Top marks for food, service, and ambiance in our first and only visit... but it won't be our last. Here's why: We were greeted warmly, seated swiftly and comfortably, and attended to by our lovely server. We got our beverages (and refills) swiftly along with our starter. Our main entrées - both fish dishes (one fried, one baked) with veggie accompaniments - were perfectly cooked and seasoned, coming to our table at just the right moment. Each table top features an adorable bucket containing salt and pepper shakers as well as an easy-to-squeeze ketchup bottle - ingenious in keeping with the terrific colonial-themed decor while making things easier and neater for table occupants. The music - suitably "soft country" - remained in the background, allowing conversation. The room temperature was consistently comfortable throughout and the restrooms were meticulous. I can't recall a recent restaurant visit that went so well. We were frankly sorry we hadn't tried this place sooner!! Final analysis: We love booth seating, easy parking, and being in the hands of such a highly competent staff. We'll definitely be back to try more of their widely-varied and eye-catching menu items. read more

Wonderful night to sit outside and have dinner with family. Jill was very friendly and checked in with us often. The burger with cheese, mushroom and bacon was big enough to share. My two grandchildren had chicken fingers and fries and enjoyed them very much. The dry rub on the wings could have been more flavorful, so I think you should stick with burgers. read more

The tavern was a split restaurant/bar. Dimly lit with plenty of seating. Waitress immediately took my order asking me the standard questions regarding something to drink, how I wanted my meal cooked and type of cheese for my burger. They served my burger as ordered in 12 minutes. Everything was presented as ordered; medium rare. ( That usually confuses them.). The bun was toasted which was a nice touch. I thought the price was high even though I had cheese and onion rings which were add-one. If I knew it was so much, I would have stuck with the fries. I would return but I would watch how I ordered. read more

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Had the 1 pound steak tips with your choice of 2 sides. I took creamy mash potatoes and mixed vegetables (very good). The steak tips were juice and had a nice sweet taste as well. I asked for bread and they gave me plenty in a separate box with butter. Clean restaurant, easy to park and it's kept clean. Definitely recommend. read more

John Brewer's Tavern - 1 pound steak tip dinner with 2 choices of vegetables - American Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

Always a great experience! The staff are fabulous, drinks are great and food is awesome! New menu special should stay! Mozzarella Wedges! Delish! read more

John Brewer's Tavern - Mozzarella Wedges - American Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

We order food for pick up last Saturday! Chicken wings were excellent!! Service was very good and pleasant! read more

Stopped by for a late lunch on the weekend. Chose to sit in the bar area so I could watch some sports. Many TV's- the table top TV's can be tuned to any channel they have but they're a bit unreliable. Ordered a burger with onions rings- fries, sweet potatoes fries, and tater tots are all side options. Burger was cooked perfectly rare as requested. Great burger on toasted bun. Large crunchy, onion rings. Server was friendly and efficient. Love that they have DownEast cider. read more

John Brewer's Tavern - American Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

This has to be the worst excuse for chili that I have tasted. It literally looks and tastes like someone dumped ground beef, a can of beans, tomato paste and bottled salsa in a pot together. There was no sign of bell peppers, garlic, cumin, ..just a mess under melted cheese with no real flavor. Oh the portion size was small for the price and they didnt even give a pack of crackers... read more

John Brewer's Tavern - Brewers Chili, mushroom gravy - American Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

We dine and take out here very frequently. Love the Salmon salad and the meatloaf! Food is always fresh and flavorful!

Just brought my family to JBT. Good ambience & the food was delicious! I had the turkey tips with rice pilaf and vegetables. Turkey was cooked perfectly; tender and juicy inside. I forgot to take the before picture, but here's one with most of it in my happy tummy. Wife and kid's plates were excellent as well. We will definitely revisit JBT in the near future! read more

John Brewer's Tavern - Grilled turkey tips - American Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

I have been trying to give this restaurant a 5 star rating but every time I order something there is a problem. Twice it was a BLT - each time something I asked not to be there was included. This time I ordered a delivery order including the bread pudding. There was no ice cream which was mentioned was part of the order. read more

Waitress was terrific, but food was disgusting. Cold mashed potato, cold onion soup and couldn't even identify what they referred to as a French dip. Meatloaf horrid and drowned in fake gravy. The scary part is the place was mobbed, which just goes to show you how low the standards are. No thank you. The filth was even more astounding. The board of health should take a peek. read more

Tonight me and a friend went this place to eat (we have eaten here before). We had some yummy loaded potatoes that we shared as an appetizer and then had our delicious meals. The food came to our table hot and ready to eat. Our server, Jill was very hospitable to us and kept coming to our table to make sure everything we needed was good (which it was). The place was comfortable and a relaxing space to chat while eating a good meal. We had dessert afterwards which was big enough to share. I would recommend this place to eat at should you need a suggestion. read more

I spent a total of $35 on an order of 16 wings, and extra blue cheese (I also left a $5 tip for a pickup order). for 2 orders of wings and an extra blue cheese, I was given 3 carrots, 3 celerys and 2 containers of blue cheese not 3. read more

Both my salad and my guests' sandwiches were very good. Food was great but the restaurant decor could use a facelift.

