Commonwealth Restaurant and Market

Had dinner with 2 friends last night and have to say Emma our waitress was AMAZING! She is super knowledgeable, friendly and you could just tell she really likes her job. We ordered so much food and enjoyed almost all of it with a few little disappointments, the cheddar Gougeres with chorizo and radish slaw were a little burnt, the butternut gnocchi was dry and our coffee was cold but all of the other 15 things we ordered were fantastic!!! We closed the restaurant and they didn’t seem to mind but obviously we overstayed as they started burning wood chips and hops which released a horrible smell, apparently was our hint to leave. In spite of these little issues, we will definitely return but my only suggestion is please don’t burn those wood chips and hops with guests there anymore, it was just so unpleasant.
I plan on coming back for lunch and will bring my son with me for brunch!

When someone says «middle-​aged hipster» think no further than Commonwealth Restaurant and Market in the middle of Kendall Square. If you arrive looking for a hot and savory meal and the dining area is full, do not let them convince you that the to-​go menu is identical– this is false. The quick line will provide you with a quick lunch whereas the restaurant area offers much more savory bites.
The to-​go counter and community seating areas are filled with aged wood benches, low hanging lights and fancy cured meats. The sandwiches are fresh and decently flavorful with speed service and significant prices. Definitely a great stop for a quick lunch– especially if you’re a flannel wearing, man-​bun rocking Bostonian.

I’ve had the pork belly banh mi for lunch with duck fat fries. I wasn’t that impressed with the fries. The pork belly had a great flavor to it but it was really expensive for banh mi. I’ve also had the fried chicken and biscuits off their brunch menu. It was delicious and a very generous portion which was great for the price.
This is a really nice place for brunch. I like the way it is decorated with a lot of windows allowing a lot of light to come in.

Whoever you’re meeting for dinner tonight, they’re bound to love Commonwealth.
I first came here for dinner and was blown away by the number of items on their menu I wanted to stuff in my face. From well-​priced appetizers to rich entrees to can’t-miss desserts, this place has it all. My friends and parents who live in places with less variety are always impressed by the food here — or so I assume, since we usually don’t talk and spend all our time shoveling burrata, roasted cauliflower, and bread pudding into our mouths.
I recently hosted a work party here for staff and clients, and it went off without a hitch. The team was very easy to work with, accommodating to menu needs (vegan!) and price limits on drinks, including printing us out a specialty menu that only included the cocktails that were within our budget (and their cocktails are SO GOOD!) They even made the non-​drinkers feel special with fancy non-​alcoholic options.
The service is always top-​notch, whether you’re there for a drink or for a giant party. Now if only they served all-​weekend, all-​day brunch, I’d have no reason to go anywhere else!

I’m giving Commonwealth 4 stars for the lunch service only. I usually stop by Commonwealth once a week at work to grab a sandwich and coffee from the takeout side. The sandwiches are always fresh and flavorful, and they have great daily specials.
I recommend grabbing a half sandwich and soup for about $ 11 you get a filling and healthy lunch! Their cold brew ice coffee is also really great.
Service is always fast and friendly, which is sometimes tough to find in the busy Kendall area during lunch time.

I just love this place! It’s comfort food done as a chef would do it, not as your grandma would. If I want meatloaf and sloppy mashed potatoes, I’ll go elsewhere. If I want whole fish, absolutely perfectly cooked meat, fresh veggies with creative yet simple preparations, I’ll come here. I’ve eaten here at least 6 times, and it’s always been consistently great.
I also had a business dinner there in their private dining room. The service was outstanding and the food really impressed all the guests. I also want to note that when some guests stated their dietary preferences (e.g. no gluten, no dairy), even though they stated it was just a preference, not an actual allergy, our server (Jenny!) said, «it’s no problem, we’ll do whatever you like».
The bartenders (Joe and Ivy!) are also awesome, minus the pretense of so many Boston bartenders.

