500 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215
617-532-5300
The freshly opened Island Creek Oyster Bar, adjacent to the Hotel Commonwealth, is a one-of-a-kind collaboration bringing together the culinary talent of chef Jeremy Sewall; the front-of-house genius of Garrett Harker; and the oyster farm know-how of Island Creek Oysters' Skip Bennett. Their collective efforts have yielded a sleek, high-energy oyster bar and seafood restaurant dedicated to highlighting the best of New England's local purveyors, ingredients and talent.
The menu leans heavily to seafood with plenty of classic preparations alongside more daring dishes - and of course, lots of oysters (12-18 varieties daily). For diners who prefer their meal to have had its feet planted firmly on solid ground - there are plenty of plates that won't leave them wanting. The bar program, developed by the team behind the bar at sister restaurant Eastern Standard, is top-notch, whether you're in the mood for wine, a beer or craft cocktails.
Taking inspiration from the Island Creek Oyster farm, the restaurant brings a little slice of laidback Duxbury life right to the heart of the city with Gabion cages filled with tens of thousands of Island Creek oyster shells; reclaimed Wyoming snow fences used to create window shutters: and an oversized photograph of the Duxbury Bay tidal flats.
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Pastry Chef Lauren Kroesser, who currently oversees the Pastry Department at Hotel Commonwealth grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts in Wenham.
A graduate of the University of Delaware honors program, Kroesser studied broadcast television working at restaurants during college. During the summer, she tended bar on the island of Nantucket at both The Ropewalk and The Club Car. After college, she continued working in the restaurant and catering businesses in both Nantucket and Key West.
In 2008, Kroesser chose to channel her passion for food into a career and headed back to school. She attended Boston University, where she studied under Jaques Pepin and some of Boston's top chefs, ultimately earning her culinary certificate in 2008.
Shortly after graduating from BU, Kroesser was hired as a pastry assistant at Sel de la Terre, an upscale French restaurant on Boston's waterfront. She soon moved to head pastry where she remained for two years writing dessert menus, developing recipes, hiring and training new pastry staff, while also developing a bread program and making daily pastries for both the restaurant and its retail store. She has also worked as a private chef and is experienced in teaching both baking and pastry.
Kroesser, who lives in Charlestown is currently Executive Pastry Chef at Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar.
