The meal was great but the desserts were spectacular. Best in Boston!

This is possibly my favorite restaurant in or around Boston. Incredible food, great drinks, and a fantastic staff. It is pricey, but I would actually say the prices are low for the quality/quantity. They are also supported by an incredible farm and in turn support local agriculture. Definitely the right place to take your business! read more

This is easily one of the best damned meals I've ever had in my life. I'm an adventurous eater, I've been around the block, and yet, every single thing I put in my mouth just blew my mind. Even seemingly simple dishes like the fried olives turned into huge surprises. I'd give it six stars if I could - this genius chef is still trucking in the kitchen with a pregnant belly out to here. Now, let's set some proper expectations. This place is likely packed every night. I would recommend a reservation each and every time, otherwise you'll likely be waiting an hour plus for larger parties. One blemish might be that the flow of traffic and proximity of the server station at the end of the communal table is a little annoying, but if you're like me, you'll be too distracted with your head buried in your dish to notice very much. read more

Every plate is an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Unbelievable pairings make you want to taste the entire menu. I haven't encountered another restaurant like it. And similar to what others say, Sarma takes the cake over Oleana. I highly recommend the brussels sprout bravas, domato keftedes, octopus escabeche, kohlrabi fritters. read more

Great food and atmosphere. We tried their hummus, BBQ duck, shawarma, foie gras mousse, Brussels sprouts bravas, octopus, pork belly biscuits, deviled eggs, corn bread, and salmon ceviche. Everything was great. My favorites were BBQ duck and octopus. Everything is seasoned heavily and a bit salty, so make sure you order plenty of drinks. read more

Oh my God, Sarma was really extremely good. Can't talk highly enough about Sarma. They certainly have a magnificent menu also. Workers are extremely pleasant and service is very quick. I can't say enough good things about Sarma. read more

I'm not a huge tapas fan, but when the tapas are fairly reasonably priced and use Mediterranean flavors, I AM ALL ABOUT IT. My husband and I came in with another couple for dinner on Monday night. We had to make a 5:45 reservation because they were booked up for the rest of the night (on a Monday!) so be sure to call ahead of time. The space was awesome - it looked like an old factory but still very modern and open. On to the food. We ordered A LOT of stuff between the four of us. The standouts for me were the seven layer hummus, the cheese stuffed bread (which was SO intense that my mouth puckered, but in a good way), and the brussels sprouts with chorizo. Literally everything we tried was fresh and super flavorful. Another thing that Sarma does that I love is that in addition to the menu, they have passed dishes that servers bring around. If you want to order one, you order on the spot and they mark a tab at your table (similar to dim sum). Long story short, this meal was super memorable and fun. I'll be back for sure! read more

As many of these reviews offered details on the creativity and flavor of the cuisine, I won't include those points here. This was our third visit to Sarma since 2018 and the food is always spot on overall. However, I was recently there for my birthday and was underwhelmed by the service and atmosphere for my special occasion. In the future I would choose a restaurant that caters to each guest, promoting a special experience. The food arrived plate by plate, even though we had asked for starters to come together since we wanted to try a variety of the dishes, then order others. The wait staff is efficient (and understandably, under a great deal of stress and pressure during the pandemic), but courtesy and professionalism were in short supply. Our waitress never asked how we were doing or if we needed anything, and questions we asked about the menu were met with impatient responses. We felt like we were just taking up seats that they were saving for the next reservations to arrive. All of the interactions were very hurried and brusque. Needless to say this attitude left a sour taste for a birthday outing, despite the delicious food. Perhaps the managers should consider limiting the number of patrons per evening to provide a more celebratory, special experience to match the caliber of the cuisine. read more

