Evening visit to Harvard Square

Could someone please tell me how late there is activity on a Saturday evening around the Harvard Square area? We will be arriving at our hotel in the Back Bay area around 500pm on our first day in Boston. I was debating on having dinner somewhere near the Prudential Center(by our hotel) or go over to Harvard Square for the evening. Do stores/restaurants close down late on Saturday eves in June? Would street performers still be around?

Any recommendations on where to have a great but casual dinner? Thanks.

Evening visit to Harvard Square

Dinner in Boston is early. Prime time is 7 to 8 o%26#39;clock. Many restaurants end dinner at 9 or 10 o%26#39;clock, although some restaurants are open later on Saturdays.

Most of the Harvard Square street entertainers work until 8 to 9, although some can be found later, especially weekends.

In Harvard Square, I would go for either John Harvard%26#39;s Brew House or Mr. Bartley%26#39;s Burgers.

AlanM

Evening visit to Harvard Square

Great choice on Harvard Square. It%26#39;s a cool area and easy to get to via the subway. Visit www.mbta.com for subway maps, fares, etc.

Also check out the Border Cafe for outstanding mexican food as well as phenomenal margaritas.

For everything Harvard Square related go to www.harvardsquare.com

Cambridge is great fun and there is a huge variety of restaurants. If you like Indian food, Tamarind Bay right off JFK Street near Harvard Sq. is very good. Craigie Street Bistro near Harvard Sq. has delicious food and reservations are a definite must. For seafood, the Dolphin is quite good and The Cellar on Massachusetts Avenue builds Guinness beautifully. The Plough and Stars is a fun Irish pub also right on Mass. Ave.

Enjoy your time!

Dinner around the Prudential Center sounds depressing, unless it%26#39;s one of those too-hip-for-me places in the South End, where I used to live, 30 years ago, or that Japanese restaurant across the street and you speak Japanese.

Harvard Square on a Saturday night in June is the place to be.

Thank all of you for your great responses! This was exactly the type of information I was looking for. We%26#39;ll plan to have dinner and hang out in Cambridge our first evening. Thank you again for your recommendations.

Hi,

I will be on vacation in Boston in early July, and spending the evening in Harvard Square area sounds great. Somebody mentioned that Saturday night is the time to go. We can%26#39;t go on Friday or Saturday. Does it matter what other night we go? Also, there were a lot of good restaurant options mentioned. Are these restaurants all close to Harvard, and is there shopping around there too? We will be taking the subway, then walking.

thanks.

OttawaCA,

There is always activity in Harvard Square. Saturday night may bring about more street performers, but most shops, restaurants and bars are open seven days a week.

Harvard University is in Harvard Square. Harvard Square is located on the Red Line of the subway. You can easily cover all of Harvard Square by foot.

I would walk 5 minutes out of Harvard Square (down Mass. Ave) to Garden at the Cellar for dinner. Very casual, well-priced gastropub with a focus on local seasonal produce and herbs.

One of my faves was always Sandrine%26#39;s in Holyoke Street. It%26#39;s Alsatian French. Good stick to your ribs stuff like Flammekuetch (onion/bacon pizza with a white sauce) and sausage and sauerkraut. I can%26#39;t recall the name of it, but there%26#39;s a decent Thai place down the end of Holyoke at Mt. Auburn. There%26#39;s also Grafton Street, right around the corner from Bartleys.

There are many more street performers on Friday and Saturday nights in Harvard Square than other nights. Because neighbors%26#39; complaints about noise, the city obligates them to stop rather early (9ish).