We needed a quick lunch between meetings at Harvard and happened upon Le's Vietnamese in The…read moreGarage at Harvard Square. Le's is no frills - dark interior with an eclectic collection of chairs and tables. What it lacks in ambiance is more than made up by the sunny disposition of the owner and staff. We were greeted warmly by Le and his staff ensured timely and attentive service. We ordered the Pad Thai and the Lo Mein. Both dishes were flavorful and authentic. And at $15 a plate it provided exceptional value - especially for Harvard Square! Le's serves delicious, authentic Asian fare at a great price. The most compelling testament to the quality of Le's table was that everyone eating there was Asian. Highly recommend Le's for lunch!

Great spot in downtown Cambridge, in sort of an Asian mall, with a lot of bright shops and kitschy…read morekids stuff, the spot perfect for an impromptu dinner with family. Bun was fantastic and I head the pho was also. Quick and easy service without a lot of fuss, very efficient and accommodating. Will definitely go again when in town.

Definitely on the pricier end for sushi.. but the ambiance is EVERYTHING! We came here on a night…read morewhere they had live jazz and the night was just so fun! Quality of sushi is great and service was alright. They were pretty busy that night and it took a long time for our server to come back to us. Food came out fast but our server was missing for a long time.

We had a fun time coming here for dinner and some jazz! It was definitely an interesting…read moreexperience. The food here is fine. Their menu is absolutely massive, which is usually a red flag that they make a lot of things to mediocrity instead of focusing on excellent dishes. But if you just want Americanized Asian food and aren't expecting fine dining, then you're in for a treat with the hundred or so options on this extensive menu. We tried some sushi rolls, and then I had a fusion Japanese-Thai dish. The rolls were pretty good, they tasted fresh. And the udon and green curry combo in my dish was fine, I wasn't disappointed. Cocktails were similarly okay, nothing worth writing home about. In terms of atmosphere, the half of the restaurant that has live jazz was very unique. Great performance and the acoustics worked well, it was easy to hear the musicians get after it on the makeshift stage at the very front of the space. The jazz was the main attraction, obviously, so don't come if you're looking for quiet conversation. Service was a bit hit or miss; at first they were slow to bring drinks out but it picked up once they got everyone seated for the 6:30pm jazz. Be warned that you'll be asked to leave around 8:15pm to allow them to seat the 8:30pm performance. All in all, a fun option for basic food and drink with some live entertainment; if you're jonesing for some jazz then I can see you rating this place a little higher.

I admittedly have high standards, but this is my go-to spot for a comforting bowl of beef noodle…read moresoup + the best spiced chicken nuggets one could ask for! A few staples are the golden chicken nuggets (top with chili crisps for maximal flavor bomb), wood ear mushrooms (delightful texture and chilled flavor), and braised beef noodle soup. Come on a weekday lunch for a $20 steal! Evenings (even on weekdays) have a wait, but scan the QR code to get on the waitlist and stroll Cambridge in the meantime. Ambiance is a little rushed with tight spacing between tables, but it's prompt service and a clean place, with soft music to maximize conversation

The chili oil beef rib noodles were fire. I got the wide noodles and the texture was good…read more The fried vegetable thing was good as well. The location is a bit snug though. Service was solid. Overall I'd come back for those chili oil noodles.

Really exciting place focused on Northwest Chinese cuisine…read more The signature dish, the hand-pulled beef noodle soup, had a fairly light, but subtle, flavor. The noodles themselves I wish were chewier (got the 'flat' but probably should have gone for 'extra wide'), and perhaps it'd been nice to have some different textures inside the soup (e.g. something crunchy). The scallions in the soup were also too wide, and needed to be sliced more thinly. The beef pancake was quite decent, though the edges didn't have enough beef and the middles had too much beef. The beef was tender, though I might have liked it more flaky. The sauce inside the pancake was somewhat unevenly applied, and a bit too sweet. I wonder if a dipping sauce (maybe a vinegar?) would have helped. The blueberry with mashed yams was fascinating. It was listed under appetizers, and wondered why the dish came out last. But the dish was a bit sweet (naturally!) and so it actually worked as a light modest dessert! The wait staff was spot on after all in putting out the dish last. The stir-fried cabbage dish was beautiful! It was appropriately crunch, yet using good wok hey. The salt level was a bit high, but the spice level was good. Their spice ratings were a bit timid to what I encounter in Szechuan restaurants (the 'regular' level seemed to be more 'mild-regular'). The stir-fried cumin potato was delicious; nicely flavored, nicely charred. Some bits were a bit oily but the cook on the potato was really neat. Will revisit!!!

