Decent parking, friendly hustle from the professional wait staff. The tapas were really American apps and tasting plates. The cocktails were ok, not delicious. The tomato soup was not very good. Folks who ordered the hearty sandwiches seem more pleased. Maybe for a cocktail and a quick bite, but not a stop for dinner. read more

Tapastre - Absolutely delicious Creme-brûlée - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Somerville, New Jersey

Great food. Loved the beer selection. Our server Brooke was awesome. Helped us move when the jerk at the next table couldn't stop throwing F-bombs and worse around with literally every sentence. Thanks Brooke for helping us feel comfortable despite the jackass at the next table. read more

This place is great for lunch! I love that it has parking in the back and what I even love more is the food! Always very flavorful and reasonably priced, Tapastre is great for a business lunch. The few times I've went there, they were pretty empty and the time it took to get our food was EXCRUCIATINGLY long (bad, bad kitchen) but I would say the end result is reasonable. I will definitely return!I rated this place 3 stars simply because it took forever for us to get our food.. all the times I've been there read more

I brought my girlfriend here for a few drinks after dinner at another Somerville restaurant. Multiple drinks on the menu were not available.... this became extremely annoying and we left after 1 drink. Maybe they should cross out what's kicked and erase it off the board so people know. read more

Great local Tapas place with an amazing craft beer list and a bar that can make almost any cocktail Reasonable in price, delicious food but a bit slow for service so just relax pretend you are in Europe and it will all be fine! Particularly good on summer Fridays when you can get away from the muscle car traffic on Main Street in town for dinner after getting your fill of old cool cars. Must have unique dishes. 1-caramel shrimp 2- duck crepes 3-hot Elvis sandwich Enjoy read more

Ok. The bar is pretty cool and sleek. If you like beer....This is the place to go in Somerville. Best selection of drafts and bottles....tap changes often and they have a published beer menu. Tried a few of the small plates....wasn't impressed. But looking forward to try the Drunken Clams on fire....he's d that was good. Only my second time here...decent place and affordable. Burgers are good read more

Tapastre - Stone Go To IPA - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Somerville, New Jersey

Okay went back several times and man has this place changed. They must have a new cook this one is clueless. You DON'T cook the truffle oil. You finish the pizza with it. I know things are tough, but if you don't maintain the quality you don't keep the customers. After hearing great things about this place, I had to try . I was not disappointed. I had the Truffled Pork Pizza and the short ribs. WOW. I was there on a Tuesday night and it was quiet and service was great without being imposing. The chef is brilliant everything was cooked to perfection and the flavors were blended so nicely. Yummmmm I'll be back!! read more

Restaurant is located sub-ground and it's a nice hangout place --quiet too for a restaurant/bar. We were seated in a horseshoe like table with cushions --cozy! Parking is in rear of restaurant but you can find parking off the street too. Food is good - small portions though --it's called Tapas for a reason! but pricey. If you could look at the bites as worthy decadent calories, then so be it! We like the fried Yukon potatoes with aioli dip, mini-crab cakes and sea scallops. I also like the Hangar Steak bites. We share the arugula salad that has goat cheese and cinnamon candied walnuts--small portion again. Despite small portions, all the dishes were presented beautifully. I see many tables ordering beer flights and if I were to go back, I would opt for one of these flights. I did have a lager after my meal with sangria. My girlfriends love their martinis - Espresso and another martini-Italian ice that uses limoncello. read more

My husband and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary here. I really wanted to love it..as I love tapas and drinks! The ambiance is great! Small and intimate setting and quite busy for a random Tuesday night. But the food left something to be desired. We had the calamari, shrimp & chorizo, pulled pork slider, chimichurri chicken, and baked Brie. All were a little bland and not really anything to remember or write home about. We also got the chocolate lava cake which was actually overcooked with no molten gooey center - disappointing. My husband did appreciate the numerous craft beer selections and the ability to get a sampler. Service was ok. Although I do not like at 9pm they rushed us to order since they claimed the kitchen was closing in 15 minutes...they are supposed to be open till 10. So overall, go here for the craft beer and ambiance, not the food. There are plenty of other great places around - go there instead for the food! read more

