Reviews for Tasting Counter in Somerville, MA

It lives up to everything and more. The menu and drink pairings go together like a choreographed dance. The presentation and... ambiance is fun and unique. The food is amazing?breathtaking with the combinations, the flavors, the contrast it?s all wellworth the money . Read more

The good: beautiful atmosphere. The service was courteous and outstanding. Everything was top-notch quality. I thoroughly... enjoyed this experience. You indeed get what you pay for. Most foods are more western flavored (French, Italian, etc?). Therewere many flavors I never knew existed, so it was eye-opening. It deserved 5 stars, and I highly recommend it!! Thenot-so-good: I have a heavy pallet. I normally enjoy Chinese, Indian or African cuisines. Unfortunately, western food does notsatisfy my tastebuds. Even so, I was not disappointed by this experience because that?s only personal preference! Read more

Great food and drink pairing ????. Very selected as they only seat 12 maximum. Great service. There were a lot of fish and... seafood (and I don't like them) so I let them know in advance. They made a great substitution that still pairs with drinks. Love the drink pairing (beer, wine, non alcoholic AND sake !!!) With so many courses and only 2 hrs, I didn't feel like I couldlinger on any course. For the experience, the price is fair ($$$$). Read more

Went to Tasting Counter for their 3-course lunch menu with wine pairing, a great steal for $95 (now $110 as of July 1, still... sensible regardless). All courses were delicately prepared, the sea bass was just steamed right and pairs well with the charred& fermented white asparagus. The dessert and petit fours left a great impression on me. Wines are largely led by natural wines. Read more

Quite the experience! You can tell that all the chefs take pride in what they do and it leads to an incredible meal spread over... 13 or so courses although they claim it to be 9 there are a few bonuses thrown in! The drink pairing go very well, I chose themock tail option as I don?t drink alcohol but the people next to us said they quite enjoyed the spirit options as well! Thevenison was out of this world! Definitely a place to check out! Read more

Tasting Counter really lives up to the hype. I was absolutely floored by the quality of food, the innovativeness of menu, and... the service at this restaurant. First off, we took a friend here for her birthday, and she has a shellfish allergy and fishsensitivity. They communicated with me extensively the week before over text to develop a menu specifically for her, which wasjust so thoughtful and appreciated. Next, the wine, sake, and beer pairings are just brilliant. I don't usually get alcoholicpairings with my tasting menus but this time, I was so glad of the pairings. They were wonderfully curated, and in terms of thebeers, oftentimes local?so I got to try an array of the new and the familiar. Finally, the food just blew me away. My wife saidshe liked it better than ABaC in Barcelona, it was that good. They make really great use of fresh, seafood ingredients, and theentrees were light enough that you didn't feel weighed down by the course after course after course delivery. As alluded to,service was excellent. Ambiance was also really nice, although part of me wished the seats weren't *quite* so farapart?sometimes, conversation across the bar layout was a little challenging. Overall, 13/10 recommend this truly lovely andhighly fancy dining experience! Read more

I took my wife to lunch at Tasting Counter as a treat for her birthday. The whole experience was excellent! Truly an ideal way... to celebrate a special occasion if you are looking to do something on the fancy side. They say it?s a three course lunch, butit?s really more like 6 courses if you count their ?welcome bites?, palate cleanser, and ?parting morsels? courses. Everythingthey put in front of us was delicious; the gremolata dumplings in the sea urchin foam soup was collectively our favorite. Theywere also so accommodating of my dietary restrictions from pregnancy (well done meats, no raw seafoods, non-alcoholic beveragepairings). The non-alcoholic beverages were especially creative and paired well with each course. Watching the staff cook andpresent the food was so impressive as well - they?re extremely synchronized and obviously skilled! Such a unique experience andone we?d definitely do again for another celebration! I appreciate that they take care with covid precautions too. It?s achallenge to find parking so plan ahead for that. Read more

What a wonderful experience! We have done tasting meals before, but this was so much better than any of them. Loved the squab... (maybe the best pate I have ever eaten). The wine pairings were perfect, as well. Read more