By far one of the best restaurants in town. Cannot be beat!! Everything from staff, to food to ambiance!!

First time to ilona and definitely impressed!! Had some very tasty mediterranean style tapas along with several fabulous cocktails. Only regret is that we couldn't try more! Lovely wait staff and very clean socially distanced accommodations. Happy to have this place in the neighborhood read more

See all

Went here for my birthday, and it was a wonderful experience! They were so accommodating for my large party of 10 and even gave us tequila shots on the house! Highly recommend the cauliflower and passion fruit martini. Such lovely staff and lovely food, all in all great time! read more

food was delicious and service was excellent, and had a bunch of different options. (was recommended the crispy eggplant and was great) atmosphere was really relaxed in the early afternoon. a bit pricey but, definitely worth it read more

Great khachapuri and a nice environment with great service! Santal did great with our table of 6. Recommend!

Brunch was mediocre. Not worth $$$. Service also not great. I would not go back. Disappointed with food and service.

Outstanding all around! Great variety on menu, food fresh and delish, servers professional and friendly, good drinks, adorable plates. Cannot be beat!! read more

Did not know this beautiful gem was operating during covid-19 but so very glad they are. Love the food and the drinks; but absolutely love the service from Felipe. The way he makes drinks is beautiful artwork! He truly cares about each drink he makes and ensures each one are up to the highest level of standards. Make sure you go when Felipe is working, you will not be disappointed! read more

Truly sub-average food Tried 5 dishes off brunch menu Would never return Not one dish was memorable or well executed. Why are they even in business? read more

Ambiance was amazing, super cute for a date night. Went for the first time and Bryan our waiter was awesome, super friendly and recommended his favorite plates which we ordered and did not disappoint. The food was delicious and different from what other restaurants has to offer. We will be returning again for sure. read more

First time at ilona. I love Mediterranean food, because you can do so much with it by simply using spices. But the chefs at ilona use them sparingly. The food is bland. My husband and I had the Maakauda Batata, Shish Barak, chicken Kebab, and the Dolma between the two of us. The food was enough, but not tasty enough. Except the Dolma, that was good. The cocktails are decent too. The prices are above average for small plates. If they need to keep up with Boston, they need to step up their game. read more

Amazing place, excellent service, nicest staff ever, I would highly recommend anyone looking for delicious food and great service. read more

See all

Started out on a high note with cool ambiance, upbeat music and a friendly bartender describing cocktails. Waiter was a bit more business like and suggested ordering more than we could eat and assured us that food service would be paced. Unfortunately, everything pretty much arrived at once which made for a crowded two top and unnecessarily quick and unrelaxed dining. Fried eggplant were heavy and quite sweet (could have been a dessert rather than mezze appetizer). Humus schwarma did not stand out. Two best dishes were swordfish kebab and mussels. Definitely better small plate Mediterranean spots in the area including Atlantico, Oleana and Sarma. read more

I love ilona! Amazing vibe on the inside. The passion martini is my favorite and all of the waiters/bartenders and extremely knowledgeable about the menu and drinks. I try to space out my visits for my wallet but I can't stay away much more than a week :) Crispy eggplant is the best thing, and you really can't go wrong with the menu--octopus and the breads are amazing. read more

Picked up from here during covid. It was all awesome. The Georgian cheese bread with mushrooms and greens was a highlight as well as the cauliflower side. read more

Amazing food, great hip vibe, nice atmosphere and people. The staff is very friendly And the manager, Svenja, is just simply wonderful, funny, and very welcoming. 100% recommend! read more

I could not belive both bathrooms had no toilet paper and shart stains all over one of the toilets. I found the staff to be quite rude and short, and I could not hear my date at all, I actually ended up telling him to text me his questions because I couldn't hear. So expensive. Food was yummy but experience bad read more

Great atmosphere. The options that could be made vegan were somewhat limited: olives, pikilia (with veggies instead of bread and only 2 of the dips), batata harras, none of the bread, all of the salad and sides except the cauliflower because it's cooked in yogurt, and an adapted version of the musakhan. Would have expected a bit more for a Mediterranean recipe. Really enjoyed the red wine sangria. read more

Terrible service; unresponsive management. Good food, but it all unfortunately arrives within 5 minutes of ordering. Sad.

