Blu Restaurant & Bar

The only positive things about this restaurant are the view and the proximity to the theatre district. We arrived on time for our early dinner reservation and most tables were available. The snarky hostess refused to seat us at a table where we could face each other because «people with reservations» would want to sit there. Apparently, we are chopped liver! Our waiter never checked in with us throughout the meal. My chicken was overcooked. It took so long to get a second drink that it went unfinished due to time restraints. All in all, it was so disappointing that we will find an alternative next time we are in the area.

If I had the opportunity to give a 3.5 stars, I would due to the service. The food and location (including the view) was wonderful. However, the waiter had 7 – 8 tables and while experienced was clearly flustered running from table to table. Hopefully, the restaurant uses this to rethink staffing levels and service. The view of the Paramount sign in the background and the modern architecture surrounded by glass was a great setting. We enjoyed appetizers including the Eggplant Napoleon which was a different take on the traditional that was devoured by the table. The fish tacos were simple, fresh and some of the best in the area. The short rib flatbread was equally delicious.
The pan seared cod and miso salmon were cooked to perfection, evenly seasoned and super fresh. The other dishes were enjoyed by our friends. We will return with our family.

What a DISAPPOINTMENT. I wanted to like this place. No, I wanted to love it. Unfortunately I was super disappointed.
I booked this restaurant for my bf’s 40^th Birthday Celebration and I was very excited because it was a Monday night and I figured there would be no issues getting a table with a nice view (main reason why I booked the restaurant) I kindly made a note to the restaurant through open table letting them know the circumstances. Man was I wrong. Fist of all this restaurant is literally located in a gym (equinox) So no need to dress up as you walk have to walk through a gym to get to the actual restaurant. After walking through a gym we waited about 5 mins for the host to finish working the gyms «snack» counter to come over and seat us. Mind you the restaurant was completely empty so I was surprised that he chose a table that had absolutely no view and was terribly located. The host did end up moving us to a table closer to the window where my bf’s view was still obscured by a huge pole. He insisted that all the other tables were «booked» up. We were there for 2 hours and the other tables were still empty when we left.
Again super disappointed by the «service»
Despite everything the food was delicious and our waiter Daniel was lovely.
Will not be returning and will not recommend this place to my friends.

Just ordered two salads costing over $ 30 because I had been curious to try Blu. We got them to-​go because we were in a rush, but didn’t realize that the portions were as small as a side salad and not entrée. At this point I waited 20 minutes for my order and wanted to eat and not complain on size as I headed home. Upon opening up my Ceasar with Anchovies I noticed not only was the tiny to-​go container sparsely filled with salad but they only gave me ONE anchovy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something that stereotypically embarrassing for a so-​called high-​end spot in Boston.
The other salad was yummy but, again, tiny for an almost $ 20 seared yellow tuna salad. I had wanted to bring girlfriends here for dinner and drinks one day as it looked cool, but now absolutely not. Don’t waste your money on this overpriced spot. Very disappointed — I’m always walking by and was excited to try tonight.

Came here for a pre-​theater dinner with my 7 year old daughter. I requested a view of Washington Street when I made my reservation, and they not only honored my request, but in my opinion, gave us the best table in the house. 7yo was thoroughly entertained through our meal by the street scenes below.
I didn’t get a chance to enjoy any of the apps (since it was just me eating them), but if I had, I’m sure I would have had trouble deciding. Tapas platter? Burrata? Yes, please. Next time!
For dinner, I ordered the grilled swordfish with lobster mashed potatoes. The fish was cooked perfectly and the mashed potatoes were to die for. I will dream about them for a long time! I also had a really nice Sauv Blanc that was the perfect compliment to the meal.
(7yo just had pasta with parm cheese on it. nothing to report here)

I came here a few times when I was single and had a few dates here. The dates were not good but the food sure was! The view was incredible but i imagine with all the construction that is not the case now.

We had dinner here before catching Pippin at the Opera House. Everything was excellent! Service, drinks (the Bartlett pear one!!), appetizers (calamari and eggplant napoleon), main course (diver sea scallops over lobster risotto and rack of lamb), coffees (one straight up and one decaf cappuccino) and desserts were light and just the right size (tiramisu and chocolate marscapone mousse). Our first visit but not our last… yum!

Food was absolutely excellent! Presentation, quality, the view, and the choices were executed phenomenally. Great first trip, very impressed.

One of the best dining experiences i’ve had… beautiful view and the food was just amazing

My fiancée and I went to dinner after a show. It was one of the best dinners we have had out in a long time. The food was amazing, waitstaff was courteous, and it wasn’t crowded or loud. A perfect date night.

