Restaurant Review: Earl's (Somerville, MA.)
Vibrant chain restaurant in Assembly Row with good food and a variety of mocktails
I had moderate expectations when arriving at Earl's with a group of friends for a weekday dinner. These expectations were exceeded! Our party was seated close to the open kitchen and away from the very lively bar area. The restaurant attracted a wide variety of patrons of all ages. As a person in recovery, I might not recommend the bar area, as most people are there for drinks; however, the booths offer a comfortable atmosphere to enjoy conversation. The menu is varied and doesn't appear to specialize in anything in particular. While sushi is on the menu, I wouldn't recommend it. Overall, the food is good. I ordered a shrimp curry dish. Other members of the group ordered Sea bass and tenderloin steak. Clean plates all around!
The surprise of the evening came when opening the cocktail menu to find a good selection of non-alcoholic beverages on the first page. All too often, restaurants put the non-alcoholic offerings at the end of the menu, which requires leafing through pages of alcohol. While the options were on the sweeter side, our server made the recommendation of "The Remedy" for something less sweet. I also ordered a Pineapple Cucumber Mule (pictured below), which was very tasty! The service was good and there was no pressure felt to order any alcohol. A very nice overall experience and I intend to return.
Meal: Dinner, Weekday
Dining Area: Main Dining Room
Price: $$$
Overall Score: 4/5
February 2022
Learn more about Earl's
Supportive Service: 4/5
Venue & Crowd*: 4/5
Non-Alcoholic Offerings: 4/5
Food Quality & Value: 4/5
Restaurant Location*: 4/5
Individuals struggling with mental health concerns, especially those in substance use recovery, are often hesitant to dine-out and travel due to the often tempting and unsupportive environment of many restaurants and hotels. Recover Hospitality helps individuals locate supportive and fun dining environments by conducting recovery-focused reviews. Celebrating venues' efforts and opportunities to improve by assessing: service, atmosphere, beverage offerings, food quality, value, and location.
Recover Hospitality also offers consulting services designed for restaurants and hotels interested in offering an environment attractive to the recovery community and others focused on health & wellness.
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*note: the clientele and elements of a restaurant's location often vary by season and day of the week, which may lead to a change in rating outside of the restaurant's control.