Must try?: They change their menu often enough that it's hard for me to suggest something you would definitely find there. Be confident that whatever you order will be delicious. Do you need a reservation?: When I have gone it hasn't been full, but I would make a recommendation, just in case. Recommended party size: 2-4 is good. Any larger and you may have difficulty catching up with everyone. Would I return?: I have returned, and try to take all of our out-of-town guests. It's that good. La Brasa is a wonderful restaurant in east Somerville. There are massive windows and beautiful tables that make you feel at home as soon as you sit down. No matter how busy they are, we always feel like we are treated well and that they are excited to see us. One warning: a delicious cut of meat comes around, stopping at each table, offering slices and selling by the ounce. It is truly delicious. But it's not cheap, and it's easy to go overboard. Don't buy all of it. Your wallet won't quickly forgive you. read more

Great taste profile. The prime rib was succulent, though the fat could have rendered more. (For rib roast, it is always about the balance of how red the meat is and how rendered the fat is anyway) The empanada had a cheesy aftertaste which I enjoyed, though a little expensive. The mussels with beans and chorizo was flavorful even if it was a little salty, but it is not meant to be slurped up like a soup anyway, so I like it. As a bonus, you can dip it with bread!!! Another good starter that goes very well with the bread is the chicken liver mousse. Salty, fruity with a bit of bite from the mustard seeds, highly recommended. The Bronzino was cooked perfectly, not over, not under. The sweet and sour sauce though felt underwhelming. Service is great, good ambience, full of street parking too. read more

Super exciting to find a delicious new restaurant with a fun environment and great service. We sat at the "chef's table" and enjoyed the view of the kitchen with all the action and plating. It was definitely a show for our meal which consisted of the Bronzino, Mexican fried rice, romaine salad, and pork taco. The standouts were definitely the Bronzino and pork taco. The Bronzino was super tender and fresh with roasted tomatoes and onions that paired nicely with the delicate fish. The fish was served whole as well and was pretty large. The pork taco was very well filled with tender pork and the corn tortillas were slightly chewy but held up well to the meat. There was a nice salsa and onion topping as well. The salad was delicious because of the chickpeas, avocado, and dressing but I would have chosen a different type of lettuce since Romaine can be a bit watery and lacking of flavor. The Mexican fried rice had a nice crunch but was a bit mono-flavored too. We finished off with the banana walnut bread and ice cream. Boy was there a lot of fudge sauce. It was pretty decadent dessert but had a great homemade feel to it. Overall, excellent restaurant - would return to try some of the meatier options! read more

Quite possibly the worst service I have experienced. It's fully understandable to be slow during this time, but when multiple tables are asking other tables whether they should just leave due to lack of any service, and a complete lack of caring by servers/managers, it is a different story. As we were waiting to be served a beer that took over 25 minutes to receive after I ordered it, we heard the manager tell a table who received inedible food that they were too busy to fix their meal. Completely unacceptable. read more

Overall great experience! Seems like the menu changes often, but I will write out what we got anyway. Salmon sashimi. My husband thought this was maybe the best or second best item we got. I thought it was pretty small for $14, but yes it was good. Brussels sprouts. Delicious! The herb aioli was really yummy. Nothing extraordinary but really solid dish. Pickled beet egg. First time having a pickled egg - flavor was great, but texture wasn't really for me. Skirt steak. I didn't think it was all that great. Steak was cooked well, but the other flavors didn't do it for me. Husband liked it. Fried chicken. So delicious! One of my favorite parts of the meal. The spicy thai sauce was delicious. Flan for dessert. Oh. My. God. So freaking amazing. Best part of the meal for sure. Affogato - espresso poured on top of ice cream. Would have been better if we are it separately. The atmosphere was great. We were able to get a reservation easily. Service was great. Price was okay. The kitchen is open which was really cool. One of the chef owners was there so it was fun to watch him in the kitchen. We will definitely be back. I would order the Brussels sprouts, chicken, and flan again for sure with everything else that we order being something new to try. We are happy to have a foodie type place near us so that we don't have to go into Boston for nice food. If this place were on the other side of Broadway, I'm sure we wouldn't have been able to get a reservation the same night. Can't wait to come back! read more

