Did someone say pasta? I had the pleasure of going to the Fat Hen located on 126 Broadway St, Somerville, MA this week. They serve a wide variety of wine and delicious pasta dishes that seriously rival some of my favorite italian spots in the Boston area. For appetizers we had their yellowfin tuna crudo and the beef tartare. The tuna crudo was my favorite of the two and had delightful notes of ginger and serrano pepper. For pasta dishes we had the wild mushroom gemelli, the duck confit tortellini and the goat cheese gnocchi. The pastas all individually tasted amazing! We were blown away by the flavors and will be back to try the other pasta dishes on the menu. Finally, for dessert we had their tres leches cake when you dig deep into this cake you will be blown away Be sure to check out this spot next time you are in Somerville! Also, right next door is the Fat Hen's sister restaurant La Brasa which serves up more great dishes and cocktails. Rating: Food: 9/10 Affordability: 5/10 Note I was unable to sit inside Fat Hen due to a private event they were having. I was served the Fat Hen while seated in La Brasa so I can only rate the ambiance of La Brasa which was a solid 7/10. read more

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One of the most underrated spots in the area! Everything was prepared so delicately and with so much thought. read more

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Highly recommend coming here - mushroom pasta and the duck breast are a must have. Staff are friendly but be sure to bring your jacket if you're here in the winter!! read more

We can here for my mother-in-laws birthday. I made reservations ahead of time on Open Table. I also called ahead of time because my in-laws are vegetarian and I wanted to make sure the restaurant I selected could accommodate their diet. Fat Hen gave me the assurance I needed that vegetarian options could be accommodated. 2 of the appetizers could be made vegetarian, 3 out of 4 pasta options could be made vegetarian, and 1 Chef's vegetarian special could be made as a Secondi offering. Upon our arrival, we were seated and brought water. The ambiance was beautiful, dimly lit and decorated simply. We were not brought bread for our meal as others mentioned in their past reviews but our appetizers were served to us promptly. I ate/ordered: 1.) Arancini (5 stars) - So delicious and they included 5 small aracinis so we could all have at least 1 which was wonderful and thoughtful! 2.) Burrata (5 stars) - Delicious burrata on a sweet bread. The culatello that is normally on this appetizer was brought to us on the side (because my husband and I are no vegetarian) without us even asking which was so thoughtful! 3.) Lumache (5 stars) - The most delicious pasta I have had in such a long time! The lumache was so soft and chewy and the cherries and lamb complimented each other nicely. Note to the chef would be to include less cherries but the dish was delicious regardless and a very generous portion compared to the other pastas! 4.) Agnolotti (4 stars)- My husband ordered this and I had a few bites. The portion was small and I found the pasta filling to be too sweet which was expected because it consisted of sweet potatoes. But this pasta was tasty, delicate and soft! Fat Hen has some room for improvement on their deserts: 5.) Semifreddo (4 stars)- Semi frozen ice cream duos were delicious but had a interesting consistency. 6.) Expresso cream with Biscotti (3.5 stars) - Certainly not my favorite dish. The expresso cream was strong and also sort of tasted like passion fruit if that's even possible. The pistachio biscotti was delicious but needed a better pairing. 7.) Salted Caramels - These were brought to us after our meal and we're DELICIOUS!! The salty caramels were so soft and melted in your mouth. All in all I would definitely come back here. Next time maybe just for drinks and appetizers or for a private chef's table tasting! read more

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Atmosphere: cozy, though a little too dark in a small restaurant, which is actually a side room of a larger one (it is felt when you try to find the restrooms..). Drinks: If you don't like their short list of cocktails, you can ask for the extended list of cocktails they have there. It is endless, but the waiter can help choose based on the ingredients you like. Service: Putting itself as an upscale restaurant sometimes just denies you from those little things you enjoy.. For example, each of us got 1 piece of bread as a start. Want to have more to dip in some gravy? Not unless you ask for it and get an unpleasant look from the waiter.. Really? Can't you just refill that bread or put a basket for the table? Food: Most of the food was delicious. Surprisingly, the more creative, non-traditional dishes were much better than the "classic" ones. - Burrata with prosciutto on a sweet bread, was interesting, and a little too firm for a burrata. - Liver terrine - classic, good, and a little too small for its price. - Scallops - scallops are always tasty. These were nicely presented with thinly sliced cauliflower. Pretty bare dish and pricy. - Rabbit Gnocchi - the star of the evening! Very soft and great texture gnocchi, interesting flavors and a good bite of the rabbit too. - Cod - the most disappointing one. The fish was good, but it came with a lot of barley(?!?!?!?) with something that tasted like cheap tomato sauce. It was not boring, too salty (with no other flavor). We didn't even finish it. read more