Hidden in an up and coming neighborhood, this place is a must go in Somerville, MA. Let's start with some of my favorites on the menu (as of May, 2016) lamb köfte sliders tomato, brown butter, pickles* - juicy lamb patties; so good! Also, big enough to be someone's entree with apps. fava bean paté capers, onion, endive, fava beans, dill - just like my grandma's sundried tomato borek walnut tapenade, local mozzarella, basil They serve a delicious bread to munch on, and you can always ask for more. The bar also has some interesting and tasty drinks. read more

After living in Somerville for years and years, I finally made it to Sarma last week. YUM. We ordered: Chickpea fried squid Spicy tuna dolma Brussel sprout bravas Cauliflower fatte Sweet potato latke Green garlic keftedes both desserts: frozen yogurt & ricotta doughnuts with caramel We would order again: Chickpea fried squid Spicy tuna dolma Brussel sprout bravas Cauliflower fatte Sweet potato latke Green garlic keftedes Both desserts: frozen yogurt & ricotta doughnuts with caramel Everything was wonderful. Environment was warm and comfortable. No complaints. Only compliments. read more

Turkish tapas? Hell to the yes! It's so yummy. The food is spicy like Suarez. Each bite gimmie a happy tummy. It's pricey as fuck. The location is for the cool peeps. My senses went amok. It's a place for keeps. read more

Amazing food and they've done an amazing job of making the family style experience safe and memorable in recent months.

Holy fucking wow. A friend asked if I wanted to go to Sarma. Being into going to new places for the sake of novelty, I said yes readily and that was one of my better decisions. The cocktails are notable for being creative. Some places like to crow about how creative their cocktails are, but Sarma's actually are. I had one that's a combination of yogurt, lemon, and caraway (you'll have to forgive me for not recalling the name), then another that started off sweet and transitioned in the most fascinating way to a big bitter kick at the end. The food is also phenomenal. Their regular menu is solid -- the salt cod and skordalia croquettes and the squash borek were both ridiculously good. The more fun part is their continuous specials -- they'll offer a special to you every so often and it'll be marked on a slip of paper in front of you so they can tally it up before you go. Will you spend too much? Yes. Is that okay? Also yes. Their Turkish coffee is also great and served in pretty crockery. Go here. Wait if you have to. read more

Came here on a date and was really impressed by the decor, service and food! Atmosphere is fun and colorful without being annoying, servers were knowledgeable and attentive without being "in your face" and the food was AWESOME--so flavorful! nomnomnom I am looking forward to going back. :) read more

Very safe during COVID-19. Food was delicious, we had the vegetarian prix fixe. The only item I didn't like was the broccoli brix. We left stuffed! Can't wait to come back read more

Sarma has a magical bathroom that anticipates your perfect song and plays it while you restroom. For me? Paul Simon's " Graceland". For him? Dolly Parton's "Jolene." (And yes, if given the chance, we'd rather meet Dolly over Paul)...five stars! read more

I've found a lot of places in the Boston area to be rather underwhelming, but Sarma definitely delivered. We loved the sambusek, a pastry filled with cheese that came out piping hot with a nice cold scallion yogurt topping. The pork belly biscuits didn't seem Mediterranean at all but were so warm and fluffy and luscious that we weren't about to question it. The duck skewers were deliciously tender and chewy in the right way -- I hate overly fatty or dried out duck, and this was neither! The cucumber boats with tuna tartare were a great light interlude in the midst of many richer dishes, so we were glad to see a waiter come around with a tray of those. At the very end, even though we were so full, we were excited to see the fried chicken come around and we nabbed the last one -- crunchy and flavorful and juicy! The brussels sprouts were good but not a revelation, and I think adding $1 for the chorizo wasn't worth it-- they just seemed like bacon bits scattered on top. The only real miss of the night was the halloumi, which seemed kind of boring and room temperature and just a bit salty and boring after everything else we had. I enjoyed the apple chutney-type thing that came under it, though. It was nice that everything came out basically with three portions, since we happened to be a group of three that night. My only gripe would be that the tables are placed very close together (I think it's to create better aisles for the wait staff, but it's uncomfortable to have your back right up against someone when you all have chairs that can move around). It's also definitely not easy to find parking, even though we ate close to 9 p.m. There's a lot more to try on the menu, so I hope to come back! read more

