A friend and I had dinner there on a Friday evening. We arrived before 5:30pm and were seated…read moreimmediately. We both thoroughly enjoyed our food. The service was fantastic and the ambiance was lovely. Scratch kitchen will make anything they have in stock. Parking is right across the street. We will definitely make reservations next time as people were turned away shortly after we received our food.

My husband and I sat at the bar Saturday night for dinner and cocktails and had a fantastic time!…read moreWe shared the grilled octopus appetizer which was fresh and tasty. I had the swordfish special which was delicious. My husband had the veal Marcella with linguini and that too was scrumptious! The service was impeccable, and the atmosphere is sleek yet cozy. It had that New York City vibe.

This establishment screams we want your money. The staff forces smiles with no charisma hoping you…read moretip them for no reason at all. Oye Bonita is a confused experience Including crossing the lines between strip club regular club and restaurant. Blaring dance music with tables everywhere so there's nowhere to dance. Food Menus at 11pm. My waitress continued to press me and my friend to order something and 5 minutes later she's dancing on the lap of a customer next to us. Very uncomfortable. Two jack and cokes = $28. Oye Bonita is Like a blockbuster movie throwing everything at the audience to see what sticks. At least the price is set and you know what you're in for. I cannot recommend this to anyone. I hope I saved you a decent time somewhere else dear friend. I wish you the best night out somewhere else. Thank you for your time reading my review. I honestly appreciate it.

First. The place did not feel clean, and it actually seemed like a cabaret. The food was so bad. I…read moreordered a mofongo with churrasco. The churrasco was so big and fat more because of the grasa with it. The mofongo seemed like if it was reheated over and over. Every time I tried taking a peace it kept falling apart. The sauce for it was just like meatball sub sauce, and it still tasted bad with it. My husband ordered a beer, and the girl literally went off to go dance with a random guy that had just came in, then when finally the music stopped she went to get the beer. The dj kept playing some old bachate, only one salsa song. Overall the experience was really bad and a waste of our time.

Went there in a big group, music was good and they had the Celtics game on. The service is very…read moreaccommodating and fast. The drinks( had mojitos) are great and the food is delicious. I had the spaghetti with chicken other people in the group had the skirt steak, skewers and tacos. We all left very pleased and will definitely return. Will recommend.

The food was amazing! I ordered the canasta de pollo and it was very filling! The salad that comes…read morewith the dish complemented the dish very well! The staff are great and very attentive! The vibes of the place are great too! If you are in the area you should definitely stop by!

If you find yourself in the Lynn area, call Nightshade and see if you can nab a seat for yourself…read moresolo or a party of 2. I read online that you need advanced reservations to dine, but decided to call and see if they had an opening since I was in nearby Salem. They did, and I had tremendous experience starting around 7pm on a late-August Friday evening. Caveat: October tends to be the busiest month, so advanced reservations are advised. The mantra to enter into the multicourse journey is "Trust the Process" and "Take Your Time." The chef and her team will curate a unique medley of dishes. After familiarizing myself to the "menu map," I knew there were some ingredients (duck tongue and caviar, for example) that I normally wouldn't order ad hoc, so jumped in with a deep breath. This was one of those instances where the risk taken paid off in spades! I opted for the seven-course experience. The staff are knowledgable, food-passionate, attentive, and expert at creating an atmosphere of ease and genuine hospitality. They were quick to refill my water, make sure I had everything I needed, and inquire about my take on the dishes. The pacing overall was solid, and I was intentional about tasting and allowing the mouth feel of each dish to register: this helped my brain clock that the tasting menu left me satiated, despite the 1-to-2 bite portion sizes of a few of the courses. As you can see from my photos (not in chronological order), each dish is a work of art for the eye and the palate. My favorites were the uni brulee and the "dragon's blood" aloe vera gel: the latter was technically a chef's gift (palate cleanser) vs an actual course, but I loved the play on a vibrant childhood icee flavor and the "pop" of the tangy/tart/sweet lime sugar. Actual order: choupique caviar service (chips), grilled coconut sticky rice pop w/pork floss, habotcha squash bot chien, uni brulee, collard greens, garlic noodles with crab cake, "dragon's blood" aloe vera gel, and lemon custard "trifle" (deconstructed lemon merengue pie). Note: if you are sensitive to spicy, certain dishes may not suit you. They include the habotcha squash bot chien and uni brulee, which both have a decent kick. Everything was memorable in delivery, gorgeous presentation, and symphony of flavors. I've been fortunate to enjoy a Michelin-rated prix fixe in Paris, and Nightshade was on par with that meal. I'm already looking forward to my next visit, and will highly recommend to friends for a special meal. Trust me, it's worth it! Bonus: Nightshade is a stone's throw from the Lynn MBTA Station.

