Dali — Restaurant in Somerville

Dali was great! I went with a large group, we were sat at a fun table that lights up and our waiter was at our table quickly. Dishes did take a little while to start coming out, but the restaurant was quite busy. The absolute best dishes of this meal were:

Ham and Cheese croquettes with tomato jam: not too heavy, cheese was not overwhelming and perfect amount of salt! Very very nice with the fresh tomato jam.

Baked goat cheese: delicious warm goat cheese melted on top of a tomato compote with buttery croutons: Everyone else’s favorite dish, very sweet and simple but so good!

Squid ink rice with fried calamari: my absolute favorite dish of this meal, the squid ink rice was perfectly savory and salty with a bit of umami, the fried calamari was crispy and paired deliciously with the creamy, lemony rice and the tartar sauce on the side. I seriously could not stop eating this.

Seafood Paella: I had to get this to go as we had ordered too much and this came out about 1.5 hours into our meal. Allow time for this or order it early! Could have used a tiny bit more seafood for the price of it, as we did order the large. However, this was a delicious paella with perfectly seasoned rice and a myriad of delicious shellfish/seafood (mussels, clams, scallops, shrimp).

Shishito peppers: beautifully charred and salted, I love the occasional spicy one. Great light snack.

Roast duck with berry sauce: I ended my meal with this. Incredibly tender roasted duck with a perfect sweet and savory blackberry sauce. Pretty good portion for the price as well. A must try.

Not quite our favorite dishes:

Chicken croquettes: very meh and bland. Nothing to write home about. Solid if you slathered them in the sauce they came with.

Pa Amb Tomaquet: the bread itself was very good and I loved that the garlic came roasted on the side, but it simply did not taste great with cold tomato on it. Typically I like the pan con tomate tapa, but this did not do it for me.

Gazpacho: Very bland and under-seasoned.

Fried cheese balls: Overall okay, the sauce was too sweet and I think my party had tried too many fried things already. I would 100% go for the baked goat cheese over this.

Okay/good/did not try but others in my party liked: braised rabbit, lamb meatballs, octopus, patatas bravas (have had much better ones but these did the trick for the night).

Drinks: We ordered a small pitcher of red sangria (4 people.) It was satisfactory, I wish it was a bit stronger, a bit sweeter, and had more fruit, but it was still very good.

Overall, Dalí is a great find with a stunning atmosphere (and fun music!), good drinks and delicious tapas. While at a high price point, this is worth a special occasion or a quick drink...

I’ve been coming to this restaurant for years, and it has always been one of my favorites—so much so that I chose it for my birthday dinner this year. Unfortunately, this time around the food didn’t quite live up to the delicious memories I had built up.

We ordered a spread: Pulpo A’Feira, Croquetas de Pollo, Croquetas de Jamón, Empanadillas de Carne, Valenciana Paella, and for dessert, churros. • Pulpo A’Feira – Looked beautiful, had great char and seasoning, but chewing it was like an arm workout at the gym. Flavor was there, but the texture… rubber. • Croquetas de Pollo – Fine, but nothing to write home about. If they disappeared from the menu, I probably wouldn’t notice. • Croquetas de Jamón – Tasty in theory, but the cheese (goat, I think?) didn’t love the tomato jam as much as I wanted it to. Funky aftertaste made me miss the harmony this dish could have had. • Empanadillas de Carne – The clear star of the night! Juicy, flaky, flavorful, and that alioli sealed the deal. If everything else tasted like this, we’d still be at the table ordering seconds. • Valenciana Paella – Sadly, the low point. Shrimp had no flavor, mussels were overcooked and rubbery, and though the menu promised blood sausage, it never made an appearance. Instead of rich, layered flavors, the overall taste leaned too fishy—like the ocean itself had RSVP’d in the worst way. • Churros – Undercooked inside, overcooked outside. I suspect the oil temp was too high. They ended up being more “oops” than “olé.”

Here’s the thing though: we still love this place. The atmosphere was wonderful as always, and our waiter, Sebastián, made the evening truly enjoyable—he deserves a standing ovation. My boyfriend was visiting for the first time, and I really wanted him to fall in love with this restaurant the way I had. Instead, we both left scratching our heads.

As a longtime customer, I’m writing this not to bash but to beg: please fix the food. You’ve been around for a long time, and I’d hate to see a gem lose its shine. I know how good this kitchen can be—I’ve experienced it. Please bring that magic back so we (and many others) can keep coming back for years to come.

P.S. Sorry we didn’t include pictures… the food wasn’t exactly picture-worthy this time around. Think of it as a friend who usually looks amazing but showed up to dinner having a bad hair day—we...

This place has been on my list for a while now and regret not trying this place sooner. We happened to be in the area and decided to try our luck with no reservations. This was on a Thurs, arrived at 6pm and they said their dining room was full. But the bar had plenty of seats (it was full shortly after we ordered). So glad we got the bar! The bartender, Julio provided service that seems extinct in a lot of other places. From the moment we sat down, he was very welcoming, attentive and has a great sense of humor. You can tell Julio has been there for a while and actually enjoys being there.

The food came out pretty quickly. We got - Sizzling garlic shrimp (literally comes out still sizzling), they use the smaller shrimps, easier to eat and had a good amount patatas bravas - these were pretty standard, light in flavor, for me personally, this was not the best version I've had Costillas de Vaca - beef short ribs in wine sauce, this may look small but they're very thick pieces, the beef were very tender and flavorful Pulpo A Feira - grilled octopus, this was cooked to perfection, was very tender and not chewy Jamon serrano- this came with 4 pieces and they were not too salty Pato Braseado- Roasted duck in berry sauce, this was very flavorful and the meat was very tender. The skin was crispy. The berry sauce was not over powering Dessert- almond cake with coffee cream, this was dense but not too sweet and the coffee cream complements the almond flavors

Everything overall were delicious and we will be back to get some of them again and to try some other items on the menu!

When we were about to pay, we wanted to take a picture before leaving but didn't want to bother Julio because he was busy. But he saw us taking a selfie and came right over to offer to take it for us. He moved the pitcher and glasses of water, took out some rose petals (sprinkled in front of us), and lit a long stick candle before taking the picture! Julio really goes above and beyond! No one sitting at the bar or around the bar will feel neglected. There aren't many places that I would say I would go back for the service first then the food. This was voted of the most romantic restaurants in the area.

Tip - Make sure you sit at the bar! If you want a table, highly suggest making...