Dali Restaurant & Tapas Bar

We ordered three tapas and one Valenciana (paella). Mussel is by far my favorite. It has some garlic it and the sauce is light. If you love cocktails, their Spanish kiss won’t disappoint you.

Wow what a spot. This spot is great. I have been here 3 times now and everytime it was great. Sangria is awesome if you like sweet wines it had good fruit in it too. We had several «small plates» and i liked them all including foccachia bread. But the best thing was a special soft spinach dish. Yum. The waiter said do we want desert we said «no thanks too full.» he said in a spanish accent «please if you dont like it I will not make you pay for it. Its called dulce du leche and its great.» haha we said okay. It was pretty good. I have had their flan before and prefferred it but it was still good so we payed for it. Good service by two old spanish guys. A little pricey — take a date (;

Great atmosphere and service.
Get ready for a «real» song and dance if it’s your birthday. Tapas is always tasty and well prepared. I’m a bigger fan of the hot plates vs the cold ones. The place is small and can get really packed. So if you are alone snag a spot at the bar. If you are coming with a group definitely call ahead.

My daughter and I ate here on the 9^th for her 4^th 30^th birthday! We are both tapas virgins and now we are hooked!
We were VERY pleased with the food, service and drinks. We each ordered 3 small plates and had plenty of food for the 2 of us.
Order consisted of the garlic shrimp (our fave as it’s served with a piece of bread for the delish garlic oil), patata bravas (think home fris with a very yummy sauce), scallops in saffron sauce (yum and heavy on saffron), artichoke muchrooms (hearts with chopped mushrooms and a creamy sauce), seafood raviolis (roasted red pepper sauce) and beef tenderloin with fruits (another fave! sauce was a fruity marsala=like sauce!). Awesome, awesome and awesome x 2!
Drinks were delicious and strong!
Server was Mordord (sp?) and he was friendly, prompt and attentive with great drink suggestions! I got the Spanish Kiss per his suggestion and it was FAB!
Gets loud later due to the size and layout, but that’s to be expected on a Thursday or weekend night. Great décor and ambience. I think S. Dali would have enjoyed this place, enjoy :-D

Every year my residency program brings a party of 10 for graduation and they are always very accommodating. It is such a fun time and the food is amazing!

A friend and I came here on a Tuesday night for dinner. We were going to get a table but there were two open seats at the bar. The décor in this place is really eclectic but in a cool way. Our bartender was super nice (didn’t get his name) and the drinks were great. Unfortunately the food did not match up. There were a couple dishes that we did not even finish, not because we were full but because we just didn’t like them. I will say that the charcuterie board had good meats and cheeses. We were really looking forward to trying this place but I don’t think will be back as there are better tapas places in the area.

As a New Yorker living in Boston for two years, Dali was one of the only restaurants capable of satisfying my homesickness for New York’s transcending restaurants, flavor and nightlife. This restaurant transports you to Spain, in terms of food, atmosphere and the overall fun and crowded nature of a weekend night here.
The food is great but even better is its interior design and eccentric style. The seafood paella is a must order. As for tapas, I stuck to the Patatas Bravas and garlic shrimp as I don’t eat meat. Both were nice, with the Patatas triumphing over better the shrimp which I found flavorful yet tiny. I wished they had more vegetarian options for tapas. However, I know tapas are typically centered around meat so this may not be their fault.
Overall, a fun atmosphere for the night and a great experience.

My wife and I have been to Dali a few times. It has a romantic atmosphere. The food is good. We really haven’t had any tapa’s that we didn’t like. We always get a pitcher of the red sangria, it’s very well made.
The service has always been acceptable but not fantastic. Also keep this in mind, Tapas are very small plates (@ a «regular price») as you probably already know. We tend to order quite a few and the bill can get racked up pretty quick so you may end up leaving there spending more than you expected.
With all that said I would recommend Dali. Good Spanish food, sangria, & overall experience.

Dali’s food is great. The menu doesn’t change terribly often, so I haven’t been disappointed that my favorites aren’t available anymore, as is the case with some tapas bars. Their sangria is pretty good as well (the red sangria – haven’t tried the white sangria yet).

