Nix’s Mate

I gave this place two chances while staying at the Hilton.
First attempt: Went in for breakfast with a breakfast voucher. When I walked in by myself they struggled to seat me so I offered to seat myself at the bar if that was okay. The host said that would be fine. I sat there for just shy of thirty minutes with zero service and decided to just leave. Service at the Starbucks around the corner was wonderful.
Second attempt: The aforementioned breakfast voucher could also be used as a $ 10 credit for other meals. Decided to retry for dinner. Service at the bar was decent from my bartender but the other bartender was having a super serious personal conversation with the gentleman next to me for almost the length of my meal. Clam chowder was decent, 2.5÷5 but nothing special for a city that prides itself on seafood. Nix’s Burger was underwhelming. «Pork belly» was a solid 1“X1″ square placed precisely in the middle and on top of the beef, I get the feeling that’s not what most people would expect.

Here on business and didn’t want to venture out in the cold, so had multiple meals here. Cool atmosphere, good location, decent food but the front of the house needs training. They are very nice, have good attitudes and to be fair, one night there was a large party in the main dining room that seemed to throw everyone in the weeds. It has the potential to be a great place, but miss after miss on the service up front. Slow, disorganized, and not coordinated as to who is doing what at each table, and definitely a lack of awareness and communication. Would benefit greatly from training and could be a great place for locals and people in on business alike.

We occurred about this location accidentally but had been happy we experienced. It really is properly located with great inside and road seats. It is extremely contemporary. You purchase within and pay out there then your meals concerns you. Our lunch time was of the extremely high regular.

The lobster twin tail dish was so messy. I had to resort to using my fingers to remove the lobster from the shell. The lobster tasted dry as they over did it with the bread crumb topping on it. The fries were so so skinny and crisp that it was another messy affair using my fingers to eat as they slipped right through the fork.

My husband and I have had a couple of terrible experiences in a row with this place. We live in the area and have been trying several different spots to catch a football game on Sunday, have lunch, etc. This is NOT a good choice. Every time we have attempted to walk in for a Patriots game, they essentially turn us away. We see tables in the lounge area completely empty, but reserved only for people who «know the promoter». They won’t let you know who the promoter is nor will they give you a table. So when I tried to go again this Sunday (bad idea), I called in advance to make a reservation. I spoke to the day manager for at least 10 minutes and had a lovely conversation. She made us a reservation, promised to put us close to a TV so we could watch the game and when she learned we were locals, she told us she was sure we were going to have a great experience. We showed up for our reservation only to find that our name was not on the list. When I explained that I had spoken to the day manager and referred to her by name, the hostess rudely told us that we «should have made a reservation at least two weeks in advance» and that there were no tables to accommodate us. She literally turned us away. I was completely shocked by this behavior. Once again, there were several empty tables that were being saved for «friends of the promoter». I guess someone called in a favor, and they were getting preferential treatment over the local customers that followed the rules, made a reservation and were simply turned away. Needless to say, we are never setting foot in Nix’s Mate again.

To loud terrible music. Food prices that don’t fit the music. Unremarkable food for the price.

I came here for lunch, and the portions are very generous. I got the wild mushroom risotto, which was piping hot, very cheesy, and had lots of mushrooms, along with sliced asparagus. My colleague got a burger, which was enormous. Although the food is not out-​of-​this-​world, it is decent, and the service was great!

The bouncers and managers at nix’s were extremely rude.

Went during happy hour for the $ 1 oysters. The oysters were great which had a nice briney taste to them, I believe they were Duxbury.
The place had a nice clean sophisticated feeling, very friendly waitresses who were very quick. Also got a burger with truffle fries and the fiancé got the wild mushroom rissotto which were good too.
I would come here again.

