10/25/09

Dirty poisonous place

by ladygaga

I had terrible fish poisoning here and horrible service. The owner is little dirty disrespectful man who has know clue about customer service! I met a cook in a bathroom and he did not wash his hands after he peed. I wanted to leave right away and call hygiene control or smth. Yaaaak! My friends insisted we stay since they were very hungry but after I left I vomited and was sick the whole weekend. I called the manager afterwards and he started yelling at me as if it was my fault. Never ever again!

• Cons: staff don't wash hands, not a fresh fish

01/21/09

Upscale Portuguese the service can sometimes be prickly.

by hardinghouseinncambrdge

Atasca, which means ?neighborhood place,? serves authentic traditional Portuguese food in an elegant upscale setting. With its ultra-modern wall-to-wall glass facade, Atasca fits right into Kendall?s Tech Square. But inside, its like a regal Portuguese palace with colorful native ceramics, traditional folk paintings, and a brick hearth. And the food, which features authentic regional specialties, is out of this world. Start with the delicious small plates like the linguica pork sausage with grilled pineapple, the grilled fresh sardines in vinaigrette, or shrimp with a hot spicy piri-piri sauce. Main course favorites include grilled dry salt cod drizzled with hot olive oil and garlic; and south Portugal?s signature dish of succulent pork loin with clams, paprika, and cilantro. Though the food is always impeccable, the service can sometimes be prickly. Even if you are starving, waiters refuse to bring you bread until after you order; and they are very inflexible about splitting bills on different credit cards. But that aside, Atasca is the best place in Boston for authentic upscale Portuguese cuisine.

01/04/09

not worh the time and money

by sarahww

it was very disappointing... the food was rather bland and not really authentic portuguese.. plus expensive. And I have never seen such a bad and rude service...

• Pros: none
• Cons: service, parking, price

08/28/08

Great Portuguese Food!

by AMEAR

Many times I miss the feeling of being in Portugal and going to A Tasca brings back the feeling of dinners with friends and family in Lisbon. The food is some of the closest that I have found to true Portuguese food in Boston. I have been to this restaurant several times with my American friends and family and they have all enjoyed. The bacalhau (salted cod fish) is fantastic!

09/22/07

Great atmosphere, food and service

by eshaw21

I went to Atasca on the recommendation of two Portugese friends. I trusted their judgement but also read a couple of bad reviews regarding the service and quality of food. I went on a Friday night with a reservation, was sat immediately and the service was good throughout the night. It was a great experience in Portugese food and drink, from the salt cod fritters and the linguisa to the vinho verde and Super Bock beer. I would recommend this restaurant if you have been to Portugal and want to recreate that food and atmosphere in Cambridge. When we got up to leave the restaurant, the proprieter thanked us for coming to the restaurant and wished us a good night. I definitely recommend giving this place a try-- and I will certainly go back. In additon, the prices were very fair.

12/15/06

Worst Portuguese food I've ever eaten

by doktortray

I was extremely disappointed by this restaurant. While the decor was nice, the appetizers and deserts were totally overpriced, and the entrees were either mediocre or horrible. The entree I had is a very popular Portuguese dish (carne de porco a alentejana) that I've eaten dozens of times in my life, but never have I had such a bad example of it as this. The pork was obviously from a cheap cut, the sauce was bad, the potatoes were bad--the whole entree was so unappetizing I seriously considered sending it back. My girlfriend'slamb dish was a little better, but was still underseasoned and dry. Suffice it to say, we will never return to this restaurant.

12/07/06

Arrogant and unpleasant

by lovecambridge

The owners go out of their way to make it an UNPLEASANT experience for diners

Unfortunately, I took my out-of -town guests to celebrate a birthday. We ordered a bottle of wine and asked for bread to accompany it which was refused. The staff said they would not serve it until we ordered dinner??? That having been done, we asked for some dipping oil which was refused !!!

Food is ok but certainly not worth the rude service.

10/01/06

Authentic Portuguese cuisine in a tucked-away gem of a locale.

by Contributor

The Scene
With its cool décor of saturated but subdued colors and mix of small tables and booths, Atasca wouldn't look at all out of place in Lisbon's Chiado district. Tables are often shoved together for en masse dining like visiting Portuguese trade delegations or East Cambridge family gatherings.

The Food
Hands down, Atasca is the best place in Greater Boston to sample a wide range of Portuguese regional cuisines. Appetizers tend to be simple and bold: linguiça with grilled slices of pineapple, or grilled fresh sardines in vinaigrette. The delicate flavors of northern Portugal ring clear in the simple chicken breast sautéed in vinho verde with mushrooms, artichokes and peppers. The signature dish of south-central Portugal, carne de porco a Alentejana, is a lusty plate of pork loin slices with clams, paprika, cilantro and garlic.

05/12/06

Great restaurant!

by goshh

I believe this is one of the better restaurants in Cambridge. I've been to Atasca a few times, and was thoroughly satisfied with the wait staff, food and wine every time. Where else can you get a whole sardine charcoal grilled?

• Pros: food, atmosphere
• Cons: parking, no reservation

01/08/06

Good food but "rules" too stringent...

by jillinboston

A group of 6 on Saturday night, we were seated 30mins after our reservation. We ordered drinks (great Sangrilla) and asked for bread but were told bread comes after ordering dinner. ?? It was delicious, with garlic cloves in olive oil for dipping. Apps were good, tomatoes with portugese cheese was reminiscent of mozarella and the fava beans and grilled calamari were tasty too. Bonesless chicken in a light sauce w/ veggies and rice was very tasty. The veal chop was big and got good reviews. The pork was thinly sliced and the shrimps were huge. We finished with custard and chocolate mousse, both of which hit the spot. We were then told that the policy is to accept only up to two credit cards on a bill (we were 3 couples) which was very strange. An otherwise great dining experience, a perfect one would have been more customer-oriented "policies."

• Pros: food, atmosphere, prices
• Cons: "policies", management, parking