We got the 7-course menu…read more Choupique Caviar (7/10): the caviar was good. I do think the eggspuma dip kind of overwhelms the subtle flavor of the caviar, though. I think I'd rather this be a supplement to the tasting menu and have the base option be cheaper. Coconut Sticky Rice Pop (7/10): Decent dish. I liked the sticky rice pop (love coconut milk), but it was little hard to eat. The ratio of sticky rice to meat floss could be a smidge higher. Kabocha Squash bot Chien (7/10): A bit too acidic (really needs a palate cleanser), but still good. Kind of difficult to get a perfect bite, with all the stuff on the plate. Maine Uni Brulee (8.5/10): Umami bomb! So, so delicious. Couldn't even tell it was uni. The sauce was incredible. Collard Greens (6/10): This dish was way too salty. I was also disappointed by the balance of the dish. Too much salt, too much of the garlic sauce. The flavors were good and had promise, but the balance was just all off. Homemade Egg Noodles (6/10): Same thing as above for this dish. The flavors were very promising, but it was just too salty and unbalanced. There also weren't enough noodles to absorb the sauce. Garlic Noodles (9/10): Favorite of the night. These are LOADS better than the homemade egg noodles. So well balanced. Loved the bursts of citrus in the candied lemon. Every bite came with such an amazing aftertaste of crab. Super unique and creative. Salted Chocolate Mousse (6/10): I liked the cognac taste, but this was too salty as well. Not really impressed with the dessert. Tiger Blood (7/10): Decent. not much to say about it. Nice palate cleanser. The service was excellent. The waitstaff really took our feedback seriously. Ambiance is nice, too. My honest review is that $85 is too much for what you get. I understand a lot of that goes towards caviar, but I don't care much for the caviar dish here. With Inkind offers, you can probably get the price down to something more reasonable. If that's the case, then Nightshade is worth a try.

Came by on Father's Day with my mom to meet up with a few other people. She has been coming here…read morefor years since they opened in 1978. This is as mom and pap shop as it gets with a full bar and traditional food with it. For drinks we had a gin and tonic, toasted almond and a Michael's ultra beer. Good drinks with great service. We were able to chat and drink at their outdoor seatings. I was even able to get a photo with the charismatic owner Rocky/Rocko Difilipo. Overall, wonderful experience and would come again.

If i could give a zero i would. The cook was drinking while "working" she seemed absolutely…read morehammered. We waited 2 hours just for our "bartender" to tell us our ticket was lost. Mind you there were only 4 tickets. We could see the grill and ticket line. As an experienced service person i know when shits not working. I will never ever go here again. The bartender seemed overwhelmed and unaware with maybe 15 ppl in the place. I can't not stress enough DONT GO HERE!!!!!

This was our third time visiting this restaurant with my family, and since it's right here in…read moreSwampscott, we've really grown to enjoy the intimate and cozy atmosphere of the place. One of my favorite touches is that you can always see the chef hustling in the kitchen--it gives the restaurant such a personal and authentic feel. The ambience is lovely, and the staff is consistently attentive and professional. The service has always been excellent. As someone with a background in restaurant management, I do sometimes feel that the restaurant may be slightly overstaffed and could possibly benefit from a little more operational strategy. That being said, it never negatively affects the guest experience--the service is always seamless. We love the variety of the food, the coziness of the space, and the overall experience. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, and we will absolutely keep coming back!

Njord Haven is amazing! I had my doubts before arriving; two vastly different categories of cuisine…read moreon the same menu and somewhat blended? However, I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised with everything we had. The National Dish of Denmark (stegt flæsk) was incredible, the dumplings were jam packed with meat, and the Chinese Churros hit the spot. We came in about 50 minutes before closing and stayed long after, but the service was fantastic the whole time. We were thanked by the owner for coming in and were told that staying late was expected and well welcomed. The restaurant itself is gorgeous and the music was a lot of fun. The restaurant faces the shore, so expect lovely views, especially around the golden hour. Overall, this place is an absolute gem. It's worth the trip from Boston or anywhere within a 50 mile radius, honestly.

