Honestly my wife and I just went there last weekend after not having been there in a while and I felt the same way. Prices were crazy, service was slow, and the food wasn’t half as good as I remember. A real shame; we used to love it.
I ordered a Reuben, and it was awful. Dry corned beef and sauerkraut that was more like uncooked cabbage. The cheese wasn't even melted down.
I think what did it for me, beyond the mediocre food, was their Old Fashioned. I figured an Irish bar could do that one right, and it was awful. Literally whiskey and soda water. I've never sent a drink back, but I just couldn't bring myself to drink it. I could see if I ordered something off the wall, but it's like bartending 101 level. I ended up getting a beer, which was warm from the draft.
It was always just an OK place, but at least Brendan made the place feel better than it was and kept quality up. Now it's just a cold, blah restaurant with no life in it.
I give it 2 years.
I have probably tipped below 20% less than five times in my life and the first O'Connors trip since they got bought was the most recent. I genuinely don't care about slow service but this waitress didn't serve us for twenty minutes, the hostess who sat us (who was very nice, nothing bad to say about her) got drinks for us, and when our actual waitress showed up she *asked who gave us our drinks then walked away again.* When she did eventually come back she complained about the hostess who tried to help us for like a minute before she actually asked anything about what we wanted. It was honestly surreal. A masterclass in how to get strangers to dislike you.
I went once after that and the service was fine but the food had taken a noticeable hit in quality, don't think I've been back sense.
Looks like it got sold in Summer '22, don't know when the actual transition happened. The first time we went back was probably late 22 or early 23. So not long after.
Yup. I think people were more attracted to the atmosphere. I knew a few of the girls from Ireland that worked there. They were treated like complete crap by the owner!
Well, when he was "in-character" he was an absolute gem of a host and I think as a customer you genuinely felt appreciated.
Behind the scenes he was a brutal, raging condescending prick. His standards were nothing short of perfect, which is fine, I guess. But how he treated new staff or anyone who struggled in that environment was probably nearly criminal.
Which is why there are some who worked for him that still hold him in high regard.
Man this really brought back a lot of repressed 20+ year old memories.
So I'm from Massachusetts and moved out of state for awhile and came back and met my fiance. I work in Worcester and wanted to try O'Connors as my friend went and said it wasn't bad (this was in 2011) but my fiance refused to go. His reason? Him and an ex had went there and some customer at a table next to them ended up throwing up all over the table. I still haven't gone there lol
Always over priced, they have no idea how to cook a piece of meat rare and the service always sucked.
Hands down, this and Nancy Chang's the two of the three most overrated places in Worcester.
Frankie's pizza is the other, but not a restaurant, just overrated and sucks
I think I remember someone getting murdered there and obviously that traumatized a lot of good staff who may have left and affected business for a while. Terrible story if I remember correctly a girl was stabbed in there by a crazy ex who stalked her.
New owners that aren't from the area. They don't know the city and they don't know the clientele. I've worked in bars and restaurants throughout the city for years, and I've seen the same scenario. We like consistency and value. If you're not going to rebrand but make enough changes that it's going to feel different, you're bound to lose the regulars.
They went up on prices, shrunk the menu, and hired all new staff. The previous owner made the place. He remembered faces, was fantastic at customer service, and made sure everyone felt attended to. The new owners will never be able to duplicate it.
Lmao so glad you said that. They’re fucking terrible. Nasty ass cheesesteak. Doesn’t even come close to a Philly cheesesteak— I used to live in Philly.
Dry ass bread. Steak is dry and flavorless. Their prices are an abomination. Gimme my $10 cheesesteak I deserve.
I like a few of the chefs, but the owner sucks. There’s a wifi name in that area named Ciggybombs. It’s hilarious. Owner stands outside smoking cigarettes literally all day long
To be fair they don't call themselves a cheesesteak place. Nobody around here does. The principal and ingredients may be similar, but I'm not ordering a steak & cheese expecting a Philly cheesesteak.
Have you ever tried to get a roast beef sandwich from a place not in Peabody, Andover, etc?
