Martsa On Elm

We love this place especially the lunch buffet. Although small, there is a great variety. The buffet is frequenty replenished with quality food. Not to mention the host is wonderfully friendly and attentive. One of the few remaining family-​run restaurants!

It was a toss up whether to give 2 stars or 3 stars.
The good: food is really very good. Not sure how authentic it is as it was my first time eating Nepalese food but I was impressed. I had the mini-​beef dumpling soup which was spinach and dumplings in a tasty broth. My husband had the lamb delight which was also very tasty (make sure you order a side of rice). Also the atmosphere was what you should expect from Davis Square — lively.
The bad: AWFUL service! It really ruined an otherwise delicious meal. Once we were sat down we were ignored for quite some time. I kept trying to catch a waiter’s attention until eventually I had to literally wave my arms around to get someone to come over. The waiter’s attitude is best described as aloof. My husband also had to request a water refill
Also, if you are expecting a large meal you should order an appetizer as the servings are not large.

Excellent food. Great service. Was greeted with smiles and warmth. Everything we ordered was perfect.

I was really disappointed by this place, which is advertised as an authentic tibetan/​himalayan restaurant but is in fact more like a cheap indian restaurant. While there are quite a few vegetarian options, they look better on the menu that on your plate. The pumpkin curry I ordered was extremely greasy. I liked the vegetarian Momo’s we shared as a starter, but all in all it was way too expensive given the poor quality of the main dish. The service was friendly, but a bit pushy. In my opinion, the Tibetan restaurant near central is much better in terms of food.

I’ve only been here for brunch, but the food is great! The staff are friendly and go out of their way for the customers. I’ve been back a few times and brought friends. Everyone should know about this… one of the best brunches in Boston!

omg. i’ve been dreaming of going back to this place ever since i tried it. the potato chaat appetizer is out of this world. i could eat it every day. and the pumpkin curry was just incredible. for an amazing tasty treat, the honey lime tea is also very unusual and delicious.

Martsa was fantastic! We had the fried pork momo, rhuichotsay, and chicken with mushroom. Everything was delicious and the server had great tips on what to order. Wait service was also excellent. Highly recommended and will definitely go back there.

Amazing food! Wonderful service– our waiter couldn’t have been more helpful making recommendations or explaining the menu. Great place for groups. Can’t wait to come back :)

I’ve passed this place a million times and finally tried it. I had the most delightful experience! Service was fast and friendly and VERY informative, thankfully, since I’m not familiar with Tibetan food. The server suggested a few dishes with such confidence that it only seemed natural to nod and agree: fried chicken momo, pumpkin curry, and beef shapta. The bhale bread was like the biggest, softest, most delicious pita I’ve eaten. Everything was perfectly spicy, freshly prepared, and flavorful. Martsa on Elm is BYOB, but thankfully Downtown Wine & Spirits is practically next door, so grab a bottle of wine before you dine! I highly recommend Martsa on Elm to anyone looking for an authentic, family-​run, ethnic dining experience in Davis Square. I’ll absolutely be back!

Incredible. Spicy pumpkin curry was the perfect blend of spicy and sweet.
All the server for recs! Wonderful service and food.

Lots of cool Indo-​chinese food with very good service, huge variety and unique dishes, and BYOB, which is fairly rare for local restaurants. They have really good appetizers and a couple great sauces.

Review by an Indian guy (so I have some baseline to compare with authentic version): —
Multiple things the restaurant lacked : —
1. Lousy service. (I know you can do much better)
2. Aloo tikki with mint yogurt : — guys tikki doesn’t mean it’s boiled potato. You have to fry it well it it gets crusty outside. And you totally made a fool of me saying the yogurt was inside the tikki .lol…(authentic version has served it as side or on top of it.)
3. Fried rice : — okaish.
4. Spicy tofu chili : — wasn’t spicy at all, in fact too oily and bland. (Note to management:-spicy doesn’t mean hot. It can be spicy without burning your esophagus.)

When everywhere else in Davis square is a two hour wait, we ended up here. Good food, reasonable prices. The coconut curry noodle soup was tasty but a bit rich for a whole bowl. The noodle stir fry dish was good as well. The highlight was the rice dessert — delicious! Dinner with dessert for two for under $ 40, will be back!

