The Tip Tap Room

I went back to The Tip Tap Room a few months ago, it was for brunch on someone else’s dime, so though I was hesitant after my previous experiences I figured «what the heck». Overall the service was better than my previous visits here, meaning I was actually acknowledged and served. Nothing really beyond acknowledged and served, though. My bloody mary was very good as was my brunch. When someone else is paying and there is no one else in the restaurant sure I will go again, but this experiences though better than in the past still wasn’t enough.

On Valentine’s Day I got the waffles which were just two very thin square ego waffles with whipped cream on top for something like $ 12 (yes, for just two waffles, no sides included).
The food is not all that remarkable in any way, in terms of taste, portion size, presentation. I wouldn’t call it bad, either, to be fair (I thought their fries were good the one time I got them). The atmosphere is relaxed meaning not posh, not fancy, not unique or particularly interesting. The food selection is not extensive, also not fancy, nor is it any different from literally any other American burger/​lunch/​bar type place, so it begs the question why Tip Tap decides to be so expensive.
Therefore, I conclude this review by saying that although the service was decent the times I have been here, the food is overpriced and I cannot justify a reason for going back.

Found this place when I searched «brunch» in the Boston area. So excited because the menu looked amazing! Drove around and finally found parking! Yeah! Score! Only to discover this place is not open. It’s under construction. Super bummed! 8 days ago someone left a review so I’m not sure how long it will be closed. But it’s Noon on a Tuesday and there is tape on the doors.

Came here for brunch, and was a big fan of the food and service. Perhaps it was because it was a fairly slow day, but our server was the perfect type of attentive (water and coffee refills) without being overbearing.
As for the food, our party of 5 tried the duck skillet, pound cake french toast, steak burger, and the steak tips benedict. All of the food looked like it was pretty carefully crafted, and it all tasted delish! The portions are on the smaller side compared to the typical joint perhaps, but considering how dense most of the dishes are, I think this actually earns them a star in the «proper portion control» category.
Pound cake french toast was heavy (duh, pound cake), but not too sweet. What I was surprised by was the burger — EXTREMELY juicy and well cooked patty, with a great tangy sauce. The other standout was the duck skillet, with a nice combo of flavors.
Overall, for the quality of food, we found it fairly priced, and everyone was happy with the selection and with what came out. Definitely would return to try something else or one of their rotating specials, but specifically for brunch again — their dinner menu actually looks more bland, and some of the items are similar (or the same) but up-​priced.

I have never been so dissatisfied with the customer service at a restaurant before. My experience here was so incredulous, it certainly warranted a review.
I came here with a friend looking for a casual spot to grab brunch on a seemingly typical Sunday. We had to wait a few moments before being seated — no problem. It was a packed restaurant and it looked like we came at prime time. We sat down and had the hardest time flagging down a waitress, even the two waitresses that were waiting on tables directly next to and behind us. My friend eventually approached a waitress and asked her if she could take our order. My friend also had to clarify that she wanted the waitress to come to our table to fill our water and take our orders,
Our orders go in and I kid you not, we wait an entire hour before we decide we cannot wait any longer. We left. There were 4 tables around us who also seemed in the same situation, and they were all sitting before we got seated. We were told by the manager and other waitresses that the kitchen was backed up (despite the restaurant clearly emptying out at this point).
I imagine this might be a one-​off morning. Perhaps their usual kitchen staff was all off or boycotting. I’m not sure — but I do know that I will never return to know. The corned beef hash I ordered sounded so good too …

After hearing nothing but rave reviews from our friends and hearing that they had Wicked Weed on tap, we decided to take our friends who were visiting from Florida and Ontario to try the establishment. When we arrived, there was a blonde hostess that «greeted» us. We asked for a table for six for drinks and maybe a couple of appetizers. She pointed us towards the bar, and told us to sit there. We went over, and there were no tables large enough to accommodate our party. We walked back over to the hostess, politely stated that there were no tables large enough to accommodate us, and pointed towards the completely empty tables on the other side of the establishment and requested to sit there. She said «those tables are reserved for people eating entrees. You will need to sit at the bar». At that point I was ready to leave, but my friend from Ontario went over to a waiter and asked him to seat us, which he promptly did. Prices for draught pours ranged from $ 8 – 15. We ordered our drinks, but no appetizers at that point because were pretty turned off by the hostess’ attitude. A few minutes later, we received a complimentary appetizer, as the server seemed to be a bit taken aback by the hostess behavior. We were impressed. It was a grilled avocado with lobster. We ordered a few plates at that point. We tried the avocado, which had a nice presentation, but lacked flavor. The fried calamari that we ordered was excellent, as were the oysters with a nice mignonette. I was up to about 4 stars at that point. We finished, paid, and went to leave. I said «thank you» to the hostess, and she said just said «bye» without even looking up. One of my friends said something to her as we left.
The appetizer was really nice, but that was just a bit too much. I’d suggest finding a new hostess. We won’t be back, and neither will our group of friends.

