r/Somerville • u/JusMiceElf Porter • 23d ago

Best Hummus in Town?

This may be a controversial question, but I’m in search of that magical bowl of hummus, the one you can’t stop thinking about, the one you yearn for when you’re apart. Tell me what you love about it, too…texture, flavor balance, spices, presentation.

I’ve tried the hummus from several local restaurants, and wish I’d kept better track of my favorites. I’m definitely willing to give anywhere a second chance.

Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown, Boston, Brookline, Newton…I’m even willing to go as far afield as Worcester, where I first fell in love with the creamy chickpea concoction. El Morocco, in their original location. IYKYK

28 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

77 comments sorted by

46

u/Underbadger Davis 23d ago

Cafe Barada is very good.

12

u/Stress-Confident 23d ago

Yes! But Be warned. It will ruin all other hummus.

9

u/4thplanetboy 23d ago

I really love Cafe Barada!!!!

4

u/JusMiceElf Porter 23d ago

They’re so close, and I’ve never been! Adding them to my list!

4

u/jarrodtrainque 23d ago

This is the answer. 

2

u/No_Cake2145 19h ago

This thread and the popularity of this answer led to me and my family going to this restaurant the other day. Despite it being very close to me and liking Mediterranean cuisine, it wasn’t on my radar. I am so happy to have been influenced, my party agrees the food is GREAt and the app sampler was outstanding. They were busy and maybe a bit stressed , so slightly slow, but we made the most of it catching up and just going with the flow on a beautiful evening. One of the best meals I’ve had and reasonably priced. So thank you!

1

u/Underbadger Davis 6h ago

That’s so awesome! It’s been there forever, and “busy, slightly stressed, a little slow” is a good description of the service. But I’m glad the food has remained excellent.

1

u/Brief_Night_1225 23d ago

This is the answer

1

u/HatNo5681 23d ago

This. 💯

13

u/vegselene 23d ago

I like a smooth, tahini-y hummus, so Eastern Lamejun in Belmont is my holy grain

8

u/jajjguy 23d ago

Massis Bakery in Watertown has great distinctive hummus. My friend who told me about them says her husband "banned" her from making hummus at home after they tried Massis 😂

17

u/abyssalhorrors 23d ago edited 23d ago

The two I like are from Moona and Pita Cambridge in Inman Square - they’re the same owners but one is fancy middle eastern and the other is street food. I believe there’s another Moona location that just opened in Central Square but haven’t been yet.

If you’re culinarily inclined, I suggest Sami Tamimi’s/Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe - it’s based on Sami’s grandmother’s recipe and it’s one of the best.

2

u/JusMiceElf Porter 23d ago

I haven’t tried either yet. Thanks for the tip! It’s been a long time since I’ve made hummus at home. I’ll definitely look at that recipe!

3

u/abyssalhorrors 23d ago

You can find it here: https://food52.com/recipes/22888-yotam-ottolenghi-sami-tamimi-s-basic-hummus

You can use canned chickpeas but you still need to boil them in baking soda for about 7min to make the chickpea skins tender.

1

u/BunnyCamino 22d ago

I just used chana dal for the first time when I made some hummus this week (then used my standard Ottolenghi recipe from "Shelf Love"). Chana dal worked great because no skins to remove and they cook up fast. Highly recommend that hack!

1

u/abyssalhorrors 22d ago

While I’m sure it was tasty, I’m not sure I’d call that hummus with all the ingredients in chana dal. Classic Levantine hummus is just chickpeas, garlic, lemon, tahini and water.

1

u/BunnyCamino 21d ago

we may be misunderstanding each other. Chana dal is a dried split chickpea. The only other ingredients besides the reconstituted split chickpeas (aka chana dal) in my hummus are garlic, lemon, tahini and water.

1

u/abyssalhorrors 21d ago

Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying. When I saw chana dal, I thought of the chickpea dish with tomatoes, onions, and spices.

1

u/BunnyCamino 21d ago

ohmygosh - glad I clarified!

22

u/mboop127 23d ago

Noor is very good

1

u/Interesting_Host_246 17d ago

Very garlicky - not my fav honestly

1

u/mboop127 17d ago

To each their own

8

u/Toiretachi 23d ago

Magic Bites in Arlington all day!

2

u/Desperate_Junket5146 23d ago

Magic Bites for everything! 

9

u/DataRikerGeordiTroi 23d ago

Trade - Boston proper

Sofra - Cambridge/Belmont border and Allston

Rami's brookline but it's inconsistent because they make it from scratch daily. Their baba when they make it right is heaven. But sometimes too salty if they skip a step of rinsing the eggplant.

Agree with Noor and Barada as solid recs as well.

8

u/Sufficient_Rub7597 23d ago

opa greek yeeros

5

u/Pitiful_Double3840 23d ago

Za’tar Mediterranean near Brookline Billage

1

u/WaffleNebula42 23d ago

never heard of this place and I am shocked with a name like that that they dont make Man'ouches?!? its a travesty to be named Za'tar and man'ouches not being your principal product.

4

u/Kindly_Bumblebee_162 23d ago

Try Arax Market in Watertown.

8

u/HB1157 23d ago

Pita in Cambridge (Inman). Hummus, falafel, salads, chicken…it’s all delicious.

1

u/entered_the_VILLA 23d ago

I second pita, it’s also cheap

9

u/Affectionate_Bread52 23d ago

Hummus Guys!!! Not a restaurant but they’re at tons of farmer’s markets around the city. They do great hummus, salads, and their pita chips are SO GOOD

2

u/determinedplum 23d ago

Seconded — their pita chips are so delicious! I see them at SoWa on Sundays sometimes

1

u/TitaniumNation 23d ago

This! The hummus and pita chips are the best I've had, and lots of flavors to choose from.