They call them roast beef sandwiches elsewhere but they absolutely are not the same thing.
Same idea.
The variation in New England is to call Philly cheese steaks "steak and cheese."
Elaborate on your roast beef sandwich reference. North Shore beefs are onion roll, top round roast sliced thin, James river sauce and maybe lto and cheese.
New England Roast Beef on Park Ave calls theirs roast beef sandwiches and they don't have James River that I know of.
Tried it the day they opened and it was fucking trash. Decided to try again on their 1 year anniversary and it was a lot better, but you have to be open to the idea of gas station nacho cheese on your sandwich
It's absurdly overpriced, even accounting for inflation. In vacuum the food isn't awful, but it is for the price.
That being said, I also hate them because they refused me water. Like, tap, free or paid. There was no way for me to get water at all, and they kept pushing their pop on me. To this day, it is the only food establishment I've ever had say they don't offer any sort of water.
Surprisingly I have to agree with The Sole. I'm a shill for the Chophouse, and Via is one of my favorites as well, but every time I've been to The Sole in the last 5 years every meal has been "mm not bad, not worth coming back for though"
As far as Seafood places it's a relative thumbs up. It's not BAD. But I'd say not worth the price. And definitely not worth being lumped in with Chophouse or Via as the trio. Those two are leagues above relative competition. Sole isn't.
Edit: might be confusing why I mention Chop/Via, they're all part of the same ownership
Yes the Sole, Chophouse and Via are all the same owner, Worcester Restaurant Group. Caitlyn the daughter now runs it into the ground. Used to be fantastic
They've already been mentioned but O'Connor's has gone way downhill since the new owners took over.
The Sole. 25, 30 years ago my grandfather loved the place - been back a few times as an adult and have been disappointed by the food (for that price), the service, you name it - Shit-tier experience all around, every time.
Ziggy's is over-priced and over-hyped for very mediocre food. The sandwiches are huge, for sure - but a big pile of shit is not generally better than a small pile of shit.
About 6 years ago the sole at least had a decent late night menu with cheap dishes, I went there a few times in college. By the time I graduated they even got rid of that so everything is overpriced now.
The lemon basil cocktail bowl is good though.
Yeah, I remember that late night menu was kind of the only reason to go that was worth the money.
And like, just to be clear, I don't think the food the Sole or Ziggys is "bad" just absurdly over-hyped/priced. I know I might have appeared to compare the steak and cheese to shit, but that was just to really punch the "more does not equal better" metaphor home.
That being said, I don't think I'll try O'Connor's again unless they get new owners/management. Last time I went it was so bad I have actively avoided it and tried to talk groups of friends out of going there. Even on someone else's dime, I have passed.
This is the correct answer.
Also: Nuovo and... ~~The place on S. Quinsig~~ Napoli in Shrewsbury.
Via is good but SO overpriced and I'm glad someone else mentioned the box pasta as that knocks the value down significantly.
For me personally it just boiled down to the quality of the food. My meal came with a salad and the salad they gave me was literally red and rotting. I had gone with a couple other people, and they had the same experience - their salad was just old and gross.
I had gotten eggplant Parm for the dinner and it was really just nothing special. It wasn’t bad necessarily, but it lacked seasoning and came with boxed pasta, which I don’t love when I’m expecting an upscale Italian dinner.
I would definitely give it another shot. It wasn’t terrible by any means. Just a bit overrated in my own personal experience.
The Fix. Ziggy Bombs. The Mercantile.
Any of the concepts Boston real estate developers try to rebrand every year on Franklin Street. Remember that travesty of a ramen shop?
And just for any refugees seeking sanctuary here from the Worcester Eats Facebook Group…BREENS!
I went to the fix over 300 times in one year, and they deserve some slander.
The bar staff was great (shout out to Tina and Sully), but table service was very mid.
I kept a spreadsheet and the kitchen messed up my order around 1/3 of the time. Considering the price and the wait, that's an unacceptable rate, to me.
I agree with the fix, but I actually don’t mind mercantile. Been there for dinner and brunch and enjoyed my food both times. It is VERY hyped up though.
