My 2 girlfriends and I came to Esmai's Cafe for a girls' catchup on a Tuesday night at 6PM. Reservations were easy to make online. Meter parking was plentiful nearby. We were seated right away.
I remember this place as Hops n' Scotch and honestly, I think they really improved the space! The ambience was nicer, more posh, and the decor was super cute.
The service was quick, helpful, and very nice. We were checked in with often and made sure we were happy with the food. The menu of drinks and food were really interesting!
We got the: - Spill the Tea mocktail - the rose tea was very subtle but tasty and aromatic, it was really pleasant and came in a pretty glass - Hot Egg Coffee - VERY sweet (which I LOVE) it might be too sweet for some... but personally I LOVED the first sip which was sugar overload heaven XD - Cold Egg Coffee (yes we got both!) - tasted great, almost like a bubble tea without the boba, the Vietnamese coffee is strong and sweet, which I like - Banh Mi + Bone Marrow - a must get! this Vietnamese charcuterie board was very creative and DELISH!!! I loved the pate with the bone marrow on top of the toast - the bone marrow was melt in my mouth deliciousness, and then I made a separate toast with the pate, cold cuts and pickled veggies. this app was a winner for me - Mini Beef Wellington - this was SO GOOD!!! Since there were 3 of us, we each got 1 mini beef wellington and the meat inside was so surprisingly tender!! And then the outside pastry was nice and flaky, and I kept wanting more and more of the sauce - this honestly was my favorite dish of the night - Escargot - this was good and some of the pieces were nice and plump but I did prefer the other two apps above - Grilled Octopus - I thought the octopus was very tasty and moist, the poached Asian pear salad was a nice addition - Lemongrass Chicken Salad - the salad is pretty standard, but actually the lemongrass chicken was very juicy and flavorful - Smoked Fried Rice - this was my friend's favorite dish, she really liked the smokiness of it, and I thought the fried shrimp egg roll was so creative - Loco Moco - this was SO TASTY!!!! every component of this dish was good and balanced everything else, from the Japanese hamburger and its mushroom gravy sauce over the rice, the yolk oozing out of the fried egg on top, then cutting a piece of the spam on the side and then the macaroni salad and carrots and finishing with some fruit - this was my favorite entree and my 2nd fave dish after the Mini Beef Wellington - Creme Brulee - this was so yummy and not too sweet, the right creaminess and so easy to eat, we finished it easily - Matcha Lava Cake - SUPER DECADENT and again, I have a MAJOR sweet tooth, so I LOOOOOOVED this lava cake! It was oozing and the sauce with the cake and a bit of strawberry were PERFECT... and then you discover the matcha and it's a nice surprise! I was in chocolate heaven ^__^
Portions were really perfect for our party of 3 but we got waaayyyyyyy too much and we were STUFFED. We had to box the rest of the fried rice and loco moco. I recommend finishing the bone marrow right away though since when it cools down, it'll gel up.
Even if you're full, I'd say make room for dessert. If you're a dessert fan, both the matcha lava cake and creme brulee were worth it! But if you only had to choose one and you DO have a sweet tooth, I'd recommend getting the lava cake :)
All in all, a VERY successful and delicious night out with my friends. We were never rushed and it wasn't very crowded (albeit it was a Tuesday night), so we were able to chat for a while and really enjoy our food and drinks.
I would definitely come back and bring more friends, try out their creative cocktails next time, or maybe even come for a date night ;)
I highly recom
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Wellington
Claire Barry
Great spot in Brookline with something for everyone!
Taylor
Perfect place for some brunch. I got the pesto, mozzarella, and tomato jam croissant. And it was the perfect little bite for me. Paired with an egg coffee I loved it! We also got the loco moco which is a Hawaiian classic so I was so surprised to see it here. It was also good! Loved the sweet soufflé pancakes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adri Camara
We ordered pasta with cheese, abundant and very delicious. We also ordered burgers with 3 sauces and fries, excellent. Very pleasant attention. We liked it a lot
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nick S
Esmai's is a Hidden Gem located in the former Hops n Scotch location right in Coolidge Corner. They have a focus on Western dishes with an Asian twist.
