Sabur Restaurant

(617) 776-7890

212 Holland St
Somerville, MA 02144 42.4021 -71.1268

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Neighborhoods: West Somerville, Teele Square

SABURRESTAURANT.COM

Hours:

Monday 09:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Tuesday 09:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Wednesday 09:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Thursday 09:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Friday 09:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Saturday 09:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Sunday 09:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Price:

$$

Last updated 10.14.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Travelers Check, Debit Card

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Late Night Dining, Romantic Dining, Brunch, Outdoor Dining, Hidden Find, Dine At The Bar

Cuisine:

Eclectic & International, Mediterranean, Eastern European, Seafood

Smoking Permitted:

No

What People Are Saying About Sabur Restaurant

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – While technically a Balkan restaurant, Sabur incorporates Italian, Greek, Turkish and North African elements in both its decor and cuisine. Upon entering the exotic dining room, with its circular, handcrafted Bosnian copper tables and open-hearth grill, diners may feel as if they've taken a wrong turn and ended up in a cozy European hideaway. Patrons can also dine in the smoky lounge (which features live entertainment on certain weekends) or on the seasonal outdoor patio. Service in all corners is friendly and attentive. – – The Food – The lengthy menu…

Editor's Tips

When to Go:
An outstanding weekend brunch--featuring such offerings as French toast with maple syrup and apricot butter--creates quite a wait for tables, so arrive early.
What to Drink:
Lovers of obscure wine should order a glass of Grgich Posip, a Croatian white only grown, according to legend, on one island.
Know Before You Go:
For those unfamiliar with tiny Teele Square, it's just a short stroll down Holland Street from the Davis Square T stop.
ambiance
87.5% positive
  1. Sabur is unlike any restuarant in the Boston area, The service is great, the food is delicious and the atmosphere is casual yet hip.
  2. Great ambiance
  3. The location is not great but it's definetely finding
  4. The parking lot is a big bonus.
  5. Their lounge is great too, cozy and hip.
  6. Along with the convenient parking, this place is a find!
  7. Some of the great things about this restuarant besides good food and reasonal price are: Parking lot; a quiet neighborhood even though it's just 10 minutes walk from Davis Sq; great atmosphere especially the lounge; great background music in the lounge; g
  8. Great decor, convenient location with parking.
dessert
0.0% positive
  1. The appetizers were mediocre: chickpea cakes good, potato & celery root cakes very greasey.
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. We thoroughly enjoyed lounging on the cushions, the fantastic wine suggestion and of course the food.
  2. Some of the great things about this restuarant besides good food and reasonal price are: Parking lot; a quiet neighborhood even though it's just 10 minutes walk from Davis Sq; great atmosphere especially the lounge; great background music in the lounge; g
food quality
84.37999725341797% positive
  1. Overall, food was decent and reasonably priced - however would never go back due to the poor, poor service we received and the obvious lack of customer service skills the staff displayed.
  2. Sabur is unlike any restuarant in the Boston area, The service is great, the food is delicious and the atmosphere is casual yet hip.
