Townsend's

I had high hopes for this restaurant, but my hopes were dashed by poor food and a noisy, confused and hodge podge dining area (not room but tables scattered here and there.)
No liquor that we drank was available and not adverrtised as such, and our entree by the cook (chef cannot be used in this case) was served room temperature on a store bought roll, not the brioche advertised. The mussels were fine, as was the clam chowder but I was disappointed in the dinner, and the fact that people are on top of tables as they walk by, stand at the wine tasting bar and come from the upstairs made the evening too loud, noisy and disconscerting.
We will not return to this restaurant.

Been there five times and this is what Hyde Park needs. The chicken and shepards pie are our favorites and although a little pricey the place is comfortable and relaxing. I don't work there but can walk to it on a good night and encourage a visit by your readers.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Townsends. My Dad treated, and we all had the salmon... It was great. Service was pretty good- he may have been new. I really loved the atmosphere here and would come again with friends. I would try their beer as well. I had wine- very good. Would reccomend to friends that live in the area.

Michael, Rosalyn, John greet you at the door by name. The waitstaff is friendly and knowledgeable. I dine here often and have never had a bad experience, actually it seems to keep getting better!! The room upstairs with the new bar is cozy and inviting just like the downstairs. The place is a great asset to the locals. Not to be missed.

We had the good fortune to dine at Townsends this past weekend and were introduced to it through my sister-in-law. From the minute we walked in the door we were greeted and treated as if we were long lost friends. We had the pleasure of being seated by Rosaleen and all were made to feel very grand indeed. We were a large family group of 19 for dinner and the entire staff was one of the best we have all experienced in our vast travels. If you needed anything there was always a smiling face ready to meet your needs. Not only was the service top notch, but the food was a delight in its creativity.

Several of us had the special that evening which was a risotto with mushrooms, layered with spaghetti squash and topped with seared scallops. The flavors were incredible and I give kudos to Chef Steve Hoddinott for mastering this fine dish. The grilled romaine hearts with Caesar and white anchovies to start off with was a new twist on Caesar salad and thoroughly enjoyed by all that ordered it. The PEI Mussels were another hit and you can choose from 4 different types of preparations to enjoy. We chose the Townsend's Traditional broth of Smithwick's red Ale, sliced garlic & shallots with butter & lemon. I believe there was even some fighting over the last mussel. My son had the rib eye steak that was grilled to perfection and came with the best Brussel sprouts he had ever encountered (his words). This is high praise for a teenager that’s not very big on vegetables. The Salmon was also a hit and was so fresh and moist everyone thought it must have been caught minutes prior to us arriving at the restaurant. They also offer some of their unique appetizers in an entrée size portion.

By the time dessert rolled around we all thought it best to “share” and try as many of the offerings as we could, since we were all sated from dinner. One of the most unique items for dessert is the paring of Rosaleen’s handmade truffles with 3 different dessert wines. Talk about an explosion of flavor in your mouth!! Wow! Not even a hint of truffle could be found after we all had a chance to sample it. The triple chocolate mousse dessert which consisted of 3 different layers of chocolate on a dark chocolate wafer was to die for. There was high praise from those that enjoyed the papaya sorbet as well.

Thank you to Rosaleen and Michael for providing such a wonderful dining experience. And to Chef Hoddinott for the wonderful food experience. We can’t wait for another return visit to Boston and dinner at Townsends!

I don't know what happened to the 2 people whose reviews I read, but I had to write a review as my experience was so pleasantly different!

I was taked there by friends who had eaten there before, and thought I was being taken to a pub. Instead, I was brought to a comfortable, tastefully decorated restaurant with tables well spaced apart. The wait staff was attentive and the hosts welcoming and friendly.

My three friends and I were all pleased with our meals. One had a very homey chicken and gravy meal that was tasty and a giid sized portion. The hit meal of the evening was a lamb kabob meal a friend ordered- I wanted to find an excuse to go back within a week and order it for myself, it was so tasty! I had a sort of chi-chi shepherd's pie- not a traditional, but wonderfully presented and very satisfying. The fourth person in the party had a lovely ribs with a side sauce that he lapped up.

A bonus at Townsend's is the 4 beer samples special. For $12 you get to pick 4 different beers and get an 8 ounce glass of each. A lot of fun for those who want to expand their tastes a bit.

I have been highly recommending the place to all my friends and family and am looking forward to taking some as a treat/present soon. Any excuse to get back and try some more of that yummy food!

We just came back from the worst food EVER in Boston. The place looked clean & trendy but the positives END here!!
I read reviews from people & understand there's a renown chef & yada yada........The people who had a good experience lied or work there to put a good review for job security.
It is classified as a "American Irish Restaurant"---I not sure who they are insulting. If they said they were an English Restaurant (who is known for the worst food) it would have been more honest.
I got a good name (based on the quality of food--BAD Feet Stink!!
Anyone who has got a bad foot oder problem this rerstaurant would probably pay you for sticking your feet into the meals for seasoning.

Let me explain.
First, I had French Onion Soup (Soup of the Day).

For $7 it was hot water, beef buillion (barely a cube), some onions, and a square piece of bread with seasoning......tasted like nothing.

Ever see the Charlie Chaplin movies where the boil a shoe for soup--that is what we had.

Second my wife order Shrimp Something with pesto---I think the salt they didn't put in the soup they put all in this entree. The tomates where the size of what a good zit would be-even taste like it.

I ordered a Waghu Burger (whatever that is) with McDonalds-like fries (doesn't any restaurant make krinkle fries?)with gummy quality ketchup in a tiny cup.

I asked for a medium, I got rare. It was sort of trendy but somehow they put a pillar of salt on one side of the burger that made me run to grab a Slurpee at 7-Eleven to kill the taste.

The restaurant disgraced Irish & Boston people alike. As you can tell I would never go back, never recommend, only person I would invite is the health department & the school who taught this chef how to somewhat cook--to rip up his diploma.

Living in restaurant starved Milton we are constantly looking for nearby opportunities to try when they arise. Unfortunately we were disappointed with Townsends the other night. Although it was not a very particularly busy Friday night our service was very spotty and the kitchen was not very consistent. The mixed green salad tasted like it was out of a bag, the PEI mussels had WAY too many onions in the broth which overwhelmed what could have been a nice first course. We ordered one side of Tempura asparagus which came more than half way through our entree tasting strongly of the peanut oil they were fried in.
Maybe it's too soon to tell but we hope the owners get more organized so Townsends can be another resource for us compromised Miltonians.