Dennis was our waiter! We were so grateful to have him while he also watched the bar! Interesting conversations and the food was cooked perfectly! Dishes Ive enjoyed and family members have enjoyed in the past are the fish tacos, chicken sandwich gluten free, dairy free, hamburger regular, California salad and a chicken peanut stir fry that was a special I think a year ago. This restaurant is definitely gluten free and dairy free friendly. If you are a GF vegan which I was for 6.5 years you can also find versions of those kind of dishes. They are very willing to accommodate to a variety of dietary needs. Thank you Dennis! Enjoy! P. S. I read through all the reviews. I see now with the re-branding there have been some struggles. My recommendation though, if it helps, try Wellesley Tavern again. I cant guarantee anything in life, but having gone there tonight myself, you can know it was a great experience.
Dennis was excellent! We were so grateful to have him as our waiter while he also watched the bar! Lots of interesting conversation! The food was cooked perfect! We will definitely be back! Thank you!!
JenniferB
Every dish that the four of us ordered was delicious: Chicken piccata special, Nashville fried chicken, and Lobster Crusted Sea Scallops, as well as the appetizers - Cecina, Crispy Beef Teriyaki Dumplings! The service was wonderful and the atmosphere is nice and relaxing.
DavidO
We had a nice evening outside on the patio. I know staffing is in short supply, so the bartender also had to wait on us outside, which meant at one point I had to go in to order more drinks, but that's not her fault. The tuna tostado was good. The fish tacos were bland and boring. The signature cocktail was good. My vodka tonic came with a lemon on the first one and nothing on the second, so not stellar, but tasted fine. They have also added a bunch of TV screens to the bar area which I find distracting even when sitting outside. I liked it better before all the screens. It gives it a sports bar feel now.
Dan G.
Had a perfectly pleasant dining experience here. Service was young but very friendly and prompt/attentive enough. Cocktails were quite tasty, as was the food. The other comment(s) about "identity crisis" is/are fair: gastropub vibe and family-friendly setting make for odd bedfellows. Still, solid place for a meal.
Joan G.
Can't enjoy yourself at the bar because the seats are very low and it makes it very uncomfortable to sit there. The restaurant smells of fish the minute you walk in!
James W.
Takeout order, Nashville Chicken was poorly cooked, borderline inedible. For got part of order....tough given very high prices.
I knew it was a doomed outing from the start when they seated us at the booth RIGHT outside of the kitchen- my entire dinner my visual was the bright lights and chaos of the kitchen. And there were plenty of open tables (my husband doesn't like to complain so we stayed put). But then we got the worst waiter I've ever encountered. He didn't place our appetizer order - actually looked surprised when we asked if the calamari was coming anytime soon! - got drinks wrong, and was just confused about everything. And the food was nothing special - burgers were prepared well done despite ordering medium rare. So I don't think we'll return - unless we eat at the bar and order directly from bartender!
Veegirl1
Was very disappointed with my meal on May 31. We started with calamari and a shrimp tempura roll. The calamari was ok. The roll was very fishy tasting. I had the Brussels sprout salad with shrimp. The salad had way too much dressing so everything was soggy. The shrimp were tasteless. The service was very slow. The drinks were good!
KirstyM
I have to worked in catering my whole life and I have never had such a bad experience as I did last night. Our waiter got pulled into making drinks at the bar so we ended up with no one serving us. My friend ordered the Nashville chicken asked if it was really spicy “no” was the response. It burned her mouth, they replaced it with the buttermilk chicken. After it took us 5 minutes to get someone to come over and serve us. It took them 20 minutes to cook this. Then it was so dry and inedible that my friend didn't eat it. We sat for 25 minutes before I had to flag someone over to help us. We explained our problem and asked to speak to the manager. The manager and chef came over, the chef was very apologetic. The manager did not open her mouth at all just let the chef do all the talking. We will not be back, you can give the chef the benefit of the doubt and try the food again. But the service and manager, no thank you!!
Our first time at Wellesley Tavern was fantastic! Our server was attentive knowledgeable and recommended the Short Rib Tacos. Delicious and abundant. Our food came promptly after placing our order and the pricing was very reasonable. We will be sure to return soon!
barney
The food was good and if are really hungry the portions are a good size. I had the tuna sandwich and the sweet potato bisque the others had the salmon belly and the short rib taco and 1/2 salad. We were all pleased. The only thing I wish is to use less cilantro and to make sure if there is cilantro it is listed. It was not mentioned in the description of the topping of the tuna.
Extremely slow service and very hot inside, everyone was sweating and so uncomfortable. Food was great but way overpriced. Drinks were not great, and very small glass of wine for $17.
matteh
hostess was spectacularly unpleasant, not the right personality to be the greeting face of any establishment. food was extremely overpriced. our waiter was exceptional as was the server
ChrisB
Food was great. Service was extremely slow. 50 minutes to get our first drink. Waiter was not familiar with the menu. Drinks all looked and tasted great. The placed was alive and had energy. Service was really a significant weak point.
