Came here for a birthday dinner and had a wonderful time! They even surprised my friend with a birthday candle and birthday greeting on her dessert. Portions are a bit small, so order more than you might think. The oysters were fun and refreshing. Most oysters taste the same, but the icy pink stuff made these unique. The tuna dip was an absolute HIGHLIGHT; I would consider this a 5/5 dish and would come to Möeca again just to have it. The pasta came with a kick that the waiters did NOT prepare us for. We wouldn't have ordered it if we knew how spicy it is. The uni also offered interesting textures and flavours, although I'm not the biggest uni fan altogether. The desserts were also completely skippable -- I did not enjoy them and didn't even photograph them. read more

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Had this seafood restaurant on my list to check out for a few months and finally got the opportunity to go there and once you enter you're greeted with a comfortably not-too-dimly-lit interior with darker but contrasting lighter hues. Your eyes will make one of two decisions: looking at the bar, which is simple but attractive with back-lit arches, or the window into the kitchen with a gigantic brass-like plate overhead and displaying dried fish and doubles also as a seating area. We were seated comfortably in one of the booths and received professional, courteous service with some humor as well (which is nice when you can joke around with the waitstaff). Saw the Bodega Door in the drink menu, ordered it and it's definitely one to sip and savor as it involves sherry, which shines through nicely. Everything on the menu looked enticing from their simple descriptions but interesting combination of ingredients, making your eyes water and mouth salivate simultaneously. For the raw section, the dishes that really spoke to us were Lubina, Longest Acres Beef, and Hiramasa. The Lubina, which is a sea bass, was encased in a hollowed-out mandarin with mandarin cubes, basil and a type of chile - very enjoyable with clean flavors. The Longest Acres Beef was a very nice treat wrapped in shiso leaf with smoked oyster and the buckwheat added a nice crunch to the tender textures of the surf and turf. Definitely a complex dish with layers of flavor. For the Hiramasa (yellowtail kingfish), the way to eat it is to stack everything together onto a spoon before inviting your mouth to receive it - nice contrast of textures, from the softness of the Hiramasa to the crispness of the hearts of palm, with the green curry and a small parsley leaf to round out the flavors. If you enjoy octopus when cooked right and perfectly as much as we do, read on. The octopus was one large tentacle, perfectly tender and charred (not burnt) with a flavor deserving your eyes closed while chewing and savoring its texture. The accompanying bok choy was grilled nicely with a pretty good crunch in the center. By far the best small plates dish was the Steamed Green Crab Custard. Covered with freshly grated black truffle, a spoonful of the custard which has green crab (certainly with the roe) incorporated within sent us melting back into our booth, ogling and smiling at its execution. Just an absolutely fantastic blast of decadent and intense crab flavor and delicate texture. It's a no-brainer to order again and again. The brussels sprouts didn't stand out too much for us. Even though it was a pancake, the brussels sprouts flavor didn't come through but was instead off-balanced by chickpea. If the ratio of chickpea flour were to be reduced and the brussels sprouts increased, it could work better, kind of like the seafood pancakes in Korean restaurants. One of the large dishes we needed to try was the dry aged duck cassoulet. The duck was perfectly cooked and both my wife and I realized that the way they executed it in terms of the skin which was super duper crispy and crunchy just more so resembled flavors of Chinese roast pork. Certainly was a surprise to me and definitely worked! The espresso martini to round out the night was one of the best since any time there's real coffee, it's that much better. There were dishes we didn't get a chance to try so we will be returning with more people. Definitely a solid place. read more

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Enjoyed the oyster with ramp aioli. Crab ravioli dough was too thick. Smoked trout turned out to be hot smoked rather than cold smoked, which was not what I was looking for. Bartender was kind enough to take a drink off my bill which I didn't like. When I asked him to make a 1919, showing him the recipe from Cocktail Virgin, he instead made something different, without checking with me first, adding ingredients which were not in the recipe and which totally changed the character of the drink. Not very good at taking direction, I guess. He didn't seem to understand, or care, that he was changing the flavor profile of the drink from what I had requested. Usually when a customer asks for say a gin martini with perfect vermouth, you make them a gin martini with perfect vermouth, not a vodka martini with olive brine. If I had wanted a Rob Roy cocktail, I would have asked for one. Frustrating experience overall. read more

