Mandrake Bar & Bistro

This place had every chance to succeed. A great location, a cool atmosphere, but they could never get their act together.
I would go with my friends mainly for the Ipswich Ale on tap, but we’d usually eat too. I cannot tell you how many times my med-​rare burger would come out hockey-​puck-​well, maybe every other time. I would complain, get a new meal or have it taken off the tab, but I wanted the place to succeed, so I kept going back.
At one point, their grille had something wrong with it. The bartender said it had been recently cleaned, but I’m thinking there was some cleaning material left on it or something. The food literally was inedible. The waitress sighed as if she’d been hearing it all night and took my meal away.
The location will now be a Soma-​owned whiskey bar, and will probably be just as pretentious as it’s parent restaurant. No thanks. It’s sad, as I really wanted the Mandrake to survive, but they brought their demise upon themselves.
Sayonara.

This place is simply just OK… I like the atmosphere which seems relaxed and casual. The food itself… meh… Ordered steaktips at the bar which were alright, nothing special. I will say the clam chowder was pretty yummy. Otherwise, I would probably go here again if everywhere else is busy. Service was mediocre.

LOVE this place! Everything about it is wonderful. The food, the drinks, the waitstaff; it’s all fantastic. Ask for the chips! They are so good. The bar staff is the best, they always keep your drinks full. No complaints! One of Beverly’s best.

Terrible. The service was friendly, but EXCEPTIONALLY slow. We started with the nachos, which were not good at all — gross guacamole, and they were left in the oven so long that the cheese was all hard. My husband ordered the kobe sliders as his entrée, and every part of it was burned — from the patties to the buns to the sweet potato fries. I had the crabcake sandwich (which had essentially no crab in it) and my regular fries (although hot) were limp and greasy. Definitely never going back, there are far better places to eat in the area. So glad we had a
certificate and didn’t pay full price for this travesty of a dining experience!

Got one of the
coupons to try this restaurant. They took it no problem, no questions asked. They did add gratuity to the check… FYI.
The martini list is creative and they are all under $ 10, which is not something you see often.
The food is decent. I had a chicken, hummus, and spinach wrap and my husband had at pasta dish.
The dessert, which we split with friends was really yummy, it was fried dough topped with ice cream, fudge, and whipped cream.
The service left something to be desired but it didn’t impact too negatively on the whole experience.

Go for the martinis, and stay for the martinis. And potato chips. And mussels.
Mandrake is walking distance from my apartment (+25 points), has very cool décor (+15), has incredibly reasonably priced (and tasty) drinks (+10), has a lot of seafood on the menu (+8), and makes pretty decent food (+5). What’s not to like?

