Loved the intimate atmosphere. Bartender was great, drinks were amazing. Food was really good, and tasted fresh. I had the prosperity noodles instead of something with rice. If you're looking for something different, delicious, and special, this is the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Dil S.
Neat basement bar in an old town building. Creative cocktails and fried Asian fusion food. Wings, Rangoons, fried rice were flavorful.
Jeff Melton
Food is excellent but the bars upstairs and downstairs are the main draw. Do yourself a favor and try something new or ask to have a drink created for you based on liquor preference and flavors you like. Cocktails are more expensive ($16-20) than most places, but the bartenders are crafting cocktails with fresh creative ingredients not making Jack and Cokes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tara M.
I was really looking forward to checking this place out after hearing praise about the bar. I didn't find it very welcoming unfortunately. We sat at the bar downstairs. The ambiance was nice - dim lit and moody. Our bartender was friendly enough and seemed knowledgeable but she was unwilling to adjust the only cocktail I thought I'd like on the menu (asked if she could make it less sweet and she said she didn't want to change the menu item and suggested I order something else... sadly that was the only item that I was interested in so I just had water). I ordered the beef with broccoli for dinner. It came out very quickly, was tepid warm, not hot - it didn't taste fresh or made to order. It was good but I expected a higher quality standard for the price. My partner's chicken fingers were too greasy for his liking but the noodles were tasty. The bill for the two of us was expensive (especially considering we had 3 items and the only drink between the two of us was a can of beer) and honestly, nothing to write home about. Disappointing for the wait and the price. Overhyped in my opinion and there are better local options in Woburn.
Bob L.
An excellent experience start to finish. Cool vibe - it's in an old mansion that dates to mid 17th century. Two separate bars with different craft cocktail styles. We sat downstairs - my wife had the Trader Vic Mai Tai and loved it. I had the Uncle Harvey's airplane. Really well executed drinks and nicely balanced flavors. Not your avg local Chinese rest Mai Tai (they have their place and I love those as well). The food is done by the Sichuan Garden restaurant. While it's a more limited menu than your avg place the food is well above average. As close to authentic Sichuan as I've had in some time. Service was very good. Attentive without hovering. Never waited on a drink, etc My ONLY concern about my review is others will find out about this place ;-)
G S
I was really hoping this place would live up to the hype, and the over crowded parking lot. Sadly, it fell short on all fronts. The drink menu was extremely limited, with every request for a modification met with “We can’t do that”, or “It’s premade”. Food was average. We were never checked in on once the food arrived, and never offered the chance to order a second drink (not sure we would have anyway). It was 6:30 pm, so still a bit ahead of the busy time, so lack of attentiveness seems odd. Table could have been cleaner, and overall vibe was just off. Definitely a one and done for us. Would not recommend.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Madisyn N.
My partner and I and his sibling went to Baldwin Bar tonight and dined on their second level, Baldwin and Sons Trading Co., for my partners birthday, which I notated in our reservation, that was at 9:30 PM. Unfortunately, the experience was significantly marred by the service we received. After a short wait, we were told immediately by our server we had a minute to place our food orders and then around 25 minutes later we were last called for the bar as well which left us no time to review the menu thoroughly. If we had been made aware that we would be this significantly rushed we would have chosen to come on a different night so we could have a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Our server forgot to ring in one of the food items we ordered, the sesame chicken, the server's resolution was a complimentary mocktail, which felt underwhelming. To add to the discomfort, my partner's brother forgot his ID, and the server remarked, "we'll be watching you", in regard to us not sharing our drinks. It was understandable that he could not be served without presenting an ID, but the remark made by the server made us feel very uncomfortable throughout the rest of the dinner. The server was extremely short with us the entire dinner which made the three of us feel super awkward and added to the uncomfortable environment that was already created. We all work in the service industry. I am a bartender at a bar in Downtown Crossing and my partner is a lead bartender at a bar in Somerville, both late night restaurants. My partners sibling is also a server at another restaurant in Watertown so we all have an understanding of what it means to be in the service industry. It's hard work and people can be difficult. I left a 20% tip, recognizing the challenges faced in the industry and out of respect for the restaurant because we know there is a lot that goes into every night of service. I am very disappointed that we did not have a good experience especially because my partner was super excited to check this place out for his birthday and enjoy their cocktail menu. We know now, that even if offered it will not be enjoyable experience to reserve a table after 8:30 PM. Hopefully this issue will be resolved for future guests and ourselves.
Gerardo G.
The drinks are top-notch. Had a terrible day and I just wanted to have a drink. Although they were full on a Thursday night, they still accommodated us at the bar. Kind and sympathetic folks and can't recommend them enough. Got some food to go and every dish was also very good.