The food was good i; however, it was overpriced for the amount. We left hungry and nearly deaf . Turn down the music, we could not even hear each other speak! read more

Great Food, will not be back. This review is not about the food (which was good). This review is about the service. Having heard good things around the neighborhood, we decided to try Ilona. We did not have a res and decided to give it a try at 830pm on a Saturday (it was a long shot). When we go to the door and spoke to the hostess, she informed us that there were no tables available and that she was not taking anymore standbys. She informed us we could wait at the bar as it was first-come, first-serve. After chatting with her for a bit, she said that the tables would start to clear out soon and she would now put our names down on the standby list. We went to the bar and ordered a drink, right behind two women that we though would be leaving soon. After about 40 min they started to get up. As they did (my back was turned) I heard two other women (that had been standing next to us one stool down the bar) ask them if they could "sneak in" have their seats. My friend whom I was with told them that we had been waiting for those seats (which we were standing right behind) for some time. The two women at the bar were rude and said that they were saving them for the other women (which was not true). She then told us that it was her daughter (again not true). The bar tender then came over and told us that there was a wait list for bar seats and it was NOT first-come, first-serve (that the women waiting had been here longer and that "our" seats were for them). Well, we felt pretty stupid and embarrassed. Fine, we wasted 40 min waiting for seats were never going to get because of the hostess and we felt like idiots in the process. For the record, we were not rude and literally the only thing we said to the women was that we were waiting for those seats. About five minutes later, a bearded man in a blazer came over to us very aggressively (like a bouncer) where we were standing (we assumed he was the manager) and the first words out of his mouth were "what are you two screaming about?" OMFG, are you serious!? After I picked my jaw up off the floor, my friend asked if he was the manager to which he affirmed. We told him what happened (although what was the point since he already had implied we were jerks and he was not going to do anything for us) and he then tells us that he had three complaints and that we were yelling at him. Mind you I was still in disbelief about what he said a min earlier and it was super loud (we were talking the same way were had been talking in the venue the whole time). We then asked if perhaps we should speak to the owner to which his reply was "perhaps you should finish your drinks and leave." Again OMFG!!!!!! So my friend then asked to speak to the owner. When the owner came over, we told him what had happened. That we were told to wait at the bar for a seat and we would not have stayed at the restaurant if we had no chance of getting a bar seat. We told him the awful things that the manager had said to us. He was very nice and apologetic. He asked if he could buy us a drink and get us a table. My friend took him up on the offer and the owner said he would be right back. After a few minutes I decided that I wanted to leave (regardless of how nice the owner and offer was) because I had a pit in my stomach and had honestly lost my appetite. I walked over to the owner and thanked him for the offer but told him I wanted to leave. The staff escalated the situation so much that I felt uncomfortable being there. He asked that I stay, that we would speak after dinner about what happened. He wanted to give it some time, have a meal and then, we could discuss. That made a lot of sense to me so I agreed. We sat down. We ate; our waiter was great. When we finished, the bill came. No comped drinks. What? The owner had said he was buying us a drink. Again for the record, I do not need a free drink but it was the principal; he told us he was buying us a drink for the issues. We waiting a couple of minutes for the owner to come over to talk with us about what had happened. He never came over. In fact, I saw him at the end of the bar having a good time with some other patrons. The fact that he never came over was what put this whole experience over the top. I was convinced to stay and spend money, for a meal I didn't want, with the expectation of discussing the miscommunication between their hostess and bar staff and especially how aggressively the manager confronted us. So after our very uncomfortable meal, we got our bill, they took our money and had nothing resolved. I had a hard time falling asleep last night and feel worse this morning about what happened. Truly my worst experience at a restaurant in Boston ever. read more

Have been to ilona a handful of times and it never dissapoints! Love their passionfruit martini and so many unique food selections! great atmosphere and such phenomenal service.. will be back for sure! read more

Do you want to feel like you've known a place you're whole life? Come here! A home away from home this place has every vibe you're looking for. The music, the FOOD, the service, I can't even express enough how much attention to detail happens here. Thank you for always, the best night- to my favorite place in the city. read more

Food was good but service can be better. They sat 5 of us on two couches designed for 4 people. We asked for steak knife. Surprise they did not have any. It was ok for first time but not for second. Ambiance is very appealing but it wears off with questionable service and cramped table. Maybe better if it was a weekday and they were not busy. Again we are from LA and expect everything to be perfect. read more

Always a pleasure to visit Ilona. Delicious food, fantastic ambiance, great service and creative wine list read more

ilona - Aladasturi rose Gvantsa's wine from Georgia (country) - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Ilona has become one of my favorite restaurants in the city. From the atmosphere to the food & drinks, everything is incredible! My friends and I love coming here on the weekends because the vibe is always great and the General Manager Svenja makes us feel right at home. When you visit, be sure to get the Passion Martini, Crispy Eggplant, Shrimp, Hunkar Bigendi, Shish Barak and the Khachapuri. Thank me later! read more

This place is amazing: the food, the vibe, the service and the music! If you want to head out with friends on the weekend to have fun and eat great middle eastern food then this is the place! read more

Thanks to Antonio I've had the best experience ever! The drinks were AMAZING! Some of the best drinks I've had in my life. Also food was great, we tried shish barak, borek and some fish crudo I can't wait to go back soon! read more

