Guidebook for Cambridge

Kjersti
Guidebook for Cambridge

Our Favorite Restaurants and Cafes

There are so many restaurants and cafes to chose from! Here are some of our favorites - places we keep going back to. Hope you enjoy them too!
Excellent Indian food (well, for a non-Indian like me anyway:)
16 residents recomanen
The Kebab Factory - An Indian Bistro
414 Washington St
16 residents recomanen
Excellent Indian food (well, for a non-Indian like me anyway:)
Very good and very reasonable Indian 'hole in the wall' restaurant, for take out or eating in at the plastic tables while watching Bollywood videos. Our go-tos are chicken tikka masala and good vegetarian options (Malay kofta, chickpeas and lentils Dahl Punjabi)
74 residents recomanen
Punjabi Dhaba
225 Hampshire St
74 residents recomanen
Very good and very reasonable Indian 'hole in the wall' restaurant, for take out or eating in at the plastic tables while watching Bollywood videos. Our go-tos are chicken tikka masala and good vegetarian options (Malay kofta, chickpeas and lentils Dahl Punjabi)
Good food, nice minimalist modern vibe. Not the cheapest but a good spot
56 residents recomanen
Puritan & Company
1166 Cambridge St
56 residents recomanen
Good food, nice minimalist modern vibe. Not the cheapest but a good spot
Great Mexican food in a casual setting in Inman Square
31 residents recomanen
Olé
11 Springfield St
31 residents recomanen
Great Mexican food in a casual setting in Inman Square
Excellent tapas and sangria in an eclectic atmosphere. Our "go-to" place for dinner out. Good for friends or a date night.
55 residents recomanen
Dali
415 Washington St
55 residents recomanen
Excellent tapas and sangria in an eclectic atmosphere. Our "go-to" place for dinner out. Good for friends or a date night.
Cool cafe with excellent coffee and all-organic food, owned by a local Cambridge coffee aficionado.
8 residents recomanen
Broadsheet Coffee Roasters
100 Kirkland St
8 residents recomanen
Cool cafe with excellent coffee and all-organic food, owned by a local Cambridge coffee aficionado.
Excellent Italian restaurant with an extensive menu with something for every taste. Upscale but well worth the money. We sometimes take people visiting for business here, or if we have a group of people who want different things to eat.
56 residents recomanen
Toscano
47 Charles St
56 residents recomanen
Excellent Italian restaurant with an extensive menu with something for every taste. Upscale but well worth the money. We sometimes take people visiting for business here, or if we have a group of people who want different things to eat.
The hidden courtyard is a gem in the spring and summer! Venezuelan restaurant with very good mixed grill plate.
11 residents recomanen
Orinoco Harvard Square
56 John F. Kennedy St
11 residents recomanen
The hidden courtyard is a gem in the spring and summer! Venezuelan restaurant with very good mixed grill plate.
Yum! Excellent baked goods and sandwiches in Harvard Square. Perfect for breakfast / brunch, or a little pick-me-up after touring Harvard.
212 residents recomanen
Tatte Bakery & Café
70 Charles St
212 residents recomanen
Yum! Excellent baked goods and sandwiches in Harvard Square. Perfect for breakfast / brunch, or a little pick-me-up after touring Harvard.
Best outdoor dining experience in Boston's North End. In the Pandemic, they set up tables in North Square, between Paul Revere's House and a church. It's like being in a mix of Boston and Italy. Outside tables book up fast; if full, try Ciao Roma, who also has outside seating on the square. Both have excellent food.
24 residents recomanen
Mamma Maria
3 N Square
24 residents recomanen
Best outdoor dining experience in Boston's North End. In the Pandemic, they set up tables in North Square, between Paul Revere's House and a church. It's like being in a mix of Boston and Italy. Outside tables book up fast; if full, try Ciao Roma, who also has outside seating on the square. Both have excellent food.
Good Irish pub with great pub fare, good beer, and sometimes live music and trivia nights. In Inman Square, 5 min walk.
85 residents recomanen
The Druid
1357 Cambridge St
85 residents recomanen
Good Irish pub with great pub fare, good beer, and sometimes live music and trivia nights. In Inman Square, 5 min walk.
Best Mexican in Harvard Square and our teens' absolute favorite restaurant. Quick and reasonable but very good quality - much better than the chain restaurants. Family-owned and authentic, with character. Rooftop terrace. I haven't tried the rooftop terrace myself because they don't allow kids up there, and it's our kids who always want to go to Felipe's. We often get take out and eat outside listening to the buskers - or in the Sunken Garden Park for a quiet meal away from the bustle of Harvard Square.
47 residents recomanen
Felipe's Taqueria
21 Brattle St
47 residents recomanen
Best Mexican in Harvard Square and our teens' absolute favorite restaurant. Quick and reasonable but very good quality - much better than the chain restaurants. Family-owned and authentic, with character. Rooftop terrace. I haven't tried the rooftop terrace myself because they don't allow kids up there, and it's our kids who always want to go to Felipe's. We often get take out and eat outside listening to the buskers - or in the Sunken Garden Park for a quiet meal away from the bustle of Harvard Square.
A gem in warm weather! Delicious, no-nonsense, traditional American breakfasts served outside under the grapevine. Very casual vibe, and comfort food. The patio fills up fast and they don't take reservations. Best to get there before 9 AM on nice week ends and sign your name on the waitlist. After 9 AM there is usually a wait. If you have kids, come early, and stop by the playground around the corner - or have one adults take the kids there while you wait for a table / the food and call the kids to come when the food is ready. (We did that when our kids were little. Great way to meet friends, let kids play and not cook breakfast:) But this place is also very popular with the local millennials and hipsters.
78 residents recomanen
Flora Restaurant
190 Massachusetts Ave
78 residents recomanen
A gem in warm weather! Delicious, no-nonsense, traditional American breakfasts served outside under the grapevine. Very casual vibe, and comfort food. The patio fills up fast and they don't take reservations. Best to get there before 9 AM on nice week ends and sign your name on the waitlist. After 9 AM there is usually a wait. If you have kids, come early, and stop by the playground around the corner - or have one adults take the kids there while you wait for a table / the food and call the kids to come when the food is ready. (We did that when our kids were little. Great way to meet friends, let kids play and not cook breakfast:) But this place is also very popular with the local millennials and hipsters.
Excellent Indian food in Harvard Square. Formal with white table cloths. Most guests are Indians, a good sign:)
The Maharaja
57 John F. Kennedy St
Excellent Indian food in Harvard Square. Formal with white table cloths. Most guests are Indians, a good sign:)
Exquisite chocolatier! The perfect indulgence of ultra-rich hot chocolate and pastries - and chocolate gifts. A Harvard Square Classic. Pricey but well worth it.
64 residents recomanen
L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates
52 Brattle St
64 residents recomanen
Exquisite chocolatier! The perfect indulgence of ultra-rich hot chocolate and pastries - and chocolate gifts. A Harvard Square Classic. Pricey but well worth it.
Excellent middle Eastern food in Inman Square. The chicken tagine and chicken kebobs are amazing, as is the falafel. Small, can be hard to get a table but you can eat at the bar too.
8 residents recomanen
Moona
243 Hampshire St
8 residents recomanen
Excellent middle Eastern food in Inman Square. The chicken tagine and chicken kebobs are amazing, as is the falafel. Small, can be hard to get a table but you can eat at the bar too.

