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    The Pleasant Cafe

    3.7 (34 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 weeks ago

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    A sign advertising $3 Pabst Blue Ribbon beer draft, with a graphic of a beer glass and promotional text, placed on a bar counter.
    Mike M.

    Nice spot in Ayer. Stopped off on the way home from the movies to Leominster. Great beer selection and Guinness ($12)on draft. $3 PBR drafts is a nice touch. Only tried the chicken tenders w Carolina bbq sauce. Delicious. Can't wait to have them again. Great vibe, keno and popcorn. Solid spot. Lil pricey but still solid.

    Buffalo Hand Breaded Chicken Tenders
    Gary G.

    The short version: a bit expensive, good burgers, great wings, great steak & cheese egg rolls, good beer selection, easy parking, friendly servers, understaffed at lunchtime. Overall, I'll take it. Worth a premium for reliably good food, and that's not just on a curve because it's in the boonies. I'll match their wings against almost anyone's. Wings: Tried both the Nashville Hot and the Buffalo on separate visits. The Nashville Hot didn't taste like Nashville Hot to me, but did taste spectacular, both on the surface and all the way in. The wings are billed as marinated and they sure taste it. A bit on the salty side, but it all works and infuses them with complex flavor. Lots of different spices on the Nashville Hot sauce. Buffalo was pretty standard and on the mild side, but a nice balance of hot, tart and creamy. As for texture, the first batch (Nashville Hot) was perfection: very crisp skin with very juicy interior. Second batch (Buffalo) less crisp but still clearing the bar for crispness. Also juicy. Buffalo Tenders: Very good. Homemade. Good crispness. Good bumpiness. Good tenderness. Good flavor. I prefer the wings, but these tenders hit the spot. Steak & Cheese Egg Rolls: You get two of them, each one cut in half, so easily shared among 2 or 4 people. Crisp, tasty shell. Filling is ground meat integrated with the cheese sauce, so it's very soft. Wet without being soupy. Imagine the lovechild of a cheeseburger and chili, with a Chinese surrogate. Served with a barbecue sauce for dipping. I'd opt for ranch or mustard over the barbecue, but excellent with or without sauce. Definitely will order again. Burger: Solid rendition. Billed as a smashed patty so I got an extra patty, thinking one wouldn't be enough, but two patties is more than enough. Every aspect of this burger was good to very good: nothing problematic, nothing spectacular, but well above average for sure.

    Orange cinnamon martini - A cocktail with a lemon wedge garnish is placed on a black napkin on a marble bar counter, with beer taps and bottles in the background.
    Suzanne D.

    Is there such a thing as upscale casual? The atmosphere is comfortable, new & nicely decorated. I especially enjoyed looking at the photos of Pleasant Cafe history. We popped in to grab a bite & watch the game. Yes, they are now open on Sunday!! The bar has a good selection & 24 beers on tap. We had a draft beer & Orange Cinnamon Martini. The martini was very good. For lunch, we had a Smash burger with onion strings. The strings were more like rings but delicious. Also, we had the Harvest Salad with Nashville Hot chicken. I enjoyed the salad a lot. The various flavors blended nicely. The chicken may not have matched the salad, but it worked for me! Overall, I was pleased with this dining experience and I will be back. Nice job on the new place, Pleasant Cafe!

    Menu
    Julie R.

    Wow, finally a good restaurant with excellent food that does not over charge. Great service, keno and a comfortable yet fun atmosphere. I was there on a Sunday afternoon with my daughter. The bar looks fun and I plan on heading back next weekend to check it out. Note-entrance is on the side.

    Gross - A box of fried jalapeño poppers served with a side of creamy dipping sauce, likely at a casual dining or takeout restaurant.

    Not only that is expensive it also tastes really bad... hard as a rock grilled cheese and the fried pickle the batter was off. Shut down and don't cook anymore.

    Ice cold PBR, for $4! - A tall glass of PBR beer with a foamy head is placed on a table at The Pleasant Cafe in Ayer, MA, with other glasses visible in the background.

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    6 months ago

    I've been here a few times and the food never disappoints! Max, our server, made our experience even better! Highly recommend!

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    6 months ago

    Max was awesome! Super attentive! Great experience, good food. Glad we came, will definitely come back.

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    1 year ago

    Food, drinks, staff, all fantastic! The espresso martini and any of the flatbreads are always by go to!

