Backstreet

This restaurant off of Commercial Street is a beautiful space with a great patio and a charming indoor dining room. The menu and wine list are even impressive. My food was even quite excellent. So why the 2 stars? Read the other reviews here, and mine will come as no surprise. The service sucks.
Now the sad part is that our server seemed to be trying, but she was put in a bad situation by the owner or manager (who was at the host stand and on the patio chatting up people with seemingly no awareness that her server needed help and that many of us had been waiting for something so simple as water forever). She needed to pull off her socialite heels, put on some flats, and get this restaurant into order.
First, the restaurant (like others in Ptown) employ mostly foreigners and Eastern Europeans. No complaints from me – and our server seemed to mean well. She just did not have proper training or the resources to be successful. The bread was lukewarm. It took a long time before she arrived to take our order. The entrees arrived at a glacial pace. The check just as slow. And yes, there was only one server for the entire patio.
When this restaurant opens its doors for the summer of 2015, I hope they will put as much effort into the training of their staff as they do into the excellence of the place and the food. There is a lot of possibility here, but they can’t undermine it by irritating people with irritation after irritation from getting the small things wrong. I hope it succeeds.

Do not miss dinner here. The food is exceptional. I don’t like the word «foodie», but if that resonates for you, this is your place in P’town, where there aren’t as many great places as you’d like to think.
One thing that i just don’t understand though, they have a beautiful old house that has been meticulously converted, with a gorgeous patio. But the art work??? Oh geez. In an ART TOWN, no less? Please, contact your nearest gallery and ask a decent artist to hang some pieces there for you. It was almost enough to mess up the experience. Come on, guys. This should be so simple.

What a surprise! I am a foodie and this was clearly the best food we had in 10 days on the Lower Cape. And not the usual pork belly everything… Backstreet offered a true variety of dishes –well flavored and spiced. Attention to details. Everything fresh. It was very much a pleasant surprise.
Note: we did have to wait a half hour for our table despite having a reservation at a very full bar. It had rained that say and they needed to move everyone at outdoor tables inside.

My new favorite restaurant in Ptown. Great food, ambiance and interesting drink menu. Please consider becoming dog friendly. Wait staff was excellent — and it being Ptown — were clearly hand picked for their looks. Shallow? Who cares, it worked. I ordered more drinks.

Great meal! Delicious vegan udon noodles with crispy tempeh, and spicy shrimp and grits. Rasa is the consummate host!

I don’t generally get hangry. It takes a lot for me to get visibly frustrated with a restaurant. But, boy, Backstreet succeeded.
Five of us came here for dinner for an 8:45 PM reservation. I’d had fond memories of when the place was Ten Tables, but had been warned by my friends that, while the food was delicious, the service could be iffy.
One hour into our dinner (9:45 PM, which 15 minutes before the restaurant officially closes), we were still without our appetizers, which we had ordered within 10 minutes of sitting down. After some inquiry, our waiter conceded that he’d forgotten to put in the order and comped us the apps and a second round of drinks.
When the food arrived, it was unremarkable. My friends who ordered the striped bass raved about it. My husband’s muqueca was charmingly served in a cast iron skillet, which turned out to be an entirely impractical vessel because the cast iron was so effective at retaining heat that it rendered the Brazilian fish stew inedible. My own sautéed clams with linguini was fine, but the «handmade pasta» lacked the telltale springiness of fresh pasta. I’m sure *some* pair of hands made the pasta; I’m just not sure that pair of hands worked today, or at Backstreet for that matter.
Normally, I would be forgiving of front-​of-​house issues if the food was worth it. And, to his credit, our server immediately apologized when he realized his mistake and took the necessary steps to compensate us for the ridiculous wait. But the food ultimately just wasn’t worth the trouble.
Ptown’s restaurant scene is improving by the season, but Backstreet doesn’t need to be part of it.

When we went to dinner at Backstreet the weather was a bit cool, and we planned to eat indoors. We were actually seated, but quickly realized that the noise level was such that we had to move. We were taken upstairs where it wasn’t as loud, but the conversations of the people around us were too easy to understand, and none of our business, so we asked to be seated outdoors. The outdoor garden is very charming and quiet, and the waiter, Atanas, professional, polite and alert. We ordered preserved duck spring rolls and ceviche as appetizers, and shrimp and grits and sea bass as entrees. We ordered wine and waited for the food to come out.
We didn’t have to wait long. The ceviche was spectacular and gave us high hopes for what was to come. Unfortunately, the spring rolls were oddly flavorless and dry. The shrimp had good flavor but were served in a sauce with the shell only partially removed, which made eating it more difficult than necessary. The sea bass came over a «summer succotash,» which consisted of corn, soybeans and herbal flavorings. I don’t eat soy, and there was no mention in the menu as to what was in the succotash. I asked Atanas if these were soybeans, and he said no, they were green beans. They were soybeans. I tasted the succotash and found it bland, and the bass was overcooked and also lacking in flavor.
We were puzzled by all this bland, uninteresting food, especially after the great ceviche. We noticed that other diners were sending things back. My companion suggested that, since it was a Tuesday, the chef-​owner might not be doing the cooking. I hope that was the case, because it’s a handsome space, the garden is really lovely and the staff is highly professional and cheerful. I don’t know what can be done about the very high noise level, as it was not caused by amplified music, but the result of the acoustics created by all hard surfaces. If the owner could find a way to get upholstery or carpeting into the room it might help. The prices are not exceptionally high and the concepts for the menu items are interesting, but the execution is disappointing. I would recommend ordering a glass of wine and an appetizer before plunging in for a full meal.