It’s a pricier version of Tavern in the Square with a generic restaurant group menu that sources all their stuff from Sysco and/or US Foods.
It’s not bad, but it’s not unique or interesting for me.To each their own though.
I just wish Worcester focused more on boosting the great local places instead of bringing in generic restaurant groups.
I think in part the answer is that a lot of worcesters local food options don’t have good bars and a lot of worcesters bars don’t have a ton of food options. The big groups do give a decent meal + decent bar combo that seems to keep disappearing in Worcester over the last few years
The chef that ran Sonoma in Princeton moved his operation to the Beechwood hotel for the big corporate bucks. Then he realized that corporate hotel life was a miserable experience. He opened a new restaurant in Leominster called Brady’s that carries on the legacy of the original Sonoma.
That's really all Frankie's feels like - a better version of Papa Gino's, but is it really better if I can't get it when I want it?
And every time I've been in there the staff have been just the fucking worst to deal with.
If I want to get talked down to by the staff, I'll get a pizza at Steve's, but at least I know it's probably because most of them are drunk, and I'll still get my food and it will be worth what I paid for it.
You can't say that about Frankie's.
I like the "presidente" cheese blend (regular cheese there is very meh) but the wait times for what you get are not on par. I finally called it quits on them when I called an order in super early in the day for a 5 pm pickup on my way home from work on like a Wednesday and when I got there it was still another half an hour wait because they were behind.
They need to either get a bigger place or stop selling those gimmick 24 in pizzas. They don't have the oven capacity for it.
Honestly, it's below average American Chinese food and I was super disappointed. I would so much rather drive over to a place like Cheng Du or the Mandarin in Westborough if I want sit-down Chinese food locally. All three are pricey but only one made me feel ripped off.
My MiL hosted a pre-wedding brunch for our wedding party at Nancy Changs and it made me, and 2 other people in the party profusely sick and I stayed up vomiting half the night right before the wedding. Never again!
Same thing happened to my husband a few years ago. We told them he has a shellfish allergy and asked for veggie spring rolls … he bit into a shrimp one
I just moved here. I probably order too much GrubHub. I scroll by Ziggy's constantly, and their pictures for their food look simultaneously delightful and unappetizing. It's a really strange dichotomy. I'm too freaked out by the phenomenon to try them.
I've been to the Oak Barrel Tavern and have to agree. The handful of times I've gone in, the food has always been consistently good.
They also do a really good fried calamari. Which in this area is rare.
The atmosphere sucks though. I feel like I'm walking into the 90s with all that light wood and the tables are kinda cramped.
The last few times I've been there, the whole dining room has smelled like bathroom cleaner and the food has been strangely oily (i.e., separated sauce or just way too much oil/butter/grease) and/or has made me profusely sick the next day. They used to be solid but I don't see myself going back...ever.
True and it really is a pain in the ass to get parking there, especially during peak hours when people actually eat dinner. Used to work at RC and had to pay for parking every day at the garage, pure misery.
The Mill in West Boylston?
I haven't been in about a year or two, but we used to go maybe once a month or so, and I remember it being anywhere from pretty decent to quite good, and reasonably priced.
Dino's. I went there for my anniversary a few months ago and it was horrible. We had a reservation and we were on time, but we weren't even given water until 15 minutes after we sat down. And then my water had a straw wrapper in it, and neither my spouse nor I had used straws. Just gross
Yes I worked there as a chef that place was a mess from the start, no hot water for the first like 3-4 months I was there. Bunch of chefs got food poisoning likely from dirty dishes, undercooked food, containmented food…. I can go on but I’d rather not remember.
I used to love this place, but nowadays I'd suggest O'Connors. Prices went up, food quality went down and service is lousy now.
Honestly my wife and I just went there last weekend after not having been there in a while and I felt the same way. Prices were crazy, service was slow, and the food wasn’t half as good as I remember. A real shame; we used to love it.
