The food is always very tasty, but the service is truly chronically terrible. Slow and inattentive. This last time we tried to go, we called ahead and made a reservation, only to arrive (slightly early I might add) and be told there was a 40 minute wait. We explained that we had a reservation, and they said "well, we have no tables so it will be a 40 minute wait." It seemed they had recently seated a group at one of their large tables, and so our group had no place to sit. I'm not the kind of person that writes reviews, but that's messed up. What's the point of accepting reservations if you won't respect them? The staff weren't even remotely apologetic. I'd only recommend going if you're feeling very patient that day. Honestly, it's disappointing that the service is so bad because the food is usually very good. We'll only be getting takeout from here on out.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Rhoda Schnitzer
A Tibetan friend recommended this place so of course we had to try it out. The momos were delicious- we tried the vegetarian and chicken ones. The ginger lemonade I had was surprisingly not too sweet (most homemade lemonades tend to be a tad too sweet for my taste) and the noodles were tasty too.Service however could be friendlier and quicker.Definitely worth going back to
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Chicken Momo
Dave R.
One of the best restaurants in Boston. The Shakampa is elite as hell. Pumpkin balls, momo, thenthuk all also elite. Vibes are good - not a lively spot per se but better sit down section than most similar joints. Service fast and always friendly. Love it
kjbhappy123
Flavor
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Karin V.
Loved it here and can't wait to go back. The atmosphere was warm, inviting. It looked like most tables were booked up but we could still have a conversation. And the food!!! So good. Honey ginger shrimp! Gyathuk Choco (noodles and veggies)! Beef and spinach (with a kick)! Loved every bite! In fact, I'm going back tonight.
Christopher Griffin
My favorite restaurant in the greater Boston area. I've never seen it packed, which means y'all are missing out. The vegetarian food is all delicious and actually full of flavor for those of us who know how spiced food should taste. I love the tingmo.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pumpkin Balls
Norma Lobo
I absolutely love this place, been going back every 2 weeks for over a year now, this has now become a comfort place for me and my friends.Their food is delicious, if non vegetarian, I highly recommend the chilli chicken with fried rice or tingmo.Also do try their mango iced tea, pumpkin balls and churue soup.Fried dishes (momos, spring roll) aren’t the best, but still pretty good.They’re usually very busy on Friday and Saturday, so try to make a reservation in advance.Vegetarian options: Large selection of both veg and non-veg.
Will start off by saying the food was pretty good. Unfortunately, that's where the good ends. I have never felt more invisible in a restaurant before. The servers acted like they didn't want to look me in the eyes, nor did they want to acknowledge I was there. They did, however, speak to my boyfriend (who is white). Even after finally flagging a server down, I asked for a box and check. That said server brought a check to the table behind me instead, and we watched him give our check to the next server. Eventually, we got the to-go box and the check from the other server. During the whole dinner, I thought it was a sexist thing, but there were female servers too. We now assume it's a racist thing, and they thought I was chinese, seeing as how Tibet and China aren't on the greatest of terms. This place really needs to work on their service. But with that being said, we'll never be back!!
Enakshi Chanda
Love, love, love the food! This place has a combination of Tibetian, Nepali and Indian food. The spices, taste, preparation are perfect. It has loads of vegetarian and vegan options. Definitely recommend the vegetable churue soup - perfect blend of all the veggies with cheese taste. The tofu chilli was fantastic. Even recommend the Beef Achar. Definitely visiting them again. I even tried the Tibetian tea - not a big fan. Remember it’s very salty.Vegetarian options: Loads and loads of vegetables and vegan food options. Spring rolls, veg soups, tofu dishes, vegetable dishes and lots more.Parking: We went for dinner on a friday and yes it took us 15-20 mins to find a spot. We had to take some turns to finally find a spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Spring Roll
Ruby Y.
such good food for vegetarians and omnivores alike, service is good, and a nice spot for a nice dinner.
The service is fine but the food makes up for it*!! Love the pumpkin curry, momo vegetable, pumpkin balls, eggplant coconut.
Tyler D.
Food: great! The spicy beef noodles must try! Service: 7/10. On average. Ambiance: great! The music is really good! But no Wi-Fi!
Bobby S.
1. The food at Martsa is great 2. I really wish the owners would take the time to update *something* (social media, voicemail, etc) when they decide to close randomly. The problem with Martsa is the stars and moon have to align perfectly for them to be open. I get that stuff happens and it's your store. That's great! Just don't make me slog halfway across town to figure out if you're really open or just really busy. If this hadn't happened more than a handful of times, I'd let it alone. I know you know how to use Facebook and instagram. Be polite to your customers, let us know when you're closed with something other than a sign taped to your window! Also, get a better credit card machine! Yours often takes 10 minutes + to process a transaction. Which means if you have multiple tickets queued up - sometimes we have to wait 30+ minutes just to leave!
Eva Gertz
I am mostly upset that this place has the wrong prices on their online menu. I ordered takeout and each item was $2+ more than it says on the menu found here through google. The food tasted great, but I felt like I’m being overcharged. And I think this place should have three $$$ signs as a warning that it’s really not a cheap restaurant (I paid $37 for two dishes and a side of rice). If you’re prepared for that then enjoy.
Ashish G.
Awesome place for Tibetan / Indian food. Brinjal and Fish are my go to foods. Other dishes we have tried are food too so you can't really go wrong.
