New to the neighborhood, I stumbled onto this place and it made quite the impression. Great, welcoming staff that made me feel at home by generously sharing some of their appetizers and desserts. The food was spot on. My husband had the skate and I had a simple yet delicious vegetarian dish. Dessert was a chocolate mouse and a well chosen (Toscanini's) ice cream scoop- compliments of the kitchen. Thanks for making my first meal in the area so memorable. Will definitely be back for more. read more

A casual, family-friendly neighborhood restaurant in Newton Highlands brought to you by the same team as Sycamore and Little Big Diner. read more

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This is one of those spots where you better be in the mood for sharing bites with others, because many of the dishes are that good. The Bluefish was done right and I am a huge fan of the Charred Cabbage Salad & Fish Cake. Sometimes you might find it a little noisy, but worth the meal. read more

Very nice and accommodating waitress. Excellent service. Cornbread was scrumptious. Greek salad had some chopped fresh basil to give it flavor, delicious dressing, and a chunk of very good feta. Moules frites had sliced shallots in the creamy sauce, and the french fries were hot and crispy. Everything was perfectly seasoned. read more

Love, love this place. But the decor depresses me. Old 50's I would say. Even the new wallpaper seems an after thought. Come on! Make me feel welcome with your beautiful food. Service is phenomenal. Food is a delight. Decor is awful. read more

I loved Buttonwood! Cute atmosphere. The scallops I had were awesome -- maybe just slighhttllyyy overcooked but better than the alternative and the taste was phenomenal. I also got spring carrots which were clearly fresh + delicious. I definitely recommend you come check this place out! read more

Buttonwood - New American Near Me - Newton, Massachusetts

For having 5 stars, I thought most of the reviews for this restaurant left something to be desired... lots of "well I have nothing to compare it to but this place was good" type synopses. Well, I have lots to compare Buttonwood to and this place is great. Good cocktails, great food - best pork chop I've had, maybe ever - and the servers and staff are super friendly. read more

Finally got around to this new place in Newton Highlands and I'm sorry I waited so long . It's the team behind Sycamore and Little Big Diner in Newton Center so you know you're off to a good start . Myself and friend went last night and this place was buzzing . We snagged two seats off to one side of the bar . Very attentive staff . We started with with Chicken Liver Mousse - so delicious . We ordered the Bedford Scallops and then the Mussels and fries to share . Hands down best Scallop dish I've ever had . They were cooked perfectly and served over artichoke , shallots and a salsa verde . I honestly rarely order dessert but they had a rhubarb and strawberry crisp served with vanilla ice cream and I'll go back just for this ! Check this place out - you will not be disappointed . What a great addition to the neighborhood ! read more

Buttonwood - New American Near Me - Newton, Massachusetts

A less than satisfactory meal. Got the 1/2 chicken. Skin was kinda flabby and the accompaniments were all uniformly soft and boring. Advertised wax beans absent..green beans were substituted without any mention from the server. Arugula? Promised on the menu but I didn't taste it. The dish could have used some kind of starch..potato, polenta, rice..something. High hopes dashed. I love roast chicken but not this disappointing effort. read more

BONUS BRUNCH REVIEW - Sunday brunch was tremendous, steak & eggs for me / chilaquiles for my wife / poutine to share. All had the signature Buttonwood flare without approaching "too much". Excellent Bloody Mary with House made mix and all the fixins. Sunday Funday or a place to eat when your kid is dictating meal times, fits both needs read more

Three of us went to the Buttonwood for the first time and this was a hard review to write. The food was EXCELLENT as was the availability of craft beer on tap. I had my favorite beer on the planet - basically any ale from Trillium Brewery in downtown Boston - so kudos for serving yummy fare and libations. However the service was consistently awful. Our waitress was very nice but the whole establishment acted as if they hadn't run a restaurant before (or, more gently, they were unprepared for how busy they were). We waited in the bar area for forty five minutes after being told a fifteen to twenty minute wait. Not a big deal but I swear, after watching a half dozen tables get sat, including folks that came in after we did, we finally reminded the hostess and were miraculously sat right away. Impression is that they forgot about us. Other highlights: - we sat for 10+ minutes before anyone came over to ask us if "we'd been helped" (an admitted pet peeve of mine) - after dinner was over, our dishes sat for 15 minutes in front of us (another admitted pet peeve) before we finally stacked them and put near the corner of our table, which got them noticed and cleared. It isn't as if they were too busy. It's that they didn't know how to efficiently wait tables (like, waitress stopped by twice, examined dirty dishes, asked question, and left before we stacked em up) SO! I know we sound persnickety. And picky. And maybe we are a little but I tip 25% as a former waiter of many years so have some standards. We will go back though. read more

