What do you think of Blue Ginger?

I recently had dinner at the Blue Ginger and was very impressed by its new style and its food. I have dined there in the past and have never been disappointed. I find the food and the staff absolutely delightful!

Overrated.

I was surprised to read it was on OpenTable's choice list...although innovative when it first opened, we find it tired after ten years with tastes that are mostly banal compared to what is available nowadays in metro Boston. Although the service is in the merely good to excellent range, the attitudes and helpfulness of the wait staff can be very fluctuating: at times conveying the attitude you are just one more diner for them on a busy night. Dining opportunities (and the competition for diners) are so different for us now in Boston that this places seems left behind. So, yes, we are some of the "underwhelmed" people you mention.

I had the garlic black pepper lobster the other night and it was excellent. I always struggle with what to get instead of the signature butterfish... Amazing... Every time we go there, we are NEVER disappointed (especially when Ming stops by to say hi :). The restaurant is one of our favorites - keep up the great work, Blue Ginger!

I dined there 4 or 5 years ago and wasn't impressed. I ate in the bar last week and really enjoyed it - especially the bar food. The waitress did spill part of a glass of wine (white) on me though. I would go back again.

No need to change a good thing... Love the restaurant.

Also, it's always full - people voting with their wallets.

I have eaten there once about 5 years back and was pretty unimpressed. Big on beef and pork, which I don't eat, and small on fish options. Although, I have to admit I had pretty high hopes, which explains why I would drive to Wellesley in the first place. If I lived in a lifeless burb like Wellesley, I suppose it's a pretty good option, but with the plethora of offerings now available in the South End, leaving Boston makes no sense at all.

I believe Mike R (#7) must have eaten at a different Blue Ginger. The one in Wellesley has a menu that is predominantly seafood!

Have been there a few times over the past 3 years and always enjoyed the total experience. True, menu has stayed fairly constant, but the flavor combinations are right on, quality is top notch, and service is generally good. Too often you pay a high price and one of these factors is missing. Fun mixed drinks to boot - it is a wonderful lunch rendezvous with your beau.

I ate there a year ago and both my friend and I had a below average meal... overcooked, bland, and served cold. To boot, service was rude (questions were met with a condescending answer, and a request for a new glass - mine had a chipped/cracked rim - was met with teeth sucking and a sigh). We chalked it up to being an off night, but we've heard too many complaints from others that we won't return - there are too many other great options.

Always, always excellent, interesting food and enjoyable experience. Expensive is offset by the charisma and celebrity of Ming. Ming is Metrowest's champion sports team, movie star hotshot.

I have dined at BG at least fifteen times: probably five times for lunch, and ten times for dinner. I first dined there when one just walked in without a reservation, through the period when you needed to call a month ahead, to the present when you may usually find a good reservation a week or so ahead of time.
A quick note about lunches: the quality is very variable at lunch. Service is uneven, dishes are sometimes sensational (e.g., butterfish), but can be very mediocre. Once the food was so poor that I was embarrassed since I had brought a visitor for a first time visit to BG.
Dinner: service is usually quite good at the order-taking stage, but it is not unusual to wait some time for bread or wine to be delivered. The wine list is fine. Wait staff is generally accommodating. Desserts are typically quite good. Appetizers are
sometimes more limited than I would prefer, but one can usually find a very nice dish to start.
The main courses offer fine quality food (as you would expect given the prices), but the presentation is sometimes lackluster. The factor that matters tremendously is whether Ming Tsai is in the house. If he is, then BG has the edge you would expect. If not, the presentation can be disappointing.
I have sometimes ordered the vegetarian main course. It can be very good.
I am very glad to have a good restaurant in town, but I think the rave reviews no longer apply. I would say that Blue Ginger is now a good but not a great place to dine.
On a good night, you get what you pay for, but on a mediocre night I leave feeling the place is overpriced.

I think it's a fabulous place to dine. Also impressed with service as they handle food allergies easily. I once dined with work colleagues and one of the assistants didn't have much experience "fine" dining. When she ordered the "17" (which was actually the price of the lunch, since the menu doesn't have numbered entrees), the waiter didn't even smirk as he glanced over her shoulder to see which meal she might be referring to. It was so gracious of him, as she probably would've been mortified since she didn't know most of the people at the table and was the most junior staff member present.

I'm no expert, but I am a dedicated foodie who regularly travels throughout New England, the US, and the world in search of new culinary experiences. Blue Ginger is an excellent restaurant, certainly. But Ming Tsai's celebrity and the restaurant's fame are overdone. For creative Asian-fusion cuisine, Blue Ginger is certainly one of the best options in the metro area. But there are so many other up-and-coming, extremely talented chefs who deserve some of that limelight even more. Blue Ginger does a great job, but the restaurant would be a fairly common offering in Asian-fusion culinary destinations such as Seattle or San Francisco. Give Blue Ginger the credit it is due, but there are so many other places in Boston and New England that are as good or better.