Food was great. Service was mostly great. Host was TERRIBLE. We called a few days before and had made a «reservation» which they don’t take and called it priority seating instead (apparently you’re supposed to get seated faster), which was fine. We walked in, and we were told 45 minutes. Ok, not the best, not the worst, we can deal with it. We were not seated for AN HOUR AND A HALF. So, whatever time they tell you, expect double. The hostess could care less about her job and is apparently really terrible at it because this was just insane. There were definitely multiple people that came after us that were seated before us. The kicker? I went to the restroom 15 minutes before we were seated and saw an empty table that was cleaned and ready to be seated, but she waited and then finally sat us at that same table. Rude.
We were so pissed by the time we got our table that we were like this food better be worth it, and honestly, the food was. We were 4 vegetarians and there was quite a bit of variety for all of us which we appreciated. The paella was off the charts good, as was everything else that we ate. Our server was also very kind and offered multiple suggestions for us. So, at least that made up for the host.

3.5 cuisine, 4 ambiance, 3 service. Underwhelming compared to Barcelona — seems more authentic, but unfortunately execution fell flat:
ORDER
— Grilled focaccia — super tasty, though not focaccia at all, just a tasty grilled house bread. Recommend
— Ensalada mixta — classic Spanish salad with fresh hearts of palm
— Manchego-​stuffed artichoke — nicely presented, flavors worked well together
— Seitas al ajillo (garlic sautéed mushrooms) — tasty, savory
— Pato brasaedo (roast duck in berry sauce) — no joke, the sauce was magical. Duck could be less dry.
— Braised rabbit — good flavor but the rabbit was oddly dry, despite being smothered in sauce.
SKIP
— Queso reposado con miel (honey deep-​fried Spanish cheese) — cheese was overpoweringly salty. Didn’t finish
— Patatas bravas — not sure what the rave is. fried potatoes… are fried potatoes
— Gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) — tiniest shrimp ever. In general a very small dish. Not sure where Dali is sourcing its seafood, but this was appeared ultrafarmed
— Mejillones (mussels) in white wine — tiniest mussels ever, esp. after recently having super plump mussels in Gloucester, these were a sad sight
Service was inattentive, impersonal, felt ingenuine — unfortunate given an otherwise lovely setting. Will head to Barcelona for tapas, otherwise if in the area, heading to Sarma next.

The tapas at Dali are some of the best in Cambridge/​Boston, and the restaurant itself has a ton of character. The dishes came out really fast, and I was initially worried that they may have been sitting in a warm oven for a while, but the flavors really won me over in the end. We ordered:
— Deep-​Fried Cauliflower/​Broccoli/​Cheese Puffs (Buñuelos de Verdura)
— Mussels in White Wine, Tomato & Garlic Sauce (Mejillones en Vino Blanco)
— Sautéed Sea Scallops in Saffron Cream (Vieiras al Azafrán)
— Roast Duckling w/​Berry Sauce (Pato Braseado)
— Chorizo with Onions & Butter Beans (Chorizo a la Plancha)
— Vegetable Empanadas (Empanadillas de Vegetales)
— Garlic Shrimp (Gambas al Ajillo)
— Churros with Warm Chocolate Sauce and Dulce de Leche
Our favorites of the night were definitely the Duck, Scallops, and Churros — make sure to order these if this is your first time there! Our scallops were slightly overcooked, but they still tasted oh so good. The Chorizo and Garlic Shrimp were flavorful, but were sitting in a pool of oil which made them look less appetizing and a bit harder to swallow. The Cheese Puffs and Vegetable Empanadas were delicious as well but not as memorable, and I would probably try ordering something else next time.
The tapas are relatively small, and I would probably recommend ordering 3 – 4 (including dessert) per person depending on how hungry you are.

Exceptional food. Terrible service. We waited about 15 minutes for menus, another 15 for the first round of drinks. Mine was forgotten until I mentioned it. We had to ask for bread several times and even ask a server who was not our own. All in all, a meal for 6 took us 3 ½ hours to get through.
Given that Dali automatically calculates a 20% gratuity into the bill, there is NO incentive for the server to make you happy, even when you spend in excess of $ 250 for the meal. There are too many other fine restaurants in Boston. I won’t be going back.

