Let’s make a list of obnoxiously loud restos

[Tonality666]

For some reason, the concept of many new and otherwise worthy Camberville restaurants seems to feature a ridiculously loud ambience (by means of hard surfaces, extremely amplified music, or usually both) which all but precludes any normal conversation while dining. Recent posts have cited First Printer, Painted Burro, Highland Kitchen, and others as extreme examples. Obviously, many people are drawn to such an environment, but many others appreciate a moderately-priced dining option that doesn’t involve shouting to be heard. As a service to BOTH camps, I’d like to assemble a list of Camb/Som places to either patronize or avoid, depending on one’s tolerance for noise.

[MC Slim JB]

Cinquecento is deafening when it's crowded.

Steel & Rye booms when it's busy, but the dining area to the left of the host stand a couple of steps down is a bit quieter.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[eLizard]

Boston: Neptune Oyster because of all the tile. Dbar after 6 or so when they crank the music up during dinner. I get that it's also a club, but that's way too early.

[Taralli]

Newly opened Mission Sushi & Wok, very nicely, turned down the volume at our student lunch this past Monday. With all the hard surfaces, this really helped.

[dfan]

The Painted Burro is a lot better now that the bar has moved next door.

[teezeetoo]

Since this post got resurrected, let me add Legal Harborside, 1st floor, where the noise at lunch left four ladies of a certain age shouting to be heard. we finally gave up. Such a handsome room. Such a great view. Such a horrible shrieking!!!! (the food is another problem, discussed elsewhere).

[pemma]

I definitely second Legal Harborside 1sr floor. It's the first place I thought of.

[food_lubber]

Redbones is pretty loud-which worked in our favor last night considering we were there with our 7 month old whose favorite new activity is shrieking at a blood curdling pitch and then laughing after getting a reaction from anyone who notices...fortunately the chattering and clanking of dishes and forks was able to muffle the high pitched screams long enough for us to enjoy a quick bite. I was anxiously looking around to make sure we weren't disturbing anyone's meal, and I honestly don't think anyone noticed, so it must be pretty darn loud in that dining room!

[lipoff]

I love, love, love the food at Highland Kitchen, but I find it obnoxiously loud. Also, dbar on Showtunes Tuesdays was unbearable. I now realize that it's a weekly thing there, and so avoid going there for dinner (I think only a late dinner would run into the showtunes) on Tuesdays, but still, the first time I was blindsided by it.

[dfan]

Funny, I was just about to post saying that Highland Kitchen's noise level is fine with me, and I consider myself pretty intolerant to noise. I was just there Monday for fried chicken night and had a pleasant conversation - I don't recall having to raise my voice or say "what?" a lot . Certainly I'd claim that Bukowski and The Painted Burro are at a whole qualitative level above it, noise-wise.

[Bob Dobalina]

HK's noise level is highly variable. I usually go earlier on weeknights without a problem, but on the rare weekend visit, it is pretty loud.

[bear]

I love Highland Kitchen, but tend to go there with my sons and their younger ears. My husband loves the food but feels like we can't carry on a conversation, which is the whole reason we go out together.

That said, I can't wait to return.

[opinionatedchef]

surprisingly, Clio. The worst ever. None of our four could hear anyone else at out table. (IslCreekOB is 6? times bigger but intimate conversation is no problem there.)

[yarm]

We surmise that the oyster shells along the walls act like auditory tiles to dampen the sound reverberations at ICOB. I've never had it loud in Clio, but I generally go earlier in the week (I could imagine them upping the music on the weekends).

http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/

[southie_chick]

What I don't understand is why as it gets "later", it gets SO much louder! I was at Abe & Louie's last Saturday at 6:30PM & the noise level was OK, but by 8PM we pretty much had to yell across the table to be heard. The bone-in filet was very good, but the place has slipped since they were sold. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it just wasn't the same.
Went next door to Max Brenners for desert with my sister-in-law (while my hubby & brother-in-law were having "desert" - cigars & scotch - at Cigar Masters) & that place was even louder - we ended up hurrying desert up & headed for the peace & quiet of Cigar Masters. I think all of the places on that Boyleston Street strip are really loud for some reason.

[yarm]

I'll add Tasty Burger to the list. Last Monday, it was pretty difficult to speak to the waiter or my dining companion. Although the previous time I was there, we sat in the alcove around the corner by the pool table and the volume was not an issue.

[mikeinboston]

+1 on Tasty Burger. So loud that the bartender (who was the most disinterested service person I have seen in a long time, constantly with his back to the patrons while watching TV) couldn't hear my order, so of course it was completely wrong upon arrival. Not even an apology for the screw up.. .

[nightsky]

Gaslight. Food is good, but noise level ranges from just plain loud to painfully deafening.

[suepar]

Not in the OP's designated geographical region but the music at The Cottage in Chestnut Hill is so loud you can hear it right out into the parking lot. And it's twice as loud inside. I really don't see the reason for this.

[Madrid]

for that matter, some Bertucci's locations are also very loud....one of our son's favorites and we prefer Bertucci's to his other favorite, the 99!

[Kat]

Yes, definitely Gaslight.

[squaquerone]

Go in the summer and sit outside, there's much less noise.

[ChinaCat]

downstairs at Russell House was very loud on a Saturday night.

Trade was deafening.