Mom took me out for a quick Sunday lunch as we met in the Waltham area. We were greeted with a warm welcome and were seated after about 5 minutes. Our waitress was very personable and sweet, and checked in multiple times throughout the meal to make sure everything was okay. Excellent service. In terms of the food, I ordered a Buffalo chicken wrap and my mom opted for the chicken quesadilla. While the Buffalo chicken wrap was well plated, I was surprised to see the use of grilled chicken, specifically the same chicken used in the quesadilla. To my knowledge, Buffalo chicken wraps are typically made with crispy chicken (unless stated otherwise). The chicken itself was okay, juicy but not extremely flavorful. There was also not enough buffalo sauce in the wrap. However, ingredients were fresh and spread well throughout the wrap. If I come here again, I will mostly like opt for another (non chicken) item. read more

Really cool little pub with an old feel. Sat at the bar. Really nice bartender and served a wonderful chicken pot pie. Was really cold outside so that piping hot grub was spot on. read more

I come here pretty often since I work in the area. Over the past few months the service has not been that great. I was here most recently the last week of November. We came in on a Wednesday night around 6, no wait so we were seated right away. We ordered honey buffalo wins for an app, and those were okay. We asked for extra blue cheese for dipping, was given ranch dressing, flagged her down but never got the blue cheese. Not a huge deal, but we were charged $1.50 for the "extra blue cheese" however when we brought it to her attention she did take it off the bill. My friend ordered french onion soup, but that never came. Our waitress came by after our entrees were on the table and asked him if he still wanted the soup or "should I forget about it" ...you already clearly forgot about it! For dinner I got the short rib pannini - and that wasn't really good. The meat was very tough, and it had very little bbq sauce on it, there was avocado, but that gave the sandwich a weird squishy texture. It was also over cooked on the outside, so the bread tasted burnt. I ate half.. didn't bring the rest home. I ordered a pumpkin cheesecake to go for dessert, that was pretty good! Small piece for the price but whatever. Not sure I will be back, there's plenty other places in Waltham with better food and service. read more

Solid. In a world where my reviews are not the novellas they are, this would be a review in itself. There was nothing good, bad, or that otherwise stood out about my experience, A-OK almost by definition. Ended up getting a burger and a beer flight. Speaking of, they have a killer deal where you can get a burger and the flight for cheap (somewhere between $15-20, but please don't quote me on this) The burger was... drum roll please... solid. The bun was solid and didn't crumble midway into eating, which was appreciated. They also certainly didn't skimp on the veggies, and me liking those little bursts of freshness I was a fan of this as well. The meat was okay, no complaints there, though I do usually expect (more like hope at this point) that it would be more on the juicy side, though dryness was certainly not an issue. Fries are a case of déjà vu: basic, okay, satisfactory, etc. I did like that they weren't over-seasoned, nor did they have me reaching for the salt. Beer browser (flight) was a great sampling of some of the items they have on draft. Me being a lover of a little bit of everything, I enjoyed tasting my way through a couple of options, especially as part of that burger + beer deal. Service was a little lackluster in term of attentiveness. After we had placed our order, our server did not check in on us. If we needed anything (more water, bill, etc.) we had to flag her down. Pub food is about not reinventing the wheel, but when I go somewhere I would hope they'd do said "wheels" really well. This just wasn't the case here. read more

John Brewer's Tavern - Burger (w/ bacon and pepper jack) - American Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

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Food was good for pub food. Also good service She was very nice. Her name was Patty nice place for all ages you like appetizers hamburgers , they had some good comfort food also. the food was good. I said server was very attentive, very friendly and outgoing read more

I have to hand it to the wait staff at Brewer's. They handled our party of 3 adults and two children under two with ease and grace. They were so upbeat. They couldn't do enough for us. I also noticed how kind the staff was to a solo, older patron. That was impressive. The Tuscan salad with salmon added was great and the other adults left nothing on the plate. Thank you Brewer's! read more

This place was pretty good. I drive by it all the time and decided to stop in. Our waitress Shannon was very nice and attentive. My boyfriend got the California club and I had the brewers Mac and cheese. Both were pretty good. We had gotten the chili which came with chips and was probably the best item. The beers are big and I had the blue mule - it was a little too sweet and I wish it had more more ginger beer. read more

Been here many years ago with my son and went back after 15 years the food is still excellent.service was weird had one waiter , then ended up with another,.but service good , place looks like old Traven as it should . read more

Pretty good. Nice service. Drinks were good. Food wasn't bad either. Great afternoon low key place.