Been craving a lot of contemporary dishes lately, so I decided to try a uinque and modern seafood tapas place in Cambridge: Moëca. If you are familiar with the Italian restaurant Giulia, this is their sister property! Though the small plates may seem pricey, I can assure you that the quality and visual presentation of the each dish is phenomenal. A splash of ever-changing flavor profiles as you go through the guest dining journey makes the experience very memorable. The service time was slightly long considering the portions of certain dishes, but our server was amazing!! Ambience is a 10/10. Lovely interior designs and seatings. Here are some hilights of the evening: Unicorn Oysters: rhubarb granita, dried lemon Hiramasa: pear, radish, white soy, green onion Maine Mussels: hazelnut, vadouvan, lime Octopus: rhubarb mojo, citrus, coriander Chickpea Pancake: wild onion, anchovy butter Maine Lobster Spaghetti: coral butter, fermented chilli, shiso Swordfish: tom yum, cucumber, wild onion Smoked Vanilla Mascarpone Gelato: spicy caramel Milk Chocolate Mousse: sesame shortbread, strawberry, yuzu sorbet Specialty beverages read more

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Whole flounder slightly undercooked served with all of its little bones was inedible. Picking bones out of your teeth is no fun. Moeca is billed as a restaurant for sharing plates but how do you share a plate of one scallop, or one oyster? That flounder was $38. Luckily I didn't order the mackerel. I'd still be flossing. Two apps and one entree with wine came to $200 with tip. Overpriced and underwhelming. What a letdown. read more

Very underwhelming and overpriced. Our party had a reservation at 5:30pm and was one of the first tables seated, however our order was not taken until after other patrons who arrived after us arrived, about 30 minutes later. It took 30 minutes after we finished all of our food for us to even get the check. We tried to order additional drinks but we failed to get our server's attention several times, and when we finally got her attention, it never ended up being served to us. The food itself was uninteresting, bland, and the octopus was burnt to a crisp. The portions for each dish were extremely small - we left dinner still hungry. Certainly not worth the price tag. We had a birthday in our group and was served a board with wrapped chocolate and a candle. It didn't feel particularly thoughtful. Overall, I would not recommend Moecam, especially for are a large party. read more

The yellowfin tuna appetizer was delicious, but the croquette and chickpea pancake and sprouting cauliflower were just ok. We didn't like the fried monkfish, but the waiter saw that and took it off the bill, which was a lovely thing to do. read more

People need to wake up and realize that it's time to stop supporting places where they are just laughing at customers in the back. Nobody that works here or owns this place would seriously eat here at these portions and these prices and this quality yet they want to tell you "we recommend 4-5 plates per person and an entree" with a straight face. You can just hear them laughing in the back. The mussels dish is laughable. The spaghetti is laughable, esp bc there were shells left in it. Flounder was undercooked and laughable. If you want to rip off your customers why would anyone come back. Boston is a terrible city for food and this is just another place to add to the list of overrrated read more

Excellent experience and will definitely go back. The wait staff told us that the menu changes everyday. But today, my favorite dishes were steamed green crab custard (the flavor was clean, unexpectedly well paired), longest acres beef (tasted the best, the photo did not do it justice). My least favorite was the Brussel sprouts as I couldn't see nor taste any brussel sprouts in there, that could be busy I prefer them just grilled or stirfried). The octopus was very juicy and tender so that was ok. The black Bass was very creative and I love the presentation as well. Will need to come back to try the lobster pasta next time! read more

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When we approached the restaurant on foot, I immediately noticed a bad fishy smell. I should have taken note of it and gone elsewhere. The smoked trout was amazing. Everything else was a disappointment. The monkfish was raw in the center. Rookie mistake. The lobster spaghetti, which we all ordered as our main, was so laden with lemon juice that you could taste nothing else but the tiny bits of lobster that were gamy. It was my birthday dinner. It would have been nice, a few hundred dollars later, to enjoy my meal. I blame Boston Magazine for yet another bad recommendation. This is the BEST seafood restaurant in "Boston???" No, not best. Bad. read more