The restaurant's first floor boasts a large seating area with a large bar. We came during brunch time, and it was crowded but still had a lot of space for seating upstairs. We were seated almost instantly. The service was exceptional, with them explaining the dishes, checking in on our food throughout the meal, and bringing the food out in a timely manner.
The prices of the dishes are on the average size for the portion, but we really enjoyed the food we got here. We got the Jasmine Tea and the Vietnamese Egg Coffee, both of which were really good and had traditional flavors in them. For our brunch, we got the Souffle Pancakes and the Karaage Chicken with Egg on Milk Bread. The Milk bread sandwich was fluffy and the karaage wasn't too oily, and it came in a decent portion size. The Souffle pancake came with a light syrup that wasn't too sweet. The souffle did look a little deflated, but was still pretty good and fluffy. We also got the truffle fries, which came with a decent portion of truffle, as well as a nice dipping sauce for the fries.
Overall a good place to go to for a brunch out. The dinner menu also looks pretty good and enticing, such as the banh mi & bone marrow charcuterie plate.
+ Fantastic drink program. Great alcoholic and non alcoholic options with lots of flavor. + Menu has lots of vegetarian and gluten free options, but also has meaty dishes too. + Flavors are complex and well thought out. Great recipe development. + Prices are reasonable for the quality food + Friendly service! The owner even came out when we mentioned something seemed off on one of our dishes. I really appreciated that + Chill decor and vibe - I will never get used to digital menus :( - Can get packed at peak hours and a little noisy. Make a reservation!
The bone marrow is incredible. Mussels broth is otherworldly. I want to keep coming back to try everything on the menu. <3
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Beef Banh MI
T F
My friend and I were excited to try this place. The decor is nice, and we enjoyed sitting by the large picture window that opens to the outside. The service was attentive. I get that feeling that many of them were new, so things will probably be more natural with time.
However, the food was disappointing. The papaya salad was too sweet, without the savory flavors of garlic, shrimp, or even chilis. Texture was nice though. The lemongrass chicken was roasted, but felt super crispy. The accompaniments of macaroni salad, rice (a bit mushy) and fruit were underwhelming. We tried the macarons too—nice texture on the outside but super thick cream on the inside. Overall, sad to say but we won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
The Bostonian
My experience here was below mediocre. The cocktails were pretty good, however the food was atrocious. Four little lobster rangoons for like $15? The cream cheese filling was dry and tasted too fishy, which is a sign the lobster and crab wasn’t stored properly. The Mac and cheese was scary. I’ve never seen noodles THAT big for Mac and cheese. It’s all stuck together in this dry block. Our bartender had an attitude, she wasn’t friendly by any means. Also, there’s no cultural theme of the food..is it Vietnamese or American??? Atmosphere is ok, very dim and quiet, perfect to take a nap in…will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Angelina Latimore
Esmai's Cafe has a cool vibe and really great food. Today we met the owner David and his beautiful wife. Wow, what a great couple. Friendly and down-to earth people who greeted us with such great hospitality. Esmai, is I believe, the name of their youngest child. We had a great conversation with them even though wife had to get back to her duty's at a private function upstairs. Food was great. Parking is limited, however, there is a huge public parking lot across the street, off Harvard Street. We ordered the bahn mi sandwhich (beef), and the Loco Moco. Both were outstanding. I highly recommend that you stop in and give this place a try. Probably even better for dinner. The menu looks so good to me. The bartender Patrick did an amazing job at lunch as well. Very attentive in a busy place. .
Such a cool atmosphere and the people are incredibly kind and talented! The prices are really good as well! Highly recommend Esmai's!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Betsy Rosenfeld
Awesome place, food yummy Waitress perfect; she made the night delightful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Papaya Salad
Nanfang Hong
It would be a crazy idea to have a coffee here. When you sit down, what you get is a take-away coffee, and it tastes awfully bad. The green line makes noise forever. You should check many cafe nearby elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
amy
My friend and I walked in and sat at the bar. The bartender was amazing and we had a great time! We got to witness a proposal which was so sweet. The cocktails were awesome and we each got a pasta dish. Definitely a great spot to stumble into for an intimate conversation and dinner
My 2 girlfriends and I came to Esmai's Cafe for a girls' catchup on a Tuesday night at 6PM. Reservations were easy to make online. Meter parking was plentiful nearby. We were seated right away.
