New Restaurant: Ripple

Hello friends, and welcome to The Butlers Eat food review blog! We decided to do our first local food review at a brand new restaurant in Lowell: Ripple! From what we heard, the owners and many staff members haven't taken part in a restaurant opening before, which resulted in some wildly varying reviews during the first week. We decided we needed to check it out for ourselves, so let's dive into the review!

QUICK LOOK

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Category: Casual/upscale vibes

Overall Satisfaction: 6.5 out of 10

Price Rating: 5 out of 10

Service Type: Dine-in and takeout

Food Selection: Yucatan/Latin American inspired, with some American fare.

Alcoholic Selection: Bottled/canned beer only, large Mexican selection. Full bar.

Non-alcoholic Selection: Soft drinks only, mocktails upon request.

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Ripple prides itself on its Yucatan-inspired cuisine, but as a "fusion-type" restaurant it also includes some typical American fare. Located near the Flat River in downtown Lowell, it's easily accessible and pays homage to the building's past life as a five-and-dime store. The interior is a very open concept with the beginnings of a modern decor themed around exotic/surf shack vibes.

We arrived around 6:30pm on a Friday evening, anticipating it would be busy. Several tables were open when we got in line, which irked Casey a bit, but Caitlin recognized this was probably to help manage flow and keep the servers from getting too far behind. There wasn't any seating provided for the wait other than a large window ledge. We were seated in under 20 minutes after being told the wait time was 25 minutes, so better than expected. The host, who appeared to be a manager, sat us with no menus, and we had to wait about 15 minutes before a server arrived with them. We'd expected a long wait for food; we did not expect to sit for 15 minutes without looking at our food options. There were no physical drink menus, and when Caitlin referenced the online drink menu, they were told it was not currently accurate. Despite all this, the server was very personable and tried hard to keep up with the crowded dining area, which was tough for someone with little front-of-house experience.

Caitlin's Meal:

When I asked about non-alcoholic beverages, I was told they only served fountain drinks, but that a mocktail was also a possibility. Since those were normal options anywhere, I decided I needed to try a regular cocktail. I asked what kind of featured drinks they had and our server listed off some very tasty sounding concoctions. I opted for a drink called the Coco-cabana. It was a coconut-heavy drink made with coconut rum, dark rum, banana liqueur, amaretto, pineapple juice, and coconut milk. It was delicious! But it was also very strong! I hadn't even consumed a third of it by the time we got our appetizer and I was already feeling pretty buzzed (not a bad tactic for a restaurant still trying to figure out their flow).

Casey and I started the meal with chips and salsa. We wanted to add queso as well, and the server said adding guacamole would be free since we already ordered the queso. Unfortunately that was not accurate. But more on that later. We chose the chipotle salsa (the spicier of the two options) which was incredible. It was full flavored and just spicy enough to get a little heat going on the palette. The guacamole was good, but lacking salt. The queso, regretfully, tasted more like canned nacho cheese than a house-made sensation. Though it did grow on me a little throughout eating it (I blame the coco-cabana). For my main entree, I ordered the Cochinita Pibil tacos. Though it took what felt like a while to come out (I lost all sense of time and space thanks to that delightful cocktail), it came out hot and incredible. The pork was flavorful and juicy, with a hint of cinnamon, the tortillas were supple and fresh, the pickled onion provided just enough of that tart pickled essence to add balance, and the habanero cilantro hot sauce was to die for. This sauce was thick, more like a spread than a sauce, and it was so spicy I was crying by the end of my last taco. Thankfully, we were provided plenty of water so not only could I cool my mouth down, but also save myself from a hangover the next day (to Casey's shock and awe. Lol!).

I ended my meal with a house marg and boy was I let down. I heard the server at the next table over describe it to his table. He said they were "real margaritas" and were not as sweet as most people would expect. As a former bartender and a person who does not care for tequila very much, I am rather particular about my margs and this one was not up to my high standards. It was pretty sweet and I didn't get much of the real lemon and lime juice I expected from a "real margarita." Additionally, I was never offered a salt or sugar rim, which was sad. It took pretty long to get this second drink as well. The restaurant had slowed down significantly by the time I ordered the drink, yet I felt I had to wait much longer to receive it than the first drink. Although, the bar was pretty hoppin'.

