Gaetanos

Took my parents here for a Sunday dinner and it was an absolute home run! We ordered the Pan de…read moreCasa, Pan con Tomate, Dátiles, Albondigas, Croquetas de Jamon, Solomillo, and Churros for dessert and honestly every single dish was a winner. The pacing was perfect. Every 5-10 minutes a new dish would arrive, which made the whole meal feel like a fun, festive experience. No long waits, no awkward gaps, just great food flowing steadily to the table. The Pan de Casa and Albondigas were the clear crowd favorites. My parents are in their 60s and adventurous eaters, and they were absolutely blown away. My dad couldn't stop raving about the meatballs! A huge shoutout to Kayla, our server, who was attentive, warm, and made the whole evening feel special. Sunday is a great night to go, relaxed vibe, great service, and the kitchen is clearly on point. T'ahpas 529 is a gem in Melrose. We will absolutely be back!

I hate writing this review, its been many years coming, but I honestly thought I wrote it years…read moreago, but somehow it just popped up in my "Please review" section of Yelp, so here I am... So I visited T'ahpas many years ago - date night dinner, left the kids at home & wanted adult food and Tapas were becoming all the rage at the time. Read good reviews, got there, small place, quaint, really good atmosphere, we began ordering food and OMG did we order sooo much, we liked a few things so much we ordered multiple plates, Im talking total fat kid night... Then we are sitting there and it was later at night so the place was empty and instantly I FREEZE - My BF at the time looked at me and noticed panic, he knew exactly what I saw from my reaction - there was a mouse in the dining room, now listen, I GET IT.. All restaurants have them, I wasnt even grossed out like that, THEY ARE MY BIGGEST fear in life, like if someone said Heres a million dollars be in a room with a mouse, I would have to pass! That scared, I dont know why - just am!!! So I exhaled and sat there... it started to run closer, it then disappeared and I slowly was able to unclench and then it came back like 20 mins later, this mouse was ballsy, like there are people walking around in & out and I just couldnt anymore. We got the bill and left, and I told many people and they said I should have complained on the spot but that just isnt me... Im just mad because the Food was GOOOOOOOD... I want to go back but a part of me is just like Nope, Not going to happen! So my take, the food is great, better than great! Hoping it was a one off situation and not a regular occurrence but I would love to come back, Im just a big pussy!

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Sam's Kitchen

4.6(268 reviews)

Excellent restaurant with amazing food and service! We were in the area and are so glad we…read morediscovered this place. The bolognese ragu and veal saltimbocca were scrumptious!

Four of us had a fantastic meal. Comfy space. Great menu but we also appreciated the specials and…read morethe 3 course meal options for $39- soup or salad, entree, dessert and a glass of wine or soda. This option made it easy to narrow down choices. Serving sizes were a good value- just right, not overly huge. No leftovers. We also enjoyed complimentary limoncello shots after our meals. The complimentary bread with oil was tasty. Friendly, efficient service. Free street parking and public lots nearby to make parking easy. Will definitely return.

Dining room

Bread

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The Fox Den

4.3(97 reviews)

Walking in The Fox Den, felt just like that, a place you feel safe, cozy, and a part of the skulk…read more(pack of foxes to save you a google search). A cute bar across where you enter in and open seating in the rest of the space. Greeted by the waitress who also cheffed up my delectable, cheeky pints right from the draft spigots. Such a nice host who made me feel welcomed and recommended some great choices. I went with the special of the day, the pickle brined chicken sandwich with a side of chips and their charred scallion dip. The chicken was crispy & crunchy on the outside with succulent, juicy chicken thigh on the inside. That pickle brine worked wonders. The chips are homemade and exactly what you want from a crisp and that charred scallion dip was so addicting I was scooping the rest with a fork when I ran out of chips (would have licked it out if no fork). Vibes great, beers cold, food absolutely divine. I will surely be back to try more menu items (the pierogies looked money from another patron's plate) and to delete more beers.

What a cute local family vibe restaurant. Nice beer…read moreselection and interesting menu options. The wings are delicious. Looking forward to trying more on the menu next time:)

Inside

Our 10" bar pizzas are also packed with flavor, and have a garlicky, buttery crust

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Breakfast sandwich with home fries

Matadora

3.7(272 reviews)

1.4 mi

•$$$

Tried Matadora in MA, it's located inside a Hilton, so definitely convenient if you're staying…read morethere. The space is nice and makes for an easy dinner option without leaving the hotel. That said, I wouldn't go out of my way to visit. The food was just okay, especially for the price. The portions were on the smaller side and felt a bit expensive for what you get. They do offer gluten-free options, which is always appreciated. Overall, a decent, convenient spot if you're nearby, but not necessarily a destination restaurant.

It looks nice inside the Hilton hotel. A group of us arrived on a Sunday early evening with…read moreunnecessary reservations. We each had an entree, shared 2 orders of the beef empanadas (Star of the show!), and a total of 5 cocktails and 2 beers. The bill came to just over $300 before tip. This isn't horrible for a tapas spot, but the taste of the entrees were just not worth it. That, and the amount of alcohol you get in most of the cocktails. So much ice and like 2 sips of drink. There's 1 drink with aperol and champagne that is big and you get the remainder of the small champagne as a side car though. We had 2 of the paellas and they were on the smaller side for paella. The flavor was meh and nothing really stood out. I had the steak frites and it was such a small portion of steak. Maybe 4 oz? And the char flavor was so overpowering. The chimichurri I was looking forward to was extremely mild in flavor. The fries were cooked nicely though. Our server was friendly but forgetful. She kept forgetting parts of our order and whether she had already done something or not. Was a bit odd. Overall, I won't be making an effort to come back here.