  3. Tried this place hoping for some authentic Turkish food, but according to the website and sign outside, it is Mediterranean food with exotic flavors and aromas of regions ranging from Italy, Greece, Southern France, and the Balkans to North Africa and bey
  4. We thoroughly enjoyed lounging on the cushions, the fantastic wine suggestion and of course the food.
  5. The appetizers were mediocre: chickpea cakes good, potato & celery root cakes very greasey.
  6. Fantastic food, great service
  7. My boyfriend had the salmon, which was fresh and light, served over cous cous with green beans.
  8. Both meals were HUGE, but more importantly, the quality was top notch and absolutely delicious.
  9. We had the pan roasted codfish with olives, tomatoes and capers over delicious creamy polenta.
  10. Excellent meal from start to finish each time.
  11. When our food arrived the hummus was good, but a little garlicky for my taste.
  12. Dessert was also good, the best being a special bread pudding.
  13. Some of the great things about this restuarant besides good food and reasonal price are: Parking lot; a quiet neighborhood even though it's just 10 minutes walk from Davis Sq; great atmosphere especially the lounge; great background music in the lounge; g
  14. The pear and gorgonzola salad was huge and didn't have enough taste.
  15. to tasty bread, great appetizers (tried the Mezze, a plate of hummus, stuffed grape leaves, etc, as well as the Barak, a spiral of filo-dough filled with meat or cheese), and excellent entrees (tried several).
  16. His lamb and potato hash turned out to be a huge pile of relatively tasty lamb , but literally 2 teeny potato cubes.
menu variety
50.0% positive
  1. The menu was really dirty and the place can get really loud too.
  2. Some of the great things about this restuarant besides good food and reasonal price are: Parking lot; a quiet neighborhood even though it's just 10 minutes walk from Davis Sq; great atmosphere especially the lounge; great background music in the lounge; g
overall
100.0% positive
  1. My favorite restaurant in Boston
return potential
0.0% positive
  1. Overall, food was decent and reasonably priced - however would never go back due to the poor, poor service we received and the obvious lack of customer service skills the staff displayed.
service
57.14000225067139% positive
  1. Sabur is unlike any restuarant in the Boston area, The service is great, the food is delicious and the atmosphere is casual yet hip.
  2. Overall, food was decent and reasonably priced - however would never go back due to the poor, poor service we received and the obvious lack of customer service skills the staff displayed.
  3. The staff in there are horrible and rude.
  4. Some of the great things about this restuarant besides good food and reasonal price are: Parking lot; a quiet neighborhood even though it's just 10 minutes walk from Davis Sq; great atmosphere especially the lounge; great background music in the lounge; g
  5. Not a great service!
  6. Fantastic food, great service
  7. The service was great with an attentive waitress.
value
100.0% positive
  1. While everything was good, it was a bit pricey.
  2. Some of the great things about this restuarant besides good food and reasonal price are: Parking lot; a quiet neighborhood even though it's just 10 minutes walk from Davis Sq; great atmosphere especially the lounge; great background music in the lounge; g
  3. The pear and gorgonzola salad was huge and didn't have enough taste.
  4. His lamb and potato hash turned out to be a huge pile of relatively tasty lamb , but literally 2 teeny potato cubes.
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. Some of the great things about this restuarant besides good food and reasonal price are: Parking lot; a quiet neighborhood even though it's just 10 minutes walk from Davis Sq; great atmosphere especially the lounge; great background music in the lounge; g
3 Star Rating: Average

