Yuri S.

Came here on a Friday night and it was amazing! Highly recommend a reservation. They have inside and outdoor seating. There's parking lots and street parking around the corner. There's street parking in front of the restaurant but on Fridays it's reserved for the car show. The inside of the restaurant is beautifully decorated and spacious. They have a mix of large and small tables to accommodate different party sizes. The service is great. They have people walking around constantly refilling water and also collecting plates to keep enough space on the tables. We go the Santorini spritz which is very similar to a Hugo Spritz and pino Grigio for drinks. They bring a sauce and pita and bread to the table before the meal. The food came out very fast I got the dafina rigatoni. It was flavorful and had a good amount of heat to it. The garlic in the dish was not over powering either and it had a good amount of chicken in it too. My friend got the penne vodka which was flavorful and had the perfect amount of sauce. The portion sizes were large and overall a good price

Sukhmani K.

Stopped in on a Friday night for dinner without reservations and had a fantastic experience. I would definitely categorize this as a fine dining spot, but with generous, family-sized portions. The service was an absolute 10/10; our server, Mario, was incredibly pleasant and made sure our entire evening was flawless. We will absolutely be back! As for the food, it was an 8/10 overall. The Santorini Spritz was the perfect drink to start the meal, and the Roasted Beet Salad and Baked Shrimp Santorini were absolute standouts and personal favorites. The Angry Halibut was also decent. The Chicken Souvlaki was a bit "mid" and wasn't my favorite, but it's still a safe fallback option if you aren't sure what to get. Overall, it's a 10/10 experience!

Ritesh S.

upscale and chic vibe, Great bar with a decor that feels both modern and warm, creating a lively Mediterranean ambiance. We went on a Friday evening without a reservation, and while the main dining room was buzzing, we luckily snagged a spot at the first-come, first-served high-top tables on the bar side. We started with some perfectly mixed drinks--the margaritas were crisp and the Spritz was refreshing--paired with a few vegetarian appetizers. The Dafina Chips (crispy zucchini and eggplant with tzatziki)and Greek spread platter was great as well. Overall, a fantastic spot for a casual yet sophisticated night out.

Kori K.

I Recently enjoyed lunch at Dafina, upon walking in the restaurant space is absolutely stunning! Very open, light and airy, it's giving Mediterranean vibes. We were seated in a semi circle booth that gave us a view of the entire restaurant. Upon being seated you're served complimentary semolina bread/pita baskets with hummus. The hummus was delicious and I loved the fresh minced shallot on top. We reviewed the well rounded menu and opted for the prix fixe lunch menu. When ordering off that menu you have to order all three courses at once, I ordered the stuffed clams, tuna, and tiramisu. The clams arrived and were a little too large for my liking and I wish they were crispy on top. The tuna entree on the other hand was spectacular, I loved the crust and the sauces that accompanied it. It was a quality piece of tuna and the star of the show. I do wish rather than being served with beets they served it with either rice or some sort of salad, I think that would compliment the tuna more so than the beets. The tiramisu for dessert was delicious, it came with fresh whipped cream and berries. Overall would highly recommend Dafina, a treasure for Somerville restaurant scene! *on another note Dafina turns into a club after ten p.m on weekends with a DJ coming in and is so much fun! The bar is beautiful and the bartenders are so sweet and do a great job. The crowd was middle aged, however, as the night went on became younger.

Matt G.

Dafina is an interesting mixed bag. My wife got home from work quite late on Saturday night and we decided to go out. We arrived at Dafina just shy of 9pm and were shocked to find we had to wait quite a long time just to get to the host stand. And so we waited in line for about 15 minutes before we made it to the front, only to learn they were sold out to reservations for the whole evening. And while it is surprisingly to be sold out that late at night, it wasn't entirely unbelievable as the first comment I made to my wife when we entered was "so loud." The place was packed and everyone had to speak incredibly loudly, because the music being played was incredibly loud. I would say it's akin to the level of volume you'd expect in a nightclub. The clientele was also dressed as if it were one too. This is definitely a fancy dress establishment, though there is no enforced dress code as far as I could tell. Maybe it was the generic nightclub-styled music but it didn't give off a particularly authentic Mediterranean vibe, despite the motifs around the building. We inquired about eating outside, where we found there was plenty of availability. This was a good move, because otherwise, it truthfully would have been difficult to have a conversation. We started with the beefteke, which came with four patties of ground beef and lamb, two pieces to pita and a tzatziki sauce blend. For an appetizer, it was definitely a shareable portion and a quite a flavorful one, like a gyro in burger patty form. Next for the entree I had the seafood pappardelle. There were chunks of whole lobster on the plate and a good portion of various seafoods, absolutely smothered in sauce. It was rich, flavorful, and I didn't come close to finishing it. Last we had the galaktoboureko for dessert, which our waiter described as a cross between a key lime pie and cheesecake with a thick layer of phyllo dough on top. It was warmer than expected, but was just as described and delicious. Served with a side of ice cream, whipped cream, and some assorted fruits. This is one of those rare reviews where the food was excellent, but the other aspects of the restaurant hold it back. The loud atmosphere isn't for everyone and you will need a reservation, especially on a weekend to get in. Also, for the money, while the portions were large, you can expect to spend about $100 per person. Drinks here are about $20 a pop and appetizers can go for quite a bit more than that, so you're not getting a lot of value there. A comment was made between my wife and I when we sat down that these were "Hawaii prices," if that helps in context for anyone. And to cap off the evening, while our service up to this point was great, they seemed to forget to take our card after a long wait, and I ended up having to bring it to the host stand myself. All and all, it's not a bad experience, but a "premium" one. Fancy dress, loud music, and pricey menu items aren't a bad combo, but definitely not one suited to everyone.

