Reviews for 80 Thoreau in Concord, MA
Unfortunately our recent experiences at 80 Thoreau have been disappointing. We are long term customers and absolutely loved the... restaurant. However the last 2 times we went the food was awful . Overcooked and actually burnt, while parts were raw. Wewaited a inordinately long time for one meal. We tried the restaurant again recently and they got rid of the bar menu and theburger. Deal breaker-we left without ordering. I hope they get their act together. Read more
I visited there for the first time on 9/28/22. Lovely place with a very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Food portions were... decent. Great place for a special occasion dinner. Read more
A great meal, as always. Service is excellent, and the prices are very fair. 9/2008 update - still excellent, great service,... fair prices. Our local favorite, by far. Read more
Great meal, excellent service, lovely ambiance. Fantastic cocktail menu with great execution, and excellent wine and spirits... lists. Very willing and able to work with dietary restrictions as well--the two celiacs in our party were well taken care of.Looking forward to a return visit! Read more
Excellent Cocktails Amazing Food Lovely Decor. I went to 80 Thoreau for a girls night out and I needed it bad. The food here... is incredible. This was maybe the best seared Foie Gras I have every had. Beautiful Texture, Not greasy, and pairing it withthe polenta cornbread was GENIUS. Our server was REALLY nice and had great drink recommendations, so glad I listened to her. Iwill be back very soon. Read more
Fantastic meal. Was so nice to be able to dine out again, but chef Caroline really knocked it out of the park. Highlight for me... was the strawberry and rhubarb cake with pistachios and rose mascapone, tho it was all great... Monkfish on the bone,tagliatelle with braised lamb, smoked salmon pate, mushroom gnocchi, Spanish mackerel. Read more
Quaint place with the price to match. Crispy soft shell was very tasty though we wished we had more for it. Sea bass was... boneless but was a bit dry and vegetables a little bland. Grilled pork was perfectly cooked and support was nice. Read more
So you miss the burger. I get it. It was good. But to fixate on its absence from the menu would be to miss the essence of this... wonderful place, and the dedication of a team who takes care to offer a small but beautiful menu celebrating seasonal,farm-fresh ingredients by coaxing them into the best versions of themselves. Case in point: I do not like radicchio. I took abite of my husband’s radicchio salad and nearly ate the whole thing. I have never eaten radicchio treated so well. All of theingredients harmonized perfectly. It was savory and almost caramelized, heady and divine, with none of the overt bitterness Iusually dislike. I can no longer say I don’t like radicchio. The lamb shoulder and duck entrees were lovely, with generousportions of the main protein, well-seasoned, moist, tender, perfectly cooked. If I had to quibble, I would wish that there hadbeen more of the supporting ingredients on the plate to make many more balanced bites. Still, the dishes were excellent andwell-conceived. Cocktails, wine, dessert… all spot on. (Oh, that miso-peanut butter cookie! Almost made us forget about thechocolate custard it came with.) I’ve been coming here for many years, pre-, post-, and during Covid (take-out), andthroughout all of the changes and disruptions, they remain an exceptional dining experience. Comfortable, unpretentious, andrelaxing. Don’t come here if you need a burger, or if you are a picky eater, because the menu is small. Always has been. Idon’t know why they no longer have the burger; they are aware of how many people are disappointed. I’m sure they have a goodreason (whether economic, labor-related, or artistic) that those of us not in the restaurant industry wouldn’t predict orunderstand. Maybe they’ll bring it back someday. But in the meantime, 80T is a gem of a restaurant deserving of its loyalfollowing. Read more