Restaurant List
Download list in pdf format.All addresses in Cambridge unless otherwise noted. MD = Maxwell Dworkin, the building in which the conference is being held. Dollar signs roughly indicate the price of an entree, as follows.
$: <= $10
$$: $10-$20
$$$: $20-$30
$$$$: > $30
Cafes and Lunch Spots
Some of these places are also good for dinner, but they all share the properties of being near Harvard and relatively quick to get in and out of (if one chooses). Walking times are approximate from MD.Price Range | Name | Address | Phone Number | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
<= 5 minutes walking | ||||
Buckminster's | inside the LISE building (11 Oxford St.) | Harvard cafe that's a very short walk from MD, offering Peet's coffee and some quick breakfast and lunch options. Open 9am-5pm. | ||
Greenhouse Cafe | inside the Science Center (1 Oxford St.) | (617) 496-4790 | Similar to the above, except they brew Starbucks coffee. Open 7am-3pm. | |
5-10 minutes walking | ||||
$-$$ | Cambridge Common | 1667 Mass Ave. | (617) 547-1228 | Restaurant/bar with a standard offering of burgers, sandwiches and pub food, plus a sizeable and frequently changing beer list. Also good for dinner. |
$ | Oxford Spa Cafe | 102 Oxford St. | (617) 661-6988 | Nearby sandwich spot with a cute interior. |
Starbucks | 1662 Mass Ave. | (617) 491-0442 | ||
10-15 minutes walking | ||||
Crema Cafe | 27 Brattle St. | (617) 876-2700 | Cafe with ample seating and an enjoyable ambience; has a small selection of breakfast and lunch options. | |
Peet's Coffee | 100 Mt. Auburn St. | (617) 492-1844 | ||
Simon's Coffee House | 1736 Mass Ave. | (617) 497-7766 | Good cafe that's small but not usually crowded. The Mexican hot chocolate is a treat. | |
$ | Hi-Rise Bread Company | 56 Brattle St. | (617) 492-3003 | Great place for coffee, breads and (slightly pricey) sandwiches with an outdoor patio. |
$ | Darwin's Ltd. | 148 Mount Auburn St. or 1629 Cambridge St. | (617) 354-5233 (617) 491-2999 | Popular sandwich place with both lunch and breakfast options, though many more for lunch; the Cambridge St. location is slightly closer to MD. Also has great coffee. |
$ | Tamarind Bay | 75 Winthrop St. | (617) 491-4552 | Indian restaurant with a popular lunch buffet. Also good for dinner ($$). |
$ | Veggie Planet | 47 Palmer St. | (617) 661-1513 | Several eclectic vegetarian entrees served over your choice of rice or pizza dough. |
$-$$ | Cambridge 1 | 27 Church St. | (617) 576-1111 | Delicious ``gourmet'' pizza; also good for dinner. |
$-$$ | Wagamama | 57 JFK St. | (617) 499-0930 | Japanese noodle bar with a selection of other dishes as well. Also good for dinner. |
$-$$ | Le's | 36 Dunster St. | (617) 864-4100 | Vietnamese restaurant with decent Pho. Also good for dinner. |
$ | Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage | 1246 Mass Ave. | (617) 354-6559 | Some of the best hamburgers to be found around Boston. No-frills atmosphere, and endless combinations of toppings -- many cheekily named after American political figures and current events. |
$ | Seoul Food | 1759 Mass Ave. | (617) 864-6299 | Korean food. Also good for dinner (but they don't have a liquor license). |
$ | Tamarind House | 1790 Mass Ave. | (617) 491-9940 | Thai restaurant (not to be confused with the similarly-named Indian restaurant) with good food in a casual atmosphere. Also good for an inexpensive dinner. |
L.A. Burdick Chocolate Cafe | 52D Brattle St. | (617) 491-4340 | Very popular coffee and dessert shop (don't expect to find a seat). The hot chocolate is amazing, but quite rich -- get a small! | |
15-20 minutes walking | ||||
$-$$ | Blue Fin | 1815 Mass Ave. | (617) 497-8022 | Sushi/Japanese restaurant. Also good for dinner ($$-$$$). |
Dinner
Near Harvard
Walking times are approximate from MD.Price Range | Name | Address | Phone Number | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
<= 10 minutes walking | ||||
$$$-$$$$ | Chez Henri | 1 Shepard St | (617) 354-8980 | Upscale French/Cuban cuisine. Sit at the bar and get the Cuban sandwich for a cheaper option. |
$ | RF O'Sullivans \& Son | 282 Beacon St., Somerville | (617) 491-9638 | Burgers that are a worthy rival to Mr. Bartley's; they only serve 1/2-pound patties -- come hungry. |
10-20 minutes walking | ||||
$-$$ | Border Cafe | 32 Church St. | (617) 864-6100 | Tex-Mex and Cajun food in a lively (sometimes noisy) atmosphere. Not always completely authentic, but still a popular spot. Good for a big group, though it's sometimes crowded; also open for lunch. |