Excellent drinks! Try the Somerville sour next time you are there. Food portions are small, but that's the intent (they warned us beforehand) all the dishes were yumm! Very friendly staff! read more

2nd visit to La Brasa and it definitely didn't disappoint. We took full advantage of the $1 Oysters (EVERYDAY 5-6pm) and got some amazing cocktails. I also recommend the lentil hummus with their homemade bread for a nice app. read more

La Brasa - $1 Oysters everyday 5-6pm!!! - Mexican Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Hipster spot with plenty of manufactured funk, facial hair, and very good food. Drinks were good but our server was only barely engaged. I have to take off two full stars, however, for the price on the so-called "chuleta" steak. It's an ordinary T-bone, nothing amazing, that in its smallest version (28 oz) was priced at $80, which wasn't obvious due to deceptive per ounce pricing. I don't understand why a restaurant that has, overall, such a nice formula, would give its customers a sucker punch like that. In addition, the meat we actually came for, the sliced-at-the-table tenderloin, wasn't on the menu, though it was available. Our server just didn't bother to tell us about it. On this dish the per oz pricing makes sense and is much easier to, um, digest. So, two big annoyances toward the end of what was otherwise a very enjoyable dinner. I hope these folks read their reviews because it appears to be a consistent theme. Did I mention that the food is great? read more

Had an amazing time at La Brasa. Was initially nervous to sit indoors but the protocols they have in place and the reduced capacity made me feel extremely safe. We ordered a few things to share for the table instead of getting our own dishes and I am so glad we did because everything tasted amazing. We started with the caeser salad and the chicken taquitos. The salad had a kick to it which was pretty interesting. The mole for the chicken taquitos was out of this world and extremely flavourful. We then moved on to the diabla pizza which was too spicy for me but still tasted great. For our main courses we ordered the eggplant and the steak. Both were delicious and filled us up. Finally, for dessert, we ordered the dulce de leche flan. It was a little too sweet for me and did not have the regular flan texture. Overall an amazing experience with delicious food. Follow me on TikTok and Instagram @dana_eats for pictures. read more

I've gone here 5+ times now and have never been disappointed. The staff is always super friendly and the owners seem to really be focused on providing the best available food. This means that they often change the menu to present what is in season and to try out new combinations. For us, this means a different experience each time we visit. And each time we visit, there is a new dish that blows us away. While we do have favorites that we look for each time we come in--tiradito w/shaved fennel, Mexican fried rice, fried chicken, butterscotch pudding, flan--we are always most excited to try the new additions to the menu. From lamb tongue to Southern chicken n dumplings, these are always a treat and given proper attention (chicken 'n' dumplings were pretty close to the way my grandma used to make them). And, while every dish may not be for everyone, there is enough variety that no one I have brought here has left unsatisfied. I strongly recommend trying La Brasa (and trying as many dishes as possible) and hope that the restaurant will become a staple in the area. read more

My second favorite restaurant of all time. We got the duck, prime ribs, charred eggplant with cheese and sunflowerseeds and mexicanfried rice. The duck was amazing 10 out of 10. Best duck I've ever had besides Qian ju de Peking duck in Beijing but omg! I suspect that the two pieces of meat given were cooked two ways, one was slow baked and the other like fiercely roasted because one piece had such crispy skin that it reminded me of Peking duck and the meat itself had a slightly more chewy consistency but not bad chewiness like a good chewiness! The other softer cut was just so soft and the meat was so juicy the meat just fell right off the bones! And the flavors were so on point omg, to balance out the fat of the duck, the chef was super smart and paired it with a Chinese vinegar sauce, pickled shiitake mushrooms and black garlic. In case u don't know what black garlic is, it's like this super fancy side dish thing ppl in Asia eat and it's like basically a fermented garlic completely black and like mush but I've never had it other than a side dish by itself so it was super surprising to see it in this fusion dish! Next the prime rib was phenomenon as well, I'd say it's like top top top steak. If the duck was a 10 the ribs were like 9.6 out of 10. Minus .4 points because it's sold by the oz so we got 7oz=28$ and I mean the fat was left on there so if we actually got prime prime cut where they cut off the fat then like obviously it'd be even better. Eggplant was equally great. The skin was charred but not burned smoky hikory flavors were very prominent and the meat of the eggplant was pleasantly contrasting, so soft. The vegetable was balanced texturally by crunchy sunflower seeds and the cheese gave it additional richness! Oh god they just get everything right! So multi dimensional! Lastly the Mexican fried rice was good but not like anything to rave about like I've seen the reviews here. Maybe it's because I'm Asian, like it tastes like burrito rice fried, has some crunch and vegetables cut into tiny pieces and some potatoes chips thrown in there. The best part of it id say is that If you have a piece of celery in that bite u can really taste how it accents the whole mouthful. It has a slight spice kick to it, wish the spiciness was more 3D. It was abit too oily for me but still probably the best fried rice I've had but again it's just fried rice at the end of the day so I guess u don't have that much to work with. read more

