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Tryst

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689 Massachusetts Ave
Arlington, MA 02476

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(781) 641-2227
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Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Tryst - Arlington, MA
Reviews
( 6 )
( 9 )
( 3 )
( 1 )
( 4 )

Best

Tryst is a real neighborhood gem with great food and service. I went last weekend for dinner with my boyfriend and had the seared scallops which tasted amazing! My boyfriend had t...

Worst

I had been looking forward to trying this place but will not be rushing back. I ordered what was supposed to be ""spicy"" tuna tartare The tuna was edible but the dish had NO flav...

Delicious spot for a dinner date! 4/6/2011

Tryst is a real neighborhood gem with great food and service. I went last weekend for dinner with my boyfriend and had the seared scallops which tasted amazing! My boyfriend had the pork, which he said was really good too. I’m planning to convince some friends to try this place for brunch soon – I looked at the menu online and it looks delish!! more

Every kind of occasion Dining 4/5/2011

Tryst Restaurant is the perfect place to go with a new friend, an old friend, or for date night. The food was amazing, the ambiance was perfect and I had the best Espresso Martini yet! Definitely going back there as soon as I can. Also- I saw that they’re running $10 specials on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights—the menu selection looked just as good as their regular menu! Seems like a really great deal.. \r \r \r \r more

Close, But No Cigar 7/16/2010

Tryst is an elegant and much needed restaurant in Arlington Center. The menu is well crafted and executed, the service is top notch, the decor is sophisticated. It is all quite urbane, without being pretentious. My recent Saturday night there was typical of a Tryst experience. Fantastic food and service, but NO atmosphere. And on a Saturday night! The place was 3/4 full and should have had an energy and pulse about it. But it was standard Tryst, very quiet and kind of boring. Then it hit me: There was no music. At all. None. For this place to truly shine, they need to find an employee with a decent iPod or something, because the atmosphere sucks. I think people in Arlington and Lexington might just skip Tryst and continue into Cambridge, where it feels like there is some life. I'm not asking for a party-bar scene. I'm just asking for some Billie Holiday, some Ella Fitzgerald, some Latin Jazz, some old soul music.....something AURAL to match every other sense that is aroused here. Good music is such an important element of a dining experience. And it doesn't have to be loud. Does Arlington have a NO MUSIC policy? Come on Tryst, get hip! Pros: Food, Service, Decor, Location Cons: Lack of Atmosphere more

Nice restaurant 11/11/2009

Just tried Tryst for the first time last week....we sat at the bar and had a great bartender. The food was great and service was good. We would like to have sat at the tables in the bar area, but it was crowded. A few more high top tables would be good, but otherwise a nice place to go for a drink and casual dinner. Pros: atmosphere more

if you want a drink in Arlington 7/14/2009

Arlington being a ""dry"" town doesn't have any bars, per se, but if you want a drink you can get one with a meal - or just an appetizer- so one heads to Tryst. At lest that is what most Arlingtonians that I know say to do . . . I'm new in town & I have been a few times with friends who wanted a drink. The drinks are fine. The appetizers are good. the service is not what it should be. There is a difference between an unobtrusive server and one that ignores her/his customers. I recently went f or a meal with friends. Do not s it in the back area. It is a dead zone. Uncomfortable booths. Unattractive decor. Stick in the front & sit at one of the small tables or at the bar. The back dining room looks like an after thought. And we sort of felt we ere too while having our meal there. Pros: You can get a drink in Arlington Cons: you have to order it from one of their ""haters"" more

The previous review was written by a women who refused to pay for her coffee 2/23/2009

The previous review was written by an irrational guest who had refused to pay for her coffee. After drinking two cups she said that she didn't drink coffee and that it should have been free. more

Very mediocre, rude customer service. 2/23/2009

\r The worst customer service, rude and insulting,\r the food was mediocre, and mistakes on the bill.\r \r I do not recommend this restaurant. more

Wonderful wine list!!! Great food and service. 11/14/2008

More wines by the glass than anywhere else in town. The steak tartare is better than any I have had downtown, the service is great; comfortable and attentive without being intrusive. Make reservations can be busy any night of the week. I have been to several functions held there and had a great time, its a great place to have a party. I like the cocktail list too. Pros: Wine list & service Cons: may need a reservation more

Great food in the burbs 10/30/2008

Hostess suggested undesireable seating but thats probably her job. Anyway my request for change was honored and I had an amazing meal (again). All things considered, as enjoyable as many downtown dining experiences and easy parking to boot. Perfect for a mid-week treat, very popular on the weekends, small (but intimate) bar. Try it you'll like it. more

May be the BEST restaurant west of Boston 7/30/2008

by Dick at Menuism Provided by Menuism
Highest quality eclectic cuisine. This is the most imaginative chef I have ever had the chance to try!... more

May be the BEST restaurant west of Boston 7/29/2008

Dick Provided by Partner
Highest quality eclectic cuisine. This is the most imaginative chef I have ever had the chance to try! Everything we have ever tried has been beyon... more

