Best Mediterranean Restaurants in Natick

Hadn't been to Branch Line since before the pandemic but it was as good as I remembered it had been. Good service, tasty food, nice sized portions, energetic crowd...what else can I say? We'll be back next time we're in the neighborhood and will actually order less food since the portions of salads and sides are quite large.

I think this is the best restaurant food in Boston right now, really outstanding. The wine program is exclusively Greek, the list is huge, the grape varieties unfamiliar and unpronounceable, but the waitstaff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The restaurant struggles to keep wines in stock; I ordered two bottles that were not available that night. The place is crowded and noisy, the patrons generally young and hip, lots of fun.

We had an amazing experience at Bar Vlaha last night. The place is charming, the food absolutely fabulous, waitstaff knowledgeable and helpful. We had the bread with three different spreads, each better than the next. The mushroom appetiser was spectacular. Entrees of lamb, and wild boar were amazing. An assortment of desserts was delightful. Could not have had a better night. We cannot wait to return.

We were really pleased with the food. We kept our order simple by taking them up on their pre-packaged "works" offering - $50/pp (2 min) which included several starters and assorted grilled kebabs over rice plus dessert. Their take on baba ganoush was excellent - I make the stuff myself, and I'm pretty pleased with mine...Theirs was better. In fact better than I've had from anywhere else. The humus was also excellent as were the grape leaves. The kibbe was exceptional both as to ratio of meat to grain and also texture and flavor. Fattoush salad, labne - everything on the table was exemplary. Honestly, I'm a tough grader and this stuff was far better than expected and worth a trip there all by itself. Then the grilled meats - the lamb, the chicken, the kofta (really interesting) all excellent as well. Some nice grilled veg as well. The rice was the only let-down, and frankly at this point with their overachievement everywhere else - who cares? Dessert included was baklava - a good example, but not a highlight for me. Bottom line for me is these folks know how to cook, seem to have some real tradition driving their recipes (as they are distinctive), and offered way more quality and quantity (did I mention quantity) than expected. My cocktail was also good, btw. I am mostly disappointed by suburban restaurants, but not so this time. This discerning diner will definitely return.

This was our third time at The Bluebird Bar, our first for a special occasion, a birthday. We ordered mussels as an appetizer, which were absolutely delicious and plentiful. The main course of salmon, which my husband asked to have cooked through was good, but kind of bland. My steak tips were good and came with fries that were exceptional! The curious part came towards the end of our time there. We were well-fed, but might have ordered a dessert, since this was a birthday celebration. The bill came and no dessert menu was offered, nor was any little gesture made in honor of the birthday. The person seating us did give happy birthday wishes verbally, but that was it. Most times we and friends have eaten out to celebrate a birthday, some gesture has been made at other restaurants. We enjoy The Bluebird Bar and will return, but my advice to the restaurant is to pay some kind of tangible attention to someone celebrating a birthday with you.