4 stars broadly, and 5 stars as a theater (movie or play) option.
We had excellent service and really enjoyed our food. The calamari appetizer was fantastic (including olive tapenade — why have I never seen that before?!) as was the tuna tartar. We each had fantastic entrees — the duck and, at server’s recommendation, the cod. A good drink menu, too.

Oh man, I wish I could give this place 5 stars, I really do. It is a close one, definitely.
The location is superb, right in the theatre district, and is hiding on top of a gym. As if it was intended for you to work off a bunch of calories, than put on something slightly nicer and gain them all back again.
Don’t let the prices scare you. Yes, it is expensive. But it is a very good value. You get excellent quality food, and appropriately large portions.
* indicates dishes I sampled from other people in my group.
No star means I ordered for myself.
Tuna Tartar is one of the best things I’ve ever had. You get a very generous amount of tuna, coated in a gentle, mild, guac (more like crushed avocado). Sauce is divine, and taro chips are a nice touch.
Mushroom soup was also very nice. It had a pleasant consistency and flavor. Truffle oil is a nice touch. However, I would have liked to see a little more flair in this dish. Aside from the truffle oil, there is nothing that makes this dish a star. But I will give them points for simplicity, and for a perfect salt level!!!
*Calamari was very pleasant. Olives, pepperocino, aioli all add a nice acidity to this dish. You also have to love the little cloth they put on the lemon (so you can squeeze without seeds).
*Eggplant napoleon was good, and was something else. I mean it is nothing like eggplant parmesan, not even close. Still a nice blend of flavors. However, in this dish I would have liked ingredients to be a little more distinct, and less blended.
Lobster Club was good, but not super. Also not technically a club (club are double decker). Good amount of lobster, but not enough BLT (key in a club). I do admire that bacon was in tiny square pieces rather than slices (more consistency).Fries were good, nothing spectacular.
*Scallops were awesome. not overly fishy, soft, and delicious
*Ditto to swordfish — cooked perfectly, with delicious sides and sauce.
Out of Drinks the Mariachi is delicious. Strong, a little sweet a little spicy, and great. A must get!
Desert was eh. Tiramisu seemed like it was out of the fridge, and crème brûlée was good, especially the hardened shell, but nothing super.
Service was quick, nice, and professional.

My family and I went to Blu on Saturday night before a show. I thought I had made reservations for 6pm but when we got there they had nothing in my name. I made the reservations through OpenTable and I am not sure if the fault was on me, Blu or the website but the hostess was gracious and made room for us despite there being no reservation.
The meal was wonderful, I have the scallops and lobster ravioli which I high recommend. The tapas plate appetizer was a hit as well. I would recommend Blu for great food and exceptional service.

Excellent food and a beautiful view of Downtown Boston.
My mom and I are both very picky eaters, so it can be very tricky to find a restaurant that suits us both when my parents come to town. However, Blu worked perfectly.
I had the Veggie Lovers Vegan Feast: red quinoa, roasted butternut squash, grilled zucchini, sautéed baby kale, black beans, cilantro-​sunflower pesto. Pleasing both to sight and to taste.
My mom had the free-​range chicken, and my dad had the salmon. Both of them were pleased as well.
It’s easy to miss Blu because it’s upstairs in the same building as the Equinox gym, so be attentive when on Avery Street looking for it. You won’t be disappointed.

Second time here for dinner before seeing a show at the opera house. It was fun to ride the elevator with all of the equinox beefcake up to the shared floor with the restaurant and club. We started with the tapas platter that included lamb lollipops (mmmmm juicy) and fish nuggets (meh) and a fried egg roll like thing in sauce (tasty). I asked the server about his fave fish and was told the swordfish. I wanted something unique to eat and he suggested the lobster club. It was HUGE and came with fries and greens. My companion mentioned that we should have shared it! Service was great and accommodated our rush to get to the theater. I look forward to returning when I’m downtown for another show at the Opera House. BTW the parking garage under the ritz was $ 20 for time it took for dinner and show.

Went for my boyfriend’s birthday… the food was very good but overpriced. Polenta fries and Atlantic Miso Salmon were delicious! The restaurant itself and view outside are gorgeous. I would recommend checking this gem out!

The food was so bland. The route to the table from the elevator is not well prepared.

Shrimp Scampi & White Sangria, nice portions of both, filling and delicious! Atmosphere was very nice as well. Would definitely return.

We’ve been to Blu before. This visit along with the previous is based on DRINKS only. They do serve food and they also have cafeteria style take out service. We have not tried these yet.
We both had martinis last night. Fairly nice size and price for the location. It’s located in the Ritz-​Carlton Boston. It’s on the 4^th floor which shares with LA Fitness. The bar itself is small but has seating along the windows which looks down part of the theatre district.
It’s nice a place to have a night cap after a night out on the town. Due to it’s small size it can be loud from DRUNKEN patrons. So beware.

