Restaurants, etc. near the Somerville Theatre

[fourish.livejournal.com]

I'm seeing a show at the Somerville Theatre soon, and I've only been to Davis Square once. I loved the area and would like to do a little exploring before the show. I know this comm is crawling with restaurant reviews, but can anyone recommend a good one within easy access to the theatre? Doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, but a nice ambience for a small group would be cool.

Anywhere else (cool shops, strange landmarks, awesome places to park) within easy access of the theatre you can tell me about would also be greatly appreciated. (Is that cupcake shop anywhere nearby, perchance?) Apologies if this is the sort of thing that gets asked too often, but I just don't know the area well enough to figure out what goes where.

Thanks!

ETA: This community is amazing. You make me want to move to Somerville. :D

Comments

[ratushebarl.livejournal.com]

MOBA! It's right in the theater basement. http://museumofbadart.org

[fourish.livejournal.com]

Whoa!! I've been to the OTHER MOBA (the one in Dedham) but I had no idea it was in Somerville too...thanks, this is excellent news. :}

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

Kickass Cupcakes is about four blocks from the theatre, down Highland Avenue. Cross the star-shaped intersection so that you're on the corner with Mike's Restaurant and the blue shirt café, and walk down that street.

[fourish.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Do you like the place? A few other folks have dissed the cupcakes in this thread.

[slinkr.livejournal.com]

If you like Indian food, Diva and Namaskar (both on Elm St.) are pretty good. Martsa on Elm across the street serves Tibetan food. All of those are nice sit-down places and not particularly expensive.

[elusiveat.livejournal.com]

I second the recommentation of Martsa. Very good food.

[fenicedautun.livejournal.com]

I'll second Namaskar and add Out of the Blue (further down the street from Martsa's) which serves italian seafood.

Diva a bit pricey

[zymurgist70.livejournal.com]

Just my two cents.

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

I like Taipei Tokyo, a pan-Asian place just across the street from the theater.

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

My favorite cool shop is Magpie, on Highland Avenue. I also love the basement of Goodwill on Elm.

[moireach.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I'd no idea they have a basement. What kind of stuff is down there?

[lissie930.livejournal.com]

Redbones for BBQ is good!

[kidsmokes.livejournal.com]

I second this! lots of yummy beer too!

[ron_newman]

Sacco's Bowl-Haven is a nifty 1950s-throwback candlepin bowling alley.

Mr. Crepe is right in the theatre building. Maybe you'll want a dessert crepe before or after the show.

The Rosebud Diner is worth walking by at night when the neon sign is lit up.

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

Sacco's has actually been around since '39, so... forties throwback. Very nice family joint. No beer though.

[balsamicdragon.livejournal.com]

Snappy Sushi is right in the square on Highland. Best sushi in the area, and a really nice, cozy atmosphere :)

[moireach.livejournal.com]

I second this.

[ron_newman]

You could catch a show at Johnny D's after your show at the Somerville Theatre. Sometimes there are cross-promotions with discounted admission to the club.

[fourish.livejournal.com]

Sweet! Thanks for the suggestion.

[catling.livejournal.com]

Across the street from the theater is Taipei Tokyo, a Japanese/Chinese restaurant that is tiny, so it would only work well for a very small group, but the food is really quite good. They don't yet have a liquor license (not sure if that matters to you), but do allow you to bring in your own beer or wine if you wish. You can then stroll over to JP Licks for Ice Cream if you want. Another option which is right next to the theater is Mr. Crepe, which also has ice cream, iirc. They have a yummy selection of savory and sweet crepes, and the savory crepes are big enough to make a filling meal out of if you are so inclined.

If you keep going into the main drag of Davis Sq., Diesel is always a great place to hang out before or after a movie with a good range of hot and cold drinks, delicious soups and various sammiches, baked goods, etc. The people watching at Diesel tends to be fun.

There are, as you are aware, a ton of restaurants along Elm street and many of them are good, so it all depends on how much you want to spend and what you are in the mood for. Diva is good for Indian, Anna's Taqueria is really good and cheap. Gargoyle's is more upscale, with awesome froofy drinks.

The cupcake shop of which you speak is further away, down Highland Ave. I have not visited it but most of my friends that have were underwhelmed.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

They really allow BYOB? Then they're the first place to do so that I've heard of in eastern Mass.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

For my money, the best place to eat in the square is Orleans. It's just up the block from the theater, the prices are decent, and the food's good. If you drink, try the White Russian!

[jodi.livejournal.com]

seconded. we have never had food that was less than excellent and the service has always been great here. this would be where i would schedule a dinner for a small group before a show if i wanted a full-service sit-down restaurant with a relaxing atmosphere

if i was looking for something more informal i would choose mr. crepe (see ron's link above). this has something for everyone, won't take a long time and is delicious. (note: if you've never been here before, you order and pay and get a number then sit down at your table and they will bring your order when it is done). this has a very cafe-feel to it.

i've been underwhelmed at kickass cupcakes (dry and small and overpriced)

we've been food poisoned at martsa (about a year ago, but still)

gargoyle's had great food and great service but there are more choices at orleans (and just slightly lower prices)

we've had great food at the italian place (possibly named 'al fresca') near kickass cupcakes. we were the only people there early on a weeknight.

diesel has dismal overpriced food and is always overcrowded but people seem to love it for its offbeat vibe despite these things.

[fenicedautun.livejournal.com]

Since everybody else is giving recommendations, I'll second Namaskar and add Out of the Blue (which is up Elm past Gargoyles) and serves Italian seafood.

