15 innovators’ hangouts

Where do you go to find the rich and famous — or perhaps the not-so-famous— innovators in the area?

Well, the short answer is Kendall Square. Scott Kirsner recently wrote about the popular hangouts for “the movers and shakers of the innovation economy.’’ His list is compiled by dozens of entrepreneurs and investors technology, life sciences, and cleantech who work in areas all around Greater Boston. Here is a list of 15 and what makes them special.

Did we forget any? E-mail us at [email protected].

Voltage Coffee & Art

Location: 295 Third St., Kendall Square

Opened by Lucy Valena first as an espresso catering service and then in late 2010 as a physical cafe, Voltage exists in large part due to $4,000 in crowdfunding provided to Valena by the Brewing the American Dream program. It features works from local artists and holds events for groups such as Improbable Research, which held its Cambridge Science Fest there last year. Each Wednesday morning from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., it hosts an OpenCoffee meetup for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists so they can “network and hopefully do deals.’’ Being in Kendall Square, of course the cafe attracts the likes of people from MIT, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Akamai Technologies, Biogen Idec, Microsoft, and Google, as well as smaller start-ups.

Henrietta’s Table

Location: 1 Bennett St., Cambridge, inside the Charles Hotel

Henrietta’s has been open for about 15 years now and advertises itself as the “dining room of Nobel laureates, celebrities, and New England farmers.’’ According to its website, the hotel also hosts a farmer’s market in Charles Square on Fridays and Sundays during the warmer months of the year.

Crema Cafe

Location: 27 Brattle St., Cambridge

In the thick of Brattle Square, Crema sells quiche, baked goods, and coffee. It has a second floor where guests can sit to eat or study and also has outdoor seating. Scott Kirsner ranked it as tied for third with the Riverbend Bar & Grill.

Shown: Harvard senior Joanna Miller sat in the balcony at Crema Cafe in Harvard Square on May 16, 2008.

Riverbend Bar & Grill

Location: 2345 Commonwealth Ave., Newton, inside the Marriott Hotel

This restaurant might be a ways from the city, but Newton is home to plenty of innovators like Jim Davis, who is ranked as one of the top five richest people in the state for turning New Balance into what it is today.

Naked Fish

Location: 455 Totten Pond Road, Waltham

The Naked fish is located minutes from a handful of hotels, and is about a block away from the Prospect Hill Heliport. It serves elaborate seafood dishes and is about a mile from IBM’s Innovation Center.

Meadhall

Location: 4 Cambridge Center

A short walk from Kendall Square, Meadhall neighbors Akamai Technologies, MIT and Harvard’s Broad Institute, and Novartis Venture Fund. The craft beer bar hosts meetups for everyone from marketers to IT professionals.

Firebrand Saints

Location: 1 Broadway, Kendall Square

“Firebrand Saints is the restaurant most likely to be the birthplace of the latest Internet meme, to host a conversation where people speak in hashtags, to inspire a satirical television show called ‘Cantabrigia,’’’ wrote Devra First in her review of Firebrand Saints last year. Being next door to the expanding Cambridge Innovation Center as well as the New Economics Institute, Firebrand Saints is an innovator itself. The restaurant’s tables are made from old truck hoods and video installations stream movies randomly as the owners tried to mix art and technology into the mix. In December, Scott Kirsner wrote about how the restaurant is acting as the flagship for a local startup’s Toast app.

Shown: Erin Dunham and Bob McCloskey of Watertown enjoyed a beer at the Firebrand Saints on Oct. 7, 2011.

EVOO

Location: 350 Third St., Kendall Square

Opened in 1998, EVOO moved to “a restaurant-barren stretch of Third Street’’ in Kendall Square, wrote Devra First, who reviewed the restaurant in 2010. “This appears to be delighting the area’s biotech workers, luxury condo dwellers, and MIT professors, who fill the tables,’’ she wrote.

Legal Seafoods

Location: 5 Cambridge Center, Kendall Square

It makes sense that one of the most popular seafood restaurants in the area would also be a catch for Innovators, especially when it’s on the main strip of Kendall Square.

Shown: Cooks prepare food on the second floor open kitchen area with a mirrored ceiling area Monday at the Legal Sea Foods at Liberty Wharf.

Starbucks

Location: 2 Cambridge Center, Kendall Square, inside the Boston Marriott

The Starbucks at Kendall Square has one of the biggest cafes in the district — perfect for young professionals and students to meet up, said supervisor Melanie Blethen.

Flour Bakery + Cafe

Location: 1595 Washington St., Boston

Owner and pastry chef Joanne Chang (shown) isn’t what she seems. She went to Harvard and walked out with a degree in applied mathematics and economics. Even though it’s a trek from Cambridge, Flour attracts lots of young innovators and entrepreneurs.

Area Four

Location: 500 Technology Square, Cambridge

Something in Cambridge, but not Kendall Square? Yes. Area Four is located in Technology Square and isn’t just a bar or a restaurant. It’s also a bakery and coffeehouse that happens to serve wine on tap.

Four Seasons Hotel

Location: 200 Boylston St., Boston

Could you think of a better place to take out an investor when trying to convince him or her to support your start-up? The luxurious Four Seasons Hotel has an incredible view of Boston’s Public Garden and Beacon Hill. Its restaurant, The Bristol Lounge, prides itself in serving “classically delicious fare with an innovative twist.’’

Shown: Patrons enjoy the afternoon Four Seasons tea service at the hotel.

Catalyst

Location: 300 Technology Square, Cambridge

Neighbors of Area Four, Catalyst aims to serve modern American food aimed at corporate culture — especially with eight floors of office space above it. Assistant General Manager Jason Kilgore said the restaurant has a private dining space that allows for meetings, business dinners, and other functions that would attract innovators ranging from start-ups to large biopharmaceutical companies.

Andala Coffee House

Location: 286 Franklin St., Central Square

Andala has lost some of its luster among entrepreneurs since the OpenCoffee meetup moved to Voltage. But the coffee house still made the list as a place where some meetups are still held.