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The Beginner’s Guide to Harvard Square (Food Edition)
Now, Sproutlings, we know that Annenberg seems pretty cool right now (MOM it’s just like being in Harry Potter!), but trust us, you will get tired of it soon enough. There will come a time when even Ivyfed’s clever coping strategies » cannot stave off your hunger for food that is slightly less mass produced—when you will trample your best friend in an attempt to secure the last of the Honey Dijon Mustard salad dressing on popcorn chicken day and stop to think, “What am I fighting for?”
And in preparation for that day, Ivyfed presents The Beginner’s Guide to Harvard Square, a carefully curated compendium of the gems, both hidden and glaringly obvious, of Harvard Square cuisine. We don’t want to overwhelm you with information (this is, after all, the beginner’s guide), so we have restrained ourselves to shortlisting eateries in four finger-lickin good categories:
July 17th, 2012 | by jym | Filed in burritos, Cheap Eats, Dinner, Lunch
One Brattle Street
(617) 491-0677
Mon-Sun: 11am-10pm
There’s a lot of burrito places in Harvard Square, but Chipotle is just better. Qdoba? Wishes it was Chipotle. Felipe’s? Only in business because it stays open late. Boloco? Is “healthy” reallly what anyone wants out of their burrito? Chipotle has the worst location hands down, which is probably why it isn’t trampling its competitors, but on a nice day, it’s more than worth the walk. In freezing February sleet? Forget about it. $6-10.
July 17th, 2012 | by jym | Filed in Cheap Eats, Lunch, Sandwiches
Holyoke Center 1st Floor
1350 Massachusetts Ave.
(617) 441-9100
Mon-Sat: 11am-10pm
Sun: 11am-8pm
Al’s is easily the best deal in Harvard square. All sub sandwiches, hot and cold, are $6 for a ten inch and $8 for fourteen. $7.50 gets you a small sub, drink, and bag of chips. There’s more to love about Al’s than the price, however. While the fare isn’t exactly gourmet, the ingredients are fresh and the bread has a satisfying crunch to it. Recommended: the Harvard Square Cafe Special and (for veggies) the Lady Cafe Special.
July 17th, 2012 | by jym | Filed in Dessert, ice cream, Snacks, sweets
1312 Mass Ave.
(617) 492 – 1001
Monday-Friday 6am – midnight
Saturday-Sunday 8am – midnight
We’re gonna come out and say it: J.P. Licks is a chain. Phew. (If you don’t understand why this is a big deal, just wait a few months). J.P. Licks is a Boston chain of “Homemade Ice Cream Cafes,” which is a fancy way of saying that it serves ice cream and coffee. Ice cream, however, is its true strength, and J.P. Licks never fails to serve up a variety of delicious and creative flavors, for example, Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and El Diablo, a cinnamon/chocolate/cayenne pepper confection. Also yummy: anything with Oreo in the name. Most everything is $3-4.
September 17th, 2011 | by staff | Filed in Dessert, Dinner, French, Lunch, Tarte flambée, Treats
8 Holyoke St.
(617) 497-5300
Mon-Thu: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Fri: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 10:30pm
Sat: 5:30pm – 10:30pm
Sun: 5:30pm – 9:30pm
No restaurant in the Square invokes as much jealousy, awe, inspiration, or sneaky drooling as Sandrine’s, a French bistro on Holyoke that you pass on your way to lunch or to class. With its windows thrown wide open when the weather is good — which luckily isn’t all that often — Sandrine’s is the ultimate treat-yourself restaurant, and hands-down has the best food with such proximity to the Yard. (Whew. It had to be said.) Now, what do you eat there?
Read the rest of this entry »
September 17th, 2011 | by staff | Filed in Breakfast, Cheap Eats, coffee, Dinner, Lunch, Sandwiches, Tea, Vegetarian
7 Holyoke St.
Mon-Sun: 7am – 10pm
Clover is a vegetarian fast-food joint–the storefront incarnation of the popular food truck of the same name. The store attracts a lot of flannel and irony, but if you’re looking for something quick and relatively healthy, it’s worth risking some tortoiseshelled judgement. The menu changes with the seasons (that’s something that happens a lot in Cambridge)–the falafel and the egg and eggplant are reliable crowd-pleasers, as are the rosemary fries. Oh, and if you’re lucky enough to be there when they’re making whoopee pies, grab one. Or two. Or three. $5-8. Read the rest of this entry »
September 16th, 2011 | by staff | Filed in coffee, Dessert, hot chocolate, Snacks, Tea
52-D Brattle St.