The atmosphere and decor here warrants a 10. The drinks are amazing. I will seriously return here. The menu was very short and appeared seasonal. No wings. They didnt have a lot of the items on the menu but what i was able to order was outstanding. The calamari was ok. I didn't not like to see the large pieces of it in there. Having the entire body of squid was not appetizing. I order a chicken dish that I'm sure wont be on the menu when you arrive. It was amazing. See pictures for more detail. read more

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So we went to Tapastre over the weekend and it was pretty good. I have to say, I'd be a little worried about the likelihood of survival because we went at 8:00 on a Saturday and it was a ghost town. Two maybe three other tables. Not exactly giving me a bunch of confidence. But we were pleasantly surprised. I think noelle m. captured the review best, although there were a couple of other things I'd add. First the service was excellent, almost freakishly chipper, but very prompt and friendly. I could imagine that with the bar and the tables pretty close together - it could get pretty noisy. Although obviously that wasn't an issue for us. I think the right amount of tapas is probably about 2 - 3 per person, which leaves one just on the right side of full without going overboard. The food was good, but not quite sure I would say great. And because you are ordering like 6 things or so (for two), plus a couple of drinks it adds up. I'd say somewhere between $50 - $75 per person. Personally I thought the wine mark-ups were a little excessive. $70 for the gold label ruffino? Ouch. But the big measurement was would I go back, and I would, but would probably not be on the radar every time we were thinking about going on. read more

Whenever we are looking to grab a drink with friends we take them here. The bartenders mix great drinks. Might be on the pricey side but worth it. Also ate here once with my husband. We shared a few plates, enjoyed everything. The bar is long but does fill up so not always easy to find seating. I would make a reservation if I were planning on coming back for dinner read more

Great restaurant with lots of potential however it seems like they are under staffed... I waited for a drink refill for awhile so we went to wasabi always great service and fast regardless of volume on the weekends. read more

The lava cake is really good. I devoured it. As for everything else, this place was subpar. The hostess was rude and cold. I walked in with 2 friends and we asked for a table, we didn't have a reservation. She said that they only had a 2 person table available since the rest were reserved. That information doesn't do us any good. So we just opted to sit at the bar. During our interaction, the hostess was glued to her laptop, and barely paid attention. Her overall attitude was rude. Overall experience wasn't fantastic. Probably won't come back even though the dessert is good. read more

Try the Elvis - it is oddly good but you want to share. Don't eat one by yourself or cardiac arrest is imminent

They desperately need to revitalize. I have been to Tapastre a number of times, although not more than twice a year. I remember eating a great burger, short ribs, and patatas bravas there, but this time we ordered only apps: marguerite pizzette (no flavor, together we ate 1/3 of the pizza), calamari (terrible flavor - we asked for extra lemon to hide/give it something), special beef kebabs over red cabbage and red potatoes (sirloin was juicy but the flavors were not matched - would never order again) and, finally, the patatas... They used to have really good patatas bravas w a relatively authentic Spanish Bravas sauce... Well, they replaced it with creamy mayo... The one thing we loved, they cremated. We can get better craft burgers in Warren. Based on the past visit, 3/4 apps were tasteless, the chef isn't very good. We won't be back. Tapastre would do well by themselves by investing in a good chef because their kitchen is not good. read more

We went here for a special dinner. Thankfully my husband made a reservation otherwise I think we would have been out of luck on a Friday night. We had a high top by the bar which was fine except that people looking for seats at the bar or I should say hawking over people paying their tabs are basically leaning against your table. The service and food were great. Beer selection is awesome, something for everyone. The only thing that's a little off putting is they ask you to order everything up front so they can course out your meal. With tapas that seems weird. I like to order and eat and then decide if we want more. It seems like they are rushing you out. I'm sure we will go back just not in the tapas mindset. read more

Great place with awesome craft beer list and delicious tapas. The ambiance is nice too, very cozy. Will definitely come back!

