The Coupe & Flute

Whether you casually enjoy bubbles or your phone’s lock screen is the French countryside, this funky little Beacon Hill bistro is the perfect spot for a sparkling wine-filled meal that isn't all caviar and oysters. Instead, you'll find fun date night vibes and snacks like popcorn, nachos, and riblets.

At The Coupe & Flute, wine is all served without any pretension—the staff won’t assume you’re a viticulture novice, but they also won’t totally leave you on your own to navigate the world of carbonated grapes. And with other drinks—like spritzes, non-alcoholic aperitifs, and bottles of white, red, and rosé—you don’t have to be Champagne-obsessed to appreciate a meal here.

While you could visit on a cold night to sip fizzy wine alongside snacks like frites with Sichuan chili mayo or a huge plate of lemongrass steak nachos, we prefer brunch. Maybe that’s so we can catch a glint of sunlight reflecting off our glass of lemon-yellow blanc de blanc, but it’s really to eat tasty breakfast foods, like griddled garam masala bread pudding absolutely drenched in maple syrup, duck benedicts with hoisin butter, and a cauliflower frittata that’s actually exciting, despite being a cauliflower frittata. 

photo credit: Nate Watters

Which isn’t to say that dinner here isn’t just as excellent. In fact, you’ll find some of The Coupe & Flute’s best dishes after dark, like seared gnocchi on romesco sauce, or honey garlic spare ribs that fall apart easier than that one emotional friend after watching any episode of Grey’s Anatomy that deals with purgatory. But at night, the true colors of the space are revealed when you realize it’s an echo chamber with bad acoustics. Shouting “Wait, what?” for an hour or two kind of detracts from the strawberry-ripe acidity and delicate mousse of your $15 brut rosé. If you are doing dinner and want to hear your companions, stroll in at 5pm and things should be as bucolic as that phone background.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Nate Watters

Frites

Cooked until nearly the shade of Crayola's sepia, these fries are phenomenal dippers for the sichuan peppercorn mayo that comes on the side. Be sexy at the bar by yourself cradling a platter of these spuds, or share with your pals.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Lemongrass Nachos

Here you have a gruyere-based queso, lemongrass-marinated steak, pickled cabbage, and herbed crema, all on top of very thin, brittle tortilla chips that remind us of the ones from Applebee’s. (Don’t worry, that’s a compliment.) A composed bite is a tangy, earthy combination you never knew you wanted, but the pieces of meat are so clunky that you need to cut them up—and nachos shouldn’t require that much audience participation. Definitely grab an order for the table, but know that you'll have to appoint someone with the ultimate honor (OK, burden) of beef-slicer.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Roasted Cauliflower Larb

Despite being cold and wet on purpose, this roasted cauliflower is not bad, especially when you scoop up a bite sprinkled with toasty rice bran and fermented pineapple in the mix of charred bits and herbs. But there are better dishes to be had here.

photo credit: Nate Watters

House Gnocchi

Casually hiding in the shadow of flashier dishes like fries and fancied-up nachos is this Parisian-style gnocchi, which is not only the best dish here, but happens to be some of the best gnocchi in the whole metropolitan area. With a nice sizzled crust and fluffy interior, they’re like edible pillows that we would sleep on at night if not for the fact that we’d prefer to eat them alongside a glass of bubbles instead. Plus, they’re too small to rest your head upon, and romesco sauce has no place in a bed.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Honey Garlic Spare Ribs

These sweet-sticky spare ribs, however, are a close second. They’re fork-tender, and the syrupy honey flavor is backed by crunchy garlic chips. Just watch out for teeny weeny bones.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Tempura Cream Puffs

If you already love cream puffs, you may not enjoy eating them in a molten state—we could take or leave these, but alongside some berry compote, it’s a fun treat for the table if you’re with a big group.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Griddled Garam Masala Bread Pudding

Let’s say you’re the type who dabbles in eating dessert disguised as breakfast. You also might be the type who’d be into this slab of garam masala-kicked bread pudding.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Braised Duck Benedict

Benedicts can be real boring. Not this one, featuring braised duck, hoisin butter, and some seriously silky hollandaise. If you’re a benedict person, have at it, especially because you also get a heaping side of fries. Our only gripe is that the english muffin could use a lap in the toaster.

photo credit: Nate Watters

Cauliflower Frittata

Cauliflower and eggs together in a frittata sounds like a ramekin full of farts, but we promise that this is our favorite brunch dish here. There are plenty of crispy edges, a custardy base spiked with nutmeg, and the cauliflower is both melty and discernable from the egg.