After months of walking past delicious smells coming out of this place, we had the opportunity to eat here last winter.
The food was good, if overpriced, but the service was some of the worst I have ever received. The restaurant was nearly empty, yet it took over an hour to receive even the appetizer to our meal. Our waiter offered no explanation for the delay, and turned disinterest into an art form. In spite of a kindly waitress taking over at the end, packing up our meal, and bringing our check (our original waiter was present but did not do any of these things), we will not be going back. With plenty of other high-​quality options in the area, even the duck-​fat fries are insufficient incentive to return.

I’ve been here twice — once for lunch during work and once for Sunday brunch.
In terms of food, the Sunday brunch here is great. Personally, I got the biscuits and fried chicken and that was more food than I was expecting, but delicious. Also the zucchini bread is flavorful, and the honey butter is mouth watering.
The service on the other hand was less than pleasurable. On both occasions, I somehow got two different servers who barely spoke to us. During my brunch experience, after being seated for twenty minutes, the waiter came over and simply stood at our table and looked at us, then eventually said «Well, what’s your order?»
Oh, that’s why you were hovering? How are we supposed to know that? So few words were exchanged during the course of our brunch interaction, the desperation for him to leave work and go home spilt on the table faster than a tipped glass of water.
Maybe if the staff were more attentive to its patrons, I’d feel more eager to return and recommend the place.

Not going to lie. I wanted to go here solely based on their choose your own adventure style sundae option. We are grown-​ups, though, so that means dinner before dessert.
Food was good but uninspired, not terribly memorable, and generally overpriced. Service was lackluster and hipper than thou. (The server looked at me like I had two heads when I asked him to tell me more about a dish that was described in five words on the menu. Seriously, dude, if describing food is beneath you, maybe you should consider another line of work.) My cocktail was quite good; beer selection skewed too heavily to IPAs. I didn’t order any wine when I saw how stingy the pours looked.
Ok. What you’ve been waiting for: dessert. We got two scoops, a brownie, and hot fudge. It cost $ 16.50. Do I feel like a sucker? Most definitely. Was it delish? Very. It was served deconstructed, which I prefer. That way, I can control the composition of every bite and the hot fudge doesn’t melt everything into a hot and indistinguishable mess. The ice cream was very good, rich and flavorful. The hot fudge came in a little pitcher, and there was more than enough. The brownie was the weakest link. It was dry and cakey, not dense, gooey, and intensely chocolatey.
All in all, in retrospect, I’d choose a different restaurant with less ‘tude and better food and hit up Toscanini’s for my ice cream.

This review is for restaurant week. I went to commonwealth last night for dinner (8÷18÷15) with my older brother and my girlfriend. Overall great experience. 5 stars for service. We had an adorable waitress who demonstrated the perfect amount of attentiveness. Always cordial but never overbearing. She was professional but also casual in an inviting way.
The three of us shared a nice Syrah. For food, my girlfriend and I always try to order different things so we can share, allowing us to try more menu items. Their prix fixe restaurant week menu was $ 38. Between the two of us we ate:
Apps-​Fried Green Tomato with Figs, Brie and some Herbs & Spicy Meatballs with Grilled Bread, Basil
Entrees-​Corn Husk Wrapped Bluefish with Braised Yellow Romano Beans, Fariy Tale Eggplant and Corn & Korean Shortribs with Beet Kimche and Crispy Onions
Desserts-​Corn and Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwich with Toasted Almonds & a S’more Fudgicle
Appetizers and entrees were very tasty with dessert being the only reason I wouldn’t give 5 stars for food. The cookie on the ice cream sandwich was dry and crumbly while the s’mores Fudgicle was overwhelmingly chocolatey because it was hard to eat all the flavors in one bite. It fell a part very easily. OH! But I must mention the bread that is served before the entire meal — DELICIOUS! Warm and doughy with a salty, buttery coating. Mmm.
I would recommend commonwealth and certainly come back, especially to try the sandwiches in the market section! I’m also dying to try the build your own dessert.

Cute place right off Kendall with a restaurant and market. Their flatbreads are pretty good, thin with a good crunch.