Alright bucko. I came to this place because my fraternity wanted to come here for our senior sendoff dinner. I didn't eat the food because I already at at a different place right before this for my brothers graduation which was called Pressed Cafe or something (son of a gun that place was good). This place is also good cuz the beer is tasty. The food smells good but, newsflash pal, waitress is pregnant. Overall, the place was really good which is why I'm giving it five stars! Well now just wait a minute, this is my first five star review. Good job Johnny, good job. read more

Solid food, good beer selection and friendly service. Atmosphere is casual and the local spot to go to. Typically get the nachos, quesadillas, black and blue burger, honey buffalo wings. read more

Everything is fine and the service is even better. Plenty of parking too. Order the potato skins as an appetizer . . you wont be disappointed. They're great ! read more

Meeting up with family for a good meal and beer for John- cousin Kristen picked the place! I was really impressed with the selection on the menu. The kids got a Cesar salad and the Coalition salad- crispy chicken drizzled with a honey chipotle sauce over romaine lettuce, tossed in an avocado ranch dressing with cheddar/jack cheese, jalapeños, black olives, scallions, tomatoes and bacon. John and Kristen both ordered fish-n-chips and I went with the turkey dinner. Good gracious- HUGE portions! I was the lightweight and had tried to get anyone to split this plate with me. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal and we stayed and chatted for a while. Catching up as family does. Our server was wonderful- checked on us numerous times and never rushed us out the door. They weren't too busy for a Monday night, so we didn't feel like we were overstaying our welcome. The hostess even took a picture of all of us for me! Great meal. read more

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Used to be a good value with special daily deals like Wings night or half priced apps but apparently those are all gone. Prices keep rising too. read more

First post-Covid visit. A quiet evening. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a well made Reuben and a meaty chili. Service was friendly and the food was delivered very quickly. The beer choices were reasonable with many lesser known micro brews. read more

Inside is nice. Food was not as good. Everything seemed as if it was heated up from frozen. We cancelled one order that still got out on the bill even though we didn't get it. Had to really plead with the waiter to get it taken off. read more

Great bar food, cool atmosphere and easy parking. Delicious burger and fries and you MUST get a large beer- you won't regret it

As a senior at my fraternity send off, I could not have asked for a better dining experience. The frat was kind enough to subsidize the seniors meals and drinks, so of course I proceeded to order the steak tips with a large pitcher of IPA to wash it down. Great use of funds if I say so myself. The service was great, a fellow fraternity brother happened to be the manager, we were very well taken care of and the restaurant was very well run. Great environment all around. 5 stars. read more

This place is a go to for us. The food is good but it's the service that puts it over the top. Everyone is so friendly and they take such good care of you. We've had a couple of events in their back room and they have gone above and beyond. Absolutely love it there. read more

Food was pretty good atmosphere was pretty cool. Place could use a good dusting lol my waitress was really good I had steak tips and ribs. Tips were tasty read more

My wife and I sat down in a booth in the dining room today (Sunday 3/13). While eating our apps, I looked down on the floor in our booth and noticed a French fry. I can understand something being missed but the rest of the floor/ rug was filthy, more french fries and some other debris. The rest of the restaurant (dining room) was not as filthy but obviously not being vacuumed and attended to. The bathroom was reminiscent of a neighborhood dive bar. The food was ok. I just wasn't used to having a bunch of cilantro thrown in as a 'bunch' instead of leaves being cut up. I guess there is a first time for everything or maybe it is a new way of cooking with it. Based on today I don't think we will be back again. The quality and ambiance has gone down big time. read more

Would love to give a better rating. Food is on point especially the steak tips but the service is downright rude. The atmosphere is fine for a tavern. Slightly outdated. Maybe I was sour because the host who handled my to go order couldn't be bothered to greet me and seemed beyond bothered to do her job and cash me out. I would respectfully suggest management trains their staff to not seem bothered by customers. read more

Honestly I only stopped by since it was close to where I worked but the staff was friendly and I found that it was busy but the burgers were good and the portions were generous, but it was only out of convenience that I would eat here but I understand it's bar food meant to be enjoyed when you're not too picky but sober me probably won't go out of my way to come back! read more

Great food, great service, questionable cutlery. i come here frequently and all the servers are super friendly and attentive. nice variety on the menu and the food is wicked tasty. i am, however, befuddled at the choice of a three-tined fork. i suspect that logistically some of my food eating experiences would be somewhat more successful with a more contemporary piece of flatware with four tunes. isn't going to prevent me from going there but i am pondering a have fork will travel policy. read more

To start off, this visit wasn't planned. We drove by and got intrigued said hell why not and tried for lunch Upon entry, no one was there to take our seat. Waited about 10mins for someone to come and seat us. During those 10mins, was able to look around and this place is just out dated! Old and dark. I get its a tavern, but it's not inviting what's so ever. Needs to be updated. Felt like I was in an old wooden coffin on the bottom of a pirate ship waiting to get my bucket of sludge Once we were seated, inspected the menu. Decent choices, typical tavern food. Now the burger creation was just odd. There really is no need for that. As a burger connoisseur, I would rather have a variety choice of special and bistro burgers. No need for a creation thing with way too many options. I decided to get a burger anyways and that was a mistake. Amateur at best. Was disappointed having to pay for it. Not to mention, didnt even get a beer refill till after I was eating. What's the point in that? I want to enjoy my beer with my burger. Not 5mins after I finished. Will say, the waitress was friendly but points off for the really late beer refill. All in all if you like old taverns with weird and mediocre food choices and outdated decor, I guess this would be your happy place. But, there are so many more better places to eat. This was my last time ever trying a place on the spot, especially a tavern! Terrible mistake! Do your research fellow yelpers! read more