Flaming Chorizo

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Redstone Liquors

4.7(65 reviews)

0.8 mi

The owner / manager is very rude. He will tell me wines will be in stock and never are. Your best…read moreto go to Rapid Liquors. Skip this place.

Very nice interior, nice area, lots of selections for beers, wines, and liquors…read more The cashiers can look up stuff to see if it's available but they are very knowledgeable, especially the guy with the beard. He was friendly and really knew his stuff. Will definitely be coming back. Enjoy!

Redstone Liquors - Cigars, humidors, decanters, glassware, ice molds, whiskey stones, syrups, charcuterie, & more all available at our Stoneham location

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Cigars, humidors, decanters, glassware, ice molds, whiskey stones, syrups, charcuterie, & more all available at our Stoneham location

Turner's Seafood

3.9(818 reviews)

•$$$

Food delicious Service attentive and welcoming…read more Ambiance was what you wanted All great

This is one of the most famous places in downtown Melrose. It's always packed, as it's the only…read more"white tablecloth" restaurant nearby. The food however is just OK. It's your basic Italian seafood place. There is a singular type of clientele inside, which tells you how your experience will go. We got tuna "tacos" (more like crudo) as appetizers. This was the best part of the night. The tuna was delicious. For our mains, I got the New England Bouillabaisse and my friend got a fish dish. The food was on the salty side, it's great to have this down the road instead of having to go down to north end. We ended the night with the flourless cake. Our server was very friendly! But the food was just ok. Drive a little farther and get some Mexico Lindo instead.

Clam Chowda

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Lobster bisque and Clam Chowder

Lucia Ristorante / Winchester

3.2(175 reviews)

2.8 mi

We go to Lucia's infrequently, maybe 1-2 times a year, we're never disappointed. We took out of…read morestate guests there and they loved it too. Started off with drinks, my martini was perfect, and bread offered, sourdough slices, was very tasty. We had veal saltimbocca (sp?), delicious and generous. Our server, Angela, was a riot, and very attentive. We went on a Sat night, and it was packed, but we were seated right away and never felt rushed. Great spot!

I have been coming to Lucia's for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Winchester and have…read morereturned often with my family whenever I'm home. It has always been great, and we had never had any issues, which is why, this past Father's Day--the first since my dad passed away a few months earlier--I ordered his favorite meal to take home: chicken parm with extra sauce over pasta and a house salad with their delicious dressing. About 20-30 minutes after ordering, I was notified that the food was ready, so I went straight to the restaurant after walking my dog. When I checked in, several very nice hostesses assured me it would be out in a moment. That continued for nearly an hour, with different explanations for why it still wasn't ready despite my being told to pick it up: they were packing it, checking on it, and so on. The wait itself wasn't the problem. I just wish someone had acknowledged there had been a mistake and told me to come back later. I wasn't in a rush; I simply didn't want to sit in a hot restaurant while my dog waited in the car, forcing me to run outside every five minutes to check on him. The experience was frustrating, and I do wish some sort of compensation had been offered as a gesture. The hosts were very kind, but I still don't understand why I was told the food was ready and then made to wait nearly an hour. The reason we will not return to Lucia's or recommend it, however, is the manager I spoke with when I called to explain what had happened. He was curt, dismissive, rude, and unapologetic--an absolute jerk. The only thing he repeated was, "We have an hour to get the food out." There was no point in explaining that it had already been more than an hour since I ordered, and zero chance he cared that a quiet, meaningful moment on a difficult holiday could have been made better by a little understanding, but was instead made worse. Frankly, I would not trust a dish he touched going forward. If he is the manager, I feel bad for everyone who works for him. The fish rots from the head.

Socially distanced patio seating (Fall 2020)

Lucia Ristorante Winchester Bar

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Lucia Ristorante Winchester Exterior

Tremonte Restaurant & Bar

3.6(192 reviews)

We were regular takeout customers. The recent rudeness of the young lady taking our order…read morecompletely changed our opinion of this restaurant. We would overlook inconsistency in the food, but draw the line at outright discourtesy.

Everyone sits at the bar not sure why because their bar staff is not very friendly and really rude…read morewe won't go back! Food was good not great. Eh

Indoor decor

Award winning classic dish fresh tagliatelle pasta in a classic meat sauce

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Rack of Lamb... very good flavor and perfect portion.

The Emporio

4.9(30 reviews)

0.1 mi

This is a small, Italy-inspired boutique café, and we absolutely loved it. From the aesthetic to…read morethe food and menu, everything is thoughtfully inspired by Italy. When we visited, the owner herself was working solo, which made the experience even more special--she was incredibly welcoming and kind. The cappuccino was excellent, and the overall vibe was calm and relaxing. Such a lovely spot, and we'll definitely be back.

The food and service is fantastic, but the hours of operation leave something to be desired.read more