Fat Hen Broadway East - burrata on a sweet bread liver terrin - Italian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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This restaurant canceled our reservation without calling or emailing. We showed up with out of town guests and walked up to a locked door and dark restaurant. This was very inconsiderate. We hope that in the future the proprietors will treat their guests with more respect for their time. read more

Was surprised to see how well-reviewed this place is, because the food is straight up just not good. The pasta dishes were massively over-seasoned and salty, and the bolognese was made with ground beef that could only be described Boyardee-esaue. I'm not sure if they were understaffed, but the service was also very slow, and it took us a while to get seated despite having a reservation. Will not be coming back. read more

Service was very rude. Did not explain what I was getting even though I basically begged her to describe it. I was expecting pasta and got dumplings instead. And they were not good. read more

Finally got to try this place out! Walked in one night and was told that they booked for the night. So second time around we made reservations. I love the ambiance of the restaurant. It's dim, romantic and modern. Very small place with maybe about 10 tables and no more than 30 people. The dishes are especially curated with thought in terms of flavor and elegance in presentation which reminds me of upscale dining. That being said, the portions are small as with many upscale restaurants. I particularly enjoyed the agnolotti, which was filled with squash this season. The dish overall felt very light and refreshing. The arancinis were delightful. They were small bites of warm cheesy goodness, that also tasted very light. My boyfriend got the scallops. You can really taste the celery root and mushrooms which was pleasantly surprising. Definitely worth checking out! read more

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Next door neighbor/sister restaurant to La Brasa, Fat Hen is an intimate, Italian version. You have the option of ordering a la carte, 4 course prix fixe, or the chef's tasting. Wine pairings are also available. There are also a few stools at the bar where you can watch the chef prepare the food. We opted for the $55 prix fixe, which gave us the option of choosing one item from each section of the menu. Highlights: the PASTAS. I think both of us loved the lumache and the gnocchi. I think I may just order 2 pastas for myself instead of doing the 4 courses. Like La Brasa, I found the food very good but slightly overpriced. Also like La Brasa, the service was a little inattentive, though our courses were well timed. Note that the serving size here is not generous. Usually I can't finish all the food when I do a tasting or prix fixe, but I was able to eat everything, and my dining partner ate more food at home a few hours after dinner. I may still return, as I enjoyed our meal, but this place wouldn't make my top 5 in the area. More photos at instagram.com/letseatwithannie read more

Fat Hen Broadway East - Pasta course!! Instagram.com/letseatwithannie - Italian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Our experience at the Fat Hen was amazing! The food was so incredible and our waitress was wonderful. They have gluten free pasta and desserts as well! We will definitely return! read more

I hesitated before my 5 stars but really couldn't find anything wrong with my experience with this place ... Like many others have said, place is very small, dark and intimate. There is a cocktail and wine menu, we went for the wine. I'm a fan of sweet wine however it seems that isn't an italian thing, our host did his best to find us something suitable enough, less dry and bitter - we fell inlove right away ( unfortunately cannot remember the name of the wine) For appetizers, we went with the foie gras and the fish pate. The pieces of pears that accompanied the foie gras were exquisite! My friend thought the fish pate was a bit too salty. The gnocchi with mushroom and prosciutto was superb! Steak with the fried potato piece as good! ( cant recall the formal Italian name) Dessert, we had the white chocolate with strawberries! Again delish! Our host gave us those square caramel espresso pastries. Didn't care for them much probably because at this point we were full. Overall great experience! Would not mind going back. read more

Fat Hen is more an area inside neighboring restaurant La Brasa right now than its own place. Fat Hen has a small menu with wines, antipasti, and pasta. Cocktails/beer and desserts are from the La Brasa menu. Everything we ordered was delicious - the appetizer and pasta dishes were unique and perfectly done, and we were really happy with the wine selections too. Definitely a place that deserves a repeat visit. read more

