Restaurant Laura

I was in town for work and decided to go somewhere different for dinner. It was late on a Friday night — about 10pm. The neighborhood it’s in is a little seedy, so I’d recommend going while it’s still light outside. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Cape Verde before and I never ate Portuguese, so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. When I walked in, there were about 15 people inside crowded around a guitar player. Everyone was drinking wine and laughing. It seemed like they had been done eating for a while and were really enjoying themselves and hanging out. The servers and staff were nice — just note that the English wasn’t that great (which is fine), so it wouldn’t hurt to do some research on Portuguese dishes before you went so you have an idea of what you’re ordering (or if you’re like me and you love all types of food, just point to something that sounds cool). I ordered a dish that came out on a huge platter — shrimp, octopus (cooked correctly), scallops, mussels and clams, jumbled together and tossed with a nice finishing oil, whole cloves of roasted garlic, spices, and cilantro. It was served with boiled carrots, sautéed onions and peppers, rice, and a big lemon wedge. I paid $ 20.99 for this dish, and it was a LOT of food — shareable if the two of you aren’t starving. It tasted very good, and the staff was very nice. Between this and music, it made for a pleasurable experience. The only reason I give it a ⁴⁄₅ is because the chef or owner decided to include imitation crab in this dish, which I feel is a little insulting to the dish and seems a little tacky to me. Don’t let this discourage you though, everything else was great and I think this will be a great experience for someone looking to try and enjoy Cape Verdean food. I will most likely be back next time I’m in town.

I have not been to Restaurant Laura yet but I did have the opportunity to try some of their dishes at the Wine Festival this February. Their octopus dish is absolutely amazing and worth a drive/​T ride into Dorchester. Furthermore, they were one of the few stalls at the Wine Festival to give out generous portions and had more than enough shares to keep them going till the very end of the event. I was extremely impressed.

Visited this restaurant for the first time today for Sunday brunch and was really impressed with the ambiance, the live entertainment and off course the delish Cape Verdean food! The owner was super friendly and made sure all her guests were content with the quality of service. Will def go back the next time I’m in Boston.

Searching for something new last night, ventured into Dorchester and was very impressed with Restaurant Laura. The restaurant was very warm and inviting, the owner was very pleasant and helpful. The food was very tasty and the portions were huge! Would go back again!

Wonderful evening out — Very friendly, close to home, homestyle cooking, pleasant wine & desserts really worth exploring! We’ll be back, and bring friends.

I had some time to kill and was walking to find some place to eat. Laura’s looked inviting so I took a chance. So glad I did. It was early afternoon on Sunday. They had their buffet out. There were some locals having lunch and I was greeted like one of the family. The patrons were from Cape Verde. I’m as white American as it gets. They invited me to sit with them. They introduced me to Laura. I felt like family. Now think about it a bit. Here I am walking with both eyes open down notoriously ethnic streets thinking I should be packing and low and behold I am greeted with extraordinary and completely unexpected kindness. So much for my fear-​based existence. I sullied up to the buffet twice and completely enjoyed the family-​style food. It was like eating with my Brazilian friends at their house. Will I be back? You betcha! Next time it will be a destination drive from my house with the wife!

I went there on Sunday for brunch at it was HORRIBLE. I am from Cape Verde and wanted to eat some of the traditional food from my country. My husband and I arrived there at 11.36 am, the place opens at 11.00, and it was still locked. So we were about to turn away when the owner came and opened the door, she said she thought it was open (I should had ran away when I could). We went in and the so called buffet brunch wasn’t even set up.
Took them about 30 minutes to put everything out, in the meantime we eat what was available until the other food arrived. The options were weak, most of the food was lunch items, and there were one breakfast item and that it.
Then after I ate «cachupa» and my husband refuse to eat, we left. Then I got home, guess what? I threw up the whole thing!!!
GROSS PLACE, DO NOT GO THERE! I AM EMBARASSED THEY CALL THIS CAPE VERDEAN FOOD.