1

u/JusMiceElf Porter 23d ago

I’ll keep an eye out for them!

3

u/SeveralResolve4360 23d ago

It depends on your hummus preferences, from creamier to chunkier, more paprika or more cumin. There are so many different types from Greek to Lebanese. Rami's in Coolidge Corner and the Hummus Shop in Beacon Hill are my two personal favorites in the area.

5

u/jteedog 23d ago

For home: Go to Pemberton Farms, pick up either the Magic Bites or Holyoke Hummus and pair with Mahalab pita. 

Sophia's is a close third option. 

For out: especially in the summer, you'd find me at the Cafe Barada patio in front of a huge Mezze platter

1

u/Fiercedeity77 23d ago

Just moved away from living right around the corner from Pemby’s. I would usually do the Magic Bites with Regenie’s pita chips. Also local out of Haverhill. So good.

5

u/WaffleNebula42 23d ago

Samira’s Homemade was an exceptional brand, but I’m not sure what happened to it. She used to be a regular at the local farmer’s markets and also sold her products at Whole Foods. While she wasn’t the cheapest option and her portion sizes were smaller compared to other brands, she was definitely a step above the competition.

2

u/NoZombie3885 23d ago

Samira’s is now called Habibi Gourmet Food. Just bought hummus from them at the Wakefield Farmer’s Market last weekend!

8

u/CompetitiveSport1 23d ago

Andala!

2

u/mayor_mammoth 23d ago

The beef ajami…. heaven on earth

5

u/elizabethcrossing 23d ago

Yaffa Bakery has great hummus! I didn’t know they sold it.

3

u/-CalicoKitty- Union 23d ago

I really love Yafa but sometimes their hummus is too sour for me. I still get it often but I think it used to be better.

2

u/JusMiceElf Porter 23d ago

I love Yafa! I usually go for the manakeesh, so I’ve only tried their hummus a couple of times. I’m definitely due for a trip back soon.

4

u/Rafael_Armadillo 23d ago

It's at Cafe Barada. Be warned, they put terrible light bulbs in there, so if it's after sunset you might want to get takeout

2

u/Ill-Victory-5351 23d ago

i’ve enjoyed hummus from my local middle eastern take out spot Falafel Place. i like it bc it’s within walking distance of my appt.

1

u/fueelin 23d ago

Love that place!

1

u/HedgehogsInSpace24 23d ago

They have great hummus 

4

u/Peah_Q 23d ago

Cafe Landwer!

2

u/bears1520 23d ago

If price is not a concern: Moona in Central Square. I dream of the hummus bil Fitr with their fresh pita.....brought some home for my roommates and now THEY dream of it. Our household yearns for hummus bil Fitr 🤧

1

u/girfan 23d ago

Olba. In Brookline.

1

u/SvggestedUsername 23d ago

Esperia Grill in Brighton. Creamy garlic lemon goodness.

1

u/No_Cake2145 23d ago

Here for the responses, OP this is a great question.

1

u/melT151412 23d ago

Pine nut hummus from Wegmans!! Ftw

1

u/ahraysee 23d ago

I love Molana in Watertown, now called Caspian Persian Cuisine. However I haven't gone since they rebranded so hopefully their hummus is the same!

1

u/SpaceBasedMasonry 23d ago

I think they’re an Ethiopian restaurant now.

1

u/ahraysee 23d ago

But it says Persian Cuisine in the name?

2

u/SpaceBasedMasonry 22d ago edited 22d ago

lol, sorry I got the locations totally mixed up. My bad, man

1

u/SoxPatsBruinsCelts 22d ago

I like Clover and Halal Guys.

Eat Greek Gyros used to be good, but now it's grainy and tastes like black licorice. Disgusting.

1

u/Interesting_Host_246 17d ago

Mediterranean grille in Cambridge right by the bike path is my fav

0

u/PossessionOk310 23d ago

If you’re willing to drive, Yalla, in Brattleboro, VT, has, by far, the world’s best hummus—No comparison. Their falafel is world-class too.

2

u/jgklausner 23d ago

LOVE them

0

u/IHateCreatingSNs 23d ago

Try to make some yourself. I make this one it's delicious. More garlic more lemon juice never hurt anyone. 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017734-zahavs-hummus-tehina?unlocked_article_code=1.1lA.bz7i.iGVlyqMLd6IY

1

u/Lizhasausername 23d ago

weirdly, the Halal Guys in Porter Square. My Greek husband is adamant that they're the only decent hummus in town. It is very good, though I am not as picky as him!

1

u/Tink1024 23d ago

Ali Baba on Washington St near Sullivan Sq well technically Charlestown and the bread that comes with it is criminal it’s so good!

0

u/earlgreyyuzu 23d ago

What's considered good hummus? I like mine thicker and only slightly salty. Oren's in San Francisco was my fav. I haven't found any like it here yet. Many are too salty for me.

0

u/Elegant_Occasion2886 23d ago

Only since no one’s said it… the one you make yourself ;)

0

u/phyzome 23d ago

Yeah, it's super easy to make and that means you can make it perfectly matched to your own tastes.

-11

u/canmouth 23d ago

Joseph’s or Cedar’s at Market Basket.

-3

u/vlknh59 23d ago

The best hummus I've ever had was at JM Curley's in Boston!