On a stormy Friday night six of us went to Jimbo’s in Braintree. I hadn’t been there for a couple of years. At that time it was called Jimbo’s South. In 2004 Chris De Cloux took over and renamed this restaurant Jimbo’s Steak and Fin.

I remember the first time I went to what was called Jimbo's South. The reason I remember was because we moved from a western suburb of Boston to the south shore and this was the first restaurant in which we met friends from our old home town. The year was 1999.

Jimbo’s Steak & Fin

~is located at 405 Franklin Street, which is Braintree 5 Corners.
~accepts reservations. They can be reached at 781-848-3000.
~accepts all major credit cards.
~has an early bird menu. Sunday 12:00p.m. to 9:30p.m.; Monday – Wednesday 11:30a.m. to 9:30p.m. and Thursday – Saturday they stay open until 11:00p.m.
~has a very popular comedy show. When I called to make a reservation for Friday I was asked if we wanted the comedy show. When we walked in at 8:00p.m. They asked the same thing. The lobby was crowded but it seemed that many of those people were waiting for the show.
~has a fairly small parking lot in front but you can park in back. We’ve always parked across the street at Citizen’s Bank where it is fine to park in the evenings and during the day on weekends. Handicapped parking is available in front of Jimbo's.

Decor:

Jimbo’s is an unassuming one level restaurant that still says Jimbo's South outside in several places. One reason we stopped going there is because for several years in spite of their being cappuccino on the menu the machine was always broken. I didn’t like not being told that the machine was broken year after year!

The restaurant used to be cute. It was set up like a train because there is one large room and then small, long rooms like you’d find on a train. It is now decorated with a fish motif. I didn’t find the ambiance anything special at all. The big room we sat in was really average.

Service:

It was cold when we were seated at our table. We had to ask twice for the air conditioning to be lowered. Some might say that others weren’t cold but there were six of us and we were all cold not just one or two of us.

Our server was pleasant enough. She tried to make things right. My aunt’s food was cold and she pleasantly brought it back to the kitchen. My cousin had to ask for grated cheese twice and the waitress was very apologetic. She realized my husband’s fish was made with butter before she brought it to him which was a good catch on her part.

Food:

The food was inconsistent among the six of us. The consensus was that in general the food was decent and we got a lot for the price.

A nice basket of warm, crispy bread was put on our table. The bread had a slightly sweet taste to it and was the best part of my meal!

My cousins ordered mussels as an appetizer for $7.99. The portion was quite large and they enjoyed them. They asked for steamers but they had just run out of them.

I ordered almond haddock hold the breadcrumbs and butter. This was $14.99. Some of the dishes (Atlantic Salmon – lite for $9.99 and full for $13.99) come in two sizes. I would have thought mine was a lite size but I didn’t have the two choices. My haddock was really not bad though it was only lukewarm. I didn't send mine back.

Considering it was what I call naked it was quite moist and flaky. However, I do think they could have managed more than 5 slices (I counted them) of almonds. Not 5 almonds – these were slices.

I had a choice of a starch (baked, mashed or fries0 and vegetable which was squash. I didn’t want either and asked for steamed broccoli which I saw on the menu. I was told that it would be $1.00 extra. I didn’t want to make a big deal but if I were forgoing a baked potato and squash shouldn’t the side of broccoli be free? The waitress told me that she was sure they could give me a double serving for the $1.00. I was entitled to a double serving and often ask for that. I got one serving as did my husband who asked for the same.

The broccoli say was bordering on bad. I ate it because I was hungry but it wasn’t steamed enough and it was burned.

My husband got the Boston Sole (flounder) for $11.99. His dish looked exactly like mine except he didn’t have 5 almond slices. He called his meal average.

My aunt’s clam belly platter was enormous and she enjoyed it once it was hot. This was $16.99 and came with fries and Cole slaw. For $.95 onion rings could be substituted which one cousin did. His platter though was significantly smaller than my aunt’s. I would think that there is some way to control portions. Also ordered was the scallop and shrimp marsala for $14.99 which one cousin enjoyed and finished. This came with pasta.

My mom got the Almond Haddock topped with breadcrumbs with a baked potato and squash. She enjoyed her meal quite a bit though wasn’t full enough to nix the cheesecake that was on the dessert platter the waitress passed around.
Jimbo’s has a full bar. The menu I have gives one large page to the alcohol choices.

My rating:

I’m not hurrying back to Jimbo’s Steak & Fin. Although the consensus was that the prices were reasonable and the food good this is my review. I think my whole experience was average. I am going to recommend it because you will get decent food and large portions in some cases. This is not a romantic setting. It’s a good place for families or friends.

In spite of my experiences here not being five stars the year was good and the move was great. This is an entry in Bryan Carey's 2,000 Years, 2,000 Reviews Write Off. Congratulations Bryan on the upcoming milestone. jo









Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Make sure you get doubles veggies if you are entitled to them.
Best Suited For: Friends