Fried calamari was good. Boar meatballs and hoisin riblets are definitely a pass. Brussel sprouts with spaghetti squash was decent, but not super special. Fries are TO DIE FOR!!! The kitchen was switching over from brunch to dinner and our food took a long time. We didn’t say anything about it, but the waitress was super apologetic and gave us a couple orders of fries, beer cheese, blackberry bread pudding, and most of our food was comped, WOW!!! I loved this place and had a great time. If the food was better, they’d get more stars.

Outstanding craft beer menu. Lunch sandwiches were excellent. Hi quality. Pricey, but with iy.

This place was great! Foods was on point and service/​timing was perfect. Granted we were here on a Tuesday night visiting from out of town, this place was perfect. We had duck confit, boar meatballs, lobster bisque, and the lamb tips. Oh the lamb tips, mmmmmm! If your visiting or a regular, the food is awesome:)

Came in on a Sunday afternoon with 2 friends. I love how open the space feels, and the professionalism of the staff. Everything on the menu for brunch looked so delicious, I had to stop myself from ordering more than one dish.
I had a duck and egg dish with cranberry relish. My friends got the banana waffle and a breakfast platter. We were very satisfied and happy with our meal.
The items were very well priced for the location and quality of food.

The food here is delicious. We went with a group of 4 and the variety of tips came highly recommended. Two of us ordered the swordfish tips and two of us ordered the lamb tips. Both were delicious and plates were cleaned!
The only weird part about the place was the doorman who gave us attitude on the way out. The woman we were with didn’t see him behind the door and she opened it herself and he became very aggressive with her. If they need a bodyguard for homeless people they should keep the guy out of the door way.

I tend to be a pretty picky reviewer. I don’t know why this place doesn’t have 5 stars. The baked Brie is to die for. The steak tips are on point (and that’s coming from a guy that only eats filet mignon). Plus, Yovanni our server was fantastic: quick response time, covered the bar tenders mistake on the house with no fuss, and was enjoyable to interact with. The experience was perfect all around.

Tip tap room is always a solid local spot for food and a great beer list that always has a vibrant scene on week nights. Last night I ordered a bunch of appetizers and mains with friends and found them to all be just okay. The service I will say was absolutely perfect as our waitress was so attentive and helped us out the entire meal. Below is what we ordered.
Wild boar meatballs: Usually spot on, but last night were a little dry
Skillet cheese potatoes: This was a special and I would suggest not running this again.
Ribeye w/​smashed potatoes and roasted purple carrots: This was a special for the evening. It was one of those really thin cuts and couldn’t have been thicker than ½ an inch and 8oz.
*Hoison glazed BBQ Riblets: this was by far the star of the night. The short ribs were falling off the bone and meat was very juicy and tender.

This place has an amazing beer and cider selection! I would vote it as the runner up to Lord Hobo.
Tonight was the first time I had food here, items are listed below:
1) Boar meatballs: they were tasty and lightly spicy. At $ 15 though, it was pricey for 5 mini meatballs.
2) Brussels sprouts: the sprouts themselves were good but the spaghetti squash paired with it was a bit salty and mushy.
3) Calamari with shishito peppers was nice, the calamari was surprisingly sweet but crispy.
Next time, I think I’ll skip the food or eat before coming here for drinks.

