This is a solid 3 star, and here's why: Their tagline is "the big city experience without leaving town." As such, they try to look like a NYC or Boston restaurant, and ascetically they pull it off marginally well. The bar is big, yet the dining room is far enough away to enjoy a quiet meal with someone special. It almost feels like two different restaurants. However, you'd be better off snapping a quick pic here and heading down the street to The Lodge. The apps are fine, and the complementary zepolis (fried mozzarella balls with marinara sauce) are unexpectedly good. The menu does a good job at making your mouth water in anticipation of an awesome meal, but the kitchen often underdelivers. Food is not always piping hot, and oftentimes the sorry excuse for sandwiches are laughable (especially at the prices they charge). Oh, and don't try to use ANY "rewards" or "coupons". If you have a Groupon, be prepared to wade through a waist high heap of restrictions. Don't bother signing up for the Belly App rewards program either--you get 5 points per visit, 30 points is a free drink, 60 for a free app, etc. You probably won't be coming here enough to reap such a scanty reward. I will conclude with a review of the waitstaff. If 88s is trying to provide a "big city experience" on par with a nice place in NYC, they should send their waiters and waitresses on a weekend trip to the Big Apple to observe how upscale restaurants serve their customers. Visiting a NYC restaurant, the waitstaff only care about one person: you. They don't hang over your travel observing you eat, yet they are always right there when you need a drink refilled or the check at the end of the meal. No waiting around at your table for 10 minutes wondering where your server disappeared to. At 88s, service is subpar, to say the least. I've had better service at Chick-fil-a. In conclusion, if this restaurant would up their waitstaff quality a little, and get rid of all the red tape regarding deals and coupons, they would earn a higher review from customers like me and live up to their promise of providing a big city experience without leaving town. read more

Family friendly atmosphere and staff is very nice. Also, came back to check to make sure everything was fine several times. The only downfall is that there are really no vegetarian options unless you feel like ordering a house salad. They used to have a veggie burger, but discontinued it. read more

Great staff, good drinks, average food. Stay away from CREAMY onion soup. Husband was smart enough to just put to lip to taste and could not swollen a bite. I make the mistake of taking a couple bites to be polite and regretted it. Average atmosphere but lacks warmth that we feel at our favorite restaurants. read more

I very rarely write reviews...good or bad. First off, I'm a very loyal customer of both locations and give the service a minimum of 25% gratuity. My wife and I just ate at the Webster location and ordered French oinion soup and we couldn't take a bite, we just didn't like it...actually hated it (it was creamy). Now don't get me wrong, on the menu it stated creamy but we just couldn't swallow a spoonful...my wife still has heartburn. Management was aware of this but still left both soups on the bill. I could give a crap about the 11 bucks, it's customer courtesy. If your a stranger going to this place...be aware!!! If your in Webster looking to eat, go to Point Breeze, Mexicali, or Cappelini's...you'll be well taken care of. PS - bartender was excellent and apologetic. I'm just disappointed. read more

Been bere a few times now, the food never ceases to wow! It's so good, there's so many options. The chocolate cake is my favorite!

We have only eaten there once, and honestly it may be our only visit . It took a long time for everything ! We ordered drinks, and waitress would not take our app order until she brought us our drinks, which she proceeded to spill a whole beer on one of our party members , we had to look around to find napkins, no one even brought us any ! and every part of meal followed at this pace and the food was mediocre at best ! All I got was a salad and I could not even eat the salad dressing, but the waitress never came back around to check on us, so the meal was over before I could point out to her how completely awful the dressing was .. when the meal was over her only concern was clearing the table because she said her boss yelled at her if she didn't clear the tables fast enough ! read more

