Halva Mediterranean Grill — Restaurant in Watertown

I would like to share my very disappointing visit to Halva as I am a regular customer to this place and have recommended it to all my friends and family in Boston adding more than 20 people to this restaurants. It started with me and my family showing up at the restaurant by 6 pm on Friday and actually every time I try to call for a reservation on the weekdays they tell me you don't need reservation. when we first entered they said all tables are reserved and we have a spot on the bar and we will probably have an empty table in 10-15 min and they advised me to register on the tablet and it said 5 min till next table so I told the staff that ,then they said the tablet timing isn't accurate( why would I register on a tablet that is not working or giving accurate information?) when my wife tried to tell the server that there are people who just came over are being seated and the tablet said that we are next she told my wife oh those people made the reservation 2 weeks ago and we forgot to add it actually I remained silent till the server started being argumentative with my wife who the server owed us an explanation so I had to interfere to end the situation I asked for the bill for what I have ordered or if they didn't start the order, I will pay for the appetizers only the server raised her voice right in front of the customers and embarrassed me right in front of my family, noted that we had my mom who is old and can't sit on a bar for long time because of age and back issues and I explained this to the server before we sit, easy way she can tell me that there will be a wait of 45 min and I have to choose to stay or no but to keep me, my old mom and my wife for 30 min although I was promised a spot after 15 min and I sit and order and wait for 30 min and when we ask them for the empty table they come with the excuse of 2 week before reservation, then arguing with my wife and raising her voice on me in front of my family. Just to let you know guys I have spent around $2000 last year and my family and friends spend about the same. I would like to let you know that I did talk to everyone no more uber eats, Dine in or pick up from me or my family and friends anymore so enjoy losing at least 15k to 20k per year from my family and friends. Thank you for the...

As a former restaurant owner and meat specialist, I would like to share some feedback that may help you improve: Your waiters are very polite and friendly, and the salads and appetizers are well-prepared. However, the main dishes need improvement. The soup is overloaded with flour, and an additional thickener seems to have been added. In Türkiye, soup is never served this way, as it suggests it has been left waiting too long. The lamb skewers seem to have been marinated in milk. While milk can tenderize the meat, it also drains its juices. Moreover, the lamb skewers served on three separate plates were all cold. In Türkiye, such a dish would immediately be sent back. The chicken skewers were made from chicken breast. Breast meat tends to be dry. Instead, you should use the thigh meat, which stays moist and tender. The marinade should include red pepper paste, yogurt, garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and onion. The meatballs were far below average. The main issue was the use of baking soda, which, combined with the cut of meat used, gave them a rubbery texture. You should avoid using baking soda and instead try using lamb leg meat. The Adana kebabs were not minced with a cleaver and lacked tail fat, which is essential. Since you used beef, the flavor was completely lost. A proper Adana kebab should be juicy and melt in the mouth. The Beyti kebab automatically suffered since the Adana was poor. On top of that, it was covered with an excessive amount of tomato sauce and butter, which overpowered the flavor...

Update: This place remains consistently good in food quality, but the last 4 times we’ve gotten takeout there has been something missing from our order. Whether it be sauces or pita (which is supposed to come with the dips). Tonight was especially bad when they gave us the wrong bag and we got home to realize we were missing 2 meals that we ordered. They offered (after multiple long phone calls) to make it for us and have us come back, but it’s not a close drive and wasn’t feasible at that point. They ended up refunding the amount for the missing meals, but honestly to retain customers they really should have offered a free meal as well for next time, or additional refunds beyond what they missed. So it’s a bit disappointing that the manager only gave us our money back for what we were owed, when it was an inconvenience were short two meals, having to split 2 meals among 4 adults. … advice to the owner would be that it’s okay to make mistakes but you should do more to make it right if you want to retain customers. We may be trying alternate places in the future.

I have downgraded my review.

Really nice addition to Watertown, and excellent quality food. We love this place...