The Hawthorne

I was excited to try this craft cocktail bar on our short stay to Boston this weekend. My husband looked it up specifically on the James Beard Award winners for Outstanding Bar Program. The bar atmosphere was lovely with its exposed brick and long wooden bar. There was comfy seating and several lounge areas wonderful to sit and relax. We did not have a reservation, but the staff worked us in relatively quickly. I had a seat at the bar and my husband stood. The bartender promptly came up to ask us what we would like. I told him we would need a bit longer to decide. Within a matter of minutes he asked again. I told him we still needed a few minutes. We were chatting and admiring the bar atmosphere, then not too many seconds later the bartender said with an attitude, «Ok, make a decision. I make great drinks.» I was pretty disappointed at this point. We were about to spend $ 30 (not including tip) on two drinks and felt like we were of little importance, like cattle being shuffled through. I ordered a Charles Lindbergh and my husband ordered a new concoction of a Julep (with cinnamon) anyway. We weren’t going to let the bartender ruin the evening. The Charles Lindbergh was delightful and the Julep was probably one of the worst drinks my husband has ever had.
Maybe we got the Hawthorne on a bad night, but we weren’t really all that impressed. We have visited far better craft cocktail bars around the country. I believe the following establishments have a much more impressive menu and talented bartenders.
Planters House– St. Louis, MO
The Violet Hour– Chicago, IL
Bourbon and Branch– San Francisco, CA
Husk– Charleston, SC

Craft cocktails where the drink is as beautiful as the setting. For those who take their drink seriously but not themselves, Hawthorne is for you. Whether you have a drink of choice, would like to sample from house cocktail program or venture into new spirits, bartenders will take care of you. A clear standout in Boston, classy and unrushed, for enjoying your libation as it deserves to be.
Conveniently next to Island Creek Oyster Bar but a destination unto itself. Perfect for date night, but I’ll gladly return for any occasion. Hawthorne is understated — you won’t be disappointed.

The Hawthorne is always a cozy place to me up with people. A little harder to meet up to 4 people but larger than that.
The location had great cocktails and even seasonal. I have visited many times and all the bartenders have been stellar every time I go. Ask them to stir something up for you on the fly, they won’t disappoint.
Definitely a great place for a date!
I only dock it one star since I have yet to sit in their library room. :)

The Hawthorne has that atmosphere you see in movies, when a beautiful girl walks in, all dressed up and heels to kill, to a bar, or a tall handsome man, in a nice tailored suit, and you just have to look.
Once you walk down those few stairs to the bar, you are almost transported to one of those movies.
Classy, romantic, and trendy. Mood lighting, bar stools, high tables and, my favorite, lounge seats with candlelit low tables.
We were lucky to get one of the lounge seating. Immediately one of the servers comes with water and menus.
I love trying signature cocktails but, if you know what you like or have a «go-​to» drink they are happy to prepare it for you.
They allowed us some time to seat, take in the place and read the menu before asking to take our order.
I have been on a French 75 kick lately, so when I saw the Belle de Jour (cognac and champagne cocktail) I had to try it.
The champagne flute goes perfectly the with the atmosphere. The drink was excellent, easy to drink but still enough alcohol to make it worth it and not too sweet.
Servers do their rounds, making sure everyone has full drinks, and even though place was full, we did not have to wait to be served or to close our tab when we were done.
If I lived in Boston I can totally see myself going on a date here or making it a «regular place» with a special someone.
Would also be a great place for girl’s night. Whatever the occasion… I really loved this place.

I’d rank the Hawthorne as my favorite cocktail lounge of all time. I love mix of classical, modern and chic décor of this this place. Definitely in the running for the best cocktails in the city. They do assure that everyone that comes in has a place to sit or a standing table so you could find yourself with a wait on the weekends. They have some small bites that are always on point and their rotating cocktail menu always provides for something new. This place just flat out makes me happy.

We stumbled into this place blindly and had the best experience. The staff was very engaging, taking interest in our cocktail preferences and expanding upon them with new, more exotic cocktails we’ve never heard of. My father is an expert on esoteric bourbons and the bar introduced him to a rare high proof bourbon for the very first time. We had a great time enjoying the expertly made cocktails and learning from the well invested staff. Thumbs way up. This is our new favorite place.

