The Kirkland Tap & Trotter

4.5 stars — outstanding ambiance and tasty eats. Great spot for a Friday dinner.
Bone marrow was the best I’ve had in Boston, a handsome bone served with classic accoutrements — cherry reduction, braised red onions, watercress and baby radishes.
Burger with fried egg on toasted brioche bun — really tasty medium rare, but a bit salty. Fries were crunchy and divine — dangerously addictive.
Grilled duck confit was beautifully presented and nicely done — tender on the inside, crispy on the outside as it should be. Well-​paired with rice grits and rapini but the grilled eggplant tasted like soaked in salt, while the duck was a tad salty as well.
Look forward to coming back for drinks and trying the crispy pork ribs, roasted hake and the bone-​in 18 oz pork chop (enough for 2).

We went early on a Sat evening with 4 adults and a toddler. First thing we noticed was that there were several other families with babies or toddlers, plenty of high chairs, and a kids menu. It is always a bonus for me to be able to enjoy good food at a kid friendly restaurant, so this really won points for me.
I had the bone marrow app and burger with the egg on top and really enjoyed both dishes. I always get bone marrow when it is on a menu, and I was not disappointed. The burger was cooked perfectly and I absolutely loved the aioli. I didn’t try what the others at my table got (chicken, sausage, and the fish and chips for my daughter), but everyone seemed to enjoy their meals. I usually save room for dessert but we were all too full so we passed. I will have to come back again to try one because they sounded delicious.
Service was friendly and quick, and I appreciated that they brought my daughter’s meal during the appetizer round. Overall, I had a great experience.

Unsatisfactory, simple as that. Been here for drinks and apps as well as a full dinner and history it’s the service that brings it to a two star review. No personality and no honest and real kindness that a restaurant (of this caliber) is supposed to exude.
I’ll review my full dinner experience, but want to point out the drinks and apps experience closely mirrored the dinner. When we first sat, a party of 6 at a reserved table for a birthday dinner, we had a table that was close to the door and a main isle. I have a bias towards benches as chairs due to the many camps I went to as a kid, but hey it’s a style thing. Water right away with specials pointed out from whom I thought was the server but then 10 – 15 minutes later we get a woman to take our drinks. It took too long and there wasn’t any real charisma or enthusiasm.
Drinks dropped after another 15 mins, a bit long but full restaurant on a Saturday night I let it slide. Apps and entrees taken, however we ordered asparagus which never came but were subsequently on the bill. The soft shell crab tacos were great but for $ 8 or $ 9 each it was too expensive. Great ribs, but bathed in simple barbecue sauce. After the apps cleared I asked about a bottle of txakolina rose from the server as its a favorite of mine and wanted to describe it to my friends and had zero help except that it’s popular. I’ve worked in restaurants at this level and wine is always a tough subject, so completely ok with her excusing herself to look it up it, but doing nothing speaks volumes.
Overall my entrée was good and the cocktails were great, I had their version of a corpse reviver and a twist on an aviation. Besides the tacos, all was well priced. A friend got a monkfish dishes that was mummified in salt but they took it off the check and everyone else enjoyed their entrees.
Service, timeliness, and true hospitality is what this place is lacking. I will not be coming back unless heavily persuaded, in which case I’ll be the person making a point that I didn’t order an entrée so I’m not throwing a card down to evenly split the bill.

I was really excited to try KTT after hearing a lot of good things from friends, but unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver. Soft shell crab tacos were by far the stand out of the whole experience. In fact, one of these two stars was earned just for those tacos. Ribs were okay, but dry. Swordfish kebab was listed as one of the specials of the night, although upon ordering it, it had been changed to monkfish. Nevertheless, I ordered it and sadly it was over-​salted so much that it was frankly inedible. Another misstep, one of our sides was not delivered and appeared on the check. For the price, and having to go out of the way to get there, it’s simply not worth it. Sorry to say I won’t be back anytime soon.

