Reviews for The James in Needham, MA
Oooof. This place was a doozy. We had reserved a large table for a group of 10. I arrived last, maybe 15 minutes after the rest... of my group. When I arrived at the table, there were 4 bottles of wine- but no wine glasses. They were waiting on glasses to bereturned from other guests. That's inexcusable. You know in advance you're going to have a large group- have glasses available.The appetizers were bland at best. We ordered the duck fat potatoes- which tasted like simple, unseasoned, mostly boiledpotatoes. Not good. The soda bread was a massive disappointment. Our table of 10 did not finish either of the appetizers. Mymeal, the seafood stew, was so salty and spicy, I could not enjoy it. It was hard to tell if it was too hot, too spicy or toosalty. It was not edible. I'm not familiar specifically with the taste of Old Bay seasoning but I was told by another person atmy table that there was WAY too much of it. The decor is pretty kitschy- weird doors separating tables- interesting wallpaper/stone walls. Part tacky, part cozy- kinda fun. Had the food been good, I would have enjoyed the aesthetics more. Witheverything as it was, I found myself asking- what is this place?! To top it off, my cocktail arrived well after my food. Such abummer as it's location felt special. Read more
Stopped in with my son last night for a quick bite before a hockey game. I had one of their barrel aged drinks (the Contessa)... and we split an app of fried Brussels sprouts. Both were amazing, and the hospitality was great. Will definitely go back. Read more
This is a cute venue without any bells and whistles, comfortable and quaint. The service was acceptable, nothing over the... top. The food is generally outstanding. The street corn was out of this world (pictured), covered with a ton of sauce; anabsolute finger-licking delight! We also got the sausage bites which were good but a bit heavy for my taste. The fish and chips(pictured) were delicious. Stellar execution on the crunch while maintaining the flakiness of the fish. My only criticism waswith the fries (or “chips”), because we seemed to receive mostly small bits and pieces of crunchy ends. What blew me awaythe most were the mussels and the coconut Guinness cake. The coconut broth for the mussels was on point, a perfect balance ofsweetness and tang. The coconut cake reminded me a bit of a scrumptious carrot cake in its texture. Just outstanding! Read more
An Irish themed menu that never fails to deliver! The beer battered sausage with chimichuri is excellent as well as their... chicken wings. I had a tasty burger with all the fixings and a peach bourbon cocktail. The service is prompt and courteous andthe atmosphere is vibrant. Dimly lit and seemingly brings you far away from the stark reality of the brutal life you have to goback to once you exit the doors and enter your car. Read more
Visiting from Chicago for a family event — it’s a cold May Friday evening and we were looking for a place to have a quick,... but good bite to eat. We were reserved for a patio table but called to me make a change. The atmosphere was warm and inviting.There was only 3 high top tables in the bar, but that was just perfect for us. We had a couple of classic cocktails (madeperfectly) and ordered the arugula salad (an absolute must!). The fried sausage bites looked great but were a bit too spicy forour taste. We ordered the burger with hand cut fries and the Statler chicken. They were both delicious!! Finally, the chocolatechip bread putting was the best ever. It was their only dessert, and it’s so good you don’t need any other options. This isa great place for a family or a date night out. Read more
What a great place! Simply genuine. A relative had been visiting from out of town so I, being the "local", picked The James due... to proximity and rating. Fabulous choice! We were able to get seated quickly and without a reservation! We were greeted fondly,jovially by the staff and not just our waiter. I suck with names but he was a really cool dude. In the current pace of society,it was nice that we were not rushed to order our food WITH our drinks but instead given an opportunity to talk and reconnect asdistant family should. Bravo The James ???? The bar didn't have a spirit of my choice so our waiter, again sorry my dude, wasquick to the offer a bar signature which certainly did not disappoint! When we were finally ready to order the recommendationsand subsequent plates did not disappoint! Delicious! Visit The James. Have a pint. And a conversation. Read more
WOW. Not only did we have amazing food, we were treated so well by every single one of the staff. My partner is on a crutch from... a leg injury, and they truly went out of their way to make sure he was comfortable. When the bill came my jaw dropped because Iwould’ve easily paid double for this meal where we’re from (DC). The spicy steak tartare was incredible—one of the bestI’ve ever had. We also thoroughly enjoyed the mussels and burger. Such reasonably priced drinks as well! Took us a minute tofind the place, but we persisted. We parked in the MBTA lot which is free on weekends and after 2pm weekdays. So worth it; willabsolutely come back and bring all of our friends! Read more
I visit Needham yearly and decided to try the James. I arrived before the evening rush and left right in the midst of it. I sat... at a high top at the bar. Regardless of the number of people there, I felt very well taken care of (no fewer than four employeeshelped me). Upon an employee's recommendation, I ordered the Short Rib and Ale pie, which came out piping hot and perfectlydone. I'm picky about the temperature of my food and this stayed hot due to being served in ceramic. The atmosphere was laidback and quaint. Great find. I'll be back. Read more