I've lived in Somerville for over 3 years, and I've been to Highland Kitchen more than a handful times. And I'm not usually a repeat diner anywhere, because there are so many places to go! Anyway, this is where I always take my parents, grandparents, boyfriend's parents, etc. Anyone not used to "fancy american" (as I call it) - because Highland Kitchen is unique and unusual enough for it to be better than anything they can get at home in the various small towns they live in, but familiar enough to where they're not scared to try something. Wait staff has always been prompt, pleasant, and attentive. The only drawback is how crowded it can get. The appetizers are the all stars of this menu. I could eat 3 orders of shortrib gnocchi (which they were making before shortrib was on every menu, and they make it better). The ricotta and mozarella fritters are great, and the honey sauce they come with is unexpected and delicious. Besides that, every main course and sandwich I've had has been great. The drink menu is also fun to try to new things. read more

This place is fantastic. Best burger in Somerville, friendly staff, the food is consistently great as is the service. My fiance and I eat here at least once a month and have never had a bad experience. read more

Had the arancini for an app and the pulled pork sandwich. Food and service is great. Cocktails are delicious. A tad on the noisy side.

One of my favorite brunch spots. Knocked it down a star because there's a line before it even opens! I'm Also a huge fan of the veggie bean burger on their dinner menu. It's the bomb read more

Went in mid-October with group of four others. Limited menu, but interesting items. It appears that the chef staff is over reaching since none of the entrees were quite right. Beer and cocktail selection very good. Overall over priced for the food and beverages. Very full and noisy at 6pm on Sat. Efficient and friendly wait staff. read more

How does this place not have 5 stars?! Highland Kitchen is the greatest! There is alwaaaaays gonna be a wait for a table, but it's so worth it! Enjoy a Mark 'N Stormy at the bar and smell all the smells of the foods that await you! I have yet to eat anything on the menu that hasn't completely satisfied and delighted me! The half chicken and the bolognese are spot on and my usual go-tos, but this place has even managed to sell me on goat stew (I mean, I'm still pretty much averse to eating cuddly little goats, but they've somehow managed to make it mighty appealing). Eat dinner here, eat brunch here (try the Dirty Bird if you have a full day to kill - you won't wanna move after), drink all their wonderful drinks, and sing all the songs at karaoke on Wednesdays. JUST DO IT. read more

One word: MICROWAVE. I don't know who or where all these positive reviews are coming from. Yes, the service was excellent--and that's the only reason I'm giving two stars--maybe ppl are rating based on the drinks? Didn't have any. The food, people, was microwaved. Two appetizers, two main courses and one soft drink came to $60 before tip...and all for a mediocre microwaved meal. Sigh...that was a first! read more

Highland kitchen was an exceptional experience all around. Great food (we recommend the short rib gnocchi & buffalo brussel sprouts), the staff was personable, provided recommendations, and were attentive (we had Alyssa as our waitress). The food and drinks came out fast. There was great music and an energetic and lively atmosphere, especially for a Wednesday night. Will return and recommend. read more

The best food in Somerville! I order the buffalo brussels sprouts and ricotta and mozzarella fritters to start every time. As for main courses, I haven't yet had one i didn't like. Sometimes crowded, but the great drinks from the bar make the wait bearable. read more

Yes, yes, yes. Solidly comforting and fantastic for years now. The place you want go visit must after traveling. Our little somervillian modern day cheers, Highland is an institution! read more

This place is a favorite of mine, consistently good food and fun atmosphere that's very "Somerville" one downside is that they do not take reservations and it's always crowded even on a weekday evening. I'd try to potato gnoccis, fried chicken (Monday's only), their gumbo, or their half roasted chicken read more

Amazing atmosphere, friendly (but not annoying-friendly) service, and delicious food. And the hours! Having a restaurant nearby able to serve me cheeseburger at 11pm is invaluable. The boyfriend ordered the pork pulled sandwich and was not disappointed. read more