Went for restaurant week, service was fine, which sadly was the best part of the dinner. Worst 120 dollars ever spent, wish I had used it for a month at the equinox which is on the same floor, and would have been money well spent.
Do yourself a favor, Boston has many great options, try somewhere worthy. The risotto tasted like unseasoned, poorly cooked white rice, and the «Gorgonzola cream sauce» ravioli tasted like it was from Olive Garden.

Came here with the olé man and had a delicious, freshly prepared dinner. The view is awesome.
I was surprised at how much food they give you actually. Our appetizers were plentiful. My other half had the steamed oysters. He said they were very good and they looked delicious. I had the lobster dip w/​bread. It was phenomenal. Creamy and full of lobster! For the main course we had scallops with risotto and shrimp scampi. I couldn’t even finish my meal I had so much food on my plate. The drinks were heavenly. We are definitely coming back here again.

Slightly hidden but worth the effort.
Depending on how you come into the building, it can be a little hard to find as others have noted. You will think you are going to the Equinox gym, but lo and behold, there is the Blu café for hotel guests and behind it, the restaurant.
Great design to the space, sweeping curved windows with a good view of Washington Street and the theater lights. Felt a little like we were on the Blade Runner set with the moving outside lighting, but in a good way.
Service was quick, attentive but never intrusive. Bar area is not huge but well stocked and capable of making the slightly uncommon cocktails (Last Word). Menu was varied and while it won’t blow you away, it’s a great place for a pre-​show dinner.
Bottom line: great bar, great location, convenient to all the theaters, upscale hotel food menu.

This is one instance where reviews can be a bit deceptive.
A few said the place is hard to find??? its on a street that is adjacent to the Boston Common, we had no issues at all. We valet parked right in front of the building (you validate your ticket at the restaurant and its less than $ 10, that’s a steal to park in Boston). The restaurant is in the same building as the Ritz Carlton, there is a sign in front of the entrance that says «BLU», signs on the elevator on which floor to go, how can you miss that?
Once you emerge there is a gym entrance (nice, upscale looking) to your right and a ‘food court’ looking place (as one reviewer noted) to your left… at first glance you might think that was the restaurant but it is a kind of café where you can buy light food, desserts and just chill in the seating/​louge area without having to go ‘full restaurant’ mode. This makes sense because it is in a hotel remember? they will have guests who might just want to grab a bite without the shabang of a ‘restaurant’.
The restaurant itself is past the little café area. We had reservations @7pm on a friday night and were seated right away. The ambience was fantastic and as everyone has already said, the view is awesome. We had asked for a window seat which we got but it seemed to me that just about every seat in the house would still have a great view, kudos to the designers on that. The seating was creative, slick sectional couches for larger parties, or opposite loveseats for 4 ppl, high bar-​stool seating at the bar and to the side, or your traditional table and chair for 2.
Our waitress was borderline perfect the entire night, kudos to the entire staff for excellent service. The menu had several inventive or creative items, we tried the lamb (gloriously delicious lol), polenta fries (crispy on the outside and yummy inside), crabcake (nice big juicy) with a salad (I forget the name but I devoured it and I don’t like salads), sweet potatoe crusted bass (delish!), roasted duck breast, and capped off with the Beligium chocolate cake and a glass of Moscato. Maybe one of the sauces that came with the Polenta was just about the only thing I didn’t love. The mashed potatoes that came with my sweet potatoe crusted brazilian bass was the best ever, it was sort of ‘whipped’ and had a very light, melt in your mouth kind of feel, something not typically associated with your usual heavy cream, drop like a rock in your tummy mashed potatoes.
We hung around for ~3hrs and were told to even take our time some more. Everyone around was having a good time, the ambience was simply fantastic. People were dressed nice but not overly formal. The entire place was very classy and upscale without being overbearing or pretentious. I am a BIG fan of Blu, it has just displaced my previously favorite restaurant. It was a perfect evening. I’m going back first chance I get and taking a few friends along.

