Gargoyles on the Square
(617) 776-5300
219 Elm St
(at Russell Street)
Somerville,
MA
02144
42.394841
-71.121507
Neighborhood: Davis Square
Reviews & Ratings for Gargoyles on the Square
24 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 24 reviews
very disappointed
by dunger
May 10, 2009
We had high expectations for our Mothers Day Brunch. Two of the four meals were very cold. Egg whites were substituted for scrambled eggs and the portions were very tiny, these folks went away hungry.
Coffee was cold, and didn’t like the “self serve”
Love the name! by Jonathon K. at InsiderPages
Contributor
August 27, 2008
Nice place, good atmosphere. Always an adventurous night out. Not any problems come to mind. Never been overcharged, under served, etc. Nice place to go if you're in the area, parking can be problematic in Somerville but that is avoidable if you go at an off time of day.
Outstanding flavors, weaker service
by perchdogg
August 19, 2008
I went to Gargoyles with my girlfriend on a Saturday night and neglected to recognize that Boston's Restaurant Week was in full swing. The place was very crowded and although we had a reservation for 8 pm, we weren't seated until 8:30. We passed the time with cocktails and had to stand in a very crowded bar area that overlapped with a dining area. The hostess seemed incredibly flighty and naive to the preferences of a more expensive restaurant's clientele. I heard another patron complain very vociferously about the rudeness of the maitre d'.
Once seated, we were thrilled with the menu and choices. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive without being over-bearing. For appetizers we had baked figs and the tuna poke which were both great. The figs may have been a bit too filling for a first course but this was forgivable because of the flavors. The tuna was excellent with simple flavors that accompanied each other extremely well without creating an overwhelming effect; a strong first dish. For entrees we enjoyed the duck confit and bbq pork loin - both were very good, well-seasoned and plentiful. Finally, for desserts we tried the panacotta and chocolate cheese cake; while the panacotta was solid, the cheese cake was a stellar dessert. I should also mention that we tried Gargoyles' take on sangria, which bore minuscule resemblance to its inspiration and should probably be skipped.
Though the wait for a table was long, the food was more than I hoped it could be. You may just need to pad your schedule a bit if you think of coming here on a busy night. We would go back.
- Pros: FOOD -
- Cons: Crowded and noisy, and we did get hints that service is generally sub-par though our experience was acceptable.
Beloved bistro delivers reasonably priced, original interpretations of classic American fare to satisified Davis Square crowds.
by Eric Grossman
August 01, 2008
The Scene
Gargoyles doesn't actually look out onto Davis Square, but floor-to-ceiling windows offer plenty of people-watching opportunities. On most nights, the action is in the front bar, where area professionals congregate over martinis and pints of obscure, imported beer. The dining room's warm-toned, calming environment places the focus squarely on the kitchen's eclectic, contemporary cuisine. Affable waiters are well-versed in the menu's many intricacies.
The Food
Gargoyles' seasonal menu provides adventurous diners with several whimsical presentations of standard favorites. Tender venison medallions, which come to life thanks to a toasted hazelnut and port wine reduction, sit atop a delicate crepe stuffed with Vermont cheddar, roasted apple, celery root and spinach. Starters are no less inventive; try the chili and honey grilled salmon, which comes with pink grapefruit, cucumber, and a watercress yogurt dressing. Leave room for stylish desserts, including a delicious banana Baked Alaska.
good date restaurant
by dizzy02138
July 29, 2008
I love that Gargoyles has a seasonal menu and uses local and fresh produce. From my two experiences it can be a little bit of a hit-or-miss with the flavors, at least for me. I've been underwhelmed by a few of the appetizers although the presentation was beautiful. But, my entres were both great. However, it is always interesting and I have had some great dishes... so I'm happy to experiment. My only complaint is that both times our table was very close to the neighboring table so it was difficult to tune out their conversation or feel that I could converse freely. Otherwise, the lighting is low and the ambiance is romantic.