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    2 years ago

    This place is amazing been going here for 30 plus years. Foods always on point. Staff is awesome always polite

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    Ember & Alma

    Ember & Alma

    (33 reviews)

    Haven't been back here for ages, used to be a place you buy food by the weight. Now what a hidden…read moregem! Will definitely be back. We took our two younger ones there for a quiet Easter Sunday dinner together. So many interesting things on the menu, we way over ordered. But everything was delicious. We had the pork belly confit, the cheese bread, the octopus, and the parm wings to start. They were all polished off quickly. Our pork belly did seem to have missed a sauce, but we just dipped them with the cheesy bread sauce and was very happy. My son ordered a few different skews and thoroughly enjoyed his Picanha, sausage and cheese and chicken heart. My youngest said the chicken hearts were the best she had ever tried. High praise from a kid loving chicken heart since just a tiny tod. My wife and I both ordered the ribeye over mushroom risotto. We order medium rare and both of ours came perfectly done. Both our kids thoroughly enjoyed trying our steak and risotto. My daughter and I both enjoyed mixing my son's Yucca mash with the risotto. She practically scrapped my plate clean. We all had our eyes on the pineapple, but all agreed we were overstuffed and will defer to next time. We even had leftovers to bring home to one happy Puppy. Will definitely return!

    Tucked away in Marlborough, Ember & Alma is a hidden gem and a secret worth keeping, yet it's the…read moreplace you can't stop talking about once you go. Always a warm welcome once you arrive, Ember & Alma is not only a place to get delicious food but a spot where you can feel connected and a sense of belonging. Whether you're settling in for a quiet date night or a leisurely dinner with loved ones, the cozy atmosphere wraps around you like a warm embrace. But it's the food and drink that truly steal the show. The menu is a love letter to Brazilian and South American cooking -- bold, soulful, and bursting with creativity. Every dish tells a story of a rich culinary tradition, taking you on a journey from bright, sweet notes all the way through to deep, satisfying umami. Both the cocktail menu and non-alcoholic offerings match this spirit, offering drinks that are every bit as thoughtfully crafted as the plates they accompany. If there's one dish that captures everything Ember & Alma stands for, it's the bananas bravas. Memorable in the truest sense of the word, they are the kind of thing you find yourself thinking about days later, and the reason you'll inevitably find yourself making a reservation to return.

    Cocktail Garden & Kitchen

    Cocktail Garden & Kitchen

    (11 reviews)

    cocktail garden & kitchen is a brand new restaurant and outdoor lounge. the ambiance is cute,…read morethere's an indoor bar with a couple tables and a large outdoor patio area filled with comfy chairs, couches and covered in lights. we came at 10pm on a wednesday, the kitchen was closed but we came for the drinks anyways. they do a great job with the drink presentation, using different presentations with smoke which is entertaining and pretty! their drinks look beautiful but the drinks are very watered down or sweet from the sweet heart and mezcal drinks we tried. for ~$17 each, i loved the presentation but we both didn't feel there was nearly any alcohol in them, either sugary or watery. maybe it's a method for you to order more? mezcal 2.5/10 sweet heart 3/10 although they have a great ambiance and vibe, and fun presentation, since we came for a single good drink, it was lacking. for $17 a drink, the drinks shouldn't be this weak. this is a new place so i'm sure they have some things to work out, and i would highly encourage them to just add more alcohol to their drinks and this would be an ideal place to get after dinner drinks and relax on their outdoor patio. kitchen was closed so can't speak for the food. the neighborhood is very busy and loud, so while there may be plenty of space for an intimate or group conversations, the street is pretty noisy, even on a wednesday. i do feel like they will work this out! tldr; great vibe, great presentation, good service, drinks need more work, located in busy part of city. ambiance: 4/5 food: n/a drinks: 1.4/5 service: 3.5/5 cocktail garden & kitchen: 2.9/5

    Food was fine, drinks were good, but didn't have enough ice/weren't cold enough. Service was good,…read morenothing special. The vibe was a little weird. Whole experience was just okay.

    Brady’s

    Brady’s

    (122 reviews)

    We have enjoyed Chef Bill Brady's creative vegetarian masterpieces for years. Definitely high…read moregourmet cuisine in great environs. Sometimes we call ahead to reserve for a 3 or 4 -course fixed menu which he customizes for us. Even on their normal menu, they have fantastic vegetarian and vegan selections. (One does need to look the other way at the entrance, there's a raw meat refrigerator display case on the left :( ) The dessert platters are incredible!

