Framingham’s newest restaurant, Tavern in the Square, officially opens on Monday, Aug. 7, but we slid into the casual eatery on friends and family day. No matter how difficult the job, rest assured we are committed to keeping Natick Report readers informed. In the spirit of full disclosure, our party of two received free sodas, an appetizer; two entrees; and a dessert as part of the trial-run celebration. We didn’t day drink, but had we wanted to there were plenty of options from the extensive list of craft cocktails; spiked seltzers, wines, and over 25 draft beers and 15 in bottles and cans.
We had already heard that the menu is well-regarded at Tavern in the Square’s other dozen-plus locations for its range of vegetarian, gluten-free and lactose-free options. One of us has a tomato allergy and felt that the wait staff and kitchen had the situation well in hand. Food came out with a discreet little “allergy” marker to signal to diners that nothing had been left to chance before orders came through those swinging doors and out to the dining room.
From 10 starter options, we chose the baked crab and sweet corn dip ($16) made with melted cheddar, roasted jalapeño, chives, and served with toasted pita chips. The crab taste came through nicely in the hot, melty, cheesy dish, and the pita chips held up well to the the heft of the dip. Other interesting-looking app options included cornflake fried chicken tenders and a tempura broccoli with sweet/spicy sauce.
The 350+-seat restaurant includes about 60 seats at the bar (and 20 additional patio seats). There’s plenty of natural light thanks to walls of 12-foot high windows. Air flows in the huge space, especially when those windows are thrown open to take advantage of the season. We’ve been to restaurants that long to achieve this indoors/outdoors vibe, and we find it a shame that draconian policies in some towns prohibit such fun. Framingham gets it, and has by-lawed accordingly. Come on, giving summer a seat at the table makes everyone inside happier, and everyone passing by want to be in that cool place that hangs with the best weather of the year.
When our main dishes came out—pasta with spicy blackened chicken ($20) for one diner, and Mediterranean salmon over couscous ($27) for the other—we were impressed with the large serving sizes. The salmon got high marks for freshness and an overall attractive presentation. The pasta dish came out a little over-salted, but with a good ratio of large rigatoni to sweet corn, jalapeños, bacon, tomato and parmesan cream sauce.
Also on the menu: salads including Caesar, as well as a steak and avocado that was named by the hostess as her favorite thing on the menu; bowls (four options including quinoa, miso honey chicken); handhelds (burgers of all stripes; agave lime chicken; and more); mac and cheese; General Tso’s chicken.
We went with the summer berry tart ($11) for dessert, and Tavern nailed it. It was obvious the strawberries and blueberries were real, seasonal fruit, not preserves spooned out of a jam jar. The flaky tart, fruit, apricot glaze, and lemon curd each kept their individual characters. The berries weren’t baked to mush, nor were they allowed to soggy up the tart. Nicely done. Very country fair blue-ribbon stuff—an upscale country fair, that is. There are also chocolate dessert offerings, of course, along with a french toast sundae option, and a curated list of top-shelf spirits.
Tavern in the Square replaces John Harvard’s, which held court in the plum corner spot at Shopper’s World for 24 years. The popular pub and craft brewery closed in 2020, a COVID casualty.
About the name of the restaurant. It’s so exhausting to say “Tavern in the Square” over and over, no? Realizing this, marketing execs have worked their magic and placed discreet “Tsq” branding here and there. We’re not sure how to pronounce that. Others have worked their own magic and in casual conversation tend to shorten “Tavern in the Square” to an acronym. Figure it out. Word puzzles are good for your brain.
NEW RESTAURANT: Tavern in the Square
LOCATION: 1 Worcester Rd. (Shopper’s World).
Route 9, westbound side
DECOR/VIBE: Warm industrial; lots of wood; comfortable leather seating; exposed brick; tile flooring; tinker toy-like light fixtures. Loud music, loud in general. Multiple TVs in bar and throughout dining room Would be a great place to watch a game. Great service. Family friendly.
ACCESSIBILITY: Easy wheelchair access. There’s a step up to dine at the high-top booths. Seating is mostly tables with no step to access. Floor tables and booths fit 2, 4, and 6. We saw staff push together tables to seat larger parties.
MENU DETAILS: They understand their customers with gluten-free, lactose free, and allergy needs.
RESERVATIONS: online or call 774-456-3532
HOURS
Monday-Wednesday, 11:30am-11pm
Thursday-Friday, 11:30am-midnight
Saturday, 10am-midnight
Sunday: 10am-11pm
More pictures
Natick has over 70 dining options. Plan your next meal out.
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We need more family dining options in Wellesley. California Pizza Kitchen used to fill that role. Last week, I had an excellent lunch at COOK in Needham. COOK is an example of the kind of restaurant I am referring to.
We call tavern.in.the.square.
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Excellent report. Looking forward to going to Tavern on the Square! Especially if gluten free.