Deep Ellum

afranko

Massachusetts

2.58/5  rDev -40.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 1.5 | selection: 3 | food: 2.5 | $$$

I really want to like this bar but the service offered just stops me from doing that. The selection is decent nothing super amazing but it's a good, small, decent selection. The one time my beer was spilled and two people of the wait staff walked by without helping and said our waiter will be over with napkins in a minute. I feel there's a snobbish attitude with most of the staff here. I would recommend just walking down the street to the Sunset for food thats just as good and a greater selections of beer.

03-22-2010 01:39:52 | More by afranko

bkny27

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -24.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 4.5 | food: 1.5 | $$

I used to live in Cambridge and would go to Bukowski's often. I moved to Watertown and knew some people from Buk's had moved on to open Deep Ellum. I knew the beer selection would be good, but the website also said they were putting much value into their food - this is where I totally disagree.

Beer: a great place to go with a good draft selection - just as an example, I got North Coast Old Rasputin RIS and Poperings Hommel - delicious.

Food: don't waste your money on a full meal. Based on the menu, you would think these are some quality dishes, but unfortunately this is just not the case. One of my friend's raved about the pretzel and beer cheese dip; I love the pretzel at Rock Bottom, so I had to try this. I was extremely let down - the pretzel tasted soggy and microwaved and the dip was unbelievably salty. Buffalo wings also extremely salty and didn't seem to be cooked through. One item that DEFINITELY was not cooked through was the pork sausage with apples. On the menu, it sounded good, but came out not impressive as well as not cooked. Also, the waitress forgot about our order, so after 30 minutes we had to remind her. She came out with our still oinking dish. She brought it back to have it cooked through after we said we didn't want it, then asked if we wanted to take it home!

Overall: for the beer, great place to chill out, enjoy some premium brews. But like I said, if you want to enjoy a true quality dish with your meal, try Publick House, 1000x better food!

10-12-2008 21:23:32 | More by bkny27

marcpal

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -23.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 2 | $$

Got here last week after intending to try out for some time when I could pull myself from Publick House- long story short- wont make mistake again, went back to PH the next night.

The atmosphere wasnt bad, somewhat crowded and staff was friendly for the most part. However, hate to say it, but the bartenders were not what I expected. Again, maybe just had the hopes up but did not know much about the beers or even the food.

The person I was with got the cold seafood platter and it was skimpy and not really high quality. Too bad on that one- I went with the wings as well as the vegan burger and he also had the new orleans sandwich. The NO sandwich looked pretty darn good and he said okay but the vegan burger was fried to a crisp with nothing too it but breading, same for the fries.

The selection was nice, some locals on tap as well as some one-offs but nothing to write home about. The bottle list was dominated by Belgians and I stuck with the malty German beers.

It was unfortunate that the waitress lacked what I had hoped for, but again, expectations and bar set awfully high from the PH as well as several recent trips to Philly.

The food was really the worst part. Id say if you have time in the city, sure, give it a go but if you only have limited time, stick to Publick House or other top spots.

Sorry for bad review, hate doing it but want to be helpful and constructive. Other reviews were very good but I do want to be honest.

09-03-2008 20:22:51 | More by marcpal

Tonyrobts

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -20.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$$

Visited for the first time on Friday night. Would agree with all the good points raised in other reviews on atmosphere, selection etc.

The huge disappointment is that both bartenders working at the time of my visit were pouring ridiculously short measures for both me and also other people I noticed at the bar.

I tried the cask first, and the person serving clearly had no idea how to us a beer engine. I didn't ask for a top-up as I didn't think that she would be actually able to manage to do it.

Next I ordered an American Hefe (can't recall which, not drunk! I just don't often keep notes on the specific beers I try) - it was just 5% ABV and priced the same as other pints but she served it in a tulip glass with a 40cl line mark on it and with the liquid falling a good half inch shy of that. This basically made my beer equate to something like $8 or more a pint! At this point I noticed a guy down the bar receive a Fransiskaner Hefe with an unbelievably large head (maybe three inches!) On this occasion I did ask for a top up (a request not received with good grace) but he didn't.

I stayed for one more - a strong stout - I think the nitro dispense helped her to keep the head to an acceptable amount but the beer was a little to warm for a stout. I noticed short measures being served to others throughout the time there.

I probably will return and give the place one more try because of the good selection - maybe there will be different staff on or perhaps they will have done some training in the meantime. With the Sunset being a few steps away it's easy to move on after one beer if the pours are short again.

05-26-2008 15:23:36 | More by Tonyrobts

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.65/5  rDev -15.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | $$

A: Very edgy, cool dive appearance from the outside, with an interior that defines classy simplicity. Tons of glassware behind the bar.

Q: Strong offerings, but nothing mind-blowing.

Service: I appreciated the automatic inclusion of a small glass of water alongside the beer, but the bartender was ridiculously inattentive. Rather than check back to see if I wanted another drink (which I did), she just ignored me for a while and then brought the check. I was not tempted to tell her otherwise.