Stopped in the Highland Kitchen while staying in Somerville on Friday and honestly this place is all a person could ever hope for. From the moment we walked in the door we were greeted by a very friendly staff who did everything they could to properly accommodate us. The expected wait time was over an hour, but we ended up being seated in about 40 minutes. Our waiter Patrick was a very respectful and attentive. His food recommendations were also pretty amazing. I had the Cuban reuben which was delicious. Patrick was also kind enough to recommend other places for us to visit while we were in Boston. I look forward to visiting Highland Kitchen again the next time I'm in that area. read more

I heard of this restaurant before ever since i live in Somerville, so I went for dinner last night ! I've had the hand made gnocchi which I loved it by the way, really tasty , an I had the burger which was cook perfectly, good atmosphere , the service was good , deft coming back to this place more often!! read more

Disclosure: two of my children have studied and lived in Somerville at one time or another and introduced me to the Highland Kitchen. And now living only 4 blocks from the restaurant I frequent it as much as I can and find the menu provides a good variety of foods. I am particularly fond of the veggie burger which is well prepared, good sized, and tastes great - not to mention the fries that come along with it. And the price is right -- that is reasonable. read more

It is hip and the food is killer. High end chow with a casual, I can wear jeans and a t-shirt not feel like a jackass, kind of place. Great music too! Love the goat stew...i missed that dish from the good days at the Green Street Grill but was pumped to see it was back on this menu. It may have replace the Central Kitchen as my go to place for a good honest meal. read more

Highland Kitchen makes pretty good food - really good food sometimes. It's right around the corner from my house, it's not too pricey and I really, really want to love it and go there a few times a week. But it's SO annoyingly loud. The tables are SO annoyingly close. Did I mention how LOUD the music is? And that it's annoying? And that the tables are too close? We've even gone at 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening to try and beat the mayhem - and it was a lot nicer, the music a lot quieter. But someone with a twitch and a hearing issue cranked the volume mid-meal, when the place was half full, and then it started getting busy and we had people at our elbows and had to listen to every freakin' detail of some 20-something's recent date, and did they want to share an appetizer, and zzzzzzzzzzzzz. So good food and convenience, which should trump all, actually don't. 6 more inches between tables, the volume down from 11, and we'd make it our regular place. But they won't, so we can't. Too bad - it would have been nice. Maybe when the 20-somethings move on to the next hot spot... read more

What a great find. Cool decor, nice people, great food! I had the chicken caesar salad and jumbalaya, both terrific. My friend had the cuban reuben and he loved it. No complaints, check it out... read more

Went the other night with a few friend, and had an amazing dinner. We did have to wait a bit for our table, but less time than they originally said. Their gluten free menu has almost all the things on the regular menu (with some modifications of course), and they were very accommodating. The hummus and carrot-almond on the African dip plate were incredible, as was the blackened catfish. Our drinks were really good, and the service was very friendly and fast. Will be returning as soon as I can to try the brunch! read more

Highland kitchen is my FAVORITE. If i were to open or invest in a restaurant I'd want to model it after Highland Kitchen. The philosophy of local, sustainable, organic, fresh, homemade, and high quality food is served to perfection and garnished with a fun and spunky atmosphere in this quaint somerville gem. The food is always on point and incredibly delicious. They always have exciting specials and just enough rotation to keep a "regular" like me on my toes. Their vegetarian options are numerous (like the wild mushroom ragou, black bean burger, buffalo brussels sprouts) , exciting and so yumalicious! I like everything about highland kitchen from the food and beverages to the service, the environment and definitely the affordability. They got something for everyone. Come for drinks, stay for pork confeit , curried mussel apps and oysters, and finish with a brownie sundae. .I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND this restaurant (esp. on date night). It is very busy so i recommend getting their early to get a table (esp if you have a party of 4 or larger) read more

