Scutra is in an unassuming location in Arlington on a main road near some other businesses. Once you step inside, you'll notice a classy but comfortable atmosphere. The staff are attentive and funny as well. Scutra's menu really impressed me with a broad cuisine consisting of italian pastas, steaks, seafood, and more. I honestly wished I could sample each entree! We started with the fried avocado hearts as an appetizer, which were wonderful and in a nice thick sauce too. We also ordered the lobster avocado tacos which were sublime. Then it was time for the main course, grilled medium rare maple hanger steak, cheddar mashed potatoes, and bacon wrapped haricot vert (green beans). It was bursting with flavor and the sauce was wonderful (maple anything will please me haha) and I got to try someone's rainbow trout with stuffing (including shrimp) which I also really enjoyed. Scutra comes highly recommended for repeat visits to try their diverse menu items, which I hope to do in the future! read more

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As regulars, each visit we see consistency in food, drink and service. It is wonderful to be greeted and engaged with a dedicated, professional and caring team. This visit we tried butternut squash spring rolls, Caesar and beet salads, cod special, pork ossobuccu, chicken and salted caramel gelato. All are tasty and appropriately portioned. As usual my gettin figgy with it and espresso martinis were delicious. This is a special bistro and community, just go! read more

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Delicious dinner at Scutra! I ordered the Caesar salad, Mussels (garlic white wine), and Fries. Others at the table ordered the flank steak and short rib ragu - all delicious. I went on a Friday night after the holiday and it was lively but tame. Everyone on the restaurant looked like they were having a great time. The food tasted fresh - so many great options on the menu it was hard to choose! Our waiter was incredibly friendly and attentive to our table. Great ambiance for a cozy dinner as a couple or a group of friends. There is also a bar that you can eat at to read more

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Excellent food and drink, charming atmosphere and kind staff. Everything came out very quickly and our bartender Brian was able to answer all our questions. I think the bar is great for a first date as the dining areas are a bit noisy for me. We stopped by before heading to a show at the nearby Arlington Friends Theater. I don't think you can go wrong with this menu! My guest and I shared dinner tapas-style and got bread service (not complementary), the artichokes and zucchini blossoms appetizers. I sipped a perfect red sangria, he had the Run Rummer and a mojito that he was blown away by. We were very satisfied and found everything reasonably priced for the quality. This place definitely lives up to its name for European dining. read more

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Scutra is an absolutely first rate establishment. It calls itself a European restaurant. Given how Americanized and globalized European restaurants have become, I am not sure that is a good idea. I am going to call Scutra a very fine Yankee restaurant. The owners may not like the Yankee name. Arlington residents will surely not like that. Trust me. Being a Yankee Restaurant is a good thing. * * * I am a former Needham resident, who has moved to Texas, and did a return visit to Boston to do some Yelping. The term "Yankee Restaurant" refers to some old school restaurants you see in the New England and the Mid-Atlantic states that you don't see so much of in Texas. This is the kind of food that would have been served at restaurants with names like "The Old Coach House Inn". Often as not, the food really IS served in an old house. If you think about the menu of places called "The Old Coach House Inn", you know exactly what I am talking about. The food is upscale and considered to be "nice". The menu is not particularly ethnic although it may have individual dishes with origins from other countries. The emphasis is on a high quality basic center of the plate protein. Fried seafood, steak, prime rib, stuffed fish - these are all common items. Side dishes can be more elaborate. A bread basket comes before hand. The bread is usually distinctive; it can be the star of the show. The 100% non-negotiable rule is: The raw ingredient for the center-of-the-plate protein has to be absolutely high quality. After that, the house has a lot of options, assuming quality is maintained. The chef has free choice about simple versus elaborate. The chef can borrow from whatever national origin of recipes they like so long as no one foreign country represents more than 25% of the menu. The chef can make dishes that a colonial Boston merchant would have eaten - or make dishes that were invented last week. * * * I am always happy to eat in Yankee restaurants. I rarely get them in Texas. I absolutely love them in New England. Scutra is everything I would want in a Yankee restaurant. They do make you pay for your bread basket. This is in theory a crime. It is just as bad as a Texas Mexican restaurant charging for chips and dip. But the economic logic of charging for an appetizer is indisputable. It also gets the public off of the [bread/chips-and-dip] cliches into other more interesting options for starters. The chef may have an educational point here. * * * Otherwise, everything I had at Scutra was wonderful. The star of the show was scallops wrapped in bacon with couscous and an amazing sun-dried tomato and lemon oil sauce. The champagne dressing on my green salad was superlative. My grapefruit cocktail was an honorific salute to all grapefruits everywhere. Dessert was a strawberry rhubarb tart. There is NOTHING more Yankee than rhubarb anything. The strawberry-rhubarb combo is a great New England tradition. This is up there with the Red Sox, fried clams, and houses built in 1720. This is a reminder of why thinking all desserts have to be chocolate is a serious mistake. Scutra's rhubarb tart is completely lovely. * * * Altogether, Scutra is a wonderful place. Massachusetts is filled with culinary treasures. After you get your emergency fix of really good subs and really good ice cream, The Yankee restaurants should start calling your name. Scutra is a good place to come home again. read more

