Branch Line

So happy to have this hip and happening restaurant in my neighborhood. The chicken is to die for. They have a large selection of beers on tap. My only complaint and it is small it the 2.00 I had to pay for chicken drippings to dip my bread in. The flavor was not at all tasty. It seemed watered down. Not rich and flavorful. Just a small thing. Overall everything else was great.

A suburban utopia in an old mill building. Soaring ceilings are framed by exposed I-​beams and anchor cabling and a backdrop of abstract murals. Bricks and tall Windows backup the banquet opposite the long bar with the kitchen open in the rear of the space.
This is a large space made to feel even larger by the height of the room. Dim orbs of light hang low in rows up and down the rectangular floor plan.
Service is excellent — the sommelier is quick to offer assistance upon noting use of the wine list. An unusual and well curated list becomes accessible with a little guidance of a pro — ask for recommendations. The list includes little known varietals as well as some more recognizable names from popular and expensive regions.
Our bottle from Pigat ($ 42) is tannin rich, earth yet crisp bottle. A rich yellow color holds floral and fruity flavors. As advertised, an excellent accompaniment to the rotisserie chicken.
The grilled oysters ($ 13), are from Katama Bay and unusually large. This take on New Orleans’ speciality is buttery and yet lacks the richness of the original preparation. Shredded radish further waters down these already subtle bivalves.
A whole rotisserie chicken ($ 33) is a spicy, moist bird large enough for two. Thick breast pieces are easily cut from the carcass. The skin is crisp and seasoned heartily — a fiery dusting of chinese five spice, salt, smoked paprika along with other subtle flavors. «Pan juices» magically appear in the bottom of the pan — from whence they can one can only guess. The leg and thigh are similarly juicy.
A note: the presentation of the whole bird with a steak knife is unusual and fun but awkward. Try carving a bird while sitting down at your own home next time using a slippery pan on a slick surface. It’s not quite as easy as it is when using a cutting board standing up.
Roasted broccolini ($ 7) is charred and doused with healthy amounts of garlic. Crisp, soft, nice.
Roasted beets ($ 6) sit on a bed of soft cheese with peanuts piled on top. Sweet and nutty.
Service is impeccable — the little things go along way: like wiping the table after dinner concludes.
Dessert looked interesting although it was not sampled this time. Sweet cream ice cream, cake. Coffee.
Beer and wine only.
An excellent addition to a great group of restaurants in a shockingly well done space.

Watertown now has 2 great food establishments under its belt. (I won’t make mention of the other out of respect for this review lol). Beautiful historic setting in Arsenal, and beautiful food to match. Unique offerings like salted avocado. The rotisserie chicken is the star, but the fried potatoes steal the show. Crispy fried goodness, a can’t miss!

I really wanted to like Branch Line. I’m a Watertown resident and I do believe this town needs more sophisticated food establishments but it really failed on so many levels:
1) Seating: We got THE table… the table right in front of the door. It was freezing cold and half of our group sat in their coats. Whoever designed this restaurant should have thought better. Thought they have installed another door before, cold air still gets trapped and when that door is opened, it’s not pleasant! If you seat people here, please pamper them!
2) The waitstaff really lacked passion. This restaurant has only been open for 3 months! We got no «Welcome to Branch Line. Is this your first time? Let me tell you about our specials!» Menus were given and waitress disappeared. We ordered based on reviews we had read and nothing the waitress told us or got us excited about.
3) The food: Overall, the menu really lacks creativity and for the price tag, the flavors and complexity is really lacking
a) Appetizers: We ordered the salted avocado. What’s the big deal? Sliced avocado with some herbs, cheese and olive oil. No texture contrast, no crostini. Also, the fried cheese balls show some effort and the sauce was good but needed (sauce) to be amped up in flavor. We also got the argula salad but it also needed some croutons or some texture contrast. I could have easily re-​created these flavors at home. I think it needs some creamy element or crunchy (herbed nuts) element.
b) The lamb skewer just needs to be taken off the menu. We were there for lunch and paid $ 15 for it. It had 3 tiny pieces of meat (smaller than a cherry tomato each) and 4 baby onions and 3 baby tomatos, watery tzatzki and 3 (2,5 inch) pita triangles. There was not enough meat and veggies to fill one of those pita triangles. This is Watertown, Branch Line, where Middle Eastern food is all around you! Why take advantage of your customers by barely serving them meat and what was served is totally ordinary. Go try the meats at any of the Persian grill places a minute away and for $ 10, I get 5 times hte amount of meat and 100% more flavor. Also, can you please be imaginative about the tzatzki! Go to Sofra and see what Ana Sortun does with it… it should be thick and full of flavor… think of new combinations beyond cucumbers! So dull…
c) Lemon Chicken soup ($ 12): Also a total rip off which shows lack of respect to customers. It had 3 giant pieces of soaked bread, a small piece of chicken and oily broth that barely had the hint of lemon. Again, please be creative! Perhaps a deconstructed chicken soup with broth and large pieces of chicken but veggies and different sauces that customers can add to it for a unique experience each time?
d) We ordered 2 plates of the half-​chicken ($ 17 each and potatoes $ 6): This was tasty and good and when you place the other two dishes with this, you see why you feel ripped off. There is a lot of meat here for 2 people and flavor is good. Owners should take what they are doing right and make it «their thang…» ie more creative sides, sauces and flavors to keep customers interested.
e) We ordered the white fish ($ 15). Again, better value than soup and lamb which were a joke. Good flavor but no one liked this dish at our table but me. The spice did overwhelm the delicate fish and I would not call the preparation very Mediterranean except for the addition of the olives. I prefer a more delicate sauce to elevate the delicate fish…
f) THis is a very small trivial thing but the bathrooms are outside the restaurant. THis is something I take into consideration when inviting guests for dinner. It makes it feel a bit cheap and as you exit, you see the door to Panera right in front of you and it makes you forget for a second that you are at a restaurant and not a fast-​food joint.
Overall, our party was disappointed and we won’t return. The cheaper eats in Watertown (Sofra, Roksana, Molana, and even Armenian bakeries) have more flavor and much better value. Nothing about the ambiance or customer/​service staff experience would make us want to return. Sadly, I will continue to go to Cambridge or Boston for «the restaurant/​foodie» experience.