My name is not "man"! The entire time the waiter called me "man". At one point the busboy over filled by water glass and rectified the situation by poring the extra out on the floor, classy. I was underwhelmed by the quality of the food. Each dish extremely oily, a degree to which I have never experienced before. After a while this was very unpleasant. The dishes were served promptly but the quality was not what I had hoped:( For the price I was hoping I would be leaving a raving review but I honestly can't, nor will I be returning. read more

Delicious craft beer selection and tasting flights, yummy martinis, and well-curated menu with both upscale pub comfort food and healthier options. Nice variety of small and full-plate options to cater to all dietary needs (vegetarian, gluten-free). Homemade soups with seasonal ingredients are a must-try. Bar staff and servers are knowledgeable, friendly, and insightful, and offer samples without asking. Tried a key lime lambic in October, that I then ordered a full serving of. Refreshingly pleasant ambient music levels, good bar spacing area for getting around, and inviting ambiance for a craft beer/cocktail bar. read more

The food was amazing . The price was high though for tapas when the very large sandwiches cost almost as much

My boyfriend and I went here earlier in the summer. Great place! We loved the atmosphere, and the food was awesome! I had a sushi dish, and he had a veggie burger, and we both absolutely them! Definitely will be coming back. read more

Excellent Service by Steven (who I called Jeff by mistake) Informed helpful staff with superb cocktails. The tapas was excellent! Each dish was better than the next, and my girlfriends loved their lettuce wraps. I highly recommend the duck crepes and ginger shrimp! We went around the town of Somerville, and found the pub upstairs stuffy, so we ended our night right back at Tapastre! read more

Tapastre is the best bar in Somerville. They have the best beer selection around. The food is always great, and they have a maple braised bacon steak. It is to die for!!!! read more

Tapastre - Couple of Friday night flights. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Somerville, New Jersey

Quiet and cozy with really great food. Honey ginger shrimp were delicious and enough to share as an appetizer. Hubby had the cheesesteak which he loved with a ton of fries. I had the goat cheese salad with salmon which was cooked perfectly. Brought home dessert fro the kids but didn't try that yet. Would definitely go back read more

I've never lambasted a restaurant before, but... The only truly good thing I could say about this place about this place would be the bartender (who seemed to also have to cover for our inattentive waiter). By far, the worst "tapas" I've ever encountered. I can't even refer to their fare as tapas, only small portions of utterly bland, boring, "beige" portions of barely edible fodder. Other than the hummus and fried olives (either of which was extraordinary), nothing that I tasted moderately intrigued my senses. Their so-called "braised short ribs" seemed to be nothing more than Trader Joe's Pot Roast served over some nondescript overcooked carrot concoction. Does the chef even know what short-ribs are? The shrimp and (dime-thin slices of) bland chorizo was hastily thrown together and utterly tasteless. Maple Braised Slab bacon was a poor, rewarmed excuse of pork belly and doused with what tasted like Aunt Jemima's Butter-Flavored Pancake Syrup. I will say that my fellow diners seemed to enjoy the Truffled Pork Pizza. But by that time, I couldn't stand another bite of anything that was left on the table. Perhaps my critique seems quite harsh, and indeed it's meant to. When I think of tapas, my palate craves fragrant spices, enticing meats and seafood. This experience was nothing more than a poorly executed mish-mosh of all things that shouldn't go together. I will commend them on their wonderful collection of craft beers. I'd suggest that the so-called chef seriously pick up an elementary cookbook about tapas. The environment is indeed inviting, however, I won't ever go back. Sorry folks... read more

