McCabe’s on Mass

The food here is always tasty! They have a great menu.
Service has always been friendly and quick.
BONUS: I dropped my passport and one of their staff took the time to find me on Facebook, message me, and let me know I could come pick it up (with a picture ID).
Lifetime customer and fan.

I’ve gone for brunch and lunch. Overall the party was «nothing special». I personally enjoyed the ambiance and reggae music. I went with the Burger and fries and thought the meal was good.

The brisket sandwich is awesomely delicious !
We were there Sunday afternoon, service was very friendly and good. It was the first time here for a few friends in our party of 7, they all enjoyed their food.

Went to this place with very high expectations after seeing it on Phantom Gourmet. The first time I went, there were seats at the bar and the bartender was super friendly, score! Me and my two friends got some ciders, beer, the Bacon Bliss, and the Frites w/​mornay app. The next time I went there I got the BBQ pizza and the Brisket Sandwich. I was overwhelmed by the pizza, feeling like there was too much going on. And the sandwich was not served on the bread that it was advertised with and was not as I had imagined it. Overall I feel like the food was not bad, but was nothing to write home about. I would return for drinks, the bar staff was very social, accommodating and knowledgeable about the drinks and on draft beer selections.

Excellent food, excellent service! After a long walk to the restaurant, our only cure was a mimosa party. The food menu is pretty simple which helps the decision making process! I settled on the sunrise burger, while most of my party had the duck hash. Holy Woah. The food was great. The service was equally great. As I was taking the last sip of my drink, the server was there to take my order. I would definitely go back, even if it’s to explore the brunch drink menu.

I disliked much there but liked the food. I decided to give it another shot. It was worse. The food quality has fallen. The aioli was the only thing worth tasting. Everything else was swimming in a pool of grease. I am not one to shy away from fat or carbs– especially when the add took flavor. But this was just tasteless grease and home fries splattered on it. Ugh
I’m never going back. I hope you don’t either. There’s really way too many delish options in the area to spend your time or money here.

This review applies to brunch only but my senses tell me that any meal at any time here is headline worthy.
The eggs benedict was the best I have ever had. The BEST. That is not a word I toss around like a hot potato. I was reading the description and extremely skeptical of what maple hollandaise would taste like because I’m particular about sweet & savory combinations. But hot dang. They did this thing right. It was one of those situations where I actually became full about ¼ of my way through conquering the dish, but for the benefit of mankind, I plowed through it. Because I am a champion and food like this should not go to waste.
I love the modern/​rustic, cozy interior inside! Perfect spot for brunch as all the favorite staples are present but with a fun, upscale twist.

Randomly came to have breakfast here on a sunday morning with my cousin. Best decision ever! The french toast was amazingly delicious Hands down best I ever had, the duck with potatoes was by far like anything I ever had, it was soo delicious and full of flavor which made it perfect! The bacon, oh how I love bacon was too good! We sat at the bar and the bartender was super friendly and gave us great service. I will deff be back for more!

I’ve walked by McCabe’s on Massachusetts Avenue more times than I care to count, and every time I do I think, «I should try that place.» So when friends of mine suggested we go there for dinner I was like, «Finally!» And final it will be.
Upon first entering, it seems like a quaint, albeit very busy neighborhood joint. We were greeting with warm smiles and immediately taken to our reserved table for eight. From there on, the evening went down hill.
The waitress, stood at one end of the long table, making it difficult for any of us at the other end to hear what she was saying, she seemed put-​off when others asked her to repeat herself. I will preface this next comment to say, that this gathering of friends was sort of a reunion so there was lots of catching up, so we didn’t get around to ordering our dinner for about an hour. When we did, however, the waitress informed us of several of the menu items were either out, or running low. Really? Couldn’t you have told us sooner?
I can understand perhaps running out of a nightly special, but running out of your regular menu items is something only done by amateurs or poor budgeting and planning. So the dish I wanted was no longer available.
My hamburger, was dry, tasteless, and came with only 3 pieces of wilted lettuce. No tomato, no onion, no mustard, or ketchup. I choked down half of the sandwich and gave up. One of my friends didn’t get the food she ordered, but gave up waiting and ate what they mistakenly brought her. The gnocchi was overpowered by the truffles, to the point of not being able to taste anything else. The mushroom pizza was so heavy with garlic and grease it was inedible and remained untouched, except for a couple of bites.
And if all this isn’t enough to turn you away, we ordered a slice of cheesecake for dessert. It was deep-​fried! Hello, there! Nowhere on the menu did it mention this. The breading used made it takes like we were biting into Southern friend chicken, not something sweet for dessert. It like many of the menu items was half-​eaten.
There are a few redeeming features I should mention out of fairness. They have amazing French fries. They were crispy on the outside (skin-​on) and soft and tender on the inside, and perfectly seasoned. The other two highlights of the evening were the cheese plate and house-​pickled vegetable platter.
My advice to you, go for the drinks, and a couple of appetizers anything, which doesn’t require much in the way of kitchen labor. If you want to try their regular menu go early if you won’t want the kitchen to run out of food.
From my dog bowl to yours… Happy eating.
Shata

