Juniper

Stumbled upon a jem! We asked to be seated outside because the restaurant seemed a bit busy and crowded inside.
Food was awesome. Got to sample some pita and dips! They were all great. Dave (the owner) recommended the charred octopus and the Schnitzel. It was delish.

I don’t review restaurants that often, but I don’t often get to have a meal like this. First, the restaurant is lovely. We got there on the early side on a beautiful Saturday night and only had a 20 minute wait. Just enough time to have some great drinks at the bar.
Service is outstanding– and very knowledgeable too.
We had the octopus starter and the seared manchego. The manchego was completely incredible.
Dinners– I had the lamb bolognese– it’s like Indian food meets Italian comfort and just holy cow, the most delicious thing ever. Husband had Kakavia– he said it was fresh and a bit spicy.
Dessert was the showstopper– Salted Caramel Budino. You could taste cardamom and salt an caramel and chocolate. I can’t EVEN.
Can’t wait to go back!

This is one of my favorites. The food here is intriguing and full of surprises. If you are looking for a unique experience this is the place to go. The dips are a must and the cocktails are fantastic! Atmosphere is a bit loud. Wait staff is very attentive. Typical Wellesley crowd, many tables of desperate housewives!

Consistently great crafted cocktails. Sit at the bar and the bartenders (Kevin, Ashley and CJ) will find you something great. Get an order of dips and buttered pita slices while having cocktails. The dip choices change but the potato and red pepper ones are my favorites.

Service & atmosphere: 0 stars
Food: 5 stars
I believe I am an exception here and it’s a shame, as this event was important to me and my family and we were very excited to dine here on the occasion.
The bad: AC was broken in the back room we were in and it became sweltering, we had to ask for our waiter (decided to after about ~15 minutes) the kitchen forgot to make one of our appetizers and we had to remind our server, then the server forgot to put one of our main meals in, so we waited a long time for that to come out. This killed everything, sadly.
The good: the food and wine was delicious!
Sadly, sweating like a pig, not getting service and a huge miss every meal is simply not worth the premium price you’d pay, and there are so many other restaurants that are good. There’s just no reason to go again.

My mom and I decided to try this place for Mother’s Day — and we are SO happy we took a chance here. I rarely leave reviews — it’s only for extremely positive or extremely negative experiences, I’m happy this is on the plus side!
The experience started off with a bowl of olives and a large bottle of cold water left at the table (also common in Greece and Italy, so bonus points for some authentic culture!). Our waitress was great, very friendly right from the beginning and providing lots of information and support of the choices we were making. We started with a couple of dips — baba ghanoush (eggplant) and skordalia (almond and potato). Perfect consistencies of each for dips, served with pieces of incredible pita bread. We also shared the soup special that day — a hearty chicken stew with lots of different veggies going on that we couldn’t stop eating. In fact, we decided to get a couple of soups to go since it’s not on the permanent menu, along with helping my mom’s sore throat and providing me lunch the next day. I’m pretty sure the apps left us too full to eat our meals, which was fine by me but I was still going to try my dinner.
I ordered the lamb Bolognese which was served with a dollop of herbed greek yogurt on the top. I grew up eating food freshly hot off the stove and it’s still how I serve food now, but this meal was way too hot for me to dig into right away which surprised me! Cutting the yogurt into the sauce thickened it a little and helped cool it down. I had a few bites and had to wrap the rest up but it was delicious! My mom ordered the special entrée of the night, a seared tuna served over orzo and veggies in a creamy coconut curry sauce which looked great too. The portions are quite large so we were happy to take some home and enjoy later. I also liked the variety of Mediterranean cuisines on the menu, certainly a must-​try if you’re in the area, we will definitely be back.

Food is great. Service is good. Ambiance is ok, you can see some parts of the ceiling covered with plastic. This is not a baby friendly restaurant. No high chairs! If you have kids older than 4 then you are good. We went with a 16 month old and he was made to sit on our laps even though we had a reservation for 3.
Food
Perhaps one of the best food in the metrowest area. Great drinks, the muhamarra dip is to die for. We had the shish tauk which was awesome, you get the sandwich version too of this for lunch. The Fatoush salad and the quinoa falafel were good too. Ample parking spots on the streets!

