Tapastre

What a nice surprise walking in here to the basement of the house-​like establishment. Soft mood lightning and cozy atmosphere serve as the setting to our quad after-​work Friday night gathering. Lovely to see the owner, her son (who is also owner?), and the daughter (who works as wait staff) all engaged actively in the family affair of running the evening dinner shift. My drinks (French kiss and blushing berry) were delicious and strong (hate drinks too sweet or soft). What was most disappointing was the service we received and some of our dishes. The Margherita pizza was absolutely and unbiasedly the most awful pizza this self proclaimed pizza connoisseur has ever tasted. Simply awful. Of the four of us at the table with different taste preferences, not a single one of us could find anything positive to say about it. We shared our thoughts with the waitress (daughter) who proclaimed thats just the way it is at her «brothers restaurant». Respect, but no. Never had cheese itself that tasted flavorlessly awful. CHEESE?! Blasphemy. Second to this the chips were so over-​salted I thought they were being preserved for dooms-​day. While we were served and enjoyed each others company and drinks in the atmosphere we were confronted with less than warm patron reception from the very start, matched with some decent and some very less than par dishes as accompaniment. Imbide (drink), YES! Ingest (eat), NO! Enter at your own risk…

Number one word of advice: If you’re planning on going during the weekend, make sure you have a reservation! The place gets packed up pretty quickly!
This is a great place to meet up with friends for some craft beers. They have several beers on tap, and if you’re having a hard time deciding, definitely go with a flight. Their menu does a great job explaining the flavor notes of each, so you’re sure to find something you’ll enjoy. It also lists the alcohol content, so depending on what kind of night you’re looking to have, it will steer you in the right direction.
Food wise, you have the option of small plates to share or a few individual entrees. The salmon skewers have become my go-​to. I’ve tried the slab bacon as well, but to me it was a little too fatty and it seemed to be drowning in the maple reduction.
Overall, Tapastre is a great place to spend some time and unwind after a long day. Being on a basement level, it has a dark but cozy feel and is definitely a great atmosphere to spend some time with some good friends drinking good beer, and snacking on some creative dishes.

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!

Great beer and small plates to share. I almost always end up getting a flight of beers (five for $ 14, with occasional specials). The selection rotates frequently and is eclectic.
The menu had two sides for two different experiences: one side is small plates to share, while the other is individual entrees. Most recently, my wife and I had duck crepes, patatas, and one of the specials. Burgers and beers at the very long bar is equally good.
Reservations on the weekends (or any time to be safe) is a must as it gets busy. I’ve almost always done this through their website and never had a problem.
Tapastre also sponsors several events in Somerville, most recently the Ocktoberfest street fair, which was lots of fun.
The bottom line? I’ve been here many times and have no real complaints.

Tapastre isn’t your typical tapas place. It’s trying really hard to be too many things at once. First thing I will say is this is a great place to get drinks. The Flight of craft beers was reasonable and very good! The tapas was just okay. The fried olives sounded great, but weren’t as good as I hoped. The drunken clams were not that good. The maple glazed bacon was really good. The pulled pork pizza was gross. I did not enjoy it I ended up throwing it out. Our waiter was very nice but he seemed to be the only one waiting tables. He was very good at organizing our order so that we always had something to enjoy. I agree with other reviewers that for the price the food was underwhelming. I will tell you this place is SO CLOSE, they are really trying. I think they just need to elevate the menu a little bit and pick one thing and stick with it. Are you a craft beer bar with bar food, or a tapas place to have a fun dinning night with small plates and sangria? These things seem at odds with each other. The atmosphere is relaxed and here was even a mummy (post Halloween) in the men’s room. Over all I will not be going back, but I really would like to see them add those few touches that bring them from a 2 to a 5.

AVOID!!! this place a gross dump. Food was slow and blah… Especially for the price. Service sucked. I could wait to leave I was so annoyed and grossed out by the general filthiness.

WHAT? No beer flights tonight? I certainly didn’t come for the menu…

This place has such a relaxed, cool lounge feel. Best for small plates and craft beers. Always something new to taste on the menu.

This restaurant came no where close to meeting my expectation. While the food was mediocre, the real reason behind this 1 star rating is the service!
Upon entering the restaurant, my group was greeted by a hostess who seemed to have no idea what was going on. Inside, half the tables were empty, but we were asked to wait a while before being seated. This was not a huge issue for us… it seemed as though they had one server for the entire inside seating area and there was a rather large group already dining. Once seated, however, we waited a long time before anyone approached us. When our server finally came, he was abrupt and rude. At one point we actually had a menu thrown at the table! We were never asked if we wanted drink refills and no one ever came to fill our water glasses. Needless to say, we will definitely not be returning. Do yourself a favor and choose one of the other amazing restaurants Somerville has to offer.

