back!!!

Great food and service last night. But the bill for the bottle of wine we purchased was a nasty surprise: it was more expensive than 4 glasses ordered separately. That seems out of line with other restaurants in the area and left a nasty taste in my mouth (and wallet.)

Went there to bring in a birthday. Was pleasantly surprised by how great the cocktails were. Service was wonderful too. Nice bar for adults in the neighborhood

A hip new spot in West Newton. Glad to see more popping up, so I was excited to try it out. It's blue and moody inside, and it works well. The hostess was quick. A window seat is great. The menu is small plates that seem centered on grilled skewers. Made me think of an American take on yakitori. The list of wines by the glass was great. There was plenty that tempted us, and we ordered more than we probably should have. Ok, it's a new place, and they've got new restaurant jitters. It could take the waiter a while to come by, which is no biggie we weren't in a rush. The table next to us had regular trips from the bar delivering all sorts of cocktails, however the waiter claimed a backed up bar when he took quite a while to deliver a simple bottled beer. And the food? To be honest it wasn't great. Fried veggies that inside were raw potato and raw cauliflower. A chicken skewer that had the perfect char worthy of a photo spread, but was just a bland undercooked piece of squishy chicken. I'm sure it will improve. Anyways the hits were better than the misses. I'll definitely be back.

Everything was lovely: decor, ambiance, staff and service, and food and drinks. Went with a friend who mad a reservation... or she thought she had (didn't click to finalize), and yet they found us a table. Highly recommend and will be back!

I came here by myself while on a business trip. I ended up ordering the Caesar salad with the swordfish and lamb kofta kabob, as well as a side dish from the specials menu. Overall, I was quite pleased with everything. The swordfish was tender on the inside and nicely charred on the outside. The kofta was a bit chewy, but I'm not sure if that's the appropriate texture. In any case, the flavor was great. The salad was nicely dressed. The special, a shishito pepper dish, was tasty and amazing. I ordered a couple glasses of wine. I definitely appreciate their wine menu. Coming from California, I don't often get access to the European selection they have. They were good wines at a reasonable price. The room was busy but the staff seemed happy and engaged. I'd definitely come back here.