This place deserves 6 stars! Great food and fantastic cocktails. It was my go-to place for dinner in pre-COVID times and now they are offering indoor/outdoor dining and takeout. But I think they deserve an extra star for amazing service. I had ordered dinner to-go and was on my way to pick it up when my car died in the middle of the road. When I called to inform them I wouldn't be able to pickup my order given the circumstances, they asked if I was nearby, and literally hopped in the car and hand delivered my order at my doorstep. Truly an amazing act of kindness on an otherwise really stressful day. The best! read more

First trip back to Buttonwood since the fire, and it was like they had never closed, including waitstaff and many menu items (burger, lentils with berbere, pizza shop Greek salad). Cocktails, wines by the glass, appetizers, were all very good. Enjoyed the lentils, grilled shrimp, avocado toast, and snap pea salad. Mackerel was a little bit bland. Lots of choices for vegetarians. Glad you're back! read more

We ordered delivery and it was great! We ordered a lot and were impressed by everything. The cornbread was particularly delicious with the perfect texture and the gemelli was just decadent. Can't wait to try more menu items! read more

Already a fan of sycamore and Little Big Diner, so, naturally, I couldn't wait to come here. It didn't disappoint. They have a sycamore-esque menu, with a slightly more casual feel - like an upscale pub with a super scrumptious menu. Started with the spicy whipped feta - yum. A nice smallish starter. Next up, Cast Iron Cornbread (omg so good - light and toasty with a citrusy honey-Tabasco butter) and Crispy Pork Ribs (get these. And the cornbread. Definitely.). We topped it off with the New Bedford Sea Scallops and the Lamb Kofte. Both were incredible. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the accompanying artichoke, shallot, grape and almond salsa verde was the perfect flavorful, light, bright, summery bite. And the lamb was so flavorful! The cool and creamy tzaziki was a great addition. It's à la carte, and at $24, it's a little pricey with no sides, but it was well worth it. The drinks were great, too. Can't wait to go back for more! read more

Buttonwood - Scallops. Not a great photo, but they were fantastic! - New American Near Me - Newton, Massachusetts

Buttonwood turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I was expecting it to have very close tables and to be loud. It was loud but not annoyingly so, and the tables were OK you weren't on top of one another like you are at Sycamore. The food was very good, I really enjoyed my arctic char. My husband had The fish stew stew which he said was OK but there was not enough fish in it,and it wasn't spicy at all. He said he would not get that again. Octopus appetizer was excellent as well as the beet salad. We will return read more

Buttonwood - New American Near Me - Newton, Massachusetts

Rude and inattentive waitperson. Food was ok but very overpriced. Lots of much better restaurants in the area.

THANKS for the reviews,Yelpers! Tried restaurant based on your comments. BUTTONWOOD: It's AWESOME when a restaurant operates as a team and you can tell they lovingly care about the food they serve & experience they create. THANK YOU! We found the entire staff to be welcoming, friendly & excited about the menu. My favorite part? The menu had some unusual items - pork schnitzel with cabbage!! We ordered the pork ribs as an appetizer - and it was cooked perfectly with such a wonderful sauce. The fresh herbs were wonderful, and the dish was flavorful, hot & yummy. The meat was cooked really well, tender and practically fell off the bone. Husband ordered the salmon - ate it all. I ordered schnitzel - a very big serving and took half home. Would definitely return. read more

Visited for couples night out with friends. The cocktails were inventive and tasty. We each ordered individual plates and a couple sides/salads to share. Everything was fantastic including the service! We are looking forward to returning to support this local business! read more

Had a delightful dinner outside under the heat lamps in late November. I had the fish - wish I could remember the exact dish - it was scrumptious. The wait staff was very pleasant and the food was beautifully prepared. So pleased they are now open. Will go back for outdoor dining soon. read more

After falling in love with Sycamore, a friend let me know that Buttonwood was part of the same restaurant group. It should be no shock that the restaurant was already full by 6pm on a weeknight. The hostess was extremely gracious and seated us where she was able to without a wait. I got the Final Ward to drink, which was delicious and not overpowering. We split the cornbread, which was huge and tasty. For dinner my friend ordered the English Pea Pancakes (she loved them!) and I ordered the Lamb Kofte. I was a little hesitant about the lamb because it was a la carte, but it comes with a tasty dip and some greens, so it certainly felt like a full meal. It was cooked perfectly and came right off the skewer. Food was delightful, service was a dream, we will be back! read more

So excited to chance upon the restaurant and get a table. Food was flavorful with unique clever combinations of spices. It was nice to sit outside far away from other diners and enjoy our drinks and meals. I believe indoor dining is open also but there were fewer people inside. read more