I came here for brunch one weekend morning after passing this place a few times and wanting to try it. It has a pretty meaty menu for lunch/​dinner, and being a vegetarian, I figured that brunch might be a better option.
I made reservations for a weekend morning, knowing that it’s slim pickings in this area for brunch options, but honestly, it was pretty quiet and I probably didn’t need to make reservations. We were seated promptly at the bar overlooking the kitchen, and there were tons of other tables. The place itself is cute with a bunch of old fashioned décor that looks like it came from estate sales and auctions; it has the décor elements to be a perfect brunch spot… but the food was a huge disappointment.
My friend and I started with coffee, which was pretty standard. It was a little bit strong, but I’ll never complain about that. I ordered the brown rice brunch bowl, which was basically bibimbap. I wish the menu would have just said that instead of disguising it as a salad/​egg/​brunch dish. It was okay, but it was a weird offering I thought. My friend had the huevos rancheros, which was was basically like bean soup over tortillas. Essentially, neither of us was too impressed.
In general, I don’t know that I’d come back to this place for brunch, even though there aren’t too many other options in the area. And from our brunch experience, I don’t know if I’d be too willing to come back for dinner. The physical space is great, but the food just left us wanting more.

I didn’t know what to expect, but it ended up being really good. The staff were great especially since there was such a large group. I highly recommend the paté and the sirloin tips skewer. The sirloin tips were perfectly cooked to the temperate that I wanted. I actually think they were the best sirloin tips I’ve ever had. The grilled avocado was a great complement to the tips. I am interested in going back and trying other items on the menu — the pork chop looked delicious!
They also have a long beer list!

Brunch. On a Saturday– 1 point (or a star)
Drink named after Oaxaca-​another point
And much more than abled bodies behind the bar– another point. knowledgable energetic and just happy (ain’t that hard)
Killer burger– easily worth a point but it’s the fries and the kimchi mayo that drives this one home! Just get the burger AND whatever else your mood says.
Smoky, lively atmosphere with an open kitchen. KTT is worth being on your list when u wanna indulge alone at the bar, with friends or bring out of town guests for a great meal. If yer lucky they’ll be playing the Journey/​GunsNroses station when u are there!

Came here for a few drinks and small bites and were not disappointed. The drinks have great names and are innovative (to me) and the fries were some of the best spiced ones that I have had in a long time.
I got the Farewell Alan Rickman and it was perfect for him – salty and spicy. I think it shows a real talent to be able to name something after someone and have it be on point.

Adding this place to the rotation.
Great menu for my salty, meat loving, and flavor craving appetite. On top of a menu that was likely made specifically for me, the execution deserves a round of applause.