I was blessed to share in an amazing birthday celebration in private dining room at Backstreet recently with 11 other friends. The staff could not possibly improve what they are doing here! The service was simply perfection (and since we were a lively bunch they could not have been more patient or accommodating!) The food was excellent with exciting choices and a great wine list to please all. This is a beautiful spot with a lovely deck for drinks while waiting to be seated. I am looking forward to coming back again.

Food — 3 stars
Overall experience — 1 star
Explanation below…
The atmosphere is really nice, intimate inside, nice dining area outside. The food was good, the hostess super sweet… that’s where it ends… the rest of the service was abysmal.
First, once we were seated for our 7:30 reservation it took a good 10 minutes or so for anyone to even approach our table. Once our server did arrive, she offered water… but since we sat for so long we were ready to order everything. She told us about a great appetizer special of fried tomatoes & shrimp… which we ordered. She came back 10 minutes later and told us they were out of the special appetizer and asked if we’d want something else… but didn’t bring menus. How can you be out of the special at 7:30pm…when everyone in the place has a reservation and the night is so young? (And if you are out… let the servers know so they don’t take orders.) Poor planning. Drinks… cucumber martini was excellent.
Appetizer…blue corn calamari was excellent and so was the arugula salad. Had burgers for dinner which were good.
Service…they really need to spend some time training their people. This place is competing for the same customer that goes to Jimmy’s Hideaway, Ross’s Grill, Joon Bar…(not Bubulas) places with great food and great service… you can’t have one without the other and compete. From the moment our server came to the table the service was off. She was taking our order and in the middle of speaking with us another server walked over and handed her a beer… so she was trying to take our order while holding a beer in her hand… awkward and comical… and so strange. When she decided to write down the order instead of trying to memorize it… she had to walk away and put the beer down and come back. (Meanwhile another party was being seated and there was a beer sitting on their table… weird.) I asked for cheese on my burger and she said they didn’t have any. What? I don’t care how impressive you’re trying to be with the menu… if you put a burger on your menu have some sort of cheese available, even if that’s not how you typically serve the burger… that’s just basic. She then begrudgingly offered «well we can put some Parmesan on it»…ok great. So, then the food started to come out… it’s one of those places where your server does not deliver the food… which inevitably means something is bound to come out wrong. The salads and calamari came together… the empty plates from our bread and the bread basket hadn’t been cleared and were still on the table so the person just stood there… literally sighed and acted like «where the heck do you expect me to put all of this stuff?!» Again… it’s just basic training… you clear away one set of plates and make sure the table is ready before sending out the next course… it shouldn’t be the customer’s problem of where to put the food. The salad was great… but no offer of fresh ground pepper. Another basic training issue. I don’t mind paying $ 14 for a small salad… but then it should be presented with the offer of fresh ground pepper… and then the server should have the pepper with him to put on right away… not have to run around the place trying to locate a pepper grinder. (I wouldn’t have the same expectation at Applebee’s…). We both ordered burgers & fries. Yet another person dropped them off… no ketchup for the fries… and when we had the nerve to request ketchup he acted as if it was an intrusion… again…BASIC…if you’re serving fries have ketchup… and either have it on the table or bring it WITH the food. Don’t put a plate of food down for someone to look at for 10 minutes while you go back to the kitchen looking for stuff. When the ketchup finally came… he brought one serving in a tiny dish the size of a thimble… for two people to share… laughable…absolutely ridiculous. We asked for more ketchup since this clearly was not nearly enough for even one person… and he was really bothered… and commented «should I just bring a whole bottle»…Meanwhile…my burger with cheese came without cheese. Since someone who was not my server dropped it off and scrammed without asking if there was anything else… I had to flag down my server. She seemed annoyed that I expected the burger to come with cheese after ordering it that way… and she offered to bring cheese on the side… seriously?! It really felt like I was dining in a Saturday Night Live skit. We are good tippers and typically tip well above 20%…this is the first time in as long as I can remember where we tipped under 20%. I won’t be back this season… I’ll give them some time to train the staff and try again next season because the atmosphere is really nice and the food is good.