I went to this place for a late lunch/​early dinner and ordered a beef dish for around $ 15 and a chai tea, the waiter asked me if I wanted the dish with rice I said no rice but I will take some bread instead. When the food came it was more like an appetizer small dish with pieces of beef and potatoes with a thick dark sauce. The whole thing would fill up half of a dinner plate. It was rather greasy and the sauce was lumps apart from the grease. The food was barley warm.
I had an appointment to attend and I did not have enough time at hand so I just ate and did not say anything.
When the bill came I was surprised to find out that it was over $ 20 and they have also charged me for the two pieces of bread $ 3 something!
I asked the waiter about it and he said that’s the way it is. I said that I thought their food was expensive for what it is. He took my credit card and he alerted a lady who on her way to my table conversed loudly with a group at a front table and the waiter Ina foreign language. When she got to my table she yield in English while shaking the menu in her hands «Did you see the menu?» I said «she went back to the front and ordered the waiter behind the register «Charge!». Meanwhile, she resumed speaking the foreign language to the people in the front table. I put on my coat and head to the register to get back my card and the woman was still loudly arguing to the group about what I said and they were all staring at me. I told the woman that I was just giving her my feedback and there was no reason to get so angry about it. She start yelling at me in English saying that I saw the menu. I tried to explain to her that I never denied seeing the menu not was I refusing to pay what the charged me. Another woman jumped into the conversation from the group sitting at the front table and said to me «I am the owner and I am asking you to leave» as I was getting my credit card back and preceding to leave.
I am not quiet sure why a business owner and/​or a restaurant manager would act so poorly when a customer shares their feedback.
I reiterate that this restaurant overcharges for the quality and quantity of food they serve.
Apparently family owned. they hurdle at a front table and overreact with anger if you tell them that you are unhappy with their restaurant performance.
Not to mention that the angry woman (before the whole scene happened with me) was on the phone talking loudly expressing her dislike of some lady whom she spoke of in unflattering terms and exceedingly described how irritated she was with her and asked the person on the phone to explain that she, the angry woman, is a busy person and important person. This went on for over 15 minutes while she was standing in the middle of the restaurant in a total disregard for the customers.

Whoa. How did we not find this place before? 3 years in Somerville and it took us this long to find what may be our new favorite spot. Out for a celebratory dinner in Davis Square on a Friday night, it was a little tough to find somewhere to squeeze us in. Wandering down the avenue, boo suggested we turn back but something told me to keep going. So glad we did, because Martsa was the next place we saw.
The ambience was warm and the smells were enticing. I asked for a beverage menu after noting the excellent selection on other tables, and the charmingly snarky gentleman who seated us told me Martsa is BYOB. Say whaaaaaaaaaat? Boo dashed across to Downtown Wine and Spirits while I flipped open an incredible menu.
The worst part about eating here was having to decide what to order – everything in the menu looked better and better. We settled on chicken momos, a special shrimp dish, and the lamb with squash. They were all amazing; between the lamb and the shrimp, I’d happily never try anything else on the menu again. But I must! What else is hiding from me? My mouth is watering as I type. I also had a ginger lime honey tea and it was truly amazing, spiced like apple cider.
Can’t wait to go back!

Write it about a Himalayan place.
Food is authentic — better than many of the other more expensive, pan Asian, Indian, Tibetan places in the square.
Fresh ingredients.
The chicken cashew hints at it’s Chinese origins while using a richer curry heavy in turmeric.
The menu has evolved and moved away from it’s more traditional offerings to a simpler menu with no pork, seafood or lamb offerings.
In it’s heyday, the sweet and spicy lamb was brilliant — deep fried tossed in a chilli oil sauce served with vegetables.
The GG Pork sauteed with seaweed and sesame seeds was similarly well prepared and unusual in its mix of Tibetan and Chinese cuisines.
The momo are heartily wrapped and well flavored.
Polite service. Please bring back the other sections of your menu.

Probably one of my favorite places right now.
Didn’t order too much but:
–Tofu Chili (Super tangy and just the right amount of spices. Also came with a side order or white/​brown rice)
–Baked Bread (Plain warm bread, prob would try another kind of bread next time)
–Indian Chai (SUPPPPERRR YUMMY. Recommend!)
I regret not trying their appetizers because I’m hearing really good reviews on their momos and their tofu patties :(
Service was probably the best I’ve ever experienced. They were so nice to me and my friend. They weren’t overly annoying but they just seemed genuine and nice.

We’ve been on the road for hours and was staying by Davis Square. We were all tired and didn’t want to venture far. So many restaurant options in Davis square and Unilocal helped us decide on this place for dinner. Glad we decided to stop in because the food was really delicious. We’ve all never had Himalayan food before but after reading comments about how it’s a cross between Chinese and Indian food, we were all over it.
We got the fried chicken momos which everyone raves about on Unilocal,the beef mandarin which is thin slices of beef fried to a crispy crunch meaty deliciousness tossed in an orange chicken like type of sauce (soooo gooood), the G.G. Pork, and the spicy chicken masala. The spicy chicken masala is my favorite out of all the dishes. It definitely didn’t taste like the Indian version but more like a slightly just right spicy curry chicken. It went really well with plain steamed rice.
Service was attentive and friendly. Our water cups were never left empty and the plates were cleared quickly after we’ve devoured the dish. Highly recommended!

My meal here was pretty easy to forget. All I can remember about it was that my rice tasted like it was straight out of an Uncle Ben’s Rice in 30 Seconds bag. I found the service to be on the slow side: I was in a rush to eat and the check took awhile to come out.
The food is cheap but cheap food and an exotic cuisine doesn’t guarantee a good eating experience for me.

Firstly — how many Tibetan restaurants do you see in town? Kudos to this place for bringing some flair to the neighborhood.
It was my first time having Tibetan food and it reminded me of a cross between of oriental and Indian food, which is pure perfection!
Food — flavorful, filling, and everything I want in comfort food. We had sha-​kam-​pa, aloo parantha, vegetable né-​zom, and chicken momo. Chicken momos were alright — the portion size is great value and the spicy sauces it comes with are good. Everything else was delicious!
Service — food came out quickly and our waiter was great with recommendations. Very friendly and honest staff, which I can always appreciate.
If you’re a more adventurous eater who likes both Indian and oriental food, def check this place out!