Having recently moved to the area, Bistro Eighty-Ates has become our neighborhood go to for dinner, drinks and brunch. Their seasonal and regular menu offerings are always fresh and delicious, bartenders like Melanie can expertly pour my husband's beer and craft tasty alcoholic concoctions. If you're heading in for brunch, be sure to order their pancakes! Their blended with sweet cream and some form of magical pixie dust that make even my five year old niece (that usually eats like a bird) ask for seconds. Food can sometimes take a little bit to come out, but it's worth the wait! Settle in, have some great conversation with your party, maybe ask to try their zepolis (puffy little fried dough bites with homemade marinara sauce) and enjoy your time. The staff is always friendly, aim to please and have made each of our visits a positive experience. Definitely worth a visit. read more

Our first time at Bistro Eight-Ates and the food and atmosphere were A+! Service was a little slow, but the staff was pleasant and kind. Ask for the bread bites - a nice treat before your main entree. Thursday specials - purchase a beer, wine or cocktail and get one of the listed appetizers for $.88! read more

Be careful if you try to use one of their marketing "deals". There are so many restrictions (and the servers don't know which restrictions apply) it can make for an uncomfortable dining experience. Food quality and quantity varies quite a bit. read more

Bistro Eighty-Ates is by no means a 2-star restaurant, but it is also slightly better than a one-star: solid 1 1/2. Unfortunately, Yelp doesn't allow 1 1/2 star reviews, so I'm rounding this one up to 2 (perhaps tonight's wine is making me extra generous). Like it's sister restaurant in Dudley, Bistro Eighty-Ates aims at providing a big city atmosphere in a small town that is otherwise completely lacking in modern dining. Unfortunately, the decor and atmosphere in both the Webster and Dudley locations give off a sketchy date rape vibe that would make them perfect locations for Lifetime movies. First impressions aside, I'll move on to actual dining experiences. After three visits, I think BEA has basically run out of second chances. On my first visit, I ordered a chicken Caesar salad. While not terrible, the salad was over-priced. The service was average. I wouldn't applaud it, but wouldn't condemn it either. I sat at the bar on my second visit. It took about fifteen minutes for the bartender to even acknowledge my presence. After she finally came over, I ordered a steak, medium-rare. It came out a while later, well-done. On my third visit, I was accompanied by two friends. One friend ordered a wrap, another ordered a chicken Caesar salad, and I ordered a steak, medium-rare. It was a week night, and the restaurant was mostly empty. So I was surprised that it took 30 minutes for our meals to be delivered. Both of my friend enjoyed their meals. My steak, however, was again over-cooked. The lesson learned here is Eighty-Ates is an okay restaurant, so long as you don't order anything that they actually have to cook. But if you're looking for some place that can put lettuce in a bowl or make a sandwich, they're not bad. read more

The inside of this restaurant is beautiful. As you enter there is a bar to the left with seating at the bar or tables behind where you can watch the game or to the right is a more conventional dining area with music and TV screens cycling through art mirroring Vincent Van Gogh's style. Our waitress was Kristen who was so accommodating and very pleasant making sure we had no concerns and answered all of our questions. The most difficult part of the visit was deciding what to eat, everything looked so good and Kristen helped us with suggestions. The food was phenomenal and we had to try desert even though we were absolutely full. We will surely be coming back for further visits to try everything they have to offer! read more

I always forget to take a picture of the food but my husband and I have been about 5 or 6 times and have yet to be disappointed.. appetizers are amazing i highly recommend the fried goat cheese or deconstructed bacon and scallops. I try to try a new entree each time we go and everything has been so amazing. To top it off they are kid friendly ! The host always comes by with a basket of things for the kids to choose from. I love thats it local and everyone is so friendly ! I will definitely keep coming and I am always telling friends about it ! read more

Once again a chain of disappointment. The place is noisy and lacks any type of atmosphere, service was super slow and the food is nothing special for the price. I think my vegtables were from a can on that day. Would actually consider going here again if I were starving and there was not another place for at least 100 miles. read more

