Cultivator offers big city cocktails and atmosphere in downtown New Bedford. Drinks are always…read moreexcellent and food is elevated bar food. I make it a point to come here every time I am back in town. Service is always friendly and attentive. You cannot go wrong coming here if you love good drinks.

I completely forgot that we went to Cultivator Shoals until after I got home from my trip and was…read moregoing through all of my receipts. We stopped here late night after many rounds and not enough "real" food at Play arcade. Reviewing the receipt jogged my memory. Getting old(er) is no joke! The interior is very cool! It has a great vibe! The staff is friendly, and we were seated right away. We skipped drinks and went right to the food. We had fries, tuna nachos and deviled eggs. All of the food was reasonably priced and it really hit the spot. This was a quick visit that was absolutely worthwhile! If I'm back in New Bedford, I will definitely return here to explore the menu a little further.

I understand the hype…read more Tucked away in Fairhaven is Olivia's. Small l restaurant maybe about 8-10 tables, small bar, with a coast theme and open kitchen. Super friendly staff, able to accommodate guests. Came in for my girlfriend's birthday as a reservation. Each got the Hugo No.5, light refreshing exactly what we wanted for a hot summer day. Started with the focaccia, fresh fluffy some crisp and they had some olive oil to dip. Loved my duck cooked exactly how I wanted, presentation was stunning. The steak frites were delicious from the steak to the sauce to the fries, definitely the most bang for your buck. Got the churros forn dessert and since it was her birthday they actually had a little sparkler with it and took a Polaroid pic and gave it to us. Such a cute little touch and definitely a great memory. Was it a little expensive yes, but for the quality of what you get I'd do again gladly.

We came here on our last night of our mini honeymoon…read more We started with the crab cakes, the dragon water cocktail and a beer on tap. The crab cakes were good and I really enjoyed the cocktail. Their cocktail menu has a lot of fun options. I had the Caesar salad and added shrimp. I originally wanted scallops but they were sold out but the shrimp/salad was delicious My fiancé had the prime rib special which was also very good. For desert we had a scoop of the passionfruit guava sorbet and the night agent cocktail. Our sever put a sparkler in our gelato, gifted us two glasses of champagne and gave us a Polaroid picture of us. What a nice touch! A very cozy local restaurant with beautiful decor and great vibes. The entire staff was friendly and welcoming. This was the perfect close to our mini honeymoon!

The drinks are great. The bar staff are wonderful and personable. They also show and sell local…read moreartists works. So show up for a drink, leave with some art for your place.

Jackie was amazing. Very attentive and friendly. All of the…read moredrinks were very good. From specials, menu items and simple Tito's soda with extra lime. Very inclusive. They have local art for sale. Vibe was super chill. They have billiards, which is nice and a free Photo Booth.

Consistently great food. Wonderful flavors that burst in your mouth. Lovely atmosphere and very…read morefriendly service. Can't say enough great things about this restaurant. Highly recommend!!

Absolutely the best restaurant in the Fairhaven/New Bedford area hands down…read more Delicious food and wonderful service. Great ambiance.

We were referred by the hotel we were staying at during our wedding anniversary to give them a try…read more I didn't want to make the mistake of not making a reservation as my wife and I were both looking forward to some seafood Best decision ever! So good that we cancelled our reservation we had the next evening elsewhere and came right back. With that being said, let's get right into it. The hostess seated us at a beautiful corner table outside looking out to the ocean and the bridge entrance and skyline of New Bedford. The view was simply amazing. Our waitress Bri was, for lack of a better word? Awesome! She was friendly, patient attentive and made some of the best cocktails my wife and I had and no they weren't watered down like most places do but again, perfect in every way. Right amount of everything. Everything we ordered came hot, fresh and most of all delicious also a reason why we chose to visit a second time. The next visit we were blessed enough to have a table in the exact same location and and again everything was amazing. From our server Peyton, great great guy! To the drinks he made to the food service. What an epic time we had! On behalf of my wife and I I would just like to say THANK YOU so so much for a wonderful anniversary weekend. We are both looking forward to coming back sooner than later. Continue being great. You have our full support!!!