Important pricing distinction between the general market and the restaurant: market not so pricey ($), restaurant is definitely pricier ($$-$$$).
I was in Cambridge for a job interview and decided to look for some dinner. I stopped by Commonwealth Restaurant and Market, a location marked by $$, which was what I was looking for. The sandwich choices from Unilocaler posts was enticing and definitely intrigued me. However, once I sat down, I realized the restaurant was more of a $$-$$$ pricing. They offered a very simple menu with an assortment of entrees that was just the meat for a range of $ 25-​$ 35 and then sides were separately priced at $ 9. Since I was coming in from out of town, I ordered a nice glass of wine, the skirt steak and a side of their stuffed mushrooms.
The skirt steak (my favorite cut) was cooked to perfection and rested on a nice gravy. The mushrooms were stuffed with a nice cheese blend and was also extremely flavorful. The steak was a bit salty for my taste but nonetheless very delicious. The mushrooms were juicy and well seasoned.
Before my meal came out, I was served some bread and butter. However, this bread came out in a mini dutch oven where the bread came spilling out of the corners of the container. Clearly, the restaurant is baking their pre-​dinner bread to their guests in individual dutch ovens. The bread came out extremely hot and delicious. It had a very buttery taste with a hint of salt. It was a dense bread and in hindsight, I would not have eaten so much of it. I finished my steak and took most of my mushrooms home for left overs.
A pricier than my usually stop, but it was definitely delicious food and a very well trained staff and experience.

Perfect, beautiful, calm vibe for lunch. I had the black kale salad. Everything tasted so fresh and yummy. It was really hard to pick what to order – everything on the menu looked good. I checked out food at other tables and it all looked good in real life too. Sandwiches come with pickles! That’s always a plus.
Our waitress was attentive and filled up our water a lot, which was much appreciated since it was so hot outside.
Just overall a lovely, hip restaurant that I would go to all the time if I lived in the area.

Came here with a party of 5 for brunch on Sunday. This was my third time eating brunch here. I always get the Chicken and Biscuit, which is $ 14, comes in a very generous portion, and is delicious. I like getting chicken and waffles or any variant thereof whenever I go to brunch places, and out of the ones I’ve been to in Cambridge/​Boston, the chicken here is definitely one of the best — it’s not overly fried and it’s very tender and juicy. I also got lemonade, which came in a tall glass and has free refills ($ 4). I also got 6 oysters ($ 1 each), which were pretty fresh so I think it was a great deal. Our server, Emma, was also very nice.
I only have a few complaints. They only serve their brunch menu on Sundays, and it’s hard to get a table with a large party unless you make a reservation or are willing to wait. Also, I don’t know when their patio for outdoor seating is open, but it wasn’t open today even though the weather was nice. Lastly, my friend got an orange juice, which cost $ 5 but only came in a short glass, and he asked for a refill but it wasn’t even free! So he ended up paying $ 10 for two small glasses of orange juice, which seems like a total ripoff.

Realmente increible!!! El servicio es de lo mejor, la comida exquisita. Merece una mención especial el cordero y la entraña de res. De postre recomiendo el helado de mantequilla de maní con salsa de chocolate de muerte lenta es muyyy rico.
Este restaurante es uno de mis preferidos tanto el brunch como las cenas son de 10!!!

Service — ONE star! Service left a lot of be desired. The hostess was rude and asked us if we had a reservation… the place was empty on a Sunday at 11am. When we said no, she literally rolled her eyes and said she would check if there was table— once we were being seated around the corner… we saw there were 8 empty tables. Our waiter was fine, just really spacey and we had to ask for things multiple times but nothing near the hostess. Also, no tables were filled by the time we left either ;).
Food: Four Stars! This placed rocked out brunch-​wise. We ordered the Ginormous cinnamon bun which was spectacular topped with bacon. We also tried the 18-​wheeler which was also outstanding. Eggs were executed well, pastrami was delish and the duck fat potatoes were great and did I mention it comes with bacon? Coffee and fresh juices were also fantastic. We may even go back because the food was excellent and just ignore the crappy individuals they employ! Portions are large and prices are on point.

