How is Self Portrait (T.W. Food) - Permanently Closed restaurant rated?

Self Portrait (T.W. Food) - Permanently Closed

4.6

514 Reviews

$50 and over

French

Top Tags:

Self Portrait is an elegant French Bistro located at 377 Walden St., Cambridge, in a lovely residential neighborhood just a few minutes outside of Harvard Square. It’s a tiny and super-creative restaurant that presents Chef Tim Wiechmann’s (Best Outstanding Chef by Boston Magazine in 2015) elevated Paris bistro cooking with modern interpretations of classic Cuisine Bourgeoise like Whole Duck Roasted for Two with Lychees or Charcuterie Soup with Pistachio Mousse. The menu draws further from greater France with dishes like Foie Gras and Pork Jowl Rillettes or Swordfish with Provencal Sauce Raito. A Prix Fixe and Tasting Menu are available, with options for vegetarians. The restaurant is hidden and tucked away from the mainstream, like a true Paris “boîte”, and emanates a romantic, creative and artsy feel. Self Portrait has an exciting World Music Brunch on Sundays and also features the highly popular “Wine-Series” on Tuesdays that highlights different wine regions of France.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

Additional information

Dining style
Fine Dining
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
French, Modern European, Contemporary French / American
Hours of operation
Sunday - Thursday 5:30 - 9 pm Friday - Saturday 5:30 - 9:30 pm Sunday Brunch 10:30 - 2 pm
Phone number
(617) 864-4745
Website
http://www.selfportraitbistro.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Tim Wiechmann

Location
377 Walden St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Neighborhood
West Cambridge
Cross street
Concord Ave
Parking details
On-street parking is available on both Walden street and on Concord avenue labeled as ‘visitor parking.’
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Weekend Brunch, Wine

What 514 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.6

4.6 based on all time ratings

4.5Food
4.6Service
4.4Ambience
4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

