Restaurants near Harvard Square

"I had no idea there was a vast cavern beneath Harvard Square! The food was quite good--especially the steak. The duck was wonderfully crispy, but I'm getting lazy about bones in my old age, alas. I do have to say it was incredibly loud, and the table set-ups put you far away from the other person if there's just two of you, so it's quite difficult to have a conversation on a Friday night. But if you want to spend most of your dinner/date checking your iPhone, like most people these days, you should have no problem."See more

"A friend invited me to the Beat Hotel as a the location for our weekly catch up. At first, I thought it was a 'hotel', which it is not, but rather a hidden gem in the heart of Harvard Square. The ambiance was unique and inviting. I like the way the restaurant had various segments for guests to enjoy based on what they were looking for that evening. The nightly live jazz is a treat and the group our night was fantastic! The music was not too loud and the breaks were well spaced. The various bar sections and the 'group pit' in the middle of the bar was cool. We could have easily sat at one of the bars and had an equally as enjoyable evening. Also, the layout is in such a way that one can always see the stage from where one sits. Candidly, I loved the Aztec Bowl, but was not a fan of the salmon topping. It was a tad undercooked and thus, I did not finish it. I think chicken or shrimp would have been better with the other pieces of the bowl, which were beans, quinoa and other healthy, but tasty treats. The grilled octopus was also a unique find. Typically, I am a fan of this dish, but this serving had a new sauce tht it was a marinated in and left me wanting the calamari. The guests this evening ranged from business professionals to graduate students to locals and all of various age ranges. The Beat Hotel is the sister restarant to teh Beehive in the South End, which is another find wiht a good brunch."See more

"Table was too small for two people’s dinner. The lobster was very good, but the sea food pasta was just ordinary."See more

"This is a great find in Harvard Square. The roof deck is awesome, very well decorated with a modern feel. We made reservations but were not able to make reservations for the roof deck. Once we got there the hostess said the wait for the roof deck was an hour and a half, but there is a bar on the roof deck we can get drinks at and wait for a table up there. That's what we did and the wait was only about 45 mins. It is definitely worth the wait. For an app we got the chips and dip and it was delicious! The chips were homemade and still warm. For our meals, I got the veggie burger and my fiance got the duck tacos. I LOVED my veggie burger but my fiance didn't love his tacos... overall though its a great place to go on a beautiful day!"See more

"My husband and I ate at Alden and Harlow earlier this week and thoroughly enjoyed the experience (other than the traffic getting to Harvard Square!) Our server was wonderful -- very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the menu, attentive, and all-around a very pleasant guy. The food was fantastic. This is definitely a place for foodies -- lots of interesting dishes that you've probably never tried before. We ordered 6 things (which was probably at least one too many!): a snack (beef kofta), two vegetables (a kale salad and broccoli with a butternut squash hummus), and three meat/fish dishes (seared coppa, a whole grilled mackarel, and a new york strip). Days later, I'm still dreaming about that broccoli -- hard to imagine that broccoli could be special, but this really was outstanding! Of the six dishes, the coppa was the only one that we felt wasn't absolutely delicious. It was a bit overcooked and dry. In hindsight, I'm sure that the restaurant would have gladly prepared us a new one if we had pointed it out , but we didn't think of it at the time. For two very good cocktails and the six food dishes, our whole meal came to about $110. For the quality of food, and the amount of food we ordered, we thought this was a very good value. The serving sizes, while not giant, were quite hardy. If we were to go again (which I hope we do), we would probably order just one snack, one vegetable and two meat dishes and be perfectly satisfied. I highly recommend this restaurant."See more

"This centrally located dining spot in Harvard Square has been transformed from its prior 90's splendor into a really lovely room fit for the current century. The menu was interesting throughout making choosing a pleasant challenge. The food largely lived up to the elegant descriptions and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Overall, a welcome addition to the dining options in Harvard Square. I'll definitely be back."See more

"It's become a tradition for us to go to Red House when we have tickets to the A.R.T. It never fails to be part of a wonderful outing. Love their oysters, which, if you come at the right time, are only $1 each. The entire building is indeed a small red house in a charming old colonial style, and eating in any of its areas is delightful. The dining room is intimate and attractive, the bar area is fun and lively, and eating outside when the weather permits is delightful. The service is always good and the food delicious. We often get a half pasta to go with our oysters and it is plenty --- along with their tasty breads. And the price for all this is fair and reasonable. A little gem in Harvard Square."See more

"Came here with my roommate for Restaurant week brunch. Great little spot right in Harvard Square. We choose to sit outside. Harvest has a cute little enclosed yard that you would never expect is situated right in the middle of Harvard. It's very well decorated and sunny spot, I expect it would be very romantic to come back at night. The brunch menu has a normal 3 course brunch which includes a starter, entrée, and dessert for $35. As it was restaurant week we got a 3 course brunch for $25, great deal! I ordered the apple fritters, which turned out to be a huge appetizer, and eggs benedict for my main. The hollandaise sauce was excellent and the meal came with fried potatoes and a little salad. I was stuffed by the end of the first two courses and had to take my dessert to go. Overall great value for restaurant week price. I'd definitely go back for dinner sometime."See more

"Toscano Harvard Square is normally one of our favorite restaurants. The service is very professional, and the atmosphere is nice. My favorite appetizer is the baked eggplant. It is warm and tasty, and it does not have any breadcrumbs which is great! My husband ordered gnocchi for his appetizer, and he really enjoyed it. He ordered sautéed softshell crabs for his meal, and we decided to split them so we each got one. The big disappointment of the evening, however, was the veal chop that I ordered. It was stuffed with prosciutto and cheese, but it was not a rib chop. It was a loin chop. It came extremely undercooked, and I had to send it back. Then, it was tough. I ended up spitting most of it out on my plate. They took it off the bill."See more