17 Best Restaurants in Harvard Square, Boston

With exposed-brick walls and soft lighting, the heart and soul of this charming Italian restaurant is its communal pasta table at which chef Michael Pagliarini spends hours hand-rolling superlative pastas for dishes like buckwheat pizzoccheri and pasta alla Bolognese. Plates such as house-made lamb sausage, monkfish piccata, warm semolina cakes, grilled barramundi, and Sardinian flatbread are original, generous, and, of course delicious. Known for its romantic nature, it's the perfect place for lovers to linger over a chocolate terrine and cappuccino.

Once a favorite of former Cambridge resident Julia Child, this sophisticated shrine to New England cuisine has been a perennial go-to spot for Harvard students when their parents are in town since 1975. The seasonal menu could feature Cape scallop crudo, fresh pasta with braised veal and pesto, or fresh Cape lobster with lemon hollandaise. The restaurant also serves lunch and à la carte brunch (cinnamon buns on the pastry board are worth the visit alone). In addition to the elegant dining room there's a lush outdoor patio (with fans as well as blankets and an outdoor fire place to accommodate any season).

Don't miss this red clapboard, Pan–Latin American restaurant located down an alleyway in Harvard Square. Owner Andres Branger's dream to bring bountiful plates of super-fresh family fare from his home country of Venezuela to Cambridge (as well as Brookline Village and the South End) rewards diners with delectable, palm-size arepas (crispy, hot, corn-flour pockets stuffed with beans, cheese, chicken, or pork), pabellon criollo (moist shredded beef with stewed beans, rice, and plantains), and red chili adobo–marinated, charred pollo (chicken). Empanadas, hearty salads, and stuffed French-bread sandwiches at lunch, along with a small selection of wine and beer, round out the very affordable menu at this casual eatery. When weather permits, ask for a seat on the back patio, a quiet flower-and-fountain-filled oasis that makes the rest of the world feel very far away.

This boisterous subterranean restaurant with a 30-seat bar and industrial-chic design specializes in rustic, seasonal snacks and small plates layered with flavor. Whether it's brunch or dinner, start with an expertly made cocktail before you dig into a menu that includes little dishes like seared bluefin crudo, chicken-fried local rabbit, and sweet corn pancakes. Desserts are limited, but brunch is hearty with options like New York strip steak and eggs Benedict and pickled corn biscuit and gravy with Thai sausage. For a quieter spot best for easy conversing, ask for a table in the Greenhouse, a small space to the right of the entrance with a foliage-filled wall.

Two postdoctoral-fellowship students founded this tasty oasis that serves superlative soft frozen yogurt made from milk, cane sugar, fresh fruit, and other natural ingredients. The shop has featured well over 150 frozen yogurt flavors like rose, chocolate coconut, passion fruit, and green tea, and dedicated staff bakers create many of the homemade toppings, including the cheesecake chunks, chewy mochi bits, brownie bites, and honey-nut granola.

This snug, more than 70–year-old shop (family-owned and -operated up until a few years ago) in Harvard Square purveys exotic imports, including cheeses, chocolates, British biscuits, jams, olive oils, and mustards, along with sandwiches, cheeses, and charcuterie to go. You'll also find a generous assortment of champagnes and domestic caviar, fine wines, and assorted beers.

Cafés abound on Brattle Street, but Felipe's is a good bet for fresh ingredients and authentic recipes that build out a quick hit menu of Mexican grab-and-go dishes. Start off with their queso fundido or guac, then fill up on heaping Super Burritos, Baja-style tacos, and chimichangas. Finish off with flan or rice pudding.

Located in the Charles Hotel, this cheerful, country-style restaurant is named after chef-owner Peter Davis's pet pig, Henrietta. Davis is passionate about working with small area growers and purveyors, as well as harvesting veggies and honey from the restaurant's rooftop garden and hives, which is evident in his fresh, honest, wholesome, New England–style dishes like juicy Yankee pot roast, Pig Under a Brick, Ritz-crusted scrod, and creamy Maine crab-corn chowder. He occasionally even offers that old Yankee standby for dessert, Boston cream pie, but his signature chocolate bread pudding with caramelized rum bananas and vanilla bean ice cream is always available.  Grab a seat at the U-shape bar (next to the photo of Henrietta with Pres. Bill Clinton) to enjoy a preprandial coffee, cocktail, or zero-proof refreshment, or head outside in spring or summer to dine al fresco in the large outdoor patio.

This charming artisanal chocolatier is a staple for locals and tourists alike, who come for its famously adorable signature chocolate mice, chocolate bonbons, and chocolate bars. The elegant, life-changing hot cocoa may be just the thing to restore flagging spirits or weary feet with variations on the classic milk chocolate, including dark, spicy, and white. Served in giant cup and saucer (or a to-go cup if needed), the drink is dusted with cocoa powder and a dollop of cream.  Take a few bags of drinking chocolate home with you for DIY treats.