- Pros: original dishes
- Cons: close seating
Loved it by Kyra T. at InsiderPages
Contributor
January 27, 2008
Gragoyles has some amazing food. Everything is very unique, mixes you would never think of, but are absolutely delicious. The only negative was that it was pretty dark, I actually wasn't sure what part of my dish was.
Great variety
by spollock4
November 11, 2006
We've eaten from the regular menu and the bar and found both to be terrific. Definitely recommend Gargoyle's as a first stop for the night as well as the main event.
- Pros: reasonably priced bar menu
- Cons: crowded on weekends
Definitely a date spot
by mropinionated
October 15, 2006
I went with a buddy of mine because we heard about the great food. A little too romantic, but none the less we had a fun night. From the moment we walked in the door it was a great experience, the hostess was gorgeous, the drinks at the bar were good (although a little over priced for the area) but the bartender really knew his stuff. The dinner was fantasic although had a little dispute with our waitress about the food, but she quickly took care of it and didn't charge us. The food is definitely for those with an open mind, willing to try something new. I would make a suggetion but each plate was such a unique combination that i wouldn't give the food justice if i tried to describe it. We met the owner, who was very nice and took special care of us even though it was our first time there. Overall it was a great evening, although the dim lighting and balconette seating is more appropriate for a dinner date than two buddies catching up since college.
not a great meal
by smidls
August 05, 2006
The Improper Bostonian's "guaranteed great meal" rating swayed us to try this place. we were disappointed. it all started out great, cocktails were delicious, waiter charming. we decided to go with the prix fixe dinner. things went wrong with the grilled clam app brought out by a server. although i ordered the salad, we both ended up with the clams. they looked great, so i decided to keep them. mine were ok, if a bit chewy, but my friend had 2 clams (out of 4 clams) that were undercooked. she didn't realize it until she ate the first one, which was not only raw-ish, but was actually bad & left a terrible aftertaste. we got the attention of our waiter to tell him. he offered to have another clam app cooked up, but she didn't want to chance it. he didn't offer anything else and he was completely taken aback at my suggestion that perhaps she could get a complimentary second cocktail. it might have been a bit much to ask for, but he could have easily said something like, "the management won't allow me to do that, but may i offer you a salad from our menu?". Instead he just said he couldn't do it and left it at that. i wasn't going to mention the error in the order, but since he was not offering anything besides more bad clams, i told him. we communicated everything in a pleasant fashion - we aren't into berating waiters - but from that point on, he completely made himself scarce and was not so friendly. the duck breast entree was quite rare. i know that's the trend, but maybe warn diners? aside from that, both meals were pretty good, but not stellar. dessert was outstanding, but not enough to win us over after the rough start and the unhelpful waiter. i don't blame waitstaff for bad food, but i do expect them to attempt to "make things right" in one way or another. for pete's sake, even appleby's gave us a free round of drinks once, just because an order came out wrong! spend your money elsewhere.
Left in a Food Coma
by eclovelace
July 26, 2006
That was the best meal I've had in a long time.
I haven't been to Gargoyles in many years, but I understand they have a new chef recently. We went for the "full tour" which is a 6 course tasting of the menu paired with wine for each course at $90/person ($60 without wine). Every course was tasty and some were just fantastic.
Many of the dishes had an asian flair which I don't recall with the previous chef including:
sushi tuna appetizer (chunks of sushi tossed with seaweed, ginger, and other vegetables with a great spicy dressing)
dumplings stuffed with octopus, sticky rice (these were melt in your mouth fantastic; not rubbery so I think the octopus must have been well marinated)
hoisin flavored duck confit over sticky rice (this was flavorful sweeter variation of more classic duck confit, and there was only a hint of hoisin to prevent it getting too salty)
We survived until the dessert which was a rich chocolate mousse cake that just plowed us under. We left in a food coma; dizzy from all the flavors.
Only suggestions: cocktails are pretty steep for Davis Sq ($11), and dining room staff needs to connect with hostess and make sure first seated are the first ones asked to order (3 tables seated after us were offered drinks before us).
- Pros: inventive, delicious food
- Cons: $11 cocktails