Amazing experience at Moeca from the ambiance to the service to the incredible food! I really enjoyed the platting of each dish and the attention to detail in the presentation. We did small plates for sharing and the monk fish for the entree! Finish with an expresso martini! We will be back! read more

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TL;DR Everything we ordered was good so don't worry about getting a dud dish. For two ppl 4 or more dishes will do. Exceptional service in obvious and non-obvious ways. Boston has a great new restaurant. Food: Exceptional food! Every dish we got was phenomenally good. I doubt we got lucky; so, I assume everything is delicious. Order w/e sounds good to you and it will be. We ordered the fish special (battered Monkfish sandwich, I believe), RI Squid, and a third dish (which is escaping me). Portions: For two ppl - depending on your hunger, size, and dish portions 4 - 6 plates will do. For example, the special was a good sized sandwich. The RI Squid was medium dish. And the third dish was smaller. I'm a small guy and my date is a light eater so 3 dishes was enough for us but you may want to order 1 or more plates. Dessert: For dessert, we ordered the vanilla gelato w/ caramel popcorn. I had sky high expectations. Dinner was fabulous, I have a major sweet tooth, and I love ice cream (who doesn't). My first bite was mundane. But each subsequent bite the flavoring grew and grew. My initial reaction was b/c I expected the ice cream to carry the show but found it underwhelming. It's b/c the popcorn and caramel were the true stars, and the gelato was there to cut the sweetness. When I focused my taste buds onto the sweet caramel and popcorn, my taste buds enjoyed the flavors of a tasty, unique dessert. Service: Side note, our server was incredible. We don't order a ton b/c my date is a light eater and he never rushed us or pushed us to order more which we both appreciated. Yet he was still attentive; wenever felt neglected and he gave us space to enjoy our meal and date. Thank you! Go to Moeca to impress your date and friends w/ delicious food. Your tastebuds will appreciate it! read more

We've been to Moeca a dozen or so times, and we used to love this establishment. We had dinner at Moeca today and had a waitress who refused to check in on us once, did not get our orders until we had to raise our hand like we were in second grade, asked if we needed another drink when our glasses were empty, and she did not bother to clear our table once. If she wanted to make us feel unwelcome, mission accomplished. Maybe we will come back when we are elderly and (if we can turn ourselves) white like the table sitting next to us, who she willingly served and checked in on multiple times with a smile. We left a 15% tip (we usually leave 20% or more) because everyone else was lovely - none or this was for the waitress. read more

Great place. Great ambient. Great food. Nice small plate experience. Food is balance and fresh. read more

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For the price and food flavor, we were very disappointed. It seems creative but the flavor do not well paired. Lots of fancy ingredients but not well utilized in the dish. Not recommended. read more

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Came here the other night with my boyfriend. The food was underwhelming and some of the dishes tasted bad. There were shells in TWO of our dishes. First in the gnocchi and then in the lobster spaghetti. We didnt say anything about the shells the first time, but the shells in the lobster spaghetti were bad enough to justify sending the dish back. The waiter was rude and stood there awkwardly for a few moments before finally taking the dish away. After doing so the waiter ignored us for forty minutes and the unpleasant dish was not replaced and was not taken off the bill. Safe to say we won't be going back and will not be recommending this restaurant to our friends. read more

Excellent food and very hospitable services! Both raw and share dishes are beautifully presented with great intriguing tastes! Gelato adds more happiness to the entire dinner experience!! read more

Beautiful space and atmosphere! Friendly staff and delicious food! Presentation and flavor stole the show! We will be back ..... octopus killed read more

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Had dinner last night. Three of us. I've been bugged about this place all day as I reflect on it. I'd rate the food a 3 or 4. Most of it was pretty good. One exception that was bad was the bread. Potato rolls. They charge you for bread. Seriously. Worse is its bad bread. They should send someone to Costco to pick up something better, like anything would be better. But I digress. What frosts me was the very high prices on food that was at best pretty good. Fried oysters. TWO oysters for $14. Decent fried oysters. I have had better. Lots better in lots of places. Nothing special about these. I'd expect to be served 6-12 for $14. $36 for a small piece of cod. Not bad, not special. Not nearly $36. That's a $20 entre item anywhere else, and would have included sides elsewhere. We sit down and the waiter cheerfully announces they are into small plates for sharing. No problem. Suggests we choose 7 for the 3 of us. Uh, OK. So we pick 3. Then told several were too small to share among 3, so we go OK let's double up. We end up picking maybe 10, for 3 of us. Out it all comes in stages, and each course tiny. Awkward moments as we figure out how to split tiny portions into at least a forkful per person. Share the scallop dish (one scallop) and expect to get little more than your fork damp with the sauce. Tiny portions, fancy prices, and you have to order a lot of dishes to get fed. Ask me if the food was good, and I'd say yeah its good. Not great but good. Ask me if I'd go back, and I'd say no way I'd consider it. Bottom line. $350 with tip for 3 people, for food that was pretty good but not special does not add up to anything I'd ever recommend. No one likes to feel ripped off. read more