Came here Friday – place was packed! They do not accept reservations (such a pain) so we had to wait a good 30 minutes. We told the hostess we would be equally happy at the bar or a table. Not sure what their seating system is, because people who arrived after us were being seated. Very confusing.
The décor of this place is awesome. Definitely kooky, but it totally goes with the theme of the place. There are matador hats, and bizarre looking creatures all over. Definitely not your average bar/​restaurant.
So we finally snag a seat at the bar. I had a French 75, it was delish. We started off by ordering a few small plates:
Espinaca Catalana: Was basically a spinach/​arugula salad. For some reason I thought it would be more along the lines of sauteed greens.
Gambas al Ajillo: Excellent. A decent sized portion, was more than enough for the two of us.
Buñuelos de Verdura: A little doughy, but still yummy.
Seeing as it is their signature dish, we had to try the Pescado a la Sal.
I think the presentation is the best part. They bring out the Bass, and fillet the fish right in front of you. The bass was very tasty, naturally since it’s coated in salt, it was salty. They also serve it with potatoes, and those were yummy also.
The bartender was awesome, he had such a great personality, totally made our night, on top of the yummy food.

This is so far one of the better places I found in Boston that has good sangria. It was perfectly balanced with fruit and wine, where you can actually taste the wine and it’s not too sweet. The food and atmosphere was also great although the service was ok.
When you walk right in, it’s as if you transported into another world. The restaurant was fully decorated with a Spanish Old World style, including hanging (fake) Iberico hams, ornate tiles and plates.
As for the food we ordered, they were for the most part good although the portions are small for the price.
— Patatas Alioli
— Empanada de Vegetales
— Setas al Ajillo: wish there was more flavor to the mushrooms than just citrusy
— Queso Rebozado con Miel
— Vieiras al Azafrn: saffron cream was so buttery and went well with the scallops
— Butifarras con Brevas: liked the fig sauce that went with the sausage
Sometimes the service was off. They forgot to bring water for one of my friends.
I would definitely come back here for the sangria but maybe not the food since it was pretty pricey.

I was in a pickle to find a nice restaurant for Friday night and called Dali at 4:30 for a 6 PM reservation (I felt very lucky after being denied from Sarma and most other places that were booked). The ambiance there is so cool! Love the Spanish vibes with pictures of Flamenco dancers. Now here’s why they get 4 stars and not 5; the plates are extremely small (even the entrees of paella. There was a party of 5 of us so sharing the tapas was a little hard and they’re very pricey to get a lot of. Everything was EXTREMELY delicious though! Flavorful and reminded me so much of the summers I spent in Costa de Sol and Granada. The Sangria and wine was also very good. I can’t wait to hopefully go back and try the wine flights. Overall a very nice experience.
*Beware the parking out front is metered and only runs for an hour.

Well I was really hoping to love this place. But we just liked it. There’s a lot of hype and it got super crowded so we had really high expectations. We went at about 6:45 and we’re seated immediately. By 7:30 the place was very crowded, so go early! We both ordered the Spanish Kiss cocktail which was delicious and a pitcher of sangria, which was ok. We shared about 6 tapas. The standouts were the short ribs and duckling. Also the focaccia bread with garbanzo bean spread was really good. Everything else was pretty forgettable. I think we’ll stick with Cuchi Cuchi when we’re in the mood for small plates. It far surpasses this place.

Vegetarians speak highly about this place.
We went there for a Birthday dinner. We loved it!
Nice service, great selection of veggie and meat tapas. Everything in desert menu looks & tastes yummy.
Recommend it for any day, any occasion.

Dali is a great Tapas bar. I got several vegetarian and seafood options here. It seems that they know their food and they serve it very well too. The restaurant has great ambience and great beverage options. It’s obviously pricey like all tapas bars are. But doesn’t hurt once in a while.

You really can’t go wrong here. The food, the service, the atmosphere– all superb. The ceviche is UNREAL and the artichokes stuffed with mushrooms are to die for. I usually don’t get dessert but I just had to this time– Dulce de leche… GET IT! I absolutly love the wait staff too-​attentive, informative and friendly but not over-​the-​top.
Great for a date, birthday celebration, family dinner or even a solo dining sesh.