If you are looking for Mediterranean cuisine without needing to go into Boston and live in the western suburbs, I recommend Scutari Restaurant in Arlington. A small restaurant with ample free parking where I recommend reservations for a weekend evening. We started with drinks and the sesame ahi tuna poke nachos which were plenty to make a full meal. With some spice provided by the bang-bang sauce, not exactly Mediterranean, but worth the indulgence. Entrees included the sea scallops wrapped in bacon which were sourced locally and cooked to perfection. Also enjoyed was the rigatoni bolognese which left enough for lunch the next day. I am looking forward to the outdoor dining in the back of the restaurant opening up with the warmer weather hopefully on the way this summer. The ambiance there looks like it could be fantastic. Nice job Scutra! read more

See my previous review for the atmosphere, which hasn't changed (thank goodness). I went with R, who first introduced me to Scutra a few years ago. For some reason I hadn't been in awhile, so when she asked where I'd like to go for dinner this came to mind. We went on a Wednesday night, early, so it wasn't crowded (in fact it didn't fill up at all while we were there, which was a surprise). I started with a vodka tonic and she had a cocktail of some sort. They have a full bar and seating for about 8 at the bar, which looked like a cozy alternative to sitting at a table. For appetizers I had a Caesar Salad and she had the Soft Shell Crab Mini Taco Board. Both delicious! For the main course I had the Homemade Rigatoni Bolognese - Short Rib (nobody does short ribs like Scutra) which was mouthwatering, and she had the Togarashi Seared Tuna, Sweet Corn Salad and Wasabi Dressing, a favorite of hers. The portions were generous and I brought half of mine home for a delicious lunch the next day. The staff are friendly and efficient. My only negative comment is that I arrived about ten minutes before R, and while I was seated right away, no one asked me if I'd like to order a drink while I waited. Not sure why, the place wasn't busy. A small oversight, and not enough to keep me from going back, eagerly! read more

We had such a great dinner on a Friday night at Scutra! The service was incredible, our server told us about the restaurant and how its family owned, has a changing menu for seasonality and about their outdoor patio for when it gets nice out. The drinks were great (Festivus Marg and Amaretto Sour) and the food was even better! We ordered the Poke Nachos for an appetizer and the presentation was so beautiful. Our entrees were huge and delicious. The Homemade Rigatoni Bolognese had such a tasty sauce and perfect texture pasta. The Duo of Filet Wrapped in Bacon was cooked to perfection. We can't wait to come back and try more! read more

Scutra Restaurant - Sesame Ahi Tuna Poké Nachos - Modern European Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

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Ended up at Scutra this weekend, as it was close to an event we went to. The service, drinks, and restaurant in general was incredible. That said, the food was absolutely next level. I went with a party of 4, and was able to try everyone's appetizers, entrees, and desserts and ever single one was unreal. Cannot recommend this restaurant enough. read more

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I came for my birthday dinner and had the perfect meal, starting with the perfect cocktail... the Lougroni! A negroni with Saint Germain, which blew my mind. A fruit-forward Negroni master variation. The tempura artichokes appetizer and hanger steak entree were memorable. Truly a joyful and delicious meal. I will be back soon. read more

Consistently excellent food and service!! My favorite restaurant in the Boston area. If you go for a birthday, they put a very cool sparkler in your dessert. In the summer, it's great to sit outside and watch people on the bike path below. Just excellent. read more

Came here to have dinner with family, had a lovely time. We each ordered an entree and shared two desserts. Everything was very delicious. The short ribs were so soft and tender. Definitely recommend them! We were all soo full after. We got bread for the table which was great as well. Everyone was very kind and helpful. Had a great time, thanks! read more

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Great food, good service. However, we went on a Saturday night, and since the TV behind the bar had on a playoff football game, it became a sports bar instead of a gourmet restaurant. Very loud, lots of hooting and hollering, people up and down from their tables. Putting in a TV was a mistake at this place. Killed the high-end vibe. I don't know if we'll be going back which is a shame because the menu is tremendous read more

Food ,service and ambience are always consistent. The food is amazing and you are guaranteed a great experience with the culinary expertise of the chef here. A fun dining experience always. read more

For 1 at the bar, or 15, for Mom's birthday as I did recently, still the best around. My favorite for 20 years. Service, price and Chef Didier's magic cuisine. read more

What a fantastic dining experience. I felt so present in everything that I didn't bring my phone out to take pictures. The food is fantastic. I had a tough time picking out my entree because I wanted multiple. Service was top notch. Loved the mocktail I ordered. Dessert was the perfect way to end the night. Second time here for a special occasion and can't wait to come again. read more

We got T/O. As usual, everything was wonderful. Dine in, take out the food is always superb. Try the fried artichoke hearts

