La Bodega — Restaurant in Watertown

Been wanting to try this place. Came on a Friday night without reservations and we got lucky. Very cool concept. There are 2 sides to the restaurant. The bar side is more open, the camper side has lower ceilings and can get very loud. But once inside, you do not feel like you're in Watertown.

They are short on staff (as is most places), so be patient. Our server was very attentive and friendly. Despite being busy, he kept a smile on his face. We were torn between the meat sampler plate and the whole duck. But then realized the duck needs to be ordered at least 48 hours in advance. But our server told us they had 1 reservation of the duck canceled so we got lucky! We ordered it right away. It takes about 30-40 minutes to prepare. They de- bone it as well. The skin was perfectly crisp and the meat was very tender and not dry. The whole duck can serve 3-4 people.

The corn soup was surprisingly very flavorful and light. The wood grilled octopus was light, flavorful and not too chewy. The wild mushrooms had a variety of mushrooms and was a bit salty. The basque cheesecake was different than the standard. Not what we expected, wasn't too heavy and not too sweet. Will definitely be back and try other things...

RACIST ESTABLISHMENT!!!! I traveled from NYC to Boston for my daughter's move in, stayed in Hampton Inn in Watertown MA. On Saturday night we decided to dine out at LA Bodega. Upon arrival no one welcomed, or offered to help us. We stood there for 10 minutes, with no help. So I saw a waitress approach, I told her I wanted to order for take out, her response was I don't speak English. So we kept waiting for another 10 minutes, mind you we were standing next to the bar, so I asked on of the barter can someone help us or take our order he ignored us. So another 5 minutes later a lady approached us asking what do we need? No apologies, she started talking to me with her fore finger, and also said most her staff don't speak English, mind you of the clients dinning were Caucasian. We walked out because I was beginning to get upset by how we were treated because we were African Americans. I saw some of the clients talking to lady or manager, then she came out trying to be nice but it's was too late. Spanish people who think they are Caucasian, spilling out bias and racist behavior towards 2 educated well dressed African Americans female. DON'T...

This was a find that I am so happy to have discovered!

I held my spouse's birthday dinner at La Bodega recently, and it was as delightful as I'd hoped. The ambiance is truly magical, and we had a table in the middle of the rail car side which was especially fun.

The service was topnotch, with me realizing later that most of our service was from the co-owner/chef himself. And the food...wow! I had never had Uruguayan cuisine before, nor knew what to expect, but it was so very delicious it's hard to put into words. I had been a bit wary that it'd be too stuffy for us, but this largely shareables restaurant has meaty, hearty food that sticks to your ribs in the best of ways. We basically got a few orders of (almost) everything and it tantalized the tastebuds for all, including the one vegetarian in our group of 6. Hands down one of my favorite meals in Boston.

I also really appreciated the ability to text for a reservation since being an Elder Millennial that is my preferred form of...