Reviews Oak + Rowan

Edit: I've left my original review below, but we visited a second time on Valentine's Day and it did not disappoint. The photos are from this second experience which was even better than the first! Thank you to Tara especially for staging a wonderful dinner for us! Save room for dessert! Our dinner was so great, I forgot to take photos! We made a reservation on a whim and, quite frankly, I wasn't prepared for such an amazing experience. This place packs a punch way above its price point for Boston - particularly for Seaport which has some notoriously pricey/shiny hype sometimes. It is incredibly well reviewed and has won multiple awards, but for some reason was not packed on a standard Saturday evening. The food was completely insane. We had a Sea Bass Crudo, the Milk Bread, and a brie cheese plate to start. All very creative. The milk bread is accompanied by a light matcha butter with a zesty spice dusting on top. Not a scrap was left. Had no idea those flavors would be so great with a perfectly baked challah style bread! This first course was accompanied by a good cocktail with ample timing to order a wine glass for our main entree. For that, we tried the trout and venison. Wow. Try them for yourself. We were already saying "wow we should take our friends/fam here" before dessert. But... Dessert sealed the deal. We had a lemon curd tart with rosemary, meringue dots, marshmallow shards, pomegranate seeds, and a homemade lemon-rosemary sorbet. We also tried another dessert that I can only describe as a crystal citrus ice sugar cloud... Yeah. It was amazing. Our waitress and bartender were both great! All around excellent experience and we will be back. I'll take pictures next time... If I remember.

Phenomenal!!! We went after randomly meeting one of the chefs on the T, and he recommended we go. Good thing, too - we got in just before the well-deserved hype wave began. The tableside cocktail cart is more than just a gimmick - the cocktail we got was fantastic, and since it's shaken tableside, you still get some of the temporary aerated lightness that often gets lost during the lag of bar-to-server delivery. Doppio Ravioli with smoked scallop and squash started off the meal right. Wonderfully subtle flavors that stood on their own and complemented each other to bring out new notes. The Lobster + Veal Shortbreads with Gnocchi was on point. There were so many elements to this dish, yet somehow nothing got lost or blended in to the background. The shortbreads were cooked *perfectly* and the portion size was surprisingly generous. The gnocchi were soft and pillowy, and the sauce just clung to them. What really stole the show, though, was the Charred Baby Octopus. My god. It was a beautiful presentation, with all elements working together to elevate these blackened, wonderful little cephalopods. It's hard to describe just how well it was done - you'll have to go and try it yourself. Hopefully this one sticks around on the menu! Our dessert was tasty, but definitely on the weaker side of the meal. It was a bit one-note, and didn't quite have flavors that popped out at us, but this is a pretty minor issue. We can't wait to go back and eat through more of the menu. Definitely follow them on instagram, and definitely don't look at their instagram during lunchtime, if you know what's good for you.

Been coming here for years but recently there has been really bad delays with food coming out or just plain forgetting it. I understand with Covid but at least let the table know are general ETA. Would recommend to anyone looking for a good farm to table just be prepared to wait for food. Last time I was there it took 45 min for the squash soup to come out.

Beautiful, loft-setting with modern presentation of very accessible food. Started with tartar, which featured a deconstructed egg. Nicely seasoned, fun to eat. Also had oysters - cold and warm preparations. Not a bad dish, but the "rhubarb mignonette" was vinegar-y and the oyster flavor was lost. Pasta, beef, and duck entrees were all fine. The cook on the duck and beef looked somewhat over, but nonetheless they were delicious. The desserts were truly the star. (buttermilk mousse, chocolate cashew ensemble) Multiple components with different textures and complementary flavors. Truly a delight! The waiter could have been trained more on the dishes -not articulate enough in describing the food. We were properly greeted upon entering the restaurant, but no one acknowledged us as we made our way out.

Food and service were both excellent. The seating was very uncomfortable- hard to enjoy caviar when sitting on a bench with your legs going numb. Overall I would recommend the restaurant.

I had the pleasure of dining with Meghan and Tara, and boy was that a lovely experience. I hope Boston keeps the real service model alive like these waitresses have. They set the standard pretty high.

Very good atmosfere and wine list. Food was good and plating was on point! Will definitely go back!

I liked the food and ambiance. The waitress was was nice and engaging