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Loved the place. I ordered their salmon with coconut curry and it was amazing. Highly recommend

Poetry wasted on this site is a sign of the wasted potential of my generation, so I'll say this; Local produce and locally raised, butchered and prepared meats in the hands of talent amount to delicious dishes. Kind and friendly service amounts to a comfortable dining experience. A lovely room to host the aforementioned conditions result in a satisfied diner. This site is dumb, but this restaurant is wonderful, so dine here. It tastes good. read more

Such a disappointment.. it was one of the only places that show up in Somerville on a Friday night with available reservations. Now we know why. The place was empty. Food was bad. From the menu to the tasteless tacos.. skirt meat was so chewy and cold when served. We were beyond disappointed we chose this place. Will not return and won't recommend at any capacity. Service was very poor. read more

The owner is very condescending. The food came out late, cold and dry and they made such a big show of the one guy cooking, like it is the most trendy restaurant in Greater Boston. The place looks all trendy and cool. Well it may fool yuppies, like a card trick and deceiving the eye, but we were not deceived and it all felt like a bad deal. Much better places in either direction. read more

La Brasa is a great place to have a nice meal. The atmosphere is modern and rustic, centered around a beautiful wood fired grill. This is particularly pleasant in the Winter, when a hint of the smoke lingers in the air. The menu changes often, and is inspired by several different culinary traditions. The cocktails are delicious, the food is great and the service was pleasant. Sure, the portion sizes are small plates and I wouldn't define this place as a value, but all in all it's a definite recommend, especially for date night. read more

Love the ambiance of this place. Great list of drinks. Mexican fried rice is a must here. Even if you are just here for drinks and not hungry do try the mexican fried rice it's that good. I would love to get my hands on that recepie:) read more

Forgettable but good burger. Pretty good brussels sprouts. Great hash browns. Inspired flan. Lacking service.

While the waitstaff tries very hard to accommodate every diner's request and to make every guest feel valued, they cannot overcome the outrageous prices for very good but not outstanding menu offerings. $33 for two smallish grilled lamb chops that might serve one person, if it were accompanied by some vegetables, rice potatoes or at least one side? We tried the Oxtail tongue quesadilla; it was a bit too spicy but overall was nice but otherwise not exceptional. Wood-fired oysters? Lots of breadcrumbs and a few bits of chopped oysters; I'd pass on this one. Fried chicken wings at $3.25 a drumstick and wing? A bit pricey and for what; an appetizer that you could find many other places?! You get the idea. The concept of this restaurant is a good one, at least on paper: serve authentic food that represents the blend of cuisines from Latin America in the context of Somerville. In execution, what we have is an overpriced pseudo-Mexican restaurant which will leave your stomach and wallet less full. PS The bread costs extra (are you surprised?) read more

Love the food here. Interesting dishes all packed with flavor. Also, the physical space is really beautiful--makes me want to linger over my meal. Servers are lovely and clearly enjoy the food that they serve. Have been here for lunch (during SomerStreet festival), dinner, and brunch, and loved each experience. I actually give the food and ambiance 5 stars--everything has been top notch in those departments. Nit picky things: though I love the servers for hipness and genial attitudes, they are a skosh inattentive... Coffee (which is delicious) lies unfilled and drinks lie empty for longer than they should be. My brunch brisket was served with the knife sitting in the sauce, leading me to have to request a different knife. The pail of utensils gets brought after I actually receive coffee/food. Little stuff. I do strongly recommend you go here. It's tucked away in East Somerville, so there's actually parking and you can get a table as a walk-in, which is fantastic! read more

