Sarma Restaurant
Lamb kofte sliders, harissa BBQ duck skewers and a latke chaat that buries mini potato pancakes under tamarind-cranberry chutney and apple tzatziki. Devra First gave Cassie Piuma's Somerville room five stars in 2022.
Why go
Piuma opened it in October 2013 with Ana Sortun of Oleana and Sofra as co-owner, and the menu has grown to about forty items without losing its footing.1 The reason it holds is that Piuma builds from what cuisines share rather than from novelty. She points to curry and hawaij, one Indian and one Yemeni, and told First that recognizing the overlap is what makes a new dish worth doing.1 The malawach shows the method: a Yemeni flatbread made with scallions so it echoes a Chinese pancake, topped with sliced raw tuna, charif built on charred celery, lemony tahini and shavings of cured egg yolk, cut into triangles.1 Liz Barwick runs the kitchen day to day as chef de cuisine.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the lamb kofte sliders and the harissa BBQ duck skewers. These are the ones people come back for.1
- Order: the venison-wrapped dates on pistachio labneh with pomegranate and rose.1
- Order: Tess Cunningham's brown butter corn frozen yogurt, with the halva caramel and the crushed candied chickpea crunch coat.1
- Avoid: locking in your order before you sit down. The card moves, and the newer plates are where the kitchen is working.1
What locals & experts say
- Devra First, The Boston Globe (October 2022), five stars:
In less-skilled hands, Sarma's dishes might be fusion overload. The kitchen has finesse, a honed sense of gustatory rhythm. Here is where to push forward, with more spice and crunch and richness. Here is where to pull back, before it all becomes too much.
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Good to know
- Book it. Resy takes parties up to six, thirty days out, with a new day releasing at 10am.3
- Dinner only, from 5:30pm, with the bar open from 5pm.3
- The James Beard record is Piuma's own. The Foundation made her a 2025 semifinalist for Outstanding Chef.2
Verdict
must-visit — Craft is the reason, and it is documented at the plate: a Yemeni malawach made with scallions so it reads like a Chinese flaky pancake, then topped with raw tuna and a charif built on charred celery, and a latke chaat that Piuma explains through the overlap between curry and hawaij spice blends. A Globe critic gave it the paper's top rating in 2022 after nine years of service, which is the hard case to pass, and the Foundation put Piuma up for Outstanding Chef nationally in 2025. The one caution is age: those five stars were awarded four years ago, and the kitchen they describe is a moving one.