I don’t always Unilocal but when I do it’s because the experience is memorable. Having just finished my leftover butternut and black eyed peas curried hake, better the second day than the first, I can confidently say that The Kirkland Tap & Trotter is the real deal.
In Somerville for the artists’ Open Studios, we had to eat somewhere. My date made reservations a few days ahead for The Kirkland. What a great decision! Even so, when we got there a few minutes early, they we’re willing to seat us, and then let us choose our table from the available ones to accommodate my request for a «quieter table.» (Which is a kind way of saying this place is noisy even if it does have some areas — the back right — that are quieter.) But what a great feeling when hosts welcome patrons like company, eager to make us comfortable. Nobody cited «corporate rules» or «management says.» Instead, they were all, like, hey, just «find a good comfy spot and we’ll take care of you,» which they did.
They have valet parking, which, in Somerville, is totally worth the $ 12.
The fact that the female valet was reading Hemingway? Priceless.
Food is exciting and good. The options are interesting and clever. And while at a place called trotter, you’d expect a lot of meat, you can also order an entirely vegan meal off the regualr menu and not feel marginalized. Even so, we both got meat. Date got the roasted half chicken with onions and … oh something delish … which requires a 30 minute lead, which, because the apps were so good, seemed like no time at all. I got the above-​mentioned whitefish. Ordinarily, whitefish is a risk. Dry, or too bland to enjoy, but this dish — a breaded chunk of firm moist fish over bed of spicy beans and cubes of butternut squash — oh! Two days in a row! It will be difficult to go back to regular food.
The apps. We got the roasted beet hummus. Two truths and a lie: I don’t like beets. This didn’t taste like beets. I licked the plate. (Okay, last is the lie.) This dish is amazing. It comes with roasted chickpeas, olives, and toasted pita — all to my taste. Date didn’t like the toasted pita but that meant more for me. Or he could have eaten it with the table bread, which was very good. (But note to chef: the server had to warn us that the olives had pits. Why not just serve pitted olives instead?)
Chicory salad with citrus: Don’t ask me what was in it… Plenty enough for two, it was lightly dressed, satisfying, in a word: perfect. Pretty, too, which I like in a salad.
The bone marrow. My first time. Where have you been all my life? My deflowering was gastronomic! It comes served in the culvert of a real bone (or something that looks real) so that you feel all neanderthal (or Fred Flintstone) scooping out the marrow of life. Toast, too, perfectly crusty, and topped with red onions that are unrecognizable as such, steeped and stewed as they are for hours with balsamic vinegar, cranberry juice, and honey. It comes with a little dish of salt, too. Did I say good? I wanted to beat my chest.
Service was excellent. Lots of runners and such to fill in what could have been delays. But we were never abandoned by Nicole, our primary server, who was also helpful and attentive. For example, when one of the wines was a bit too oxidized, she replaced it quickly with a better choice. No charge or fuss.
Ambiance: decidedly casual. Plaid shirts. No cloth on the tables. Young, boisterous clientele. When patrons at the next table saw us ogling their food, they enjoined us in conversation and narrated who in their group had ordered what. It’s a good place when strangers want to share the joy.
The décor, however, is cliché, almost sophomoric. While the U.S. map taken directly from your mother’s 4^th grade parochial school classroom is a delight — interesting, funny — the rest of the wall hangings were overdone cliches. C’mon, you uptown hipster wannabes, you could be way more ironic.

After my dining experience at Cragie on Main, I felt compelled to finally make it over to Kirkland Tap and Trotter to see what else Tony Maws has in store. I live in downtown Boston and since the train doesn’t really go to this location, I find this Kirkland to be quite a hike for Bostonians. Is it worth it? Hmm let’s find out.
I have to start off by saying that I was pleasantly surprised by Kirkland and this may partly be due to the fact that I my expectations weren’t all that high going in. On the other end of the spectrum, Cragie is high profile and the buzz surrounding is just too much for me. For example, we had to book our Cragie reservations 60 days in advance versus we booked Kirland 1 day in advance. Ease of reservations is certainly a factor to consider when evaluating a restaurant because one would expect access to reservations to be relatively proportionate to the quality of the food, service and ambiance.
In regards to the food, the one dish that really stood out to me was the bone barrow. It is served with toast and the portion size is extremely generous. Usually when I order bone marrow, the portion size is so small that the dish is negligible when it comes to satiety but this is not the case at Kirland. The marrow is rich in flavor but still feels light and is truly a delight. The roasted beet hummus is another excellent choice as this is a unique dish, something I have never tried to tackle at home. They use beets and chick peas to blend the hummus and serve it with crispy Brussels sprout leaves.
My favorite part of the meal was the peanut butter mousse pie. This is one of the most scrumptious desserts I have ever had and I still can’t stop thinking about it. The crust to the pie is made with oatmeal cookie crust and there was toasted meringue with a caramel sauce on top. My favorite desserts are ones that are full and creamy without feeling rich and heavy and the consistency of this moose pie is absolutely perfect.
My final comment is in regards to the service. Our server Amanda started off strong and was relatively attentive during the first half of our meal. The restaurant was even able to cut our dessert in half in two separate pieces and divide it, which we really did appreciate. Sharing desserts can often turn into an awkward gig as you silently fight over gets that last bite of heaven. The second half of the meal she became less attentive and when it was time for us to check out, she took over 30 minutes to get us our bill. We had been at the restaurant for almost 3 hours at this point and had to meet friends after so we found her behavior to be inconsiderate. We ended up asking another server over to bring our check and the other server was sincerely apologetic. She was able to bring it over to us right away and she even sent Amanda over to apologize to us. Maybe Amanda was just having a bad day but regardless the rest of the staff stepped it up. Often times, when you provide feedback to a restaurant or the staff, there can be a billion different things going on so the message can get lost in the crowd. I was impressed that the staff at Kirkland was able to recognize their mistake, take responsibility, and apologize. It would have been nice if they could have done something extra like take an item off the bill or have the manager come over and personally apologize but the service was still very good.
Overall I would describe my dining experience at Kirkland to be positive and I will make a trip back just for the peanut butter moose pie! If Kirkland was a tad but closer to my apartment in Boston, I can confidently say I would be a regular there. The fare is much more affordable than Cragie and I like the casual ambiance. This is a solid value pick!