I'm torn with this restaurant. While very much enjoyed my meal (I had the lamb burger with feta), the overall meal was okay. I started with some clam chowder, a New England staple, but honestly, it tasted and appeared to be canned. As I said before the lamb burger (I had cook to medium) was juicy and delicious. I would order that again in a heartbeat! Then we split the white chocolate raspberry cheese brulee, Which was good, but didn't live up the expectation of the name. It was a slice of pre-made cheesecake that at some point someone bruleed (but not just before we got it) , a small amount of whipped cream (on the side) and a puddle of raspberry and white chocolate sauce (again, on the side. It we presented well, however, the 20 minutes we waited from ordering it, until we got it, lessened the charm of it. As others mentioned, while our server was nice enough, she wasn't overly attentive, or overly friendly. She checked in with our main meal, while we were still chewing our first bite, and didn't check back with s for quite a while. We had finished our meal, and set it aside to bring home the leftovers, and we waited 20 minutes to half-hour before she came by to wrap things up for us. We never got drink refills, and we had to request a dessert. Not sure I'd bother to drive out to Webster to go again, there are so many better, local places, to go. Save yourself the trouble and visit one of those! read more

After reading the reviews I thought to myself that this would not be as wonderful as it was. We started dinner with the bruschetta and my wife enjoyed the veal parm while I got the beer battered fish and chips. The food was outstanding especially the bruschetta which was excellent. As I read other reviews I had to ask myself if the writers actually have been to a big city restaurant. I have more times then I care to count and the food was comparable. I did not find it to be too loud and the staff was attentive and accommodating. The owner stopped by to check on us. My only suggestion would be to put a menu on your website. We will be back. read more

I like 88's. They have really good food and drinks. I don't feel too comfortable in the atmosphere because I prefer a more casual type of place but this would be a good first stop on a girls night out. It is a bit expensive for my budget so I don't eat here often. If you go for lunch and don't order any alcoholic beverages, it is perfectly affordable. read more

I am always out for new place to eat, we go out every weekend, heard about this place from couple of folks and then saw it on phantom gourmet. decor was good, drinks ok, salad came, plate was warm, really? had veal oscar, should be veal, asparagus, and lobster with holindaise sauce, comes to the table and the veal had this soggy coating, and there was no lobster meat, it was some sort of ground whatever that they were trying to pass off as lobster, $21.99 for this? will not be back , too bad, there are so many other places that have better food, just because you are on TV does not make it taste better....... read more

We stopped in here, excited to try the food, but waited eighteen minutes after we go sat and no one came over to us:( another table was sat directly behind us after us and was served and got their drinks and we still hadn't been greeted. We were excited to try the food and may go back, but not sure. read more

In the words of Sainted Husband: This place equals the high standard set by the original. (Eighty-Ates Bar and Grill in Dudley). Another choice, another menu, but more exceptional food for southern Worcester county. Trevor and company have come up with an inventive menu which offers enticing twists on traditional recipes. I mean, CREAMY French Onion Soup? C'est Magnifique! The "Big City Club" is for you if you can't pick between a BLT or an Italian sub/hoagie/grinder...with twists. Himself said "yum". I had the Wild Mushroom Fontina (my fave cheese) Melt. To die for! For $1.88 extra you can swap out your fries (which are thick, uncoated! and yummy) for FF Onion Rings...yup, they were tasty too. Check for specials and deals...you can't beat the Sunday-Wednesday 3-course special. Good food, good drinks, good service make for a very good experience. read more

Ok drinks. Very expensive and crappy inconsistent food. Tried it 3 times (its really close and we just kept hoping it got better) and it was ok at best the first time and really bad the other two. Too bad. The menu sounded great but nothing is really executed well read more

While I would return, because it is the best option around, there are few SIMPLE things that need fixing. Our waitress had two tables. The restaurant was far from full. However, the service was friendly BUT not attentive. We were dining and dashing, but no dashing here -- one hour to order and consume two appetizers. That is ridiculous. One app came out lukewarm. I swear the bartender was the cook and of course those drinking alcohol are the money makers and that's where the attention must have gone. I would return, I liked the variety of the menu and the place is nice and clean inside. However I would plan on 2 hours if you are going to have a 3-course dinner. Really slow at pumping out the food. read more