Recently revisited fat hen. I think the food is now at a higher level with the new chef. Really interesting and delicious preparations, such as a horse radish semifreddo grated on top of a crudo course, garnished with foraged greens. House grown koji used throughout for curing protein, in sauce, or in icecream. Service was attentive and knowledgable, chef was hand delivering courses to explain their intentions. Space is even more intimate now that occupancy is lowered. tl;dr High level of cuisine in a small easily missed part of town. read more

Reserved many weeks in advance for my make-up graduation dinner (graduated virtually in 2020!) with my elderly family members I haven't seen in years. I got many confirmation emails, texts and calls and I confirmed all of them, and yet when we got to the restaurant it was closed for a private event. It was incredibly disappointing, especially on a hot day that was supposed to be very special, being stranded without many other options with my family members who aren't able to walk very far. I hope they figure that out in the future but I probably won't be trying again. I called and did get a nice apology but they didn't offer anything to make up for it. Oh well! read more

The Fat Hen is an unassuming little Italian restaurant that is both elegant and intimate at the same time. A great hidden gem for a time out with good company - friends, family, date night. The food is fresh, both contemporary and classic, and the wine selection, thoughtful. Service is excellent, nothing will be amiss. read more

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I was so excited to try Fat Hen after looking at their menu online. My friends and I made a reservation in advance that went smoothly. There are limited cocktails but a great wine list. One odd thing was that we couldn't order our appetizers first since the chef wanted the entire order at once. The food was all amazing but I was a little thrown off by the portions given the pricing Services was incredible and I'd come back for that alone. I didn't realize that it was attached to La Brasa until I had to go through the entire restaurant to find the bathroom. All in all, it was good and I'd go back if someone else wanted to go. read more

Fat Hen Broadway East - Ribeye - Italian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

First time there, it was quite nice. Good ambiance, short but interesting menu, food was quite good. Service was good just not at NYC Level read more

Delicious food. Wonderful atmosphere. The service was pretty sub-par. Wait staff looked bored and weren't very attentive. Had to wait over 20 minutes for a coke. Honestly, I'm not interested in coming back based on that alone. read more

A neighborhood gem. Fat Hen is run by the same minds behind La Brasa, therefore explains the shared space. Unlike its lively counterpart, the atmosphere on Fat Hen is a lot more sophisticated, toned down, yet managed to stay humble at the same time with their approach to modern Italian take. Came here for a Saturday dinner and astonishingly managed to secure a seat 2 hours before actual time, despite the restaurant being constantly filled with customers. BF & I opted an array of their more popular dishes: the broccoli steak (stellar - I did not miss meat at all!), Linguine with pistachio pesto (yum!), and veal milanese which was also perfectly cooked. Bonus points also on the interior - love the understated elegance and accent linear lighting on the booth wall side. We would definitely come back once they've changed the menu. And this time, with some room for desserts! read more

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First the positives: great service from a truly kind, thoughtful, well informed server who knew her wine. Now the negatives. Buckle up. The wine list was thin and they were out of most wines. The salads were grotesquely over-salted to the point of being inedible. For the mains, I got the porchetta. It was literally 95% fat. When I complained the waitress said most patrons love it. But I lived in Italy and never was served a plate of fat with the name "porchetta." The prices were quite high for what we got. Disappointed. read more

I think Fat Hen is a solid spot - but it positions itself as more upscale than it is, which can set you up for disappointment. Some dishes were great - the agnolotti (roasted parsnip, braised oxtail, pistachio, pecorino) was superb. The fois gras was lovely but mixed with a bit too much cream and the black bass crudo was delightful but at times gristly so it was clear it wasn't the best cut of fish. The two mains - the fish and steak, were great but a bit bland and underwhelming. It's great for a date night - I might recommend crafting your own meal or potentially the chef's tasting menu rather than going for the hit or miss prix fixe. Again - I think Fat Hen sets high expectations for what it can deliver. It's essentially a smaller restaurant inside La Brasa - we found the food tastier at La Brasa at a lower price point and the kitchen is probably shared between the two. Solid but definitely didn't knock our socks off. read more