(617) 491-4340
Mon-Thurs: 8am – 9pm
Fri-Sat: 8am – 10pm
Sun: 9am – 9pm
You may not believe us now, but winter is coming (Game of Thrones, anyone?), and when it clasps its icy talons over the city of Cambridge, expect to shiver til April. There is, however, one glimmer of hope on the horizon: L. A. Burdick’s hot chocolate. As butterbeer is to Hogwarts, so is Burdick’s hot chocolate to Harvard. This is not the weak Swiss Miss of your microwave days, but rather a molten cup of decadent chocolate goodness. Be warned: if your ideal chocolate has the cocoa content of a Hershey’s Kiss, stick with the white chocolate; the milk and dark hot chocolate will be too strong for you. Burdick also carries a selection of coffee, tea, fine handmade chocolates, and desserts–particularly famous are their chocolate mice. Drinks are $4-5, desserts start around $4. Read the rest of this entry »
September 16th, 2011 | by staff | Filed in Dinner, Spanish, tapas, Treats
415 Washington Street, Somerville, MA
(617) 661-3254
Mon-Sun: 5:30pm – 11pm
Dali is a Spanish Tapas restaurant that…confession: isn’t actually in Harvard Square (but it’s so good that we couldn’t resist putting it on our list!). The ambiance is truly kooky, and yet oddly romantic…think of it as the lovechild of Salvador Dali and an antiques shop…and the food, well, the food is great. For those of you who don’t know, tapas=small plates=sharing appetizer-sized portions of a variety of dishes with your friends/family while getting tipsy on sangria (it’s apparently legendary). Recommended: Queso Rebozado con Miel (fried spanish cheese with honey and sweet onion) and Alcachofas Rellenas (mushroom-stuffed artichokes). Steer clear of the Tortilla Espanola and Paella- not worth the money. Tapas are $5-12 per plate, with most in the $7-9 range. Expect to order at minimum 2 plates per person. Read the rest of this entry »
September 8th, 2011 | by staff | Filed in Cheap Eats, Dinner, Late night, Lunch, Pizza
1432 Massachusetts Ave.
(617) 499-3352
Mon-Thu, Sun: 10:30am – 1am
Fri-Sat: 10:30am – 2am
Otto is the first newcomer late-night pizza joint to give Noch’s a serious run for its money. If Noch’s is the common man’s pizza, Otto is its bourgeois younger brother, serving up thin and crispy slices of pizza with exotic flavor combos: think butternut squash, ricotta and cranberry, or pulled pork and mango. But the traditional thin crust (heavenly) and the high-tech savory slices will please even the most fanatic pizza purist. Slices run at $3 each; the location is better for Yardlings, or for a lunch on the go if you’re walking to the Quad, but probably won’t draw the casual River-dweller. The mashed potato, bacon, and scallion is an instant crowd-pleaser, but if you’re feeling more traditional try the tomato basil or sausage onion. Noch’s is inhaled by the slice; Otto’s is best savored on their outdoor wooden benches, where you can do some quality people-watching while downing pizza. Read the rest of this entry »
September 6th, 2011 | by staff | Filed in Dinner, Lunch, Sandwiches
1350 Massachusetts Ave.
Holyoke Center
(617) 441-9100
Mon-Sat: 10am – 9pm
Sun: 11am – 8pm
Al’s is easily the best deal in Harvard square. All sub sandwiches, hot and cold, are $5 for a ten inch and $7.50 for fourteen. $6.75 gets you a small sub, drink, and bag of chips. There’s more to love about Al’s than the price, however. While the fare isn’t exactly gourmet, the ingredients are fresh and the bread has a satisfying crunch to it. Recommended: the Harvard Square Cafe Special and (for veggies) the Lady Cafe Special. Read the rest of this entry »
September 6th, 2011 | by staff | Filed in Dinner, Indian, Lunch, Spicy, Vegetarian
36 JFK St.
The Garage
(617) 491-2545
Mon-Sun: 11am – 12am
Chutney’s is a relative newcomer to the Garage, but it’s starting to build a following due to its winning combination of decent grub and low prices. The concept is basically an Indian burrito–Chicken Tikka wrapped up in naan with your choice of chutney (hence the name)–and it works well as a meal on the go. Prices range from $4.50-7 depending on your choice of meat (or no meat). Read the rest of this entry »