I think this is my favorite Boston area restaurant right now. I've been there 3 times, and never been disappointed by anything I've ordered. Good, creative cocktail menu, too, the kind of place where you don't have to order whiskey on the rocks or a gimlet to avoid being disappointed by razberri vodka or bottled sour mix in your drink. It's not that expensive, considering how good the food is. And they don't try to feed you half-baked low-fat versions of stuff like roasted potatoes, gratin, and cabbage with bacon (if I wanted low-fat, I wouldn't order roasted potatoes and cabbage with bacon, now, would I?). Last time I was there (recently), I had the wild mushroom and spring vegetable ragout ($17.95), and every bite was amazing, even though it had peas in it, and I don't really like peas (they were drowned out by the wild mushrooms, asparagus, and fava beans). The polenta cakes were amazing, smooth and creamy on the inside, a bit crisp on the outside. I also like that they're open late. My husband and I needed food after flying home and arriving in Boston around 9 pm. It was 10 by the time we got home from the airport. It was a Tuesday night. Even on a weeknight, Highland Kitchen's kitchen is open until 11, so you're not stuck with the local pizza dive if you need food late in the evening (unless you want to be). read more

Disappointment with what used to always be an absolute gem. The mussels at Highland Kitchen were always my standard order. The were out of this world fantastic. However, on a recent visit they weren't just mediocre, they were just bad. Chewy. Not terribly flavorful, as if they were simply steamed and then placed in a bowl of curry/broth. No longer served with that perfect piece of toasted baguette. I don't know if there's a new chef or it's a bad week for mussels. Either way, my recent visit was a big disappointment. If this were my first meal at the restaurant, I would not go back. Fortunately, I have affection for the place, bad mussels or not, and will give it another chance. read more

Oh man...I can't believe I had not review Highland Kitchen yet! This place is pretty much the kind of place that make Somerville so cool! Their menu is like a cacophony of Southern food/ American Classics/Latin Fusion. Their shrimp and grits is ABSOLUTELY out of this world! So is the Rabbit Fettuccine! Their drinks are stiff and flavorful... and the service is awfully friendly (shout out to the beautiful Meghan who is my girl!) Overall...a great place for food, drinks and some Karaoke on Tuesdays. read more

I like Highland Kitchen a lot. The food is delicious and the drinks are out of this world. My only issue with highland kitchen is the exceptional lack of space. I've often found myself standing with my drink and nowhere to sit for a good 20-30 minutes. Last time I went, I had an amazing lamb dish and the time before that I went with family for brunch. If you have the opportunity to get over to Highland Kitchen for brunch, do that. The grits were great and whatever version of Egg's Benedict they concocted was simply amazing. read more

We come in here often and have always enjoyed it until last night. I ordered the goat stew because I had never tried it before. There were many pieces of bone fragments in there, too small to be identifiable with all the other things in there and I often didn't find until I was trying to chew it and had to stop eating because I was nervous I might break a tooth. Also, from looking at the pictures on here that other's have posted of the goat stew it seems that they may have forgotten to put the broth in because it was dry, not a drop of broth to speak of. Very disappointing considering how much we liked it here. read more

Highland Kitchen is delicious and the servers are over-the-top nice. Funky vibes, retro bar signage, and great chili cheese fries. Plus, their drinks are tasty (they serve 888 blue berry vodka for those Nantucketers who care and everyone else who should). It's a tad on the loud side, but the service and food make up for it, and then some. read more

What a great meal! From the buffalo fried Brussels sprouts, to the grilled octopus, jambalaya and goat stew, everything was delicious. Many other worthwhile menu choices make a return trip a necessity. Drinks were reasonable and nicely poured. Our exceptionally pleasant and attentive waitress Katie made the experience perfect. This is a must visit! read more

Years later and this joint is still kickin it! One of the best restaurants, bar none, in town. Great service, good eats and an atmosphere unmatched. read more

I've only been to Highland Kitchen once and it was good. I was super hungry and they had a couple of good choices, but I haven't gravitated back there. read more