506 Reviews

j
jr2204
Greater Boston
114 reviews
vip
5.0
114 reviews
Dined on October 25, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always terrific, last wine dinner (Burgundy) especially so.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Greater Boston
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on October 20, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing dinner from start to finish. What a neighborhood gem.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Greater Boston
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 19, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We went for the delightful mushroom dinner and each course was made with a different mushroom so it was educational as well. Glowing review of the food and service. My only constructive feedback is we did not find these new modern chairs comfortable for a long sit down dinner.
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RS
RubySu87
Greater Boston
8 reviews
4.0
8 reviews
Dined on October 8, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We read another review praising the restaurant on its full bar. We should have dug deeper, as this referred to the offerings, not an actual bar. Not a big deal usually, but it's pretty far out of the way, and we got there earlier than expected, figuring we could sit and grab a cocktail while we waited. It's so small in reality that we were told to go away until our reservation time. It was mild night, so we walked around the quiet, dark, residential neighborhood for a while, then sat on the lone bench outside until we were welcomed inside. It would have been nice to know in advance that there's literally nowhere to wait before your table is ready. The small room is packed pretty tight with tables, so it got noisy and I felt a little bit like an eavesdropper. The hostess was lovely, but the other server seemed in an obvious rush to move us along. The food was fantastic for the most part. Inventive, flavorful, fresh. If you're in the neighborhood, I can see this as being a favorite.
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CF
CambridgeFoodie
Greater Boston
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 3, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This place always exceeds expectations on the creativity and quality of the cuisine, as well as the service (which never fails to be sincere and impeccable. Our favorite place to dine in Cambridge!
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V
Velm
Greater Boston
27 reviews
4.0
27 reviews
Dined on October 3, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Lovely atmosphere and service. Good food, but feels too pricey for what you ultimately get.
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A
Alice
Greater Boston
7 reviews
4.0
7 reviews
Dined on September 30, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Self Portrait replaces T.W. Foods (run by same folks) with a more trendy atmosphere but still wonderfully imaginative food. I found the ambience brighter than before, though the trendy music is not easy for a classical music fanatic. In all, a terrific place, and I am sure I will dine there many times.
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c
cmc18
New York Area
23 reviews
5.0
23 reviews
Dined on September 30, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had the "celebration of the tomato" tasting menu with paired wines. Every dish was sublime, and the wines perfectly paired. A thoroughly brilliant restaurant.
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LS
LincolnSK
Greater Boston
3 reviews
vip
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on September 26, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Self Portrait (and previously, TW Food) is always consistently great or really great. We come for the Tuesday night wine pairings, which is a great way to try different wines over 4 courses. Overall our meal was delicious, although the cheese course didn't sit well on our palate, but we did hear other tables really enjoy it. And while the restaurant is small, we had the unfortunate luck of having a boisterous group choose the table right next to us, so it was challenging to have a conversation among ourselves. Not all tables are like that in the restaurant, just the way the cards fell that night. I highly recommend this restaurant if you enjoy wine and deliciously made food.
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JR
JohnR
Greater Boston
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on September 22, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I was a fan of TW and remain a fan of Self Portrait. The food is consistently excellent and beautifully prepared. The service is always friendly and first rate.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Greater Boston
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 19, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing as usual! Self portrait never fails to impress! The chef is one of a kind and you can tell he takes pride in his work! Tuesday wine tasting course was perfect!!!
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J
John
Phoenix
8 reviews
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on September 16, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I was looking for great food and drinks in an environment that wasn't too fussy, noisy, or fancy. This was perfect! Everything was perfect.
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L
Lollo
Greater Boston
19 reviews
5.0
19 reviews
Dined on September 16, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Outstanding food and service! French inspired from the chef of Bronwyn! Fine dining in a very comfortable enviroment! Will definitelly go back!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Greater Boston
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on September 12, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I'm happy to report that the transition from TW Food to Self Portrait has not changed anything about the food. Sure, the chairs are weird, but the new cocktails are great, and the food is, as always, outstanding.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Greater Boston
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on September 8, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Liked 3 out of the 6 tasting courses, disliked the dessert... wine paring was pretty good. In general a good experience, but expected even better food for the price.
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DJ
DeborahJ
Washington DC
7 reviews
vip
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on September 3, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Five of us ordered 3 appetizers, 5 entrees, and 3 desserts; and each of us sampled all of these. Without exception, all of us thought that everything was really delicious. The consistent quality across all the various dishes was most impressive. Service was excellent: friendly, helpful, unobtrusive, and well-paced. A really great little place with nice ambiance, though the noise level when the restaurant was full was louder than I would have liked. A great place to celebrate a special occasion.
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F
Fanfoodie
Greater Boston
20 reviews
4.0
20 reviews
Dined on September 2, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We had a wonderful dining experience. Excellent cuisine and attentive service. The flavors were exquisite. From the tomatoes and the wild huckleberry vinaigrette on our salad to the scallops and salted cod potatoes to the red currant and pear sorbets, we tasted a delicious combination of spices and flavors. The ambience was ideal for conversation. I highly recommend Self Portrait for a small gathering or a date who desire an evening of great food and good conversation.
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M
Myles
Greater Boston
10 reviews
vip
5.0
10 reviews
Dined on September 1, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Comfortable, good service, distinctive very good food
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M
Mark
Greater Boston
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 26, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Very creative French influenced menu. Very tasty artichokes, a not-your-usual collection of ubiquitous lettuce leaves, an oxtail-scallop over-the-top surprisingly delicious dish---how wonderful were those plates! The bottle of Pinot Noire: perfect! I enjoyed the blue fish and tasted the swordfish: yummy. The room was homey, somewhat intimate. And there were no noisy, loud clients to disturb our conversations. Simple and pleasant: a special place to dine in.
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SM
SwissMiss
Greater Boston
79 reviews
vip
5.0
79 reviews
Dined on August 25, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Very enjoyable evening. Service was very good and friendly. Great 3 course prix fix menu with nice options to chose from. The bread and their two different flavored butter they served was so good that we took the rest home. Their portions are very generous. We loved TW Foods and we are so happy not much changed when they renamed the restaurant to Self Portrait. We will definitely be back and can highly recommend it.
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S
Sophia
New York Area
6 reviews
vip
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on August 23, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great prix fixe menu, stellar service - completely enjoyable dining experience. Will definitely be back!
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AM
