Samba Bar and Grill

The worse place ever. i don’t recommend it. Full of low class people. Old and ugly people trying to hitting on you. Waitress look like .a I better not say this. .but they dress like a *****. Definitely not a family place. Crap place.

I’ve lived in Boston for a 5+ years, this bar is one of the worst experiences I’ve had. I attended a concert there, and this is a summary of my experience
Parking: No parking anywhere near, if you don’t get here before 11 pm you’ll probably have to park in Union Square which is several blocks away. Considering public transportation may be a good idea, but you have to deal with the fact that in mid-​Somerville at 2 am cabs are scarce
Coat check: the line to the coat check was longer than the line to get in, it moved slowly, and they ran out of hangers before half of the place was fill
The place itself: dark, dirty, nothing to see there… I know is not a sport bar, but if you are to have a TV, please don’t have a 12 inches tube tv… please…
The Bar and the bartenders: clearly overwhelmed when the place was packed, they neglected the left side of the bar, it took me half an hour and a lot of yelling, ordering a drink and a beer. They only have one credit card processing terminal, so at one point they stopped taking orders from people paying with a credit card and were taking cash only, and the poor bastards who had paid with a credit card had to wait about 15 mins to get their cards back (by this point the concert had already started).
The bartenders were rude to both men and women, they yelled at people, were slow and sloppy with the drinks, and at one point, he simply left.
On top of having to wait for the bartenders, the lady who cleans the bar punched my girlfriend just because she was on her way.
I beg on promoters please do not book this place for concerts, is just awful.

Oh Samba. There are so many reasons I shouldn’t love you, but I do.
The closest neighborhood dive bar to my current abode, I had a crush on Samba for months before even making a move. I’d walk by it on the way to the T or drive past it when going to work. Sure it looked a little rough around the edges, but hey– chicks dig that.
My first experience was probably not the norm. A crowd of our friends commandeered the empty bar on a Thursday night when they were most certainly planning to close early and spent the next few hours hanging out, playing pool, dancing on an empty dance floor (strobe lights still going strong) and partaking in the house specialties: bomb chicken tenders, yucca fries, strong caipirinhas and a peanut flavored boozy elixir called Chiboquinha (nice find Jason B.) The bartender was amazing– she gamely stayed open, keeping us happy with the steady flow of drinks and tasty bar food.
Flash forward a few weeks: we stopped in on a Saturday night and got to see Samba in action. Live music, strobe lights going, dance floor full and everyone in their clerrrrb gear. It was dive bar on steroids– lasers crisscrossing the floor, good acoustics and everyone in the mood to dance. I’ll concede that the guys in our group were none too happy with the $ 10 cover for dudes, no charge for ladies (one lawyer friend actually tried to argue the legality of this with the doorman but his lack of Portuguese and her lack of English got in the way). Pricing issues aside, we still had a blast grabbing drinks, listening to the band and hitting the dance floor. The Brazilian band even gave the boyfriend and I a shout out after some confusion that we might be there for our wedding reception (hrrrm, wtf? Ehh go with it…) Let’s just say the language barriers made this both confusing and hilarious but the big hug and «Congratulations! Parabéns!» from the lead singer only made the night more interesting.
This place won’t be for everyone. And I’m guessing Samba has a Peach Pitt/​Peach Pitt After Dark thing going with their differing weeknight and weekend vibes. But having experienced both, I really like this divey spot. Keep your expectations in check and you might too.

What’s not to like about a Brazilian bar with a stage, a dance floor, a big projection screen, live bands, LASERS, and my new favorite beverage, Chiboquinha! I’d love to come back here on a night where they have a band playing and give it a fifth star — the acoustics seem great for that. But great prices, awesome customer service and tasty bar food make this Brazilian joint a rocking good time.

Pretty good for a dive bar. Went on a Friday night to hear a friend-of-a-friend’s band play. They were fun, but the thousands of lasers on the dance floor are a little over the top. Lots of room for dancing, a stage for the band, tables, and one lonely pool table. Not my scene, but fun anyway.

I don’t really have a strong opinion on this place either way… so this will be a very boring review.
Atmosphere — dark
Music — pretty decent
Bartenders — very friendly
Drinks — very strong
Bouncer — very plain and boring
Location — annoying to get to
French Fries — delicious
Fin.

Samba is not bad. It’s small but it’s pretty fun! I go there with our kickball team on weeknights and since there are a bunch of teams there, it’s really fun.
THE BEST PART OF SAMBA IS THEIR CHICKEN FINGERS. I’ve had lots of different kinds of bar food, but their fingers are true delicious HOT and TENDER chicken fingers. AND the fries are the thick kinds that are nicely salted and amazing! For $ 10.99, it seems expensive, but then the deliciousness of it makes it worth it!
I would give this place 3 stars normally, but because of their amazing chicken fingers, they get 4.
They let you play flip cup, so how can you go wrong?
The location is kinda iffy though, it’s about 15 minute walk from Porter Square T stop.

I had the most ludicrously crazy fun night here, involving some Portugeuse drag queens dressed up for Carnivale (see my pics). Of course, when my friend sent me the pics the next day I noticed one of them had his leg in the air and his totally bare ass was on my leg — hottt. I wish I knew when it was happening.
So, I wouldn’t go here alone, or really without male accompaniment. Guys were circling me waiting to pounce whenever my friend stepped away. And of course he had to tell them «oh, i’m not her bf, go ahead.» Thanks dude.
Basically, it’s a couple of blocks from my house, there’s live music, and a super sketchy crowd. Be in the mood for that. Bring a bodyguard.

this place gets four stars for being so kind to the mobs of kickballers that come rolling in a few days a week during the season!
they offer great deals on beer and keep the party going with good music!

Absolutely phenomenal when the WAKA kickball crowd is there; the owners are friendly and accommodating.

maybe it was just the night i was there but this place was empty… they had a dj and live music but weren’t very coordinated about switching between them… also the strobe lights didn’t go too well with the folky brazillian tunes. this place should be much sweeter than it is.

Cool family-​run Brazilian place that is definitely there for the neighborhood. They have karaōke, Brazilian appetizers, and a big screen for satellite TV (football matches, Brazilian variety shows, etc.). A worthwhile stop if you’re in the neighborhood and good for group events.