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RATINGS
Food
Service
Value

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PRICE RANGE
$156 - $452
CUISINES
Contemporary
Meals
Dinner
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Reviews (86)
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Reviewed 28 November 2021 via mobile

Food very good accompanied with a splash of wines. Would have liked to experienced dinner but price makes it unattainable. Would return

Date of visit: November 2021
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 October 2021

Can't believe how much we paid for entirely forgettable, largely flavorless food in tiny portions. Way too many fish courses, all of which tasted about the same. Pasta course that tasted like mac n cheese. Only the dessert was passable. Will not be coming back.

Date of visit: October 2021
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 28 September 2021

My husband and I went here last night to celebrate our anniversary. The food here ranged from decent to very good, with many of the dishes being very creative. For the price I would say the food alone is very expensive and not worth it....That said, a big part of the cost is also the experience, which typically seems like it would be very good. That was not the case for us, at least at the start of the night. We sat down and took off our masks, as typical in most restaurants in this area. While waiting we were confronted by the top chef, who proceeded to lecture us on the masking policies, including masking and de-masking between food/drinks. When I questioned the policy, he got very agitated, speaking rudely to me and making condescending statements like "Or don't you know there is a pandemic going on?", which of course everyone does. After stating that I was just asking a question and there was no need to be rude, he walked away in disgust stating something about never having anyone question this before. The rest of the night was reasonable but the unprofessional encounter put a damper on what should have been a very special experience. At any price, but especially the $500 charged here, it is completely uncalled for this place to to take our money and then insult us. We were given the option to leave if we did not like it, but not with a refund. It is a shame because the rest of the staff way very polite and professional, with impeccable service. I am giving it one star because of the rudeness of the top chef.More

Date of visit: September 2021
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 September 2021

Still one of the great eating experiences of Boston area. Well orchestrated and amazingly well prepared. Many interesting dishes. Wine pairing OK with curious and unusual wines, but not always particularly interesting on the tongue. But, all in all, a special and rewarding experience.

Date of visit: August 2021
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 2 August 2021 via mobile

One of the top culinary journeys. Better than many Michelin. The perfectly choreographed dance in the kitchen between the chef and his sous adds a beautiful touch to what is already magic on the palate. Thank you chef for being the grand créateur that you...are.More

Date of visit: July 2021
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 23 March 2021 via mobile

Tasting counter has well designed menu and I enjoyed the courses and beverage. You will NOT get the menu when making the reservation so you may have something you don’t like to eat during the meal(you can list allergies in the reservation of course) but...overall I enjoyed most of the dishes! It’s $275 per person and I feel it’s worth the money. It’s a 100 min dining experience and the vibe is great. I’ll certainly visit back in summer or winter time as they use very seasonal food ingredients and their dishes reflects the nature changes.More

Date of visit: March 2021
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 13 November 2020

We're still not going to restaurants in person, but we're loving Tasting Counter @ Home. The meals are carefully put together and the chef does a great job of walking everyone through warming and plating. It ends up feeling like an excellent restaurant meal. We...eagerly await each month's menu. Thanks for Tasting Counter for these events!More

Date of visit: October 2020
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 29 September 2020 via mobile

Everything was amazing! We didn’t like much the desserts but overall, a great experience. Favorite, all the plates were exquisitely presented, the chef was very detailed and explanatory and gave a polite description of the wines as we took the pairings. It was extremely good,...we recommend this place in a very nice wayMore

Date of visit: September 2020
Helpful?
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Reviewed 9 February 2020

The experience was oddly humiliating, as though I were in middle school being bullied in the lunchroom, though instead of being bullied by having my lunch taken away from me here I was bullied by being served course after endless course of food that I...did not choose, and even if I had chosen it would not have asked for it to be prepared in the way it was (all meat and fish virtually raw). Each of the dozen or so dishes was small and for fear of insulting the attentive wait staff I did not want to leave any on my plate.. So it was a bit of a slog. Not since grade school have I felt so much pressure to eat food that I did not want to eat. Yes, there were odd combinations of flavors and textures, and some of the dishes and presentation were interesting in a chem-labby way. But mostly my reaction to the odd combinations of flavors and textures was, that they didn't work very well. Not even a single dish really grabbed me. After an hour they served a dish with a macaroon. My heart leapt as I thought it was dessert and the meal was over. Crestfallen was I when I realized it was only a palate cleanser and I still a half dozen dishes to go. The meal was the gift of my wife's boss. If I had paid myself, I would have described the experience more as a mugging then as bullying. No, that's not quite right. The wait staff and proprietor were very nice, and as unpretentious as is possible in a fine dining setting.. So let's say more like very polite white collar crime than a mugging.More

Date of visit: February 2020
Helpful?4  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 23 December 2019

