Vox Populi

Decided to stop by after having dinner nextdoor. First floor was pretty chill never made it upstairs. Drinks were reasonably priced. Overall it was a pretty mellow place to hang out, not too crowed and not too loud.

My friends and were visiting from Jersey and decided to go out here on Saturday night. It wasn’t very crowded, yet we had to wait on line to get in. I guess they needed to show off how special they weren’t. Next!

So even though my first impression of Vox Populi wasn’t the best I’ve been here for a couple of events and they were fun. I stopped here for lunch after shopping for Halloween costumes and the menu seemed a little pricey. I just wanted a burger and a beer and their prices seemed high for lunch so we headed to a more casual spot down the street.
But I returned for a happy hour and was so happy to see they had blue cheese stuffed olives. True confession: I don’t think I could not like a place with blue cheese stuffed olives. They make a fab dirty martini, and the apps are good too. We thought about hosting a party upstairs, but in the daylight the place looked a little rough around the edges. The floors were worn and there wasn’t anything special about the venue.
But in the evening, the floors don’t stand out, and their cocktail menu does. They have fabulous cocktails, and the service is great.

I think Vox Populi is extremely overpriced for mediocre food. The restaurant is not that impressive. The most exciting thing about Vox Populi is the bar scene on Friday/​Saturday nights but if you’re going for food, don’t bother. I have been by a few times (both lunchtime and nighttime) and have been pretty disappointed. The servers try and the location makes me think that the place has potential but the menu/​food just don’t live up to my expectations. I think this place needs an overhaul. The best thing I had here was a goat cheese salad. Everything else was forgettable.

VOX gets three stars from me because it represents the wide range of experiences I’ve had here over the past 4 years: some wonderful nights, and some not so wonderful ones too!
First, let’s do real talk: FOOD. I heard recently that Vox had tried to revamp it’s food, and since it’s in such a convenient location for after-​work gatherings, I decided to try it for a work dinner of 10 people. Thank you Vox for NOT disappointing! Everyone was really happy with the quality of their food and the service was surprisingly attentive. The primary annoyance was the noise as the after work-​crowd grew around 7:30 PM, but luckily we left shortly after.
As a chill lounge spot for drinks — it fits the bill mostly with location and the fact that its a more upscale spot on that part of Boylston. But I’ve had so-​so experiences and don’t always dig the «we’re old but still pretty» crowd that seems to flock there. If you take a good group of friends with you though, it’s hard to go wrong anywhere, and that’s the same here.

This is about the food— I have no idea about the drinks and how it is as a bar.
Stopped by here earlier for dinner to catch up with my old friend. Ordered the flash fried calamari as an appetizer, and then we ordered the lobster ravioli and the shrimp linguine as entrees. The food was… mediocre; however I DID really like the calamari because it tasted fresh (fresh calamari is not overly chewy) and the breading was light and crispy. I just didn’t really enjoy my pasta… something about it was bland but salty at the same time. My friend liked her lobster ravioli but thought it was a little on the greasy side. The service was also mediocre. At one point I had to flag down another waiter to refill our water and replace the utensils that the waiter took from us. Our waiter went kind of MIA during our dinner.
Overall, this place has its hits and misses, and for the price, it’s probably not worth it. I didn’t hate my experience, but I don’t think I really enjoyed either.
…but the calamari was good! :)

DO NOT GO TO VOX POPULI.
I went here because I was basically forced. I read a bunch of Unilocal reviews before I went, and saw at least three where Unilocalers had had their debit/​credit cards overcharged — as in, Vox had added on to the tip after the customer signed the bill. Sketchy! I was wary of this, but stupidly did not bring cash.
I split the bill with my friend. Because it was between 5 – 6:30, the food was 50%, so the bill was reasonable, but they added an 18% gratuity. For two people. RED FLAG #1.
My half of the bill was 17.92, with the added gratuity of 4.68. What I found a little weird was even though they added the gratuity, you had to write the final total on the bill. Fine, whatever. 22.50. I signed the receipt and gave it to the waiter.
This morning I went to check out the transaction online, and the total was $ 27.12 — $ 4.62 more than I had paid.
WTF!!!
I still have to call them today, and then report them to the BBB, because this is absolutely ridiculous. I should have listened to the other Unilocalers or brought cash.
As a side note, the food sucks too. First of all, I ordered a Blue Moon with lemon, and the waiter gave me ATTITUDE about it – «You don’t want orange? Just lemon? Really? Lemon instead?». Chill the fuck out dude, it’s my beer! When it came, it was FLAT. We told him and he came back and said that we had been given the end of the keg. Oh cool, thanks.
I ordered fried goat cheese salad for dinner. Normally, when you get something like this, I complain because there is not enough goat cheese. Totally the opposite experience here — the salad had like, 1 cup of lettuce and 2 HOCKEY PUCKS of goat cheese — no lie. It was disgusting.
Ugh. I hate Vox. Never go there, seriously, unless you like shitty food and shittier service.