Other Neighborhood Favorites

These places make our neighborhood special:)
My favorite neighborhood store and THE place to get goodies for an evening in. Knowledgeable staff, excellent wine selection, cheeses from all over the world as well as local farms - and proper charcuterie. And yes: the 18 month and 36 month old prosciutto are worth the splurge!:)
41 residents recomanen
Wine & Cheese Cask
407 Washington St
41 residents recomanen
My favorite neighborhood store and THE place to get goodies for an evening in. Knowledgeable staff, excellent wine selection, cheeses from all over the world as well as local farms - and proper charcuterie. And yes: the 18 month and 36 month old prosciutto are worth the splurge!:)
Phenomenal butchers. Savenor's was the butcher of choice for TV chef/cooking teacher Julia Child back in the day. I'm an immigrant so I never watched her show - but I can tell you that the meat at Savenor's is exceptional!
54 residents recomanen
Savenor's Market
160 Charles St
54 residents recomanen
Phenomenal butchers. Savenor's was the butcher of choice for TV chef/cooking teacher Julia Child back in the day. I'm an immigrant so I never watched her show - but I can tell you that the meat at Savenor's is exceptional!
Excellent home-made ice cream in Inman Square, 5 in walk away. Yum! Good place to get dessert in the summer after having dinner in Inman Square.
68 residents recomanen
Christina's Homemade Ice Cream
1255 Cambridge St
68 residents recomanen
Excellent home-made ice cream in Inman Square, 5 in walk away. Yum! Good place to get dessert in the summer after having dinner in Inman Square.