MATT GRABOWSKI
A drink worth posting about. Excellent service from the bartender. Delicious Chinese food. Got the Plumb Pork and Double Fried Bacon with Leeks from the attached restaurant Szechuan. This place is usually busy.Vegetarian options: My vegan wife found something
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Katie Woodling
Really expensive for what we got, lunch atmosphere was a ghost
I've been coming here for a number of years with mixed experiences. Our latest visit had great service. The cocktails were delicious, as always.The food, however, was a miss. Served quickly, but half of our order was luke warm and not as good as in the past. We had late reservations that may have contributed.The last call is at 10:30 on a Saturday night.Eat before you arrive and then grab some drinks.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Mike Boujoulian
Elite cocktails and service. Staff is knowledgeable, fun and has a balanced attentiveness. Atmosphere upstairs at the lounge is cool. Darker, swankier, and excellent upbeat soundtrack.Traditional Sichuan menu was awesome. Must visit. You'll need reservations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J D.
We have been to the Baldwin many times and it always is great. The food is delicious, the artistic cocktails are magnificent! The specialTy cocktail recipes cannot be altered (I.e if you prefer vodka to rum ) but they have a full bar and they add a special touch. The server Dreigo is phenomenal with great food recommendations ! A great place to have a meal and cocktails . Reservations recommended .
Andrew B.
I had been hoping to come here for several years, and finally got the opportunity this week. I was honestly a bit let down, and I'm not sure I'll bother to come back. First off, the service was remarkably mediocre. For a place that is booked start to finish all night and charges the prices they do, I shouldn't have to flag the waiter down to order another $22 drink. Food came quick and so did the drinks, once they were finally ordered. Food was great, perhaps not quite as good as sichuan gourmet, but really close. We got a few apps and shared a main, and I was very happy with everything we ordered- it tasted fresh and a step waaaay above what you normally get for Chinese food. The let down was really around the drinks and prices. The cocktails were fun and inventive, but they were weak, expensive, and short. I ordered too, and they erred heavily into "wildly creative" and not enough into "good". Peanut oil is great in my Chengdu chicken, maybe not as much in my cocktail. The second drink I got was so heavily frothed that it was hard to taste the cocktail beneath. The two drinks I got were $17 and $18, and they ranged from 17-22$. Food was similarly expensive, $17-22 for an entree that elsewhere costs $15-18. Anyways, I'm happy I finally got to try it out, but the food wasn't worth the drive/wait/price and the cocktails went too far out into space for me.
Loved the intimate atmosphere. Bartender was great, drinks were amazing. Food was really good, and tasted fresh. I had the prosperity noodles instead of something with rice. If you're looking for something different, delicious, and special, this is the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Neat basement bar in an old town building. Creative cocktails and fried Asian fusion food. Wings, Rangoons, fried rice were flavorful.
Food is excellent but the bars upstairs and downstairs are the main draw. Do yourself a favor and try something new or ask to have a drink created for you based on liquor preference and flavors you like. Cocktails are more expensive ($16-20) than most places, but the bartenders are crafting cocktails with fresh creative ingredients not making Jack and Cokes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was really looking forward to checking this place out after hearing praise about the bar. I didn't find it very welcoming unfortunately. We sat at the bar downstairs. The ambiance was nice - dim lit and moody. Our bartender was friendly enough and seemed knowledgeable but she was unwilling to adjust the only cocktail I thought I'd like on the menu (asked if she could make it less sweet and she said she didn't want to change the menu item and suggested I order something else... sadly that was the only item that I was interested in so I just had water). I ordered the beef with broccoli for dinner. It came out very quickly, was tepid warm, not hot - it didn't taste fresh or made to order. It was good but I expected a higher quality standard for the price. My partner's chicken fingers were too greasy for his liking but the noodles were tasty. The bill for the two of us was expensive (especially considering we had 3 items and the only drink between the two of us was a can of beer) and honestly, nothing to write home about. Disappointing for the wait and the price. Overhyped in my opinion and there are better local options in Woburn.