I love this place!
Excellent view of Boston, very happy environment, exceptionally healthy food etc. It has a lovely bar that you can sit at and watch sports. And, after that, running! (Since it’s directly linked to the gym)

I honestly cannot say enough good things about this restaurant! I came here last Saturday night with my family, we had an 8 o’clock reservation and we were seated right away. We were lucky enough to be seated at a table right by the windows — the view is incredible!
Our server was lovely, she came right over to us and introduced herself and brought us bread and water.
I’m a sucker for a good white sangria and the one I got here was amazing. The glass it comes in is huge so you’re definitely getting your fair share of alcohol and it’s truly delicious!
We got the lobster dip as an appetizer for the table. It came out steaming hot with about 10 pita chips. Definitely one of the best tasting appetizers I’ve ever had but I would’ve loved if it had come with a few more pita chips! However it tasted great by itself too!
For my meal I ordered the grilled swordfish which came with asparagus and lobster mashed potatoes. Seriously if I could have this meal every day I probably would because it was that good. I don’t know if I’ve ever eaten a meal so quickly in my life everything was so perfectly cooked and seasoned I couldn’t get enough of it. Everyone at the table ordered a different meal and felt the exact same way that I did!
After inhaling my meal I passed on the dessert but my parents ordered the chocolate cake and said that they thought it was really good.
Overall I really loved this place. The views are amazing, the servers were prompt and friendly, the food was delicious, and the sangria was one of the best I’ve ever had! Can’t wait to go back!

We liked Blu! The view was great, the food was a nice surprise. My steak was actually really good. Both my companion and I were surprised after looking at some of the reviews. We weren’t sure what to expect but decided to give it a try!
We were going to be seated at the back near a wall but I asked to be seated at the high top tables in the bar, a great choice. The view is fantastic, it overlooks the Washington St theaters and downtown crossing.
Ordering the wine and getting the bottle of water took a bit of time. I think the waitress was new. She looked to be running but no where to run to, not allot of people at 630pm on a Saturday night. But we ordered an appetizer, the steak carpaccio. It was rather bland. I asked for a side of balsamic vinegar which did the trick. It was much better. (the chef should have known that. tsk)
I ordered the steak. I was done perfectly, the sides were great. My companion ordered the pumpkin raviolis with braised short ribs. He devoured his plate.
The wine we ordered we very good. I’ve learned in Boston and other places, it really does help to know ones wine and ones taste in wines. The waitress could not have helped I’m quite sure.
She couldn’t answer if the meat was cooked to order or usually under or over cooked. The staff tend to know the kitchen and a good server at a restaurant will let you know.
I would have given in 3.5 but there is no 3.5 and I couldn’t give it a 3 because we were so nicely surprised. I’m going back!

I had been here once a couple years ago and had remembered the food being fairly good, but what had really left an impression was the ambience and the view of downtown Boston – that more than the food was what brought me back tonight for «Dine Out Boston» (aka restaurant week).
The restaurant week menu was not extensive: there were only 2 choices for appetizer and dessert and 3 choices for entrees. In the end, only one person in our party actually ordered from the restaurant week menu.
Dine Out Boston Menu ($ 33):
1. Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms — Honestly, this was my first time eating artichoke so there’s really not much I can say about this appetizer beyond the facts: it comes with four artichoke «bottoms» stuffed with a mixture of crab meat, spinach, mozzarella cheese, and lemon butter sauce. Let’s just say, it didn’t have me running to the grocery store to buy some artichokes of my own. But my mom and brother enjoyed it.
2. Grilled Salmon with lobster ravioli — Aside from my memories of the view, spotting this entrée while previewing the menus was one of the contributing factors to us coming here tonight. Sadly, it was just okay. We ordered the salmon medium rare but it came out more like medium well. The tomato sauce was flavorful and had a nice fresh tomato-​sourness to it. The ravioli tasted noticeably of its lobster filling but unfortunately, was very undercooked– less than al dente.
3. Divine Fudge Lava Cake — Definitely fudgey. In fact, it’s pretty much the same dense sticky-​fudgey texture throughout, with the center being slightly less cooked, but no lava in the middle. Again, just okay.
Regular Menu:
1. Atlantic Miso Salmon with golden quinoa, snow peas, carrots, shiitake mushroom, miso vinaigrette ($ 26) — Like the salmon above, we ordered this one medium rare and it was medium at best. My main problem with this one is that the fish was so bland. There’s a thin watery glaze of miso on top but the flavor just wasn’t there. The quinoa and veggies mix was a nice complement and it was overall enjoyable in a light and healthy tasting way, despite being on the under-​seasoned side.
2. Slow-​Braised Pork Shank Ossobuco with gorgonzola mashed potato, oven-​roasted tomato, natural jus ($ 24) — This dish is huge. It comes with a large pork shank (definitely larger than my fist and wrist) and true to its «slow-​braised» promise, it was indeed tender. However, it was also slightly under seasoned and could stand to have some more «natural jus,» which my brother did ask for. He was also not a fan of the gorgonzola mashed potatoes because it was just too rich and creamy for his taste.
Overall, the view and ambience were as lovely as I remembered it but the food was just A-​OK at best– every dish had something going for it but they all had a big «however» to undermine it as a whole as well. On top of that, the prices are high, the service is not particularly friendly – I probably won’t be as tempted to come back next time.