Overall
Our experience at this restaurant as a whole | My husband recently obtained tickets to watch our beloved Yankees play at Fenway Park. I'd heard good things about this place, and it was located close to the ballpark, so we decided to give it a try. While they were not offering the happy hour prices we were expecting, we left with a very favorable impression of the restaurant. |
Food
The food we ordered while eating at the restaurant.  | As the name suggests, Great Bay specializes in seafood, although they do appear to offer things that inhabit dry land as well. We didn't try them. We decided to get a couple of appetizers and share them. We ordered the Shrimp and Lobster Dumplings and the special octopus ceviche.
The dumplings were spectacular. I loved the dipping sauce, and the flavors inside the dumplings were memorable.
The ceviche, pictured left, was not at all what we've come to expect from ceviche, having no noticeable citrus flavor at all. That said, it was amazingly good. Those little dots on the side are a tamarind sauce that was just out of this world. |
Bar
The variety and quality of beer, wine, and/or liquor available at the restaurant | The bar was well-stocked, the wine list was respectable and their list of "signature" cocktails was extensive and creative. Unfortunately, the prices for everything else were so exorbitant that I didn't feel comfortable spending the extra $3 for a cocktail and had a beer instead. Their beer list was not particularly memorable. While they had some decent beers available, they were in bottles. I can drink bottled beer at home, for a lot less money, and there wasn't anything on the beer list that I could buy for home consumption. |
Menu
The variety and originality of items on the menu | The menu was creative and was strongly influenced by Asian flavors. I wouldn't say that there was a lot available to non-fish eaters, although they weren't hung completely out to dry. |
Service
The service received while dining at the restaurant | The service was impeccable. The host staff and the wait staff were all top-notch. There was no reasonable expectation of service that they did not match. |
Atmosphere
The experience of eating at the restaurant, including decor, comfort, and dress code | The decor was great. It had a very distinctly "fishy" theme. Even the overhead lighting resembled fish bones, and some shimmering lights had been projected onto the wall in such a way that it resembled fish scales. The seating was comfortable. Unlike many restaurants, they haven't crammed tables into every available space. This makes the restaurant feel less crowded and cuts down on some of the noise. I could live without the background music that they had on; I'm biased against music that's designed to fade into the background and not be noticed. It's hard to rate the clientele or dress code, because many of our fellow patrons (like us) were there before the game. I will say that since the restaurant was in a hotel, there were more of my fellow Yankee fans in there than I would have expected, which was very refreshing. |
Ease of Access
How easy it was to get to and get into the restaurant, including parking and wait duration | Since Great Bay is part of the Hotel Commonwealth, parking is available although you will have to pay for it. It will be less expensive than parking for a Red Sox game at one of the other area lots. Hotel Commonwealth is right in the middle of Kenmore Square, right on top of the Kenmore T station and bus nexus.
We did not have to wait for a table, despite it being game day. |
Value for Money
Our assessment of whether the dining experience at this restaurant was worth the price of the meal. | I kind of feel bad giving such a low rating for Value for Money. We went in there expecting their happy hour prices and found out that they were not offering those prices on game night, so our perceptions were clouded. Not only were we paying a lot for our food, we were expecting to get a good deal. That said, the portions were very small for the price we paid, and while the quality was very high it wasn't high enough to justify, in our minds, the miniscule quantities. Yes, we ordered appetizers. At most establishments, two appetizers would be enough to at least sate us for the game, but we were still hungry when we left Great Bay. The cocktails weren't that overpriced, but the beers were. |
| Location and contact information | 500 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215 617 532-5300 www.gbayrestaurant.com |
| Menu available? | On website above |
| Reservations | Call phone number or reserve through Open Table |
| Hours | Bar: Monday - Wednesday: 5pm - 11pm
Thursday - Saturday: 5pm - Midnight
Dining Room:
Monday - Wednesday: 5pm - 10pm
Thursday - Saturday: 5pm - 11pm |
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