Best Restaurants for Local Ingredients in Billerica

This restaurant & bar is probably the most upscale in Arlington without any “stuffy” feeling/vibe. Darker lighting (with small table lights to see menu) makes for a nice ambience. I have been here several times for lunch and dinner. My favs are the chicken sausage flatbread, Bourbon steak tips, Bolognese, beet salad. The burger beef is high quality and cooked perfectly but tends to lack flavor (tried twice); a simple touch of salt and pepper would make it tastier. Some Thursdays they have live jazz. Cocktails are made well. Service has always been super — attentive and friendly. Will continue to go back a couple times a month.

As a frequent diner at 80 Thoreau I was a little concerned about their menu changes. Last night we tried 4 “Smalls” and 1 “Medium” from their menu. Ian helped w our choices and Andrew selected a great wine to accompany pur varied menu. Yellow fin tuna crudo, Poached lobster in bisque foam, Bay scallops w green apple and Duck consommé w duck confit. Each serving was small but delicious. Then the Medium option was divided for us. Paccheri-Beef, pancetta, fennel w Parmigiano Reggiano finished our outstanding dining experience. Bravo 80 Thoreau!

The food was delicious. Got the goat cheese fritters and veggie burger and would absolutely order those again. The brunch menu was great, as was the cocktail/drink selections. There was a football game on TV and a baby shower in the back of the restaurant, so it was fairly loud and noisy today and the bar service was a bit slow, but we weren't in any sort of rush and enjoyed our meal anyway.

While we realize that this is a new venture after Covid, Chopps used to be much better. Gone are the servers who brought you coffee, tea and assorted beverages, making it a truly cafeteria style atmosphere. This may be what some people like but after the original Chopps, we were subjected to a less than stellar experience for brunch. The scrambled eggs were horrible. Coffee and tea are served in paper cups at a station. The omelet station was manned by one gentleman who was pleasant but really didn't know that you fold an omelet before presenting it. Fruits and waffles were good, as were the bacon, sausage and cereals. Hard to goof those things up. I don't believe we'll be going back to his version of Chopps unless we hear they have made some adjustments to their presentation.