Gerald N.

4.25 stars for a great first impression! This is one of those reviews which I needed my pictures to help me remember what we ordered (ALOT!). There are some things that can be improved as below. A beautiful space and well used space. There were tables of various sizes including private parties. Service was professional, timely, and friendly. The owner was walking around chatting as well. They have a good sized menu with varied food choices and a good sized wine list as well. 1. French onion soup - Good broth, lots of cheese on top, no big loaf of bread inside which is a good sign. Slightly above average for me. 2. Zucchini, fried - Thought these would be thinner and crunchier but there could be improvements here. Good flavor; some with too much salt; some soggy. 3. Octopus appetizer - Solid with good grilled flavor that is not overbearing. 4. Fig and burrata - Good refreshing dish; simple 5. Beet salad - Large portion. You have to like beets and strawberries to appreciate this dish. Good balance of flavors with the other appetizers. 6. Crab cakes - One of the best ones I've had. Minimal filler which made the cakes very flavorful. Also not too salty, which I appreciate. 7. Crab ravioli - Loads of flavor here with good tasting sauce and the right portion size. 8. Charred broccoli (side) - Wish it was a bit more crunchy but the charred flavor is nice 9. Fries - Good but not great. Could be a bit crunchier. Good size though. 10. Grilled Lobster - Big size, great grilled taste, loved it. 11. Tiramisu - Good portion and good mix of texture. Not alcoholic. 12. Baklava - Large portion size to be split (or not). Pistachio gelato is fake tasting. They could just get rid of that. Overall, a great first time here. Ordered a ton of food and will be back for more!

Anna D.

I came to Dafina with a group of friends for happy hour on a Wednesday. It was pretty easy to find parking nearby on the street. For busier times like the weekend, park in lot 1 which is behind the restaurant. We were impressed with how nice it is inside and also how big the space is. We sat at a high top in the bar area and had some wine and shared the Greek Spreads. The wines were all good and the dips were tasty but small portions with only 4 pieces of pita. One in our group if gluten free so we requested some veggies to dip and were grateful the server brought us a handful of sliced cucumber. Overall, we had a good experience but be aware the prices are a bit high for most entrees. I'd come back to try more food but would pick Sunday-Tuesday from 3-7 as they current have 30% off the whole menu then!

Kimberley L.

The food was ok and the mixed drink was not great. The Paloma did not taste like any Paloma I ever had, not sweet enough and I'm not sure what Tequila was used. The omlete had no salt or seasonings nor the potatoes. The place is very pretty. Will try again and hopefully the dinner meals are better. The pancake was yummy. Service was ok.

My friend and I had brunch here today and it was AMAZING! Stephanie and Torou made sure we were happy and our bottomless mimosas were always filled. They were both so friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and answered our questions on the private party room reservations. We will be back!! Give Stephanie and Touro a raise!

Debbie K.

4.5 stars for me but I'll round it up. Went here on NYE they had a live Dj, I'm sure it's just for that night. The dining room was beautiful. When you sit at your table it feels like you're in a different world, definitely not in Somerville anymore. Simple, modern, clean, you can tell they spent a lot of money on the restaurant. Our server was Diamant and he was so attentive. The service was excellent! I hope this doesn't change. Very experienced staff. Everyone who came to the table was professional. Big WOW for me. It's not easy to train staff so kudos to the manager. Food was a 9 out of 10. Huge portions. Definitely getting your moneys worth. The appetizers were all good. We got fried calamari, shrimp Santorini, and the grilled octopus. The ribeye, I thought was cooked properly and seasoned well but my friend thought it was under seasoned so I guess this comes down to personal preference. The crab & Lobster ravioli was the star in my opinion. The sauce was just so good! The dishes that was a miss was the Halibut and the side spinach. The halibut was cooked properly however I didn't care for the taste of the sauce. The sautéed spinach was just so bland. Overall very good experience. Will definitely be back. With all the drinks we ordered the bill came out to $670 which was not bad at all for 6 people. If you're not looking to spend that much, perhaps split the entree or skip the apps because the portion is big.