Went with a friend and walked in on a Monday at 4:30pm. Amazing wait staff. Very knowledgeable and accomodating. The food was outstanding. We loved the brussel sprout special, the lamb starter and, most amazing, the roasted carrots. The desserts were incredible and the beer selection (beer and wine only) was outstanding. Highly recommend it.

I went to Branch line on January 14^th with a friend for dinner for the first time. I highly recommend this restaurant for its customer service, its food, and for the type of service you get at your table. All were excellent. The waiter was excellent and he never ignored us, was very attentive and the courses were delivered in a very nice timing way and tonight it seem very perfect.
The menu is a very simple but nice menu with lots of choices and I loved my food when I got it each course was excellent and I would highly recommend people to go there and I intend on going back in the near future.
The prices were reasonable and the portion sizes were excellent so you are getting your money’s worth there. One drawback is that the only serve beer and wine but they had some excellent choices to choose from and my red was very good.
Bill Rasschaert

Went in on a Monday night and it was PACKED! Luckily for us, we had a reservation.
We tried out a few things that people on here recommended. Salted avocado, pork shoulder and lamb skewers. We also got a side of bread with rotisserie drippings (as opposed to the typical olive oil). I honestly dont really remember what the dishes looked like. i’m sure they looked presentable… But all i really remember about those starters were the flavors — they were INTENSE!
How so? I’m not big on avocado, not at all. Unless it’s tiny, tiny pieces, I often say «No Avocado» on things i order or give them to someone that will eat it. In this case, i would eat avocado. It was so good that I didnt even care i was eating avocado. Seriously.
The pork shoulder was overwhelming with flavors. It was sweet, fatty, salty, smooth and crunchy all at the same time. Loved it.
Bread with drippings was like eating thanksgiving. Reminded me of Boston Markets gravy. I honestly wanted to drink it. And it was so good that we dipped EVERYTHING in this heavenly nectar. Side note — everything goes with the rotisserie drippings!
The lamb skewers came out with some pita bread and some sort of cucumber-​yogurt-​mint sauce. It actually surprised me. I dont eat lamb — usually because it’s gamey. I couldnt even tell that this was lamb, with the way it was cooked/​prepared. It tasted like beef. All the flavors went hand in hand with each other.
Didnt do entrees but we went with half a bird. For those that complain about price — you have eyes. you see the price. if you dont think it’s gonna be worth it, dont get it. But if you do, dont be a sore loser and complain. Anyways, hands down — best rotisserie chicken ive ever had. Moist throughout and flavorful.
Had to save room for dessert. We opted for the sweet cream ice cream with salted caramel sauce and hazelnuts. Three words — i’m in LOVE. I wanted to stop eating because I was full but it just tasted so good that i couldnt stop!
Branch Line, you guys surpassed my expectations. I’ll be back to try out the rest of the menu. Cheers!