An inventive and eclectic menu. Went here with a couple of vegetarians and we were still able to enjoy plenty of variety and a great mix of flavours. Particular stand-out items were the Brussel Sprout Braves, the Baked Feta with a zaatar croissant, and the mushroom moussaka. The nuttiness of the Brussel sprouts in the bravas was enhanced by the hazelnut. The accompanying cream sauce it was served on really elevated the dish further. The moussaka was rich and earthy due to the cheese, bechamel, and porcini mushrooms. The pickled red currant added some nice acidity. Parsnip pancakes were the only let-down of the meal. They included a date(?) preserve which was too jammy and cloyingly sweet. As a group of 3, we were full with 6 dishes. Reservations are highly recommended. We showed up right at 5:30pm sans reservation hoping to snag a space at the bar but were too late. The entire bar and communal table was full of diners starting their meals. Fortunately for us, there was a no-show and we got to sit down after about half an hour of standing with drinks. read more

My favorite restaurant in Boston. So so so good! Everything you order is so good. You can't go wrong. Need reservations a month ahead of time usually. read more

This is one of my the favorite places in Boston. Pro: Nice place and food is excellent. lamb kofte sliders is my best and favorite. Also loukamade (donuts with powdered sugar and caramel) is awesome. Most of the items are good. Con: Difficult reservation ( have to be pre-planned) and difficult to get table for walk-in. Service is OK not great. read more

LOVE this place. The only problem is that it's always packed even if you get there a minute after the doors open. Amazing food, great cocktails, cool ambiance--as perfect as it can get. read more

On par with Oleana for being my favorite place. Sarma has some incredibly delicious plates that has me googling recipes months after to try and replicate the deliciousness, of course it's never nearly as good. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Boston! Every item was so flavorful and spiced well. A little expensive because it's tapas but absolutely worth it. read more

Enjoyed the atmosphere here and our waitress was great. The only reason its a 4/5 is some of the tapas were laughably small. The food quality is top notch and everything tasted great! I would just tell the waiter or waitress that you are trying to avoid the plates that are very small(?) Every cocktail we had, which was about three of the options, were VERY good. Would go back. read more

Sarma! I've been to you 3 more times since the 1st review. Still in 2nd place for my all-time favorite restaurant in the area, even though individual things are definitely a 5! Plusses: +This last time, you seated us fast even without a reservation at a tabletop after we waited 10 minutes for the bar. +Your harissa BBQ duck, circassian quail kabob, black sesame eggplant shish, and whatever the broccoli+ mix that we picked up as an appetizer was, all = truly amazing. ++/- The peach salad and nectarine fattoush were both amazing on principle for summer, but also included a lot of things in them which were not on the menu description, and which meant one of us felt a touch disappointed (yay for wonderful heirloom tomatoes, but boo on onion overpowering everything). The peaches and nectarines themselves were also just slightly underripe. + Even though I wasn't drinking the last two times around, it is amazing to watch the bartenders work. + Pretty pretty lamps for ambiance. Minuses: - All the hard edges in the restaurant mean with music and counterproductively, increasingly loud conversation it's incredibly hard to hear a dinner mate even just across or beside you. - It's so dark near the hightops it's hard to see your dinner companions. - The lamb chop was underwhelming; tasty, but I can make better at home; if it's going to come blackened you should tell people in advance so they don't assume it's just burnt. - After such fantastic meals, your desserts are consistently a little weird and not _quite_ on point. I am fine with simple and understated if it actually works. But, for example, the key lime pie topping mentioned blackberry and lime. It came more dulce de leche style, could barely taste the lime if at all, a lone raspberry instead of black. (The tastes were so off from the description we actually thought we were brought the wrong thing but the waitress indicated otherwise.) The granita had chunky resin all over the spoon provided, which made the spoon genuinely useless for serving; the waitstaff said after the fact that it was meant to be sucked like a lollipop. (If you need to explain how to eat a course, the waitstaff should at least show up at the right time to tell you.) And the granita was an icy, uncomplimentary mess. The yogurt itself was good, though, and my dinner mate liked his donut and cannoli-inspired combination. But I know from the rest of the meal you all can do better! - Ideally, you all would update your descriptions various places and call yourself (post?) modern turkish fusion instead of turkish, because people looking for traditional turkish will be confused. You are really still at _least_ a 4.5, with potential for 5.0 Ultimate Greatness. So I'm giving you another 4 because I see so much potential, just short of perfection, and still want to try you again (and again?), hope the minuses improve. read more