This is one of my friend’s favorite spots. I went with her a week or so ago on a Friday night and sat at the bar. The bartenders were awesome and made great drinks. No complaints there. They made a well balanced gimlet and a tasty last word.
I also ordered their burger. It was HUGE and delicious with an egg on it. Yum. Also, they cooked the burger to a perfect medium rare.
The décor is cute, casual without feeling grungy. My only complain is their bar stools were the most uncomfortable seats I’ve ever sat in… literally the stools you’d sit in in a high school science lab. Not a major complaint but after an hour or at the bar it did make a difference but I’m just nit picking.
Great place. If you’re in the area I would absolutely suggest it.

Sigh. I am coming to the conclusion that Tony Maws restaurants can be summarized as «good but they don’t deliver for what they charge». There are just too many errors for this kind of price point. Servers disappear for infinity, leaving empty glasses (and a missed opportunity to sell more drinks, silly!). Bottle of wine sits behind the host stand, getting steadily warmer, while waitress insists that she can’t find it in the back and we point out that we can read the label and it’s our wine. Wood-​grilled oysters advertised on the menu are, in fact, raw oysters. (Good raw oysters, but there is no logical reason to list these as wood grilled.) Wine list is just plain over-​priced.
It’s not bad. It’s just not great. And you can’t, in Inman, charge this for other than great. See also, my reviews at Craigie. There’s so much else delicious in the area (E.g., Trina) that there’s little worth it here.

The Kirkland Tap & Trotter is a great, reasonably-​priced restaurant in Somerville, but it’s not deep in Somerville. The food is delicious and the service is excellent as well.
When we arrived, the table wasn’t ready, but the hostess and waiters were very apologetic and gracious about the situation.
The menu is very meat-​central, but that’s what they’re good at. The chicken is worth it and very tender. So tender that some parts didn’t seem fully cooked, but was truly delicious. The portion sizes are huge, so the $ 20’s prices are very worth it.
Everyone here is super friendly, so I would highly recommend getting dinner here. The ambience and lighting cute cute as well for pictures!

Been wanting to try Craigie’s sister restaurant for a while and it didn’t let me down. Now, I say sister restaurant but it’s more like Craigie’s American cousin. Craigie has its upscale french going on but here, Kirkland has your all American shirt and jeans vibe. Food at both locations are equally delightful.
This night, we went with the 5 course tasting with a pescatarian food restriction and here’s what the jury says:
Round 1 — Roasted beet salad: Loved this! Served with flatbread looking crackers and the pomegranate and pumpkin seeds added a really nice crunchy texture. ⁵⁄₅
Round 2 — Kale and apple salad: Very tasty and I loved the added walnuts. It had just a tinge too much cheese for my liking but still a really great starter. 4.5÷5
Round 3 — Mussel stew: Three words — squid ink pasta! I don’t care how stained my teeth gets. Every time it’s served, I go cuckoo for cocoa puffs. The accompanying mussels were also quite sizable and tasty. Only nit is that it could’ve used just a pinch less salt. 4.5÷5
Round 4 — Swordfish with fava beans: Fish was cooked perfectly. I’m not a big fan of fava beans but for what it was, the execution was great. ⁴⁄₅
Side of brussels sprouts and mushrooms — Awesome accompaniments and it ended up being way too much food.
Round 5 — Ice cream sandwich: Sweet choice for a sweet ending. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for something creamy. ⁵⁄₅
So why only 4 stars then you ask? Somewhere around round 4, I think they forgot that we were going for a pescatarian journey so the brussels sprouts were prepared with duck fat and my entrée at first was some sort of pork pâté. Unfortunately, the mix up put us back for a bit time-​wise. Server was apologetic as was the manager and we got a round on the house so all was right with the world again :)
Based on this visit, this place totally gets a «yes» vote in my book.