I only give Mandrake 2 stars because their food is actually prepared well & the drinks (when made by a consistent bartender) are actually quite tasty. However, I would give *negative integer stars* for the service we have experienced. And if you read any of my reviews, you know that I’m hyper focused on customer service.
Perhaps my husband & I are optimistic idealists or just psychological masochists, because we have returned over the past 3 yrs that we have patronized Mandrake, despite being treated as if we were not «worthy» of patronizing their establishment.
I’d hate to think it’s because I am heavily tattooed & violet tressed that gives them the notion that may be I am some unsavoury character who shouldn’t even think to darken their doorstep and this gives them license to treat us in such a manner, but I can’t help but think that when I met my husband there one evening…
[FYI: my husband is «corporate» — you know — well coiffed, wears stylish office attire, nice watch, nice shoes… looks like he could be any one of the executive types on «The Office”]…
I met him at the bar after work for an evening drink as we’d both had a hectic day. (Did I mention, I’m a Beverly business owner?) I happily took my seat next to him & waited for the bartender to come over (the bar was NOT busy. There were 6 other customers there in total besides us & all were taken care of.) He just looked at me, looked away & then started fiddling w/​items under the bar. I looked at him, made eye contact & gingerly lifted my hand to ask for service. He turned & walked to the back of the bar by the kitchen. I commented to my husband that I tried to get his attention, my husband saw this and then when HE saw the bartender emerge from the back, HE motioned for him to come over. He gave us the «one min» finger as he stood & chatted w/​a gentleman about the game on the TV & then came over. «Yeah?» he asked. I politely ordered my drink. He didn’t even say: «Ok» — he just turned and went to walk away. The couple next to us, motioned for him & he went over, smiling & took their new orders. Soon he returned w/​their drinks all chipper & no drink for me. This was already ½ an hour into our visit. I motioned to him about the drink & he came over and asked: «What?» I asked: «May I have my drink?» Then he turned abruptly away, made the drink, placed it on the bar in front of me & walked away, as if it were a chore to serve me. My husband was appalled and livid.
Prior to my arrival, the bartender’s attitude was VASTLY different when treating my husband than it was towards me. In fact he was polite & engaging with everyone at the bar — except me. I know that I am no Miss America but I’m also not some slovenly heap of white trash looking to dodge out of paying for a $ 10 cocktail. Even if I was some kind of slovenly character — if I am a paying customer who is politely ordering & enjoying a drink in that establishment, I would expect to be treated as a paying customer.
Other times we were ignored at the door after we walked in, only to leave after 5 min of waiting. We’ve been snubbed by the hostesses. Told that there were no tables available when there were tables open & empty. After eating next door, returned within 30 min & the tables were STILL empty. In fact, the restaurant was NOT busy at all. We’ve been forgotten & ignored by waitstaff. After reading all of the complaints I wrote in an e-​mail to their «whoever receives their e-​mail» person on their «contacts» via their website — I really felt foolish that we ever returned after all of these incidents. But again, that hopeful optimism surfaces when thinking of something «different» for dinner. (I have yet to receive a reply to my e-​mail.)
I’m not going to lie, their food can be delicious, as can their drinks, but unless you are attired like one of the women in «Sex and the City» or one of the horribly dressed New Englandistas — you know, pink sweater tied over bright, crossing guard yellow Ralph Lauren Polo shirt your wife bought you at Marshall’s, plaid shorts and bare feet in brown men’s loafers (patent leather, I might add — with a heel), don’t expect to be served or treated like a paying customer. I wish I had back every dime I spent in there, as well as the tips we gave, I’d have several Jimmy Choo handbags that I could set on fire for fun.
And by the way, the only wait person to have treated us kindly was Georgia. Thank you, you are a genuinely kind person. We appreciated you. Hopefully you won’t be fired for having been nice to the «riff raff». No more referrals for you, Mandrake

I had heard so much about this place working downtown in Bev, and had only been in for drinks, so my husband & I tried it. We ordered a bottle of champagne and calamari to start. The calamari came out looking delish, and we dug in. Only 3 small pieces in, we are both fishing around the plate of the hot pepper rings that came with it, looking for calamari, since it all looked the same and blended together. That was it. Three tiny bites and no more. I was really disappointed. On a seperate occassion, I complained to the chef about it and was promised a calamari plate on the house… come to find out he doesn’t work there anymore: \
We ended up sharing the GIANT seafood stuffed lobster that night as our entrée, which was excellent. No complaints on that one, as it made up for the stingy app.
The service was alright. Our waitress didn’t check up on us as much as we liked (or needed). And I must say, one of the bartenders has quite an attitude everytime I’ve been in. Not only with her co workers, but towards me and other patrons for absolutely no reason either.
Overall, I like the dark setting and cozy feel of Mandrake, and I would probably go back for after work drinks, but definitely not for dinner.

Pro: food was good but a little on the expensive side
Con: Management needs to get rid of the blonde bartender-​she is very unfriendly. I have no idea why she is even working there. She doesn’t seem like she wants to be there. She is the main reason I won’t be going back anytime soon.

