may 2025

Dear Marlo,

Twenty years is a long time for any business — let alone one in the restaurant world. Yet, despite all the challenges thrown their way, a favored few manage to survive. Because they offer quality food and drink at fair prices. Because they understand what diners seek and pride themselves on delivering. And, above all else, because they entwine themselves into their guests’ lives, becoming the backdrop of moments big and small. That’s why, if they’re able to hit 20 despite, it’s time to go big and that’s what we’re doing this month, dedicating this entire issue of marlo monthly to the one and only Eastern Standard.

Consider this our love letter to the iconic and inimitable resto that turned then desolate Kenmore Square into a destination, welcoming all walks of life and forever redefining Boston’s dining landscape by leading the city’s F&B’s trends from day one and offering a blueprint for what it means to be the perfect spot for literally for any occasion. Pre-game beer. Graduation party. First date. Rehearsal dinner. B-day brunch. Business lunch. Late night snack. Way too late nightcap (ahem, we may have been there once or twice!). And everything in between.

After a temporary yet heart-wrenching farewell, ES did what legends do – returned shinier and sharper than ever, just a few blocks away from the OG right where it belongs: in the heart of Fenway Center. Is the new ES the same? Of course not. But its soul remains. Pioneering owner Garrett Harker chose a new location that will revitalize yet another neighborhood that will undoubtedly once again build around a spot that not only survives, but thrives.

Read on for fun ways to experience the legend that is our beloved ES for yourself through the month of May and well beyond. Happy 20th, ES! You are – and always will be – the moment.

Twenty years ago, Fenway was mostly a sea of sausage carts and $5 beers. Then, along came Eastern Standard and the neighborhood's food and drink scene popped like a bottle of chilled rosé on a summer afternoon. This May, we’re toasting to 20 years since the iconic brasserie first slid into our hearts by elevating not just Boston’s foodie cred, but its bevvie bona fides.

To raise a glass to 20, ES is shaking things up with a special featured “Greatest Hit” cocktail every week this spring for just $12 a pop. Expect a mix of iconic classics, deep cuts, and ES fan favorites (Whiskey Smash, anyone?). So go ahead, get nostalgic and order up your fave cocktails that accompanied your best ES memories from as far back as 2005. And don’t worry if you can’t quite muster up said memories (we’ll chalk it up to having had a little too much fun over the years); there’s plenty of time to raise a glass and make new ones at the most inviting and hospitable joint in town, where the bartender won’t ever forget your drink – or your name! 



What do you get when ES turns 20? A reason to celebrate – with a perfectly-seared steak, of course! That’s right, every Sunday night through the end of May we’re going full brasserie mode with a decadent, don’t-mind-if-we-do Steak Frites takeover.

This isn’t your average meat-and-potatoes moment. We’re talking choose your cut (a buttery bavette, classic New York strip, or bone-in ribeye if you're feeling baller), select your sauce (how about a spicy béarnaise?), and dive into a crisp Caesar and heaping side of golden, herb-dusted frites.

Round it out with your ES favorites – oysters, roasted bone marrow, and mac & cheese that almost steals the spotlight – and you've got yourself a Sunday supper worth skipping Nonna's gravy for. Oh, and if you’re not about that #steaklife, Salmon or Chicken Frites are happy to step in. Now that’s a well done (but not too well done!) way to end the week!

Allow us to present to you drinks, dinner, and dessert – ES Hospitality-style. In celebration of holding it down in Fenway for 20 years, ESH is serving up a choose-your-own adventure that hits the hood’s holy trinity – Standard Italian, Eastern Standard, and Equal Measure – all you need for a proper date night!

Kick things off at Standard Italian with aperitivos and a martini made tableside (love language: unlocked) before wandering over to Eastern Standard for round two – think a glass (or two) of your favorite vintage, steak tartare to share, and the kind of old-school hospitality that still makes your heart flutter. Not ready to call it? Continue the night at Equal Measure with espresso martinis for two and the dessert you “weren’t going to get” (but obviously do).

Ask your server for a punch card, hit all three stops, and you’ll be entered to win a $200 gift card to any ESH hotspot (just in time for date #2). Because romance isn’t dead – it just needs to be well-fed!