Very similar to it’s predecessor in it’s location: Ten Tables, the menu is very different.
As you enter the restaurant you’ll notice that the entire interior is exactly the same as it was when it was Ten Tables, which is a dark room lit by candlelight, romantic. Being on Bradford St. it is a little out of the tourist traps and is great for a nice dinner for two.
As I said, the menu is different. First of all — they don’t allow substitutions or changes of any kind. Tacky. I’m sorry, I don’t like my duck with your special artichoke heart and beet paste as a side… so I guess I have to go with the shrimp scampi with mushrooms… oh wait, I’m allergic to mushrooms… hmm… what to order.
I finally settled on the $ 38 duck ragu. I must say, it was delicious. I very much enjoyed the decadent flavors and texture. The price was a bit high for a pasta dish, even for Provincetown.
All in all, it was an OK experience and I’d be willing to give them another chance.

Overall experience was a mixed of good and bad. Let’s start with the hostess, she was oblivious of the reservation. I will mot elaborate on how bad the service is here at it was clearly posted by other people. After the appetizer it took about 50minutes for the entrée to come, the waiter did apologize but everyone was just in lousy mood. The owner Chris came to the table and actually asked «how is everything, is it terrible?»
Food was great, we ordered the linguini, pork chops with white chocolate mole sauce, sea bass and tuna. The lamb special was too rare for our liking and the tuna was unevenly cooked and the rissoto tasted like an old sock.
The waiter offered complimentary champagne or wine but we were just in a bad mood and wanted to get out of there. They delivered complimentary dessert as an apology which was a nice gesture but it was just downhill from the start. Definitely not recommending or coming back.

Not the very best experience, though to be fair, everyone deserves to mess up every now and then. We were a big party and decided to do a restaurant away from commercial st that would not be too busy so we could finish dinner before the fireworks were on. Though we sat down 2 hours in advance to the event, the multiple mistakes of the server made us miss all of it.
We had the outside seating which they were able to accommodate for 9 people by pulling together their tables. The servers really were amicable and they followed our fun nature and even gave us nick-​names as we chatted. Seemed like it was going to be a great meal. The food itself was delicious and the drinks as well. We had basically almost everything on the menu. I ordered the blue corn calamari, and the steak.
So why 2 stars?
The drinks took between 20 – 25 minutes to be served, they took almost an hour to bring out the appetizer plates because they assumed we wanted appetizers with our main course. We had been at the table with only one drink and no food for nearly an hour. When the food started to come out, three plates were missing. The server had to place the order again and then my plate was forgotten again. I ordered a medium rare steak… which was delivered well over cooked. By this point the server acknowledged his mistake and what it cost us as we could hear in the distance all the fireworks had started and finished but as luck has it, there was no possible way to see it from the restaurant; so he offered us a round of drinks on the house. We thanked him, and asked if instead he could just comp the first round as we were not in the mood for a second round. The server came back out with the bill and comped our drinks and the three plates that came out much later than the rest.
I know the server was doing his best to redeem for the experience but sadly that experience made me feel that the restaurant probably can not handle having a semi-​full house. The location is great and the restaurant itself has a beautiful décor and the menu is very appetizing.
Lastly, two people of our group felt sick that night after eating at the restaurant. The rest were ok. Maybe it was not related.
I would give this place a second chance, if in a smaller group and when not so full. If in the area, this is a nice place for a date.

Came here with a bachelorette party, the wait staff was THE BEST. Terri was more than happy to snap a few photos and David was super accommodating and helpful. We waited for our meal, but they sent over some
Delicious wedding cake shots and even gave prosecco to the bride! They were the best and the food was delicious. I had the gnocchi with duck rago… Yum! Great place!

A girlfriend and I came to Ptown and had dinner at Backstreet recently. The location is great and the ambiance of the restaurant and bar is great. I love a convivial, classy space and Backstreet hits this note perfectly.
The menu looked amazing and we were really excited to slowly work our way through various courses, but unfortunately the quality of the three appetizers we picked stopped us from ordering further. We had the cornmeal crusted calamari and it was gummy and the tentacles were stuck together in one big messy ball. The tuna tartare tower was actually pretty tasty and I would order that again. The spicy caesar salad was served with sad, wilted chopped romaine lettuce and I can’t fathom how they call that dressing spicy. It was fairly bland.
I would go back for drinks and to enjoy the atmosphere, but I can’t say the food deserves anything better than 2.5 stars, given the price-​point.