I have frequented Mandrake only a few times. The service at the bar is very much hit or miss. The last time my husband and I were there, the blonde bartender was such a bitch (sorry, but it’s really the only word that describes her attitude) that we walked out.
After we waited for 2 seats to open at the bar, we walked over to sit and she had the nerve to tell us, «you can’t sit there». Honestly, I thought she was talking to someone behind me, because it was so obvious we were wating for those seats to open up, since we stepped in immediately after the other couple left, that I looked behind me to see who she was talking to. When I asked about the seats, she yelled, «You can’t sit there!» She then proceeded to tell me that another patron was saving the seat and that we could not sit there.
Just to be clear, she did not say, «can I offer you a drink while you wait?» or «I’m sorry, but these seats are reserved. Let’s find you another seat.» Rather, she yelled at us, that we weren’t «allowed» to sit there. Really? Allowed? She was so confrontational, and had made us feel so uncomfortable that we decided to leave.
Quite honestly, I have never been spoken to by any restaurant personnel in this manner, (especially a bartender, who typically are on the top of the restaurant service hierachy) even in Paris and Manhattan! So, we walked out of Mandrake, with our wallet still in tact, annoyed with the impossibly rude and confrontational bartender, but had a lovely time at 5 Corners Kitchen, where the service was polite and accommadating where we spent $ 125, giving the server a 22% tip.
Your loss Mandrake! Lose the Bitchy Bartender!

Went here with hubby tonight and I probably won’t go back unless it’s to the bar.
I think the problem with this place is that it’s trying to be something that it isn’t. «Entrees» were priced between $ 17 and $ 24 and were not remotely worth that price. Honestly, I’ve had better at the 99 down the street in Salem. If this place stuck with the pub food and the drinks it would probably get more stars.
Unfortunately most of my food was not good. I had high hopes at the beginning– started off with a decent spicy black bean soup (though the sour cream was hidden at the bottom which was weird). The spicy chips were also good. Hubby liked his clam chowder.
However, when the entrees came out it went downhill. I got the Scallops with mashed potatoes and veggies. I basically never leave food on my plate, and I left 4 of 5 scallops untouched. They tasted metallic and like they had nail polish remover on them at some point. I think that the wine that they baked them in was bad. They were horrible. The potatoes were awfully bland, and the veggies were basically drenched in the same bad wine that was on the scallops so I didn’t eat them either. Basically I paid $ 20 for an entrée and ate half a cup of bland mashed potatoes.
I would maybe come back to try the bar food, but would not recommend the entrees at all.

I can’t stop eating the lump crab cakes with mango salsa. Yum.
Staff are totally cool and friendly.

I have to stop reviewing restaurants after only one visit. I promise not to do this again.
I ordered the Cuban Panini again, and instead of big chunks of smoked pork falling out of an overstuffed sandwich like last time, my panini consisted of ham and a tiny amount of pulled pork with barbeque sauce. Not acceptable. Dear Chef: If you are out of the required ingredients for an item on the menu, let me know and I will order something else. I know what a Cubano is supposed to look like, and this wasn’t it. On top of that, there was so little of the pork that I had to peel the panini open to verify that it actually existed. On a positive note, the coleslaw was delicious.
The baked haddock and baked scallops that my companions ordered were decent. I was impressed by the julienned vegetables, and they were as tasty as they were pretty.

Went here on Friday night after reading one of my friends reviews and was very happy we went!
–We orders the Smoked Cheese & Butternut Squash Fritters A+
— I had the Tuna club which was a yellow-​tail pan seared tuna w/​applewood smoked bacon on awesome bread. B+
–She had the flatbread pizza A–
— 3 Stella Artios beers
— 2 Glasses of wine
–Awesome spicy chips!
Total bill = $ 60
Total Experience= Priceless!
We will definitely be going back for more!