Wow! We decided to enjoy the chef's whim and were treated to an amazing dining experience. Each course was distinctive and remarkable-the flavors were seasonally motivated and incredibly bold while still remaining true to their Italian influence. We would HIGHLY recommend the black bass with cara cara orange, the buratta with pistachio pesto, the gnocchi with trumpet mushrooms and truffle, as well as the scallops capesante. Honestly I don't believe I will ever get over those scallops, they were the best I've ever eaten and cooked perfectly. Great service as well as atmosphere. Talented sous chef who was accommodating in tailoring the menu to serve those with dietary restrictions. We will be back!! read more

This was a birthday gift from my husband. Phenomenal! Kevin ordered a cocktail. Amazing! Even asked about and they wrote out the recipe for us. Our meals were stunning and beautifully presented. I have suggested friends to try. read more

One of the best place around Boston, the 7 courses tasting menu is always fantastic. Take the wine pairing and you can beat that Price vs Quality. Coming back very soon for the winter menu read more

Upscale Italian fare at elevated prices. Overall: 4/5 Value: 3.5/5 Food: 4/5 Service: 3.75/5 Decor: 4/5 We had the four course tasting for $55 where you choose an option from each section. I opted for the black bass crudo, angolotti pasta, NY strip steak, and the semifreddo. The portions are on the smaller side - I'm a petite person and I could easily finish the portions. However the flavors are quite delicate and well planned, providing nice taste. For example the bass crudo was paired with some sort of sweeter passion fruit sauce which made it super light and fruity and summer-like. The angolotti was quite delicious as was the NY strip steak, but I wish the food was a bit more hot vs lukewarm. The steak was an interesting cut but there was a fair bit of fatty ness. The dessert was absolutely delectable - a rich white chocolate semifreddo with strawberries and strawberry ice cream. I did enjoy the meal, would recommend if in the area, although at $55 it's still a fairly hefty price tag for this part of town since it's a bit out of the way/not downtown. read more

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Absolutely fantastic! My husband and I came here for his birthday on Tuesday, and Wow! What a meal. Let's start with meeting the host and wine buyer,Jake, who's effervescent personality made us feel so welcomed. Then chef Brian , did what he does best..and delivered a pre fixed meal that was outstanding. We also did a wine pairing to complete the meal. I cannot wait to come back to Fat Hen ! read more

Food was ok but way overpriced. From hostess on, service was terrible, slow, unfriendly, stacking plates on table, one entree 15 minutes late. Desert mediocre. Don't go here. read more

Two things really bothered me about Fat Hen. 1. My steak was prepared well done, even though I ordered it medium/medium rare. This is practically a sin. 2. The menu on their website is totally out-of-date. If you have a menu that regularly chances, either make the effort to keep the site's menu current, or just don't list a menu online at all. read more

A bit disappointed. I had had Fat Hen bookmarked for quite some time as they have a killer 4 course dinner deal ($45 is a steal). Came in as a party of four and things went from good to bad. Service was initially very attentive, great at answering questions we had about the menu. Our first courses were delicious - two of us had the calamari salad and were pleasantly surprised by the generous amount of calamari as well as the super bold citrus flavors. The other two had the ricotta gnudi which was equally delicious. After this was where things went downhill. For my second course, I ordered the polenta and it came out cold - not even lukewarm. One of my other dining companions had the bucatini nerro which was just lukewarm. Our server never came over to check on us, and it took about 10 minutes to flag down one of the bussers to let her know it was cold. She offered to bring the dish out again, and when it arrived another 10 minutes later it was hot and good, but not great. Our waiter never acknowledged this issue and never asked how we were enjoying our meals despite the fact that I'm 99% sure he saw the plate being removed and replaced. Third courses sampled were the veal, pork and swordfish. I was actually SHOCKED at the size of the veal - I know this is a tasting menu, but it was this tiny little pounded out piece, like the size of a travel kleenex pack and super thin. It also lacked flavor. The pork ended up being 40% fat which was pretty disappointing (and ultimately a very small portion), and the swordfish was unremarkable and served with super oily potatoes. Once it came time for dessert, the four of us were pretty over the meal. All options except for one had nuts, so if someone in your group has an allergy, they don't have much of a choice (one member of the party was allergic and had to go for the champagne panna cotta which he said was fine). I had a chocolate semifreddo-like dessert (can't remember the name) which was good, but again, would've been fine without it. Had high hopes for this place and am sad to write a less than impressed review. Would've rather paid more for a better meal and service. read more

