Sunset Cantina

Freshie

Massachusetts

3.89/5  rDev +6.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Similar but condensed from it's sister site in Allston, the Sunset Grill, sits comfortly and centrally on Comm Ave in Boston in the BU area across from the Agganis Arena and right off the Green Line.

The atmosphere is festive and vibrant. Even on a Tuesday the place was busy.

The beer list is less than the sister site, but still very varied and well chosen. 38 beers on tap, and much more in bottles. I went with the BBC Coffee Haus Porter on-tap.

Service was slow, almost annoyingly so. We were on a time limit because of an engagement later down the street and we just stopped in for a quick drink.

I was not able to try the food, and i wish a second a visit to review more thoroughly, but until then...

05-24-2006 20:44:55 | More by Freshie

mcguirmn

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Not even close to Sunset Grill and Tap.

Never had a good experience with the waitstaff here. They either forget about you, or come to take your order but know nothing about the beer.

The beer selection is 100 times better at their allston location. Most of the time, when I would order interesting beers that I had never heard of, they either didn't have it, or couldn't find it. Not very good qualities for a bar that prides itself on its beer selection.

Most redeeming qualities are their margaritas and their food (which are both amazing)

06-04-2011 04:42:55 | More by mcguirmn

david18

New York

4.28/5  rDev +17.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I found out about this place on the Beer Advocate forum when looking for a good place to go on an upcoming visit to Boston. In general this is a very good place. My only problem is that it was very far out of the way from the center of town and I had to take a cab in both directions. I believe it's across the street from Boston University.

The tap selection was very good and there were at least four beers I had never had including selections from Clown Shoes, BBC and Kona. The bartender was very knowledgible and friendly and gave me a number of tastes. The bottle list is also very impressive. The menu looked interesting but i didn't get anything. It's a good place but I'm not sure if it was worth the trip especially after I discovered some good places closer to my hotel.

07-05-2010 21:54:09 | More by david18

charliedvrs

Massachusetts

3.08/5  rDev -15.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4 | $$

I'm at the Grille all the time. Love it. An old friend was in town and told us to meet her at the Cantina for dinner and some drinks.

The Cantina has the same vibe. Almost sports bar/almost chain restaurant with tons of decorations on the walls. All around a fun place to have dinner. Menu is the same as the Grille. Great burgers and sandwiches, awesome nachos, some quality mexican style cooking. All around fun place.

They list about 30 beers on tap on their menu - maybe a bit less. Still a decent amount but pales in comparison to the sister restaurant's 100+. My biggest problem came when my girlfriend and I walked up to the bar, and literally struck out on the first 4 beers we asked for. This wasn't 12 oclock on a Saturday night either, it was 7 oclock on a not too busy Wednesday. Our waitress didn't seem too knowledgeable about the beer list either, but at the least very friendly.

Maybe I'm being a little harsh on this place. It's just not a good beer bar. Come here if you like Margiratas and other mixed drinks but there are plenty of other options in the area if you're looking for a good brew.

07-04-2010 16:58:42 | More by charliedvrs

fitzy84

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +13.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

After a few job interviews, I decided to have dinner here. The restaurant is across from Boston University's campus. The restaurant had some tables outside for the gorgeous day. Inside, the restaurant is somewhat long with a medium sized bar to your right. Lots of various memorabilia everywhere. Somewhat felt you were in some chain restaurant like a TGIFridays. But it had a novelty to it, almost like the Friendly Toast up in Portsmouth, NH when it comes to atmosphere.

A pretty large menu of food is offered at the restaurant. I went with their signature Fajita Pita Melt which was quite good. The restaurant seems very infamous for their margaritas. However, the beer they do have is wicked awesome. Some nice micros on tap (I had the Weyerbacher Pumpkin, which I never saw on tap).

Since it was 4:30 on a Wednesday, it was not too busy but lots of staff on hand. My bartender seemed very knowledgeable and friendly.

Overall, definitely worth checking out.

09-20-2008 15:10:16 | More by fitzy84

Trailmix242

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

Maybe I was expecting too much from their beer list but I was not impressed. They had around 30 or so drafts but nothing that yelled out try me and nothing that you can not see any where else. They use pint glasses for all of the beers which is not great. The different sizes they offer is nice though i am not a big fan of large beers since they just end up getting warm. The bottle list was also better than most places but again nothing special. Food wise they have an extensive menu leaning toward the southwest and cajun. I am always worried with menus this big and I was proven right again. The nachos were excellent but the tuna melt I had was barely warm. My buddy got the mac and cheese which had mushy pasta. Pretty impressive tequila list though. Service was excellent though.

09-03-2008 18:13:41 | More by Trailmix242

Billolick

New York

3.83/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

All the other reviewers have done a good job on the basics of this spot

"Smaller (in size and beer selection) then sister site Sunset Grill."

Cross the street from BU's hockey rink, five mins from Fenway, this place is friendly and relaxed, extensive and varied menu of worthy and tasty options. Go for the food, beer and tequila.
Plenty of quality Beer offerings, locals and from far and wide. Also extensive tequila options. I was with a school group of 50 (!) on this visit, they definitely know how to accommodate a large group and everybody enjoyed the athmosphere and the food. Enjoyable and certainly worth a visit if in the area.

05-31-2008 13:01:03 | More by Billolick

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

This bar is a smaller version of the Sunset Grille, with a slightly different theme. The focus here is on Mexican fare. They have a lot of different Mexican food on the menu, which is generally pretty good. They also have dozens of tequilas behind the bar too, and the tequila flights are a good way to try a few different ones. The service and atmosphere is just about what you can expect to find at the Grille, a cool place filled with young people. The focus here is more on the bottled beers. They have a very good selection, but slightly scaled back from what you can find at the Grille. The prices are what you'd expect to pay for good beer. I had a Weybacher Blithering Idiot and an Ayinger Celebrator for $4.99 each. Overall, this is a great location for beers if you are on the BU stretch of Comm Ave. It's a great place if you are going to Agannis Arena.

01-09-2007 18:41:24 | More by morebeergood

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped by for a few pints before a recent Sox game. Walking in was like going into a mini-Sunset Grill (the sister location right down the street). Has all the same decorations and themes going on. Somewhere in the vicintiy of 20 taps and the two or three I sampled were all fresh. The bottle selection was as large as the Sunset Grill. One note of a difference is that the tap list is not on the back of the little book (that is bottles only) but a tap listing can be found in little plastic stands all over the place.

Service was a bit forgetful. Our waitress forgot to bring our beers over twice and forget one of the meals someone in my party ordered. It was like she was hungover and forgetful. Food was as good as the Sunset Grill too. Huge menu selection of pub grub.

Would definitely visit again but I still prefer the Sunset Grill location.

06-11-2006 11:51:17 | More by MuddyFeet

Prufrock

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +11.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Smaller (in size and beer selection) sister site to Sunset Grill.

Food seems to be the same (which is basically very well-made bar food), with the exception of the chocolate fondue dessert, which my wife loves, and that I don't remember from the menu at Sunset Grill.

Atmosphere seems cleaner and nicer, which is probably why my wife prefers this location. High ceilings, lots of beer decor, big fans, a few TVs, some pictures of old Allston and Brookline.

Selection is large, lots of bottles and 40+ taps. Service is good, although questions about the beers are mostly met with blank stares.

04-07-2006 19:28:52 | More by Prufrock