Cambridge has much to offer in terms of local & international fare. These establishments serve a bustling city hub bordering Boston & Somerville with guests ranging from educators from the top academic institutions in the world as well as a recent wave of pharmaceutical and bio-tech giants emerging with tastes as diverse as from tackling the worlds most daunting challenges, to local, grass fed humane beef raised on Central Massachusetts farms, to fire-grilled fine Japanese-Peruvian fare. These restaurants satisfy all the newest cravings & tastes. So what are the best restaurants in Cambridge?
Harvest
Address: 44 Brattle St., Cambridge, Ma 0213
Website: www.harvestcambridge.com/
Food type: Modern New England
Chef Tyler Kinnet’s Harvest has been open for over 40 years tucked away along a cobble stone path on Brattle St. in Historic Harvard Square. With a strong focus on modern New England cuisine, the open kitchen serves up finely sourced & crafted charcuterie boards & cheeses as well as a large dinner menu which centerpiece is an elegant twist on a hearty New England classic: The New York Strip Sirloin served with fiddleheads & Nettle Whipped Potato’s. Amenable to veggie-lovers & cocktail connoisseurs alike, with a focus on sustainable local ingredients & top-notch hospitality, Harvest is now the go-to for tourists & native Cantabridgians.
Oleana
Address: 134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, Ma 02139
Website: www.oleanarestaurant.com
Food type: Modern Eastern Mediterranean
Oleana is that special type of restaurant that occurs once, maybe twice in a city-scape (fortunately their sister restaurant, Sarma in Somerville, is just as good). Exectuive Chef Ana Sortun along with her female led kitchen and restaurant leadership plate Eastern Mediterranean fare with a modern twist. Established in 2001 on Hampshire street between Central Square & Kendall Square the philosophy of this restaurant is to take sustainable local ingredients & combine them with a celebration of Turkish flavors beautifully presented into a diverse assortment of small plates & dining adventures.
Loyal Nine
Address: 660 Cambridge St., Cambridge, Ma 02141
Website: www.loyalninecambridge.com
Food type: Colonial Revival
Named after a secret revolutionary group during the colonial era, Loyal Nine stakes its claim as ‘East Coast Revival’ & pays homage to the colonial era dining experience. To distinguish Loyal Nine from others on this list, the restaurant also has a full café & patio serving coffee and tea all day. At night, the open kitchen heats up, Martini shakers echo in time with the contemporary alternative soundtrack & oysters are shucked non-stop from the raw bar paired with favorites like Blood Sausage with Radish Noodles or Smoked Flute Tartare. Can’t make it here for dinner? Their brunch menu on Sunday mornings or their lunch & café menu’s are not to be missed either.
Pagu
Address: 310 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, Ma 02139
Website: www.gopagu.com
Food type:Japanese- Peruvian Fusion
Pagu leads the way in what a restaurant can be. With a focus on community & collaboration this Japanese – meets- Peruvian inspired take on modern food stands on Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square close to the MIT campus. On the bottom floor of Takeda labs, this specious gem specializes in meticulously prepared small plates & tapas that staples fine international cuisine in the Central Square Cultural District. With firey cocktails & friendly staff, Tracy Chang’s Pagu is destined to make your stay in Cambridge memorable.
Little Donkey
Address: 505 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, Ma 02139
Website: www.littledonkeybos.com
Food type:Modern Global
Looking for fine dining with attitude? Chefs Ken Oringer & Jamie Bissonnette opened Little Donkey in 2016 with 90 seats, an open kitchen & a desire to do cook whatever they wanted to cook, whenever they wanted to. James Beard Awards & a dedicated staff help continue to make their vision of global inspired small plates a reality. Everything from Mahi Mahi Nachos to Pizza Bagel Charcuterie, to Manti (Istanbul meat ravioli) or Parisian gnocchi is served with class & a smile. The only attitude you’ll find here is in the bold, hand-prepared creations of some of Cambridge’s finest chefs.
Evoo
Address:350 Third St., Cambridge, Ma 02142
Website: www.evoorestaurant.com
Food type:Local New American
Complete with a rooftop garden, Evoo is one of Cambridge’s most refined & eco-minded dining choices. Chef owned & run since 1998, Evoo’s take on New American cuisine comes packed with a daring global punch. Head chef Peter McCarthy keeps the seats full with customers coming back from all over the world with food hand selected & delivered from local farms (sometimes by bike) to this spacious & minimal restaurant in the heart of Kendall square near hotels, shopping centers, cinemas, all a short train ride away from downtown Boston.
Parsnip
Address:65 J.F.K. St., Cambridge, Ma 02138
Website: www.parsniprestaurant.com
Food type:Global New American
Opening their doors in late 2015 in a historic building in Harvard Square, Parsnip has their eye to attract Harvard elites, finicky foodies & global tourists with their preparation of ‘globally-inspired, ingredient driven New American Cuisine’. Executive Chef James Salomone puts food first. With standout selections in the Spring Seasonal Menu like Pan Seared Rohan Duck & Eggplant Agedashi, Parsnip caters to all tastes & food cravings in any season. The atmosphere, like the cocktails, is elegant yet never bland, risk taking without corners cut & perfectly compliments the inspired, hand crafted menu.
Bondir
Address:279 Broadway, Cambridge, Ma 02139
Website: www.bondircambridge.com
Food type:New American
With just 28 seats, Jason Bond of Bondir has managed to craft a uniquely ‘Cambridge’ cuisine since the fireplace salon was first lit for guests in November 2010. While dinner is only served Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm-10pm, the exclusive feel of this can’t-miss dining spot near the Central Square train station makes this the restaurant I’d go to celebrate a special occasion or to cap a food-vacation worth remembering.
Craigie on Main
Address:853 Main St., Cambridge, Ma 02139
Website: www.craigieonmain.com
Food type: Rustic New England
Craigie on Main can supply that home-oriented feel with a barrage of small plates & hearty dinner specials with the feel of home-cooking but with the taste of a four star restaurant. With a focus on seasons & rustic, farm to table ingredients, Chef Tony Maws (voted one of Boston’s best chefs) has been proudly hand-crafting dishes under this name & location since 2008.
Beat Brasserie
Address: 13 Brattle St., Cambridge, Ma 02138
Website: www.beatbrasserie.com/
Food type: Rustic American
Perhaps Beat Brasserie may be the black sheep of the Cambridge Fine Dining world, which makes it all the more special to experience how creative James Lynon’s dishes & team can make a dining experience that much more memorable. To the bohemian feel, the wine on tap & the regularly changing menu, Beat Brasserie is always surprising, but never distracts from the global inspired cuisine suitable for all diets and cravings. Located right near across the street from Harvard Yard, I keep coming back for Hummus Masabacha & The Beat Cheeseburger.