When Eastern Standard opened in 2005, the restaurant changed the city in so many ways. Not only did mixologist Jackson Cannon blaze a path for Boston’s craft cocktail scene (appearing twice on Esquire’s Best Bars in America), but in an area mainly known for sausage carts and pub grub, there was finally a restaurant with real silverware and approachable service. Kenmore Square, in the shadow of Fenway Park, was totally transformed.
So you can imagine how bummed Bostonions were when the restaurant closed during the pandemic—it was the end of an era. Luckily for us all, Eastern Standard is back, and it’s back in a big way full of nostalgic favorites and new additions to the menu. “It’s natural for people to say the glory years of restaurants came to an end [during COVID], but, man, we’ve got enough to work with to recreate [and] to rebuild,” owner Garrett Harker says.
It’s among the host of exciting new spots restaurateur Harker opened in the Bower complex this year. In addition to Eastern Standard’s fall reopening, Harker debuted seafood spot All That Fish + Oyster, and cocktail bar Equal Measure. In 2024, he will add a coffee-and-pastry shop to the complex.
Meanwhile, the new Eastern Standard is just a short walk from the original, but it’s less a replica and more a reimagining. Read on for all the reasons to make a booking at this Boston favorite stat.
What to eat
Before it closed, ES—as diehard fans call it—had something for everyone: A special night out for Boston University seniors, the best dinner before a game at Fenway Park, and the go-to spot for business meetings.
All of that is staying, as is the focus on seasonal dishes and housemade ingredients, something ES was doing long before it became the norm in Boston. “You can go up culinary-wise, or you can go down for a quick glass of wine and a bite,” Harker says.
ES diehards will cheer the return of one of the city’s best tuna niçoise salads, as well as the fan-favorite burger. And they can get excited about new dishes like the broccoli rabe melt with fontina cheese and zingy tomato jam and housemade bucatini with littleneck clams and green garlic.
Plus, Chopped star and ES chef Nemo Bolin has made sure the restaurant’s celebration of local seafood remains. Come for the lobster gnocchi on Fridays, the Maryland-style crab cakes on Tuesday, or all-week-long for Maine mussels in white wine sauce that’s best sopped up with garlic bread. In early 2024, two other ES favorites will return as well: leisurely brunch and the beloved late-night menu (we see you, Red Sox fans).
What to drink
Besides the Cheers set, few of the city’s bars are as iconic as Eastern Standard’s, and the menus all zhuzhed up for 2023. Keeping with the rise in non-alcoholic drinks, ES has a big section dedicated to them. The Herbal St. Elsewhere, with lemon, elderflower tonic, and an edible orchid, is a standout so far.
Meanwhile, the restaurant’s cocktail game still slays. Sound and Fury is a new Mexican-inspired tequila drink with white tea, cacao, and lemon. The Metamorphosis with Czech herbal liqueur becherovka, honey, and lemon nods to Franz Kafka. And the hot buttered rum with pumpkin spice and fresh-grated nutmeg is the drink for the Boston cold.
Beer lovers can look forward to a collaboration with Narragansett, and wine lovers will be glad to know they can still choose from a large selection of global and domestic varietals by the bottle or by the glass for $20 or less (for the most part).
Where to sit
Harker wanted the new Eastern Standard to remain in Kenmore—the restaurant and the neighborhood are forever intertwined. Much of why the restaurant has a little something for everyone is the way it’s set up.
The marble bar area (which looks like the inside of an oyster shell) seats 23 at high tops and is where you’ll feel comfortable dropping in. The spacious dining room with mahogany tables and room for more than 150 people has plenty of cozy nooks for intimate conversations. Come warm weather, you’ll want to post up on the patio with room for 60 to 65. And to top it all, there’s a private dining room with a black-and-white marble floor that seats 45.
More than anything, it’s clear Eastern Standard’s essence is unchanged. “There’s an emotional connection people feel about restaurants. It’s not transactional, not just mechanics. Eastern Standard is definitely living proof of that,” Harker says. “I’ve seen dozens of people who are so happy to be back and so many new faces. I’m not someone who cries, but I’ve definitely shed tears of joy more than once.”
When to go
Eastern Standard is open Sunday to Thursday from 5 pm to 11 pm and Friday and Saturday from 5 pm to midnight. Avoid the dinner rush with now-available lunch reservations weekdays from 11:30 am to 3 pm. Late-night hours and weekend brunch will follow in early 2024.
Carley Thornell-Wade is a Boston-based food, travel, and technology writer who’s been to more than 70 countries and delighted in tasting the regional delicacies of each.