Okay, WOW. We knew the ES team was good, but Branch Line was just a phenomenal meal and dining experience, and I just don’t know if 2016 can possibly get any better from here.
They boast a friendly, knowledgeable staff who know a lot about their expansive craft beer and wine lists. I don’t know if you can go wrong with any choice because they are all amazing, and because of that I do suggest you throw caution to the wind and try something you haven’t before.
The whole roast chicken is everything and more. Get the fried potatoes on the side and the brussel sprouts if they have them. The salted avocado and littleneck clams were other standouts.
This was a truly beautiful meal, and the restaurant interior with white brick walls and soft lighting further enhanced the experience. I can’t wait to visit Branch Line again.

Having recently moved to Watertown Square from Somerville, we have been actively trying all the restaurants around the square and beyond. We have been so far disappointed by some of the similar-​priced restaurants in the area. Then my friend told me to try Branch Line. I had tried Eastern Standard and so went in with great expectations. I have to say the place exceeded my expectation. Thank you for coming to Watertown!
The beers on tap are great. They do serve it in smaller glass sizes, which is perfect for me but for some other people I think they may need to order more drinks ;) A couple of sour beers that are very fun and delicious.
We ordered all of the seafood appetizers and entrees yesterday since we were in a seafood mood. They were all pretty good, but probably more on the saltier side. The steamed clams were fresh and flavorful, grilled oysters were interesting but I would say the topping was the focus of the flavor rather than the oysters. The baked Sicilian white fish was well prepared. The Ecuadorian grilled prawns were amazing. I think those were my favorite out of the four seafood dishes. We also had a Swiss chard side that was good.
Not only do they have good beer selections, good food, they also have really good espresso/​cappuccino. I was starting to worry that there isn’t really a nice coffee place along Arsenal/​Main Street. I think I have found one.
And of course the décor was beautiful. A lot of thought clearly went into the interior and the outdoor seating of the restaurant. I am confident that this will become our regular hangout place!

I am excited to see a place like this open up in Watertown. I hope it starts a trend of more places that should appeal to folks in their 30’s without kids in Watertown.
Few thoughts…
The Good:
The sides were all great. We got the cheese bites, fried potatoes and carrots. All were great and were around $ 6. They were small, but fair for the quality.
Got a half roasted chicken to split between two of us. It was more than enough, and was delicious.
Outstanding beer list. I won’t even bother pointing out the ones I got, because they most likely aren’t still there, since they seem to turn over their taps quickly. That’s impressive. A lot of «beer bars» nearby will have a pumpkin beer still on tap in late December.
Our waiter was outstanding. Very friendly and attentive.
The No So Good:
I’m not sure if he was the manager or host or owner, but someone in a sports coat kept coming by to clear plates the second we took the last bite of food. It felt like he was pushing us to get out of there. Didn’t really give a relaxing vibe. In fact, this guy grabbed my drink after we got our bill when I still had a third of it left. That wasn’t very cool.
It’s still Watertown. As much as I liked having a place that would feel at home in Cambridge or Somerville, when we sat down, no one around us was under the retirement age. To be fair, it was a Friday and it was at 6:30. So maybe the weekday afterwork crowd is a little more vibrant.
I would comeback for sure. Maybe a little later, and maybe I’d hold onto my glass tighter.

Branch Line is a great, unexpected dining spot in the Arsenal, home of Panera #623 and things of that nature.
The interior is a beautifully lit, high-​ceilinged reclaimed industrial space, which gives it a great cathedral-​y atmosphere. The layout is very open, making the whole space seem bigger, as well.
Service at the bar and at the table is impeccable, with many staff members hanging on your every need.
The menu is lovely and varied, with some vegetarian options, pescatarian and carnivorous offerings. We tried the cheese bites, which were tremendous — fried and crispy outside, lovely cheese inside, what’s not to love? The pork shoulder app is good, but not outstanding. Salted avocado app is perfectly ripe seasoned avocado with a light cracker crumb. Excellent starters.
Bread is from Iggys. Essential!
The star of their show, entrée-​wise, is the rotisserie chicken. It’s not at the soaring level of Hammersley’s (RIP) signature chicken, but it’s close. Tender, juicy half chicken, huge flavor, served in its own drippings. Entrees are a la carte, but the chicken goes perfectly with the grilled mushrooms and rotisserie potatoes. The bone-​in ribeye, at 36 dollars, is a gold-​standard cut of steak, finished beautifully on their charcoal grill, though I am not a fan of the presentation of it in a deep dish full of liquid — the black truffle sauce and grilled mushroom accompaniment would have been much better experienced on a dry plate.
The beer and wine list is superb — the selection is divine, and just tailor-​made for pairing with their menu offerings.
Outdoor seating year-​round under the heat lamps is an added thumbs-​up, as is the attached bocce court for the summer.
All in all, Branch Line is a solid date night restaurant in a location that could use the classin’ up!