It's one of those places that I'm happy to try once but probably wouldn't go back for. We went for a special occasion. And the prices make it feel like it should be a for a special occasion... but the ambience, service, and food are all passable but not like special occasion levels of good! In terms of food: the pasta was the highlight. Their "crowd pleaser" squid was definitely very ordinary. In terms of service: they were pretty nice and knowledgeable enough about the menu but they recommended that we order a ton of dishes and we were uncomfortably full after. They change their menu up a lot to be "seasonal" also so if something intrigues you from the yelp pictures - call to make sure they actually have it. read more

Creative menu, Great food, great service but back up the Brinks truck! Another great addition to the neighborhood read more

We had such a wonderful night at Moëca (pronounced: moh-EH-kuh). The food was fabulous, and as vegetarians (who don't eat seafood), we had a lot of dishes to choose from. The service was lovely. The space is beautiful. And our cocktails were excellent. Save room for dessert - the homemade ice cream with spicy caramel corn was a highlight. We have been disappointed by a lot of restaurants that get hyped up, but this one did not disappoint in the least. We can't wait to go back. read more

Worth coming back to Cambridge for! Exceptional and innovative food, drinks, and service. I'm especially looking at you, Emily!! Great menu, wonderful and unusual preparations, who knew the collar of a fish could be so luscious?!? read more

On my birthday, my cousins treated me to dinner at this restaurant. Unfortunately, I found the food to be lacking in flavor, or perhaps the flavors just didn't meet my expectations. On the positive side, the service was excellent, with a polite and friendly server. The restaurant is of a decent size, not overly spacious, and has quite dim lighting. read more

A $300 Meal and Left Hungry It was with high hopes that my wife and I dined at Moëca last weekend. Regrettably our hopes for a great meal went unfulfilled. On the plus side, the room is quite civilized and the service was, if not impeccable, very good and most pleasant. We started off with some oysters--they were excellent. And as the menu seemed to encourage sharing several 'small plates', we did just that. Yes, the small plates are not misnamed; they are really, really small, but for the most part quite good. The exception to that Steamed Green Crab Custard, a dish that was recommended by a friend ("Don't ask what it is, just order it"). Sad to say, I found it to be most unsatisfying, kind of a pretentious homage to El Bulli. Definitely not worth it, IMHO. The tuna, clams in a curry sauce and octopus were very, very good. Please be aware that should you ask for some bread to soak up the wonderful sauce (of the clams in particular) that it will run you $12 for four slices of bread. An outrage. Finding ourselves still hungry we ordered an additional dish, to share, a 'large' plate as described on the menu, of the Maine Lobster Spaghetti. It was also quite good, but not large, not by any stretch of the imagination. Not even close. Over the course of the meal we had two drinks each. This was a celebratory meal for us and on balance the food was quite good, the ingredients top notch and fresh, even as the portions were seriously anemic. We go to restaurants often and while spending $300 is a bit of a splurge, it's not unprecedented for us. Neither of us obese or gluttons; but we left hungry and eager for Thanksgiving leftovers when we got home. To the point: just not worth the money, not even close. So potential diners be forewarned; as longtime residents of the neighborhood we have enjoyed eating at that location in its various incarnations countless times over the years: at the much beloved Chez Henri, then Shepard's and most recently Luce. When we heard that the people who run Giulia, a fine restaurant nearby that we've frequented, had opened this place, we were excited to try it. We will not be back. read more