Overall great experience for the two times I visited! First time was during their soft open so…read moreunderstand they were still working out for a new restaurant back in December 2024 and most recently in October. The hand pulled beef noodles are a must try! You can customize your noodle thickness. First time I went I tried the wide noodles and the second time I went all in for the extra wide noodles available with the regular spice level. I added on the tea egg and they brought it on the side for you to add into the broth. We tried the lamb skewers and those were flavorful to whet the appetite for share in group of 5. We capped off the meal with their jelly vanilla ice cream dessert too which was the perfect way to wash the delicious spices from the noodle soup earlier. I would definitely come again as each time the noodles, soup and the beef were equally tasty.

This place is bustling late at night with the college crowd. The lighting is dark but the constant…read morek-pop MVs light up the room. The macgolli came chilled in a metal tea pot. The ice cold noodles were bouncy and refreshing. Definitely recommend the Kalbi and soft egg pot combo the kalbi is perfectly marinated and grilled. The steamed egg tasted a bit burnt toward the bottom. The Japchae is on the saucier side not super bouncy.

First off, not sure why this place doesn't have better reviews. Secondly, go try it. Seriously …read more.. if you're in the mood for a Korean feast with lively dranks, then this is your place. I came here with some friends over the Halloween weekend, we had a blast. The place is kind of scary looking by on the outside, but inside ... it's so fun. It was decorated to extreme, which was amazing for Halloween. It is kind of college-y though. I feel fortunate that I went with a good group of friends, which allowed me to try many dishes. The duck ... amazinggggg!!! 110% recommend that dish!!! Everything else was pretty yummy too. The only thing that I'd probably pass on is the kimchi pancake. It was pretty weak compared to others I've had. Not crispy and kind of mushy. We did get the watermelon soju drink too, which I honestly didn't want to get, but I'm so glad we do. It was not too sweet at all ... and also very hydrating, which is super important for drinking. LOL!!! The service was also really good. Everyone was super friendly and attentive. They made our experience even better!!! Will definitely go back!!!

The food tasted fantastic and the combos were amazing value but there are some negatives that need…read moreto be addressed. Food: We ordered two combos that left us super full and with leftovers. Our favorite were the tangsuyuk and the soondubu. The pork was super crispy and the dipping sauce was refreshingly tangy. The soondubu had a great heat that was flavorful but passed quickly so you could enjoy sweating too much. Service: Our waiter was pleasant but with the dining area pretty empty more frequent check-ins would be appreciated. Atmosphere: The interior was clean but I would describe the decor as nondescript Asian. Our primary complaint was definitely a fruit fly that kept buzzing around us. Some fly traps would solve the issue.

HUGE portions of deliciousness!! Quick and friendly service. Every dish we tried was full of…read moreflavor. I ordered the japchae but kept sneaking bites of my friends' stone pots because it was all so yummy! I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu. Great neighborhood spot.

Now known as Areca Asian Bar!! I met a friend for dinner and everything was fantastic. Service was…read morea little on the slow paced side but we appreciated that they weren't trying to rush us out of the restaurant like a lot of places do these days. We ordered the veggie tempura, a fried rice with tofu, a sushi roll (can't remember which one), and the chicken breast skewer. The chicken breast skewer was a little over done but I guess that's better than underdone! Oh and the side salad was yummy-the greens were fresh and the dressing was sweet and tangy. The veggie tempura and the fried rice were my favorite, both things were very tasty and had just the right amount of oil. I will definitely be ordering both another time. They even brought out a chocolate mousse for my bday which was a very nice touch. Ambience was relaxed and not too crowded. Definitely come and check it out for yourself!

From the outside, Areca looks quite trendy, so I was excited to try it after passing by regularly…read more However, the lunch bento boxes were a disappointment. There's a lot of white rice but pretty limited amounts of the entrée that goes with it - I ordered the salmon teriyaki and the unagi. The salmon teriyaki was extremely dry and not tasty, though the unagi was pretty tasty and just too little. While the California rolls were fine, the house salads - which end up being about half of the entire bento box in terms of quantity of food! - were soggy and plain. I definitely wouldn't try a bento box again.

TLDR: good, fresh food…read more Not the hugest menu but you essentially get to pick amongst a noodle, rice, or banh mi style meal with different proteins. The proteins were incredibly tasty and tender. I didn't get to try the cocktails but they looked pretty fun. They also had child seats available.

Nice, small Vietnamese restaurant right in the square. The food is delicious and very fresh. The…read moreservice is excellent.