Spectacular restaurant!
Great food, drinks and atmosphere. Service was super professional.
This is going to be a new favorite haunt.

It’s an okay small bar without any real character. There are a bunch of «Irish» bars in the Boston area, and this place doesn’t really set out to distinguish itself from the noise. I drop by every so often for a beer, but I never cared for the food. Grab a drink and keep walking.

Walked by this place for months before finally giving it a try. Went in on a Tuesday night and we had our pick of the place (seems to get busier on the weekend, but the middle of the week is very low key). Cool space, nice art, good balance of casual and slightly-​above-​casual-​but-​still-​casual.
Our waitress informed us that they are a «shotgun kitchen» in that everything comes out when it is finished (not necessarily together), but our dishes came out only a few minutes apart. Started with the candied bacon (watch your fingers) and a Hell or High Watermelon Ale, then moved on to the Truffle Potato Gnochi (who doesn’t like truffle oil?). Dessert was a «cookie for two,» which consisted of a chocolate cookie topped with vanilla ice cream and «duck fat caramel.»
Overall, awesome first experience; will definitely come back soon.

Came in on a saturday night; the place had just enough people to not be too crowded or eerily quiet. We had reserved a table online 10 min before, and there was already water waiting for us by the time we got there. Extra point.
Service was great. The waitress and staff really knew their food and was able to explain exactly what went into their dishes.
Started with the scallops. Not sure if we liked the salad or the scallops or their sauce more. Needless to say, we fought over the last bit of the salad (it was perfect balance of lemon, pear, radishes, and sliced lettuce) and was just about shy of licking the plate clean of their delicious sauce.
Got their braised brisket sandwich. Brisket was definitely house made, and cooked pretty much to perfection. The bread was perfectly toasted, and had some great dressing and caramelized onions. We split the sandwich, and somewhere in there my bread was stolen. The plate was empty at the end, it was that good.
Definitely recommend, want to come back and try their brunch.

I’ve been here a few times, but not often. It is a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for.
Every time I have been here, the wait staff and bartenders have been attentive and pleasant. Really nice people to talk to.
Good beer list and cocktails. Just had the chicken tacos (pulled chicken, mind you) from the late night menu and god**** were they good.
So here it is: small, welcoming place, good food and drink. But pricey. I can’t do this every week… but I want to.

The short rib mac was fantastic. Perfect ratios, did not run out of short rib before mac. The candied bacon was amazing also. He got the brisket sandwich and liked it enough, but was definitely jealous that I ordered the superior meal. I did try this sandwich and agreed that it was alright, but the mac totally won.
The cookie dessert was a little disappointing. I thought it would be a traditional chocolate chip cookie (for two, freshly baked), but it was a CHOCOLATE chocolate chip cookie. Too much chocolate for me, would have tried something else had I known.
Still, overall good experience and would go back.

