davis_square | restaurant recommendations?

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restaurant recommendations?

for good Italian or Middle Eastern fare close by Harvard Square?
Does anyone know if the Middle East restaurant in Central is loud (before 10pm when the music starts) ?

(looking to recommend something to my mom and a few of her friends going out for a night of theatre and dinner)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

for Middle Eastern in Harvard I recommend Cafe Algiers. They have good coffee, too. They're down the street from EMS.

Cambridge is no smoking no, yes?

Yes. No smoking inside anywhere in the Boston area, now, I think. Cambridge started that in Oct.

The only *bad* thing about Algiers, love it though I do, is that it is terribly overpriced and slightly sparse, depending on what one seeks. I suppose that's the rent seeping on to the menu, though...

Yeah, they are pricey. I haven't actually found anywhere with truly cheap, plentiful Middle Eastern food.

I guess it's time to start hunting. I'm with you.

Non-American food in this city is generally prohibitively expensive. Odd thing.

Well, I've found some rather decent Chinese food that's not too pricey, but yeah, I'd like to see cheaper ethnic food in the area.

Just thought of something, if you like middle eastern food you should try Rami's in Brookline. They're closed Fri and Sat (and they're not anywhere near Harvard Sq.) but they have fantastic felafel and shwarma and they're not too expensive.

Yes. (I used to live near Coolidge Corner.) There's the 66 bus from Harvard... but yeah, it's not actually near Harvard.

There's also a small, but delicious falafel restaurant right near the central t stop.

Does it have a name?

Moody's Falafel Palace.

There is very little seating, though. Not a din-din place, per se. More of a "run in and grab something" type establishment.

It's just across from the huge red brick church right in Central Square, and just next to (but separated by an alley) Classic Copy & Printing, in a small white building that looks like a castle on top. In fact, it started out as a White Castle burger joint in the 1960s.

The seating notwithstanding, 'tis true that they have EXCELLENT falafel.

Thanks for the recommendation - I'm looking more for a sit down venue.

There are two different sections of the Middle East in which one may eat. There's the one on the corner, but then if one walks two or three doors down Mass. Ave. toward MIT, there is a quieter, more spacious eating area. The menu is broader and the selections are much less expensive than at Algiers in Harvard Square, as long as your mother and her friends don't mind T'ing it once they're done.

:)

For Italian, I'd recommend Marino (http://www.boston.com/dining/restaurant/539) if it's not too far from Harvard (outside of Davis, on Mass Ave between Porter and Arlington). Fairly pricey, but definitely worth it.

ZuZu! in Central had pretty good middle-eastern-ish food. Cafe Barada on Mass. Ave nearish Porter has yummy middle eastern food, but it's quite a ways from Harvard Square at that point.

i've heard good things about Centro, somewhat pricey Italian in Central Square, though i haven't been there myself.

Zagat's suggests Skewers in Harvard Square (Mt. Auburn/JFK), as a decent cheap middle-eastern place; i haven't been there, but it might be worth trying.

Cafe Barada is good, but also a little bit pricier than I usually think of when I think "falafel."

I'm pretty sure Skewers closed, because I remember being bitter about it. I was also under the impression that they were going to reopen elsewhere, though. Does anyone know what's up with that?

(On that note, does anyone know what happened to Real Taco in the Garage in Harvard Sq.? We were going to go this weekend, and it looked like it had closed! Which would be tragic.)

Skewers is gone, as for reopening, I don't know.

Real Taco kept cutting back on what they were offering and if you went there for lunch when the proprieter was there, he'd often complain about how he just wanted to make good food, but nobody wanted it. I'd be willing to bet that he drove away those people who continued to go there.

-Dan

Okay, here's my USELESS two cents:

There's a wonderful Middle Eastern bakery in Belmont I must give props to. No, there's no sit-down dining but when the weather is better, I recommend coming to this place and stocking up on their goods. You can freeze 'em!

I just tried chicken/garlic/vegetable Lamejuns for the first time and *ADORE* them!

The bakery has a long, red, hooded sign that says the generic "Middle Eastern Bakery", and the place is inbetween Oxford and Marlboro Streets on Belmont Street. You can take the #73 bus there.

There's also Saibur approaching Ball Square. It's not as convenient, but they've an amazing menu and atmosphere.

As for Italian, I'd look at Amelia's Kitchen in Ball Square or the tiny place two doors down from JP Licks in Davis. Not sure about Harvard proper.

I think you mean *Teele* Square...

Sabur's tasty and the decor rocks, but it's overpriced.

Oh bloody hell... you're right.

You'd think that after a decade I could keep the two straight in my head, but I can't. Not a bit.

Sabra in Harvard Square has wonderful, made to order, reasonably priced Middle Eastern eats. It's close to the Charles Hotel.

Lots of vegetarian options ... and they use rosewater in their lemonade. An unusual but delicious treat!

An actual useful reply! (not knocking the others, but I'm amused at how many people volunteered eats that totally didn't fit my question...)

thank you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

restaurant recommendations?

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Rami's

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The Middle East.

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Sabra!

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