The Vietnamese noodle soup pho is the name of the game in this quick and casual eatery (it's set inside The Garage, a small mall in Harvard Square); at $11, it's a meal unto itself with chicken, shrimp, or beef, steaming hot in a big bowl. Fresh salads, rice plates, steamed vermicelli, seafood entrees, and stir-fries are offered, as well as crispy spring rolls, summer rolls, and Chinese chicken wings. It's all notably fresh fare, and, even better, it's healthy, without gloppy sauces, and many of the dishes are steamed. Those approaching from JFK Street can access the restaurant through the main Garage entrance; just head all the way through toward the Dunster Street side at the back.

Barely bigger than a shoebox, this Harvard Square take-out parlor offers more than 50 fabulous flavor options like orange-pineapple and Charles River Crunch (a dark-chocolate ice cream with almond toffee nuggets), along with a small selection of frozen yogurts, "lite" ice creams, and sorbet, plus soda fountain favorites, including frappes and sundaes. Adult-only flavors include Bailey's and Rum Raisin, and for those looking for just "a tiny taste," the minicone, topped with a golf ball–size scoop, hits the spot.

It may be perfect cuisine for the student metabolism: a huge variety of variously garnished thick burgers with sassy names (many of them after celebrities, like the Marcus Smart, the POTUS Biden, or the Megan Thee Stallion), deliciously crispy regular and sweet-potato fries, award-winning onion rings, and toppings like an egg or mac and cheese. There's also a competent veggie burger, along with comforting dinner fare like baked meat loaf, fried chicken, and franks and beans. Soda fountain favorites include thick frappes in funky flavors (try the popular Elvis with chocolate, Reese's, and banana topped with bacon) and the nonalcoholic "raspberry lime rickey," made with fresh limes, raspberry juice, sweetener, and soda water. Tiny tables in a crowded space make eavesdropping unavoidable at this Harvard Square institution. During busy times employees sometimes hand out menus and take orders outside on the sidewalk.

The seasonally inspired menu at this New American tavern brings American classics to the table, featuring signatures like the R. House burger (with cheddar, bacon, and caramelized onions on an English muffin), a selection of tavern pizzas, and steak frites. Small plates on the Tavern Menu (available from 3 pm to 4 pm) like Harvard Square fries, street corn, and confit chicken wings are perfect for sharing, while dinner entrées like fish & chips, duck breast, and smoked brisket sandwich are so good you'll want to keep them to yourself. To complement the menu,there's an interesting collection of all-American wines, including two regionals on tap, and a locally driven craft beer selection. The cocktail menu strikes a balance between familiar classics and modern hand-crafted recipes using only fresh juices, homemade syrups, and infusions. Enjoy the intimate outdoor seating on the brick patio during the summer months.

Locally loved chef Jody Adams pays tribute to the humble Greek sandwich shop with Saloniki, bringing traditional Greek flavor and fresh ingredients in the form of pitas brimming with braised pork shoulder, crispy fried chicken, spicy lamb meatballs, and more. Vegetarians aren't left out with squeaky Halloumi, moussaka and meatballs made from Impossible meat, and griddled spanakopita. When your appetite is beyond a snack, order a whole chicken or the souvlaki mixed grill, which comes with two grilled chicken skewers, lamb meatballs, Halloumi, fries, two pitas, tzatziki, spicy whipped feta, and a Greek salad. There are two other locations: one in Boston's Fenway neighborhood and another in Cambridge's Central Square.

This dimly lit, nautically inspired spot pays homage to the ocean in not only decor but tasty fare. Against a backdrop of sailing ships and vessels, antiqued mirrors, and chandelier bubble-like bulbs, day-time appetites fill up on beer-battered fish-and-chips, po'boys, and lobster rolls, while the dinner crowd enjoys entrées like bucatini frutti di mare, seared scallops, swordfish tacos, and an oyster bar that features dozens of the bivalve beauties, as well as a massive chilled grand seafood tower. Even the cocktail list gives a nod to life at sea, with names like the tequila-based Oyster Shooter, an Irish whiskey concoction known as Fool's Gold, and the Bow & Arrow rum drink.

This California-based fast-food chain makes living that plant-based life a little easier. The extensive meat-free menu features burgers, sandwiches, entrée salads, tacos, burritos, and desserts sans meat, dairy, eggs, and other animal products, so you can fill up on tasty meals without sacrificing any dietary restrictions. Go bowl or go home, with heaping mounds of zucchini noodles, quinoa, and grains, topped with plant-based proteins and spices; or enjoy a Beyond Burger steak and cheese sub or Japanese Katsu-style Sliders made with Impossible Burger. Snack on the popular nachos or buffalo chickin' wings, and wash it all down with their fountain ginger hibiscus or pomegranate green iced tea.