I’ve been here a couple of times but never ordered an entrée so I can’t speak to the food. I will say I had a yummy cucumber gin martini with Tanqueray today after work. It was a great way to take the edge off an enjoy the winding down of the week with work friend Karen.
I’m giving it 3 stars as the martini had some nice vegetable notes but I wasn’t impressed with the apps I’ve had there in the past and was a little disappointed that there were no whiskey/​bourbon summer drinks on the drink menu. I have a new found love for sweet and spicy summer Manhattans and was bummed whiskey didn’t make the list. I’d definitely go again but am more likely to frequent West Side Lounge on Mass Ave in Cambridge for my whiskey addiction.

Lunchtime. Fast service. Good crabcakes. That summarizes it. I just dropped in and was very surprised at my experience since it seemed a lot of Unilocalers didn’t like this place. I went when it was slow, but when the service is great and the food was pretty good I had to share.
I would recommend this place for lunch. I don’t know about evenings and nights.

Just awful, awful, and more awful!
If you’re looking for a bad mixed crowd, poor quality food, music that is way too loud, overpriced drinks, and cheap alcohol that is passed off for the good stuff, come here. Otherwise, try any other spot on Boylston street.

Came here for brunch on a Sunday. First of all, everywhere else was packed and had a long wait but this place was almost empty except for the outdoor space, we ignore this warning sign and went straight in.
Service was unprofessional, random, and slow. We waited for a while to get seated even though it was almost empty inside. Waited again for a long time to get our checks.
Food was terrible. Friend and I both got salad, tiny portion, unappetizing, fries were soggy and tasteless.
I’ve heard good things about drinks at this place, but definitely don’t go there for brunch.

Walking to Newbury Street to find food, we saw this place and stopped in to look at the menu.
Steak Frites and Tuna Tartar caught my eye, so we decided to have lunch here.
The tuna tartar was amazing. It had a spicy kick to it, and it came with some nice crunchy crackers. There was also a lot of tuna in the dish, and I thought the display was very nice.
The steak frites was ok. I didn’t think it was spectacular since I asked for rare, and it came out pretty much medium. It wasn’t as juicy as I’d like even though there was a lot of fat in the meat. The steak was quite big, so I’m glad we decided to share the plate. The fries were great though. It was shoestring and very crunchy.
The coffee was bold and really good. It came in a large cup and was refilled whenever I asked. Cream and sugar also accompanied the coffee. I was very happy with that.

A packed-​to-​the-​walls meat market. Ladies, you will not lack for attention for longer than 60 seconds once you hit the front door.
It’s tough to navigate the upstairs bar. These two oddly placed pillars that everyone crowds around block a good chunk of the floor. Step back a few feet and hang out in the middle of the floor; you’ll have a better time.
As for the scene: aggressive but not skeezy. Guys will chat girls up with no hesitation, but I never felt like I had to watch for someone slipping some ro’ in a friend’s drink.
A decent stop for a bar-​hopping marathon, but I wouldn’t stay the night here.

Ah Vox, Vox Vox Vox…
You’re an. um, interesting place.
An overcrowded mess in the middle of Boylston attempting to look like a cool hipster dive, while there are bars doing this same thing far better than you are with less space (see Minibar and Dillons, for two). If it hadn’t been for being with a large, reserved group, I would probably have never come near this place.
For all I know, I may end up here again.

There is a special place in hell for people who enjoy this place.
Outside: As you sip your $ 16 dollar drink and eat your 35+ entrée on the patio, you can look over the sidewalk less then three feet away (!!!) where a few homeless people are sitting on the ground, holding their change cups.
Inside: As you sip your $ 16 dollar drink and eat your 35+ entrée your may observe a sea of orange colored women, (I mean bimbos) enjoying themselves after a hard day of work (I mean trying to score a husband after a hard day of shopping and putting together sexy whorish outfits).
We didn’t eat there for obvious reasons, but we all got some drinks. They were overpriced, but good. The décor is ok, very suitable for the meat market. Not my scene.