Went here to grab a bite to eat before the Bruins game. The place was pretty crowded, but we were able to grab a table at the bar.
We were pretty hungry, so we decided to order a couple smaller dishes and one large dish to split.
Bread and butter (4 stars): The bread and butter that they brought out before the meal was actually very tasty – the rosemary in the butter provided a nice flavor.
Boar meatballs (4 stars): The meatballs themselves were not the best I’ve ever had – and were not particularly warm – but the broth they were served in was delicious. I think we dipped just about everything into it throughout the meal.
Brussels sprouts (3 stars): These were cooked well, but were very basic in my opinion. Also, the spaghetti squash it was served with was also cooked well but lacked some flavor – which is why we ended up dipping it in the meatball broth.
Sweet and spicy eggplant (3 stars): The eggplant was a little softer than I would have liked, but the flavor was there. The accompanying shishito peppers were also a nice touch.
Steak tips (4 stars): These steak tips were not very large for an entrée portion, but they were nice enough to split it for us. The meat was a little tougher than I was expecting, but it had good flavor. The potatoes and vegetables that came with it went well with the steak – as did the sauce.
Banana cream pie (3 stars): This was a sweet, but light ending to our meal. It was not the most flavorful dessert I’ve ever had, but it was packed with bananas and was able to cool down our palettes a bit after a spicy meal.
Overall, this place has a great vibe and the food/​drinks come out pretty quickly. There are some decent dishes on the menu, but I felt like a couple of the items we ordered missed the mark.

Came here for brunch, and I wish it was better than it actually was. The atmosphere was nice, the menu is witty and the food was presented well. But this place is more potential than actual follow through.
We ordered two bloody Mary’s, followed by the baked Brie, brisket hash and the lamb burger. Everything was good, the hash especially, but the service was very poor and slow. My lamb burger came out cold to the touch and the buns were under toasted. The flavor was good, but considering our wait for anything took forever, I didn’t want to risk sending it back and waiting another 30 minutes before I could eat. Most likely will not be coming back, especially when it takes 20 minutes just to pay.

This is a pricey, but definitely not fancy restaurant. It’s super casual, kind of like a sports bar and it’s usually crowded. I don’t get the hype.
The food was decent, but not remarkable and it didn’t warrant the prices. The portions are small too.
The three of us shared an assortment of dishes for dinner including:
— Lobster Bisque which was the best dish we had, but was a small portion.
— Boar Meatballs — The 3 of us weren’t crazy about this dish. I’m not sure why this is listed on Unilocal as one of the highlights. It was very forgettable. The meatballs were really dense too.
— Brussels Spouts — The Brussels sprouts were too salty (and I like salty food), but the squash served along side was tasty.
— Riblets — I didn’t care for the seasoning on this dish as all.
— Fries — The future mother-​in-​law didn’t want the potatoes in the lamb dish since it was served with goat cheese, so we got a side of fries as well. They were decent.
— Lamb Tips — The lamb was pretty chewy; I didn’t care for the texture. The goat cheese potatoes were nice.
Also, the service was pretty lackluster. I was iffy between giving a 2 or a 3, but in Unilocal’s words «Meh…I’ve experienced better» seemed very appropriate.
For the price, I wouldn’t ever think about returning here. The food was lackluster and portions were small too.
Perhaps, this is a popular drinking establishment and less of a restaurant. It’s always packed and seems fun in the summer with the big front windows.

I’ve pretty much always had a standard meal/​service here and do really like the location.
The good:
+airy windows (everyone else mentioned thsis)
+pretty bomb drink/​beer list. Good variety of ciders
+great selection of both meat & also fish and vegetarian.
+came here for Sunday Brunch and was super difficult in my order and they accommodated really well.

Came here due to the extra meat choices aside from beef, pork and chicken.
We sat the bar because we heard not so great things about the service.
There was a special on the board, to the extent of bison and waffles. They apparently ran out and did not remove the special from board. Not a good start.
Decided to go with their turkey burger.
Mediocre turkey burger. Wilted lettuce, small tomato.
Fries were decent but it’s hard to mess up fries, right?
And despite sitting at the bar, Sunday afternoon, not many people there, the service was still poor. Hard a hard time getting the bartender’s attention for just a beer.
Nice space and great open windows for a summer day, but other than that, not impressed.
Meh.

Wild game junkies who get jollies off skillfully prepared hunks of exotic flesh, here there be opportunity to wow your friends, impress your dates, or otherwise expand your extra-​regional sources for microflora.
Antelope, yak, ostrich and the even the elusive North American holstein have been given the tip treatment, and while all are proper in their execution (save my very well done swordfish), I feel as though the gamey nuances that separate one flank from the next get a bit overridden by bold seasonings. Not a fault by any stretch, but if one’s to enjoy zebra for the first (only?) time, why not prepare as a simply salted roast?
Love, love, love their lunch for two key reasons: first, the open dining layout and long runner of a bar situate themselves nicely against window walls to Cambridge Street. During summer months, it’s as good as dining al fresco, and it helps to tamper the otherwise loud atmosphere. Second, the $ 13 Wild Boar Shoulder «Cuban» (I appreciate the hat tip quotes signifying they know it ain’t a Cuban, but that doesn’t mean this sandwich can’t play one for lunch). Thick slices of roasted wild boar with black forest ham, house pickles — a peppadew relish, perhaps? — and swiss on a soft rustic roll. It picks up every profile note the traditional Cuban throws down in a sweet, spicy, savory signature fashion exclusive to Tip Tap, and comes with a heapin’ helpin’ of excellent fries.
Oh, and the some odd 43 rotation taps make this a compelling stop with your sudsy buds who can’t find Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin anywhere else in town.