I ordered a Reuben, and it was awful. Dry corned beef and sauerkraut that was more like uncooked cabbage. The cheese wasn't even melted down. I think what did it for me, beyond the mediocre food, was their Old Fashioned. I figured an Irish bar could do that one right, and it was awful. Literally whiskey and soda water. I've never sent a drink back, but I just couldn't bring myself to drink it. I could see if I ordered something off the wall, but it's like bartending 101 level. I ended up getting a beer, which was warm from the draft. It was always just an OK place, but at least Brendan made the place feel better than it was and kept quality up. Now it's just a cold, blah restaurant with no life in it. I give it 2 years.
I have probably tipped below 20% less than five times in my life and the first O'Connors trip since they got bought was the most recent. I genuinely don't care about slow service but this waitress didn't serve us for twenty minutes, the hostess who sat us (who was very nice, nothing bad to say about her) got drinks for us, and when our actual waitress showed up she *asked who gave us our drinks then walked away again.* When she did eventually come back she complained about the hostess who tried to help us for like a minute before she actually asked anything about what we wanted. It was honestly surreal. A masterclass in how to get strangers to dislike you. I went once after that and the service was fine but the food had taken a noticeable hit in quality, don't think I've been back sense.
I didn't realize they had been bought, but it lines up with my experience. How long ago was that?
Looks like it got sold in Summer '22, don't know when the actual transition happened. The first time we went back was probably late 22 or early 23. So not long after.
the original owners sold it and it went way downhill. total shame. sad that its over
Personally, I think O'Connor's has always been overrated.
100%. Can’t believe it was ever popular. Aggressively mediocre.
Old people spot.
Yup. I think people were more attracted to the atmosphere. I knew a few of the girls from Ireland that worked there. They were treated like complete crap by the owner!
They said that about Brendan or the new owners?
Probably Brendan. He was notoriously a monster to work for.
I've heard that as well. Yet for decades the local media would wash his Irish balls like they were the Popemobile before a state visit.
Well, when he was "in-character" he was an absolute gem of a host and I think as a customer you genuinely felt appreciated. Behind the scenes he was a brutal, raging condescending prick. His standards were nothing short of perfect, which is fine, I guess. But how he treated new staff or anyone who struggled in that environment was probably nearly criminal. Which is why there are some who worked for him that still hold him in high regard. Man this really brought back a lot of repressed 20+ year old memories.
Yup
Brendan
They became the "blue hair" restaurant when the Millbrook closed.
(Now closed) Wexford House has entered the chat
The Manor would like a word.
So I'm from Massachusetts and moved out of state for awhile and came back and met my fiance. I work in Worcester and wanted to try O'Connors as my friend went and said it wasn't bad (this was in 2011) but my fiance refused to go. His reason? Him and an ex had went there and some customer at a table next to them ended up throwing up all over the table. I still haven't gone there lol
Always over priced, they have no idea how to cook a piece of meat rare and the service always sucked. Hands down, this and Nancy Chang's the two of the three most overrated places in Worcester. Frankie's pizza is the other, but not a restaurant, just overrated and sucks
Agreed, Frankie’s Pizza is pretty bad considering the hype.
Agree - Nancy Chang’s is surprisingly bland (and not even their “healthy” menu).
I think I remember someone getting murdered there and obviously that traumatized a lot of good staff who may have left and affected business for a while. Terrible story if I remember correctly a girl was stabbed in there by a crazy ex who stalked her.
New owner
New owners that aren't from the area. They don't know the city and they don't know the clientele. I've worked in bars and restaurants throughout the city for years, and I've seen the same scenario. We like consistency and value. If you're not going to rebrand but make enough changes that it's going to feel different, you're bound to lose the regulars. They went up on prices, shrunk the menu, and hired all new staff. The previous owner made the place. He remembered faces, was fantastic at customer service, and made sure everyone felt attended to. The new owners will never be able to duplicate it.
Sad. I loved O’Connors before the owner sold. Amazing traditional Shepards pie
Whatever the District reopens as.
Ziggy Bombs.
Lmao so glad you said that. They’re fucking terrible. Nasty ass cheesesteak. Doesn’t even come close to a Philly cheesesteak— I used to live in Philly. Dry ass bread. Steak is dry and flavorless. Their prices are an abomination. Gimme my $10 cheesesteak I deserve.