Scutra's menu is great, and the food is amazing, but the people are what make it one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. Everyone that works at Scutre wants you to have the best dining experience you've ever had. We've been there a few times now, and the food is always fantastic. We've make sure to sit at the bar, because Louie, the bartender, treats us like family.... No, not like family, because I know my family. He treats us like the most important people he's ever met. I never leave Yelp reviews, but I felt like I had to, because everything about this place is so incredible. read more

Scutra Restaurant - The bar - Modern European Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

We come here a couple times a year, usually on special occasions. The place is consistently very good. Many of the dishes are imaginative, with unusual combinations of ingredients. For example, I had Elk Chops last time. Also a Creme Brulee which is finished with a blowtorch! Now that's brulee. Service is very good. I also find the prices are very reasonable for such a classy place. Prices have gone way up at most restaurants, but this places seems to be keeping things under control. read more

The food is always excellent. The staff is great. Love to sit at the bar (when the other regulars aren't hogging all the seats!). Tonight was escargot (so good I forgot to take a picture) and a veal chop. My wife loves the beat salad (yuck for me!) and pot stickers. read more

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It is hard to express how seamless and stellar the service was tonight. It was breathtaking from start to finish. This is a restaurant that I love, and frequent for its outstanding and creative food, and tonight was no exception. Nor was the service...it was outstanding. Try it, if you haven't. Return, if you have already been there. read more

This restaurant was a favorite of my mother-in-law for years. Many a family celebration was held here. Food is out of this world. I cannot wait until I go again! Warmth throughout the place. read more

Excellent food and service with a nice atmosphere. Free On site parking. Expensive but good for a special meal out.

The food here is SO good, we have been here twice and both times we have had the most memorable meals, I am absolutely blown away!

Food was excellent !! Service was superb Michael catered to our every need ! Never had an empty glass of water !! Hostess Maury was lovely Ans accommodating us last minute .. Thank you i highly recommend this Restaurant! read more

Excellent. Every time. Do try the dirty martini and the beef Wellington or the hanger steak. Also the grilled cheesecake or the tuxedo cake!

I've been going here for about a year now. Their little bar is the hottest seat in town on weekends, and rightfully so. The bartender/manager Louie is a master- of-hospitality, and you'll find that almost everyone seated next to you is a repeat customer. The non-Mass Avenue Summer Street location can make this place easy to overlook but don't let it. The mostly pan-European menu is an eclectic mix, reasonably priced, with something for everyone. There are nightly specials, always something new to try. Don't miss it. read more

Thoroughly enjoyed our meal last night! The food was delicious and inventive. Presentation was lovely. Drinks were tasty and strong. Our server, Ava, gave great suggestions as well. Can't believe we didn't hear about this place sooner! read more

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Wonderful local Arlington restaurant. Homey and personal service. Food and drinks are made with passion.

Great service and presentation. Outstanding menu with lots of variety for appetizers and entrees. Food is excellent

Wow! Just Wow! I can't speak more highly about this restaurant. It's a city vibe but better food, service, and ambiance. Hits a 10 on all marks! Keep up the good work. I'll keep coming back with family and friends. You guys ROCK! read more

Just a few of the Amazing dishes at Scutra. Valentine day was awesome. Great service great ambience amazing food, outstanding service and extensive wine list that anyone would appreciate Chuck and Denise read more

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Small space but big meals and such inviting atmosphere at this family-run neighborhood gem. Cheery service, special dishes, and great wine list! Bravo! read more

Absolute gem ! Chef is amazing and each entree over delivered. Drinks, dessert and amazing staff contribute to Scutra being a rare restaurant that truly delivers an exceptional dining experience. read more

Great food and service!! Variety of great dishes, servers were great, even a brand new person was super conscientious and got answers to any questions we had. read more

Easily one of the best spots in arlington- cannot go wrong in this menu. The service and staff are also super which makes this spot a go to for a higher quality meal read more

From the first bite of the first appetizer to the last forkful of the last dessert, the meal was replete with Ooos! & OMGs! and other exclamations of how delicious every bite was. I've never had that kind of immersive experience in flavors & textures before. Lots of V & GF options...in fact the Cauliflower Tian was a standout. I'm a good cook & have eaten around Europe. But this? This meal was the best. *Evah* Food took a while but it was packed. Great server. read more

Scutra overdoes heavy sauces and salt. It is not the healthy , light fare that makes a memorable meal. I won't be going back.

Driving up to this restaurant you'd never expect the interior to be so elegant and the food so upscale. It's off the beaten path (aka not on Massachusetts Ave.), and the parking lot is in front and on a busy street, but once you're inside you'll forget all about the outside world. The interior design is a very inspired transitional style that reminds me of the Real World of the 1990's but in a good way. The food is New American and there's a well stocked bar. It's a great place for date nights or a girlfriend night but I would recommend against bringing your kids. There's just nothing on the menu for a picky child. Although I did see the waitstaff accommodate some off menu requests for a tween at a neighboring table. The service is friendly but very professional. Will definitely go back for another date night soon. read more

Wonderful food great service! My wife and I will definitely be back. One of Arlington's best restaurants.