$$$ | Casablanca | 40 Brattle St. | (617) 876-0999 | Hip Mediterranean restaurant with decor themed after the movie. Also offers tapas, and serves a three-course, $35 prix-fixe menu (Sun-Wed only). |
$ | Grendel's Den | 89 Winthrop St. | (617) 491-1050 | Cozy bar/restaurant with a standard selection of American food. All food is half price 5-7:30pm every day and 9-11:30pm Sun-Thu, but only if you eat inside. Also open for lunch. |
$$$-$$$$ | Harvest | 44 Brattle St. | (617) 868-2255 | Thoughtfully prepared ``contemporary New England'' cuisine. |
$-$$ | John Harvard's Brewhouse | 33 Dunster St. | (617) 868-3585 | Lively brewpub serving standard American and (slightly dressed up) pub food; the in-house-brewed beer is a big draw. |
$$$ | Legal Sea Foods | 20 University Rd. | (617) 491-9400 | A Boston institution with at least a dozen locations around town. ``If it isn't fresh, it isn't Legal.'' |
$$ | Dali | 415 Washington St., Somerville | (617) 661-3254 | Basque restaurant (read: tapas) with a fun, vibrant atmosphere. |
20-30 minutes walking | ||||
$$ | Elephant Walk | 2067 Mass Ave. | (617) 492-6900 | Cambodian restaurant that also offers sampling/prix-fixe menus. |
Elsewhere around Cambridge
Price Range | Name | Address | Phone Number | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
$$ | Baraka Cafe | 80 Pearl St. | (617) 868-3951 | Tiny north African restaurant tucked into a residential side street just outside of Central Square. |
$-$$ | Cantina La Mexicana | 247 Washington St., Somerville | (617) 776-5232 | For those visiting from the west coast, this may be your best chance of finding satisfying Mexican food. |
$$$ | Central Kitchen | 567 Mass Ave. | (617) 491-5599 | Pricey but worthwhile new American cuisine in an intimate atmosphere. |
$$-$$$ | East Coast Grill and Raw Bar | 1269 Cambridge St. | (617) 491-6568 | Seafood and southern-style BBQ. |
$$ | The Friendly Toast | 1 Kendall Square | (617) 621-1200 | If you're craving breakfast at 10pm, this is your spot. Stays open until at least midnight Tue-Sun. |
$$ | The Helmand | 143 First St. | (617) 492-4646 | Excellent Afghan restaurant near MIT. Eating here and not trying the pumpkin would be criminal (though it is quite sweet). Reservations recommended. |
$ | Mary Chung | 460 Mass Ave. | (617) 864-1991 | One of the better Chinese places around Central Square. |
$$$ | Oleana | 134 Hampshire St. | (617) 661-0505 | Turkish restaurant with a small selection of entrees and a large selection of appetizers (meze). |
Outside of Cambridge
Price Range | Name | Address | Phone Number | Description | Nearest T stop |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
$$ | Addis Red Sea | 544 Tremont St., Boston | (617) 426-8727 | Tasty Ethiopian food in the hip South End neighborhood | Back Bay (orange line) |
$$ | Giacomo's | 355 Hanover St., Boston | (617) 523-9026 | One of many good Italian restaurants in the North End. | Haymarket (orange line) |
$$$ | Lala Rokh | 97 Mt. Vernon St., Boston | (617) 720-5511 | ``Home-style'' Persian cuisine in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. | Charles/MGH (red line) |
$$$$ | O Ya | 9 East St., Boston | (617) 654-9900 | Husband-and-wife-run Japanese restaurant which should satisfy even the most hard-core foodie. Named ``\#1 restaurant in America'' by the NY Times when it opened in 2008. Expect to spend a lot. Reservations recommended. | South Station (red line) |
$$ | Red Bones | 55 Chester St., Somerville | (617) 628-2200 | Authentic southern-style BBQ and ``soul food'' served alongside a worthy beer list. Can get very crowded. | Davis Square (red line) |
$$ | Zaftigs | 335 Harvard St., Brookline | (617) 975-0075 | Popular Jewish-style delicatessen serving all the favorites and breakfast all day. | Coolidge Corner (C green line) |
Dessert
Name | Address | Phone Number | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Toscanini's | 899 Main St. | (617) 491-5877 | Two excellent ice cream shops. Toscanini's proudly notes that it was named ``best ice cream in the world'' by the NY Times, but reasonable people can differ on which they prefer. |
Christina's | 1255 Cambridge St. | (617) 492-7021 | |
Finale | 30 Dunster St. | (617) 441-9797 | Fancy ``desserterie'' with two other locations around Boston. |
Mike's Pastry | 300 Hanover St., Boston | (617) 742-3050 | By far, the two most popular places to get cannoli in the North End. Take the T to Haymarket (on the orange line). |
Modern Pastry | 257 Hanover St., Boston | (617) 523-3783 | |
L.A. Burdick Chocolate Cafe | 52D Brattle St. | (617) 491-4340 | (repeat from Cafes) |