We ate here as a last minute choice in P-​Town on a Saturday night, having not made reservations elsewhere. They were able to accommodate us — a large group of 9, by putting a few tables together outside. We were greeted by our waiter, David, who was friendly, as were the hostesses and another staff member named Terri. While the food was alright, the service was absolutely atrocious. I’ll explain…
While they delivered waters to the table in a timely fashion, we were attempting to make the July 5^th fireworks which were over two hours later. (We sat about 6:50 and the fireworks were at 9pm — unfortunately, we didn’t get up from the table until after 9:15 — 9:20pm). The drinks we ordered took their sweet time to come out. Our waiter was barely seen if he wasn’t attending his 3 tables outside (ours was one of the three) — I’m not sure if he was attending another section inside, but to our knowledge his attentiveness to our table was limited.
Our drinks finally came out, and we ordered. A few of us ordered appetizers (salads and calamari) and all of us order entrees. Time goes by, and more time goes by, and more time goes by. Then some delicious foccacia bread with goat cheese pepper butter.
We wait longer, and we are starting to wonder where our appetizers are. David comes out saying everything is coming out altogether, not as first and second courses much to our surprise. Well okay, no huge deal — so the apps come out. Minutes later, they bring a few entrees out. And by a few, I mean three. Three out of Nine total entrees. Then two more. One was a Medium done New York Strip, that was delivered before a Medium Rare done New York Strip
As a matter of fact, the final 4 entrees, including that steak weren’t delivered until the other five entrees had been completely finished, and cleared from the table. Then after more time went by, each of the final four entrees was delivered one-​by-​one, with a few minutes between.
Even trying to get the waiter’s attention to get the check and to pay the check was a hassle.
The food was tasty overall — but many of the group felt a bit queasy from the meal, including myself getting a small bout of what appeared to be food poisoning. I had ordered the sea bass, which tasted great, and was a large serving. Others ordered the gnocchi, New York strip, Shrimp and Grits, Rack of Lamb, and the Linguini with Clams. And everyone seemed to enjoy their actual meal and drinks — once they received them — overall. However, I’m not exactly sure what sent me home sick later that night.
All that said, the waiter comped everyone’s drinks and the four extremely late entrees, and to my knowledge, a manager never touched the table to explain the situation nor to check on us.
With that experience, I don’t nor wouldn’t recommend BackStreet to anyone — but hopefully you will have a better experience than we did.

Food carefully prepared, very special tastes and interesting menu to explore. The options are not very extensive but you will certainly find very amusing combinations and rest assured that all of them will please you till the very last bite since they are cooked to perfection. Nice staff, a very cozy and warm environment completes the experience.

Fantastic new addition to the Ptown dining scene. Very inventive menu, great flavor combinations, charming atmosphere. Came here with a party of eight and we all agreed it was the best meal of our trip.

Visited here last night with my girlfriend for a romantic dinner and we were not disappointed. After a day on the beach we were hungry and wanted to dress up so I looked around and noticed backstreet on Unilocal.
We both ordered the spicy margarita and I was a little bummed mine didn’t have cilantro/​jalapeños so we inquired and a server who was very attentive and friendly brought us a plate of jalapeños. They were delicious!!!
From the homemade butter (goat cheese?) to our meals we were in food heaven. We shared the mussels to start. They were a little messy but very fresh!
My girlfriend got the seared tuna with quinoa and loved it while I got the roasted chicken with delicious roasted veggies.
The staff was great and attentive especially our bus girl who sparked conversations and noticed things we needed/​wanted. I will recommend this new spot to anyone asking! Definitely worth spending the extra few dollars for expert cooking.

My wife and I were fortunate enough to listen to a local’s recommendation on our last night, to check out Backstreet. Just off of Commercial and up the street from the wharf, it turned out to be by far the best meal we had during our week in Provincetown. The braised lamb shank in a coffee-​molasses reduction was incredible, the drinks were expertly made, and the grapefruit, basil, & peppercorn sorbet is NOT TO BE MISSED. We had the opportunity to meet the owner, Chris, who was exceedingly gracious and friendly, a trait reflected in the entire staff. We absolutely will be returning here on our next trip to P-​town.

One of the owners recognized us and immediately ushered upstairs to one of there better tables, awesome…

We were a party of 7 and we had a great time. The owners and staff were wonderful. The waiter was on point and took our order quickly. Drinks were suggested and showed up cold and without delay. We were never rushed despite the fact we arrived at 10:30 and the kitchen staff were closing up.
We enjoyed our appetizers and drinks on the outside patio. I do recommend the restaurant. This is a newer restaurant and it will take a bit of time to work out the kinks. Give constructive feedback and I think you will find the food and personalities can override some of the service hiccups. It was a great experience for us and we have already made arrangements to return when we return with the Harbor to the Bay Ride.