After a several year hiatus from Unilocaling (for many varied reasons) I just wanted to give props to McCabe’s On Mass. In the interest of full disclosure I frequented Spirit quite a bit from the time it opened until the time it closed and loved the place (not sure why the hate for Spirit in many reviews). I followed the progress on McCabe’s from inception through opening as it’s 2 blocks from mi casa and having great faith in the owner and his partners that this would be something completely different. Boy was that an understatement.
First on atmosphere. The place looks great and is very comfortable. I’m a bar patron and the bar is the center of the M.O.M. universe. Service is top notch with great, attentive bartenders always ready with suggestions, recommendations and good conversation. I rarely sit at the tables but the times I have the servers have been great. I know a lot of people have been kind of qualifying this place as a «hipster» kind of bar. Well as the least hip, least trendy human being alive I can tell you there are very few bars I feel more comfortable and more at home at then here. While my multiple nights at the bar days are sadly behind me I consider McCabe’s my local
OK, once again in the interest of full disclosure the awesome beer selection is wasted on me as I’m a macro-​beer drinker (and yes they have my beloved Miller Lite) but my beer nerd friends rave about the selection. The food is the star of the show. I tend to end up here between meals or late night so I’ve mostly had the shared plates versus entrees. Get the bacon appetizer. Just get it. I’ve called this the best $ 5 spent in the city of Cambridge. The sriracha wings are just plain awesome as are the duck confit sliders (a lot of people mention «salty». I think they’re perfect). The short rib is luxurious. While I haven’t had it yet the brisket sandwich is on my radar for sure
Bottom line is this is a comfortable, friendly, unpretentious food forward spot perfect for anything from date night to group gatherings to just sitting at the bar. Just go, you won’t be disappointed

Came for brunch.
Got a breakfast sandwich and duck confit hash. This food is unbelievably good. The sandwich had rich eggs and thick-​cut bacon. The star of the show, the duck confit hash, was to die for.
It may be that this place isn’t very well-​known because there wasn’t a crowd. The servers and waiter were all very friendly, and the logistics worked without a hitch.
Will definitely be back!!!

Atmosphere: I really enjoyed the hipness of this restaurant but for brunch, having a bit more light would have been nice!
Food: The french toast is truly amazing with thick cuts of challah and a ton of whipped cream. The wings are also really well done — not too oily or fatty and you can still experience the crispness of the fry. Sauce is a bit asian in feel since I believe they added siracha. The carrot slaw is also a nice compliment.
I applaud this restaurant for its creativity and deliciousness!

What a gem of a place. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I had pretty high expectations upon reading the reviews on Unilocal.A few friends and I came here for brunch Sunday. The place is relatively small, but we made a reservation the day of, and were seated immediately upon entering. I personally also really enjoyed the décor of the place. As you enter, the bright green décor nicely contrasts with the dark wood furniture.
In terms of the food and service, both were great. Food came out quickly, the hostess checked in on us periodically, and our water/​coffee was always filled immediately. As for food, we all got the breakfast sandwich, which was SO GOOD. My favorite part definitely was the brioche bun. Oh, what an amazing bun. The portions were sizable, the prices were reasonable, and the food was delectable. I can’t really comment on the other entrees, but I definitely want to come back again for brunch or dinner.
From an overall standpoint, taking into consideration food, price, atmosphere, and service, this place was 5 stars in my books. I had nothing to complain about.

This place is awesome.
I came in last night (Monday ¹²⁄₈) for dinner. It wasn’t empty, but wasn’t full. There were a few open seats at the bar, so we took those.
Bartender came over pretty quickly and gave us a taste of a beer we were debating. I went with Bantam Cider over Downeast– Solid decision, it was delicious.
The menu is filled with things I want. It produces a real dilemma. I was sitting there with Paul debating what we could come to agree on for our entrees, because Paul is a habitual food stealer and wanted to make sure I ordered something he wanted.
Final decisions:
To start we got the Siracha hot wings: These were the best wings I’ve gotten in a really long time. Perfect and very unexpected. You know how there’s often the abandon wing? The wing no one ever really wants to pick in the first few rounds and then finally someone takes it at the end after all the other, better wings are gone? No such scenario here.
I got the Shortrib Mac and Cheese: Larger portion than expected. Perfect ratio of Mac and Cheese to Shortrib.
Paul got the special: Butternut Squash Ravioli in brown butter sauce. This was the dish I was most impressed with. Three large (think enough area space for 2 – 3 credit cards) ravioli, with perfect sauce. It wasn’t overloaded.
On my next visit, I’m going to explore the short ribs and the house burger, and of course, any specials if they have them.
Admin Notes :
As far as the servers: I didn’t notice if they were wearing all black or not– I was going to make an attempt to look and note it in this review, but I forgot because it’s such a stupid, trivial thing to notice in the first place.
Ladies Bathroom is awesome and well kept. Thanks for the small stuff!