Drinks & Nightlife

Irish Pub with good beer selection and pub fare
24 residents recomanen
Thirsty Scholar Pub
70 Beacon St
24 residents recomanen
Irish Pub with good beer selection and pub fare

Essentials

Great selection of prepared foods plus all of Wholefoods' organic produce and grocery items if you want to cook at home
1155 residents recomanen
Whole Foods Market
413 Centre St
1155 residents recomanen
Great selection of prepared foods plus all of Wholefoods' organic produce and grocery items if you want to cook at home
For your "essential" cheese, prosciutto, and wine this is the place. Everything in this store is excellent. Fantastic cheese selection, good sandwiches, excellent wine selection and knowledgeable staff. An absolute favorite:)
41 residents recomanen
Wine & Cheese Cask
407 Washington St
41 residents recomanen
For your "essential" cheese, prosciutto, and wine this is the place. Everything in this store is excellent. Fantastic cheese selection, good sandwiches, excellent wine selection and knowledgeable staff. An absolute favorite:)
Pharmacy and convenience store - for everything from toothbrushes to your prescription medication to birthday cards and more.
71 residents recomanen
Walgreens
1603 Washington St
71 residents recomanen
Pharmacy and convenience store - for everything from toothbrushes to your prescription medication to birthday cards and more.
Basic grocery store, more reasonable than Wholefood. Produce section can be hit or miss but has all the other basics.
595 residents recomanen
Star Market
370 Western Ave
595 residents recomanen
Basic grocery store, more reasonable than Wholefood. Produce section can be hit or miss but has all the other basics.

Arts & Culture

A short walk away is Harvard's new art museum. Excellent collection - check out their Web site and go visit
205 residents recomanen
Museus d'Art de Harvard
32 Quincy St
205 residents recomanen
A short walk away is Harvard's new art museum. Excellent collection - check out their Web site and go visit
The glass flower exhibit is impressive. The animal exhibits are a bit like a museum to museums - it hasn't changed in decades. Good for families (we used to take our kids all the time)
151 residents recomanen
Museu d'Història Natural de Harvard
26 Oxford St
151 residents recomanen
The glass flower exhibit is impressive. The animal exhibits are a bit like a museum to museums - it hasn't changed in decades. Good for families (we used to take our kids all the time)
Interesting exhibits, we go to the MesoAmerica one every Day of the Dead and enjoy it.
20 residents recomanen
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
11 Divinity Ave
20 residents recomanen
Interesting exhibits, we go to the MesoAmerica one every Day of the Dead and enjoy it.
It's the ART! Leading edge theater, a lot of avant-garde shows. Books up weeks or month in advance though...
65 residents recomanen
A.R.T. - American Repertory Theater
64 Brattle St
65 residents recomanen
It's the ART! Leading edge theater, a lot of avant-garde shows. Books up weeks or month in advance though...
This unique museum is one of my favorites: Isabella Stewart Gartner built this villa and incorporated her art collection in the building.
500 residents recomanen
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 Evans Way
500 residents recomanen
This unique museum is one of my favorites: Isabella Stewart Gartner built this villa and incorporated her art collection in the building.
The Mapparium is a huge stained glass globe that you can go inside - and see the World's geopolitical map from 1931-32, when it was built. They advertise the stained glass, but what is striking to me is how much the world has changed in under 100 years; inside this glob you really see the reach of the British and French empires. Worth an hour side trip if you're in the Back Bay / Fenway Area. The Mary Baker library is OK, but I like the Mapparium best.
The Mary Baker Eddy Library
210 Massachusetts Avenue
The Mapparium is a huge stained glass globe that you can go inside - and see the World's geopolitical map from 1931-32, when it was built. They advertise the stained glass, but what is striking to me is how much the world has changed in under 100 years; inside this glob you really see the reach of the British and French empires. Worth an hour side trip if you're in the Back Bay / Fenway Area. The Mary Baker library is OK, but I like the Mapparium best.

Sightseeing

574 residents recomanen
Universitat de Harvard
3 Oxford Street
574 residents recomanen
Harvard Yard is on most people's list of "must-see" when in Cambridge. But for us locals it's also a nice place to sit under the trees and take a break from the bustle of Harvard Square"
71 residents recomanen
Harvard Yard
2 Kirkland St
71 residents recomanen
Harvard Yard is on most people's list of "must-see" when in Cambridge. But for us locals it's also a nice place to sit under the trees and take a break from the bustle of Harvard Square"
Excellent museum - visit if you have time!
205 residents recomanen
Museus d'Art de Harvard
32 Quincy St
205 residents recomanen
Excellent museum - visit if you have time!

Getting Around

The T (subway / metro). Trains to Boston take 10 mins and leave every few minutes during the day.
114 residents recomanen
Harvard station
1 Brattle St
114 residents recomanen
The T (subway / metro). Trains to Boston take 10 mins and leave every few minutes during the day.
14 residents recomanen
Hertz
646 Somerville Ave
14 residents recomanen
94 residents recomanen
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
37 Mystic Ave
94 residents recomanen