One of the top cocktail creators in the nation works here. Don’t see what you want on the cocktail menu? Just tell him what you like for flavor and let him work his magic.
And don’t stop at just one, because I didn’t. You should have four… and then you should let your friend convince you that two shots of tequila would be a nice way to round off the evening. Especially since it’s late and you have to be alert and functional in just 6 hours.
Yeah, that is always a great idea

5 stars for their cocktails — definitely the best cocktails I’ve had in Boston (although I’ve yet to go to Drink in the seaport area). Maybe the drinks are dangerously strong, but they are craft cocktails made with love and it’s fun to watch them being made
3 stars for their bar food — nothing notable. Had pulled pork sliders and soft pretzels with mustard dipping sauce

Cool cocktail bar in the heart of Kendall Square. I got a cucumber gimlet (with vodka) and it was absolutely delicious with a cucumber thinly sliced and garnished on a stick. Very well made and not too sweet. Then I finished the night with a Spencer beer — one of the only trappist beer made by monks in Mass. It’s an awesome beer that you can rarely find at bars.
Recommenced for a date, place to meet a few friends or a drink before dinner.

Cocktails and outdoor seating on a nice day? I’m in. I’ve been meaning to come to The Hawthorne for some time and it didn’t disappoint. I have to say I had high expectations coming into the experience and I think the Hawthorne did a pretty good job of meeting them. My first drink, which was on the menu, was refreshing and good. For my second drink I went rogue and requested a flip. Neither drink blew me away, but they were both well made.
The service was efficient and professional. We were a larger party that came in waves and the waiter did a great job of always coming to get new people drinks. We came early on a weekday so I’d love to come back and see the vibe on a busier evening. The inside seems like a cozy place to try as the weather gets cooler.

Came here for an event and loved the space — it’s pretty big with a few high tables and some couches /​armchairs on the side — kind of living roomy and cozy, as others have mentioned. Tried several of their drinks and enjoyed all of them (especially watching the bartenders make them). Friends were big fans of the sliders!

I think The Hawthorn could very well be the best bar in Boston. Stumbled upon this gem of a place when walking around Kenmore Sq. As soon as you walk in to the hotel, you make a right into the bar and you are transported into a dimly-​lit apothecary with bearded bar tenders sacheting from one end of the bar to the other with the utmost coordination.
Half the fun is in the process of mixing the drinks, they have all sorts of gadgets and gizmos that produce the most artisinal drinks I have ever seen. Ordered their popular Marshall Islands sizzle, which has a great blend of spice from the ginger and sweetness from the fruit juices. It’s almost like a slushy, as it is served over crushed ice. The metal straw is also a nice touch and is helpful for further crushing the ice.
Overall, this place is an experience (dinner and a show), not just your run-​of-​the-​mill swanky cocktail bar.

No, did not go to this lounge for a drink and recommend that you do not either. Polite woman at the door turned me away saying they were full to capacity and could not possibly accommodate any more patrons, then let the next two couples that walked up enter. They make the permanent never patronize list even though I am a regular at the hotel this lounge is in. Went to Eastern Standard which treated me like royalty instead.

Came here to enjoy drinks with my roommate on a Saturday night. The place is absolutely adorable and the vibe is very soothing and intimate. As the lounge is located inside the commonwealth hotel you can expect a classy vibe and stylish-​hipsterish-​cool service who was happy to help us decide between the assortment of cocktails. [mine was quite refreshing]
Drinks were satisfying however the server kept doing funny things with our menus. We hadn’t ordered anything outright but I wanted to hang on to it in case something caught my eye. Apparently because I didn’t want anything outright that was queue to clear it away, he had to call him back for it. He came to check on the drinks and as I wasn’t in the process of touching the menu he started to clear it again. Just a little odd.
I think this is a lovely place to have a night cap at or an event [as was going about in the next room] but all in all much too quiet and gave a slight vibe that a larger group of giggly girls or a few friends catching up may not be completely at ease.

Fantastic drinks Amanda our waitress was awesome tell her what you like and she will recommend the best drink for you. Pretzels and crab on toast Rocks! I’m coming back. I would highly recommend the «Bamboo improved» make sure u try something off the menu.