The food is decent, but what happened during our last visit completely overshadowed it. My…read morehusband's glasses somehow ended up behind the bar and were returned badly mangled. We watched a staff member hand them to the bartender, who casually placed them in front of my husband without acknowledging the damage. When we confronted him, he acted as though he had no idea what had happened, despite what i had just witnessed. These were $700 glasses, and the situation was handled with zero honesty, accountability or professionalism. We still paid our bill, but after the way the staff handled this, we will not return. Management needs to address the damage and explain how a customer's personal property ended up behind the bar in the first place. but Tom showed absolutely no honesty, accountability or professionalism and we expect the restaurant to reimburse us for the damage.

I've come here a couple of times the last few days! Once on Saturday for some drinks with friends…read moreand then last night for trivia! Drinks are awesome (completely forgot to capture because so they were fantastic)! Service was great, staff bartenders super friendly. Trivia was great, won 2nd place! The Mozambique wings were fantastic, crispy, juicy and the the dry rub was so so good. Definitely will come back for either a night out of drinks, some trivia or just hanging out with friends. Restuarant is clean, updated and cozy

I was so excited to try this place for brunch. We picked up our bibs for the New Bedford half…read moremarathon and then went here immediately after. It was around 11 AM. We will probably seated by the hostess and provided menus. I asked if they had any brunch specials in the waitress let me know that there were some issues with the kitchen and that they wouldn't be serving brunch, only lunch. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. We are never around this area and I finally got to try this place and unfortunately, I opted to walk out. It was cute inside and smelled good. The drink list looked decent. Read it based on my interaction with the hostess, the waitress and how she handled the situation. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to try anything.

From start to finish - chef's kiss! Was looking for a spot to celebrate the mister's birthday and…read morethis hit a lot of the marks so made a reservation on Open Table and marked that we were celebrating a birthday. Large parking lot but it was PACKED on a Saturday night, so def make reservations for dinner! You can dine inside or outside, we opted for inside. Place is quite charming - reminds me of a spot you'd find in Boston. Rustic and charming with the wooden beams but still upscale and modern with decor. While we waited for our calamari and marsala gnocchi, we got some focaccia with butter - fluffy and not overly dense, perfect bites to start our night. Calamari def tasted fresh and was fried nicely but can we talk about the Marsala gnocchi (happened to be an app special). Not necessarily the best gnocchi I've had but prob the best gnocchi dish I've had - the Marsala sauce along with the caramelized onions and mushrooms were scrumptious. If it weren't for our entrees coming, I would've eaten the entire thing, so we asked for it to be packed up. My chicken parm was very good but I was still dreaming of the gnocchi while eating my entree, lol. We ended with the death by chocolate cake (complimentary for the birthday boy) and I had the limoncello sorbet. Both ended our meal perfectly. I have to give big kudos to our waitress, Chantel - super friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. The only thing I'd knock on is that some of the seating is a bit tight. It'd be nice to have a little more space in between the tables but I understand wanting to maximize the space. This is a great place for special occasions - who am I kidding, it's a good spot to just go eat!

Make a reservation if you're able to! The interior is very nice and beautiful. Ordered the chicken…read moremarsala & the chicken franceise. Both dishes were flavorful, well seasoned, and a good portion. They offer free focaccia bread which was delicious and a nice touch to our visit.

Reserved on a Saturday afternoon. We were welcomed warmly and quickly by the owner. The menu was…read morefull of what sounded like amazing picks all around so we picked several choices. He recommended the PB&J martini... what can I say other than it was phenomenal! The bao buns were pillowy buns filled with tender and flavorful short ribs that you can tell were roasted long and slow, full of rich flavor. The lollipop drumsticks were moist on the inside and crispy on the outside drizzled with a sweet yet spicy blueberry sauce that complimented the chicken perfectly. The macadamia scallops were chefs kiss! Tender and perfectly cooked with seared scallops, jasmine rice perfectly cooked and creamy, oyster mushrooms, toasted macadamia cream, sweet soy drizzle sauce to die for. I consider myself a great cook and a pretty tough critic. It's been awhile since I've been to a restaurant that I've enjoyed so much and one great enough to actually take the time to leave a review. I look forward to going back again soon. If you're looking for a great classy atmosphere for a date night or an evening with family or friends, you won't regret the visit!

