Amazing place to drink with friends ! Had a blast!
Yas K.
I used to go to the Gem Nightclub all the time. As of late, the atmosphere has changed completely and it has become one of the trashiest and most ratchet club I have ever been to. Shame on the management for allowing this to happen.
Sheena N.
I'm pretty sure Gem is the most ratchet nightclub I've ever been to. I can't believe my crew paid $10 to get in on a Saturday night and there was barely anybody even in this place. This place was suggested by a friend of a friend who clearly doesn't have great taste lol. To add even more insult to injury, we were dancing on the dance floor which was half empty and my friend slightly moved the rope dividing the empty table area from the dance floor. The go go dancer or cocktail server was sitting at the table and rudely told him to step back. Seriously? Your club is so shitty that nobody wants a table here so therefore nobody is even at the table. It was ridiculous and completely unnecessary. Prob the worst nightclub experience I've ever had. Complete waste of time and money.
Brent Y.
We had a VIP area for a Beyoncé Brunch. Our reservation was for 3pm. We got there a little after 3. We may have heard a total of 6 Beyoncé songs while we were there. I understand the event started at 1pm, but you should still be able to maintain a decent Beyoncé playlist. Bounce to Destiny's Child, even throw in artists in relation to extend your playlist (Jay-Z, Solange, etc.) We found ourselves bored rather quickly. The only area they had to hold our party was basically in the back corner away from civilization and the bar. Although the place looks really nice and the decor is spiffy, we didn't do much but sit there and watch each other. We got there a little after 3pm and had just left our friend's apartment from eating breakfast with one another, so we weren't really hungry. The crew just came to enjoy Beyoncé tunes and have drinks. We were sort of pressured to order food if we wanted any, because the waitress told us the kitchen closes at 4pm. So, we ordered something light like fries and tater tots. BOTH were sold out. The manager gave my friend a free drink for the inconvenience, but it was still like why pressure us to order food because the kitchen is closing soon and you're out of quite a bit of things? Other people ordered other food and they didn't have those items neither. It was then that we left Gem and went to another establishment. An entire L.
Alina B.
Don't ever take a table. You will have to pay but you won't have any space. My friend reserved a table for her birthday for $400. They gave us a table next to a dance floor. Everything was ok until they gave a table next to us to a promoter who brought around 20 people and they basically took over all our space. When we asked security to move people from our table they said : We can't do anything. But it wasn't the worst. Around 12.30 am( the busiest time) the manager of the place just stood on top of our table with his feet. We were shocked. When we asked him not to stand on our table he said : I work here and I'm looking for an employee in the crowd. It went downhill from there. No security making sure we still have our table and space ( we paid $400 for), waitress didn't care too and the manager after standing on the table decided to stand on our seats( see picture I will include) and move more and more people in to our space because they were trying to fit more people on the dance floor.(girls on the picture not from our party too, they were just dancing on our seats).We had to leave because we couldn't even stand there anymore.
PS47
Nice spot for an intimate or late evening dinner. Huge portions, but except for the French fries, food was rather ordinary and not as interesting as suggested by the Zagat review. Wine list extensive but wine by the glass had very limited selections.
FoodVillan
Came on a Sunday for brunch and their breakfast pizza was amazing! Colossal waffles were not worth the $15 they charge. 3 tiny triangles and the presentation was awful. They need to be made more appealing. The atmosphere was great, lots of music and the waiter mentioned on Saturday nights they throw great parties. I would definitely come back
CandTP
We had dinner here during the Winter Boston Restaurant Week as we have been to Gem on previous occasions for cocktails, and figured the $28 prix fixe Restaurant Week menu was worth trying. The service here is good and the atmosphere is nice, but the food is mediocre. It seems like the chef thinks the overly big portions will distract from the poor preparation and taste. The appetizer fried artichokes were just okay and the appetizer ceasar salad was truly an entree size, but it tasted like preservative and the plastic bag bagged lettuce comes in. The chicken parmigiana was served over penne, but the breading was burnt and it tasted as if the cutlets were just sitting on a tray in the oven for an extended period of time. The winter bolognese had a strange and overwhelmingly herb taste, and the pasta was not al dente. The tiramisu is decent, but the vanilla bean cheesecake is blah. Stick to Gem for cocktails. Hopefully, Gem will hire a new chef to elevate the food.