This place was great. Got drinks, an appetizer plus entrees. Wait staff was very friendly and personable. Had the baby with us and when he was starting to stir and ready to go, we got our check and leftover boxes and were out the door. Delicious food. Lobster agnolotti ... To die for. Save half for the next day because it's so much lobster you won't finish it! read more

We had 7 people in our party. We arrived at about 7:00 on a Saturday evening. We waited for almost 45 minutes to be seated. We waited another 40 minutes before our food was served. They did bring us some free appetizers because of the wait. Over all, the food was very good except for the under cooked ribs one in our party got. But they comped the meal. The waitress (Megan?) was really great and attentive. The atmosphere as LOUD! The room was dark, a little too dark to see that the ribs were under cooked. read more

We stopped in for dinner before a concert next door and will be back! Staff was friendly, food and drinks were delicious - portion sizes were enormous on our meals and everyone's at the bar that we saw. I had the caprice chicken panini and it was excellent. We stopped back in once the concert ended for another drink and even though their kitchen was closed and they were clearly closing down, no one rushed us through our drink or made us feel unwelcome. read more

The food is always creative and interesting. If you are looking for a new place to try this is the place. The atmosphere is like a New York City restaurant, very sleek and modern. The food is great most of the time. The $12.88 deals they have for appetizer, entree, and dessert cannot be beat! The only downside is that the service is sometimes slow and it can take a while if you are sitting in the dining room. read more

We had shrimp scampi and Steak Tips. The food was cooked perfectly. Served hot... we had a child with us and her steak was cooked perfectly. The server was very attentive and ensured our food was cooked to our liking. Thank you Melanie for the awesome service read more

To start, we were not given the choice to sit in the restaurant but were seated in the bar area even though the restaurant opened at 4:00 and we were there at 4. The only reason that I am giving this a two star rating at all is due to the service we received from Ryan that was excellent. The Buffalo Crab Rangoons were over cooked and not very flavorful. I ordered the pulled pork shepherds pie which only came with about a quarter inch layer of pulled pork but the cost was $18.99. I am not into paying that much for mashed potatoes and corn. The pulled pork was bland. My drink, a simple Cape Codder was watered down. I complained and got another one but it wasn't much better. That watered down drink was $8.00!! I made the same drink at home with extra vodka to check the color and the one I made at home was definitely darker. Hence, I know the one I paid for was diluted!! My son ordered the Duck. He said it was good but the portion was small. The High Peanut Butter pie was very good but was $7.99 so we split one. The overall bill before the tip was about $77.00. Definitely not worth it. I won't be going there anytime soon! (We went on Saturday, July 13th.) read more

This was the first time my husband and I have been to 88s. My mother is visiting from out of state and she hadn't yet met my mother-in-law. We wanted to take them out to dinner so they could get to know each other. The atmosphere was good and conducive to conversation. The drinks were well-made, although they were a bit pricey. Everything we ordered, from soup to entree came out hot. Some of the meat was a little overcooked, but the flavors were all great. Our server, Crystal, was amazing. She was attentive without being pushy. She had a fantastic attitude, even with all of our questions. She brought the check out quickly and wrapped our food for us to take home. We will definitely make a return trip, and we hope to be seated in her section again! read more

Server (Ryan) was excellent. All entrees at our table were delicious and surpassed expectations. Restaurant was busy and atmosphere was good. Should have got a reservation. read more

Four of us decided to have an early dinner at the Bistro. The server was pleasant and attentive. The food was good, but one order was wrong and had to wait for it to be redone. In the meantime three of us received our entrees, (all with time between each plate brought out - none came out at same time). By the time our 4th guest got their dinner the rest of us were done. We ordered dessert - each time I ordered I was told they just sold out (it was only 5 pm). I finally hit on something they actually had. If something isn't available the server should have let us know. It's hard to set your heart on something twice and then have to settle on something else. Our desserts also had long wait times between serving each person. Again, one person was done before others were served. We felt bad (not sure why) about the dinner they made a mistake on but let them know we would take it to go since our granddaughter said she would have it the next day - those college kids always need free food). You would have thought since we spent 180 dollars they would have done a bit to apologize for the long waits and mistake on the order. We won't be returning anytime soon since we have lots of other options. It is too bad because food is good. read more