The vibe of this place is very cool. Sat at the bar and tried a number of beers, the porchetta and the rotisserie chicken. The bar staff is awesome and got me to try a number beers that I would never have considered before and realty enjoyed. The food was really good too. The rotisserie chicken was especially delicious and we saw a few tables get a bowl of the chicken drippings to use as a gravy to dip the house made bread in… will definitely be getting that next time.
I look forward to hanging there in the future.

What a happy surprise to discover today. I hadn’t been to Panera Bread in a while in the Arsenal area due to all their construction. What a wonderful surprise to park behind them and what do I find? Instead of a bank staring me in the face (the old tenants), here was Branch Line! Huzzah!
I walked in and was immediately amazed by the décor and open kitchen. Excellent attention to details and comfort.
I decided to try what would normally be unusual selections for me — the Lemony Chicken Soup, the Fried Cheese and the Rotisserie Cauliflower. I’m now officially a fan! I can’t recommend the Fried Cheese enough — sinfully delicious with every bite… which I convinced myself could be made up with a healthier soup, which was equally delicious.
I must come back and try their rotisserie chicken sometime. I cannot wait to return!

The ambience is pretty good, open space, you get a good view of the kitchen, and the food is pretty tasty. I can’t say that I really agree with the prices on the menu, they are but high when you are talking about rotisserie chicken (17 $ for half, 34 $ for whole), don’t get me wrong I am not saying that it wasn’t tasty and moist but 17 $ for half a chicken? I am sure this place will do well but just be prepared for an expensive meal.

Helmed by the same team behind popular gems Row 34, Eastern Standard and Oyster Creek Island Bar, Branch Line is a welcomed breath of fresh air in an otherwise quiet Watertown dining scene.
The space is absolutely amazing! We saw it while driving into the complex and were in awe. High ceiling, dim lighting and clever design. The big room is just awesome and everything is very tastefully decorated. The service is great and everyone in my group had a great time there.
We actually decided to take advanced of the abnormally warm temperatures and sat outside in their heated patio. The seats were comfortable and service attentive. The craft beer menu is very well designed and features quite a few New England breweries. It’s very well curated, much like the one at Row 34. They even have a great bottle list as well.
The food itself was pretty good as well and everyone but me thoroughly enjoyed their food. I ordered the pancetta dish and wasn’t crazy about it. Too much fat and the mustard/​dill sauce didn’t do it for me unfortunately. I also thought that paying $ 6-​$ 8 for an entrée’s side was a bit of a squeeze there and thought that they should rethink that model, especially since people are already paying nearly $ 23 for their main entrée. For that price, it shouldn’t be an extra 25% extra to get a side.
That being said I look forward to returning there to check out some of their cocktails as well as their other menu options.

Welcome to the neighborhood Branch Line! My husband and I have visited this new restaurant a few times now, sitting both at the bar and at a table.
As you arrive you can’t help but notice the large heated patio. A much needed addition to Watertown!
The interior of this restaurant is very cool with a nice sleek, industrial vibe. It’s a great spot for a group dinner or a fun date.
We have tried almost all of the starters. While all are good, the avocado is the best. Keep some of that bread to dip into the excellent oil sauce from this dish. Skip the rotisserie drippings. Not worth the few bucks.
The portion sizes of the entrees are quite large and equal to the price charged. My favorite is the whitefish. So good. I will say that they are heavy handed on the salt, which is fine with me but beware if you are sensitive to that.
The vegetable sides are the perfect size to split with two people. Roasted mushrooms are on point.
The wine by the glass menu is fairly small, but the beer list is well rounded and displays some great beers.
And just a random bonus for you sparkling water lovers… its complimentary! Yessss.
This place does get busy since it’s a new spot in town so definitely make a reservation or you will be standing awkwardly by the front door watching everyone eat. Weird.
So glad the spot has finally opened! Can’t wait to return!

Had a great experience here. The waiters were extremely attentive and accommodating, the menu was diverse and the food was delicious! There is a good mix of vegetarian and non-​vegetarian options on the menu, which means there is something for everyone! We got the salted avocado, the 10 hour smoked ribs (this is a special that isn’t always on the menu), the snap pea salad, the swiss chard side and the porcetta. Everything was so good! They also have a great wine and beer selection, but for those who are looking for something harder, you won’t find it here!
Overall though, would definitely recommend this place for dinner and drinks.