The noise level is horrendous. So bad it has to be mentioned first. We were a couple and ordered several small plates. All arrived within minutes, more than the table could accommodate and def made us feel rushed. We were done eating in 30 minutes. People at the next table had the same experience. The staff is delightful but they and/or the kitchen have yet to learn how to create a comfortable dining experience. The food? All good. Chicken livers over hummus was terrific. Great breads. And for the most part the prices make sense, though the line tiger shrimp at $18 and one beef dish seemed out of line. But we won't be back unless we hear changes have been made. read more

Cute drinks and delicious food. I highly recommend if you are in Boston. Try the citrus martini, shrimp, cucumber and tomato salad, zucchini, and the bread with the colorful dips. You're welcome read more

ilona - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Poor service: Waited for 25 minutes while three different hostess asked us if they can help us and the each one said they would have a table prepared for us. Then after the congested wait, to our disbelief, the manager tells us it will be another 45 min wait because of upcoming reservations. We would have finished our meal by then instead of staring at empty tables. Oh yeah, this is my first yelp review since I am never moved to write one, until now. read more

Nice menu variety but unfortunately food is a bit tasteless and need a lot of seasoning. We ordered the stuffed eggplant, grilled octopus, shish barak (which was OK), kebbe (was neither falafel nor meat kebbe...something in between!), grilled halloumi and the zaatar manaeesh (this was the only tasty dish they served). read more

The service was great, really good job on the service. The food was 4 stars overall. The price though was 1.5 stars. The portions just aren't there. You're charging regular entree prices for small plates it just doesn't add up. Dinner for 2 w 2 drinks and still leaving hungry bc we only got 1 entree was $145 before tax. Should be closer to 115-120 esp on that side of mass ave. Really want to be able to return with other people and out of town guests but can't subject them to that. Hopefully it changes read more

*Rezzie accepted but you must put down $20. sort of whack, but at least holds you to your space. *great service. waitress was great- not too pushy and very attentive. *great food- got the eggplant thing, the pita thing, the rice/lentil thing, and the octopus was great. *not too expensive (~66 for 2 people). *liked the drink - strawberry + tequila + lime = yum! *not too crazy innovative but cool vibe, nice location, and very summery & open air. the Kava menu is so similar but if you live closer to the Mass Ave area you don't need to trek over to the Union Park location yay, i am fan! please stay in the 'hood! xx, Tamara read more

The restaurant is striking. I love the colors and the garage windows! The staff was very friendly. My issue was with the brunch menu. I assumed because only one menu is posted on Ilona's website that bunch would be similar to the dinner menu or that we would be able to order off the dinner menu as you can at Kava and in many other restaurants if brunch isn't your thing. And the dinner menu looks wonderful!! Not so. Bunch was an entirely different menu. I had a borek. It was small and doughy. Hard to believe that it was made with filo. I did taste the latke and it was delicious. Had we known that they only served this menu we would have waited for dinner. Looking forward to returning to give this restaurant a real try. If it is anything like Kava, I know we will love it. read more

4 * for the 30 mins wait to get the table after having a reservation but they compensated it with 2 complementary drinks for each person which I felt was a good gesture on their behalf. Overall food was good except for chicken kebabs (very dry). Drinks were good especially summer path and my husband loved his old fashion. I would say overall good food, good vibe and a great experience. I would come back to try more dishes on the menu read more

Unique wine selection highlighting Eastern European and Balkan regions. Loved our small plates, fun decor with plush teal/blush tones, vibrant crowd. The acoustics are not great, however, and it was difficult to hear one another seated at a 4 person table. read more

My four friends and I were seated 20 minutes late for an 8 o clock reservation. No problem for us since we're a group of friends just catching up. Food was good, enjoying ourselves until the waitress told us at 9:20 that they had a 9:30 reservation coming in. I kindly let her know that we were seated very late since I was still eating and her response was "I know". I had my fork in my hand and then busboys were wiping down the table around us as I was eating. They then took my napkin! Never have I had such terrible service. This is coming from someone who has been to this restaurant 3 times in the last month and won't be back. read more

We tried Ilona for the first time last night and even with all the difficulty of operating during this situation it was FANTASTIC. The best Mediterranean food I have had in Boston. Everything was spectacular - especially the eggplant. Awesome wine list. Incredibly lovely staff (thanks Andres!) who worked so hard to make it feel like a normal night out. And it did! We were outside but the inside was gorgeous and I can't to go back. read more

See all

So delicious I had to go twice in a month. Highly recommended, fun decor and great atmosphere, good for a fun date or a group. Everything i've tried so far was delicious; crispy eggplant, fattoush salad, Khachapuri, halloumi, kebab, pikilia and the branzino. read more