I was just in Boston on business and was suggested to eat at Sarma. My understanding to get a reservation at this restaurant can be up to two weeks. I can understand why in short our meal and service was absolutely superb. I've had the pleasure of eating at similar restaurants to Sarma in various locations around the country. My colleagues and I decided to each pick three items on the menu we also asked the waiter for a couple suggestions of his own that we should definitely not pass up. In all this amounted to 14 choices off the menu for the four of us. I would hope that that would give some validation to this review. The best stuff Parsnips so tasty flavors just exploded, same with Sauerkraut Potato latke , the tacos, duck , lamb sliders and nachos excellent. The Brussels sprouts were recommended and we devoured them. The restaurant was very quaint, the food service was so fast it was impressive and our waiter was excellent and very knowledgeable. They only reason it's not 5 stars is Boston parking is a nightmare by the restaurant and the bar is somewhat limited on variety of brands of liquor. I highly recommend Sarma for a terrific culinary experience. read more

Sarma was delicious! Lovely atmosphere and friendly staff. Some of the standouts were the harissa duck, brussels sprouts, persian green rice, and a fried chicken with tahini remoulade, a special that evening. Loukoumades with chili chocolate sauce were fun and surprisingly good. The lamb kofte sliders others are raving about were somewhat unctuous, perhaps they would have gone better with beer than with wine. Great place for cocktails and bar food, but to me Oleana is the better restaurant. Most of the the food at Sarma is spicy, salty bar snacks, most of it based on meat, whereas Oleana offers a huge variety of innovative flavor combinations using a broad range of ingredients. If only my Somerville parking permit worked around Inman... read more

I had an amazing meal at Sarma last Saturday night. My boyfriend and I had no problem finding parking there was plenty of 2 hour parking spots about a 5 minute walk from the restaurant. We arrived 10 minutes early for our reservation and did not have to wait to be seated. Everything we ate and drank was delicious. Service was very professional and they did an excellent job explaining the menu and have many items to get. Everything we ate was perfect. My two favorites were the sardinian squid and brussel sprouts bravas. We cannot wait to go back! read more

This used to be one of our favorite restaurants, but after last night it no longer is. The service was not very good, every mezze had the exact same flavor profile and the $12 cocktail was a glass full of ice with about a half cup of liquid. Not worth the money at all. Won't be back. read more