Loved my dinner here! I came on a Tuesday night around 8 with a friend and the place was packed with people at both the tables and the bar. The menu was eclectic and interesting but still had something to offer everyone. The arugula, endive, and radicchio salad was especially good.
My friend and I split the raspberry white chocolate bread pudding for dessert as well. Not the best I’ve ever had, but it was good none the less! I would definitely go back here thanks to their extensive drink menu and good food.

BRUNCH REVIEW
— — — — — — —
We came in for Sunday brunch in a group of 6, and it was pretty empty around 1 PM. They keep the dining area extremely cold with AC throughout the space although they have their large windows open.
STEAK TIPS/​/​EGGS BENEDICT: For such a popular brunch item, this is definitely more of an eggs Benedict with a side of steak tips. Don’t bother to tell your server that you want your steak medium rare, because they will cook it well. ³⁄₆ people at our table ordered this dish, and they all got the steaks done well. They were two small pieces that were flavored well, but really complements to the eggs, not the star. The spinach (?) that came with the dish was overly salty. I could literally taste chunks of salt while biting into it.
SMOKED SALMON ON EVERYTHING BAGEL: In an effort to support local businesses, the bagel was from a local bagel shop. However, this was the saltiest everything bagel I have ever had. The smoked salmon also had chunks of pepper and salt with capers, which was really too much for me to handle. They also provided a green onion cream cheese, but I didn’t really taste a difference from normal cream cheese. Maybe my tongue couldn’t taste anything but salt.
Our server was really accommodating and pleasant — he even split the checks by person for easy payment!

The Good:
–The fries. The good, crispy, seasoned kind.
–The beer selection.
–The hoisin ribs with fried garlic. They weren’t quite as tender as I’d like, but tasty.
–The salads are loaded with the good stuff that I want in all my salads. (fruit, nuts, cheese)
The Bad:
–The short rib grilled cheese. It sounded so good, and tasted so okay.
–When it arrived as I was in the bathroom, my wife sent back the beer I’d ordered. Because I couldn’t possibly have ordered alcohol in the middle of the day at a lunch with her family.
The Ugly:
–Your in-​laws bearing witness to your alcoholism.

Service was TERRIBLE.
I’ve come here a few times for drinks/​apps. This was the 1^st time I came for dinner. My bf and I split the steak tips and ordered them medium. They came out well. No pink. They would have been great if they were cooked correctly. The baked bree was good!
We also ordered the duck confit right after we put in the order for the steak. Originally we ordered the bone marrow but they ran out. Anyways we got the entrees and after a while we realized they had forgotten about the duck. Our waitress was about to give us our irish coffees so at that point we asked where the duck was. After about 10 min we got it and it wasn’t warm, as if it was sitting out for a while. The manager came and apologized which was nice but didn’t rectify the situation.
Anyways I like coming here to drink but I’m not planning on eating here again. Service is wayy too slow. On that note– the duck was actually really good. It would have been nice if it came out at the right temperature.

Nett zum sitzen; Essen war ok, aber nicht mehr als durchschnittlich; Bedienung leider unmotiviert und langsam. Nach Entschuldigung des Managers haben wir 50% des Preises unseres Abendessens erlassen bekommen.

Absolument fabuleux!
Premièrement il fallait le trouver, mais ça valait le détour!
L’endroit est impeccable, tout est beau et propre. Les toilettes sont tout équipés d’appareils automatiques, voilà qui d’arrivée, met déjà en confiance :)
Pour ce qui est du service: extraordinaire! Beaucoup d’attentions et de bons conseils sur le choix de bières par exemple.
La nourriture: Parfaite! Bien assaisonnée, belle présentation, bonne cuisson
Les boissons: cocktails excellents à essayer, mais parmi les 30 choix de bières locales ou du le monde, il serait dommage de né pas en essayer quelques unes!
Brian Poe, le chef, met le paquet! Je conseille à 200% !