We arrived early when there was plenty of seating. We were attracted by the variety and creativity of seafood options both of small plates and main dishes. The nights special was a sword fish neck - a more delicate cut and certainly out of the ordinary. read more

Aside from landing the. eat parking spot possible and the great company of friends the evening was quite a disappointment. the four of us started by ordering 7 shared plates and we encouraged to go for 15 instead and to order it all at the start since it was easier for them. we added 2 mains instead. service was very weird. they kept reaching across us as we were eating to clear plates, or talking over us reciting the dessert schpiel while we were all deep in conversation. if the food was good I'd have been fine. the fried oysters were a lovely start but it went downhill from their. the bbq mussels portion and presentation was laughable. the smoked trout on a potato was just that and nothing more. the chickpeas pancake was pleasant but the tart was bone dry. the lobster pasta was overwhelmed by its sauce as was the swordfish which at least wasn't dry. the waitstaff was pretentious and the recipes were just odd. none of the flavors balanced each other and we kept hoping in vane. the weird dessert thing was the topper. not even asking if we were interested in dessert and just launching in while we tried to ignore them and continue or conversation and the prices by the time your done! and then waking up in the middle of the night searching for tums!! read more

Disappointing. Even though the only online reservations available were 5:30 and after 8:30 the restaurant was never full for the 90 minutes we were there. The only thing at the quality of Giulia (it's predecessor sister restaurant) are the prices. The waiter was good and helped pick a white wine ( we tried three) which surprising for a fish restaurant were not very good - although not inexpensive. The waiter had a clear description of every dish which sounded better than they were. We had oysters, calamari, focaccia, salad, shishito peppers, and steak and a glass of non memorable wine. All dishes were subpar even when compared to even a lesser restaurant than Giulia. - Three small oysters had a rhubarb gratinee. The oysters were fine. However we needed to scrape off the tasteless pink unappealing ice "gratinee" - The fried part of the calamari was not very crisp but tasted ok. The broiled part had no color and was mixed in with a muddy tasting melange of corn and eggplant. - The focaccia yoghurt spread was pretty good but overpowered by siracha oil burning my lips. The focaccia itself was bland with fair texture and not warmed (nothing like Giulia's) and it was $10 to boot. - The salad with green goddess dressing was fair with a bit too much dressing and a thick carrot piece too big to cut and eat. Prep seemed to be lacking in many dishes. - The shishito peppers were huge but only half were grilled and half were raw. The cooked ones were ok as there was nothing to complicate it on a dish piled with peppers . We complained about the raw ones and it was taken off the check. - The steak was cooked perfectly (rare) but 20% was gristle and fat with an inch at one end entirely fat. $58! The urchin butter was flavorless which is surprising for Uni. It was in a pool of oil which was presumably melted butter. I tried a small bit but added nothing to the taste of the steak. I scraped it off. So the lesson learned is to try to get a reservation at Gulia's where we never have been disappointed. This was an anniversary dinner so I did not point out to the waiter as much as I could have and make it more unpleasant than it was. They gave us two chocolates with a happy anniversary wish. Best part of the meal. read more

Favorite Cambridge restaurant right now. Been 3 times. Love it! Great service, tasty drinks, reasonable wine, amazing fish and seafood creations. Highly recommend. read more

Went twice. Liked but did not love. Even the desserts. I prefer giulia. Portion sizes at moëca are weird. Prefer to sit at bar. Restaurant design is lovely. read more

Last minute date night- pleasantly surprised. We had a very enjoyable meal of shared small plates, all of which were unique and delicious. Udon and smoked vanilla gelato were a highlight. Service was also great. Will return to try the rest. read more

Managed to get a reservation for four a few days before a Friday night. Knowing their connection to Giulia and the rave reviews posted on reputable sites like Boston.com I was excited. Unfortunately, the price and quality didn't match. The menu boasted a wide range of seafood prepared in tasty ways but the final product was lackluster each time. The dishes didn't have enough culinary flair which was a shame considering the beautiful ingredients and seafood used. Ultimately, they felt hastily put together and that alone was a letdown. Charge what you want for exceptionally prepared dishes but this was far from exceptional. read more

