A local bar in Inman Sq. Vibes inside are really nice as it's very cozy and I liked the ambiance. A…read morelot of locals come here, we talked to some who were very nice. They also told us Sundays are trivia night! Stormalong Ciders on draft were what we got, they were crisp and hit the spot. Their kitchen closed not too long after we sat down so I put an order in of their homemade potato chips served with sour cream and onion dip. The chips were nice and crunchy, I wish the dip was a little bigger but it was still really good. Their other food looked good as well as their craft cocktails. It was a nice evening and we'd like to come back for trivia. Apparently it gets really busy for trivia so you have to come early.

Came here on a Friday night and it was bustling but we were able to find a seat as more people were…read morefocused on getting into the more popular pub up the street (The Druid). I thought the Guinness here was completely on par with the quality of the Druid and several people were drinking it into form in what was a great audience of people socializing, music, and sports. Lastly, service was top notch even in such a high functioning place. If you want a pub still under the radar enough to actually enjoy yourself on a busy evening, An Sibin is your place!

As per usual 10/10 Greeted in door way…read more Clean well stocked bathrooms Welcoming to everyone 80s 90s 2000s knowledgeable stylish Mushroom app and burger were nice treats to add to the awesome studio ghibli themed menu from the BB guide so clever top notch cocktails Cocktails Drinks Music and kikis delivery service on the projector good vibes

I am a lover of everything studio ghibli so when I saw Backbar was doing essentially a month of…read moredrinks based on the movies I knew I had to go! The bar is really funky fun which I loved. There is literally fun everywhere you look from the panda stuffed animal riding a tiger on the wall to the hilarious shrek pillow. Coming right when they open I was able to see these things that you would likely not see in the evening. But to be fair I came right when they opened since it is first come first serve. A majority of the drinks were more on the savory side which was very interesting like "may all your bacon burn" with bacon bites at the top of the drink. The drinks my friend had were all stunning with the use of egg yolk to elevate the drink. We ended the evening by walking over to Bow Market and trying Viet Citron which was so DANG GOOD my gosh. The to go orders were insane but looks like they are doing very well despite recently opening in. I got the grilled lemongrass pork ribs bowl and youtiao and the side sauce was so good. The ribs were all very meaty. It looks small but I was surprised how full I was after having it. Nice night of drinks and food. What we got Kiki's marmalade buns Castle in the sky Milk Punch May All your bacon burn

Lovely speakeasy vibe with delicious drinks. Only issue is that it is a bit small, and hard to hear…read moreconversations in large groups. Otherwise, great place to grab a fun drink.

Somehow I had never popped into the spot in Central before. The aesthetic is the optimal dark and…read moremoody cocktail bar vibe. The drinks were creative and well balanced but stronggg. It was fun trying a good options, just plan on taking the red line home. The staff was super helpful making menu recommendations and as the bar cleared out toward the end of the night they were fun to hang out with.

Was not expecting the food to pop off but everything was delicious. We had a reservation and came a…read morelittle late but were still allowed in. It was pretty busy and we were seated at the bar which was a little crowded. Loved the decoration, it was black interior with red lighting and interesting seating arrangement with tables down the middles and plants around. For drinks we got the Saigon Sunset which had a little sour flavor and was my personal favorite, the Gimme with an interesting flavor, and the Old Fashioned which is what you expect (old fashioned are not for me). The bartender was great, he was so patient even with how busy it was making sure to always check up. For food, the Goi Ca/Fluke was so good. It was flavorful and the texture. The peanut butter sauce wasn't too nutty and went so well with the fish. I ate every little piece up. We also ordered the Wagyu Viet Carpaccio which was also good. It was refreshing to eat and came with a large cracker for eat bite.

Ambiance was not too loud nor quiet…read more The appetizers included the carpaccio and the shrimp. The carpaccio was somewhat interesting taste profile leaning towards sweet. The eggplant shrimp not so interesting and relatively bland. The main course highlights included the beef short rib and black cod entrees. Both were very well received. So food experience was good overall. The service experience left a lot to be desired. The waitress seemed to be in a rush to get us moved on. No menu explanation or highlights.... nada. She was a little insistent for our whole order at once including drinks. Even though we placed our appetizer order and stated that we would place that a later she was back in 5 minutes (see below about timing) again looking for the main course orders. We waited 15 minutes for our reserved table but that wasn't a big deal. However, the appetizers arrived within 5 minutes of ordering which indicated that they were prepared and ready to go and hence zipped out so fast. I had to request the server to slow things down and he did help that a bit. However, we were done within 50 mins of being seated. So it was not a leisurely meal unfortunately. Perhaps the waitress was overcompensating for the last table going over their allotted 90 mins. I suggest it's worth a visit if you cannot get a reservation for your slot at another restaurant that you want to try. And don't be too surprised that the appetizers come at you before you can say boo! It may set the tempo for the remainder of your visit.