[moireach.livejournal.com]

If you'd like more recommendations, or a map of businesses in Davis, you might want to try playing around with the Davis listings on Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=&ns=1&rpp=10&find_loc=Davis+Square).

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

namaskar is indeed really good, but the service can be hit or miss - the first time i went, the service was so incredibly slow i was tempted to leave, but the second time, the service was great. but both times the food was excellent. it's not cheap-cheap but it won't break the bank.

redbones is also fabulous, but there might be a wait, depending on when you get there. the earlier you get there, the quicker you'll get seated, and weeknights are better than weekends. the bbq is fantastic, and it's just down the street from the theater. (walk away from the theater past the cvs and turn right at diva.) slightly cheaper than namaskar. big beer menu. really good pecan pie. (everyone who comes to visit me, i take them to redbones.)

the diesel is a good place for coffee/tea/cider and baked goods.

there's a metered parking lot behind the post office, and another one across the street from orleans.

[diatomacearth.livejournal.com]

The only time I've had sit-down service at Namaskar, the service was terrible--they took forever to bring drinks and food, when one of my party had to send back a dish because it contained an ingredient she was allergic to (not listed on the menu), they were sullen and slow about bringing the replacement, one of our party never got her dish at all, and the server's English was poor enough that she was unable to clearly explain why something appeared the way it did on the bill; the manager--who was present on the floor for the entire meal--had to come over and clear it up.

On the other hand, that was at lunch, and I've had better luck with their buffet. I got the impression that they did not expect a lunch party to take sit-down service instead of the buffet, and were confused and resentful about it.

Food was good, though!

Parking

[unferth.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone has posted parking information yet.

Parking can be hard to come by in Davis Square, especially if you're looking on a Friday or Saturday evening. Your best bet is probably one of the city lots.

There's an unnecessarily large PDF showing their locations and hours here:
http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/Davis%20Square%20Parking%20Map.pdf

And a smaller, faster-loading version hosted by Johnny D's here:
http://www.johnnyds.com/images/img_parking.gif

Either the Buena Vista lot or the Day Street lot would be closest to the theater.

Re: Parking

[fourish.livejournal.com]

Thank you, these are all very helpful suggestions.

The Somerville Theatre website suggests taking the T, or taking it to Cambridge, parking there, and taking the T one stop to Davis. Is parking that much of an issue in the square that this is necessary, or should I be pretty set with your suggestions?

[firepail.livejournal.com]

So... are you going to the Friday or Saturday Cinematic Titanic show?

(just guessing)

[fourish.livejournal.com]

You are correct. :} Saturday night show. I'm psyched.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

The Burren is Davis Square's popular Irish pub. It's a nice place to stop for drinks, and if you want a snack, order the curry fries. Several friends have opined to me recently that their food is not what it used to be, but I still enjoy their beef stew. Tends to get rather loud on weekend evenings.

Dragon Garden chinese, the place with the neon moon and bunny in the window, is my preferred chinese fast food place in Davis. It's not gourmet chinese food, but if you want chinese fast food, cheap-ish, and you're there, it's always respectable. The ambiance is kind of a zero however.

Taipei Tokyo, across the street from the theater, offers a mix of chinese, japanese, and thai food. The chinese food is very nice, somewhat better than Dragon Garden and somewhat more expensive to match. I am unimpressed with their sushi - it's edible, but not as good as the sushi from any of the nearby sushi restaurants. I haven't tried their thai dishes.

JP Licks ice cream is in the middle of the square and is always tasty.

Rosebud diner is... well, it's a diner. With full bar, for some reason. Order something you'd expect to order at a diner, and they'll probably do a really good job of delivering to you what you'd expect to get at a diner. They have really huge BLTs, and service with a smile. (Damn, now I want a BLT.)

[ron_newman]

I don't think there's any way to seat a group of more than 4 at Rosebud, though. It's just too small for that kind of thing.

[obie119.livejournal.com]

Just putting in a word for the underappreciated Al Fresco. Just went there for the first time a week ago: really fresh tasting food. Very homemade-like, and great prices. We will return - delicious!

[fourish.livejournal.com]

I love Italian and my stomach doesn't do so well with all the Asian/Indian food people are suggesting here, unfortunately...Al Fresco is definitely one I'll be looking into, so thanks!

a little further out...

[by-lime.livejournal.com]

Don't forget Sabur, Mediterranean fare. It's up Holland a 1/4 mi., maybe a wee bit more, but worth it. Hip bar space and great food. I recommend the tilapia if you like fish and the chicken dish is great too.

[ron_newman]

So ... how did it go, and what did you end up doing (both for food and parking)?

[fourish.livejournal.com]

How nice of you to ask - thanks for caring! :D

We parked in the lot right behind the theatre (well, not right behind it, more like diagonal to it) without problems, because we got there early (around 4pm or so). Took a lot of the suggestions to heart as we walked around, including Magpie (very cool shop), and eventually ended up at Alfresco - which I have to say was INCREDIBLE for the price range. The pasta was amazingly fresh and tasty...I would definitely go back there. Kickass Cupcakes (which is practically next door) didn't disappoint either, but I'm a serious cupcake fiend. Saw the MOBA too, and of course watching Joel and the others for Cinematic Titanic was the grand finale.

All in all, I still think Davis is very cool and would love to come back. I dunno, there's just a character about the place I think is special. I would think you agree in some capacity as you live there. ;}