An excellent experience start to finish. Cool vibe - it's in an old mansion that dates to mid 17th century. Two separate bars with different craft cocktail styles. We sat downstairs - my wife had the Trader Vic Mai Tai and loved it. I had the Uncle Harvey's airplane. Really well executed drinks and nicely balanced flavors. Not your avg local Chinese rest Mai Tai (they have their place and I love those as well). The food is done by the Sichuan Garden restaurant. While it's a more limited menu than your avg place the food is well above average. As close to authentic Sichuan as I've had in some time. Service was very good. Attentive without hovering. Never waited on a drink, etc My ONLY concern about my review is others will find out about this place ;-)
I was really hoping this place would live up to the hype, and the over crowded parking lot. Sadly, it fell short on all fronts. The drink menu was extremely limited, with every request for a modification met with “We can’t do that”, or “It’s premade”. Food was average. We were never checked in on once the food arrived, and never offered the chance to order a second drink (not sure we would have anyway). It was 6:30 pm, so still a bit ahead of the busy time, so lack of attentiveness seems odd. Table could have been cleaner, and overall vibe was just off. Definitely a one and done for us. Would not recommend.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
My partner and I and his sibling went to Baldwin Bar tonight and dined on their second level, Baldwin and Sons Trading Co., for my partners birthday, which I notated in our reservation, that was at 9:30 PM. Unfortunately, the experience was significantly marred by the service we received. After a short wait, we were told immediately by our server we had a minute to place our food orders and then around 25 minutes later we were last called for the bar as well which left us no time to review the menu thoroughly. If we had been made aware that we would be this significantly rushed we would have chosen to come on a different night so we could have a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Our server forgot to ring in one of the food items we ordered, the sesame chicken, the server's resolution was a complimentary mocktail, which felt underwhelming. To add to the discomfort, my partner's brother forgot his ID, and the server remarked, "we'll be watching you", in regard to us not sharing our drinks. It was understandable that he could not be served without presenting an ID, but the remark made by the server made us feel very uncomfortable throughout the rest of the dinner. The server was extremely short with us the entire dinner which made the three of us feel super awkward and added to the uncomfortable environment that was already created. We all work in the service industry. I am a bartender at a bar in Downtown Crossing and my partner is a lead bartender at a bar in Somerville, both late night restaurants. My partners sibling is also a server at another restaurant in Watertown so we all have an understanding of what it means to be in the service industry. It's hard work and people can be difficult. I left a 20% tip, recognizing the challenges faced in the industry and out of respect for the restaurant because we know there is a lot that goes into every night of service. I am very disappointed that we did not have a good experience especially because my partner was super excited to check this place out for his birthday and enjoy their cocktail menu. We know now, that even if offered it will not be enjoyable experience to reserve a table after 8:30 PM. Hopefully this issue will be resolved for future guests and ourselves.
The drinks are top-notch. Had a terrible day and I just wanted to have a drink. Although they were full on a Thursday night, they still accommodated us at the bar. Kind and sympathetic folks and can't recommend them enough. Got some food to go and every dish was also very good.
A drink worth posting about. Excellent service from the bartender. Delicious Chinese food. Got the Plumb Pork and Double Fried Bacon with Leeks from the attached restaurant Szechuan. This place is usually busy.Vegetarian options: My vegan wife found something
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really expensive for what we got, lunch atmosphere was a ghost
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Hidden gem with some the best bar and szechuan in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've been coming here for a number of years with mixed experiences. Our latest visit had great service. The cocktails were delicious, as always.The food, however, was a miss. Served quickly, but half of our order was luke warm and not as good as in the past. We had late reservations that may have contributed.The last call is at 10:30 on a Saturday night.Eat before you arrive and then grab some drinks.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Elite cocktails and service. Staff is knowledgeable, fun and has a balanced attentiveness. Atmosphere upstairs at the lounge is cool. Darker, swankier, and excellent upbeat soundtrack.Traditional Sichuan menu was awesome. Must visit. You'll need reservations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We have been to the Baldwin many times and it always is great. The food is delicious, the artistic cocktails are magnificent! The specialTy cocktail recipes cannot be altered (I.e if you prefer vodka to rum ) but they have a full bar and they add a special touch. The server Dreigo is phenomenal with great food recommendations ! A great place to have a meal and cocktails . Reservations recommended .
I had been hoping to come here for several years, and finally got the opportunity this week. I was honestly a bit let down, and I'm not sure I'll bother to come back. First off, the service was remarkably mediocre. For a place that is booked start to finish all night and charges the prices they do, I shouldn't have to flag the waiter down to order another $22 drink. Food came quick and so did the drinks, once they were finally ordered. Food was great, perhaps not quite as good as sichuan gourmet, but really close. We got a few apps and shared a main, and I was very happy with everything we ordered- it tasted fresh and a step waaaay above what you normally get for Chinese food. The let down was really around the drinks and prices. The cocktails were fun and inventive, but they were weak, expensive, and short. I ordered too, and they erred heavily into "wildly creative" and not enough into "good". Peanut oil is great in my Chengdu chicken, maybe not as much in my cocktail. The second drink I got was so heavily frothed that it was hard to taste the cocktail beneath. The two drinks I got were $17 and $18, and they ranged from 17-22$. Food was similarly expensive, $17-22 for an entree that elsewhere costs $15-18. Anyways, I'm happy I finally got to try it out, but the food wasn't worth the drive/wait/price and the cocktails went too far out into space for me.