The top dining destinations in Cambridge aren’t clustered around Harvard Square alone. They’re scattered across this historic city. For innovative New England tasting menus and craft cocktails, you’re headed to Kendall Square. Over in Inman Square, you’ll find cozy neighborhood bistros serving perfect pasta and natural wines. Whether it’s farm-to-table fare, authentic global cuisine, or late-night bites you crave, these are the places to book.
Johnny’s Luncheonette
$ | (617) 527-3223 | WEBSITE
Johnny’s Luncheonette is a Cambridge breakfast and lunch classic. A meal here starts with a warm welcome and a quick glance at the daily specials board. The Jordan Marsh breakfast is plated beautifully—the grilled muffins and fresh fruit are arranged thoughtfully instead of the usual home fries. However, the BLT might be the best thing here: a mountain of crispy bacon and ripe tomatoes crowned with generous slices of toasted bread.
The special full stack of pumpkin pancakes, topped with maple whipped cream and spiced walnuts, arrives decadently—each bite is a perfect balance of fluffy texture and autumnal spice. While some dishes could use a touch more seasoning, the overall experience remains solid, with friendly servers checking in regularly and the cozy, sunlit dining room humming with neighborhood chatter.
At around $15 per entrée, it’s fairly priced for the area, making it a reliable spot for a leisurely weekend brunch or a quick weekday lunch.
Arams #2 House of Pizza
$ | (617) 354-5154 | WEBSITE
New London style pizza is a thing of beauty. It may look simple, but the combination of slightly greasy dough with quality toppings can’t be beat. Aram’s #2 House of Pizza in Cambridge does great versions while keeping things traditional and welcoming. This place sticks to their classic recipes in favor of truly satisfying pizza. Stick to the recommendations here, like their mushroom and hamburger pizza.
This place makes the best Greek style pizza in Cambridge, and the fresh baked dough that holds everything together is so good.
Life Alive Organic Cafe Harvard Square
$ | (857) 320-2896 | WEBSITE
Life Alive Organic Cafe is a Harvard Square destination that makes healthy eating the way a master chef prepares a signature dish: effortlessly. If you come here and don’t try at least one of their warm bowls, you have missed the point. The Autumn Falafel bowl comes with perfectly spiced chickpea fritters, roasted vegetables, and a tahini sauce that brings everything together. So order that, please.
But also don’t overlook other good things here, like their Green Goddess bowl or the miso tofu ramen that warms you from the inside out.
Sally’s Sandwiches Harvard Square
$ | (857) 449-0443 | WEBSITE
Sally’s Sandwiches Harvard Square is a delightful Cambridge surprise. It looks like a simple sandwich shop, but the menu has a small but mighty selection of options. The choices include vegetarian picks and tasty sandwiches—and The Gobbler is our favorite.
While some aspects of the service may be lacking here, you’ll also find fresh and moist ingredients that are described as “delicious” and “legit.” This place is one of the only affordable options in the area, and it’s a perfect pre- or post-class lunch, or a refreshing option if Harvard Square has depleted your tolerance for mediocre, overpriced food.
Cambridge Deli & Grill
$ | (617) 868-6740 | WEBSITE
This Cambridge spot dishes out generous portions of classic deli favorites at highly reasonable prices. Even on a busy weekday lunch hour, the counter fills with regulars eager to dig into their steak and cheese sandwiches, club sandwiches, and plates of fall-off-the-bone ribs. Our favorite meals are the burger plates. Instead of just a burger, they serve you a toasty-bun burger with fries, onion rings, and your choice of sauce. It’s all delicious and enough food for a construction crew.
If the mood strikes, take your leftovers to one of the wooden booths and continue your meal surrounded by great photos of the old neighborhood.
All Star Sandwich Bar
$ | (617) 868-3065 | WEBSITE
The next time an unprompted craving for a perfectly stacked sandwich and crispy fries pops into your head, go here. All Star Sandwich Bar is a compact sandwich counter in Cambridge that makes excellent panini, pastrami, and beefburgers. Since the place is primarily counter seating, everyone gets a view of the staff assembling generous sandwiches with the kind of speed you see from a short-order cook during lunch rush.
Even though the team prepares food efficiently, they’re doing it with genuine attention. So when this spot gets busy (it often does), be prepared to linger a bit and soak in the classic rock tunes playing overhead.
Koreana
$$ | (617) 576-8661 | WEBSITE
Koreana is a Korean restaurant, which means you can share a generous spread of ban-chan or grill some LA galbi before diving into a bowl of naengmyeon. It ticks all the right Korean restaurant boxes with friendly service, a big selection of traditional dishes, plenty of sides, and very tasty BBQ options. The restaurant has those classic Korean touches like lettuce wraps for the BBQ and thick seafood pancakes.
But the best thing to order is the beef dumplings, which come as part of a meal with ban-chan, a main, and sauces. And in case you forgot what kind of Korean restaurant this is, it’s served in a neat and tidy space with a simple outlook.
Orale Mexican Grill
$ | (617) 945-2047 | WEBSITE
Carnitas burritos are Orale Mexican Grill’s specialty. Heaping portions are plated on most of the tables at this casual Cambridge Mexican spot (which also has a location in Boston). The burrito—available in regular or large size—comes with rice and beans (we like the pinto beans and cilantro-lime rice) and some salsa verde for drizzling. While burritos are the main reason to come here, they also make good Al pastor tacos if you want to have a varied spread of Mexican food on the table.
Indo Yums Cambridge
$$ | (617) 441-5566 | WEBSITE
While there aren’t many Indian restaurants in Cambridge that hit all the right notes, Indo Yums Cambridge fills the void. This is perhaps the only spot in all of Cambridge where you can consistently find masala dosas, the beloved South Indian crepe that is said to be the model for a perfectly balanced meal: crispy on the outside with a savory potato filling inside. And Indo Yums puts that dosa to good use by crafting their own set dinners, including a really great cauliflower manchurian.
Catalyst Restaurant
$$$ | (617) 576-3000 | WEBSITE
It’s pretty impressive what Catalyst Restaurant is doing with a space designed for the tech crowd. The beautifully designed dining spot in Technology Square is serving the kind of experience we usually expect from an upscale, special-occasion destination: exceptional asparagus soup, a delightful lamb burger, and a buffet with tea sandwiches that we’re officially declaring a Cambridge treasure.
It’s a great luxurious brunch, but if you only have time for something quick, you should still pop in for that lamb burger. It’s served with charming, personalized attention and is the greatest tech-square meal we’ve found in Cambridge.
Zuzu’s Petals
$$ | (617) 945-7749 | WEBSITE
Cambridge has plenty of dessert spots and wine bars, but Zuzu’s Petals (which offers a great weekend experience with life-changing creme brulee) is unlike any of them. Most of the memorable moments look something like this: a delicate dessert is accentuated by a flavor or ingredient that consists of several words you didn’t see coming. The highlights of the visit are usually some sort of riff on a classic that might be rich, tart, and sweet all at once.
We’ve only come close to experiencing desserts like this at the previous version of Zuzu’s, a charming place that set Cambridge’s standard of tiramisu unrealistically high. The reasons to visit this version of Zuzu’s are mostly the same: because no one else makes desserts like this.