Trina's Starlite Lounge
American restaurant · Somerville ·
American comfort grub, unique cocktails, hot dogs, and brunch
_Pat-Piasecki_2018_Starlite_160914_410.jpg "Trina's Starlite Lounge by Pat Piasecki")
_Pat-Piasecki_2018_Starlite_160914_336.jpg "Trina's Starlite Lounge by Pat Piasecki")
_Pat-Piasecki_2018_Starlite_160914_483.jpg "Trina's Starlite Lounge by Pat Piasecki")
American comfort grub, unique cocktails, hot dogs, and brunch
"Trina’s Starlite Lounge has all the makings of a diner without actually being one. Let’s be clear: this is a good thing. They do great hot dogs, mac and cheese, and fried chicken dinners, all in a grungy-cool dark space filled with pinup photos from the ‘40s. It’s best for drinks on the weekends (get the espresso martini) and for brunch on Sundays and Mondays, when they crank out top-tier plates of eggs, hashbrowns, and chicken and waffles." - tanya edwards, lala thaddeus, catherine smart
"A longstanding Somerville bar that had a financially “pretty rough” 2024, with co-owner Emma Hollander saying, “We felt a little stuck.” After 15 years of serving hot dogs, fried chicken sandwiches, and other Southern-inflected bar foods, the team added a hot dog tower in January: a two-tiered assortment of five hot dogs, fries, and sauce served on branded Miller High Life trays, with hot dogs fanned out like a starburst. The visual, playful presentation fits the bar’s aesthetic (statements spelled out in childlike magnet letters on a fridge) and was intended as “an easy way to breathe new life into the haunt.” It became a popular order almost immediately — the bar now sells about 40 towers a night, which start at $35 (swapping in loaded hot dogs or veggie dogs adds an upcharge) — sometimes casual snacks for big groups, other times the centerpiece of celebrations. The concept fit the existing menu of American comfort food and didn’t add kitchen strain because hot dogs and fries were already best-sellers: “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Hollander says. The towers were homemade after co-owner Josh Childs vetoed using thrift-shop “cupcake towers,” arguing he could build better ones; he converted Miller High Life-branded drink trays into sturdy towers with industrial metal handles, starting with three and quickly escalating to five: “And now he’s making three more,” Hollander says. The theatrical reveal has proved effective: “When you bring it out, people are like, What’s that? I want one.” The spot uses local sausages from Kayem (makers of the Fenway Franks)." - Bettina Makalintal
"Trina’s Starlite Lounge has all the makings of a diner without actually being one. Let’s be clear: this is a good thing. They do great hot dogs, mac and cheese, and fried chicken dinners, all in a grungy-cool dark space filled with pinup photos from the ‘40s. It’s best for drinks on the weekends (get the espresso martini) and for brunch on Sundays and Mondays, when they crank out top-tier plates of eggs, hashbrowns, and chicken and waffles." - tanya edwards, lala thaddeus
"Trina’s is a retro-ish restaurant in Inman Square that feels like a dive bar, and that’s reason enough to come here. But there are also good cocktails (we like the one with black tea-infused bourbon and ginger cognac), a hot dog special every day, and a solid brunch spread on the weekends. If you prefer a sports bar to a dive bar, Parlor Sports is right next door, and it shares the same kitchen with Trina’s." - joel ang
"Trina’s Starlite Lounge in Somerville has all the makings of a diner without actually being one. Let’s be clear: this is a good thing. The grungy-cool dark space has great hot dogs, mac and cheese, and fried chicken dinners, but it’s best for drinks on the weekends (get the espresso martini) and for brunch on Sundays and Mondays, when they crank out top-tier plates of eggs, hashbrowns, and chicken and waffles." - lala thaddeus