Amazing food, very creative menu, and good drink selection. The place is beautiful inside, and the pita is life-​giving. The staff is very attentive and do not hesitate to offer a recommendation, but will leave you alone if that is what you desire. I have always had a wonderful meal whenever I have visited

Three friends and I went here for my birthday. We had a 30 minute wait on a Saturday night, as they don’t take reservations. I was surprised to see how roomy the space in the back was. It’s loud and hard to hear your friends talk, but a very warm enviornment. We each got different dishes and they were all wonderfully seasoned and delicious. I highly recommend this spot.

Best Mediterranean food I have ever had! We ordered a bunch of the small dishes and they all tasted amazing. That, when combined with the five star service and cozy feel makes this place perfect for a date in the town or a drink with your girlfriend. Highly highly recommend!

Great meal. We ordered the lamb burger with chips and Farro and it was excellent. The risotto with mushrooms and squash was savory and slightly spicy. Service was excellent.

I hate to admit it but I don’t go to as many Mediterranean restaurants as I’d like but I am so thrilled I stumbled upon Juniper! Generous portions, friendly staff, great atmosphere and amazing food.
We started off with the red pepper and pecan dip with homemade pita. It had a great texture and rich taste. The chicken skewers are to die for, they’re grilled perfectly and paired with a Greek yogurt sauce.
Our entrees included the lamb bolognese which was out of this world and the pistachio schnitzel paired with Lebanese spiced potatoes which was great.
Sadly we were to full to try dessert but we will certainly be returning! Can’t wait until the patio is open!

When we walked up to the window, the rain had made it so that our vision was reduced to what was directly in front of us. We had only looked at the menu for a second before the host – a relatively young man in his thirties – popped his head out the door and said genuinely, «Come on in it’s delicious.» So we did.
We were not disappointed. I ordered the lentil soup and my friend ordered the chicken pâté for appetizers. We were surprised at how hardy the lentil soup felt combined with sliced tomatoes and bit sized pieces of octopus. On top was a balsamic reduction that added life to what would otherwise have been a heavy dish. A similar structure was to be found in the chicken pâté: an earthy substrate brightened with pomegranate syrup. In both cases, it felt as though the meal’s region of origin was one where sustenance is essential, but where miracles like pomegranates still grow. It seemed to impart even an idea of how said cultures might have visualized life with an earthy tone highlighted by a thin layer of sweetness.
Then came the kakavia, which we split. Neither of us drink, so that was not a topic. The color composition was very well thought out; there was a mélange of red and orange hues held in the bottom by the whiteness of the bowl. The black muscles seemed themselves to have absorbed, like rocks, the space that they were placed into and much like a sea shore, where the taste and texture of the sea had washed up onto the place. The muscles seemed to solidify the dish and counteract the otherwise liquidus tendencies. We found the brininess from the seafood combined with the acidity of the tomatoes and the fire of the red chili flakes, creating a satisfying and plentiful experience. The potatoes was hardy and rustic without being distracting or overstating. It was a perfect compliment to the dish.
The cute guy with the glasses said that if we come back again, we needed to try the date cake for dessert. We will.
Signed, Max and Lucy
*Constructive Criticisms:
If the coat rack had been a man, he would have been humped back and greatly distressed under his load.
There was no category that the music could belong to. There was no aesthetic to hold onto. While a hodgepodge of music can be beautiful, this instance cheapened the atmosphere. Jazz or a genre to enhance the feeling of satisfaction or «enough» should have been playing.

good place，nice waitress，biggggg plates，fair price. We tried chicken wrap, today soup and pepper pecan dips of lunch menu. I love it!

Finding Juniper in Wellesley is like running into John Huntsman (or your favorite rational, moderate republican) in the Republican Party.
For a town known for peddling overpriced garbage as haute cuisine, Juniper blooms refreshing with amazingly inventive takes on mediterranean food in a cozy setting and a super-​friendly staff.
The pita pieces they serve are succulent, buttery and warm. Probably due to all the butter they ladle on it, but I love it all the same.
Their sandwiches are ridiculously tasty and filling. The service is classy and friendly at the same time, not an easy balance to achieve. It is the best kept secret of Wellesley. On second thoughts, I should remove this review just in case my favorite haunt gets crowded with hoi polloi.

