New in Dorchester: The Bowery Bar

One of our favorite Dorchester patios is back! After several months of being shuttered, the space that was once Ester (and before that, The Ledge) reopened as The Bowery Bar, and we’ve already been there three times.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when we walked inside. The restaurant has been completely redone, and it looks beautiful. I didn’t even grab inside photos as we made a beeline straight to the patio, which has been beautifully updated. The addition of a closed off bar area, as well as a lounge area and games, has made the patio better than it was, and it was already pretty great.

The Bowery has a fantastic list of creative cocktails, including some fun tiki drinks

The Book ‘em Dano and Smoke on the Island are both delicious, and it’s always fun to have an umbrella in your patio drink!

Over the course of our visits, we’ve had yummy guac and chips, with house hot sauce, which I could put on everything.

We’ve also had the tuna poke and chilled half lobster, which comes with the most incredible brown butter vinaigrette. It is amazingly delicious, and I could drink it by itself.

My go-to for an entrée has been the kale salad, and I had it for lunch with the smoked chicken salad, which was nice and light, not too mayonnaise-y, which some chicken salads can be. The smoky flavor of the chicken salad makes the meal feel like something a bit more special than a regular salad. I love that the menu has several salads on it, making going out and healthy eating possible and fun.

I can’t say enough about how great the staff is, especially Emily, who served us for Sunday lunch this past weekend. She saw me struggling to get the baby’s stroller through a door and ran to my assistance and helped with the second door. Care like that does not go unnoticed, and it really elevated the dining experience for me. We have so many great restaurants in Lower Mills, Adams Village, and the Ashmont area that we rarely have to get in the car to go out. I hope everyone else in the Boston area takes a trip down to Dorchester to discover great food and kind people!