I used to live on Highland Ave about a 5 minute walk from Highland Kitchen and after I tried this place for the first time I either ate there or ordered from them almost every week. The place is always full of people having a good time, there's a great atmosphere and the food is amazing! The beet salad is especially awesome, but no matter what I've never had a bad meal. Sunday brunch is also great and everyone that works there is very friendly. I ended up moving out of Somerville but always make sure to grab a meal there again when I'm in the area. Definitely try! read more

I liked this place, but I don't understand why everyone really likes it? I felt like an anchovy in a can waiting to burst out over my neighbors Caesar salad. Similes aside, I'm assuming they are doing something right with the food to keep people coming back for this experience. In my proper rebel fashion, I ordered a veggie burger with bacon on it, and to tide me over I ordered their specialty cocktail whiskey business. You know the saying "curiosity killed the cat" well I think that safely applies to the combination of whiskey and cream, I drank it but I didn't really enjoy it. Once the food arrived I was pleased with my abomination, the black bean veggie burger with guacamole and pico reminded me of a burrito, and bacon still reigns supreme in my heart/arteries. I'm sure people are going to read this review and think I'm trashing on their favorite neighborhood watering hole, and I kinda am... but remember this I knew Highland Kitchen when it was Devlins which has to count for something, just not sure what. read more

Brother, Can You Spare a Quarter? While the food was fine - I had a jambalaya that had too much broth - the entire evening was tainted twice by an incident I still have yet to understand. When I first went in to the restaurant, I asked the hostess if she had change for the parking meters. She told me to go to the bartender. After he begrudgingly told me he'd give me quarters for my dimes, he then told me that 'the parking tonight was on him.' He then told me that 'it came out of his pocket.' I had no idea what he meant because I watched him take out a roll of quarters from the cash register, crack it open and proceed to provide me quarters for my change. Since I had no idea why he said that, I just decided to leave things alone. I walked out of the restaurant, fed the meter and came back in to the restaurant for my meal. The food was good - not nearly as delicious as I had heard it would be - but satisfactory. Between dinner and dessert, I realized I needed to put more money in the parking meter and so I asked our waiter to provide me change. A few minutes later he came back and told me that he was sorry, but they had no quarters to provide me. I assumed this was not the case and that it really had to do with the bartender. Since I was not interested in fighting with the bartender for 75 cents - yes, THREE quarters - I just told the waiter to forget it. A few minutes later, the host/manager came over to us and apologized again and said that he could sell us a roll of quarters. He said something about the restaurant not being able to accept any coins less than a quarter (last time I looked, the US government was still accepting dimes??!!!) and he reconfirmed the bartender's claim that the previous $1.25 came out of his pocket. To be honest, as a customer, I didn't really care about their ridiculous policy (aren't restaurants in business to SERVE the customer???) and I told him so. I just wanted the conversation to stop. But, instead, he said he was sorry again and said he was just trying to help. Then, he accused me of yelling at him. (I was speaking no louder than he was). At that point, my friend was so frustrated that she said she couldn't believe they would make such a big deal out of such a small request. The host/manager tried to make things up to us (though it was too late) by paying for our appetizer, drink and dessert. Nice effort, but, I would have preferred not to have been in such an uncomfortable dialogue with both him and the bartender. And, I will forever more remember this very odd, offensive policy of this restaurant and will not likely return. Indeed, when I speak of this restaurant with friends, I'm sure the first thing I'll mention will not be the food, but this rigid, esoteric policy. Really too bad... Oh, and for the purposes of how a manager should act: s/he should never accuse the customer of yelling at him/her (especially when the customer was not doing so) and NEVER argue back with the customer after s/he says she is not yelling. I wondered what his intention was in coming over to us in the first place: he only made the situation worse. read more

I have been to Highland Kitchen a number of times since this past fall for dinner as well as brunch and I have never been disappointed. This has become one of my favorite local spots to have dinner or meet up with friends for a drink. The atmosphere is fun and casual, and the place itself is super cute. The crowd can range from young families to 20- and 30-somethings to older locals having dinner. They have great music, great food and a very friendly staff. Without hesitation I can recommend the potato gnocchi and the braised short rib appetizers as well as the pan roasted chicken and flat iron steak entrees. My husband is a big fan of the curried goat stew, but I haven't tried that one myself. read more