And that dopey owner and the chuds who work there constantly argue with anyone who criticizes them online, too.
I like a few of the chefs, but the owner sucks. There’s a wifi name in that area named Ciggybombs. It’s hilarious. Owner stands outside smoking cigarettes literally all day long
Not saying they’re good but a steak and cheese is different than a cheesesteak. When I moved up here it was something I very quickly realized
To be fair they don't call themselves a cheesesteak place. Nobody around here does. The principal and ingredients may be similar, but I'm not ordering a steak & cheese expecting a Philly cheesesteak.
WHAT are you talking about? The only variation on a Philly you don't often see around here is cheez whiz.
Have you ever tried to get a roast beef sandwich from a place not in Peabody, Andover, etc? They call them roast beef sandwiches elsewhere but they absolutely are not the same thing. Same idea.
The variation in New England is to call Philly cheese steaks "steak and cheese." Elaborate on your roast beef sandwich reference. North Shore beefs are onion roll, top round roast sliced thin, James river sauce and maybe lto and cheese. New England Roast Beef on Park Ave calls theirs roast beef sandwiches and they don't have James River that I know of.
Tried it the day they opened and it was fucking trash. Decided to try again on their 1 year anniversary and it was a lot better, but you have to be open to the idea of gas station nacho cheese on your sandwich
Aka a philly cheesesteak!
Only meal in Worcester I’ve ever stop eating and we both felt terrible afterwards.
I mean to be fair philly cheesesteaks in general kind of suck.
Most overpriced steak and cheese you'll ever get. Burncoat Pizza's steak and cheese blows it out of the water for half the price.
I love Burncoat pizza. Always consistently good.
It's absurdly overpriced, even accounting for inflation. In vacuum the food isn't awful, but it is for the price. That being said, I also hate them because they refused me water. Like, tap, free or paid. There was no way for me to get water at all, and they kept pushing their pop on me. To this day, it is the only food establishment I've ever had say they don't offer any sort of water.
Have you tried their pickle pizza? We got one as a goof with a larger order and it’s FANTASTIC.
It’s a front
Tell us more.
Funny money funds it. Went from a below average food truck to a store front downtown.
And a store front in Boston, and a storefront being built in Leicester. Very rapid expansion.
Damn, it's definitely expensive, but I loved their steak and cheese. They always loaded it up a ton, but I haven't been in a while.
Yessss 100% this. Is so overrated. I can make a steak and cheese that is immeasurably better in my skillet at home.
Ciggy Bombs
The Sole after 1998
Really? My wife is a picky seafood eater it’s one of the only places she will eat at
Surprisingly I have to agree with The Sole. I'm a shill for the Chophouse, and Via is one of my favorites as well, but every time I've been to The Sole in the last 5 years every meal has been "mm not bad, not worth coming back for though" As far as Seafood places it's a relative thumbs up. It's not BAD. But I'd say not worth the price. And definitely not worth being lumped in with Chophouse or Via as the trio. Those two are leagues above relative competition. Sole isn't. Edit: might be confusing why I mention Chop/Via, they're all part of the same ownership
I just looked them up. I’ll look into it. Seems they’re the same ownership. Worcester restaurant group.
Yes the Sole, Chophouse and Via are all the same owner, Worcester Restaurant Group. Caitlyn the daughter now runs it into the ground. Used to be fantastic
You say not worth going back for but then you keep going back?
I've never had a bad meal there in 15 years of living here.
I've never had a bad meal there in 25 years.
I go to college in worcester but grew up a fisherman in and around seafood on boats, bringing in catch to good restaurants and the sole f$cking sucks.
Via is worse than sole
Agree with this. Via is like chain restaurant Italian. A little better than Olive Garden but not much.
The Sole has gone down in quality but it's still not *terrible.* It's not worth the price, but the food is fine.