I remember this place as Hops n' Scotch and honestly, I think they really improved the space! The ambience was nicer, more posh, and the decor was super cute.
The service was quick, helpful, and very nice. We were checked in with often and made sure we were happy with the food. The menu of drinks and food were really interesting!
We got the:
- Spill the Tea mocktail - the rose tea was very subtle but tasty and aromatic, it was really pleasant and came in a pretty glass
- Hot Egg Coffee - VERY sweet (which I LOVE) it might be too sweet for some... but personally I LOVED the first sip which was sugar overload heaven XD
- Cold Egg Coffee (yes we got both!) - tasted great, almost like a bubble tea without the boba, the Vietnamese coffee is strong and sweet, which I like
- Banh Mi + Bone Marrow - a must get! this Vietnamese charcuterie board was very creative and DELISH!!! I loved the pate with the bone marrow on top of the toast - the bone marrow was melt in my mouth deliciousness, and then I made a separate toast with the pate, cold cuts and pickled veggies. this app was a winner for me
- Mini Beef Wellington - this was SO GOOD!!! Since there were 3 of us, we each got 1 mini beef wellington and the meat inside was so surprisingly tender!! And then the outside pastry was nice and flaky, and I kept wanting more and more of the sauce - this honestly was my favorite dish of the night
- Escargot - this was good and some of the pieces were nice and plump but I did prefer the other two apps above
- Grilled Octopus - I thought the octopus was very tasty and moist, the poached Asian pear salad was a nice addition
- Lemongrass Chicken Salad - the salad is pretty standard, but actually the lemongrass chicken was very juicy and flavorful
- Smoked Fried Rice - this was my friend's favorite dish, she really liked the smokiness of it, and I thought the fried shrimp egg roll was so creative
- Loco Moco - this was SO TASTY!!!! every component of this dish was good and balanced everything else, from the Japanese hamburger and its mushroom gravy sauce over the rice, the yolk oozing out of the fried egg on top, then cutting a piece of the spam on the side and then the macaroni salad and carrots and finishing with some fruit - this was my favorite entree and my 2nd fave dish after the Mini Beef Wellington
- Creme Brulee - this was so yummy and not too sweet, the right creaminess and so easy to eat, we finished it easily
- Matcha Lava Cake - SUPER DECADENT and again, I have a MAJOR sweet tooth, so I LOOOOOOVED this lava cake! It was oozing and the sauce with the cake and a bit of strawberry were PERFECT... and then you discover the matcha and it's a nice surprise! I was in chocolate heaven ^__^
Portions were really perfect for our party of 3 but we got waaayyyyyyy too much and we were STUFFED. We had to box the rest of the fried rice and loco moco. I recommend finishing the bone marrow right away though since when it cools down, it'll gel up.
Even if you're full, I'd say make room for dessert. If you're a dessert fan, both the matcha lava cake and creme brulee were worth it! But if you only had to choose one and you DO have a sweet tooth, I'd recommend getting the lava cake :)
All in all, a VERY successful and delicious night out with my friends. We were never rushed and it wasn't very crowded (albeit it was a Tuesday night), so we were able to chat for a while and really enjoy our food and drinks.
I would definitely come back and bring more friends, try out their creative cocktails next time, or maybe even come for a date night ;)
I highly recom
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Wellington
Great spot in Brookline with something for everyone!
Perfect place for some brunch. I got the pesto, mozzarella, and tomato jam croissant. And it was the perfect little bite for me. Paired with an egg coffee I loved it! We also got the loco moco which is a Hawaiian classic so I was so surprised to see it here. It was also good! Loved the sweet soufflé pancakes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We ordered pasta with cheese, abundant and very delicious. We also ordered burgers with 3 sauces and fries, excellent. Very pleasant attention. We liked it a lot
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Esmai's is a Hidden Gem located in the former Hops n Scotch location right in Coolidge Corner. They have a focus on Western dishes with an Asian twist.
The restaurant's first floor boasts a large seating area with a large bar. We came during brunch time, and it was crowded but still had a lot of space for seating upstairs. We were seated almost instantly. The service was exceptional, with them explaining the dishes, checking in on our food throughout the meal, and bringing the food out in a timely manner.