My husband and I went to Restaurant Laura last night for the first time. We live in Dorchester and were looking to try something new. We were so pleasantly surprised by this place. The atmosphere was lively and welcoming. We walked in to a lot of families dining, with small children running around. I found this endearing, but was also glad when the children left. The décor inside is beautiful and feels very upscale. There was live music, which was wonderful, and the staff were very welcoming and accommodating. We were given water and some wonderful bread grilled with oil and herbs. Delicious! For appetizers we ordered the roasted quail and the fried yucca. We couldn’t believe how wonderful the quail was! In fact, next time my husband said he will order that as his meal. The yucca was also very tasty, served with honey mustard. For our meals, I ordered the salmon fillet and my husband ordered a steak. My salmon was cooked to perfection. It was possibly the best salmon I’ve ever had in a restaurant. The rice was tasty and somewhat bland potatoes were a nice accompaniment to the savory salty fish. The steak was tasty, but a little too tough. It appeared to be pan fried, and wasn’t the highlight of the meal. The service was excellent. The price was amazing. We had 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, a bottle and a half of wine, and a dessert for just around $ 60. We will definitely come back to Restaurant Laura.

This place is a very pleasant surprise. It is a family owned place that could be seen as an upgraded version of a good dinner place, but a lot more cozy and fun. I’m glad to live minutes away from it. My boyfriend and I were skeptical when we went there the first time, but I have to say all our fears were gone the second we were sat at the table. The atmosphere is quite relaxing. Our waitress, Laura, was very nice and helpful. And yes, the restaurant was named after her. When we went, they had a band playing music that made us feel like we were on vacation somewhere warm and tropical. The food did not disappoint. Neither did the wine. As a tip, you should know that the owner of the restaurant also owns the liquor store next door. Oh, and make sure you save space for desert! Sooooo worth it!

Diamond in the …
Went there last night two of us ate for $ 44.00 with wine and dessert. Inexpensive four star food in an elegant environment. There was a piano man and jazz singer with the most beautiful voice and poise. A delightful evening out with friends that we will not soon forget.
Now for the stuff that make keep some people from going there. The restaurant is located a couple of blocks from the I-​93 Columbia Rd Exit and just around the corner if you drive down Mass Ave through Newmarket. Contrary to what must people think this neighborhood is no longer undesirable. Granted caution is always recommended anywhere you are but please do not let old reputation keep you from enjoying a wonderful new experience.

When the call comes for a «first review» excursion to a part of town that’s most notable for negative write ups in the Metro, it is indeed the Unilocaler’s duty to pack an appetite and an open mind.
Laura’s was thin on supping din save one small table of cantankerous conversation and a couple of waitresses. Though the lighting could have been made moodier, the interior was a pleasant combination of white tablecloths and brick walls in an area of town more inclined to barred windows and fluorescent overheads. Service was excellent, prompt, and patient. To start, we tried the fried yucca and the quail appetizer of which the quail most portended interesting things to come. Alas the quail was to be the highlight. The main dishes that arrived seemed steamed of their flavors. Sauteed Octopus was a bit rubbery and the accompanying rice and vegetables were bereft of flavor. The cod across the table was equally lackluster and we declined to extend the experiment to dessert.
You could do worse in Upham Sq. via KFC. I had hoped that our excursion deep into Dorch-​Vegas territory might turn up something truly unusual and fun.

A new cuisine? Cape Verdean? A new part of town? Upham’s Corner? An unreviewed restaurant listing up for grabs?
My editor sure knows how to dangle the right carrot to make me go check a place out, so when she sends me the info for this place it’s not long before I’ve grabbed a buddy and we find ourselves strolling gingerly past barred-​up-​window Dorchester blocks in the hope of something special.
Laura’s Place is actually pretty special. It’s the nearest thing to an upscale restaurant in this part of town. Sure, it has iron-​bars on the windows but inside it’s nicely decorated, with signed photos of famous people I’ve never heard of on the wall, a full bar and their wine on show. They even do wine nights and jazz nights — who needs the South End?
So onto the food… with most apps at $ 6 and most entrees at $ 11, it’s pretty cheap. The slant is heavily towards seafood as you’d expect from the cuisine of an island nation in the Atlantic. It’s somewhat Portuguese and somewhat Caribbean, but not as exotic as either.
Our apps of fried yucca and grilled quails were great — I couldn’t get enough of either. The main courses were not great though. My stewed cod was basically just a boring piece of cod on crappy rice and the octopus entrée was tough and rubbery.
I have a feeling we went too late in the evening and the staff had kind of given up for the night. Our waitress was quick to point out that Cape Verde’s real specialty ‘catchupa’ was sadly missing right now from their menu. Maybe if I find another (better) Cape Verdean restaurant in this town then I’ll dine well there.
So thanks editor Morgan! For you I got some crappy cod and a nervous walk through Dot. But I can cheer myself up with the FTR and the knowledge that I happily ate a whole bunch of little birds.