I recently went here for a friend’s birthday. The ambiance and service are great here… Nix’s Mate has an upscale yet low key vibe. Our waitress was friendly, informative, and patient when we split the bill between 6 cards. I did not try and of the cocktails, but the food was pretty good. I had a flank steak with a tomato jam and chimichurri sauce that was tender, but a little burnt on the edges. The apps we got (hummus plate and cheese plate) were delicious! I would definitely recommend this place for mid-​week drink/​bite to eat after work.

This is purely a review of their continental breakfast which came with our hotel stay. It is common these days for hotels to have free breakfasts that are huge, but terrible. This is not that kind of breakfast. First, the selection here is probably half the size of those kinds of breakfast bars. Second, the quality of the food seems to a step above those other, more common breakfasts. Their steel cut oatmeal was very tasty and their hard boiled egg actually tasted like an egg instead of a bouncy rubber ball!
Be aware that they serve Lavazza coffee. I personally dislike Lavazza coffee, but I know many people who like it.

Chicken on a brick is wonderful. It’s very loud & crowded, though — glad I ordered food to go.

Interesting place… Walking in, beautiful ambiance/​décor. Definitely a lounge/​bar feel, though the semi-​private function rooms are nice. The staff was friendly and professional, but just a bit odd. It started with our (not waitress), who looked very similar to our actual waitress (they had nearly identical outfits, and both had wavy blond hair). Our not waitress walked by, and I made eye contact to indicate we were ready to order, and she responded saying that she could take our order (us not knowing it wasn’t our waitress). Just a bit funny of a response/​interaction. Order placed! Our starter cheese board came out and dropped off by the kitchen staff. Something I appreciate on cheese boards is when they take a moment to tell you what cheese is on the plate, not dissimilar to a wine or beer flight. The cheeses were all good, I prefer the honey on the side vs. drizzled over all the cheeses. I also like a palate cleanser (grapes, walnuts, etc.), and there needed to be more toastinis (we asked for more and was accommodated). The little things that would have made the $ 18 cheese plate stand out a bit. Main course was dropped off by the kitchen staff, and as the woman walked away, we inquired about a side that was missing, and she scoffed and said «I know, I’m going to get it now». There was no indication that she was bringing the side separately, not sure why we received that reaction when inquiring. Neither of us were terribly impressed with our entrees. My wife ordered the steak frites extremely well done, and it came out medium-​well. The quinoa was terribly dry, the only thing giving it life were the veggies (carrots & green beans). I asked for an extra side of tzatziki to mix in. Salmon portion was a bit small and lacked flavor (tzatziki to the rescue!). While the prices were reasonable (even a little less than I anticipated ahead of time), I think the portion size coincides with the price point (i.e. had it been any more expensive, I would have been disappointed, based on the portions). There were lots of great parts that just didn’t come together. Will be giving them another try in a couple months, it may’ve just been an off night!

PRIVATE ROOM FOR BIRTHDAY PARTY
We were a group of 17 for my girl friend’s birthday and were able to reserve the private room on a Friday night! It is a beautiful space with a gorgeous cursive backdrop, ideal for prefix menu ($ 55/​person). However, as a group we decided that we did not want to go forward with the prefix option and the restaurant obliged.
APPS
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We ordered a couple of appetizers for the table, which included SLIDERS, TUNA TACOS, & CALAMARI. The sliders were definitely not good; the meat was very dry and all the toppings fell off to the plate once you bit into it. The calamari was served with pickled onions and jalapenos, which gave a great complement. The tuna tacos were essentially tuna tartare in taco form with guacamole.
ENTREES
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NIX BURGER: This burger was a huge disappointment. I asked for the burger to be cooked medium and the patty was somehow very dry and bland. It was topped with pork belly which was the size of butter on top of the patty. The french fries were steak fry-​style, but they were very dry and not seasoned well at all.
FISH & CHIPS: This entrée was actually surprisingly good. The fish was very moist, lightly battered, and melted in your mouth! The fries that came with this was also very dry and unappetizing. However, for a somewhat upscale restaurant, it is really disappointing that the fish and chips would be the best thing I had that night.
If I came back here, I would much rather get apps and drinks than an entrée.
However, our waitress was the sweetest girl who was sure to refill our waters, make sure that we were happy with our food, and took care of our very large group so well! There was no glitch in service that night and she got everyone’s orders right, which is definitely a great feat. They were sure to help our group ensure the birthday girl was surprised before dinner and carried out the event super well!