Silke
We went for the oysters, and they were excellent. So was the service, in its way.... We were the ONLY diners, and the server (who seemed to be doubling as host[ess] and bartender) was very nice. Obviously GEM can't survive on an oyster promotion, and the other food was just OK, antipasti-good; pizza-fair at best. The atmosphere was weird in the extreme... decor like a brothel or a speakeasy... fringed lamps, mirrors... overdone, dark and creepy, especially as we were the only ones in the dining room. Supposedly around 10:30 PM, GEM turns into a nightclub, which seems strange. Maybe true, given the annoyingly loud (recorded) music ... if only for our exclusive enjoyment at dinner. WHY someone would create a basically OK neighborhood restaurant MIXED with a nightclub. is a mystery to me! They'd do well to decide what they are and stick to it. Then dial back the decor and sharpen up the food.
LandAStars
We attended Gem Restaurant as a Birthday dinner for my son with a couple of his friends. It was a very good dinner, nice portions, attentive and excellent service. thank you, we will return.
Instead of sitting in traffic on 93 north to north shore after 5pm which is horrible we tried this restaurant downtown. The food was good for most part and service was excellent, The look of this bar/restaurant is great and very pleasing. The food could use some work with better flavor and more than just the typical bar food items.
RebeccaG
GEM is a great place to go for a lady's night out for delicious food and a cozy atmosphere. I'd also recommend it for a romantic night out too. The whole restaurant is dim, but in a candle-lit, inviting way. It'd easy to just sit and enjoy the foodie finds on the menu and enjoy your drink. The meatball sliders are amazing and the antipasti plate (especially the VIP version) is to die for.
Zippy
We ate at GEM before a show at the Orpheum, and it was very convenient. We were seated in the bar area because of a group gathering in the dining room. It was quite loud with very loud music from the speaker right above our table. The staff was very accommodating and turned it down for us and also made sure we could make it to our show in time. The waiter and hostess were incredibly friendly so that made up for the so-so food. The bar had a young, professional looking crowd and it seemed like a fun place.
CDRTB
the dining room is intimate and romantic. The club music playing in the bar across the hall is piped in for some reason, although they turned it down when we asked. The chicken in the chicken park tasted old and strange. The server and manager were apologetic and brought out pasta, lemoncello and took the meal off the check which was very nice. Didn't quite hit it although they tried. Calamari was great w pickled vegetables.
Mariner
Went on the strength of recent reviews, and I'm glad we did. Great ambiance, fresh oysters (dollar per) and very attentive server (Danielle). My wife loved the cocktails. Joe, the manager, stopped by the table to be sure we were properly attended, and topped off our night with a complimentary limoncello. They earned each of the five stars.
Amazing place to drink with friends ! Had a blast!
I used to go to the Gem Nightclub all the time. As of late, the atmosphere has changed completely and it has become one of the trashiest and most ratchet club I have ever been to. Shame on the management for allowing this to happen.
I'm pretty sure Gem is the most ratchet nightclub I've ever been to. I can't believe my crew paid $10 to get in on a Saturday night and there was barely anybody even in this place. This place was suggested by a friend of a friend who clearly doesn't have great taste lol. To add even more insult to injury, we were dancing on the dance floor which was half empty and my friend slightly moved the rope dividing the empty table area from the dance floor. The go go dancer or cocktail server was sitting at the table and rudely told him to step back. Seriously? Your club is so shitty that nobody wants a table here so therefore nobody is even at the table. It was ridiculous and completely unnecessary. Prob the worst nightclub experience I've ever had. Complete waste of time and money.
We had a VIP area for a Beyoncé Brunch. Our reservation was for 3pm. We got there a little after 3. We may have heard a total of 6 Beyoncé songs while we were there. I understand the event started at 1pm, but you should still be able to maintain a decent Beyoncé playlist. Bounce to Destiny's Child, even throw in artists in relation to extend your playlist (Jay-Z, Solange, etc.) We found ourselves bored rather quickly. The only area they had to hold our party was basically in the back corner away from civilization and the bar. Although the place looks really nice and the decor is spiffy, we didn't do much but sit there and watch each other. We got there a little after 3pm and had just left our friend's apartment from eating breakfast with one another, so we weren't really hungry. The crew just came to enjoy Beyoncé tunes and have drinks. We were sort of pressured to order food if we wanted any, because the waitress told us the kitchen closes at 4pm. So, we ordered something light like fries and tater tots. BOTH were sold out. The manager gave my friend a free drink for the inconvenience, but it was still like why pressure us to order food because the kitchen is closing soon and you're out of quite a bit of things? Other people ordered other food and they didn't have those items neither. It was then that we left Gem and went to another establishment. An entire L.
