Vera's — Restaurant in Somerville

Vera's is the best neighborhood bar!! My husband and I decided not to have a traditional wedding and so we rented out the back room of Vera's for a bar party to celebrate our marriage and it was literally the most fun and a lot of that was thanks to the people at Vera's. Meghan the manager was a literal angel. She met with us multiple times to make sure all the details were exactly as we wanted. During the night she checked in on us and made sure everything was going smoothly. She helped us with the decorations and even getting everything together at the end of the night. Chef Wes knocked it out of the park with the late night food - people were texting us the next day saying that the mozzarella sticks were the best they've ever had. The food was so amazing even with it being simple - sliders, fries, mozz sticks. Chef Wes even made some special desserts specifically for me since I have dietary restrictions. The bartenders were also the sweetest people in the world to all of our guests - seriously so many of our friends made comments about how nice everyone was there and how special they treated us. The bartenders continuously checked in on me & my husband to make sure we were getting the bride & groom treatment! We were thinking of doing a specialty cocktail, but decided not to because all of the cocktails at Vera's are already so good - everyone was complimenting the drinks. 1000x better than what you would be getting at a traditional wedding banquet hall open bar. The vibe was also PERFECT! People got to sit and talk at the tables and play shuffle board, but also enough room for there to still be plenty of dancing! Meghan also turned on the disco ball & bubble machine during all the right songs which added a special extra touch. We genuinely had the most fun night of our lives there and we really give so much credit to the people of Vera's. They were welcoming and genuinely so excited to host us that it made the night so special! We love them and are so happy to live close so we can go back whenever! Absolutely recommend renting out the backroom for any occasion, but also just going to the bar for a normal night. They're the best...

No complaints at all about the drinks, oysters, or the service!

But what I will say is there's something about the way the space is set up that failed to put me at ease.

1. The construction of the building seems to involve a lot of very large concrete beams around the ceiling. This, coupled with the small number of huge speakers oriented at an angle, means that there are very loud spots and quiet spots in very close proximity, making for a slightly disorienting experience as you walk through the space to find a comfortable spot. I suspect a larger number of smaller speakers pointed downwards would help.

2. There were way too many barstools at the bar, making it difficult to get settled. The bartender helped us move a stool out of the way to have more room, resolving that issue. :-)

3. All or nearly all of the tables seem to be high-tops. More of a variety would help make the space feel more welcoming to people of different energy levels...

This place has an awesome beer menu and fantastic food. Beer variety on draught was impressive - several local, semi local, and non local beers ranging from the expected India pale ales, to sought after sours, and delectable stouts. In particular, I was surprised to see Mast Landing brewings Gunners daughter on draft; though their brewery from Westbrook, Maine isn't the furthest, it is definitely not a common sight on draft in the greater Boston area. Food wise, everything seemed very fresh and delicious - plenty of apps if you wanted to order several and go more of the 'impromptu tapas' route which was what my party ended up doing. Also a lamb burger that was phenomenal and definitely cooked to order. Very small side note but the fries served with it were perfect as they were just a little bit browned instead of that usual straight up just cooked through yellow - small point but totally made a fantastic impression on me. Would...