What a little gem. Tucked as a little sidekick of La Brasa, I walked past the place a couple of times and had to call them to find the entrance. So glad I sought this restaurant out. Ten tables arranged intimately in two rows and an unpretentious atmosphere plus a couple of friendly and super prompt servers set you up for some culinary greatness. The first word that came to my mind when I took the first spoon of their chilled corn soup was "Wow!" and that was what I said to the server that asked me how the soup was. Next, the delicious bucatini was served complete with an egg yolk in the middle. Then came the lobster with gnocchi. Served with romaine lettuce and pancetta, it had the perfect balance of crunchy and soft texture all on one plate, or should I say bowl. Not a lot of creative choices for dessert, but the italian crepe was tasty enough to close the meal on a good note. The prices of the a la carte dishes are reasonable individually, but may run up a bit if you are planning to go for the appetizer, pasta course and main course. However, they offer a great deal in their 4-course "degustazione" for $45. This is not a tasting menu in the traditional sense, but merely a prix fixe meal of the a la carte dishes. Overheard another customer remark "Amazing!" as he headed out the door. I agree. I should have known though, since this is a brainchild of Daniel Bojorquez who used to work for Frank McClellan at L'espalier and the now closed Sel de la Terre, two of my favorite restaurants in the area. read more

Fat Hen Broadway East - Bucatini - Italian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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Truthfully I'd give this place 4.5 stars if it was an option, but I rounded up in this case. Came here on a Wednesday night at 6 pm with 2 friends. We were surprised that it was pretty empty and wondered if it was just an off night in the winter. This place is very small with approximately 10 tables. The meal started with homemade bread served with a delicious butter and olive oil. Quite good. Then we shared the arancini and burrata apps, both were very good. We also shared the gnocchi, risotto, and agnolotti pasta dishes. All three were excellent, with the agnolotti being the clear favorite (this was basically a sweet potato ravioli type dish). I will note that the pasta portions are not huge, especially the agnolotti. Service was great, although hard to give a fair review since the restaurant was so quiet. Either way our server was quite pleasant and was happy to accommodate our dietary restrictions. Would definitely come back! read more

They sold us a $20 piece of broccoli... Add some #%&*ing starch, at least. The linguine was tasty, but small and nothing too special The waitress's idea of "walking us through the menu," was what felt like her trying to sell us the four course (minus actually describing the dishes) The wine is $$$$$$ Vegetarians and common folk beware read more

Even though this was our backup option on a Saturday evening, we were rewarded with a solid meal. We walked over from Sarma after their bar was ridiculously full only after 30 min after opening. Sarma is one of my favorite restaurants in the Boston area but after that experience I'm not going back without a reservation. Fat Hen is somewhat small in size but the decor is simple but stylish. We loved the service which was excellent- personable and efficient. Starting off, the bread was homemade with a nice pairing of creamy butter and olive oil. We got the four course prix fine meal. The cocktails were outstanding. Burrata with pork belly tomatoes was pretty good - the pork belly being the standout and dominating the dish. The Agnolotti with duck salsiccia was excellent but to be honest a little small in quantity- I wanted more! My wife enjoyed the risotto. The fish course was a bass in a saffron broth with a delicious crispy broccoli salad. My wife's chicken entree was flavorful. The one negative for the evening was the dessert course. We got the Panna Cotta and some kind of mint chip gelato. They were surprisingly lacking. So much so that we didn't feel like finishing them. I got the impression they were trying too hard to be inventive. But overall we enjoyed our dinner and wouldn't mind paying another visit read more

