Bin 26 Enoteca

Greta place overall. Our server didn’t provide a lot of details about the wine selection, we picked 4 different wines and were happy with that we got Hanger stake and salmon were great Overall great experience It is a bit too dark, so reading the menu was a challenge

I was sure I struck out. I’m staying at a nearby hoteland the first several restaurants to Kia called had no reservations till much later in the evening. I was worried when Bin 26 had a table for me when I wanted it, but I needn’t have been. It was one of the great evenings I have ever spent in a restaurant. Most fine restaurants are pretentious and therefore, to be honest, somewhat vulgar. I have accepted that over the years as an unfortunate precondition of inspired cooking. But I never liked it. What made this evening? Sublime was the combination of a couple of dishes as good as any I’ve tasted in any of the renowned restaurants I’ve had occasion to visit, and yet a total absence of self-consciousness and pretension. I put myself in the hands of the manager, Nair, and asked him to do me the favor of ordering for me, both my food and my wine. He brought me a few slices of rare roast beef, with Parmesan cheese and arugula, as my starter, and half a portion of Talia with scallops as the first course. it didn’t seem to matter that I was eating in reverse order. The beef was both buttery and incredibly flavorful, the pasta dish was so accented by the slightly caramelized onions that I kept chasing the sauce with pieces of bread long after I had finished eating it. the wine was some secret stash from Burgundy. For an hour or more, Nedi and I chatted about restaurants we knew near and far and what kind of cooking we liked and what a meal means to us. As the time came to part, I felt that an old friend experienced in the kitchen adjust made me dinner. The bill came, and it seemed so ridiculously small, but I added half of it on top of a tip. I have noticed on the website a few negative reviews of this restaurant. They seem to be describing someplace other than the one where I was lucky enough to die this evening, so much so that I wondered whether those diners brought those problems with them rather than encountered them there. but then not every restaurant is for every appetite. This evening, this one was definitely for mine.

Pasta was excellent Mille feuille was also excellent

Delicious food, nice staff, and good ambiance, but the dinner portions were small for the price.

Came here for dinner. Great wine selection! The food was quite tasty too. Overall great atmosphere as well.

A girlfriend and I met at Bin 26 last night for a combination birthday/Christmas meal. Great location, easy to park in the Boston Common Garage and walk over, beautiful ambiance. The food was fantastic! We had prosciutto-wrapped pears, a bread basket (not complimentary), and olives for a starter. Split a bottle of wine. That was where things started to not go as well. The waiter was nice but seemed ill suited for the caliber of restaurant. He took our orders for entrees and a vegetable while pouring our wine and didn't put them in his handheld device. As we sat there and watched table after table get served after us, even though we'd come in earlier, it became evident that he hadn't put in our order. It was hard to get his attention (we were tucked in a corner by the window), and when we did, he came over and asked, "Are you ready to place your order for entrees?" Um...what? He was very apologetic and put them in immediately, but he forgot our asparagus. I wasn't pleased at the delay as I was paying a babysitter so an extra 45 minutes (between watching as other people were served and we waited, then finally receiving our meal) cost me money. The restaurant brought us a bit more wine to apologize, which was a nice touch. But the waiter really just seemed kind of dumb? I don't know how else to put it. Not great at following up and refilling water, not great at explaining the food or giving recommendations. Hopefully he was new and will improve because he was the only downside to Bin 26. The food we did receive was amazingly good and we'll definitely be back.

Atmosphere: pretty cozy and welcoming! Bar looked nice and the decor heavily features wine and wine labels. Service: at this price point, service should be great. We were a large party and service was slower than expected, even with 2 waiters. Food: Smelled great, looked decent, lacked seasoning. Overall, it was “good enough” but at $30-50 per person (without a drink), the food should be perfect. Portion sizes were decent. Wine and drinks: impressive wine list! Cocktails were like the food— good enough and some were even delicious. 3.5/5, wouldn’t be my first choice, especially when there are so many amazing Italian restaurants in Boston. Better than average but the relative cost of the food definitely brings it down.

My girlfriend and I booked a Sat night 830 reservation. In the notes, I put this and that we had our first date at Bin 26 and would really appreciate to have the chance with the sommelier. (Our first date was a Sunday and didn’t not have the chance for the full wine experience). When we arrived, we were sat in the back where the dim front atmosphere tables were in the front open. There was no mention of the note left on the reservation. Mark was our waiter and he was very attentive and wished us a happy anniversary after taking for a few minutes. Then a young gentleman in a suit jacket came to introduce himself and ask if we had any wine questions, which I replied that we would love to get pairings with our meals, apologized that we didn’t get that for our first date and that he would be taking care of the drinks for the evening and proceeded to take our wine menu. We mentioned we were doing the pear and beef tagliatelle and he assured us he would pair wisely. The courses came and went and still not a drop of wine. We then order a full pasta dish (which was a new addition that we were excited for) and that dish came and was eaten and still not a drop of wine. By the time this dish had come, I had seen the gentleman who should be assisting with the wine walk to the front entrance. We don’t want to continue having pasta and water at this point and thought of entrees went out the window since our wine server was non-existent We pay, thank mark for his service and apologize for his uncomfortable coworker interaction. As we leave, the gentleman who was supposed to be “taking care of us” was on his phone sitting down by the coat rack. He asks us how our meal was which at this point, was pure insulting, and a testimony to the complete lack of service provided. After 3 years of patronage and recommending to friends, I don’t think I will be returning again.

Best carbonara in Boston (brunch only)