Lovely experience for dinner in the garden (lower) level. Nice food and cocktails, and attentive service!
Hannah Lynn Mell
Delicious everything! A little chilly to linger on a cold morning, but blame that on the bustle and the good reputation. In winter, I will consider this a weekday leisure spot! 🌺
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jenniffer Paulino
The South End Buttery is a great spot for breakfast. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, perfect for starting the day. The Eggs Benedict were absolutely delicious—perfectly cooked and full of flavor. A solid choice if you’re in the South End and looking for a satisfying breakfast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Liane
PERFECTION! Everything about our evening at the South End Buttery was amazing. The cozy atmosphere, especially with the fireplace, created a warm and inviting vibe that made us want to stay awhile. The food was excellent—flavorful, well-prepared, and truly satisfying. Service was outstanding, and Manuel, our server, went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. His attentiveness and friendly demeanor really elevated the experience. Overall, great food, great service, and a great vibe. I'd absolutely recommend this spot for a laid-back, comforting meal and would love to return.
Sean
Food and drinks were great. I picked the garden level fireplace room for the fireplace and then it wasn't even on lol. It was a little loud but when 30 people are in a small brick-walled room that's too be expected. The waitress was not pushy but maybe was a little too interested in asking if we needed anything else so we felt a little rushed. Still, we'd probably come back
Mary Young
We had to pay for a reservation and they still made us wait 20 minutes
--
I genuinely enjoyed the food at South End Buttery. The flavors are well done, and the service was friendly and professional throughout our visit. You can tell there’s care put into both the menu and the staff experience.
That said, a few issues took away from the overall experience. The biggest one is the layout. The space feels overfilled with tables, to the point where it becomes uncomfortable. Seating is extremely tight, and it often felt like we were dining with the people at the next table rather than alongside them. A little more breathing room would go a long way toward improving the atmosphere.
Pricing is another mixed area. The menu prices themselves feel reasonable for the quality, but the added 4% administrative fee was disappointing. Framing this charge as support for kitchen staff places the responsibility of employee compensation onto the customer, which doesn’t sit well. As a patron, I expect to pay for what I order, not to subsidize internal wage structures through mandatory fees. Fair pay for employees should be built into the business model, not added as an extra line item.
Overall, the food and service are strong, but the cramped space and the administrative surcharge make the experience less enjoyable than it could be. With some adjustments, this could be a much more comfortable and transparent place to dine.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
AnotherDisappointedCustomer
I'm sitting here now. Come when you can. The outdoor seating is perfect today. This Is my first time... Now one of my favorite places. I laugh at people taking pictures of food. I just took a picture of my caprese biscuit sandwich. I'm going to post it. The menu is breakfast and lunch.i almost couldn't decide, so much to choose from that is not the ordinary. I recommend this place all day. It's the kind of place you look for, hoping to find, walking around Boston God Bless
First learned about this place while waiting in line at Brick Street Bagels last year. Since they open early, I had some time to poke around the menu, and the chili immediately caught my eye.
Chili felt almost too basic to order out. I’d never actually bought chili from a restaurant before, but it also isn’t something I usually make space for alongside a breakfast burrito or a well-made sandwich. It’s probably more of a natural companion to a simple sourdough loaf, so even a straightforward meatloaf sandwich felt like a huge upgrade.
They offer both vegetarian and turkey chili, and both were well done. The vegetarian version didn’t feel lacking in umami at all. On its own, the turkey chili was slightly better, but paired with sandwiches, the vegetarian chili actually worked better. It managed to retain umami without the weight, which made it the perfect dipping sauce for their pressed meatloaf sandwich.
Beautiful setting and welcoming people. I’ll definitely come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Vasilios
Overall, great experience. Our waiter was very polite, quick, and respectful. He offered us complementary champagne for our wedding anniversary. It was a Sunday night in the winter, so business was slower than usual, which made for a quiet, peaceful, and relaxing experience. We will definitely be back!
Timothy A. Bouley
This comment is specific to the tea service. Tea, as I think is commonly understood, requires seeping prior to adding milk. Adding milk lowers the temperature and prevents proper seeping, resulting in milky hot water rather than tea. Would be great to see this done properly in the future for tea that costs more than six dollars a cup.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sara Daniels
Food here is excellent and the service also. Super cozy, probably better in the summer. The back room is nice but crafty on really cold days.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
kathryn
Had the Brussels sprout salad with chicken and it was amazing! The ambience was wonderful and cozy. I will definitely come back!
Lovely experience for dinner in the garden (lower) level. Nice food and cocktails, and attentive service!
