Bristol Restaurant & Bar
Boston's living room with a elegant kitchen
This full-service restaurant inside the Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel Boston is the favorite haunt for the city’s power players to make deals, socialize or sip stiff gin and tonics at the end of the day. With its windows overlooking the historic Boston Public Garden, there’s as much to see outside the comfortable, clubby space as there is inside the 27-table dining room.
Of course, you could hit up the restaurant for any meal. After all, the sprawling, first-floor restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overall, the menu focuses on comfort-driven New England fare, with dishes such as the famous Bristol Burger (topped with homemade pickles and served with truffle fries) and the lobster cobb salad, the go-to choice for the ladies who lunch here. Don't pass up brunch either, it's an art form in Boston and the Bristol Lounge has perfected it.
Of course, you could hit up the restaurant for any meal. After all, the sprawling, first-floor restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overall, the menu focuses on comfort-driven New England fare, with dishes such as the famous Bristol Burger (topped with homemade pickles and served with truffle fries) and the lobster cobb salad, the go-to choice for the ladies who lunch here. Don't pass up brunch either, it's an art form in Boston and the Bristol Lounge has perfected it.
Our Inspector's Highlights
- The Bristol Lounge is one of Boston’s favorite spots. It’s been called “Boston’s living room” thanks to its comfortable atmosphere and ideal location right at the Boston Public Gardens and Boston Common.
- The menus at The Bristol Lounge include American favorites that have been tweaked to embody a bit of comfort food fantasy.
- The service once you’re in the restaurant is every bit as friendly and welcoming as what you experienced when you first arrived at the Bristol Lounge’s front doors. The staff is attentive, friendly and very knowledgeable.
- The Bristol Lounge likes to host small events and gatherings for its guests including Burgers and Burgundy Wednesdays. For $35, you can choose from four variations of the famous Bristol burger — original, montrachet, croque madame and au poivre — paired with tastings of two Burgundian-style vintages selected by the restaurant’s wine director.
- Its legendary afternoon tea is a Boston tradition, served every Saturday and Sunday from 3 to 4:15 p.m. Because of the tight time frame, reservations are strongly recommended for afternoon tea.
Things to Know
- If you’re not a guest of Four Seasons Hotel Boston and you plan to drive in for a meal at The Bristol Lounge, you have a few options and none include free street parking. There is valet at the hotel who will park your car for a fee at various times during the day–for lunch, it will cost $17 for parking and $22 for dinner.
- The bar area at The Bristol Lounge is in the same room as, but in a separate area from, the main dining room, and it can get fairly noisy on busy nights. The bar has its own separate selection of bites, featuring a few of the favorites from the main dining menu, and is a local favorite for the after-work crowd.
- Every Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the restaurant hosts a full breakfast buffet. Reservations for Sunday brunch are highly recommended, especially during holidays and weekends.
- The Bristol Lounge loves guests of all ages, and despite being known as a sophisticated spot, the restaurant does a great job catering to kids. There are childrens’ menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the kitchen is happy to cook up anything to please the little ones.
The Food
- The breakfast menu includes everything from oatmeal and assorted pastries to buttermilk pancakes and New England crab cake benedict (perfect with a Bloody Mary following a long night). Kids will love the French toast fingers and chocolate chip silver dollar pancakes.
- Lunch and dinner are equally epic at Bristol Lounge at Four Seasons Hotel Boston. The restaurant is known for its Bristol burger, consistently rated one of the best burgers in Boston (and served with a side of killer truffle fries).
- If you’re looking for something a little lighter, try chef Brooke Visoka’s crab chowder (a sweeter spin on the traditional New England clam chowder, served with house-made oyster crackers) or the tuna tartare, one of the most popular dishes in the restaurant.
- The dry-rubbed steaks at The Bristol Lounge (aged in-house) are a huge favorite. Each steak is served à la carte and comes seasoned with herb butter and your choice of sauce.
The Design
- The Bristol Lounge, located in the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, exudes the same elegance and sophistication as its hotel home. It’s a favorite place for power-lunches, family dining and after-work crowds.
- Decked out in rich red, black and brown tones, it casually channels the cigar-bar-martini-lunch era, and easily goes from casual day meals to sexy evening affairs with the dim of a light and change of music.
- During the daytime hours, The Bristol Lounge is light and casual, appealing to families needing a kid-friendly location and nearby business execs hosting lunches, who want a casual place to impressive clients.
- At night, The Bristol Lounge dims the lights and the space turns from bright to dramatic. The low lights against the dark red booths in the bar and the cherry wood tables in The Bristol Lounge make for an intimate atmosphere for diners and intriguing environment for bar-goers.
Amenities
Bar
Breakfast
Brunch
Business casual
Dinner
Kid friendly
Lunch
Reservations recommended 
Valet parking
Getting There