Ordered the sausage parm sandwich. Amazing. In fact maybe the best sandwich that is not a bahn me in the area. 10.60 $ total. Just the right amount of greasy delicious (it’s sausage after all). The cauliflower kicks it over the top. 8 min in and out.
The only bummer was the shell master business man who touched me on the shoulder when asking me to move, when he could have gone the other way. Next time go the other way guy.

Hippie chic vibe with rustic wood tables and string lights. Wish the tables weren’t spaced so close together, but the ambiance overall was romantic and cozy.
Drinks were an A+. I got the «Hand Model,» that had cranberry vodka, lemon oleo, combier, lime, etc. It was light, refreshing, and got me buzzed off of one (I’m a lightweight now).
Food was pretty great. It was pricy, but the portions were huge. The bread they served at the beginning was warm, soft, and fresh; be careful not to fill up on it even though it’s so good. The spicy chicken wings were also amazing and they had a kick of cilantro. I got the duck cassoulet, which presentation wise didn’t look that appealing. However, there were huge chunks of tender duck in it, which made up for the lack of artwork on the plate. The side of duck fat fries were raved about in previous reviews– I don’t think they were memorable though, they needed a good dipping sauce, not the garlic spread they accompanied it with.
Only thing that disappointed me was the service, which was excruciatingly slow. Our dinner took us over two hours. The waitress was nice, but she could have been much more efficient.
Overall, a good find in Cambridge.

Parking is difficult in Cambridge. Luckily, Commonwealth and Market validates parking in the nearby garage.
Upon arrival, you’re transported to… western Massachusetts? It’s very country-​esque in décor with its vintage-​looking couch, kitchen set and tables. I also like how the coolers house locally sourced produce and local milk/​yogurts, etc. There’s also a deli with promising cuts. H was intrigued, but we live too far to take advantage. Prices are expensive ($ 2 for a 0.5L bottle of Poland Springs? $ 6 for a 4-​pack of soda?)
H and I have eaten here as well. He scoped Unilocal and was so excited to try a number of items on the menu. He ended up with the 18 Wheeler and I ordered the chicken and biscuit. Sadly, the restaurant was out of a number of items… and without telling H, he was served alternates of what he really wanted (duck fat fries for home fries, etc)… Even without saying, I could tell he was underwhelmed. Plus, it hurt even more because his food (as well as mine) was lukewarm. My chicken and biscuit was more appealing than H’s… but it’s less than stellar temperature had me wanting more as well.
I’ve had better farm to table meals. I doubt we’ll make our way back!

Still love Commonwealth, but am totally bummed they took the Crazy Carl off the menu… It was the best sandwich ever… BRING BACK THE CARL…
But all in all EVERYTHING from there is good… They have a roastbeef Sandwich with Chicken Skin… Crispy & Salty & Just perfect (but its no Crazy Carl)!!!

Fresh, organic and tasty. Three words that come to mind when I think of Commonwealth.
Came here after a fun filled night at the Hatch Shell BollyXing it UP. Epic night. Commonwealth was an awesome choice :) They accommodated 16 of us which was very nice of them to do.
Bread and butter was brought to the table. We were told to be careful and not eat the bread… well not too much. Did I listen? Hell no. This bread was a mini loaf that came sliced in a ramekin that it was possibly baked in… almost like sourdough pull apart slices. It didn’t need any butter even if it came with fresh whipped butter. Just realized that I wrote an entire paragraph on the bread. Don’t NOT eat the bread, but leave room for other yums.
It was explained to us that the prices are a little high, but everything is fresh and organic. Portions are on the small side, but flavors are very very strong and extremely tasty. We had lobster bites, the chicken, macaroni and cheese and duck fat fries. A green bean casserole was ordered but I didn’t try it because the duck fat fries took over my foodie palate. SO GOOD.
This is also a market and sells staples such as nutella, pasta, honey, etc. Basic pantry items :)
Really good restaurant with amazing customer service. Our waiter never failed to ask us if we needed anything else. He also assured us that our food was taking a little longer and apologized a few times. I said that it was totally cool :) I was enjoying a Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA and engaging conversation with my BollyX fam so it was all good. I appreciated the service all the same.
I shall return! Duck fat fries and me are like besties now.