Overall, I was highly satisfied with my tacos and my first bev. But I was let down by the chips and dip, and my marg. Our server's personality definitely improved my experience. He was so dedicated to the food and was very humble, telling us it was only his 3rd day ever serving (and he did a great job!).

Casey's Meal:

Interestingly, Ripple currently has a wide selection of Mexican beer brands, but the specific beers aren't the most widely popular ones from those breweries. For example, instead of Corona Extra, they carry Premier; instead of Modelo Especial, Negra; instead of Dos Equis Lager, Ambar. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, but it doesn't seem like a great business decision. I ordered a Corona Premier and got it with a lime; the classic Corona serving style. Partway through I also had a Dos Equis Ambar. Both had very fresh dates on the bottle and were served cold. They don't yet have draft lines set up, but I'm hoping that changes in the future. Looking around the room, I could see people drinking Budweiser, Blue Moon, and Bell's Light Hearted, so they have a good selection of beer types present at least.

For my entree, I decided to go for the more American-style side of the menu, choosing a pimento cheeseburger. I'd hoped for cornbread on the side but was told they were out (hopefully a good sign), so I went with fries on the side instead. Although it was a bit of a wait for it, the food all came out hot and the ingredients seemed very fresh. The fries were good, but we weren't given any condiments like ketchup or mustard for them or for the burger. There was also a distinct lack of napkins at the table; Caitlin had their silverware wrapped in a real napkin, but mine were wrapped loosely in a paper towel, and we weren't offered any more than that.

Ripple's burgers are all double smash burgers with beef and brisket patties, which is an awesome gimmick. The pimento cheeseburger was so savory and mouthwatering that I'm still thinking about it while writing this the day after, haha. Sadly, the food runner who brought it out said this was the last day they'd be serving them, as customers just weren't buying it. This was an outstanding burger and it broke my heart a little hearing that was the one and only time I'd be able to get it. Hopefully it's something they'd consider for a future special.

There's no dessert on the menu yet, but our server told us they're working to add some soon.

Price Debate:

Overall, the pricing seemed steep for the quantity of the food we got. The chips and salsa alone were $7 for not a lot of chips, and adding guacamole and queso meant an extra $3 each, and it wasn't very much queso for that price.

Caitlin felt that $4 per taco was too high simply based on size alone, and there should've been a discount for ordering multiple tacos. We both agreed if there was a side included (house sauces, sour cream, coleslaw, beans, rice, etc) they would've been more worth the price.

Casey felt his burger was almost high quality enough to be worth the $12 price, IF it also came with a side instead of paying $3 extra for some fries. Maybe a $9-$10 burger without a side. Caitlin expected to see a burger priced more in the $8.5-$9.5 range by itself, but Casey had a very high opinion on the quality of the burger and its ingredients.

Final Thoughts:

As a whole experience, we thought the food was great, the drinks were acceptable, the employees were delightful, the atmosphere was cozy but loud, and the pricing was not great. We both went in with an open mind to enjoy our time there, and we certainly did, but there are some improvements we hope to see by the next time we visit.

As a beer distributor with no service industry experience, Casey would like to see some of the more popular Mexican beers represented (which hopefully will happen as the restaurant gets on its feet), and including some sort of small sides with the meals to offset the high cost.

As a former server, host, and bartender, Caitlin could tell there were a number of kinks to work out regarding flow of service. Some immediate improvements could be made by more cohesive teamwork and communication between front-of-house, back-of-house, and bartenders. Having someone running expo in the kitchen would aid with the pace of service, as well as having more of a sense of urgency when bussing and cleaning tables.

Despite the hardships of its first few weeks, we both look forward to Ripple growing and becoming a downtown staple in Lowell. It has a lot of potential, and a very dedicated staff. We absolutely encourage anyone in the area to give them a shot, but remember to be patient and understand they're trying their best to offer great service and a great experience. Be kind and tip well!

Where should the Butlers eat next? Drop us a comment on our social media, and we'll have a new post next month!