I FINALLY made my way (i.e. got in) to The Hawthorne this past weekend for a quick drink and I have to say, it lived up to the hype. I only had drinks here so I’ll have to come back for food and update my review but here’s the quick and dirty.
On this particular night, I luckily didn’t have to wait but it was SRO. Yes, when you look at it from the outside, it looks like there’s a TON of space so it’s curious when the hostess tells you there’s an 8 hour wait. Once I got in, I understood why. They have kind of this home-​y, living room-​y feel to it and I think they want to preserve that atmosphere, so I appreciate that they have a concept and they’re sticking to it.
While I was waiting for my friend, a waitress came over and asked if I wanted to sit at a table cuz one opened up so I said yes. They took me to the side room and now we have entered the formal living room.
The experience was like going over to a (loaded) friend’s house and just chilling. I actually loved it and in that «formal» living room, it could probably fit like 30 – 40 people but they seem to cap it at around 10 so it’s super room-​y and spacious. Again, I’m giving this place mad props for sticking to a concept.
Even though I wasn’t in the main area, I didn’t feel like I was shoved into a corner and forgotten about. The servers appeared out of thin air when water or alcohol was getting low.
I tried the Rio Royal and it was great. Nothing else on the menu particularly stood out to me so I thought I’d stick with it and the waitress suggested I try the Mayflower which was a cinnamon-​y, gin-​based drink. I didn’t think I would like it because I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon or gin but I said okay and actually it was surprisingly good. So thumbs up for making a thoughtful recommendation.

This establishment is marketed as a bar, but if it was marketed as a bar and restaurant I’d give it 3 stars. Dinrks: great. Service: great. Food: meh
I tried the Jack Rose and the Marshall Islands Swizzle and both were fantastic. Very smooth and beautiful to look at. Not too bitter, not too sweet.
Service was quick and friendly and they moved us from the bar to a table with no problems. They actually moved us to a zebra couch which was heaven to sit on. Give it a try.
I also tried the pretzels with mustard and hummus. The pretzels were dry with or without the mustard and the mustard was quite liquid-​y which threw me off and it didn’t hold onto the pretzel… you could taste the bourbon (no complaints there). The hummus was okay but the accompaniments were great – lots of veggies and chips and good bread.

+ good drinks
+ knowledgeable staff that can make a drink up on the spot
+ nice ambiance– classy!
+ good for smaller groups and one-​on-​one
–not a lot of seating (but there’s standing tables too)
This is a higher end cocktail drinks lounge, not your average sports bar so don’t get all rowdy inside! It’s dressy casual though, so you can wear your favorite pair of jeans and a nice top OR if you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and tie that tie and slip into that dress, you’ll fit in either way! Came here on a Thursday night with some friends after a movie and we had standing tables only for a while which was slightly uncomfortable, but guess the place gets busy! Mostly graduate student to working class here which makes it a good place to catch up with friends, but not a place to get trash-​faced drunk.
Free coat-​check and our waiter figured out a drink for me just by asking what flavors I liked. I thought that was awesome and I was even more impressed when I actually really liked the drink that came in front of me! I’d definitely come here again, but perhaps either call ahead to check how full it is or see if reservations can be made so I can skip that standing around a tiny round table where everyone’s drinks are extra close together. Good vibe, good service, and good drinks… not a bad way to spend the night out!

The bar is located inside the hotel which also houses the popular oyster restaurant. When you enter the bar is located in the room on your right.
Atmosphere is cozy during the day and the bartender is social and passionate about their cocktails. I got a little giddy when I saw NY’s Please Don’t Tell cocktail book on their bookshelf.
COCKTAIL: Clover Club? Crushed raspberry, lemon juice, egg whites, gin. Loved it! I needed something sweet and refreshing and the bartender recommended me this drink.
After chatting with our bartender for a bit. He managed to get us a table in Island Creek Oyster right away. This is pretty awesome because I wanted to eat there the same day but I was only able to reserve a table for the next day. We got to take our cocktail with us to the table.
SADFACE: They didn’t have cocktail inspired macarons that day.
The vibe is casual/​business classy.

I heard about this bar from a friend and decided to check it out on a Saturday night. It’s located within the Commonwealth Hotel. We were greeted by a host and had to wait for a little while for a table.
The Hawthorn is a very modern, spacious lounge with a bar, some tables in the center and couches on the side of the room. It definitely felt like a more high end lounge and staff was very professional. Music wasn’t too loud so my friend and I could still carry on a conversation. The crowd was mainly in their 20s and 30s.
My friend and I had dinner just before coming so we only got drinks here, although I did hear the girls from the next table complimenting on the soft pretzels. The menu had a variety of drinks. We both got cocktails, and I highly recommend them. I had the Autumn Julep, which wasn’t too strong and had just the right amount of kick to make me feel relaxed and comfortable.
The only compliant I have was that the service was a bit slow. We waited a while to be seated at a table, then waited for someone to take our order, and then waited for some more to bring out our drinks. Besides that, I would definitely return to try other drinks here.