Swanky Bar 3/21/2008

Headed to Tryst for a couple drinks at the bar with the plan to move to a table afterwards for dinner. However, we loved the feel of sitting at this bar so much that we dined a la bar :) My fiance and I had a few glasses of wine and ordered 4 appetizers for a more tapas appeal. The shrimp appetizer was not much to write home about (somewhat bland) but the mussles were VERY good! Our flatbread and mediterranean salad were fantastic as well. If you are looking for a place to sit and enjoy a cocktail or two, this place is great! more

LONGEST.WAIT.EVER. 2/20/2007

We waited 25 minutes before finally caving in from starvation to ask our waiter for bread, then another 20 minutes before I was served my first course. The food was nothing spectacular- it's not worth it if you can get much better service and better tasting entrees in the City. The dessert (butterscotch banana tart) was good though, but not enough to bring my bf or I back. Pros: Dessert Cons: Poor service, too pricey for what you get more

Great Food! Great Atmosphere! Great Service! A MUST TRY! 1/23/2007

Excellent Food! My husband & I are regulars. We travel from near the Cape for this food! If you want a romantic evening out Tryst is an excellent spot! We love the food so much we brought our entire wedding party in for a dinner & had rave reviews! I highly recommend Tryst! Pros: Ambience, Food, Value Cons: Parking more

delightful for Sunday brunch 9/30/2006

My wife and I found the Sunday brunch experience delightful. There was a jazz quartet which played Woody Allen type (Honeysuckle Rose) music. The dishes are creative. I had a nice salad greens appetizer and a tortilla+eggs over black beans entree and my wife had French toast with berries. We cannot comment on the beverages as we tend to be teetotalers before dinner. But we found the whole brunch experience romantic and delightful. Pros: the ambience was wonderful Cons: they didn't have sugar-free syrup for my diabetic wife's French toast more

dreadful, flavorless and overpriced 6/30/2006

Twenty four hours after eating here my family and I still cannot stop talking about how dreadful our dining experience was. The portions were tiny, leaving us all hungry (including my 5 year old who had a full order of gnocci). Two of us ordered the halibut. When we pointed out to the waitress that it was raw in the center, she grimaced, went to the kitchen and then returned to say, well, that is how the cook likes to make it. The salmon was very undercooked as well, though not raw. When we did get our halibut back, it was cooked, but flovorless. We were also astounded by the price of our son's gnocci, $19, we estimate it was $1 per gnocci. The bread was notihng special, iggies sourdough. We also ordered a side of ""smashed potatoes"" which were so oversalted that my 9 year old daughter refused to eat it, which is saying a lot considering that her order of halibut came with nothing but a tiny piece of fish, two clams and 6 flavorless mushrooms. When we entered the resturant at 6:00 on a friday night we were all a bit surprised that the dining room was compleately empty but when we left an hour and a half latter it seemed fitting that there were only four additional diners. Though Tryst my gear itself to couples seeking a romantic latter dinner, clearly the dining situation does not bode well for its survival. Pros: the merlot was good and fairly priced Cons: the food, the portions, the prices more

Disappointing... 6/14/2006

I had been looking forward to trying this place but will not be rushing back. I ordered what was supposed to be ""spicy"" tuna tartare The tuna was edible but the dish had NO flavor let alone spice. I then ordered the paella. Also no flavor--would not reccommend. Desserts were pretty good-we decided to get a drink at the bar after instead of ordering one with dessert-it was about 9:50 on a Wed. There were two other people at the bar drinking, and the bartender told us they were closed for the night! Pros: parking Cons: ambience in dining room more

Tryst Service is Blowing In the Wind 4/17/2006

We ate at Tryst when it first opened. We went tonight to celebrate our son's 25th birthday. We waited 55 minutes for our food. This was a Tuesday night and the restaurant was not full. The manager told us that the reason our service seemed slow was that we had not ordered an appertizer. She didn't even offer to take anything off the bill. Needless to saw, we have put Tryst in the wind. Pros: ambiance, cleanliness Cons: service, value more

Great upscale brunch 4/16/2006

We decided to try it out for the jazz brunch on Easter Sunday. The place was crowded, but the wait was short. When the restaurant is filled, the noise level is high. They offer traditional brunch options with a modern and gourmet twist. I had the delicious crab cakes benedict which was high on crab, and low on breadcrumb filler - just the way I like it! The banana french toast was enormous and very good! Cocktails are pricey but also very good. A nice way to splurge on a lazy Sunday afternoon. About $50 plus tax for 2 cocktails and 2 entrees. Pros: delicious food, modern twist on food, easy parking Cons: noisy when crowded more

A great addition to Arlington 3/26/2006

We stumbled onto this place one evening and had a great time. We had a drink at the bar while we waited for our table, and the bar seems like a great place to unwind after work, and has a bit of a loungey feel to it with its tables and lighting. The dining room is maybe not as cozy as other restaurants, but the food and attentive service make up for it. Definitely worth a trip. more
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Menu for Tryst


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Editorial
  • The Scene
    Hardwood floors, calming earth tones and handsome booths set the stage for a trendy dining experience in the former home of restaurants Tea Tray in the Sky and Elements. An...

  • 8/6/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Monday-Thursday 5-10, Friday & Saturday 5-11, Sunday 4:30-9 Saturday/Sunday brunch 11-2:30
  • Payments: Discover, Visa, American Express, Master Card
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