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    Bistro 5

    4.3 (308 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    Bistro 5 Photos

    BISTRO 5 ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Romantic
    Classy
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Bistro 5

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    Calamari and Salmon Arancini
    Christina V.

    Impressed by their Dine Out Boston menu, a friend and I met at the bar for a nice 3 course meal. It was hard to decide as all the options looked great, we started with the Salmon Arancini (which I've never seen on a menu) and Fried Calamari. Both were perfectly fried and delicious. I could eat that arancini all day. They also gave complimentary bread with a super rich olive oil. For mains it was an easy choice - Gnocchi w/ Fat Moon Mushrooms and their Bolognese. Both so fresh and flavorful! We ended with a dessert of Crème Brulee and Profiteroles and cappuccinos. We shared everything and left so full. While the service was friendly we felt very rushed even though it wasn't super late and there were plenty of people in the restaurant. The servers kept trying to clear our plates when we weren't done (actually took away calamari we would have continued to enjoy). My friend and I don't meet often and were catching up and wanted a leisurely dinner. Parking is also very tricky but the food was so good I would definitely go back!

    Strawberry and cream dessert cocktail

    We love that Bistro 5 is nearby and serves consistently excellent food and cocktails. We've been coming here for many years and enjoy the creative and reliably high-quality dishes. I love the gnocchi with mushrooms as it cones with an abundance of mushrooms, and the gnocchi isn't heavy. We've enjoyed the duck, branzino, steak, and other entrees. The soups are also always very good, as are the appetizers such as the calamari, fried green tomatoes and burrata, and everything else we have tried. The desserts are good, but the description doesn't always match what you get. Servers are friendly and knowledgeable, and the atmosphere is quiet and nice. I appreciate that they keep some stapme dishes on the menu and also have seasonal specials. There is always something new to try.

    Chocolate Budino
    Cynthia M.

    Had such a nice time for dinner! I went out with my family and we enjoyed it. We came about an hour before closing and they were accommodating. It wasn't too loud and they had some music going on in the background. The place was small and quaint. We also had kids with us and the server brought us kids menu with crayons. (It's the little things) We got a couple drinks and the bartender did not miss! They were delicious. I'd say the price is a little on the higher end so prepare for that. I parked on the street instead of parking further down the block. It was easy to find parking but if you park down the block, it's a bit of a walk. You can't miss it, the sign outside says bistro 5! Overall, it's a nice classic place to go to if you want a bite to eat, a drink, and go home.

    interior of a restaurant with tables and chairs
    Jerry C.

    Local upscale restaurant with a lovely and intimate atmosphere. Arrived early to a mostly empty restaurant but it filled up quickly. Our server was outstanding- friendly, competent and followed-up often. The wine and beer selections are varied but pricey for the area. Our meals were ok. My steak was properly cooked and was sitting on some broccolini with riced pickled cauliflower on top. The veal milanese was attractively presented with roasted butternut squash and a melange of vegetables. The entrees were tasty. The fresh baked bread with olive puree dip was delicious and the profitaroles for dessert were delicious. 4 stars for the food 5 for the service and ambiance.

    Vegan options: Lentil Veggie and Truffle Spaghetti (BOTH AMAZING)
    megan b.

    This is a fine dining restaurant with amazing food and atmosphere! I absolutely loved the vegan options and chef! The lentil dish had veggies with parsnip puree and mustard- so creamy and amazing. The spaghetti/mushroom was also so good!! For dessert- guava and passion fruit sorbet was wow! Made me want to be on vacation. Perfect meal, atmosphere, and service. A+++!

    Wild Boar Special
    Zaraid J.

    *Rating based solely on FOOD* Presentation: 4.5 Texture: 4 Flavor: 4 Would return? Yes Must-try: Whatever special they have that day! I liked this place and would come back to try different dishes. The menu is not extensive but I still struggled deciding what to eat because everything looked good. The best thing I tried was the appetizer which was the night's special - unfortunately not in the pictures - a porcini arancini filled with smoked mozzarella, a bottom of pesto and arugula on top. Every bite was out of this world - perfect combination of flavors, well seasoned and great textures. Then for entree we had another night's special (so you may not find it) - Boar Cavatelli - it was really good, although I deducted some points because the dish was cold (which I particularly hate with any pasta) and the cavatelli needed another 30 seconds of cooking. The monkfish (regular menu item) was also great and had very unusual flavors. Perfect balance of textures and I found it very pleasing to eat, however, it lacked salt and hence flavor. These small imperfections add up, specially at a place of this caliber. I'd say you can't go wrong here! Maybe order the special they have that day! Non-Food Stuff: I enjoyed the ambiance, very cozy and welcoming. I could tell the place is popular because it had soooo many people coming in to pick up an order (which ruins the vibe of the place a little). Service was very slow, but professional and friendly. Hope this helps! Z.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Fabulous drinks! I am a finicky eater so it doesn't cater to the faint of heart. Great ambience and a really nice neighborhood place to go.