A friend of mine who loves fine dining really wanted us to try Tasting Counter. So she went through the silliness of buying online tickets for one of the 2 time slots offered each night ($250 each). With high expectations, we headed to the place...on a cold, rainy evening. Disaster started with the total absence of parking. The street is a sort of cul-de-sac and offers only resident parking (few spots anyway). No valet of any sort. It's not a restaurant per se. In fact the sole "room" with a 20-seat counter hides inside a nondescript building. One has to enter through a tap room (?) in order to get to the counter. Service is poor/dry and you can't feel welcome. "Ignored" and "lectured" is more accurate. No time for questions. What do you want? You already paid, you dummy! In theory there's wine (or sake, or beer) pairing. Truth is, they are only young, off-the-beaten path wines and alcoholic beverages (some really do not qualify as wine). Not particularly good or noticeable ones, but pairing works in the sense that they taste better with food than by themselves (sigh). The menu is not made of 'dishes' but rather 'small plates.' Invariably, a piece of meat/fish lands on a dollop of sauce, with a bite-size veggie on the side. Oh, and few leaves are artistically added on the top. You see, they do not cook in front of you, they PLATE in front of you. Hence the tiny leaves deposited with tweezers. Et voila! Welcome/parting bites aside, I was given 7 small plates. $250, remember? Turbot with cabbage and crispy leek (note the absence of plural) was the best bite I tasted. NOTHING felt or looked like an elaborate dish. Of the 2 dessert plates, I hoped the golden beet granita announced more plates coming their way (but no). The chesnut/coffee cake (bite size) concluded this expensive, middle finger-like dinner. And then we were pushed to the exit since a new round of ticket holders was waiting outside. No goodbye, thank you, or even a look. Just go. Not surprisingly, I was still hungry when I made it home. Thank God I went with a good friend and we could talk about it objectively. I do not mind spending (too) much money for a memorable meal. This summer I had a $400/person lunch at a Michelin-stared restaurant (4 course w/wine pairing). It was amazing: the way the food tasted and looked, the refined atmosphere, the drinks poured in gorgeous glassware, the discussions with the sommelier, etc. And of course the chef came out to greet us and inquire if everything was to our liking. I could not thank them enough. Tasting Counter is light-years from reaching this level of refinement.More

Date of visit: December 2019
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 6 October 2019

I like pretty much everything about this place! (OK, there's the price, but truly, you get what you pay for!). First, everyone was super friendly and attentive, from the moment we walked in the door. But what is really nice is that everything is set...up for you by experts, so you can just relax and enjoy the experience. Even the cost of the meal is settled ahead of time (including all taxes and tips), so you don't even need to bring your wallet if you don't want to. You don't need to figure out what to order, which wine or beer to choose, what goes with what, and how much of each item to order: it's all planned perfectly ahead of time. The dinner then consists of about 12 mini "courses", each artfully prepared and presented and paired with their choice of beer (or wine or sake). Each food item is described by the chefs in detail, explaining the highlights of the preparation, key ingredients and special flavors (and you can watch the chefs assembling things right in front of you). In addition, the beverages are also described when presented, discussing their origins, flavors, even aspects of their history. The amount of beverage provided is just right: not so much that you end up drinking excessively (or having to skip some of the offerings), but enough to enjoy it with the specific meal item, and get a feeling for its unique flavor and attributes. Everything was exceptionally well-prepared and presented, but, most importantly, everything was so delicious! And, with so many different mini-entrees (plus appetizers, desserts, etc), you really get to taste a large variety of different flavors. All in all, this was really an exceptional experience for us: highly recommended! Just one final note: you can't come here with a large group, but one aspect of their seating arrangement is that it would be very friendly for solo diners, just something to keep in mind.More

Date of visit: October 2019
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 18 August 2019 via mobile

Awesome concept. It is the food lover place to go in the Boston area ... the chefs are really good with a nice European touch .... Went there for both dinner and lunch it was perfect... just don’t be late The ability to choose the...beverage package is excellent and you can discover awesome ones !More

Date of visit: April 2019
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 August 2019 via mobile

One of the best dining experiences you can have in Boston. We went for our anniversary a. Buy a ticket and it is also-inclusive (even the tip). Brilliant, seasonal menus using local ingredients. Chefs explain everything as you’re served... equally inventive wine pairings. The only...issue is that parking is bad, but that’s not unique in Somerville. This is an experience not to be missed.More

Date of visit: October 2018
Helpful?
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Reviewed 27 June 2019

Having dined at many globally rated restaurants, I think Tasting Counter might be the best place to introduce people to the concept of a tasting menu/degustation. I've visited twice, and love how the menu changes with the season. Plating is a highlight here, and I...promise you will not leave hungry. The wine pairing is creative, with pours from around the world. While I usually like a lengthy meal (3-4 hours), I appreciate the team at Tasting Counter is able to move through such a complicated menu in 2 hours. Already looking forward to my next visit!More

Date of visit: June 2019
Helpful?8  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 14 June 2019

My friend and I dined at Tasting Counter for our first time last weekend. Unlike most who comment here, I've had numerous dining experiences at such counters/bars--including O ya in Boston, Somni in Los Angeles, and minibar by Jose Andres in Washington, DC. The latter...are 2* Michelin restaurants. All 3 vastly surpassed Tasting Counter. Tasting Counter looks the part but doesn't quite deliver. At $225 per person, it failed. The food, while beautifully presented, didn't remotely blow us away. Everything was...fine. A few courses were pretty good. Only one was really good. For that much money, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect more. The wine pairings also failed to deliver any punch; rarely did any of the pairings noticeably elevate a course. They were unimpressive overall. Service was brusk and fine, but I wouldn't call it friendly. The woman serving the wines rarely smiled and sounded like she was going through the motions. Servers came from behind you to change dishware and silverware, something that created awkwardness and which was almost entirely avoided by other bar restaurants. At one point, my dish clearly hadn't been finished off with some vegetables pieces that were on everyone else's plate. When I mentioned it, the chef looked visibly annoyed with me and petulantly placed the vegetable pieces--without even a hint of apology. I was pretty surprised at that. For this much money, the food needs to be more delicious, the service needs to be much friendlier, and the wines need to elevate. No, I won't be returning.More

Date of visit: June 2019
Helpful?5  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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TASTING COUNTER, Somerville - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews

Frequently Asked Questions about Tasting Counter

Tasting Counter is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4.5