Arlington’s dining scene has changed quite a bit over the years: Once known for Greek pizza houses and Chinese takeout, it’s now a city with a wealth of eclectic culinary options.
Sure, this Boston suburb may not have a lot of fine dining or tourist attractions, but it’s certainly a community filled with great, affordable eateries, including highly acclaimed restaurants serving Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese, Greek, Korean, Italian, Turkish, Thai, Lebanese and Japanese.
Arlington is now home to a Nepalese restaurant, Zomsa Restaurant and Bar, another local option for cheap street food that is already starting to make a name for itself with its fantastic food.
Zomsa first opened in April, relocating to Taipei and the city center space previously occupied by Shanghai Village, a popular Chinese restaurant for nearly four decades before it was hit by fire in 2018 and never reopened.
The folks at Zomsa have done a great job renovating the space, which is divided into multiple sections, with a comfortable seating area with couches and sofas on the left for those waiting for tables or takeaway, a modern bar with a few seats in the middle, and a separate dining room with bench seating and round and square tables on the right. Attractive hanging lights have been installed throughout the restaurant, and large windows let light in and aid in people-watching along Mass. Ave.
The restaurant describes itself as South Asian and serves more than just Nepalese food, and while there are plenty of familiar (and less familiar) Indian dishes, the Nepalese dishes stand out compared to many Indian restaurants in the northwest suburbs.
The menu at Zomsa’s street food section has some very interesting items, including momos, which have a relatively thick but soft skin and are crinkly and pleated, similar to Chinese soup dumplings. There is no soup inside the momos; instead, they are stuffed with meat or vegetables, and Zomsa’s momos can be ordered with chicken, pork, lamb or vegetables.
The restaurant offers three momo options: steamed, with a hearty sauce made with a variety of spices, sauteed with vegetables and sauce, or in soup. The simple steamed pork momo, stuffed with a generous amount of pork, is a particular highlight. The sauce has a slight tang to it, but not enough to overwhelm the dumplings themselves.
Street food options include fried rice, chop suey, marinated chicken sizzler and chat patties (a mix of puffed rice, vegetables, coriander, spices and lemon juice).
The rest of Zomsa’s menu includes most of the dishes you’d find in an Indian restaurant, but also some Nepali dishes you won’t find on Indian menus, such as thukpa, a spicy and aromatic soup of Tibetan origin; tareko kukra, breaded chicken fried with Himalayan spices; and newali bala, savory lentil pancakes.
Some of the starters and meals commonly ordered at Indian restaurants are excellent here, such as the deep-fried paneer pakora with mild cheese on the outside and a healthy dose of salt; the classic chicken tikka masala with cubed meat, rice and creamy sauce, available in mild, medium or hot; and the palak paneer with cheese, creamy spinach curry and rice.
Tandoori chicken, lamb, salmon and prawns are also available, as well as a selection of breads (roti, paratha, naan and poori). Meals include papadum lentil crisps and a selection of chutneys.
Zomsa has a full liquor license, so diners can choose from a range of beers, wines and spirits, and the menu also includes Himalayan masala tea, while desserts include Indian doughnuts and tres leches.
First impressions of Zomsa Restaurant and Bar have been very positive, with the restaurant being one of two new locations in Arlington that are catching the attention of food lovers in and around Boston (the other is Quilo’s Taqueria across the street in East Arlington, which had lines around the block when it first opened).
Arlington’s dining scene has had its ups and downs over the past few years, with places like Sabzi, Tango, Toile and Common Ground closing during the pandemic, but the Boston suburb seems to be on the upswing again, and Zomsa is no doubt part of that, boasting good food, friendly service, a laid-back atmosphere and reasonable prices.
Zomsa Restaurant and Bar, 434 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA, 02474. zomsaboston.com