Delicious! Didn’t give 4 only because the meal didn’t WOW me but still a great dinner. For starters we had the kale apple salad and beet hummus. Both were very light and flavorful. The kale salad was a large portion which was a nice surprise! It could be an appetizer for two. For entrée I had the special which was a swordfish kabobs. I have never had swordfish before so it was a risk — but well worth it! It reminded me of a lighter version of chicken kabobs. The swordfish wasnt tough, and was cooked to perfection. My mom ordered the polenta and vegetables. It was extremely cheesy! But delicious! The portion size was huge and could have fed two.

Living down the street from KT&T is both delightful & dangerous.
I’ve had dinner here a couple times, but usually opt for the bar. My favorite dish to date though, was the Salmon Tail special. I’ve never had that specific cut of salmon before, but it was delish. Also, the polenta is a great go to, all the veggies in it are super fresh.
I’m a Tequila person, & if it’s spicy we are in business. I recommend the Fire Pon. The bartenders here are equal parts knowledgeable and accommodating, so on numerous occasions I’ve just rattled off what I like, and let them create their own concoction. (Always works out well!)
All in all, this place is wonderful!

To celebrate Christmas and the end of a year, a few friends and I decided to go out to eat, instead of just hanging around at home. Let me tell you — finding a GOOD place to eat in Boston, that takes reservations, only hours before dinner time is no easy feat. We got a reservation for Kirkland at 8:15 PM for a group of 5. It was definitely late, but they had a table. Definitely call a few days before. Street parking is
Food we ordered:
*Roasted Beet Hummus — a great dish to balance out some of the salty/​heavier food.
*Crispy-​Fried Pork Ribs — a m a z i n g. The meat was SO GOOD. (for lack of culinary vocabulary). The group of 5 were all Korean and all enjoyed the cucumber salad.
*Grilled Bone Marrow — a big fan of this and similar to the one from Craigie on Main
*Grass-​Fed Cheeseburger — good burger, but this is what actually brings my review down from 5 to 4 stars, the bread was a little bit soggy, and the french fries were so oily and not enjoyable. I think all the other food was exceptionable and the burger was alright.

Came for halloween brunch, which was fun as the staff were in their (mild) halloween costumes and there was a trick or treat bowl of candy on the host stand.
I had the KT&T beef tongue & brisket hash, which was very good. It was not as rich, salty, or overwhelming as it sounds like it should be and was very well balanced. I cleaned my plate, which is a fairly rare occurrence. My friend had the huevos rancheros, as did the couple next to us, and it looked and smelled really delicious.
The coffee was good in flavor, but definitely could have been a lot stronger. I needed 2 – 3 cups before I even began to start to wake up.
Service was good as far as I can recall, and if I am ever in the Somerville/​Boston area, I would definitely come come back to try some the rillettes, frittata, cheeseburger, kielbasa, and more!

Of the six people in my party, five got the grass fed cheeseburger. It was so good! The burger is pretty small but it’s the perfect portion. It comes with fries that are sprinkled with herbs! And two sauces — one ketchup (but not typical ketchup, it’s watered down and sweet) and one orange sauce. They’re good with fries and with the burger!
Service is super fast too. Within 10 – 15 min of ordering, we got our food.
The price is a bit steep — the burger is $ 16 pre tax and pre tip. Also, the burger comes with like three little pickle slices, and if you want more, you have to pay. I’d go back for the burger/​fries though!