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Tugboat from The Boynton

Tugboat from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

Tugboat from The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA
The Boynton is probably one of the most well known places in Worcester for friends and families to gather for food and spirits. For me, The Boynton has been a staple of so many fun nights out in Worcester. The restaurant is huge and can accommodate a number of people, however, it is always packed and the popular restaurant does not take reservations.

The décor is what you would expect in a pub, and the atmosphere is boisterous and energetic, full of people laughing and having a good time. Located on Highland St. in Worcester, the prime location has become a stomping grounds for the college student and Worcester professional population for the last 8 decades.

The Tugboat sandwich was delicious! I chose this roast beef sandwich for dinner because I had heard really great things about it. Also, I am a fan of anything with bread and cheese- especially mozzarella. And the au jus dipping sauce was just incredible! The beef was tender, but maybe a little too overcooked for what I would normally expect from roast beef. The caramelized onions and the peppercorn spread provided a nice sweet and tangy cut that was very nice with the beef and mozzarella. While the au jus was perfectly warm and salty, flavoring the meat and soaking in the bread for each bite! I would say the bread was a little big, and though I normally would love a grilled Italian loaf, I may have preferred thinner bread to get a crispier, Panini crunch.

The service was good-neither totally impressive, but not horrible either. Our waitress was friendly and attentive, and given the large size of our party (15 people), she handled herself quite well. I give the wait staff a lot of credit, because they must be constantly busy. There is also a very large menu that must be quite a challenge to become familiar with.

The Boynton for me has always been an enjoyable experience. The food is good and the drinks are good. Every time I have dinner there, it is always a nice time. If I was to make one recommendation, it would be that they may want to minimize their menu a bit. It was quite large, with a number of selections for everything from Italian, to seafood, to sandwiches, and pizza. I think that if they were able to pick a couple signature dishes and maybe do a rotation of specials it would be better for them, and would allow them to perfect everything on the menu. The menu is also very overwhelming as a consumer, I think it was about 6 pages, which was a lot! Normally I usually just go and pick something off the appetizers or because it was a recommendation from someone else because it is just so much to look at. I would also say that they should start taking renovations, but clearly they are doing something right! For a restaurant to succeed for the amount of time that it has without any wavering of the customer numbers, they certainly know how to keep the people coming in every night of the week.

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Fresh Haddock at The Boynton

Fresh Haddock at The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

Fresh Haddock at The Boynton on Highland Street in Worcester, MA

There’s a reason The Boynton is hopping on a Tuesday night: locals have come to expect consistently great service paired with delicious comfort food at a price that won’t break the bank. The tavern-like space is expansive and I was impressed to see nary an empty table on what is typically the slowest night of the week for restaurants.

The menu is equally as expansive as the space of the restaurant with staple American dishes that range from steaks to pastas to burgers. Eyeing our neighboring table’s order of fried brussels sprouts, I knew that would be my first foodie venture at The Boynton and I wasn’t disappointed. The presentation was adorable: a small wire fry basket filled with crispy brussels sprouts accompanied by a spicy aioli. The brussels sprouts themselves had a delicious burnt char, which was admittedly addictive. While the aioli was not quite spicy enough for me, it did have good flavor and the creaminess was a welcome compliment. I was further impressed by The Boynton’s french onion soup. I recently had a bowl at a different restaurant and was left disappointed so I was happy to have this dish redeemed. A piping hot, beefy broth chock full of tender onions and topped with a gratinéed mix of bread crumbs and cheese. This soup had a memorable depth of flavor with just the right balance of herbs and spices. Seriously, so good!

My main course consisted of fresh, baked haddock with a side of mixed veggies and mashed potatoes with gravy. This dish was a bit inconsistent for me: while the fish was undoubtedly fresh and cooked to perfection, it lacked flavor and needed a special touch to help elevate it. The mixed veggies, while fresh and not frozen, were over-seasoned and a bit limp. I did, however, love the mashed potatoes and gravy — they were flavorful, creamy, whipped to just the right consistency and the gravy was finger-licking good.

Our servers were pros at managing a large group — food came out fast and hot and drinks never ran empty. Our waitress even perfected the art of navigating multiple checks without flaw….something I have not seen many servers accomplish at a restaurant as busy as The Boynton.

I would definitely return to The Boynton, if not for the french onion soup, then for the fried whole belly clams that caught my eye on the specials menu. If they’re as good as the fried brussels sprouts, then they’re going to be exquisite. As I was exiting the restaurant, I saw waitresses bringing out six crock pots of french onion soup so, clearly, I am not the only one who thinks that appetizer is one of their winning dishes.