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Here’s where to eat and drink around Harvard Square
A guide to popular restaurants and hidden bars you can visit in the Cambridge neighborhood.
In Harvard Square, you will find a neighborhood bustling with students, neighbors, and first-time visitors. But the area is also home to a number of restaurants and bars, whether you’re looking for a burger with fries or a cocktail to sip on with brunch.
To help you navigate a host of enjoyable options, we’ve put together a guide to some of the most popular eateries and bars in the Cambridge neighborhood. Between browsing for books at the local shops or attending the Head of the Charles Regatta, you’re sure to find a new favorite spot.
Where to eat
Alden & Harlow
Beneath the Brattle Theater, you’ll find this hip, subterranean New American restaurant that’s perfect for a night out. While you’re browsing the menu, think of ordering the basil pasta served with carrot bolognese, the secret burger on a housemade roll, or the Ora King salmon served with ratatouille. Don’t miss out on dessert—the smoked chocolate bread pudding is a winner in our book.
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Alden & Harlow, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge
Bosso Ramen Tavern
This izakaya opened last March, and it’s already become a neighborhood fixture. Bosso Ramen Tavern serves sushi, sake, and ramen featuring a house tonkotsu broth. For those who don’t eat meat, the vegan ramen includes soy meat, cashews, walnuts, and bok choy. After a flavorful entree, cleanse your palate with the black sesame ice cream.
Bosso Ramen Tavern, 24 Holyoke St., Cambridge
Henrietta’s Table
Inside the Charles Hotel, you may stumble upon Henrietta’s Table, a homey farm-to-table spot that sources organic produce from local purveyors. For brunch, you may want to look to the buttermilk pancakes, loaded with berries, jam, and toasted hazelnuts. For supper, you can dig into a Yankee pot roast, served with crispy shallots and gravy. Sit out on the patio and take in this classic New England cuisine.
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Henrietta’s Table, 1 Bennett St., Cambridge
Orinoco Kitchen
For quality Venezuelan dining, visit Orinoco Kitchen. Try the Valenciana arepas or the empanadas, filled with shredded beef or vegetarian mushrooms and piquillo peppers. The restaurant also serves a sweet plantain-coated mahi-mahi dinner, as well as a marinated chicken adobo that you can choose to eat with malanga gnocchi. The molten chocolate cake, made with pure dark chocolate, is a decadent finish. Orinoco also has locations in the South End and in Brookline Village.
Orinoco Kitchen, 56 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge
Source Restaurant
Craving a slice of pizza? Head over to Source, which features “rustic yet refined food.” Neapolitan pies are cooked in a wood-fired oven, and you can choose from a variety of flavors: the classic margherita, the Tuscan kale, artichoke, New York style, and more. You’ll also find pasta dishes on their menu, from the bucatini in a carbonara sauce to spaghetti served with lobster, clams, and mussels. Drinks, wine, and beer round out their offerings.
Source, 27 Church St,, Cambridge
Where to drink
Grafton Street Pub & Grill
Get a drink at Grafton Street, an Irish gastropub that is both contemporary and inviting. You’ll discover draft beers here, such as the Dorchester Galaxy Lights and the Lamplighter Birds of a Feather, as well as ciders and spirits. To celebrate the fall, try a cocktail like the Pumpkin-Spiked Cold Brew, composed of vodka, espresso liqueur, pumpkin spice, and Bailey’s whipped cream.
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Grafton Street Pub & Grill, 59 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge
Grendel’s Den Restaurant & Bar
Students frequent Grendel’s, a neighborhood tavern with beer on draft, sangria by the pitcher, and a range of cocktails. The spot offers “horoscope drinks,” a rotating selection of beverages based on the astrological charts, and now is Taurus season, the time for bitter fernet with sweet vermouth and gin. Grendel’s also hosts live events, from music, to storytelling and poetry. Having been in the Square for over 50 years, they’re a classic haunt.
Grendel’s Den Restaurant & Bar, 89 Winthrop St., Cambridge
Noir Bar
Noir Bar is a chic late-night lounge inside the Charles Hotel. Look out for craft cocktails like the Fleur de Lys, made with vodka, lime, herbes de Provence, and peach. Try the Monte Carlo Flip, which incorporates Averna, Amaro Sibilla, super cacao, and whole egg. If you’re still wishing you had a bite to accompany your drink, request a flatbread, painted burrata, or a croque-monsieur. Noir promises to be an enjoyable night out with friends.
Noir Bar, 1 Bennett St., Cambridge
Russell House Tavern
A lively and comfortable spot, Russell House Tavern is a great place to sip drinks after work, boosting an extensive beer, wine, and cocktail list. You may be drawn in by the Pink Elephants, which combines grapefruit and pineapple-infused vodka, or the Cowboy’s Daydream, which blends grand marnier and orange blossom water. To go with your beverages, order the local oysters, crab cakes, or the fish and chips.
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Russell House Tavern, 14 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge
Wusong Road Tiki Bar
Hidden away in “the in outskirts of Harvard Square,” Wusong Road marries Asian American cuisine and tropical Tiki escapism. Drinks include the Scorpion Bowl, made with brandy, house-made Orgeat, and fresh orange and lime juice, as well as the Jungle Bird, which mixes together blackstrap rum, carpano bitters, and fresh pineapple. You’ll find some tiki bar bites on the menu here too, such as coconut glaze spareribs and green papaya salad.
Wusong Road Tiki Bar, 112 Mt Auburn St., Cambridge
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