We love coming here. Service and atmosphere is top notch but we just had the clam chowder and we feel off. We had the steak frites, steak quesadillas and the calamari and it was top notch but the clam chowder was off. Thought it tasted off and oily and it wasn’t until we took a picture that we noticed. It looked like oatmeal with oil.

Came here for brunch on a Sunday and without exaggeration this had to be one of the worst brunches I’ve had.
To start there was not one person in the restaurant at 12:30 (bad sign). We walked in and there were four people huddled around the host desk but not one person greeted us. Finally after 5 minutes of waiting I Had to ask if they were open and they said yes sorry and sat us.
The waiter was nice but took way too long for there being no one in the restaurant. We ordered Cesar salad to start which was just okay. it took 20 minutes to come out which let me remind you, there was no one in the restaurant and they opened at 11:30…next I had eggs Benedict and boyfriend had the fish and chips. My eggs Benedict was so soggy and so bland it bordered on the line of disgusting. There was some kind of pig on it that was so chewy I couldn’t even eat it. I ended up leaving the entire meal but the English muffin. Boyfriends fish and chips was pretty bland as well. He left about half over. The total was also just ridiculous. For a disgusting eggs benny, bland fish and chips, and a Cesar salad, it came to $ 60.
Avoid this place.

Pleasant atmosphere, decent libations, but some of the menu items are unacceptable. Ordered the sashimi platter and was met with old fishy smelling pieces of completely inedible salmon etc. We sent it back immediately and still wonder how it’s possible that the ‘chefs’ could be so inattentive. On another occasion popped in for the ‘buck a shuck’ only to find that their oysters were also hardly palatable. Bad oysters? Yes, for the first time in my life. In addition to this the service is barely acceptable. On the bright side their buffalo wings are superb (hence the two stars, and not merely 1.5), and I’d return for those. In this neighborhood of Boston I’m frankly shocked to find such low standards.
Nice lounge atmosphere, mediocre edibles.

Ate here for a quick meal while I was in Boston for a conference. Service was prompt and there was no wait for a table. The portion sizes are generous and the food was reliable standard hotel fare. Would recommend for travelers looking for a quick place to eat.

Not much to report on this visit as we only had drinks. As far as aesthetics its a really nice bar, very modern and trendy with a large selection of drinks available. Being attached to the Hilton will ensure that it gets some good foot traffic, plus, there’s Mr Dooley’s on one side for a great pint of Guiness and there’s the new Bostonia that used to be Kitty O’Shea’s at the end of the street.
Prices were about normal for downtown, staff seemed ok but not over friendly as mentioned in other comments.

Came here with my boyfriend and a friend for some $ 1 oysters on a Saturday evening. My friend and I shared a dozen oysters and a dozen clams. When the oysters arrived, I finally understood what some people mean when they say that oysters look like boogers. Granted, I know these were just $ 1 each but I’ve been to other restaurants for $ 1 oysters and they were much better. Ah well. My boyfriend, who doesn’t eat raw food, got a lobster bisque, and it tasted like it came out of a can. It was watery and salty, and the lobster flavor was thin instead of permeating throughout the soup.

Difficile de trouver un endroit où manger quand il est 22h, mais au Nix’s Mate c’est possible!
Il y a même un portier pour vous ouvrir, la grande classe!
Bière, cocktails, écrans, nourriture locale, tout y est. Le chaudron de palourdes (clams chowder) était délicieux bien qu’avec beaucoup d’autres choses que des palourdes, et le steak du burger était brûlé, de quoi rester un peu sur sa faim, mais à cette heure là on n’avait plus trop le choix.