My girlfriend and I tried this place randomly and instantly fell in love with it's charm, great selection & specials, amazing beer selection and very polite wait staff! We live so close we walked there for a hot meal in one of the biggest snow storms Boston had in 2010! We came in our snow suits and everything! This place is always hopping and their food is INCREDIBLE! My default is always their goat stew which is hearty, spicy and is never a let down! I love the fried plantains and the fluffy rice that comes with it! Their seafood is always fresh and delicious. The prices are just right and we LOVE LOVE LOVE their bread the give out before the meal. It's a simple bread really but oh-so-chewy and fabulous when you are waiting for your food. My gf swears by the bolognese pasta. I don't eat beef or pork ever but I will never turn down a bite of this pasta when she offers it ;) Highland kitchen is prob my fav in Somerville! We love our fav bartender there!! He remembered us by name after 2 visits and I on the other hand forgot his :( read more

Came here for dinner with friends on a Thursday around 7. Really happening location, which is great, but ended up waiting about 45min for a table. The drink menu is extensive, which is a big plus. The goat curry was hearty and really flavorful, the cheeseburger is a 7 out of 10. The deserts were the star of the meal. The pecan pie, while delicious, was overshadowed by the bread pudding which was AMAZING. Great spot for probably a party of 2-4. read more

Love this place. Cute and comfortable with friendly attractive staff and a menu packed with flavors and not inflated prices. Down home deliciousness, I couldn't decide what to get. To drink- I had this vodka/apple juice combination- which sounds like something I would have concocted with my parents liquor cabinet in high school, but tasted sweet and delicious (which none of my 16 year old liquor combos did!)....Started off with a special. Dates stuffed with blue cheese and almonds wrapped in bacon and baked- or what I called it- 'a carnival in my mouth'. Moved onto the Creole Shrimp-fried green tomatoes and tasso ham cause really anything with fried green tomatoes is going to be good especially if you add pork. Shared the bolognese and the short rib ragu gnocchi for dinner. Short ribs are super trendy right now and since that is how I roll, we worked well together. The bolognese was a 7/10 in my bolognese rating....but certainly delicious. The portions were ample and I actually just experienced this great experience once more thru leftovers! Didn't have room for dessert. The gnocchi was slowly expanding in my belly!!! But took a look at the menu and was quite impressed. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the Cambridge/Somerville area. I've been here so many times and have only had one semi-bad experience (a burger not cooked as I had asked). Other than that, every dish I've tried has been amazing. Some of my favorite dishes are the mussels, cheeseburger, black bean burger, and chicken dinner. I've heard great things about the goat stew. They also always have good specials, including some great soups and delicious cocktails. In addition to the food always being delicious, the service is amazing. These people know how to put the customer first. Also, the atmosphere is perfect....I always feel at home here. Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot about the phenomenal brunch. The best things I've had are the beignets, huevos rancheros, and dirty bird. The latter is dangerously caloric, and you probably won't eat for the rest of the day....but it's worth it :) read more

Whoa... big improvement from the crap hole that was there before... friendly bartenders and staff... delicious food - yummy bluefish cakes... salads and fish and chips... i would order a bowl of their tartar sauce if i could and eat it with a spoon (but that would make me gross - and then fat)... good drinks... not overpriced... unless you're the type of person who takes dates to that fine scottish restaurant with the golden arches. read more

Crowded noisy and indifferent service. The brunch hour is no different than the dinner hour. Expect to wait 45 min for your food. The food is only OK. The scrambled eggs were under-seasoned and just blah. The Dirty Bird offers dry chicken breast and the strangest sausage gravy. The sausage was tasty enough, but it's in a fairly thin gravy. The kitchen was busy so maybe they were skipping seasoning to keep up with the rush. read more

Cute place with an amazing Shrimp and Grits plate for brunch, so good I went back for more!