The food is always very tasty, but the service is truly chronically terrible. Slow and inattentive. This last time we tried to go, we called ahead and made a reservation, only to arrive (slightly early I might add) and be told there was a 40 minute wait. We explained that we had a reservation, and they said "well, we have no tables so it will be a 40 minute wait." It seemed they had recently seated a group at one of their large tables, and so our group had no place to sit. I'm not the kind of person that writes reviews, but that's messed up. What's the point of accepting reservations if you won't respect them? The staff weren't even remotely apologetic. I'd only recommend going if you're feeling very patient that day. Honestly, it's disappointing that the service is so bad because the food is usually very good. We'll only be getting takeout from here on out.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
A Tibetan friend recommended this place so of course we had to try it out. The momos were delicious- we tried the vegetarian and chicken ones. The ginger lemonade I had was surprisingly not too sweet (most homemade lemonades tend to be a tad too sweet for my taste) and the noodles were tasty too.Service however could be friendlier and quicker.Definitely worth going back to
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Chicken Momo
One of the best restaurants in Boston. The Shakampa is elite as hell. Pumpkin balls, momo, thenthuk all also elite. Vibes are good - not a lively spot per se but better sit down section than most similar joints. Service fast and always friendly. Love it
Flavor
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Loved it here and can't wait to go back. The atmosphere was warm, inviting. It looked like most tables were booked up but we could still have a conversation. And the food!!! So good. Honey ginger shrimp! Gyathuk Choco (noodles and veggies)! Beef and spinach (with a kick)! Loved every bite! In fact, I'm going back tonight.
My favorite restaurant in the greater Boston area. I've never seen it packed, which means y'all are missing out. The vegetarian food is all delicious and actually full of flavor for those of us who know how spiced food should taste. I love the tingmo.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pumpkin Balls
I absolutely love this place, been going back every 2 weeks for over a year now, this has now become a comfort place for me and my friends.Their food is delicious, if non vegetarian, I highly recommend the chilli chicken with fried rice or tingmo.Also do try their mango iced tea, pumpkin balls and churue soup.Fried dishes (momos, spring roll) aren’t the best, but still pretty good.They’re usually very busy on Friday and Saturday, so try to make a reservation in advance.Vegetarian options: Large selection of both veg and non-veg.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chilli Chicken, Idli Sambar, Pumpkin Balls, Fried Rice
Will start off by saying the food was pretty good. Unfortunately, that's where the good ends. I have never felt more invisible in a restaurant before. The servers acted like they didn't want to look me in the eyes, nor did they want to acknowledge I was there. They did, however, speak to my boyfriend (who is white). Even after finally flagging a server down, I asked for a box and check. That said server brought a check to the table behind me instead, and we watched him give our check to the next server. Eventually, we got the to-go box and the check from the other server. During the whole dinner, I thought it was a sexist thing, but there were female servers too. We now assume it's a racist thing, and they thought I was chinese, seeing as how Tibet and China aren't on the greatest of terms. This place really needs to work on their service. But with that being said, we'll never be back!!
Love, love, love the food! This place has a combination of Tibetian, Nepali and Indian food. The spices, taste, preparation are perfect. It has loads of vegetarian and vegan options. Definitely recommend the vegetable churue soup - perfect blend of all the veggies with cheese taste. The tofu chilli was fantastic. Even recommend the Beef Achar. Definitely visiting them again. I even tried the Tibetian tea - not a big fan. Remember it’s very salty.Vegetarian options: Loads and loads of vegetables and vegan food options. Spring rolls, veg soups, tofu dishes, vegetable dishes and lots more.Parking: We went for dinner on a friday and yes it took us 15-20 mins to find a spot. We had to take some turns to finally find a spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Spring Roll
such good food for vegetarians and omnivores alike, service is good, and a nice spot for a nice dinner.
Restaurantji Recommends
The service is fine but the food makes up for it*!! Love the pumpkin curry, momo vegetable, pumpkin balls, eggplant coconut.
Food: great! The spicy beef noodles must try! Service: 7/10. On average. Ambiance: great! The music is really good! But no Wi-Fi!
1. The food at Martsa is great 2. I really wish the owners would take the time to update *something* (social media, voicemail, etc) when they decide to close randomly. The problem with Martsa is the stars and moon have to align perfectly for them to be open. I get that stuff happens and it's your store. That's great! Just don't make me slog halfway across town to figure out if you're really open or just really busy. If this hadn't happened more than a handful of times, I'd let it alone. I know you know how to use Facebook and instagram. Be polite to your customers, let us know when you're closed with something other than a sign taped to your window! Also, get a better credit card machine! Yours often takes 10 minutes + to process a transaction. Which means if you have multiple tickets queued up - sometimes we have to wait 30+ minutes just to leave!
I am mostly upset that this place has the wrong prices on their online menu. I ordered takeout and each item was $2+ more than it says on the menu found here through google. The food tasted great, but I felt like I’m being overcharged. And I think this place should have three $$$ signs as a warning that it’s really not a cheap restaurant (I paid $37 for two dishes and a side of rice). If you’re prepared for that then enjoy.
Awesome place for Tibetan / Indian food. Brinjal and Fish are my go to foods. Other dishes we have tried are food too so you can't really go wrong.