AMCWG
Greater Boston
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on August 21, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We met friends who were visiting from the West Coast for an intimate dinner the night before they returned home. I cannot say enough how perfect our meal was! The food was amazing, both delicious and beautifully presented and the wine was exceptional. I highly recommend this eatery.
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K
Kate
Greater Boston
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 21, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food was delicious, and the portions were reasonable. I'm not used to such rich food, so the 3 course dinner was perfect for me. While eating, we commented on the music, that was perfect for creating a nice atmosphere but not interfering with conversation.
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C
Cosmo
Greater Boston
14 reviews
3.0
14 reviews
Dined on August 18, 2017
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
Good overall. Visited during the Dine-out Boston with limited menu. Small space. Packed with mostly young college kids!( Dine-out Boston's affordable pricing often changes the type of customers and therefore atmosphere. ) Food was good but a bit heavy. ( Got the same impression from the previous TW Food.) Waitress/hostess did not even bring a wine bottle to the table to explain about the wines for the wine pairing and there was not even any wine information on the menu along with the food menu for the pairing. A bit unfortunate combination of the unusual college-feel atmosphere and quick wine service. Should return to experience their regular operation and the menu.
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C
Carol
Greater Boston
12 reviews
4.0
12 reviews
Dined on August 16, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Good food, great service
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L
Lambda
St. Louis
30 reviews
5.0
30 reviews
Dined on August 15, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Great experience, wonderful staff. Worth the price of admission.
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T
Trice
Greater Boston
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on August 12, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Loved their food but found it a little salty than I like. Overall everything was very good.
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CT
CTCTCT
New York Area
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on August 12, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Loved the food here. A little understaffed when I went but that's fine. Get the strawberry tarte!
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C
Cambridgejcarol
Greater Boston
15 reviews
vip
5.0
15 reviews
Dined on August 11, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Loved the scallop dish, the salmon gravlax with horseradish plum sauce. Also loved the chocolate pudding like dessert, with its unusual flavors.
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F
Fred
Greater Boston
13 reviews
5.0
13 reviews
Dined on August 11, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
This wonderful reincarnation of TW Food is a neighborhood treasure that's also a destination. Not for the casual drop-in diner, the food is inventive, fresh, seasonal, and first-rate. We were there with an adult child and adult friend for my wife's birthday and had the restaurant-week three-course special with wine pairings. The beet salad was a hit, as was the charcuterie plate. The home-made gravlax--is their a commercial kind?--was delicate and flavorful, but overpowered by the plum mustard sauce. Maybe that should have been toned down somewhat. Two of us had the scallop boudain, with salt-cod potatoes, one order of duck leg, and one swordfish. All cooked perfectly and matched with the vegetables that matched the meat. In the case of the swordfish, some eggplant gave it a Mediterranean twist. Desserts were varied. THe required chocolate item was a chocolate pudding, plus sorbets, strawberry tart, and Spanish creme caramel. The wines paired well. They were good-sized pours of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Malbec, as appropriate. All was excellent value for money. The only drawback was the noise level. We had an early reservation, 6:15, and all was calm. But when the 8:00 crowd came in, several tables felt the need to shout to each other, and the brick walls did nothing to tone them down.
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TO
TOLmusic
Greater Boston
42 reviews
vip
5.0
42 reviews
Dined on August 10, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great place. It got my third time since its reincarnation.
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SM
ShanM
Minneapolis
27 reviews
5.0
27 reviews
Dined on August 8, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent food, wine and service - wonderful evening.
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TP
TreePeony
Greater Boston
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on August 8, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Had a wonderful meal at the former T.W. Food now Self Portrait during Restaurant Week. The corn soup with pickled plums was fresh, seasonal, unexpected flavors, delicious. No problems with the rest of the meal, either.
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SU
SUSAND
Greater Boston
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 7, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful, creative dishes. Nice, relaxed ambience.
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SZ
SueZ
New York Area
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on August 6, 2017
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Good place though some food could be hit or miss. We loved the appetizers - both the foie gras and mussels were amazing. Their bread and butter is also delish. But the entrees and desserts were a bit more "meh" : scallop was very, very lemony - all I could taste was lemon, duck was fine but not particularly noteworthy in flavor or technique, and there was a grittiness to the creme catalan which was not horrible but made it a little off-putting texturally. It was a great experience for Restaurant week, and one of the better values in Boston. I would still recommend it to others to try for a first time, but perhaps wouldn't be a repeat type of place due to the entrees. Atmosphere was lovely though, and service professional.
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W
Will
Greater Boston
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on August 6, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Everything was absolutely delicious, and the service was excellent (as always!)
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S
Seamus
Greater Boston
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on August 6, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Steak was awful. Nocci was fabulous as were the creative salads and desert.Bathrooms are down a long, steep set of stairs so scary for anyone with a cane. Limited menu.
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R
Ram1234
Greater Boston
12 reviews
vip
2.0
12 reviews
Dined on August 5, 2017
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Nice big servings but everything was heavy.
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D
Daniel
Greater Boston
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on August 4, 2017
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
The new menu at T.W. Food (now Self Portrait) was a big disappointment. We ordered creme brûlée foie gras -> duck -> butter cake; and warm oysters/snails -> scallop boudin blanc -> fruit sorbet. Fixed price three-course meal was $55 each, plus four glasses of wine at $15 each. Neither of us finished any of the courses. The foie gras mousse was too much foie gras, too little flavor. Would be better to downsize the portion and increase the quality. The duck was unappetizing looking (I didn't try it, but dining companion said it was not good). The scallop boudin blanc had bits of grit and weak flavor. Best item we ate was the bread, but even then the accompanying butters (honey and bacon tarragon) were overpowering. We used to like T.W. Food as a great neighborhood gem, but the new menu is a mess. I hope they re-work it or go back to doing the basics well.
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AQ
AnneQ
Phoenix
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on July 23, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This is our fourth time dining in this location. Truly wonderful from start to finish, as always
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FAQs

Self Portrait (T.W. Food) - Permanently Closed is rated 4.6 stars by 514 OpenTable diners.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

377 Walden St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Additional information

Cross street
Concord Ave
Neighborhood
West Cambridge
Hours of operation
Sunday - Thursday 5:30 - 9 pm Friday - Saturday 5:30 - 9:30 pm Sunday Brunch 10:30 - 2 pm
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
French, Modern European, Contemporary French / American
Dining style
Fine Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
On-street parking is available on both Walden street and on Concord avenue labeled as ‘visitor parking.’
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Tim Wiechmann
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Weekend Brunch, Wine

Website
http://www.selfportraitbistro.com/
Phone number
(617) 864-4745