I haven’t written a Unilocal review in ages but my experience at Vox last Saturday has given me new inspiration.
Before heading to Vox on Saturday night to celebrate a couple birthdays I did what I always do, read all the Unilocal reviews, both good and bad. So I went in with low expectations, yet open to the idea that I may meet the 45-​year old of my dreams.
Entering Vox…
Two minutes into walking into Vox and my roommate grabs my shoulder, «Oh my god, did you see that?!?». No, I didn’t see that, I’m too busy chasing my other roommate who has jetted off in front of us. «Well, some guy just poked my boob and he was going for yours but you walked away». Oh good, molested already.
Getting a drink…
Moving onto the bar. It’s almost impossible to get to. I finally get to order three Sam Summer Ales… wait 5 minutes. Kegs out, it’s going to be awhile. Bartender asks me if I want something else. Well, yes I’ll have three Bluemoons… wait 5 minutes. Tap isn’t working. The bartender suggests Stella. Well sure, I’ll have three of those. So she pours two Stellas, which I hand back to my roommates while I’m waiting for the third that never comes. Sweet. Finally request third beer from bartender and cash out.
So then the men of the evening…
Creepy man from paragraph three continues to drunkenly stumble around on his cellphone talking to his imaginary friends and occasionally walks up to my friend group and just stands next to us, but says nothing. Friend scares him away and we see him attack other women.
Three grease ball Europeans begin to circle and eye us like we’re the human version of Big Buck Hunter. I’m pretty sure they were deciding who would be the most points.
Leaving Vox…
We told one of the bouncers about the creepy guy and decided to dip after one drink. As we left said creepy guy stood in front of the door as a line of girls walked in and practically rubbed himself against all of them.
And scene.

This review is for drinks only!
I met a friend at Vox last night. It was my first venture out to Boylston in quite a while (and now I remember why that is).
The good thing about this place was that my mixed drink was good and the bathrooms were clean. That’s where it ends. They let WAY too many people in this place. It was so crowded that you couldn’t move and good luck getting anywhere near the bar after about 11pm. It made things unbelievably uncomfortable. The drinks are expensive ($ 9.50 for a mixed drink) and the beer was not cold. The crowd here just added insult to injury. I was followed around all night by a Tony Soprano look-​a-​like that was twice my age that kept rubbing his belly up against me and talking about Alice Cooper. This, as you can imagine, has reaffirmed my inclination towards internet dating vs. meeting people out at places like this. And that’s saying a lot because
is full o’ freaks. Oh, and they close at 1am? Really? That’s just weird.

I went to Vox Populi for a goodbye celebration for 2 friends who were moving away from Boston. As sad as I was to see them go, one good thing that came out of it was that I’d been wanting to try Vox Populi for years.
Located on Boylston St., right in the heart of the Copley area, I have passed Vox many many times over the past 10 years (while in college and since) and have always wondered what it was like inside and what the food was. It seemed so posh, so trendy and so right up my alley! As much as a homebody as I am, I do love a night out at a trendy eatery.
So when my friends announced we’d be going here, I was obviously excited. Vox pretty much lived up to my expectations. It was way WAY bigger than I expected — 2 huge floors — but the décor was similar to what I had imagined: that typical trendy, modern look and high prices.
I started off with a tasty, although pricey, Peach Martini. For my meal, rather than get a heavy, expensive dish, I opted for 2 lighter appetizers.
The Kobe Beef Skewers (spiced, seared kobe beef skewers with miso sauce, pomegranate molasses and asian slaw), while small, were delicious and just the right size for a light meal. I would definitely get these again if I went back. At $ 13, they are a bit pricey, but they are Kobe (although apparently there is no real Kobe beef in the U.S. — a bit disappointing to me!).
The Tomato and Mozzarella Salad (slices of vine-​ripened tomatoes and fresh mozzarella drizzled with basil oil served with an arugula salad and balsamic vinaigrette) was good, but I’ve made this better myself. I LOVE this type of salad and was definitely a bit disappointed in it. Especially for $ 9. Although mozzarella is expensive.
One friend ordered the pizza of the day, which was buffalo chicken (with crumpled blue cheese, rather than «liquid,» which I found weird). The pizza was VERY good. And for $ 10, a really good price.
I don’t know that I would go back to Vox. The food wasn’t anything spectacular, and the prices definitely left something to be desired. I’m glad I went, but I wouldn’t say it’s a «must go.»

If you’re one of those people looking for partnership with someone who resembles your father, this place couldn’t get any better. Everyone working in the Back Bay area flocks to this place after 5pm, so you could expect anything from the young Jersey Shore beer connoisseur to the bitter yet horny post-​divorce stock broker from India looking for a trophy wife.
They try really (really) hard to be a swanky dance club, but your skin is pretty much crawling after 9pm and even a dozen $ 9 drinks aren’t enough to make you want to risk rubbing up one of your dad’s friends. And with the size and layout of this place, you’re going to rub up against many things you didn’t expect to rub up on without even having to dance.
Crowd aside, the bartenders were only as attentive as they needed to be. There were several bartenders on shift (again, especting to be a swanky, crowded nightclub), but for some reason they always seemed pre-​occupied sharing flair tips and tricks with their other buddies behind the counter.
The cash and number of minutes you’ll end up spending here will be equivalent to the oldest person in the room.

I kind of dig this place.
It kind of has that ‘beautiful people’ vibe going on… which can be oh so good, and can also be a complete nightmare; there are some creepy types who frequent the place hoping to pick up the aforementioned beautiful people. I’ll ignore it if you can…
I like the appetizers, but my primary purpose for going to Vox is to delve in to the cocktails and enjoy the ambiance, both of which earn four stars from this old girl.