My husband & I went last night for early (6pm) dinner. We had reservations & were greeted immediately & seated. The noise level was already getting loud, & when ordering, the waitress had to put her head right next to mine to hear me. We also spent the entire dinner listening to the tables on either side of us talk. We could barely hear each other. Food- loved the bread, greek salad & ribs. The fries were also good- nice & crisp. The beet salad was good, expect lots of beets! The mussels were ok, my husband didn't love the sauce it was made with. It would also have been nice to have it served with a piece of bread or grilled bread to sop up sauce. Service- mostly it was great. But, we were going to order dessert, & after they cleared our dinner plates & immediately gave us dessert menus, no one came to our table. After 20 minutes we were able to flag down our waitress & get check. Hope they do something to help with noise, because the food makes me want to go back. read more

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Their vegetarian options are amazing! The chopped beet salad, and the roasted squash were delicious and I loved the charred broccoli. The cornbread is my new favorite. Fun & casual vibe with a warm inviting interior. read more

We tend to eat on the early side, so the four of us were able to get the window counter seats at 5:30 as walk-ins this past Saturday night. My wife had the branzino, which was nicely grilled and generously sized. Since I haven't had salt cod tortilla espanola before, I don't have a reference point, but it was tasty. They have a kids menu (currently salmon, grilled cheese, or pasta with sauce), and the pork schnitzel was bigger than last time. As before, service was really solid--this time, we had Josh, who exemplified the term "hospitable." read more

This is honestly one of the best meals I've had. I'm so sad it's closed and really hope it reopens soon! The cornbread was amazing and so was everything else we had. It was a great atmosphere and waitstaff was exceptional! read more

A+ takeout experience. We loved everything we ordered. The feta on the greek salad was great. We also enjoyed the winter salad and the roasted cauliflower. The cavatelli was delicious! It comes with a mushroom bolognese sauce and you have no idea you're eating mushrooms. The swordfish was also well cooked and came over a mix of farro/brussel sprouts which had good flavor. read more

Indoor and outdoor seating available as of Sept. 3, 2020. Everything we've had here has been good. Every cocktail and food item. They had this appetizer with house made Doritos that was delicious. A grilled zucchini dish that had this yummy sauce on it. They don't have the branzino anymore it seems, but that used to be my favorite. Swordfish and sausage dishes were great. Haven't had one good item that wasn't delicious. Make reservations early, they get booked up rather quickly! read more

Oh. My. God! Get the rib appetizer. Crispy, spicy fabulous. And the burger. My meal was fabulousp

Awesome food and drinks. We were a party of 6 so tried a variety of dishes. All were interesting and tasty. Always appreciated in Newton 5 minutes from home. read more

We love Buttonwood and have been so sad they had an electrical fire. We love their cocktails and how they're bringing such flair to the Highlands. We can't wait for them to reopen! read more

Simply a wonderful experience. In especially loved the Rock n Rye, house cocktail, the stuffed mushroom and the squash and I'm not vegetarian! It was also a great experience for our 6 yr old who had chicken nuggets, carrots grapes and fries. And the dark chocolate cake with peanut brittle and B3 ice cream was AMAZING. Definitely recommend. read more

Really solid burger give it a try. Delicious and cooked perfectly. Good fries and wine list.

The food here is great and it is impressive how up scale the atmosphere is while still offering child friendly menu items. This place is a rare gem with a fantastic menu, great staff and an amazing head chef. I cannot recommend it more. read more

Awesome scallops, tasty chicken and the chocolate cake with peanut brittle was the perfect ending

Nice place lace for drinks with a comfortable atmosphere. Bar staff very attentive and pleasant.

We ordered grilled fish. It's made of frozen fish not fresh fresh. The meat is mushy. The whole fish is over grilled, which made the meat bitter. This restaurant has the 5star restaurant looking but 3star restaurant quality. read more

I had spent the day at Newton Wellesley Hospital having knee surgery. It had been one of those 'no food after midnight' situations and I wanted a great meal. And great it was. We typically follow Yelp reviews in making our decisions and if anything, the 4.5 score this restaurant has earned was underrated. Appetizer, meal and dessert were all excellent. As was the service. And the ambiance as well. Thank you Jordan, Julia and Ben. You were a pleasure. Until next time! read more

We have been fans of Buttonwood for several years, eating there once every couple of months. Tonight's meal was a real dud, however. The braised lamb shank was greasy and left a foul taste in my mouth. Nor was the glob of polenta palatable. To be fair, three people in our party ordered this dish and only two of us couldn't stomach it. Maybe you'll like it, but if you're in the mood for red meat, I suggest sticking with the burger. read more

Service excellent young energetic and attentive. My wife enjoyed her meal had vegetarian meal said it was delicious. I couldn't decide on a meal My son and I split the Ribs appetizer was tasty but priced at $15, I settle to be boring and go for the burger, it was a safe choice and wasn't memorable. My son had fish was tasty but the sides could have been more generous. read more