The restaurant is a great dinner date place. The interior is ambient and intimate. Full service bar…read moreand a nice list of food. Ordered: - Philly cheesesteak rolls were decadent and came out hot and gooey. - Salmon and red risotto was creamy and salmon was cooked well. - Caesar salad and fries was an awesome option. - Vegetable alfredo was flavorful and a great option for vegetarians!

Drinks at we good. So are the clams. Wish there were more options…read more Bartender is solid.

Pretty solid tavern food with a few Portuguese favorites thrown in. Or at least I'm guessing that's…read morewhat Portuguese fried rice is- I really don't know, it was one of the most perplexing dishes I have ever tasted. Overall the food was well made and delicious, so it's worth a stop if you happen to be near the whaling museum.

With the salty brine of sea air Frank B is reporting for the docks of New Bedford and I'm here to…read moreshare THE BLACK WHALE establishment for a lunch time meal to awesome! Sounds of fishing vessels horns blowing throughout the New Bedford harbor and Wow what a view for dining. Today I dined in the Indoor / Outdoor bar area with a very and picturesque view of fishing vessels. Folks if you're thinking of enjoying a meal on the docks well this is your spot for that experience. Ok enough about visuals let's talk about food and wow what a meal.. A refreshing Watermelon sangria kicked off things. Totally an amazing refreshing cocktail I didn't expect to order, in fact I've never had a watermelon sangria prior to this meal. Folks this is a must order so listen and drink up. Rhode Island Calamari & a cup of New England Clam Chowder started my dining expereince off. Rich chunky clam chowda didn't disappoint and I only wished I'd ordered a bowl vs a cup. Calamari was perfectly breaded with an aioli sauce for dippin. Yes I had the hot cherry peppers placed on side as you can see but my dining partner enjoyed it, I'm just not into hot cherry peppers, so deal with it... Ok for main meal I ordered Tempura Shrimp sushi & chilled prawns... My sushi was primo and I enjoyed every bite. You can really appreciate sushi when you have fresh quality seafood ingredients and I'm almost positive these shrimp came off one of these boats. Wait I also had a chilled prawns cocktail which I shared but wish I hadn't LOL. I cannot express how pleased I was with my food and the staff who waited on me. They were an exceptional crew serving exceptional food and will defiantly be dining here soon! FRANK B OVER & OUT !

As a native New Englander, I don't say this lightly: this was one of the best seafood meals we've…read morehad in a very long time. Phenomenal oysters and shrimp; seared tuna was stellar! We made the rookie mistake of showing up without a reservation on a Tuesday night, and the restaurant was packed. The hostess, who was in training, handled the situation with such poise. She was warm, thoughtful, and transparent about the 45-minute wait, which we genuinely appreciated. What really set the tone, though, was Will. I later learned he was one of the owners, but you never would have guessed it. He wasn't standing back overseeing the dining room; instead, he was in it, working just as hard as everyone else. He welcomed us personally, empathized, and even offered us a cocktail while we waited. As we sat nearby, we watched him gently coach the hostess in training. There was humor, kindness, and encouragement, balanced with clear expectations: simple reminders like making sure every guest is greeted the moment they walk through the door. It was leadership by example. He carried himself with humility, intention, and a work ethic that he clearly models for his entire team. Watching those interactions made me appreciate the restaurant even before we sat down to eat. By the end of the meal, the wait didn't matter one bit. In fact, after experiencing both the hospitality and the food, we completely understood why the restaurant was full on a Tuesday night. The service was exceptional. I'll update this review once I remember our server's name because she absolutely deserves recognition. She was attentive, incredibly hardworking, and gracefully managed not only our table but the many families with children around us. The manager also stopped by to check on us, and it felt entirely sincere. The model started at the top and was clearly part of their ethos. They were so generous which is why we recommend this spot to anyone visiting the area! The food was every bit as impressive as the service. The shrimp cocktail featured some of the largest, freshest shrimp I've had in years--perfectly chilled and absolutely delicious. The oysters were impeccably fresh and beautifully presented. Every dish reinforced why New England seafood has the reputation it does. Great restaurants serve great food. Exceptional restaurants create a culture that guests can actually feel. This place does both. We'll absolutely be back--and next time, we'll be smart enough to make a reservation.