Dennis was our waiter! We were so grateful to have him while he also watched the bar! Interesting conversations and the food was cooked perfectly! Dishes Ive enjoyed and family members have enjoyed in the past are the fish tacos, chicken sandwich gluten free, dairy free, hamburger regular, California salad and a chicken peanut stir fry that was a special I think a year ago. This restaurant is definitely gluten free and dairy free friendly. If you are a GF vegan which I was for 6.5 years you can also find versions of those kind of dishes. They are very willing to accommodate to a variety of dietary needs. Thank you Dennis! Enjoy! P. S. I read through all the reviews. I see now with the re-branding there have been some struggles. My recommendation though, if it helps, try Wellesley Tavern again. I cant guarantee anything in life, but having gone there tonight myself, you can know it was a great experience.
Dennis was excellent! We were so grateful to have him as our waiter while he also watched the bar! Lots of interesting conversation! The food was cooked perfect! We will definitely be back! Thank you!!
Every dish that the four of us ordered was delicious: Chicken piccata special, Nashville fried chicken, and Lobster Crusted Sea Scallops, as well as the appetizers - Cecina, Crispy Beef Teriyaki Dumplings! The service was wonderful and the atmosphere is nice and relaxing.
We had a nice evening outside on the patio. I know staffing is in short supply, so the bartender also had to wait on us outside, which meant at one point I had to go in to order more drinks, but that's not her fault. The tuna tostado was good. The fish tacos were bland and boring. The signature cocktail was good. My vodka tonic came with a lemon on the first one and nothing on the second, so not stellar, but tasted fine. They have also added a bunch of TV screens to the bar area which I find distracting even when sitting outside. I liked it better before all the screens. It gives it a sports bar feel now.
Had a perfectly pleasant dining experience here. Service was young but very friendly and prompt/attentive enough. Cocktails were quite tasty, as was the food. The other comment(s) about "identity crisis" is/are fair: gastropub vibe and family-friendly setting make for odd bedfellows. Still, solid place for a meal.
Can't enjoy yourself at the bar because the seats are very low and it makes it very uncomfortable to sit there. The restaurant smells of fish the minute you walk in!
Takeout order, Nashville Chicken was poorly cooked, borderline inedible. For got part of order....tough given very high prices.
I knew it was a doomed outing from the start when they seated us at the booth RIGHT outside of the kitchen- my entire dinner my visual was the bright lights and chaos of the kitchen. And there were plenty of open tables (my husband doesn't like to complain so we stayed put). But then we got the worst waiter I've ever encountered. He didn't place our appetizer order - actually looked surprised when we asked if the calamari was coming anytime soon! - got drinks wrong, and was just confused about everything. And the food was nothing special - burgers were prepared well done despite ordering medium rare. So I don't think we'll return - unless we eat at the bar and order directly from bartender!
Was very disappointed with my meal on May 31. We started with calamari and a shrimp tempura roll. The calamari was ok. The roll was very fishy tasting. I had the Brussels sprout salad with shrimp. The salad had way too much dressing so everything was soggy. The shrimp were tasteless. The service was very slow. The drinks were good!
I have to worked in catering my whole life and I have never had such a bad experience as I did last night. Our waiter got pulled into making drinks at the bar so we ended up with no one serving us. My friend ordered the Nashville chicken asked if it was really spicy “no” was the response. It burned her mouth, they replaced it with the buttermilk chicken. After it took us 5 minutes to get someone to come over and serve us. It took them 20 minutes to cook this. Then it was so dry and inedible that my friend didn't eat it. We sat for 25 minutes before I had to flag someone over to help us. We explained our problem and asked to speak to the manager. The manager and chef came over, the chef was very apologetic. The manager did not open her mouth at all just let the chef do all the talking. We will not be back, you can give the chef the benefit of the doubt and try the food again. But the service and manager, no thank you!!
Restaurantji Recommends
Our first time at Wellesley Tavern was fantastic! Our server was attentive knowledgeable and recommended the Short Rib Tacos. Delicious and abundant. Our food came promptly after placing our order and the pricing was very reasonable. We will be sure to return soon!
The food was good and if are really hungry the portions are a good size. I had the tuna sandwich and the sweet potato bisque the others had the salmon belly and the short rib taco and 1/2 salad. We were all pleased. The only thing I wish is to use less cilantro and to make sure if there is cilantro it is listed. It was not mentioned in the description of the topping of the tuna.
Extremely slow service and very hot inside, everyone was sweating and so uncomfortable. Food was great but way overpriced. Drinks were not great, and very small glass of wine for $17.
hostess was spectacularly unpleasant, not the right personality to be the greeting face of any establishment. food was extremely overpriced. our waiter was exceptional as was the server
Food was great. Service was extremely slow. 50 minutes to get our first drink. Waiter was not familiar with the menu. Drinks all looked and tasted great. The placed was alive and had energy. Service was really a significant weak point.