This place has been around for a while but I was finally able to come here the other day. I had heard about this place recently and learned that they have a really good craft beer selection. A couple of years ago, this place wouldn’t have appealed to me because I drank bad beer. But, over the last few years I’ve become a huge craft beer fan. I love trying different beers and have especially become fond of IPA’s. Tapastre does have a great craft beer selection. They had about 20+ beers on tap with definitely a handful or so that I had never even heard of. Don’t expect to find Bud Light or Miller Lite on tap here.
Just an FYI, Tapastre is not located on Main St (where most Somerville restaurants are located). They are on High St and across from the courthouse. They also do not have much parking so you’re either going to have to find a street spot or get creative. There are some public lots fairly close. The restaurant and bar are located in the basement of the space they occupy. The bar is a weird shape but has a fair amount of seats.
Once seated, you’re given a menu of the beers on tap. I went with one of their flights which was 5 different beers for about $ 14. Some beers are an additional $ 1 as part of the flight. The flight is a great way to sample different beers you haven’t had before. I really liked the Sierra Nevada IPA; I hadn’t had it before and was glad I tried it.
My wife and I also got an order of the fried calamari while we sat. The calamari was pretty good and I liked that it was served with capers. Capers always go well with fried calamari. It wasn’t a mind blowing appetizer but it was good. I’d have no problem ordering again.
So…the food was decent and the beer selection was pretty good. Why the low 2 star rating?
The Service. There were 2 bartenders working who may have been a bit busy but they couldn’t have been more uninterested, inattentive or impersonal. At a place like this, it would really help to have bartenders asking what you like and then making recommendations as a lot of people aren’t familiar with everything they serve. I just think it would make for a much better experience.
Don’t get me wrong; the bartenders were not rude, I just think they could have been a lot more helpful. I’ll actually give this place another shot but it definitely did not live up to my expectations. We did not eat dinner here. Beer prices were actually pretty good and in line for crafts and microbrews.

More a 3 and a half star review. I was pretty burnout when I went here for a weekday lunch. I have been before but not in a long time. The place was virtually empty, which is a shame. The food is good and reasonably priced. I had some kind of fired chicken sandwich with bacon. I’m not real sure why but I enjoyed it. Beer selection is good and the atmosphere is calm and pleasant. I should go back.

I found this place online, and it delivered on its promises. The pricing is reasonable, the food is good, and you can get a flight to try all of the awesome beers! Definitely recommend this place for anyone looking to try somewhere new.

The atmosphere and décor 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.

Tapastre is in my somerville rotation of where to stop for a drink before or after dinner since this is a town with many BYO restaurants (which I love — but sometimes you don’t want to commit to just one place on a night out). That being said, it really isn’t where I would recommend having dinner.
The atmosphere is amazing. Basement style bar with ample seating and an ever-​changing list of beers on tap + even more bottled selections. I enjoyed the Zombie Killer cider while my fiancé tried a flight of beer so he could sample many. Some hits, some misses but you rarely find the same thing here on subsequent visits since once the keg is empty, they replace it with something new.
I love the food concept here — small plates and bar pies and some heartier salads and sandwiches. I have tried many of the tapas but nothing I would return for. On our last visit we had the truffled pork pizza which was phenomenal — thin, crisp and flavorful. I would have given this place 3 stars if it weren’t for that pizza. I will probably try one of the sandwiches next time since people really seem to be happy with them.
I wouldn’t miss this place when in Somerville. You won’t find a better selection of beers anywhere around here and you certainly won’t be disappointed in the atmosphere. Jury is still out on all of the food for me, but I will certainly be back for 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

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.

This review is for the bar only. They have amazing bartenders that are always attentive and courteous. The happy hour isn’t as discounted as I would like it to be, but the drinks are fabulous so they’re worth the money. The ambiance is great for an intimate drink for two or drinks with a few friends — both work perfectly here.
The Figenza Cosmo is out of this world. I do also love their craft beer selection that is continuously rotating. Rumor has it that the upstairs may become a brewery! NJCB discount is available here.

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…

This bar is located in the basement of an old building. It’s dark and the ambiance was what I was looking for. It fit my mood the first time I went. There was a long wood bar and I took a seat in front of the bartender. I asked him if I should have beer or liquor and he said that depends on what kind of day you had. We decided on alcohol. He made me a jalapeño margarita. It was delicious.
They have a great selection of craft beer. The craft beer rotates as soon as a keg taps out. As of July 10, the following Crafts are on tap: 21^st Amendment Watermelon, Anderson Valley, Boulder 35^th Anniversary, MONKEY CHASED THE WEASAL, Southern Tier IPA, Hopwith, devil dancer, Alagash, vanilla porter, GREAT LAKES BREWING CO., and Rye Hatter.
Bartenders are very knowledgeable and can help you choose beer for your flights or pick a new favorite. But as I mentioned above, do not get too attached or it may be gone.
When I move to this horrible area, I will probably become a regular here. Good beer, Friendly Bar tenders.
Food is tasty too. They will actually make you a rare burger. So, kudos. GRILLED CHEESE FOREVA!
This is the kind of atmosphere I really enjoy: bartenders that know their patrons and bar food that is edible in a land of garbage.

Tapestry has an amazing sense and feel to it. When you get downstairs into the dining area, it has a vintage feel mixed with a modern bar area.
Bartenders are amazing and intelligent in their staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.
Their hours aren’t the best for the nightlife, as they are not open on Sundays or Mondays and they often close fairly early (10ish) during the weekdays, in my mind.