The prices of the dishes are on the average size for the portion, but we really enjoyed the food we got here. We got the Jasmine Tea and the Vietnamese Egg Coffee, both of which were really good and had traditional flavors in them. For our brunch, we got the Souffle Pancakes and the Karaage Chicken with Egg on Milk Bread. The Milk bread sandwich was fluffy and the karaage wasn't too oily, and it came in a decent portion size. The Souffle pancake came with a light syrup that wasn't too sweet. The souffle did look a little deflated, but was still pretty good and fluffy. We also got the truffle fries, which came with a decent portion of truffle, as well as a nice dipping sauce for the fries.
Overall a good place to go to for a brunch out. The dinner menu also looks pretty good and enticing, such as the banh mi & bone marrow charcuterie plate.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Truffle Fries, Chicken Karage Milkbread
Delicious creative banh mi.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
+ Fantastic drink program. Great alcoholic and non alcoholic options with lots of flavor.
+ Menu has lots of vegetarian and gluten free options, but also has meaty dishes too.
+ Flavors are complex and well thought out. Great recipe development.
+ Prices are reasonable for the quality food
+ Friendly service! The owner even came out when we mentioned something seemed off on one of our dishes. I really appreciated that
+ Chill decor and vibe
- I will never get used to digital menus :(
- Can get packed at peak hours and a little noisy. Make a reservation!
The bone marrow is incredible. Mussels broth is otherworldly. I want to keep coming back to try everything on the menu. <3
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Beef Banh MI
My friend and I were excited to try this place. The decor is nice, and we enjoyed sitting by the large picture window that opens to the outside. The service was attentive. I get that feeling that many of them were new, so things will probably be more natural with time.
However, the food was disappointing. The papaya salad was too sweet, without the savory flavors of garlic, shrimp, or even chilis. Texture was nice though. The lemongrass chicken was roasted, but felt super crispy. The accompaniments of macaroni salad, rice (a bit mushy) and fruit were underwhelming. We tried the macarons too—nice texture on the outside but super thick cream on the inside. Overall, sad to say but we won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
My experience here was below mediocre. The cocktails were pretty good, however the food was atrocious. Four little lobster rangoons for like $15? The cream cheese filling was dry and tasted too fishy, which is a sign the lobster and crab wasn’t stored properly. The Mac and cheese was scary. I’ve never seen noodles THAT big for Mac and cheese. It’s all stuck together in this dry block. Our bartender had an attitude, she wasn’t friendly by any means. Also, there’s no cultural theme of the food..is it Vietnamese or American??? Atmosphere is ok, very dim and quiet, perfect to take a nap in…will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Esmai's Cafe has a cool vibe and really great food. Today we met the owner David and his beautiful wife. Wow, what a great couple. Friendly and down-to earth people who greeted us with such great hospitality. Esmai, is I believe, the name of their youngest child. We had a great conversation with them even though wife had to get back to her duty's at a private function upstairs.
Food was great. Parking is limited, however, there is a huge public parking lot across the street, off Harvard Street.
We ordered the bahn mi sandwhich (beef), and the Loco Moco. Both were outstanding. I highly recommend that you stop in and give this place a try. Probably even better for dinner. The menu looks so good to me.
The bartender Patrick did an amazing job at lunch as well. Very attentive in a busy place.
.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Lovely restaurant! My adult daughters’ love this place!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spring Rolls, Truffle Fries, Sweet & Savory Wings, Grilled Beef Banh MI, Papaya Salad
Such a cool atmosphere and the people are incredibly kind and talented! The prices are really good as well! Highly recommend Esmai's!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Awesome place, food yummy
Waitress perfect; she made the night delightful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Papaya Salad
It would be a crazy idea to have a coffee here. When you sit down, what you get is a take-away coffee, and it tastes awfully bad. The green line makes noise forever. You should check many cafe nearby elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
My friend and I walked in and sat at the bar. The bartender was amazing and we had a great time! We got to witness a proposal which was so sweet. The cocktails were awesome and we each got a pasta dish. Definitely a great spot to stumble into for an intimate conversation and dinner
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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