It’s not too often that you can say you loved everything about a restaurant, especially a new one!
The space is fabulous.
The food was spectacular.
I had the Bavette steak while my dining companion had the half chicken.
Awesome.
We shared the carrots and potatoe side dishes. Unique seasonings. Unexpected tastes. Both delicious.
For dessert we shared the ice cream — wonderful!
Strongly recommend making a reservation.
BTW look behind Panera. Both my friend and I had a hard time finding so if you find Panera, you’re almost there!

Clean and cool design, great layout, and the super service!
Let the team, take care of you and the wine pairing was so spot on! Yes we had two bottles.
Try the delicious oyster app and the Branzino…
This place is now in the rotation!

Branch Line​: Monday October 19^th, Soft opening
Watertown is really an area on the upswing, being centrally located, with more affordable housing, a new hotel, and biotechs escaping the high rents of Cambridge.
Since I work in the area, the arrival of newly opened BRANCH LINE from the owner of Island Creek Oyster Bar, Eastern Standard, Row 34, and The Hawthorne, has long been anticipated. With a stellar record like that, you know fans of Garrett Harker will be coming in droves check it out.
But I see this more as a local hangout than a destination restaurant. Not that it isn’t great, and well-​worth a drive, but there are so many small businesses around the Arsenall Mall/​Aresenal on the Charles area that have been waiting for a place like this (Strip-T’s has until now been the area’s lone signature restaurant), it seems likely that it will have more of a local vibe to it.
Three of us went to the first night of the soft opening, and although it was unadvertised and 6PM on a Monday, the place mostly full when we arrived, and packed by the time we left. I’ve since been back for afterwork drinks on a Friday, which was also already popular with the locals (even the outside seating under heaters was crowded despite the cool temps).
BL may be a little hard to find if you are not familiar with The Arsenal on the Charles complex, but if you are standing in the entrance of La Casa de Pedro, face away from Arsenal Street and walk forward 100 yards then turn right. We walked, but it seemed like there was a fair bit of parking back there (garage across the street too).
Two things stand out about Branch Line to me…
First, the wine/​beer program.
If you are serious about beer, you’ll probably enjoy the beers here. 20 INTERESTING beers on tap (many local/​regional) behind the long bar with a striking long minimalist row of taps set in stone, with another 20 or so by the bottle. Not a Budweiser in sight, but plenty of funky, sour, or just darn tasty beers to choose from. A beer cave with a see-​through viewing window is located out front next to the patio.
The wine list is not huge but with a decent number of choices by the bottle, and again populated with plenty of interesting sounding wines that you’ve probably never heard of before. Although the wines-​by-​the glass list is only ~10 wines long, it includes such usual grapes as Picpoul from Southern France, and Nerello Mascalese grown on the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily. Most of the bottles are in the mid $ 20 – 90 range, so quite affordable.
However, I was a bit disappointed that no cocktails were offered (I like to start a meal with a creative cocktail).
Second, these guys know how to roast things.
In fact, pretty much everything, whether meat or vegetable, is roasted thanks to both a wood-​fired grill and a rotisserie. The flame-​grilled flavor really came though on the fish.
We enjoyed:
1) LU’S CUKES: With broken cream, mint ($ 4)
~Apparently a family recipe, this was a minty fresh starter, not large but shareable (we shared everything).
2) WOOD-​GRILLED BRANZINO: With fresh herb salad, green chermoula ($ 24)
~This is pretty much guaranteed to be their signature dish, with a wonderful wood-​grilled flavor. If you are scared of whole fishes, don’t worry, they’ll show you how to dissect it (or watch their video on Facebook:
)
3) GREEN CIRCLE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN: With house sauce (half bird for $ 17)
~An excellent, moist chicken with lightly crispy skin, in a light jus. Delicious, although the sauce was maybe a tad salty.
4) ROTISSERIE CAULIFLOWER: Harissa, charred chard, gremolata ($ 16)
~Killer! This is a whole cauliflower head and perfect for sharing. This will be another signature, I’m sure.
5) ROASTED CARROTS: Yogurt, parsley ($ 7)
~I enjoyed this, a nice simple dish that highlights the well-​roasted, tender, sweet whole carrots.
6) OLIVE OIL CAKE: Sophia’s honey yogurt, pineapple ($ 6)
~Moist, pleasant, but probably the least exciting dish we ordered. The dessert menu is short, with only 3 choices, and a number of sweet wines and whiskeys.
Service was good, despite being the first week open, although maybe it could be a bit more personable. It’s a nice, attractive open space with very high ceilings, moderately loud but not excessively so. There is also all-​year-​round outdoor seating (with lots of heating lamps). A Bocce court will make it’s appearance eventually!
Dinner only for now, but lunch will start around Thanksgiving time.