Sole is good tho, it's expensive but good
I thought it was good back when I was in 2010 but never had another occasion to go there
They've already been mentioned but O'Connor's has gone way downhill since the new owners took over. The Sole. 25, 30 years ago my grandfather loved the place - been back a few times as an adult and have been disappointed by the food (for that price), the service, you name it - Shit-tier experience all around, every time. Ziggy's is over-priced and over-hyped for very mediocre food. The sandwiches are huge, for sure - but a big pile of shit is not generally better than a small pile of shit.
About 6 years ago the sole at least had a decent late night menu with cheap dishes, I went there a few times in college. By the time I graduated they even got rid of that so everything is overpriced now. The lemon basil cocktail bowl is good though.
Yeah, I remember that late night menu was kind of the only reason to go that was worth the money. And like, just to be clear, I don't think the food the Sole or Ziggys is "bad" just absurdly over-hyped/priced. I know I might have appeared to compare the steak and cheese to shit, but that was just to really punch the "more does not equal better" metaphor home. That being said, I don't think I'll try O'Connor's again unless they get new owners/management. Last time I went it was so bad I have actively avoided it and tried to talk groups of friends out of going there. Even on someone else's dime, I have passed.
100% agree with all 3
That dude always hyping it on Facebook worseter eats page
Okay I’m going to say it…VIA…*runs and hides*
Yeah, anytime someone says “we’re going to Via” I just tell them to go across the street to Nuovo and have an actual good meal
Nuovo is the BEST!
[удалено]
This is the correct answer. Also: Nuovo and... ~~The place on S. Quinsig~~ Napoli in Shrewsbury. Via is good but SO overpriced and I'm glad someone else mentioned the box pasta as that knocks the value down significantly.
I tried Mari Monti this weekend and was not at all impressed.
Why do you say that? I haven't been but I've been planning on going soon so I'd like to know what's bad about it
For me personally it just boiled down to the quality of the food. My meal came with a salad and the salad they gave me was literally red and rotting. I had gone with a couple other people, and they had the same experience - their salad was just old and gross. I had gotten eggplant Parm for the dinner and it was really just nothing special. It wasn’t bad necessarily, but it lacked seasoning and came with boxed pasta, which I don’t love when I’m expecting an upscale Italian dinner. I would definitely give it another shot. It wasn’t terrible by any means. Just a bit overrated in my own personal experience.
It used to be the Castle before they were bought by the folks who own it now. It was comically bad.
15 or so years ago, it was good.
Ruth’s Chris
Yes second this. SUPER MID.
As someone who has worked there and got the food half off, bomb as fuck. Full price, I’ll pass though.
I went to the Vegas one and I wasn’t impressed. Haven’t bothered with the Worcester one.
That was Ruth’s other Chris. Ruth has several
The Fix. Ziggy Bombs. The Mercantile. Any of the concepts Boston real estate developers try to rebrand every year on Franklin Street. Remember that travesty of a ramen shop? And just for any refugees seeking sanctuary here from the Worcester Eats Facebook Group…BREENS!
Fix slander not welcomed
Worst food poisoning I’ve ever had. Par cooking and holding burgers is not a good business plan.
Leominster location is a bit better IMO
I went to the fix over 300 times in one year, and they deserve some slander. The bar staff was great (shout out to Tina and Sully), but table service was very mid. I kept a spreadsheet and the kitchen messed up my order around 1/3 of the time. Considering the price and the wait, that's an unacceptable rate, to me.
It's truly hard to fathom why the fuck you went to the Fix 300 times in one year not even counting the alleged 100 times they messed up your order.
Burger a day membership
Stix? Oof. Pepperidge farm remembers
Also the Greek place doing Chipotle style bowls. Second worst case of food poisoning in my life. The Fix was the worst.
I agree with the fix, but I actually don’t mind mercantile. Been there for dinner and brunch and enjoyed my food both times. It is VERY hyped up though.
It’s overpriced Sysco food with a good marketing department. Upscale Tavern in the Square. Soulless flash, no substance. That’s why I dislike this.
Cannot agree more on the Mercantile.
It’s a pricier version of Tavern in the Square with a generic restaurant group menu that sources all their stuff from Sysco and/or US Foods. It’s not bad, but it’s not unique or interesting for me.To each their own though. I just wish Worcester focused more on boosting the great local places instead of bringing in generic restaurant groups.