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great place with inspired menu. Highly recommended. Tuesdays they often have oyster specials.

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    2 years ago

    Went there for a girls night out and it was delightful. We had no complaints. The food and service were both on point.

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    2 years ago

    Great food! Great drinks! Great ambience and service! Definitely a hidden gem in Medford.

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    Page 1 of 8

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    BingeBowl - Meal for your Family.

    BingeBowl

    4.9(25 reviews)
    3.0 mi

    A True Gem! Our Favorite Spot. BingeBowl is hands-down one…read moreof our favorite restaurants! My family and I are regulars here, and we keep coming back for a reason. Everything about this place is just fantastic. The food is consistently outstanding. My absolute favorite, and a must-try for anyone, is the "Taste of Moldova." It is such an authentic, comforting, and delicious bowl. The combination of the polenta (mamaliga), the savory meat, the branza (cheese), and the sour cream is perfect every single time. It tastes just like a wonderful, high-quality home-cooked meal. But it's not just the amazing food that makes us loyal customers. The service is always exceptional. The staff is so warm, friendly, and welcoming from the moment you walk in. We also genuinely enjoy speaking with the owner. He is incredibly kind, and you can truly feel his passion for the food and his customers. It makes the whole dining experience feel so much more personal and special. We have loved every visit and will continue to come back again and again. Honestly, everything is "super" here! Highly, highly recommend BingeBowl to everyone.

    3.5 Stars. A nice foray into Moldovan food. I got the Taste of Moldova and the Savory Meat Pie. The…read morepork chunks in the Taste of Moldova were slightly chewy but still pretty tender for how large the pieces were. The dish could've used some type of sauce other than the sour cream though, texturally it was quite dry. The Savory Meat Pie was decent and a great size for the price. The Adjika Hot Sauce (only a hint of spice) definitely was needed for it. Unfortunately, the Pie wasn't heated fully through. The Compot Fruit Punch was perfectly sweet and fruity. Note that BingeBowl and Bikeeny Caffe are in the same establishment

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    Sampler Bowl

    BingeBowl - Mediterranean Chicken Bowl

    Mediterranean Chicken Bowl

    BingeBowl - Taste of Moldova Bowl

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    Esmai’s Cafe & Restaurant - Loco Moco rice plate - the gravy made the dish!

    Esmai’s Cafe & Restaurant

    4.4(44 reviews)
    5.5 miCoolidge Corner

    The food was absolutely delicious! The service was great and we were easily accommodated despite…read morebeing early for our reservation. The restaurant has a bar, second floor, and a side with booths. It was the perfect ambiance with amazing food. We ordered two of their appetizers and split an order of the BBH. It was the perfect amount of food for us! I highly recommend Esmai's if you want to try something a little different and elevated.

    I came here for a date night as I've seen great reviews about the drinks and the food here. I made…read morea reservation for 6 on a Friday night - it was initially quiet inside but began to fill up more once we were seated. The interior was clean and modern. Our server was very welcoming and able to provide us with great insights into the menu. The cocktails were refreshing and tasty. I ordered a 'Spill the Tea' with gin and my husband ordered the matcha colada. I'd love to come back and try more out! As for food, we ordered the mini beef wellington, the banh mi & bone marrow, the curry chicken, and the loco moco. I loved the variety of dishes on the menu and was super impressed by the execution of all of them. They were very flavorful and cooked to perfection, with the mini beef wellington having crispy puff pastry and the bone marrow very tender. Overall, I was impressed by Esmai's creativity and would love to come back to try out more of the menu.

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    Esmai’s Cafe & Restaurant
    Esmai’s Cafe & Restaurant - Shrimp Bao

    Shrimp Bao

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    Cafe Polonia - Potato pancakes with smoked salmon

    Cafe Polonia

    4.5(580 reviews)
    7.5 miSouth Boston
    $$

    Small quaint hole-in-the-wall place, with an intimate atmosphere and good food!…read more We got pierogis and kielbasa - the pierogis were yummy, although the kielbasa we didn't find worth it (a bit dry / overcooked). Service was friendly. If we're craving pierogis and are in the area, we'd likely go back!