My husband and I celebrated our 39 anniversary and decided to go to Moeca for dinner as it is in our neighborhood and based on reviews. Most of the food is delicious. BUT... We spent about $300, ordered a lot of "shared plates" four drinks and left hungry. We ate: Wellfleet clams, green curry, coconut - it comes in a wonderful broth, we asked for bread to further enjoy the dish IMHO it should come with the clams. We were charged $12 for a small basket of 4 pieces of bread. (Owner take note!!) DISGRACEFUL. On the menu it is called "house Sourdough, onion butter, smoke salt. It tasted like regular butter to me. Steamed green crab custard - sort of gross but my friend loved it Octopus tatsoi - very good Two orders of unicorn oysters, yellow fin tuna - Yum Black bass tiradito - decent Hard to believe we still hungry so we ordered a "large plate" of Maine lobster spaghetti. If they used more than a quarter to 1/3 box of pasta, I'd be surprised. It is by no means a "large plate". There is an excellent tapas type of restaurant around the corner, do yourself a favor and check it out, you won't leave hungry. read more

We had a wonderful meal at Moeca. The food, drinks and service were perfect! Our server knew everything about everything and helped us choose drinks and food all of which were stellar. Additionally, we were with our elderly parents and they were extremely accommodating of some physical challenges. The restaurant itself is beautiful, with peaceful blues and a gorgeous backlit bar. I could not recommend it more highly and I can't wait to go back. read more

The food was absolutely fantastic, very fresh and a creative menu. Nice ambience and a friendly and attentive staff

Black Bass Tiradito - Very good. A ceviche with nice touches, tiny fish eggs (not sure of type), hearts of palm. Great starter. House Sourdough - Nothing special, Save your $12. Sea Urchin Bagna Cauda ( fondue) - Avoid, unless you are OK paying $18 for some very good onion rings. This dish is just a bad mistake. A stack of 6 onion rings (tempura), to dip into a very creamy sauce that has not even a remote taste of sea urchin. Way too heavy & rich. Branzino - Excellent. Butterflied with no bones. Perfect crisp skin. Moist. A+. Vanilla Gelato - A little disappointing, given all I'd read about desserts. The gelato was very good, but I was expecting more, and just not a fan of the caramel popcorn. I'd go with something else. All in all, very good meal. read more

Food was innovative yet accessible. Each dish was uniquely prepared with ingredients that were surprising and mouth watering. The waitress was well informed on both the food and drink menus and answered questions warmly and professionally. read more

Subtle, creative, delectable bites is as good as any meal in Boston. The only complaint is the loud music which detracts from the romantic food and the wish to talk in hushed voice. read more

Service was excellent. Most memorizable items were yellowtail tuna, loligo squid, madalde. Weakfish was a bit bland for us. The bourbon amaro cocktail was delicious. Beautiful space. read more

Generally, I YELP when disappointed, so you know what's coming. After reading the rave in the Globe, we grabbed a late reservation. The hostess was wonderful, repeatedly apologizing for the wait and steering us to the nicely appointed bar. The bar tender was surly and sarcastic-- we said nothing, but a fellow bar tender cut him off and basically apologized for him. Then the hostess arrived, almost as if to rescue us. When we were seated our waiter warned us that it was late and only one of the "large plates" was still available. So he rapid-fire recited the ingredients in the small plates, making each sound exceptional. Boy had he oversold us! The $15 Hasselback potatoes arrived looking lonely and tired-- two boiled spuds on skewers with a plop of cultured cream. The octopus with peach "mole" was solid--but $28 seems a high price to pay for half a tentacle. The tautog with "smoked" bone broth did not work--I get it, but frankly it was a watery, sad dish. The red grouper with stonefruit was excellent, but not enough grouper there--we're not greedy, but I believe there was maybe one ounce of fish in the dish. When the waiter returned to our table, he asked us if we were enjoying our "little snacks." We laughed, well, yes, he was right--these were little snacks--but they were being sold to us as "dinner." The wine list was okay, but prices hovered at as much as triple retail-- appropriate for a fine dining restaurant, but seems a bit arrogant for a neighborhood place. We have been patrons of Giulia for years--it's a fine bistro (we live nearby). But unfortunately unless the owners rethink we are unlikely to return to Moeca and have warned our foodie friends off it. Frankly, it has an emperor's new clothes sort of vibe. read more