    Oh Bradys's, what has happened to you? So, we went there last night (party of 4) to celebrate my…read moresister's birthday. I want to say our waitress was wonderful and attentive. My review is no reflection on the atmosphere or waitstaff... strictly the food. Our appetizers were pretty good... calamari and escargot... nothing special, but, acceptable. After that.. things went way downhill. Two of us, ordered the veal parm. It was served on a piping hot plate, however, I can assure you, this was not made to order. The veal cutlet was clearly cooked hours before as it was barely lukewarm warm in Temperature and the breading was not one bit, crispy. It was soggy. Not made to order! It was served over a bed of "angel hair." The angel hair was cut up in multiple small pieces... the way you would serve it to a baby experiencing pasta for the first time. I asked our waitress "why is the pasta all cut up like this?" She responded: "I don't know." Not only was it cut up into pieces...(who does that? ) it was also soggy and way overcooked. The meal was a huge disappointment. My other dining companion ordered the fried pork chop which was a special. It wasn't too bad... he reported it was tender... it came with mash and a side of corn that looked like it came straight out of a can of Delmonte. No frills there. It was clearly canned corn. My sister got the cavatappi pasta that came with shrimp ; cannellini beans and a veg mixed in and it was swimming in a sub-par sauce that was lacking in any seasoning. All the entrees lacked basic seasoning. I want to go to a restaurant where my dish is made to order. Hot and crispy cutlets; Al Dente pasta; corn that's not poured out of a tin can and entrees that are served hot! This place has gone way downhill. I was there several years ago my experience was very different. I wouldn't recommend the restaurant and it certainly wasn't worth the $300 dollars (including tip) that we paid. Entrees were 30 + dollars each! What a joke to be charging those prices for the sub-standard food we were served. We will never go back. On a Positive note, my sister was given a lovely birthday dessert plate of sticky toffee pudding and ice cream.

    Silver Girl - Olive Oil Cake

    Silver Girl

    (21 reviews)

    We went for an early dinner with two colleagues. The ambience is funky, but fun. Food selection is…read morelimited but very good. Drinks are inventive. We had the meatballs, a salad, short rib, the gumbo and the crispy chicken dish. Drinks were a banana drink for dessert and Sazerac, which were excellent. The service was attentive, but not intrusive. I can't blame them for this, but the only downside was a group of 10 cackling hens next-door although obviously the drinks were well enjoyed by them. Highly recommend. The jazz guitarist was a nice touch as well.

    The night that we moved into town, we celebrated by going out to dinner. We arrived at Silver girl…read more40 minutes before closing, and were informed that the kitchen was already closed. We expressed disappointment, but they then checked with the Kitchen staff and said sure if you order right away we would be happy to serve you. We were thrilled! We ordered drinks and had food, and it was all wonderful. We loved the speakeasy, vibe, the custom cocktails, and the impressive and carefully curated alcohol options at the bar. The service was wonderful and friendly. We thought, oh great, this is going to be our go to place in town, we'll be here frequently! Our next visit was completely different. I called ahead of time to check on availability, mention that we prefer to sit at the bar, and confirm that they do not take reservations at the bar, but that there were tables available. So we had it in. When we arrived, we clearly saw at least four open seats at the bar. But we were informed that those seats were reserved. I mentioned that I had just called to confirm that there were seats available and confirmed that bar seats could not be reserved. Well, that was perplexing. And there was no genuine apology, no mention that they might be sorry about the confusion, let us see what we can do... Ultimately, the hostess, did checked with some folks and found that there was a table that we could have. So we sat down for our meal. The service this night was decidedly different, and we couldn't help feeling like we'd forced our way into a private club that we really weren't welcomed at. That was a few months ago, and we haven't been back since.

    Townhall Taphouse & Eatery

    Townhall Taphouse & Eatery

    (11 reviews)

    Food was great . They just changed the menu. See my menu post. Service was great. They don't take…read morereservations but we had no wait to get a table for 2 on a Friday night. Smashburger was great as was the chicken tacos. Also tried the cauliflower and the deviled eggs. Everything was enjoyable. We will be back.

    We are new to the area, we found this place when searching for local restaurants. It's what I…read morewould deem a hole in the wall, (only because it is not a large venue) but it has excellent service and great food. We started with some cocktails and the cheese curds, for Andres we had the Smashburger and an order of duck tacos. We do come toting along with a six-year-old so with a lack of a kids menu or a simpler eats, we went with the cheese flatbread (note to anybody reading it comes without sauce. It is literally cheese on a flatbread). We can't fall places for not being kid friendly, but it would've been awesome to have even just a grilled cheese option, but that's our problem for another day. Sadly, it will limit when we can plan our future visit visits. The service was great, friendly and attentive, in the ambience, cozy and warm. I travel quite a bit and my husband did deem this a place that "I could come and sit at the bar when I'm by myself " So personally, the only thing I would say is they could use a few more smaller plates that could thicken as child, friendly entrées... or just add a tad bit more options into the mix.

    The Pleasant Cafe - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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