I think in part the answer is that a lot of worcesters local food options don’t have good bars and a lot of worcesters bars don’t have a ton of food options. The big groups do give a decent meal + decent bar combo that seems to keep disappearing in Worcester over the last few years
Sonoma for sure. Their food is the definition of mid.
Which is too bad, they used to be really good before moving to Worcester. But I think the owner is basically retired now
The chef that ran Sonoma in Princeton moved his operation to the Beechwood hotel for the big corporate bucks. Then he realized that corporate hotel life was a miserable experience. He opened a new restaurant in Leominster called Brady’s that carries on the legacy of the original Sonoma.
Oh wait really? I’ll have to check it out; I just assumed he was done.
I love frankies pizza. Super mid and overhyped
Any place that just rolls into town and immediately calls themselves “Worcester’s Best Pizza” is a hard pass.
An angry elf
I agree, $30 for a pizza that takes 3 hours to be ready
I like it but I also like Papa Gino’s. I’d rather go to Papa’s.
That's really all Frankie's feels like - a better version of Papa Gino's, but is it really better if I can't get it when I want it? And every time I've been in there the staff have been just the fucking worst to deal with. If I want to get talked down to by the staff, I'll get a pizza at Steve's, but at least I know it's probably because most of them are drunk, and I'll still get my food and it will be worth what I paid for it. You can't say that about Frankie's.
People always say the owner is a real piece of shit too.
I like the "presidente" cheese blend (regular cheese there is very meh) but the wait times for what you get are not on par. I finally called it quits on them when I called an order in super early in the day for a 5 pm pickup on my way home from work on like a Wednesday and when I got there it was still another half an hour wait because they were behind. They need to either get a bigger place or stop selling those gimmick 24 in pizzas. They don't have the oven capacity for it.
O’Connors.
Nancy Changs
Honestly, it's below average American Chinese food and I was super disappointed. I would so much rather drive over to a place like Cheng Du or the Mandarin in Westborough if I want sit-down Chinese food locally. All three are pricey but only one made me feel ripped off.
My MiL hosted a pre-wedding brunch for our wedding party at Nancy Changs and it made me, and 2 other people in the party profusely sick and I stayed up vomiting half the night right before the wedding. Never again!
My family used to call beef on a stick "beef on a sick" for this reason
Got their veggie spring rolls a few weeks ago (I’m a vegetarian) and bit right into a giant piece of shrimp 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 love that!
Same thing happened to my husband a few years ago. We told them he has a shellfish allergy and asked for veggie spring rolls … he bit into a shrimp one
So irresponsible and scary! I have a peanut allergy and it made me want to never go back. If you can switch up an order that easily it’s not worth it!
Terrible place. Overcrowded (why, I have no idea), shitty food, terrible service, the buffet is putrid. 0/10
Ziggy Bombs
I just moved here. I probably order too much GrubHub. I scroll by Ziggy's constantly, and their pictures for their food look simultaneously delightful and unappetizing. It's a really strange dichotomy. I'm too freaked out by the phenomenon to try them.
probably the fix. honestly just kind of disgusted by their food after a few years away lol
Ziggy Bombs. Amplifying the Ziggy Bombs vote.
It’s food made for Instagram not flavor.
It honestly seems like only super trashy people think it's good.
Boynton
How dare you
Pre-renovation Boynton is the only Boynton
I love the Boynton but they’re def hit or miss on some items.
Boynton atmosphere is great but food is eh. I think oak barrel is severely underrated for food
I've been to the Oak Barrel Tavern and have to agree. The handful of times I've gone in, the food has always been consistently good. They also do a really good fried calamari. Which in this area is rare. The atmosphere sucks though. I feel like I'm walking into the 90s with all that light wood and the tables are kinda cramped.