We had reservations for 7:30, and when we got there, the place was decently busy - a few empty…read moretables here and there - so we were seated immediately. We ordered quickly after perusing the (rather short) menu, most of which was either small plates and cocktails . Our first plate was the hainan chicken arancini. I really liked the contrast in textures between the crispy exterior and the tender chicken and rice mix on the inside. Overall flavour was not bad, too, but I'm not sure that it was exactly good enough to merit the price point of $18. Next was the Xi'an street noodles, which was probably my favourite dish of the meal. The noodles were very well cooked - chewy but not too soft - and I loved the sauce, with the gentle peanut aroma on top of the various spices they used. One comment was that the chilli crisp, which was tasty, was very lacking (in amount) and as a consequence the dish was really not spicy at all. Finally we had the chilli crisp buffalo chicken. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the chicken was boneless (I was expecting something more like chicken wings), which made for very clean eating :) The buffalo sauce was nice (and perhaps a bit spicier than the aforementioned chilli crisp) and the chicken itself was very rich and juicy. Portion size was quite large too and overall I was very happy with this plate. For drinks we ordered the Jaded, which was a fun matcha-themed cocktail (even the marshmallow was matcha-flavoured) and a (spirit-free) cranberry limeade, which was surprisingly refreshing and sweet. Overall a yummy meal, but definitely very expensive. I would be interested to try some more of their cocktails, which seem very creative, but I'm not sure if I would be keen to come again primarily for the food. (To be fair, though, this is often the modus operandi of these restaurants that specialise in small plates and drinks )

Great Cocktails, Average Food. I hovered between 3 and 4…read morestars here - ultimately deciding on 3 because while this is a great place to hang and grab drinks, the food is disappointing. Everyone was friendly and attentive but the food took a while to come out and it was just average. The best thing was the curry noodles and even those were a little bland. Also it was fairly expensive so I expected bigger portions or at least better flavor. Drinks on the other hand were delicious!

Food was terrific. We all loved the Brussels Sprouts small plate to share. Two chose the Baked Cod…read moreover gnocchi that was delicious. The Salmon plate is always a winner. Perfectly cooked medium rare as ordered and the gnocchi bolognese was good as always. Cocktails for some and wine for others (except our designated driver) hit the spot. Too full from dinner so we passed on dessert. Service was perfect and the ambiance allowed for cheerful conversation. It helps when everyone is enjoying the wonderful food and relaxed atmosphere.

This had a very cute patio, but candidly the food was not excellent and the portions were small for…read morethe price. My favorite dish was the broccolini with whipped ricotta and parmasian, but we got 4 stalks for two for sharing. It was very good but small. The grilled watermelon with pork belly was actually revolting, but I was hungry. The pork belly was tough and oversmoked and the watermelon was simply weird. The fish dish we ordered was nice but nothing exceptional. I would come back here for drinks but not the food. The ambiance was nice and the cocktails were good. The food was really, really meh. Candidly, I was very disappointed.

both of my drinks were delicious!! super creative menu, especially the elly the elephant drink (my…read morefav). both were pretty light drinks if that's your vibe! wish they had more food options but great spot for a quick drink. service is good!

My friend found this spot online and suggested we check it out, and I'm so glad we did. When we…read morearrived, I did not expect to find an entire courtyard filled with shops and restaurants tucked behind this little alleyway. It was such a cute hidden area, and I was already excited before we even got to the place. We headed upstairs into the bar, and the vibe was perfect. It's small, cozy, dimly lit, with vibey music playing. Since it was our first time, we were a little confused at first, but the waiter was super kind and walked us through everything. I ordered the Elly the Elephant and my friend got the Laughing Gull, and we both really enjoyed our drinks. One thing I thought was really nice is that they allow you to grab food from the surrounding restaurants and bring it in to eat there. We didn't end up doing that, but we did get the charcuterie board they had. It came with cheeses, crackers, and some fruit, and you can add meats for $10, which we opted out for. I will say I was a little disappointed by the fruit portion. The menu mentioned fresh fruit, so I expected more than three thin orange slices and one sliced strawberry. HOWEVER, when I asked for more strawberries, our waiter kindly brought out a whole bowl for me, which I really appreciated. We stayed for about two hours, and as the night went on the place definitely got more crowded, so we headed out. Overall, this is such a cute and cozy cocktail bar. I'll definitely be back when the weather is warmer to try the other drinks and restaurants in the market.

I had dinner there Monday night with 4 friends and we all agreed that Viale was a fantastic place…read moreto eat and talk. Each of our entrees was excellent, I had the halibut and it was fantastic! The wait staff and atmosphere inside were very good! The only bad thing is it is difficult finding parking in Central Square. We would definitely return to Viale!

First time at Viale, visiting from Houston, and what a way to be introduced to this place. I…read moreordered the bucatini carbonara, and hands down the best carbonara I've ever had. Silky, rich, perfectly emulsified sauce clinging to every strand of bucatini. Only small thing that threw me off was the peas; unexpected addition to a classic, though I know it's important to get your veggie intake in. We also got the saffron lumache, which was excellent; the saffron flavor came through beautifully without being overpowering, and the lumache shape caught the sauce well. It just didn't reach the same creamy, decadent level as the carbonara. Service was ok as I'm used to more southern hospitality, but the atmosphere was warm and lively without feeling stuffy, and honestly this meal alone makes me want to plan a trip back to Cambridge. Houston needs a carbonara like this. Already thinking about my next visit -- carbonara's a must-order again!