Moëca

Yes, it's that good: It's a contender to fill the hole left by Bondir in Cambridge's restaurant circles. For the last couple of years, we've been driving an hour up the shore, to Feather and Wedge in Rockport or Black Trumpet in Portsmouth for truly amazing food. But finally there's a local place again! It's certainly not cheap, but it's totally worth it. Both of our raw courses were amazing: a yellow fin crudo and thinly sliced tautog. I'm not sure I've had tautog (aka blackfish) before, but I'll be on the lookout for it from now on. Then we had small plates of beets and potatoes, artfully done in complex sauces. Our shared main was a lobster pasta, in a wonderfully creamy sauce. We finished up with a pair of desserts and I had a glass of Pour William liquor. The simpler of the desserts was the winner, a raspberry sorbet with passionfruit macarons. Such intense flavor!

A great experience! The ambiance could be very welcoming and charming. Food was really tasty and the waiter was knowledgeable and made nice suggestions. The crispy squash blossoms is a must try. The restaurant could be quite busy so make sure you reserve in advance. I didn’t have a reservation but lucky there are a few bars nearby that I can grab a drink while waiting for my table. I would definitely be back. Highly recommended.

A week on and just as good as we anticipated. Moëca will be a big hit as it has been its well established parent joint…Giulia. The dining room is simple, well lit, lively and with a view on a great bar and a pick into the kitchen—great to see the fish bones saved for seafood broths.
The cocktails list is diverse and unique. The ‘Tropea’ with mezcal and a squared watermelon ice cube was very, very good. The beer list is minimal. The wine list has a good variety.
The food was simply great!
The concept is about small, tasty, well presented shareable dishes. WoW!

I wish I had 6 stars to give. Having dinner at Moeca on their opening night was such a privilege! The space is gorgeous, the staff is incredibly helpful and engaging, and the menu is thoughtfully designed and creative.

We had the bass crudo with tapioca “chicharron”, the labne + focaccia, the beets (a must), the squid, and the Japanese-inspired lobster pasta (the overall favorite). Would recommend all of them again, though if I were to do it again, perhaps would swap the squid for something else. Don’t skip out on the dessert. The vanilla mascarpone ice cream + mango sorbet were both so simple yet full of depth and flavor. Can’t not mention the mezcal cocktail with what I am pretty sure was a watermelon ice cube — so delicious and smoky and refreshing at the same time! The whole experience made me want to have more intricate words to describe tastes.

Cannot wait to be back!

Had dinner here on their opening night. We have been excited about this restaurant for a couple months now and it exceeded expectations. The oysters and striped bass crudo were hi-lights of our dinner, although all of our dishes and drinks were delicious! The striped bass crudo was one of my favorite dishes I have had in a long time. To drink, we tried the Tisane Spritz, which was refreshing and highly drinkable. The beets were an unexpected delight and they could hold their own against the seafood dishes. We also enjoyed the salt cod which was a hearty and rich small plate that was serious comfort food. We are so happy to have this gem in the neighborhood and cannot wait to return!