Selection: Good variety of high-quality beers, but nothing I didn't see at other bars.

Value: Right about average.

Notes: I could see myself falling in love with this bar, but the service (and the close proximity of Sunset) precluded that possibility. Worth a look, but not the best Boston has to offer.

Cheers!

12-21-2009 02:04:06 | More by woosterbill

jneiswender

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -14.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I have to agree with some of the past reviews. I was really impressed with the selection of beers offered (60 bottles and 20 taps approximately) as well as their respective conditions served (temperature and glassware were perfect). The food menu is extensive but not overwhelming. Everything goes well with beer. However, the service could be better. By better I simply mean more attentive. The waitstaff was police but just not there when my glass was low or empty. It took way too long to get served initially as well. Its a small enough place that this should never be. Prices were fair for the quality you got.

04-01-2010 16:14:12 | More by jneiswender

deafcat

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -13.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$

Went here on Saturday night with a pretty big group of friends. It was packed the point of discomfort. I thought getting there at 8:30 would have given us more breathing room, but it was quite the opposite as the dinner crowd had yet to vacate the tables. We ordered beers and stood around for awhile, consistently getting pushed around as the wait staff tried to get around us. Eventually the VERY FRIENDLY wait staff snagged us a table into which we crammed.

Decor was pleasant enough - nice, dark wood; a long bar; only the two tvs (which were weirdly playing a movie on silent. Music was a little on the loud side for a beer bar, in my opinion, especially since it was so crowded.

Selection was good - very good, actually. A number of non-belgian imports, belgians, west-coast beers, and quite a few local brews (including two from Pretty Things and two from Smuttynose). Prices were on the high side compared with bars in the area, but is probably worth it if you want the variety.

Wait staff was excellent. Bartenders were a bit overwhelmed but were still pretty quick at serving us. We drank slowly and were asked several times if we needed anything. All had water glasses which were kept full. Polite and even said goodbye when we left.

I would go back, however, on a budget this would probably be only a stop on a pub crawl; hard to compete with the relatively cheaper prices at someplace like sunset nearby. Still, not bad.

02-09-2011 03:35:25 | More by deafcat

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -11.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Through the door and past the bar, 8 or 9 of us took up the large table in the back corner. Service was speedy, knowledgeable, and rather attentive. I had a draft Conniston Bluebird that tasted a bit past it's prime. But, a bad Bluebird is still better than most beers IMO. We shared an order of the truffled gorgonzola fries. They were delicious. I've since tried, with some success, to emulate them at home. That was the only food item I sampled otherwise, the food rating would probably be a 4.5 judging by what I saw leaving the kitchen. Overall, a great vibe and certainly a place I would hit up next time I'm in town.

03-14-2009 03:57:12 | More by ClockworkOrange

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -9.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$$

Stopped by here last Saturday night to check this place out and try a few beers. Very dark atmosphere when you walk in, and there was some good music cranking though the system. Sat at the bar and talked with both bartenders, who greeted us and helped us with our beer selection. The service was very good. Had a DFH Chateau Jiahu in a snifter and the wife had a BBC Coffehouse Porter. Both tasted great. The food menu looked pretty intriguing, very interesting selections for a beer bar. Had a cheeseburger which was quite good. The beers were priced decently, with most draughts $5.00-$6.00, and bottles were a range of prices higher than that, most over $6.00. The bottle selection had a few that you don't see often, so that was a bonus. Deep Ellum is a nice addition to the Allston beer scene.

01-15-2007 18:04:29 | More by morebeergood

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.9/5  rDev -9.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped by after ACBF09 with some friends (at night).

Atmosphere: This is a small place, kind of an odd atmosphere--it was absurdly dark, which gave it a "club" like atmosphere almost. I don't know, all I remember is the DARK.

Quality: Definitely some high quality taps, depending on when you go (my boyfriend was there when they had Aecht Schlenklerla Fastenbier). Also very good cask offerings (Avery Maharaja).

Service: Service was decent. No complaints.

Selection: They have a decent-sized tap list, so you're sure to find something, plus they usually have some rare, tap-only beers as well. The tap offerings weren't great when I was there but were pretty solid.

Food: The food menu was pretty limited and eclectic (we made a good choice and got the cheese fries which were pretty awesome).

Value: I don't really remember the pricing, but I think it was reasonable but on the high-ish side of reasonable.

Overall: Because of the smaller tap list, it really depends on what is offered--it could be an awesome selection or just a pretty good selection, but either way you'll definitely find something you like. The evening atmosphere was a bit off-putting, personally I would try going earlier if possible. Another note: they serve the beer in the most proper glassware as possible (ordered a Klokke Roeland, which only gets 10 reviews on this site, and it was served in its own glass).

Bottom line: don't overlook this place.

07-22-2009 19:50:32 | More by LilBeerDoctor