Atasca

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 more

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. more

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... Cons: service, parking, price more

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! more

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. more

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. more

\r The owners go out of their way to make it an UNPLEASANT experience for diners \r 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 !!!\r Food is ok but certainly not worth the rude service. more

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 more

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 more

I am in full agreement with other reviewers regarding the owner/manager and the service. I was told that my custom was not wanted. Hmmm, in these days of slowing discretionary spending, but I guess if you do not believe in word of mouth and those who are resources for recommendations to travelers to Cambridge then Atasca should not change a thing. But if you believe a dollar has power then I would rethink my new customer retention policy or perhaps lack thereof. But the food was tasty but then so are hundreds of other restaurants who like one to return. Service Pros: Food Cons: owner, service, service/owner more

I went here expecting tapas like food, but everything is in larger plates. The fish and the chicken dishes are very good and very flavorful. The lines get long on the weekend though so reserve early - we had to wait an hour even though we had reservations! more

The grilled sardines appetizer were someone fishy as the dish was brought to the table. It looked like fried rather than grilled. The calamari appetizer in a terra cotta dish was devine. The halibut was over-cooked. The so-so dining experience was made up by a very friendly wait staff. more

I ordered the chicken with mushrooms in port wine with risotto, and I was less than thrilled with what I got. The chicken and mushrooms were bland and tasteless, in addition to being very tough and hard to cut. The risotto turned out to be rice with beans, and the beans were hard (i.e., undercooked). I won't be going back there again. Pros: good bread Cons: bad entrees more

like a trip to Portugal. The sumptous flavors, colorful dishes, charming staff and reasonable prices make a wonderful evening out of just stopping by for dinner. Great Wines at great pricesAll thumbs up! more