I went back to Tapastre last week after about 9 months of abstinence. They've changed the menu slightly, removing some of the dishes that made me so happy. Here's what we had: Spain: Mariscada Martini: Basically a crab and shrimp ceviche served in a martini glass. The first few bites were great, but then it was just "meh". I'm not saying that it wasn't tasty, I'm just saying that I would have liked more depth of flavor. France: Seared Scallops with Blue Cheese Cookie and Bacon Pesto. Still very good, but I feel like the scallops have gotten slightly smaller. The bacon pesto is still out of this world, and the blue cheese cookie was warm and yummy. Sauteed Crab Cakes: Two crab cakes, fried. Tasty, but I felt that the Roquefort vinaigrette on the accompanying frisee was a less than ideal flavor match. Cassoulet: Definitely not as good as it used to be. By a long shot. The beans seemed over cooked and mushy and the flavors of the duck confit, bacon and sausage all seemed flat and muddy. The bar area was very crowded (especially for a Tuesday) and the bartender was the only server, so the service was a bit slow. He brought over an order of fried olives to compensate us for the wait. Sadly, I don't really care for olives, but it was the thought that counted. I tried the olives and found them to be a little greasier than I would have liked. Also, they got rid of the most wonderful trio of creme brulee and replaced it with lavender creme brulee which is a shame. The cappuccino was super delicious though. Reading my review, it seems like it was just "meh", and relative to past experiences there, it was. However, the food was still very good. If you haven't been, it's most certainly worth a try. read more

Not sure why this place gets bad reviews. I came here for drinks and tapas. The food was all very good. Their drinks on draft are extensive. I got a mead, and it was very nice. The atmosphere is a little dark, but I suppose they want to be slightly brooding and/or romantic. I'm not really sure. There is outdoor seating as well. read more

Eh just Ok. Great drink selection, although they were out of the first two beers I tried to order. The food was nothing amazing. Fried olives- pretty good. Definitely unique. Worth a try. Pulled Pork Sliders- very unimpressive, especially after seeing a photo of them on here, where the meat was glistening and busting out of the bun. My experience was different: Not much pork on the bun, they were cold, and the buns were way too thick and hard. Margherita Pizza- bland and soggy Patatas- the aioli was good, but the potatoes were underseasoned and pretty unspectacular. read more

Tapastre has a really cool underground (literally) feel. It works. Its a very comfortable vibe and the food is tapas style, great for a group of friends to share various plates. The burgers are amazing. Great drinks and very friendly awesome service. Parking is a bit tough on a busy night though! read more

This place exceeded expectations! Everything we ordered was delicious and the ambiance was cozy. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. There were three of us and we ordered the Cheddar IPA soup, the Shrimp and Chorizo with friend plantains, and the fried olives. We also got the truffle pulled pork pizza and they had a wonderful ice cream/beer flight dessert. I'd say the highlights were the pizza and then the made to order madeleines that were made to order and melt in your mouth. All in all it was a wonderful visit and we would definitely return. read more

I enjoy this place. Nice to be able to order several small tapas plates to sample. Bar area is nice, great for winter. Outside patio is nice for the good weather. Their cheese plate is excellent and so are the clams. Drinks are inventive and the service is typically on par. Looking forward to returning. read more

Since the last review was in August of 2008, I was wary as to whether this place was still open. I was intrigued by the idea of tapas in Somerville. So my mom and I stopped by this evening and were glad we did. This place has a nice feel - it's about half a story below street level. So while it's not a cave, it's cozy. It's located beneath another restaurant, Il Pomodor. The bar area is extensive, but we ate in the dining area. Unlike other tapas places, this one focuses not just on Spanish food, but cuisines of the whole Mediterranean region. We enjoyed the marinated Octopus from Spain, the Brie en Croute and seared scallops from France, and the Filet Mignon Kabob and Cauliflower fritters from North Africa. All of the food was excellent, and a decent portion for splitting between 2 or 3 people. Wines by the bottle or glass are also selected from each of these regions to complement the food, and were reasonably prices (about $7-8/glass). While the 5 plates for 2 people were filling, we enjoyed the meal so much we decided to go for dessert. The dark chocolate profiteroles and creme brulee trio were recommended by our waiter, Andrew, and he was spot on. We really enjoyed both, along with coffee and cappuccino. Our tab came to about $100 for 2 people. This was 2 glasses of wine each, 5 main tapas, 2 desserts, and a coffee and cappuccino. I thought this was reasonable for the experience and quality of the food. read more