There's no way you'll get fat at the Fat Hen. The portions are extremely small. At first we thought that was because we ordered the tasting menu but we asked our waitress and she said the plate sizes are the same whether you order the 4-course meal or ala carte. My husband started with the salad, which was red leaf lettuce with dressing. That's it. Nothing else. I had the calamari, which was very good. We then moved onto to the pasta. He had the pastacio pesto pasta and I had the black ink pasta with mussels. He had about four bites of his pasta and was done. It was quite good, but again, the portion was so small he was wanting more. Next was the main course. I ordered the swordfish, which was maybe 3 ounces at best over four small potatoes and a tasty sauce. If that had been the only thing I ordered, I would have left starving. My husband had the veal Milanese which was good, but nothing to rave about. The dessert choices were limited to two. I had the panacotta, took two bites and decided it was not worth the additional calories. We really wanted to like this restaurant after reading all the great reviews. We were very disappointed and won't be returning. Nor will we be trying their restaurant next door. On the plus side, the service was very good and our waitress was very knowledgeable. She said she hoped to see us again. Us too, but it will have to be at a different restaurant. read more

The first time I dined at Fat Hen it was delicious. I went back and ordered the same exact thing (I'm vegetarian so there wasn't much selection) and it was disgusting. The mushroom sauce tasted like the cream of mushroom you get in a can. It had a cat food taste to it I'm not kidding. The salad was just some wilted lettuce and barely any dressing. And the "dressing" that was on it seemed to just be olive oil. No lemon, herbs, nothing. Everything else about the restaurant is great, the ambiance, the service, etc. but unfortunately I'll never go back, the food was so bad. read more

Extremely disappointing, from arriving & having to wait nearly 10 mins to be greeted- no one was at the stand. To finally being seated & watching 3 other tables come in after us wait & get served water & drinks before us. When we finally caught the servers attention she didn't apologise! Just said she could serve us now. We walked out. We'd booked for a birthday & came in from metro west. Will not advise anyone to make that effort read more

Great spot. Only 15 tables so make a Rez in advance. The scallops were phenomenal. Also the brisket gnocchi was delicious as well. The menu was on the smaller side....maybe 12-15 items total but everything we had was great. Also the waitress was very knowledgeable about the wine list. read more

A fab, low-key place to celebrate a special occasion! I had mentioned it was an anniversary when we made the reservation online, and I appreciated that they remembered both when we walked in with a simple "Happy anniversary!" greeting, as well as at the end of the meal with a free dessert and a lit candle. That's all I ever want! No big fuss or anything crazy -- it's just nice if they ask about a special occasion in the reservation that they acknowledge it. We got the $45 per person tasting meal, which actually wasn't too much food. I'd venture to say that if you don't get that, you're probably paying too much. The portions are really small, and I don't eat that much! You do get a nice warm roll with butter and olive oil to start, which helps. The salads to start the meal were good but nothing special. I tried the veal tongue, which was a little overpowered by this creamy dressing, but not bad (I'm used to thicker, slightly chewier cuts of pig tongue in Taiwanese cooking). The pastas were fantastic! The taleggio ravioli was super delicate (and not too stinky -- sometimes taleggio can be overpowering) and tasted like spring. The bucatini amatriciana was a little less spicy than I've had in other places, with the guanciale incorporated in thin strips like prosciutto instead of in little chunks like bacon, but the dish as a whole was super comforting and something I could eat a giant bowl of. We got lamb saddle and atlantic dorade as our main courses. Both were perfectly cooked: the dorade was flaky, with crisp skin, and the lamb was tender and not overly lamb-y tasting. I thought the dorade plate was a tad oily but enjoyed the combo of fennel, super crispy potatoes and clams. The salsa verde and green garlic really brightened the lamb dish, which had the potential to be heavy. The desserts probably tied the pastas for our favorite part of the meal. We ordered the affogato (higher espresso to ice cream ratio than I've had in the past), the olive oil cake with lemon curd, grapefruit supremes and meringue, and they gifted us with really yummy cherry ice cream. Between the three we got bitter, sweet and sour, which is nice to have at the end of a meal. The tables are indeed really close together, as other diners have mentioned. When I got up to go to the bathroom, which is through the connected restaurant, I noticed it was at least half empty and wondered why they didn't expand Fat Hen into that space a little more. It also got really dark inside as the sun set, leaving me to wonder how people were going to see the menu as the night went on (we got there around 6). read more

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One of my favorite Somerville places, but someone should please remove the picture of the mushroom pasta with sourdough crumble. In a baffling decision it's been removed from the menu. The memory of this dish continues to haunt my dreams and sends me into a depressed food spiral, it was fantastic. Culinary crack. Having it displayed mocks my tastebuds and is just mean. read more