Category: Food Reviews

Mass Foodies is dedicated to consuming everything that the commonwealth has to offer. The food review portion of Mass Foodies is written by independent group of wandering consumers from different backgrounds. Foodies come together once a month at a predetermined restaurant, order off of the menu, and share their experience Learn more »

Posted on by

The [Great] Gatsby at Bootleggers Prohibition Pub

The [Great] Gatsby at Bootleggers Prohibition Pub on Chandler Street in Worcester, MA

Bootleggers Prohibition Pub is a new speakeasy themed bar on Chandler Street in Worcester where EVO once was.

A speakeasy is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the Prohibition era. During that time, the sale, manufacture, and transportation (bootlegging) of alcoholic beverages was illegal throughout the United States, hence where the name “Bootleggers” came from.

It was dark inside yet relaxed, cozy and a little mysterious. The black decor, old photos, dark wood tables and a chalk board full of moonshine cocktails made me feel like I had stepped back in time. It’s definitely a place I could see myself frequenting.

Upon arrival I started with a glass of the house Pinot Noir ($6) followed by a few appetizers that the table shared. Out of the apps I got to try, The Dry Rub Buffalo Chips ($4.99) were my favorite. They consisted of crumbled blue cheese, green onion, bacon, diced tomato, and honey blue dressing. They very packed with flavor but weren’t too heavy; a great starter!

With a surprisingly large menu and a ton of unique options, it took me a while to decide on my entree. I ended up going with The Gatsby ($10.99). With 3 cheeses, bacon, tomato, basil, and garlic oil pressed on an Italian roll paired with tomato sauce for dipping, it reminded me of a mix between two classics, a grilled cheese and a margarita pizza. If you’re in the market for an adult grilled cheese The Gatsby will certainly not let you down.

Service was good. My wine glass was always full (important!) and our food came out quick. For 7pm on a Tuesday this new restaurant was filling up fast and the servers were handling it well. I really liked how each of the waitresses wore their Bootleggers t-shirt but dressed them up with cute skirts and choker necklaces. I thought it worked well with the theme of the restaurant.

I really enjoyed this Foodies destination. Bootleggers has great food and drink options at very reasonable prices.  A cocktail didn’t surpass $10, sandwiches and burgers under $15 and an entrée was $23 at most. With so many Italian and American style restaurants in the city, it’s nice to have a completely different option now!

Posted on by

Seafood Fra Diablo at Bootleggers Prohibition Pub

Seafood Fra Diablo at Bootleggers Prohibition Pub on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

Waking into Bootleggers Prohibition Pub, we were greeted with a newly renovated Pub and restaurant environment in the former space that was Evo. The space was newly refurnished and had a nice bar area yet it seemed to miss the mark on creating the feel of a speakeasy type atmosphere that I was expecting. The bar area looked like a great place to grab a drink and taste some savory appetizers or a burger.

The menu offered a wide variety of options that included burgers and pub food although with intriguing appetizers. After going through the menu I decided to order the Seafood Fra Diablo. The dish was described as a mix of calamari, scallops, chopped clams, mussels, and shrimp tossed with linguini in a spicy tomato sauce, garnished with asiago, parmesan, garlic oil and green onion. I choose to opt out of the mussels in my dish and the server informed me they were out of scallops, so the dish ended up being shrimp, calamari and clams. A healthy portion of the dish was presented and garnished with a shredded cheese and green onions on the top. The dish lacked a little flavor that I was expecting in the flavor of the sauce. Overall, the dish lacked depth or strong spicy flavors that one would expect from Seafood Fra Diablo

Service a the Bootlegger Prohibition Pub was average. The server was pleasant and service for dinner was fairly quick, yet it was sometimes difficult to get drinks and wine pours. For a prohibition pub, it looked like wine was still suffering from the impact of prohibition.

Overall the newly renovated Bootleggers Prohibition Pub seems to be a great place to grab a drink at the bar with some appetizers or a burger and watch the Lone Ranger on a big screen. No doubt, you’ll easily find the “secret door” and know the “secret password.”