My husband and I stumbled upon this place when trying to go to a different restaurant. The menu on the window pulled us in. Once inside, it was super charming. I almost felt like I entered a Moroccan restaurant or something. We were seated immediately and the waitress came right over. I ordered a «Good Life» martini — which included Bacardi and a few other rums and juices. The martini menu was great. I felt that it had many options.
We ordered the calamari app, it came out quickly and was very good. For entrees, I had the pulled pork sliders with the sweet potato fries and my husband had a cheeseburger with regular fries. The pork sliders were good but they were lacking in the sauce department. I think even with a small amount of bbq sauce or some sort of sauce they would have been better. The sweet potato fries were AMAZING! My husband ordered his burger well-​done. When he took his first bite, he said «well done doesn’t mean burnt». Overall, however, we felt the food was good. We skipped dessert. Our bill came to approx $ 42. We felt this was reasonable for 1 bar drink, a soda, an app and two entrees.
One other con, was that we were sat in a high-​top table on the bar side, which was fine, until the guy about three seats down from us kept dropping the F-​bomb every third word he said. The area was a bit tight and I think it was because we were so close that we could hear him so clearly. It really isn’t the restaurant’s fault that mr. potty mouth was sitting near us.
Overall, a good experience. We will definitely go back.

I have since been back several times, as my group of friends likes to hit the bar here from time to time. The raspberry mojito is wonderful! So many raspberries!
I haven’t tried the food again (they shut down the kitchen pretty early), so I can’t comment on that.

I’m kind of a sucker for a fancy, unique atmosphere and Mandrake has it in spades. Chandeliers overhead, bright colors popping everywhere, modern artwork gracing the walls, and the dark wood bar had me swooning. I’d been here for drinks before last winter (psst, Ipswich Ale on tap) but only recently got to try the food.
We started with the butternut squash and cheese fritters. They were basically huge hush puppies made of squash and cheese, with a whole-​grain mustard dipping sauce. These are all things I adore on their own and they came together in sweet, sweet harmony. $ 9 was a bit steep but I’d gladly pay it again.
I got the mac and cheese for my entrée, without ham and mushrooms please, grilled chicken and peas can stay. Especially you, peas ;) It was very good, and huge. I got 3 meals out of that puppy, and for $ 19 I was glad it went so far. Others enjoyed their meals, I thought the flatbread pizza was small but it was one of the cheaper items on the menu and you can get crispy eggplant as a topping. U-​nique! I sampled the sweet potato fries too and they were banging.
Our waiter was friendly and the water glasses never went empty. It’s kind of expensive for Beverly and some of the portion sizes seem off but all in all, I love the Drake. LOVE the Drake!

Bar was fine, but the food was truly weak.
The «Steak Frite» was drowned in coarsely chopped garlic, and the «frite» were mushy potato wedges. The «Gaspacho» was nothing but chopped tomatoes, chopped carrots, and no flavor, and it wasn’t a soup; more like a Salsa Fresca. Even then it didn’t have much flavor.
The Chimay was good…
The waiter was a master at avoiding eye contact, and service was truly weak.
Just Say No to the food. Go to hang out at the bar.

I have tried to like this place on two occasions, both with a pal, both times said never again. The bar is laid out nicely. Always a seat, and you can catch a game without standing around crowded like Soma. The drinks are fine, no problems. Its the food that kills me. The plus side is the chips, they are great. They are great with the selection off beers and are really rustic and perfectly seasoned.
The Calamari was probably the worst Iv had as a Englander for over 25 years. Dozens of rings, identically nickel sized with a side of frozen tarter and Tabasco, no tentacle’s. They looked as if they came out of a frozen bag, fried, and poured onto a plate in a very unimaginative way. I have had a few other items that were mediocre. I will come again for the drinks and chips, that’s it.

I’ve been here a few times before a show at the North Shore Music Theatre. What a great little spot to have a bite to eat and a nice glass of wine!
They start every meal off right with these fun spicy chips. Those suckers are addicting! The spinach and artichoke dip is a nice starter too.
The tomato and fennel soup is just so nice and creamy. I find myself thinking about it at work sometimes. Pair that with the grilled cheese and I feel like the happiest 5^th grader around.
This time I tried out the nicoise salad. The dressing didn’t have much of a taste as I would like and was a little too much for my taste, but overall it was a yummy pick.
Although I’ve never ordered the sweet potato fries, I have eaten them off of every single person’s plate and they are fantastic.
Service was great, prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is perfect. Great pick!