Full disclosure: My wife and I only got drinks and 2 apps, but this place is spot on... good food, good service. Exactly what this area needs. Well done. read more

Although in a strip mall, Bistro 88's is one of the few GOOD restaraunts around Webster. Everything on the menu is reasonably priced. From what I have had off of said menu, everything was fantastic. great atmosphere, attentive servers, average service. I would recommend 88's in Dudley too. Different menu more bar food. read more

Food was awful, service was terrible. But they did have this cool effect where the plates were super hot, and yet somehow the food was cold. Just keep driving. read more

We were a party of ten, and were assured immediately that it would be no problem. Two minutes later we were escorted into the bar area where a very long table was set up to accommodate us. Our server Courtney was a saint! We asked many questions about menu items, which a large party might do, but she was patient with us and very understanding. We tried the fried goat cheese which I would rate as Excellent! It was served with crostini and balsamic glazed strawberries. I will go back again just to have this! The buffalo wings were crisp on the outside, but tender and not dry inside. Yum! One of our group had the jalapeño fritters and loved them. I myself had the acorn apple soup. It was served in an acorn squash half, and the apple squash soup had a warm autumn feel with a hint of cinnamon. We had a variety of dinners and I can honestly say that not one of us was disappointed. The chicken parmigiana was delicious and tender, and that was said by a man who tries chicken parm everywhere he goes! The beef stroganoff had a very hearty brown gravy with mushrooms and such tender meat over noodles. The only thing we did not love was the mint chocolate rangoon dessert. The Rangoon itself was very chewy and the chocolate concoction on the top had the consistency of rubber and no mint flavor at all. I still gave the place a 5 star rating, after all 1 item not liked out of about 25 tried, is not bad !! We will be going back. YOU should join us! read more

This place has a great atmosphere from the lounge area to the more quiet dining area. The food is all made to order who h sometimes can take some time but it's well worth it once you get served. The drinks are pretty good and are reasonably priced for the quality. Well worth it to give this place your business. read more

A friend and I came to eat here last Friday and didn't have a great experience at all. She got some chicken and some garlic risotto with carrots. The risotto was very oily and the carrots were either not cooked in a good sauce or they were old. I got chicken with broccoli and alfredo and the broccoli was too hard to eat. When we mentioned this they took her food away and didn't even ask if she wanted something else. At the end of our meal they offered us a free dessert but at that point we were so disappointed and wanted nothing else to eat. We brought a groupon coupon with us and they took that off the bill and just told us to keep the coupon so we could use it in the future... Not wanting to make a big deal we just paid the bill and left, but they should have took my friends meal off or offered her something else and what if we didn't have the coupon ?? It wasn't a great experience at all. read more

My husband and I go here often. Last night, a Monday night before a snow storm we stopped in for dinner. My husband has celiac disease so ordered a burger with a gluten free bun. The waitress asked how sensitive he was to gluten and then recommended getting potatoes for a side instead of fries due to frying items with gluten in the same fryer. We waited a bit for our meals but didn't even notice since we got an app! The waitress and who I think was the manager apologized a few times for the wait and ended up giving m husband a free drink as an apology! Great customer service was provided and the food last night was excellent. read more

The place is very nice. All the people working there are friendly. The food was great !! Our server. CHRYSTAL made it the best experience you can have in a restaurant. She is the best in the business. I'll definitely be going back . read more

Have eaten there a few times, love the chicken panini sandwhich! Their desserts are awesome and their prices are a little above avg. But affordable. read more

Pretty much the best that webster has to offer... it is much better than the 3 or 4 competitors....