Lovely, just lovely. Sometimes less is more and the after hours limited menu and perfectly groomed host was just on point. It doesn't hurt that the drinks were also just right. I would love to see this place in the day. read more

This is one of my favorite places in Boston! The atmosphere is great and the food is experimental and delicious. Plus I love anything that's cooked on a wood fire: yummmmm! I usually go for the small plates but the table-side roast is to die for. Try one of their butters with your bread, and I definitely recommend getting at least one wing. I've tried so many of their small plates, I don't even know where to start - beets, salads, hard boiled eggs, fried rice, all amazing and OMG THE TUNA TOSTADA!! The menu changes a lot so it's fun to go back. I've had a couple of things that aren't quite my jam, but someone else at the tables always likes them and I just enjoy the experience of trying something new. Their brunch is super unique and wonderful. I can reliably take my vegan relatives here and they leave happily satiated. If they have flan for dessert, definitely save room. read more

Pretty good food; hip decor. Only knock is that the mole sauce was definitely missing an ingredient or two, as it was bland. Was hoping the cook would fix it or something, or at least tell me that's the way its supposed to be, but the waiter was defensive and just said that's how it was. read more

A solid restaurant to try once. Everything was delicious but nothing was memorable. Combined with the inconvenience of getting there, I don't think it's worth a repeat trip. Cocktail wise: the newgroni and southern gentlemen were quite good. The hot Brazil cocktail was not a favorite. Dish wise: if chile rellenos are on the menu as the special, get it. Aside from that the Swiss chard pie and tacos were runner-ups. I would pass on the fried dough as they had a confusing mix of flavors and were overwhelmed by feta cheese. The per oz rib roast was OK, but a little steep on price and not mind blowing enough to warrant it. read more

Very good. A nice neighborhoody casual place. Went here for a birthday with three others. I was surprised that around 7:15pm on a Saturday night the place wasnt as crowded as I would have expected. Anyway, we had a reservation and were seated promptly upon arriving. The waiter came over and gave us water and even left a bottle for the table. Lots of small plates that are good for sharing but we went the other way and each of us ordered individual entrees while ordering the asparagus for the table as well as the bread with ricotta & olives. The ricotta was smooth and delicious and could have been eaten by itself. I was told they make it in house and you could definitely tell it was. I wish they gave us more bread; only one piece per person. The asparagus was tasty and had a nice little kick to it. We ordered the duck, the chicken and sirloin. The portions were a good size and were enough for each of us. The steak was cooked perfectly to medium-rare and came with broccolini and some polenta (which I wanted more of). I heard the chicken came out piping hot and fell off the bone. Seasoned well and juicy. The duck was also cooked perfected with a leg and breast and was also a large portion. No complaints here! The waiter was attentive and friendly. The place started to get crowded later on. Noise level is about average in a trendy part of Somerville. Street parking was somewhat tough but just have to keep driving around. Overall, a great meal out. Pricey but good. read more

Uhm...so, so. Was expecting something different. Definitely less expensive. We shared starters and dessert, and didn't order wine, and still ended up paying $72 per person. Food was ok, but perhaps a bit too fancy for such a casual place. Dessert was not good (we tried the two they had on the menu) the place is really nice, good vibe...but I don't think I'll come back. read more

La Brasa - Dining area - Mexican Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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First, let me state that the wait staff was great and the place had a pretty decent environment. No complaints whatsoever on that end. We came for brunch. I had the Ribeye hash and a Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary was pretty decent. It had a mild spice but no frills (or olives.) The ribeye was over cooked and a tad dry. The potatoes that accompanied were really flavorful and cooked perfectly. Overall, the food was okay, but I wouldn't come back for the same thing and I certainly would not pay what I paid had a known it was going to be subpar for the cost. I'd probably only come back for a cocktail at the bar, which looked really nice. Rating 3 stars because I walked away wishing I'd eaten at one of the many other great little restaurants in the neighborhood and paid a third of the price. After-which I'd have come here for a drink. read more