Its a small, slightly upscale meditteranean place tucked away in Wellesley for people in Metrowest. We got the Quinoa falafel and Roasted Cauliflower (salad). The salad was my absolute favorite. The cauliflowers are nicely roasted and flavorful. The addition of spiced chickpeas gives it an extra dimension. I can easily eat it one night a week.
The quino falafel was good too, my friend decided that this is his new favorite meditteranean close to home. The portion was huge and could easily be shared by two.
The server gave us a complimentary dip + bread combo. I asked for the baba ganoush. It was not the best baba ganoush but the smoky flavor really came through. The service was a bit slow it being sunday night but overall a nice place.

I just had the BEST lunch and cocktails ever!!! In Wellesley, MA right before my hair appointment. That was the best way to go in. Xoxoxo
Stacey Wheeler

Juniper has quickly turned into one of my favorite places in Wellesley.
The service here is great. Right, when entering you will be greeted by the friendly staff. They’ll answer any questions or concerns that you have about the menu. They serve lunch and dinner with slight differences between the menus. Both are great and offer wonderful appetizers and main dishes. My go to dip is the Muhammara which is a roasted red pepper dip. I also love the chicken souvlaki sandwich (only served at lunch time).
This place is a must try!

The service here is impeccable and enjoyable. It’s important to note that the only waiter/​bartender we’ve had is JC, but there’s a whole team thing that’s happening with folks running around making sure your table is cleared and your food is quickly served. But, really, the service could be crap and I’d still eat here. I mightn’t have given it 5 stars but I’d still eat here. They could make me go in the kitchen and run my food while the cook berates me for taking too long and I’d still eat here.
The atmosphere is here is warm and charming. In fact, I had not read a single review before coming here. I saw the patio and looked through the window and was all «this is a place I need to eat/​drink/​something.» But, really, it could look like a McDonald’s outside an airport in New Jersey or the interior of a strip club in Stoughton or Brockton (you know the ones); the paint could be peeling, the floor could be vinyl tiles that are coming up in spots… and I’d still eat here.
The cocktails are spectacularly crafted. The Icarus, in particular, is my favorite for me but it’s seems as long as the base ingredients are not things you would abhor, you will be delighted by the cocktails. But, really, it could be nothing but Bud Light Lime and Johnny Walker Red, grocery store brand sodas and Kool-​aid to choose from and I’d still eat here.
The food is that good.
I’m not going to waste your time outlining the four or five different entrees I’ve tried or the dips or the appetizers… I don’t want to limit your options. You need to figure this out for yourself.
There is nothing I’ve eaten here I wouldn’t eat again, but not any time soon, because I need to try all the other things!
You’re welcome.
P.S.
I’ve never has lunch. Just… FYI.

Inspired Mediterranean Cuisine
Juniper is located in Wellesley Center right on Central St. It is easy to get to from the city and suburbs by car. They have plenty of nearby street parking. The ambiance of the restaurant is dark and classy. The staff were very accommodating and friendly. Our server was knowledgeable and prompt.
We started with the fava bean dip which was fantastic. A blend of garlic, tahini, and fava it had a smooth but grainy texture and a great taste. It was served with warm pita slices. My wife had the beet salad which was delicious. She was especially excited about the filo dough-​wrapped goat cheese. I had the lamb tartare which was outstanding. The tartare came with a generous portion of finely diced and marinated lamb, farro salad, and pita.
For our meals, I had the seafood couscous which tasted a bit too salty and perhaps just slightly too spicy (coming from the lamb sausage). The octopus was excellent as were the mussels. The problem was that the swordfish was completely raw. I sent it back and it returned almost fully cooked. I did not send it back again. This dish was just off to me. I wouldn’t recommend it nor would I order it again. My wife’s chicken tagine was amazing and probably among the top ones I have had. The sauce was sweet and savory and the chicken falling off the bone.
Based on my experience, I would say Juniper is hit-​or-​miss with many more hits than misses. We did not try the desserts because we were so full. The portions are excellent and the value good. I will come back and avoid the seafood couscous. I have a feeling I will be updating this to a 5 star review soon.