Im telling you if you want to impress a girl or for that matter even friends/​family, this is the place. You can spend $ 20 or $ 200 and have the same experience, this place is warm and fun. When you dine here you don’t have to nod to the people at the other table to express your feeling of «this is whats up» there is a reason why everyone is there.

Food is outstanding, spanish omelette (tortilla espanola) and beef steak in red wine were the standouts
I can only describe the décor as «quentin tarantino western set in spain», I loved it.

I came here recently after years of hearing about Dali but never quite making it out of my way to actually try it. After looking at the menu, I was pretty excited.
The place itself has a fun, Spanish vibe to it with tiled tables. The physical space is pretty large but it is sectioned off to give it more of an intimate feel. We came on a week night, so there wasn’t a wait, but I’m not sure how necessary reservations are on the weekend.
Shortly after we were seated we took a look at the drink menu. They have a pretty sizable drink menu (cocktails, wine, beer), but of what we ordered, I wasn’t too impressed with the cocktails. The drinks are certainly strong, but I didn’t love the flavors. The food, however, was a different story! I’m sure your experience here is completely determined by what plates you order, and we were extremely happy with our choices. Our favorite dishes were the fried cauliflower and broccoli, the saffron scallops, and the bread basked. I know what you’re thinking, «Really, the bread basket?» Yes, really, the bread basket. What is better than freshly baked bread, charred to perfection, and served with hummus – even though we dipped it in the leftover sauces, especially the buttery saffron sauce from the scallops!
Overall, my experience here was outstanding, and other than the drinks, I don’t think there is anything that I would have changed. A few of the tapas we had were just average, but the ones that we loved made up for the rest!

The granddaddy of all Tapas places is still da bomb. I can not believe I have not reviewed it before considering I have been coming here since my oldest was crawling (and now he is a heartbeat away from graduating from college).
If you are like me and do not like to wait — and you will wait because this place is always hopping — I go just when it opens. Among my favorite dishes are the saffron scallops with a lovely cream with subtle notes of saffron, the pork tenderloin with a blue cheese sauce with it tender salty goodness, and the sausage with a sweet and sour fig sauce. Bread is a must to sop up all the sauces after the dish is done so don’t be embarrassed to ask for more and often.
I have never had room in my stomach for a main dish or a dessert so can not speak to those items but the Tapas will haunt your dreams.

The staff is trying to put on some sort of ‘Spanish’ show with central and South American waiters and white hostesses that gives me that nauseous feeling I’ll never forget. Nothing about this restaurant is Spanish. The food’s price is indirectly proportional to it’s taste and quality, in a bad way. Don’t waste your time/​money.

Dali is not your regular dinner restaurant. It has a classy feel with authentic tapas that everyone in Boston metro area should enjoy once. Although they have a good range of drinks, the food is main attraction here with plenty of veggie options to choose from. Went there on a weekday with bunch of friends and was not disappointed at all. We ordered 10+ dishes and most of them ranged from good to very good. The service was slightly sluggish but the food made up for it. Highly recommended!

We had been looking at the board of the restaurant for so long that last night we decided to give it a try. Being a Monday night, we did not have to wait to get a table. But the place was pretty busy for a Monday night. The ambience is perfect for a date.
Based on Unilocal reviews and suggestions from the waitress we ordered the crepes filled eggplant, patatas bravas and the chicken croquettes. The eggplant reminded me of a lighter version of the eggplant Parmesan, nothing amazing. The patatas bravas was crispy and had a gravy along with an aioli on it. We liked this better than the other dishes. My husband ate just one croquette and have up. So, we were not very satisfied with the food I must say.
We got the flan and the lemon crème Brûlée. It’s very hard to go wrong with flan and this was not the best. The crème brûlée was decent. All in all, the ambience makes up for the average food. Given the expensive price, might not be worth trying this place again.

