After an appointment at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, my mom, Ric, Amanda and I had a delicious low fat lunch at Longwood Grille and Bar. We found the dining room is very wheelchair accessible yet were disappointed to find there is no wheelchair accessible seating in the lounge/bar.
There are two ways you can enter the Longwood Grille and Bar. One entry is through the entrance of Best Western’s ‘The Inn at Longwood Medical’ and the other is through the Longwood Galleria. Getting into the Longwood Galleria is more difficult for you need to take a wheelchair lift up to the main level of the mall in order to get to this restaurant.
My friends and I decided to enter through entrance of ‘The Inn at Longwood Medical’ which is located on Longwood Avenue. I had no problem entering because both set of entry doors are automatic with a simple push of a button. We then took an elevator up to the second level. As soon as we exited the elevator we saw a rear door leading to the restaurant. This door is not automatic so my friends held the door open for me. I later discovered that the main entrance inside the Longwood Galleria is always wide open so automatic doors are not needed here.
Posted outside the both entrances is a large menu which lists the large selection of meals to choose from. Also is a sign that states “Kids eat free”. If you order one adult entree one child can order a meal from the children’s menu for free! This is a great deal because many families visiting children who are patients at the adjacent Boston Children’s Hospital dine here.
The dining room at the Longwood Grille and Bar is spacious and easy to maneuver my wheelchair around. I had no problem wheeling my chair to my seat because the tables have plenty of space between. All the tables in the dining room are of a good height for my wheelchair; the lighting is adequate for visually impaired. The service is great and the food is delicious.
The lounge/bar located in the rear has NO wheelchair accessible seating; the bar is too high for me to reach; the booths located on the side are not accessible; and all the tables are tall bar/style tables that are also too high for me to reach.
The restrooms are spacious, wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant except the pipes under the sink are not covered.
I give Longwood Grille and Bar FOUR STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the Fifth Star they would need to install an automatic door at the rear entrance inside Best Western’s ‘The Inn at Longwood Medical’; place protective covering around the pipes under the accessible sink in the restroom as is ADA required; lower a section of the bar to a wheelchair accessible height and place some wheelchair accessible tables in the lounge so a customer in a wheelchair can enjoy a drink at the bar or in the lounge like every other customer.