Blue Ginger is my favorite restaurant and I have never been disappointed with a meal there. I was pleased to see the picture of my favorite garlic-black pepper lobster featured. I can't wait to see the new renovations!

I think of it as a solid option for the in-laws or out of town guests who want an upscale dining experience but don't like to go downtown. It is dependable, interesting, and has a special atmosphere. For myself, I prefer the restaurants in the South End or somewhere exciting in JP. More vibrant, better food, better, younger crowd.

Blue Ginger is an attempt to bring a bit of class and elegance via ambiance and panache to Wellesley, Massachusetts. Let's face it, folks, Massachusetts is the "arm pit" of the nation and there are a lot of people here who quite frankly bring this cliche to life every day. When Blue Ginger first opened Ming Tsai was very present and involved with every aspect of the new eatery and he created an actual 5 star restaraunt in MA. Amazing! His wait staff were elegant, the host and hostess elegant, sophisticated and attractive people,the bus people had style and were fast (empty glass is set down on the table and automatically filled with water, amazing) and the food preparers behind the scenes in the visible kitchen were reminiscent of European chefs that made the Blue Ginger experience special and wonderful and finally Massachusetts had a true respite for the epicureans. Then little by little over the years the experience for me (and I can only speak to my experience) started to not be so special for me anymore. The elegant host and hostess who were polite and sincere seemed to have acquired an unsophisticated edge while smacking their gum and tapping their writing instrument on their reservation podium. Their attire looked as if it had been slept in more than once. The seating no longer was comfortable as it appeared that the tables had been arranged to fit more people, making private conversations not so private when you are so close to other guests. You now had to beg for water as the bus people ran back and forth. I often wondered why they were running back and forth swiftly yet doing nothing. The wait staff became ungroomed, unsophisticated and actually uttered the most disgusting eatery phrase in the world, "are you still working on that?" When did fine dining become work? Perhaps I should have put up an orange sign with reflectors and hired a police officer to give tickets out to the bus people who were exceeding speeds in a work zone! Then, the chefs who used to sparkle fizzled out with the food they were preparing. My last visit there I sat down and reviewed the lackluster menu with disinteresting offerings, looked around and sadly, quietly, said goodbye. One day I will go back and hopefully will see Ming managing the chefs and the rest of the staff back into fine shape.

Blue Ginger is my favorite restaurant in MA. The butterfish is fantastic, along with everything else. The best surprise is when Ming Tsai is there to talk to all of the guests, which is pretty cool. He's a real personable guy. However, back to the food, it's awesome. This place has trumped some of my favorite spots, including the Oak Room and Mistral. Blue Ginger rocks!!!

I'll never go back. The food was good, but who needs the condescending attitude by the wait staff? There are way too many other options.

BG is probably the most overrated restaurant in Boston. The dishes, although presented very nicely, were nothing special, and the prices are EXTREMELY high. I've had much better food at much cheaper restaurants and would never go back and spend my money there.

I've tried Blue Ginger several times and have been underwhelmed every time. The food is oversauced and just basically not very good. It's a decent atmosphere but nothing great. Now if you're looking for a truly great restaurant in Wellesley, Alta Strada (in the old Figs location) is the place to be.

Blue Ginger is sooo yesterday.

I went several years ago and it was great in every respect. Pricey, yes, but a great experience. It's too bad that it has not maintained that.

One of the reviews on here says that Alta Strada (the restaurant occupying the old Figs building) is the place to be... and that could not be farther from the truth. Alta Strada is one of the worst restaurants in this town.

The newest addition to town, The Cottage, is even worse than Alta Strada.

Blue Ginger's new lounge menu is good... but spectacular? I think not.

This town is in desperate need of good restaurants. This Wellesleyite is eager for the new Falls Grille to open early next year, but does not have high hopes. For some reason this town is terrible with restaurants, and for someone who loves to dine out... that is a problem.

Cafe Mangal serves an exquisite and different dinner experience. However, eating the same thing over and over again grows dull soon enough.

Sel Del la Terre opened at the new Natick Collection not long ago... why could that restaurant (which is delightful!) not have opened in Wellesley? No instead, we have the opening of the new California Pizza Kitchen to look forward to.

What is happening to this town? I hope the Josiah Smith Tavern in Weston turns into that true American "tavern"-esque restaurant of my dreams. Now, that is something I have high hopes for...

I was at BG about 8 yrs ago. Went twice in the same month as I found it fabulous. Since it was a way to travel from Ipswich it had to be good. My rack of lamb was perfect and the next time I had the sea bass. I would go again, except now I am Bonita Springs, FL. I get my Chilean sea bass at USS Nemos in Naples. But back to BG. We had great service as well. Like everything else, some days are fab and others disappoint.