This was truly the most fun, inspiring dining experience I've had in a long time. Sarma, the latest venture from Ana Sortun, owner of Oleana and Sofra, is such a treat. My husband and I came here for V-day and I was blown away by the atmosphere and the truly exquisite food. The drinks: I had a Hermoso Ramo and an Elettaria. Both drinks had herbal-infused elements (the former had Aleppo pepper and the latter, cardamom syrup). My husband had the Old Soul. The drinks were expertly crafted and unlike anything I'd ever had before. I will have dreams of the Hermoso Ramo with its delicious egg-white foam and Aleppo garnish. The food: what didn't we have? All dishes are small plates and the restaurant recommends 3 dishes per person. We ordered a bit more than that because we wanted to taste everything! Some of our favorites: blistered shishito peppers with peanut dukkah, squash fritters (stellar), breaded & fried gigantes, halloumi cheese sarma wrapped in grape leaves with raisin sauce, and the swordfish shish-kabob. If you are expecting a normal appetizer-dinner-dessert type of meal, this will not be it--your dishes will arrive to the table as soon as they're prepared and these dishes are all best for sharing. Also different was the way that Sarma serves specials--instead of preparing a specials menu, the chef sends out servers with trays of non-menu items and you can choose to take them or not (sorta Brazilian BBQ style, table ticket and all). I truly have never had such an innovative meal with so many new flavors before! Considering the pastry-dessert prowess of Oleana and Sofra, I was mildly disappointed in the dessert offerings and presentation. I got the strawberry cheesecake on special and my husband the rice pudding. I was satisfied by the cheesecake, though it was definitely NOT for sharing (small-ish portion) and thought that the rice pudding serving really was a bit chintzy. I was also not into the mason jar presentation--it was really hard to get the rice pudding out of a curved jar and just thought that it didn't really go with the rest of the decor/concept. We had such a lovely evening and I was a bit sad that as we left that none of the four hostesses standing idly at the entrance thanked us for dining with them. Including tip, we spent about $160 and I would expect just a bit more in the way of service from such a top-notch enterprise...hence the four-star review. But I would absolutely recommend Sarma and can't wait to go back! read more

Sarma hasn't been open long, but they've garnered high praise from nearly everyone. I was a bit wary of the hype when I went for a late dinner last Friday, but this restaurant managed to outperform my expectations and then some. Service was attentive and knowledgeable. Related: Thank you, Sarma for having a glossary of middle eastern food terms right there on the menu. We had 6 plates, plus dessert. Note to eaters: we were VERY full upon leaving. The plates here aren't cheap, but they also aren't small. 1. Spicy tuna dolmas: One of my favorites of the night, these little cucumber boats were filled with tuna covered in harissa mayo and bottarga. It tasted much different than I expected it to: bright, tart, a little spicy. I wish I would have ordered it later in the evening, as the lightness of this dish would have been a nice break from the oily heaviness of some of the others. 2. Seven layer hummus: I didn't want this dish, but I'm glad we got it. If you like hummus, you'll love it. Olives, pine nuts, zhoug, and other stuff I don't even remember combined to make a deep complex hummus dish that I shoveled into my face like a madman. 3. Crab & red lentil kibbeh: This was the one miss of the night. It seemed to be a popular dish, and looked great, so I ordered it. I expected the kibbeh themselves to be a little more textured, have a little more bite to them. The coconut curry sauce was a little weak, too. I think this dish needed some crunch, either from firmer green papaya, more of a seared fritter/kibbeh, or something. Maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea, though. Seems like a lot of people like this dish. 4. Haloumi baked grits: The best cheese grits I've ever had, and I've eaten some grits in my day. Topped with black eyed peas and bitter greens to help break up the super rich garlic and cheese flavors. I want to purchase a hot tub full of this. 5. Potato wedges: Potato wedges covered in a rich, nutty cheese sauce. There was something quite spicy on certain bites of these. Great dish, but this plus the haloumi grits and I was ready for a nap. 6. Fresh cheese in vine leaves: Nice firm cheese wrapped in leaves, topped with a sour sauce and roasted grapes. Delicious, but I wish I hadn't been so full. Dessert: Frozen yogurt and toppings. Probably one of my favorite dessert options in the city. The toppings are all amazing and the simple yogurt is the perfect canvas. All in all, a fantastic meal. Sarma lived up to the hype and the meal was spectacular. Now that I know what I'm getting into, I anticipate that my next visit will be even better. read more

Amazing food and service! It is so delicious and chef is awesome.... you won't get same thing again, will enjoy it always! Challenge us to plan and find a table for your choice of time! read more

