Climbing

You dine, the restaurant climbs. Climbing on Resy is the only data-driven list powered by your reservations. Consider it a curated guide by locals, for locals.

Restaurants

Barra

4.5 (817 reviews) · Mexican · $$
Barra stands out in a sea of tacos and margaritas by replicating the experience of a contemporary Mexico City bar. So, while there certainly are tacos (filled with fried shrimp or stuffed peppers) and many margaritas, you’ll also encounter clamato cocktails, sotol flights, and a stellar menu of sipping mezcals, alongside grilled cactus salad and sautéed grasshoppers.

Mimi's Chuka Diner

4.9 (270 reviews) · Chinese · $
At this buzzy Somerville spot, the atmosphere reads New York City diner, but the food might surprise you. Chūka cuisine (or Chinese cuisine viewed through a Japanese lens) takes the stage here, and you can expect signature dishes like sweet-and-sour pork and matzo ball wonton soup.

Josephine

4.4 (65 reviews) · Italian & Pizza · $
Beware, you might just want everything on the menu at this stylish restaurant. Located in Somerville’s Cambria Hotel, chef Michael Scelfo (of Alden & Harlow and Waypoint) serves everything from dry-aged meatballs to deep-dish Margherita pizza to spaghetti with clams in a wood-and-marble-accented dining room with a fire-pit patio outside.

Kush Modern Mediterranean

4.7 (73 reviews) · Mediterranean · $
Kush has just 16 seats — and chef Saba Wahid Duffy wouldn’t want it any other way. Its small scale allows the veteran chef and TV host to cook on her own terms, folding classic Mediterranean and South Asian flavors into dishes like date and tamarind-glazed lamb ribs and harissa brown sugar-braised beef.

June Bug

4.8 (1.3K reviews) · New American · $$
The team behind Somerville’s Field & Vine are out to keep Union Square humble with their latest, even while the neighborhood changes. Here the wood-fired oven serves as a hearth for pizzas, roasted vegetables, and seafood in a space filled with plants and pops of color. Cocktails lean on the classics; the natural wines pull the opposite.

Lehrhaus

4.8 (895 reviews) · Jewish · $$
Here’s a true original — a combination tavern and “house of learning” (or lehrhaus in German) dedicated to Jewish culture. That means classes and book clubs, but also a savory kosher pescatarian menu (the pastrami is made from beets, the “chopped not-liver” from eggplant and nuts) that goes way beyond deli fare.

Tall Order

4.7 (142 reviews) · New American · $
At this Somerville instant classic from the team behind Daiquiris and Daisies, you’ll be enticed by inventive cocktails (including plenty of low- and no-alcohol options); half a dozen or so New England craft beers on tap; and a leveled-up menu of bar snacks and hearty plates from crispy duck sliders to steak frites.

Civility Social House

4.6 (819 reviews) · Gastropub · $
The restaurant scene at Somerville’s Assembly Row is on fire, and a good portion of the heat is coming from this whimsically retro-look establishment from the group behind the nearby Mexican favorite Papagãyo. The eclectic menu ranges from cheese and meat boards to grilled pizza and daily farmers market platter.

Juliet

4.5 (2.3K reviews) · French · $$
When Josh Lewin and Katrina Jazayeri moved their charming, idiosyncratic Somerville café-restaurant just next door to a larger space, they decided to focus the menu on Mediterranean fare with a special shout-out to the Italian-French cooking of Nice — and diners couldn’t be happier.

The Eaves

4.8 (465 reviews) · Vietnamese · $$
Vinh Le and Duong Huynh, who energized Cambridge with their red-hot Cicada, have brought their fresh Vietnamese-inspired fare here to Bow Market in Somerville’s Union Square. Do not miss the banana flower salad and duck in various guises.