I visited this place for brunch before and it was really good. This time decided to return for…read moredinner. Place was almost empty when we arrived and we were seated by the bar area. I was intrigued by the Mexican and Italian description but I found very little Mexican on their menu. I went for a bbq pizza and it was a good pizza until I took a bite and got a chicken bone. I reported it to our server and she dismissed it as something that can happen as they use chicken breast. I consider that to be poor food preparation and a potential choking hazard. I didn't eat the rest of the pizza and brought it home to check for bones in better lighting conditions. After all it was a decent pizza. My friend went for the lamb and I tried it. Lamb was slightly chewy with extra fat. Mashed potatoes were under seasoned.

Being a new spot, my mom was excited to share this with me as she has found much luck with enjoying…read moreall they have to offer. Despite it claiming to be a Mexican and Italian restaurant, I found most of the menu is catered towards Italian food instead. They still seem to be picking up in business since there are very few other patrons here when we come. Plenty of seats and a large full bar in the back. Also a pastry shop attached that my mom also utilizes. We have tried a variety of their dishes like Lamb skewers, Bolognese, Loaded baked potato, Chipotle chicken pasta, Calamari, Capers Salmon (on top of asparagus risotto), Seafood fra diavalo, Tomato bisque, Classic burger (ordered medium well but received medium rare), Short rib rigatoni, Beet salad, and Churasco de la casa. The bolognese, Beet salad, Tomato bisque, and fra diavalo have certainly been my favorites thus far. The other dishes have also been good but do depend on who is in the kitchen. Jose, the chef and owner is very professional and kind and does a wonderful when there. Otherwise the dishes just aren't as great of quality pertaining to the loaded potato, risotto being fully cooked, and quality of churasco dish. Overall, we still have a great time and hope to continue to support this great business!

A great hidden gem. You drive past and think it is a quiet bar during the day but by night it is…read morepacked with people at the bar and seated ordering food. The place also does significant take-out, noted by the many drivers stopping to pick up bags of food. The staff were great and checked in When we got the food .they also Kept tabs on us through the meal to make sure all was good! Everything was delicious and plentiful. I also Love a restaurant that will substitute a salad for their fries! I highly recommend this place as a stop while in Swampscott . The view at the beach across the street also helps. Parking is on the street!.

Came in randomly midday for lunch and the service was amazing!…read more It was a nice chill vibe in there so solid ambiance. Wings (4.5/5) Hot lobster roll (3/5) did not love the lettuce on it and not enough butter Would definitely come back!

We had an excellent dinner at Pomona Cafe this past week. The food set the tone, particularly the…read moreChicken Milanesa, Pollo y Limón and Chicken Violet. Each dish was thoughtfully prepared, beautifully plated and full of flavor without trying too hard to impress. The room is just as appealing as the menu. Warm lighting, striking artwork and a polished atmosphere make it feel special without feeling stiff. Best of all, the noise level allows for actual conversation, a feature that can be cocktail. The cocktails did not disappoint. Service was equally strong. Our server was prompt, knowledgeable and attentive without hovering. He answered our questions clearly and offered recommendations that proved well worth taking. The owner also stopped by to ask about our experience, a thoughtful gesture that made the evening feel genuinely welcoming. Pomona Cafe is a terrific addition to Swampscott, and we'll gladly return. Highly recommend!

Tried this place two times, both times was really disappointed. Also while we were here we saw them…read moresetting up for a graduation part or event of some kind, during this process we saw either the owner or manager take a rag that one of the waiters was using to dry clean plates, she sprays it with cleaner, wipes down the tables and seats then after she was done we see her start to finish wiping the clean plates with the same rag... and of course since she did that the waiters continued to do so with the same rag after she started doing something else?!? Disgusting. Apart from this.. if you can get over that, the food was really meh for the $, the chicken was dry and hard to chew and it just seemed like something I could cook on my own at home and I'm not even very good at cooking. Also got an espresso which was acidic and 1/2 cold. (This we've tried twice and both times just as bad)

I just ordered for the second time and I have to say that this is some of the best pizza I've had…read morein a long time .

Solid pie with a price that is right. A slight flop and non-existent undercarriage was made up with…read morea great tasting sauce and just the right amount of cheese. Tight quarters inside the restaurant, but reminiscent of Italian restaurants in Europe. Service was fine--at the counter and took my money with a smile and answered all my pizza questions.