Love this new spot and have been waiting to try it out for a long time! Ambiance: Fun and casual compared to it's sister restaurant Oleana. Crowd is a little more young and hip, good for some groups. Need decor with middle eastern lanterns hung up. Parking may be tricky...but that was the only stressful part of the evening. Service: Friendly, upbeat, helpful. Alcohol: not a lot of cocktail options but really good beers Food: We ordered 7 tapas (we got too eager) between the 2 of us. Next time hold off on ordering too much because we did not know about the "dim sum" style specials that are spontaneously taken from the kitchen and presented as additional options to diners. Everything we had was incredibly tasty, flavorful, yet light. Favorite: 1. BBQ Harrissa Duck-perfect fat to meat juicyness and smokey flavor 2. Lamb sliders-the spices and herbs inside are incredibly, dripping with natural juice and flavor. To die for! 3. Bok Choy-the BF wanted it.Being asian, I normally wouldn't order that but was pleasantly surprised. Perfect fresh crisypness with a curry flavor. Actually loved it. 4. Beef and chard Sarma-different, lots of layers of flavor Decent dishes: Snap peas, Crab and Red Lentil Kibbeh We finished the meal wishing we had room for dessert but settled on Turkish coffee and French Press Ethiopian coffee. Perfect ending!! Definitely a new favorite! Highly recommended!! read more

My wife and I eat out several times a week and enjoy great restaurants. We do this in our home town of New York, but we also do it when we travel. I've been to Sarma twice. It is one of my two favorite restaurants in the Boston metropolitan area. If anybody tells you this isn't some of the best Mediterranean food that they ever tasted, then they are wrong....that SIMPLE! Sarma's dishes are tapas size portions of some of the most interesting interpretations of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean dishes. The staff encourage sharing. The waitstaff knows the dishes and the ingredients. The menu as a whole represents a common theme while the dishes themselves provide an amazing contrast of flavors. The cocktails are also inventive, but if you order a traditional cocktail, they get that right as well. I only have good things to say about this restaurant ! read more

This place is a must! They have great cocktails and tapa style eats. They also have rotating specials that they bring around like dim sum which you can try. I am looking forward to going back soo ! read more

Food was super extra good! Definitely an amazing chef in the back. We ordered 4 different items and had to try desert because the food was so good. Brussels, hummus, salmon and lamb!! All amazing but the salmon was by far my favorite :-) read more

The food, service, and atmosphere at Sarma was one of a kind and a totally unique experience. My boyfriend and I went there for my birthday and even though we sat the bar due to the wait for tables (this was a Tuesday and it was packed) we still had an intimate, truly enjoyable evening. I never imagined tapas could be so creative and tasty. We wanted to order everything on the menu and after about 6 selections, the bartender actually stopped us and told us it was already plenty of food, and he was right. Highlights of the meal were the squash flower blossoms, which was crispy and encasing a poached egg, served over a bed of noodles with Asian flavors. I couldn't tell exactly what I was eating in the bed of noodly goodness, but I didn't care, it was so tasty. Another favorite was fried feta, served with raddicio salad, figs, and honey drizzle. The textures and flavors of that dish was so perfectly balanced, it was nothing short of perfection. Service was top notch. The bartender was slammed but somehow we always had full glasses and no more than two tapas at our place simultaneously. We'd finish one plate just as another was arriving. There wasn't one minute where we felt rushed or were listlessly waiting. This kind of impeccable timing is so difficult to achieve and achieve consistently in the hospitality industry because it requires so much attention to detail and dedication. Our bill came out to roughly the same price as when we got tapas at Toro. Portions were perfect, there was nothing short of great I could say about Sarma. read more

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Best restaurant in Boston!! Every dish is to die for. Would highly recommend the cornbread and cauliflower.

Too. Much. Salt. I've heard amazing reviews on this place, and have been dying to get there for the 2+ years I've lived in the area. Everything was over salted and I had to drink so much water. Very disappointing! read more

Save your money. I would not recommend this restaurant the food is mediocre at best. The service is terrible.