    What a dream little spot. Small, quaint, comfort polish foods from polish babcia (we saw them in…read morethe kitchen looking over their customers. Love.) Pickle Soup $7 A dill pickle soup with carrots, onions, celery and diced potatoes -- amazing little soup with bread. The subtle tastes were deliciously satisfying. Not heavy but not just water. Lovely. Pierogi $18 Served fried with caramelized onions. Choice of: potato and cheese, cabbage and mushroom or spinach (we did a mix of every kind they had! Also comes with great sour cream. Again not heavy--even fried--so much comfort. Perfect dough, perfect fillings. Polish Plate $24 Mix plate: Hunter's stew, stuffed cabbage, three pierogies, and grilled Polish sausage kielbasa. A little taste of everything. Split it with my partner. So much comfort food. Each one was a 10 out of 10. They just never missed the mark. Perfect. Exactly what we wanted. And of course we split the Gypsy Pancake $21 A giant potato pancake filled with Hungarian goulash, topped with sour cream and dill Huge. This one was heavy for the heavyweights. But phenomenal. It was bigger than I thought it would be. Crispy, not too oily, and a very rich flavor in the goulash. Meat was a little tough but fit right into the rich deep flavors. Everything was top shelf goodness. Come knowing you'll have to share. Don't assume anything is small! It's all shareable! Great atmosphere, wooden tables/booths, tight but homey. Guy who ran the spot was also very nice. Polish locals were coming in asking for their favorites in polish. Ah man it was great. Great feel, great food, great spot! My wife and I will definitely be back. That pickle soup!!!

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    Cafe Polonia
    Cafe Polonia - Breast Of Duck

    Breast Of Duck

    Cafe Polonia

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    Grill On the Hill

    Grill On the Hill

    2.8(24 reviews)
    34.3 mi
    $$

    Breakfast with Santa was an amazing time! The food was hot, we got seated efficiently and the music…read morewas rocking. There was also a Photo Booth! The kids made some great crafts- clay snowmen, laminated decor, and freedom to craft without rules ;) They also had a secret gifting bag area that my kids couldn't stop talking about. Highly recommend this type of holiday event!!!

    A friend made a reservation for the both of us on Easter. She said the reservation was made for…read more2pm. Neither of us had ever been there and we had no expectation. We arrived at 1:45 and walked into disarray. No one to great us, no host or hostess, just a lot of confusion. There was no record of my friend's reservation. We learned there was a 2:30 seating and that took us by surprise. We waited at the bar and had a few drinks. This had me feeling anxious. We heard them discussing table seating for different parties, but when I asked, my friend's name was still not added to a seating list. It seemed there was no one in charge. As 230 approached, we were told we can follow them into the seating area and while other tables had the parties names on small placards, still there was nothing on the two open two-seaters tables. We sat, and waited. On a positive note, we were the first table to be told the food was ready and we could go into buffet. No complaints about the food, it was pretty good. The final irritation was when our bill came, and I handed my credit card to the server. She seemed to be taking a long time to return with my card so I got up and went looking for her. I approached the bar and found her discussing an issue with a co-worker about another diner's bill. All the while holding my card in her hand. I stood at the bar, be ignored until I politely asked if there was a problem with my credit card. They snapped out of their daze and apologized to me. We wrapped up the transaction, and we left. As I said, the food was good, but maybe because it was a special holiday buffet everything was messed up?? Not sure. Not a pleasant experience. Good food can't make up for the ridiculous absence of good service. Doubt I'll return.

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    Grill On the Hill
    Grill On the Hill
    Grill On the Hill

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    Crystal

    Crystal

    2.3(22 reviews)
    4.6 miAllston/Brighton
    $$$$

    I have been to Crystal number of times before Covid . It was a fun place ( live music) and pretty…read moredecent Russian food. Not enough of parking fora such a busy place though.

    Arbat is fantastic. It's very authentic Russian- from the food, to the decor (which borders a bit…read moreon tacky but that's the style!), to the music, everything is pure Russian goodness. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was in Russia being here- it reminds me of a lot of the standard banquet halls in Russia. I went recently for a friend's birthday party and I'm considering having my next birthday celebration here. The food is served banquet style and it is delicious- especially the shashlik and the potatoes mmm. The servers are super attentive, always stopping by to clear any empty plates or fill any empty pitchers with water or soda. Plus, from what I know, they allowed my friend (the birthday girl) to bring in her own alcohol There is a dance floor and music which is really karaoke style- there were three people (two girls and a guy) singing along to random hits (both Russian and international) -- I personally thought the music was fantastic, they played a lot of my favorites. Everyone has fun- young and old- dancing! There were little girls around age 2 dancing and old dedushka guys (grandpas) dancing too. If you're in the Russian community at all you're bound to run into someone you know here ;) which can always make it even more fun. Another friend of mine is having her birthday here in a few weeks and I am looking forward to returning!

    Photos
    Crystal
    Crystal
    Crystal

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    Bistro 5 - italian - Updated May 2026

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