Excellent drinks and great food. Stared off with fresh baked bread and ash butter. Ordered the wood-fired 1/2 chicken entree with almond butter. The chicken was well cooked and tender! Wasn't a huge fan of the dessert - Dulce de leche flan. It was very rich and sweet. Would definitely come again! read more

My betrothed and I had a fantastic meal at La Brasa. The first thing I noticed after sitting down was the atmosphere of the restaurant. The dining room is stylishly designed with a finished wood motif, and a bay window looking out onto Broadway, which adds to the vibrant atmosphere. The other immediately noticeable quality was the service, which was STELLAR. We literally could not put down our water glass without having it refilled, and our waiter was friendly, knowledgable, and gave great suggestions as to what to order. We started with an array of small plates which came out in quick succession: a carnitas taco for me, an empanada for my betrothed, and bread with ricotta and olives to share. All were very tasty, highlighted by the buttery crust of the empanada. In an unusual twist, we both had the prime rib for our meal. My piece was well cooked, evenly divided between meat and charred pieces, and was just salty enough, with a healthy dose of chimichurri sauce to go with it. Our waiter suggested flan for dessert, which was also delicious. All around, a great meal; while the food was excellent, the all-around service, from the hostess, to our waiter, to the food runners, to the manager who stopped over to ask about our food, was completely top-notch. I'm looking forward to our next trip. read more

Meal was decent. Bar service sub par. My appetizer came after my entre. Expensive for small portions. Cocktails were ok. But nothing special. Food 6.5/10 Drinks 6/10 Service 4/10 Came highly recommended. I'd proceed with caution. read more

The food was decent, but unfortunately the service here was truly terrible. We had family in from out of town and had a reservation for a group of 6 at 7pm. First, we weren't seated until 8pm with no apologies or comped bar tab. We made the most of the delay with a glass of wine before dinner and when we were finally seated were met with an unfriendly waitress who stopped at our table exactly once to take our order. Our starters never appeared, and eventually our dinner showed up and we pointed out our lack of appetizers. It took 10 minutes for them to bring the starters and our remaining entrees to the table. Great ambiance but no need to come back. read more

This was our second visit. The first was a little bumpy, as we found we were restricted to a valentine's day prix fixe menu that neither my wife nor I were into. The manager made it a point to invite us back to give it another shot, and i am glad he did. The staff was gracious and the food was awesome. The menu was filled with lots of interesting dishes with fresh meats, veggies and cheeses. My wife lived the ceviche, and we were both blown away by the tableside rib roast cart service. We will definitely be back. This place serves up delicious high end fare hidden away in east somerville. read more

Just tried out La Brasa for the first time to celebrate a friend's birthday party. The waiter was very accommodating as our party kept growing with people showing up late. As frustrating as it must have been to have to split the check 10+ ways, he never had an attitude. The female hostess was a bit snarky towards us and the waiter because we had to keep adding seats for people, but everything else was great. When I first looked at the menu, I was surprised at how limited it was, but I can say after trying half of their dishes that what they do serve is prepared amazingly well. The Mexican fried rice and fried dough filled with eggplant were especially tasty. Drinks were overpriced and underwhelming, though. I'd go again - cool atmosphere and yummy food. read more

The scene setting is relaxed yet a cool vibe. Perhaps just not my cup of tea, I found the menu to be a bit lame, including the wine menu. Would recommend the tacos and the rice, but for the price some of the items were lame, including the escarole which tasted burnt. The chicken was pretty good , the flounder also pretty good. Overall it's a hipster joint, which to me is a movement trying way to hard to be "different". Worth a try just wouldn't go back.'all in my humble opinion. read more