I have to agree though, that Grill 23 might set the bar.

[edgewater]

Not in Cambridge but Smith and Wollensky was the loudest place I ever dined. We could not hear each other at all. I went early on and have never gone back.

[pemma]

Another not in Camberville, but very loud -- Legal's Harborside, 1st Floor

[pollystyrene]

Also Boston: The din during busy nights at Scampo and the music at Citizen Public depending on where you're sitting.

[robwat36]

JM Curley on a recent Friday after work...really painful. This was in the main room, not the little one off to the side, which I prefer.

[mwk]

I agree with you there. The waiter there had to lean in and put his ear only inches from my mouth, so I could scream my order to him. After all that, the food was lousy as well. I won't be going back.

[MC Slim JB]

Another one from the Boston side of the river: the din at Tico was pretty stunning the last time I was in there. Too-loud house-ish dance music was a major factor.

Also, no "wicked loud restaurant" discussion is complete without including the first floor of Grill 23 when it's busy. The front, street-level bar at Towne is also deafening.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[Albie]

Second for Tico. I like the food, but you need to yell to be heard across the table.

[maillard]

Happy's is also unbearably loud. Everything about that place is just trying WAY too hard. Which is too bad, I was very excited for it to open.

[greenTara]

Firebrand Saints is pretty darn loud. And spendy! I got the whirred celery root with dates mezze as a side dish (so larger than the mezze) and it was $12 !?!

[purple bot]

Agree with someone above about Bukowski's in Inman. I'd add to that Anchovies (late night, at least) and Lone Star Taco Bar. We were all yelling at each other across the table "what?! Conversation was difficult to impossible.

[kimfair1]

Blue Inc. Really enjoyed my meal there, but my wife and I had to go out for post dinner drinks with the other couple we were dining with in order to have a conversation.

[hiddenboston]

FLATBREAD CO. IN DAVIS SQUARE WAS EXTREMELY LOUD WHEN WE WENT LAST NIGHT. I STILL CAN'T HEAR OUT OF MY RIGHT EAR.

[emannths]

For a place that was bar/restaurant/bowling alley, I didn't think it was too bad (and that was prime time on a weekend). Maybe it depends on where you're seated, or who your neighbors are.

[hiddenboston]

There was a little kid in the booth next to us who kept hammering the bench seat as hard as he could, and a few others nearby who were laughing really loud about something (hopefully not us!). The pizza was excellent, though.

[LeoLioness]

Foundry on Elm.

[owen_meany]

Second this after our first (and likely last) visit their on Saturday.

[mkfisher]

While not in Camberville, Trade is obnoxiously loud.

[nsenada]

+1 - the acoustics seem almost designed to physically crush you with loudness while eating, and I'm not super sensitive to noise.

[Madrid]

All star sandwich bar if you are sitting near a speaker.

[Blumie]

I've sat at virtually every table at ASSB and never have had a problem. Where is the speaker?

[Madrid]

walk in, turn to the left where the tables are, and it's the first table right next to the restrooms, in the corner. speaker right above that table. You notice it more when the restaurant is about half empty.It might just be me and my DC; we have a special needs child who's very sensitive to ambient noise and even when we aren't with him, it bothers me now as well.

[Small Plates]

Sat there last time I was there. And on this day, I think the theme (they have some gimmicky kind of "theme" iPod playlist, which is different every day) the theme was really bad early 80s electronica. We were seated at that table, and we had to leave half-way through our meal, it was so grating and loud.

[Madrid]

glad to know I'm not completely crazy! I actually stepped out after we ordered to get some spices at Christina's, so I missed a lot of it...otherwise I'd probably left half way through.

[emannths]

Unless they made some changes recently, Posto (Davis Sq).

[Boston_Otter]

I love Posto but the owners seem to be confused about the difference between "lively" and "ridiculously loud". At both Posto and their new Painted Burro restaurant, they've removed everything that can soften/baffle sound, put in lots of hardwood floors, and then play club music during the busiest times. I mentioned on a separate thread that during my most recent visit to Painted Burro, my server had to go over my order by just showing me her notes, because she couldn't hear me and I couldn't hear her over the din.

[jackal]

Agree 100% on Posto. Enjoy the pizza, but find the noise and music overwhelming. We were there this weekend and had trouble conversing at normal volumes (note: we're not old)

[Bugsey34]

Posto hasn't changed - we just went for the first time Sunday night and couldn't talk at all, luckily it was just my husband and me and we didn't mind! Had we been with friends/family it would have been really annoying. Too bad because pizza was very good.

[Boston_Otter]

Quick followup on this thread... the owners of the Painted Burro seem to have turned the music down quite a bit between my last visit and a recent one; I was actually able to hold conversations with my tablemates.

[Bob Dobalina]

Abigail's was pretty loud when I went - lots of shiny concrete and glass!

[yarm]

Bukowski's in Inman (except in the summer when they open the front up). I don't expect it quiet there, but some nights it has stopped all conversation and made dealing with the waitstaff difficult.

[DoubleMan]

Second. I would love to go there more often, but it is just miserable. That single reason has made me cross it off the list forever, even though I would probably be a regular otherwise. I haven't noticed the same noise level at the Boston branch.

[enhF94]

This. I like Bukowski's food just fine and would love the beers, but the music is ear-damagingly loud even at 5:30p when nobody's there (but me).