Don't ever take a table. You will have to pay but you won't have any space. My friend reserved a table for her birthday for $400. They gave us a table next to a dance floor. Everything was ok until they gave a table next to us to a promoter who brought around 20 people and they basically took over all our space. When we asked security to move people from our table they said : We can't do anything. But it wasn't the worst. Around 12.30 am( the busiest time) the manager of the place just stood on top of our table with his feet. We were shocked. When we asked him not to stand on our table he said : I work here and I'm looking for an employee in the crowd. It went downhill from there. No security making sure we still have our table and space ( we paid $400 for), waitress didn't care too and the manager after standing on the table decided to stand on our seats( see picture I will include) and move more and more people in to our space because they were trying to fit more people on the dance floor.(girls on the picture not from our party too, they were just dancing on our seats).We had to leave because we couldn't even stand there anymore.
Nice spot for an intimate or late evening dinner. Huge portions, but except for the French fries, food was rather ordinary and not as interesting as suggested by the Zagat review. Wine list extensive but wine by the glass had very limited selections.
Came on a Sunday for brunch and their breakfast pizza was amazing! Colossal waffles were not worth the $15 they charge. 3 tiny triangles and the presentation was awful. They need to be made more appealing. The atmosphere was great, lots of music and the waiter mentioned on Saturday nights they throw great parties. I would definitely come back
We had dinner here during the Winter Boston Restaurant Week as we have been to Gem on previous occasions for cocktails, and figured the $28 prix fixe Restaurant Week menu was worth trying. The service here is good and the atmosphere is nice, but the food is mediocre. It seems like the chef thinks the overly big portions will distract from the poor preparation and taste. The appetizer fried artichokes were just okay and the appetizer ceasar salad was truly an entree size, but it tasted like preservative and the plastic bag bagged lettuce comes in. The chicken parmigiana was served over penne, but the breading was burnt and it tasted as if the cutlets were just sitting on a tray in the oven for an extended period of time. The winter bolognese had a strange and overwhelmingly herb taste, and the pasta was not al dente. The tiramisu is decent, but the vanilla bean cheesecake is blah. Stick to Gem for cocktails. Hopefully, Gem will hire a new chef to elevate the food.
We went for the oysters, and they were excellent. So was the service, in its way.... We were the ONLY diners, and the server (who seemed to be doubling as host[ess] and bartender) was very nice. Obviously GEM can't survive on an oyster promotion, and the other food was just OK, antipasti-good; pizza-fair at best. The atmosphere was weird in the extreme... decor like a brothel or a speakeasy... fringed lamps, mirrors... overdone, dark and creepy, especially as we were the only ones in the dining room. Supposedly around 10:30 PM, GEM turns into a nightclub, which seems strange. Maybe true, given the annoyingly loud (recorded) music ... if only for our exclusive enjoyment at dinner. WHY someone would create a basically OK neighborhood restaurant MIXED with a nightclub. is a mystery to me! They'd do well to decide what they are and stick to it. Then dial back the decor and sharpen up the food.
We attended Gem Restaurant as a Birthday dinner for my son with a couple of his friends. It was a very good dinner, nice portions, attentive and excellent service. thank you, we will return.
Restaurantji Recommends
Instead of sitting in traffic on 93 north to north shore after 5pm which is horrible we tried this restaurant downtown. The food was good for most part and service was excellent, The look of this bar/restaurant is great and very pleasing. The food could use some work with better flavor and more than just the typical bar food items.
GEM is a great place to go for a lady's night out for delicious food and a cozy atmosphere. I'd also recommend it for a romantic night out too. The whole restaurant is dim, but in a candle-lit, inviting way. It'd easy to just sit and enjoy the foodie finds on the menu and enjoy your drink. The meatball sliders are amazing and the antipasti plate (especially the VIP version) is to die for.
We ate at GEM before a show at the Orpheum, and it was very convenient. We were seated in the bar area because of a group gathering in the dining room. It was quite loud with very loud music from the speaker right above our table. The staff was very accommodating and turned it down for us and also made sure we could make it to our show in time. The waiter and hostess were incredibly friendly so that made up for the so-so food. The bar had a young, professional looking crowd and it seemed like a fun place.
the dining room is intimate and romantic. The club music playing in the bar across the hall is piped in for some reason, although they turned it down when we asked. The chicken in the chicken park tasted old and strange. The server and manager were apologetic and brought out pasta, lemoncello and took the meal off the check which was very nice. Didn't quite hit it although they tried. Calamari was great w pickled vegetables.
Went on the strength of recent reviews, and I'm glad we did. Great ambiance, fresh oysters (dollar per) and very attentive server (Danielle). My wife loved the cocktails. Joe, the manager, stopped by the table to be sure we were properly attended, and topped off our night with a complimentary limoncello. They earned each of the five stars.