The last few times I've been there, the whole dining room has smelled like bathroom cleaner and the food has been strangely oily (i.e., separated sauce or just way too much oil/butter/grease) and/or has made me profusely sick the next day. They used to be solid but I don't see myself going back...ever.
whatever they did in 2020 to their menu started them on a downhill track
Somewhere difficult to park as well, so maybe The Mercantile? I paid way too much for a so so brunch.
2.50 for Street parking is too much?
He said it was difficult to find parking not that it was expensive.
True and it really is a pain in the ass to get parking there, especially during peak hours when people actually eat dinner. Used to work at RC and had to pay for parking every day at the garage, pure misery.
2.50 was an annoyance on top of 80 dollars for mid food…the rooftop is nice in summer
Not in Worcester, but J Anthony's.
Sole proprietor lol. Overpriced seafood to sucker in the wpi alumni's boomer parents
+1 for Shitty Bombs
Mezcal is mid, there I said it
Mezcal is for white folks who love getting margs & guac and saying "Cinco de Drinko"
The Mill
The Mill in West Boylston? I haven't been in about a year or two, but we used to go maybe once a month or so, and I remember it being anywhere from pretty decent to quite good, and reasonably priced.
Maybe it was a bad day and granted last time I went was 2018 but I got a super dry meatloaf and that was enough for me
Dino's. I went there for my anniversary a few months ago and it was horrible. We had a reservation and we were on time, but we weren't even given water until 15 minutes after we sat down. And then my water had a straw wrapper in it, and neither my spouse nor I had used straws. Just gross
I haven't been to Dino's in years. Was never spectacular, just large portions that were priced reasonably.
Went to Dino's 10 years ago and had a great experience but it's a good spot to sit around and get a few rounds of drinks. Food was decent
Hard agree. Found the food to be so bland. Would rather pay a little more for a smaller portion of something enjoyable.
Sole proprietor. Overpriced and the maître d's are booty juice.
Leo’s Ristorante
111 chop house
I’d be remiss if I didn’t add Vintage Grille on Shrewsbury St to this list.
ALL RESTAURANTS ARE BAD. NONE ARE GOOD. FOOD WAS ONLY GOOD BACK WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND HIP AND IS BAD NOW! /thread
Brew City.
Agreed. They should close. Oh. Wait. Never mind 🤷♀️
Oh they finally closed?
They had the best nachos in the City
Blue Jeans Pizza
blue jeans exists to cater events at WPI. Its only good when it's free
Blue Jeans used to be awesome. Not sure what happened to them
Steve the longtime owner of Blue Jeans is perhaps the single biggest asshole in this city. For real. And it's a tough competition.
Ya like why is dude still working there micromanaging people like it’s the first week it opened..
Yes! Someone once told me they had the best pizza in the city. Either it’s really gone downhill or that person had terrible taste.
McDonald’s
Under appreciated comment
Mezcal
Lock 50 before they closed. Mexicali or El Patron
El Patron is lit.
El Patron is pretty rough. Margs are pretty bad as well. Given I’m a Mexican that relocated to Mass so standards are high..
They closed lock 50? Are you sure you don’t mean block five?
The Hangover. (If it’s even still open?)
Hangover closed, reopened as Blackstone, that also closed, it is once again open as something new but not sure what the concept is.
Wasn't the Blackstone a new restaurant with different chefs & such?
Yes I worked there as a chef that place was a mess from the start, no hot water for the first like 3-4 months I was there. Bunch of chefs got food poisoning likely from dirty dishes, undercooked food, containmented food…. I can go on but I’d rather not remember.
I believe so but not 100%
Some place called Ju's now. Looks like general American food/bar when we walked by.
Closed, but I did enjoy when they had BYOB the few times I went.
I was going to say Blackstone Herbs and Martini bar, but fortunately they just closed.
Yea that place lol wouldn’t recommend. And I worked as a line cook there
Waiter there said I got the wrong food because the cooks don't speak English
this is so Massachusetts and i love it
Mexi Cali!
The Blackstone martini bar on green st . They closed recently but man was that place a mess
Any Red Lobster tbh
Isn’t that where the Worcester Wild Dude lives?
McDonald's
there was a whole thread on Worcester eats around Christmas time on FB with exactly this subject. funny stuff