I had a very good experience here. My favorite tapas were the bacon-​wrapped prunes and the chicken meatballs (I forget what the actual names were). They are must-​haves! Also the dulce de leche ice cream for dessert was delectable.
We had to wait 45 min but it was worth it — we just grabbed drinks next door while we waited (they don’t have any beer on tap)

This place is not cheap, but it is worth an occasional splurge. The ambiance is so fun, the lighting is low, and the sound of people loving live surrounds you here.
Great place to share some dishes with friends. Highly recommend the Mushrooms tapa — its a delicious mix of chanterelle & other mushrooms and is a must for vegetarians here!

I loved everything about the ambiance and aesthetic of this place as soon as I saw the entrance with that magnificent door. It’s like stepping into a time machine and transporting yourself to an authentic tapas bar in Spain. They have put such a great amount of detail into the space that nothing has gone untouched to make it feel homey, welcoming and like you’re out for a night in Barcelona. My friend and I called earlier in the night and were put on the preferred seating list which was a fantastic call given they don’t take reservations (and clearly don’t need to given how many people were waiting) and thankfully we only needed to wait 20 minutes or so. The bartenders were proactive about asking people waiting what they could get them, despite the bar being full (FIRST time I’ve seen such impeccable service in Boston and just smart. Don’t make people fight to order a drink and spend money at your establishment). We were seated and our service experience was flawless despite the place being packed and had been for hours. Our waitress was incredibly nice and let us take our time looking at the menu. We got a great bottle of wine and I love that they aerate the bottles (I hadn’t seen this extremely cool gadget before and now thanks to Amazon prime, I own one!). Onto the tapas! We started with the cheese and charcuterie plate with olives (nice array) and roasted red peppers. Again with the impeccable detail, they bring you a cheese map with the name, flavor and region and a gorgeous variety of charcuterie. The patatas bravas were good though I wish they had more of a kick to them. The artichokes stuffed with mushrooms and topped with fontina were super tasty and light. For larger plates we opted for the duck (came with leg and breast which was lovely) on top of a dreamy blackberry sauce with fresh blackberries to garnish. Lastly, we ordered the grilled octopus which was exceptional and had this herb-​packed pesto like topping that complimented the dish so well.
I’m already planning my return given how out of this world this place is. GO!

First time there with my family, we saw the good reviews on Unilocal and we were not disappointed. We parked on Washington St, right in front of the restaurant, the parking meter is limited to one hour, so don’t waste your quarters like we did. lol. We love tapas dishes, the server said most people each 2 – 3 dishes per person. There were the 3 of us, we started with seafood cerviche, scallops in cream sauce, empanadas (beef), lamp chops, duck in berry sauce, all were delicious and 3 desserts, almond cake, bread pudding, crème brûlée. It was $ 80. Absolutely love the décor and ambiance, so warm and inviting. Our server was attentive, pleasant and informative. Will definitely be back.

A great place for a date or to go with friends! The restaurant is deceivingly big. I didn’t realize how many people it could fit until I actually went inside. The décor is amazing– love the Barcelona vibes. Tapas are wonderful, and particularly if you are in a group it is reasonably priced. Definitely not cheap but since I think of it as a more expensive, fancy place in always surprised that it’s not more. Get the classics– and then definitely explore. My favorite is the mussels. Good wine as well. Dali certainly keeps the other delicious beacon-​washington-​intersection restaurants in good company.

I love love tapas and I love love Dali. Atmosphere is very fun and romantic– you are transported to Spain and you forget about all your current life woes. Always a great place to go with a group to share lots of plates.
I have been here several times and learned that you can not go wrong with anything you order. Everything is beyond delicious. Quantity of each dish is about 3 – 5 pieces depending upon what you order. Usually 5 or 6 plates for two people works out well. They also provide bread and hummus for the table. I love love love the Gorditas which are Bacon-​wrapped Prunes filled w/​Goat Cheese & Almonds. There are so delicious. You cannot go wrong with the Lomo de Buey a las Frutas (Beef Tenderloin w/​Dried Fruits in Cream-​Brandy Sauce) or the Costillas de Vaca (Beef Short Ribs in Rioja Wine Sauce). I recently tried Mushroom-​filled Artichokes and I will be adding this to my list of staples. Finally, I an in love with their the red sangria– I could drink that all night long.
Only downfall is the parking situation– have to find street parking and I have ended up with a ticket or two while eating dinner.