I came here on a Wednesday night at 6PM with my boyfriend for dinner. It was easy to book a reservation, the atmosphere was great, everyone was kind. Our waitress may be the only reason for the two stars given, she was very friendly and engaged, she explained everything on the menu and made sure we always had what we needed. This is a really great spot, with so much potential, however, the food is lacking significantly in taste. The dishes were all thought out and beautifully presented, the ingredients were all fresh, yet the taste still does not meet the pricing standards they've set. We ordered: Drinks: Somerville sour $10 - Their take on a whiskey sour, a delicious drink with real lemon juice instead of a sour mix. One point to make, as with many bars, the glass was filled in whole with shredded ice. For the price, I would have hoped to have been able to enjoy for a little longer. For Snacks: Bread with ash butter $6 - Their bread is homemade sourdough, delicious, and the ash is a charred vegetable. This was my favorite dish of the night, the bread came out warm and fresh, I'm not a fan of sour dough but this was subtle sour, with a dense dough and crispy edge. The ash added a nice char taste. Roasted mixed nuts with brown sugar $5 - I was expecting something with a more thicker/crispy coating and sweater taste. This was more simply roasted nuts with a light coating or sugar, and it did have a spiciness to it (I cannot remember the ingredient they used). Good but no better than buying a can of roasted nuts from any supermarket. Taco de carnitas $5 - This looked good in the photos others have provided, but not at all what I expected/hoped. The meat was a dry pork on a raw tortilla. Overall, dry and bland. Small dishes: Mussels with chorizo and beans $19 - The most disappointing dish, and most expensive. Inedible due to the level of salt. Swiss chard and quinoa empanada $14 - This dish was good, the textures were all perfect yet still mostly bland. The chard was the only true flavor in the mix, which tasted wonderful, but the rest was a bland salt flavor. Rib roast cart service $12 - We had this dish at the end. By the time we finished eating everything else, we didn't want to bother wasting our money on more of their food, yet we already told the waiter we would and the cart came to us so we just gave in. Our 3 oz slice came with a cilantro sauce, I'm not a fan of cilantro so I cannot comment on that, however, I can say the beef was not worth the money on its own. There was a good flavor to it, smokey, reminded me of my favorite beef jerky, but dry. At this point, I wished it was less lean in hopes of the fat adding more flavor. We didn't bother with any main dishes or desserts despite still being hungry. We left dissatisfied and a little sickly from the salt level. read more

Came here last night with a big group. There were no tables in the main room but within ten min they sat us in a room in the back away from the noise. It was a very fun, informal dining style where they just brought our dishes out as they were ready and we all shared. The rib roast that the dude slices for you was great and he snuck is some crispies as well. Best thing I tasted were grilled onions with an amazing romesco sauce. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful as well. Lots of real wood paneling and tables give it a rustic feel. Great coffee too. The girl working the espresso bar is a gem so be sure and hit that up even if it's late at night. read more

Half chicken was full of robust flavor and a solid portion. Eggplant small plate was delicious as well, bread is well worth ordering. Drink menu was large with unique offerings. Ambiance is good for date night or dinner with friends. Will definitely be going back read more

Average. Disappointed because I've been wanting to visit this place for a while but getting here on the weekends there is always a long wait. Really cool looking place. Came here for dinner in a Wednesday night. Ordered 4 apps. Overall the food was average maybe even below, cocktails gold tho. Got the Tuna tartare ( good but no a lot of flavor), beef tacos (good but really lacking flavor good thing it had some salsa on it), Mexican fried rice (sooooo burnt all I could taste was burnt rice), and the empanadas (great flavor, very different and good). I would probably only come here again for drinks. Nice big bar and get to watch the open kitchen from the bar. Oh and service was good. read more

Known for small plates--not entres--this place is very spacious with a rustic wooden benches and a tad fancy atmosphere (except the music). Very nice, unique waitress with good suggestions and tasty empanada, chilled beets, tostada small plates, beer and wine. Wine is pricey but the glass is big at least. Music was not loud but total cheese classic rock sports bar playlist with bass cranked insanely high, although we could still converse at a normal volume. Music got better later after weird pauses and silence gaps. It was 9:30pm to be fair, which for Boston is like 2am. read more

Outstanding restaurant. The bread with choice of dips (try the romesco and castela noti olive oil) was delicious. The carnitas tacos and loaded sweet potato were amazing. The wine and cocktail list was filled with solid. The prices were reasonable, the ambience was relaxed and fun, the staff were warm and welcoming. I can't wait to go back. read more