07/12/09

Appetizer Mezze a great deal!

by lsarao

Tried this place hoping for some authentic Turkish food, but according to the website and sign outside, it is Mediterranean food with exotic flavors and aromas of regions ranging from Italy, Greece, Southern France, and the Balkans to North Africa and beyond. Also, I'm not sure where people got the idea that it's Bosnian. The website says the tables are handcrafted Bosnian tables, but that's about the extent of it.

We started with the appetizer mezze for 2 people and it was enough food for an entire meal. It had cucumber yogurt salad, grape leaves, crosini with roasted red pepper spread and a heaping serving of vegetable hummus and pita bread. It was exactly what I had been hoping for! Had we known it would be so big, we would've just got another appetizer to split, but alas, we had already ordered an entree.

I had the sea scallops, which were served over polenta crab cakes an spinach. The scallops were small but very flavorful. My boyfriend had the salmon, which was fresh and light, served over cous cous with green beans.

While everything was good, it was a bit pricey. I'd recommend getting the mezze and a couple of appetizers. It's plenty of food and it will save you a few bucks!

  • Pros: Free parking, appetizer mezze
  • Cons: Pricey
3 Star Rating: Average

04/28/08

Great ambiance

by bostonfoodcritic

Not a great service!

The staff in there are horrible and rude. The menu was really dirty and the place can get really loud too.

It's a worth to try place but not a most-go-to.

  • Pros: Parking lot
  • Cons: Horrible service
3 Star Rating: Average

03/07/08

Eh

by bettygurl2008

My boyfriend and I were really excited to try this restaurant. However the excitement slowly fizzled away. Our food was sub-par and way overpriced. Apparently I had received an 'old' menu and what I had wanted to order was no longer served, so I ordered the Lamb moussaka. When our food arrived the hummus was good, but a little garlicky for my taste. His spinach and ricotta gnocchi was very light and while I liked it, he thought it to be bland. My lamb moussaka was more like a lamb pot-pie and was thick with a fatty substance. We were not impressed and I would not recommend Sabur to anyone.

  • Pros: Ambience
  • Cons: Food
2 Star Rating: Below Average

05/10/07

Terrible Weeknight Experience

by msiw80

We tried Sabur on recommendation of City Search and were rather disappointed. I am not sure if it was because it was a weeknight and the place was understaffed or if it was a general lack of enthusiasm and effort on the part of the staff that is always present. After standing by the door for several minutes, on a quiet night, a waitress across the room told us to sit wherever. Ten minutes later we received menus, another ten minutes drinks were ordered and ten minutes later they arrived. My pomegranate margarita was great, my boyfriend's martini was practically warmed...obvious it had been made and waited on the bar until served. The appetizers were mediocre: chickpea cakes good, potato & celery root cakes very greasey. After waiting a long time for our meals (20+ minutes) one arrived as ordered (slow cooked lamb, excellent) and the other was not what was requested. By the time the correct item was brought my partner was done eating and what I was served was cold in the middle. I sent it back and asked for the bill immediately. The entire time the staff was less than apologetic about everything, actually had an attitude, never filled our waters or served bread. On the way out the door the owner extended his regrets and offered a free meal on him in the future...finally somone who cared. I doubt we will ever take him up on the offer.

  • Cons: Rude Staff, Cold food, Warm Martinis
3 Star Rating: Average

02/11/07

Rude, rude, and more rude

by goodeats8478

Reservations were made for 6 people at 8pm this past Saturday to celebrate a friend's birthday. Upon our prompt arrival we were told our table was located in the lounge. Our table was knee height, and the chairs were backless. Although the seating arrangement was severely uncomfortable, we chose to attempt to make the best of the situation. Our party waited 20 minutes to order drinks, and another 20 minutes to receive them. Our first round of drinks appeared on the table at 8:40pm. When we politely reminded our waitress about the fact that we had been waiting quite a long time for our first round, her response was, "have you seen how busy this place is?" Upon the arrival of our drinks, we asked the waitress for a basket of bread. Her response - "only patrons seated in the dining room receive bread, not patrons in the lounge."

At the end of the evening - we commented to the waitress that we didn't think it was fair that a) despite having reservations, we were seated in the lounge, and b) we were unable to get bread due to the area we were seated in. Her response, "you should have made reservations further ahead of time." At no time in the evening was my dissatisfied party EVER rude to the staff. The staff, however, was rude to us on two occasions.

Overall, food was decent and reasonably priced - however would never go back due to the poor, poor service we received and the obvious lack of customer service skills the staff displayed.

  • Pros: Great Mediterranean Food, Great Drinks
  • Cons: Rude Staff

The Details on Sabur Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • authentic turkish food
  • great service
  • poor service
  • huge meals
  • great lounge
  • favorite restaurant
  • not great location
  • light salmon
  • garlicky hummus
  • mediocre appetizers
  • rude staff
  • wonderful accompanying risotta
  • relatively tasty lamb
  • excellent entrees
  • terrific cocktails
  • dry duck
  • great decor
  • great ambiance
  • huge salad
  • good reasonal price
  • convenient parking
  • tasty bread
  • good dessert
  • great atmosphere
  • delicious creamy polenta

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