It only took one visit for this restaurant to instantly find itself at the top of my favorites — every time I leave it is in pure ecstasy. And abdominal pain, because I always eat way too much here.
I’m trying really hard to think of a single flaw with this place but I’m coming up short — the food is BEYOND SPECTACULAR, the service is so welcoming and homey, the décor is beautiful, the drinks are strong… yes everything’s perfect as far as I can tell.
I’ve had a good fraction of the dishes now, and my favorites are:
–Queso de Cabra Montañes (baked goat cheese with tomato and basil)
–Setas al Ajillo (sauteed portobello, shiitake, and maitake mushrooms). Being basically vegetarian I’ve had many mushrooms in my life, and these were some of the best mushrooms I’ve ever had.
–Queso Rebozado con Miel (deep fried Spanish cheese with honey and sweet onion). I could eat these forever, it’s embarrassing
–Gorditas (bacon-​wrapped prunes with goat cheese and almonds). GET THE GORDITAS!
–Albóndigas de Cordero (lamb meatballs with tomato-​mint sauce)
–Pato Braseado (roast duckling with berry sauce). Very rich, and the berry sauce might be a little overwhelming for some, but it is undoubtedly delicious.
–Chorizo with pork and veal. I don’t remember the name of the dish but it’s on the paper leaflet inside the menu.
That’s still quite a few, but trust me, I really tried to whittle the list down. Definitely come with people so you can try more, as with all tapas places — 4 – 5 people total is ideal. Yes it’s a little pricey but it’s one of the most worth-​it places ever. Also a wonderful place to take vegetarian friends!

Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Very solid tapas destination, cool environment and authentic service. I came here with a group of 7 friends to try out the tapas for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by how authentic the experience actually was. The décor is beautiful, romantic yet full of class as you can see from the art and ceilings.
We ordered probably around 15 – 20 tapas (aka 2 – 3 per person) for the evening and it was definitely sufficient in terms of food (perhaps too much in fact). We tried so many different varieties, some of our favorites included the ravioli and the lamb chops. Absolutely amazing, fresh and tender meat on the lamb and for the ravioli, smooth delicious filling (I think it was lobster?)
The highlight at the end of our meal was sharing a ton of desserts. We essentially ordered one of everything — the churros were very unique and we really enjoyed the dipping sauces of chocolate and caramel that came with it. The bread pudding was really great; I wasn’t super impressed with the almond cake. And finally the crème brûlée was also amazing.
Great for big groups, but not sure if it’s the exact environment you’d want for a two person table — also you won’t get to share much. Go with friends!

I FINALLY got a chance to try Dali last night, and it was just as incredible as I had heard it was! I actually just came back from a vacation to Spain and still felt like the food at Dali was just as wonderful as (if not better than) what I ate at tapas bars in Madrid.
I came in a party of 7 with a reservation on a Friday night, but the restaurant wasn’t too crowded when we walked in just a few moments after 6. The ambiance is dark but cozy and romantic, yet the décor is eccentric and busy enough that it’s an equally great option for a girls’ night out. As with all tapas restaurants, Dali seems like a place where you’d want to bring at least a few friends along so that you can try as many dishes as possible.
Our server recommended ordering 2 dishes per person, but I honestly don’t think that would have been enough as I found the dishes to be quite small. I think we ended up ordering more along the lines of 3 – 4 dishes per person (followed by dessert), though to be fair, we left pretty stuffed and ditched Über in favor of walking back to Harvard Square to try and ease out of our food comas. Of all the items we ordered, my absolute favorites were:
— the liter of white sangria
— mushroom-​filled artichokes
— deep-​fried spanish cheese with honey and onion (i could have eaten plates on plates of this. heavenly!)
— seafood ravioli (only 3 per order and kind of pricey but worth it)
— deep-​fried saffron-​batter shrimp with garlic sauce (strongly recommend this over the garlic shrimp, which were small and kind of disappointing)
— churros with warm dulce de leche dipping sauce
And last but not least, the INCREDIBLE bread, which went so well with both the chickpea spread and the leftover sauces from the rest of our tapas. This bread was the real MVP.
Overall, I had a great time at Dali and was really impressed by the food. Can’t wait to come back! :)