Delicious everything! A little chilly to linger on a cold morning, but blame that on the bustle and the good reputation. In winter, I will consider this a weekday leisure spot! 🌺
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The South End Buttery is a great spot for breakfast. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, perfect for starting the day. The Eggs Benedict were absolutely delicious—perfectly cooked and full of flavor. A solid choice if you’re in the South End and looking for a satisfying breakfast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
PERFECTION! Everything about our evening at the South End Buttery was amazing. The cozy atmosphere, especially with the fireplace, created a warm and inviting vibe that made us want to stay awhile. The food was excellent—flavorful, well-prepared, and truly satisfying. Service was outstanding, and Manuel, our server, went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. His attentiveness and friendly demeanor really elevated the experience. Overall, great food, great service, and a great vibe. I'd absolutely recommend this spot for a laid-back, comforting meal and would love to return.
Food and drinks were great. I picked the garden level fireplace room for the fireplace and then it wasn't even on lol. It was a little loud but when 30 people are in a small brick-walled room that's too be expected. The waitress was not pushy but maybe was a little too interested in asking if we needed anything else so we felt a little rushed. Still, we'd probably come back
We had to pay for a reservation and they still made us wait 20 minutes
I genuinely enjoyed the food at South End Buttery. The flavors are well done, and the service was friendly and professional throughout our visit. You can tell there’s care put into both the menu and the staff experience.
That said, a few issues took away from the overall experience. The biggest one is the layout. The space feels overfilled with tables, to the point where it becomes uncomfortable. Seating is extremely tight, and it often felt like we were dining with the people at the next table rather than alongside them. A little more breathing room would go a long way toward improving the atmosphere.
Pricing is another mixed area. The menu prices themselves feel reasonable for the quality, but the added 4% administrative fee was disappointing. Framing this charge as support for kitchen staff places the responsibility of employee compensation onto the customer, which doesn’t sit well. As a patron, I expect to pay for what I order, not to subsidize internal wage structures through mandatory fees. Fair pay for employees should be built into the business model, not added as an extra line item.
Overall, the food and service are strong, but the cramped space and the administrative surcharge make the experience less enjoyable than it could be. With some adjustments, this could be a much more comfortable and transparent place to dine.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
I'm sitting here now.
Come when you can.
The outdoor seating is perfect today.
This Is my first time...
Now one of my favorite places.
I laugh at people taking pictures of food.
I just took a picture of my caprese biscuit sandwich.
I'm going to post it.
The menu is breakfast and lunch.i almost couldn't decide, so much to choose from that is not the ordinary.
I recommend this place all day.
It's the kind of place you look for, hoping to find, walking around Boston
God Bless
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A classic South End café that I like dropping by for chili.
First learned about this place while waiting in line at Brick Street Bagels last year. Since they open early, I had some time to poke around the menu, and the chili immediately caught my eye.
Chili felt almost too basic to order out. I’d never actually bought chili from a restaurant before, but it also isn’t something I usually make space for alongside a breakfast burrito or a well-made sandwich. It’s probably more of a natural companion to a simple sourdough loaf, so even a straightforward meatloaf sandwich felt like a huge upgrade.
They offer both vegetarian and turkey chili, and both were well done. The vegetarian version didn’t feel lacking in umami at all. On its own, the turkey chili was slightly better, but paired with sandwiches, the vegetarian chili actually worked better. It managed to retain umami without the weight, which made it the perfect dipping sauce for their pressed meatloaf sandwich.
The café is tucked into a residential neighborhood, so parking can be a bit tricky, even for quick pickups. Would still come back for that chili and sandwich combo though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Stumbled upon this place while running some errands in the neighborhood. Pleasantly surprised. Baked goods were excellent!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Beautiful setting and welcoming people. I’ll definitely come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Overall, great experience. Our waiter was very polite, quick, and respectful. He offered us complementary champagne for our wedding anniversary. It was a Sunday night in the winter, so business was slower than usual, which made for a quiet, peaceful, and relaxing experience. We will definitely be back!
This comment is specific to the tea service. Tea, as I think is commonly understood, requires seeping prior to adding milk. Adding milk lowers the temperature and prevents proper seeping, resulting in milky hot water rather than tea. Would be great to see this done properly in the future for tea that costs more than six dollars a cup.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Food here is excellent and the service also. Super cozy, probably better in the summer. The back room is nice but crafty on really cold days.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had the Brussels sprout salad with chicken and it was amazing! The ambience was wonderful and cozy. I will definitely come back!
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