Beer. I'm gonna say it again...Great Beer. I've lived in town for about 3 years now and this is hands down my go to place for food and drinks. Very well managed and a true focus on quality over quantity. Recommend: Chimichurri Chicken, Bacon Steak, Madeleines, Duck Crepes, Seafood Salad, Arugula and Poached Pear Salad, Caramel Ginger Shrimp...oh yeah...and Beer. read more

Awesome craft beer list. Best in central NJ. Also has a chill atmosphere perfect for hanging out with friends or bringing a date. The ancient grains salad is delicious!! read more

It's unfortunate how this restaurant left us with a horrible taste... Pun intended. After a flight of great local beers and okay tapas-style apps, the main dish was awful. Very spicy Bolognese when the menu nor the waiter warned us. We sent it back nicely. When we received the check the waiter did not take it off. My boyfriend paid it anyway. I mentioned it to the waiter on the way out. He just shrugged. Very, very rude!!! What otherwise would have been a pleasant experience was ruined by a douche bag waiter. read more

Came here for the first time tonight. Tables were full outside so we walked in to what we thought was a house to be greeted by no one at the door. Finally the bartender came over and sat us. Took someone about 5 minutes before anyone came over and we were the one of the only 2 tables in the restaurant. There was another couple there that clearly got everyone else's attention even a lady that looked like the manger who came outta the kitchen but she was in flip flops so I'm hoping she wasn't. Then a group came in who brought in their own beer which I didn't understand cause they have a full bar and I didn't think that was legal. Anyway the food was ok and the service was slow but the guy was nice. Pretty disappointed cause we were looking forward to going there for a while... Unfortunately we probably won't be back... read more

Nice atmosphere and a very comfortable booth for the five of us, pillows were a nice touch. Large selection of craft beers. Karen enjoyed both dirty martinis with blue cheese olives. Service was good. read more

Went here last Friday with friends after work. We all got the beer flights 5 different beers to get a tasting. I didn't like all of them, but, found one a pumpkin ale. I forget the name. They also have drink specials for their happy hours. The food looked good. Next time I will stop in for dinner. read more

I went to Tapastre this Saturday after reading some of the reviews on here, and I must say, it exceeded my expectations. The place is in the basement of Il Pomodoro but once you never feel like it's a basement or an after-thought restaurant. The decor was beautiful, mixing contemporary style with middle-eastern influences. There was plenty of seating, but bar tops (to enjoy tapas the more traditional way) or tables. Having never been before, we didn't know how much food to order, but the waiter recommended 2-4 dishes per person depending on how hungry you were. We ended up getting 6 dishes for the two of us, and that was plenty. They served it in 3 courses of two dishes, which I liked since it let you really enjoy each dish and savor it. The food was prepared with a great deal of care and you can tell the chef spent a lot of time working on the flavor combinations and presentation. I don't think I've ever had so much flavor packed into so few bites. I loved all of the dishes we ordered that night, but my favorite was the Scallop on a blue cheese cookie. The scallop practically melted in my mouth while the flavorful sauce on top perfectly complimented the homemade blue cheese cookie the scallop rested on . I was honestly surprised I liked the dish, because I'm not a fan of blue cheese, but the flavors just worked together. We also had dessert, which was just as tasty as the previous courses we had enjoyed. My favorite was the Carnival-Style Zeppolies. I couldn't help but smile as I bit in and felt the warm gooey center of the zeppolies while enjoyed the taste of the dipping sauce and powdered sugar. As for drinks, we ordered a half-pitcher of Sangria. It was pretty good, but not the best Sangria I've ever had. Next time, I think I'll opt for a nice glass of wine. The pricing wasn't too bad either, for the 2 of us, it was a little over $100 with tip. That was for 6 dishes, Sangria, and 2 desserts. The meal was well worth it. In the end, I would definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone who either likes tapas, or willing to be adventurous and try some delicious food. read more