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    Bonchon Cambridge - John F Kennedy St

    3.2 (525 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Order Bonchon Cambridge - John F Kennedy St Takeout or Delivery

    Bonchon Cambridge - John F Kennedy St Photos

    BONCHON CAMBRIDGE - JOHN F KENNEDY ST ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Soggy chicken
    Perkins L.

    Absolute horrible customer service. I ordered chicken strips and what I got was cut chicken breast with no crust on it. When I came back into the store, I was told that that's how they serve their chicken strips. I explained to them that the picture on the website is nothing like what I received. She said there's nothing they can do. I asked if I can order something else or get a refund and she said I cannot do either. I tried to explain to her what I received is not what's on the website. She kept repeating herself. I told her what I received was thinly sliced chicken breast. She said they do not serve chicken breast. I told her that's exactly what I received. Even the rest of the food I received was subpar compared to other restaurants in the chain. When I asked to speak to the manager, she said that she is the manager. Then she said all she can do is take down my phone number and have somebody call me. I said to her, I don't even live in the area. What's the point of doing that? So when I told my fiancé that they messed up her order she decided to go into the restaurant herself. She spoke to the same lady. I spoke to and asked to speak to the manager, and the lady said that the manager just left. Lol. When she explained to her who I was and that she just spoke to me, then the lady behind the counter said "oh I am the manager." This restaurant is an absolute joke. I even contacted corporate and all they sent me was a an apology letter and no offer of a refund.

    Takoyaki
    Kelly C.

    Last night's dinner was so spicy, but delicious! To start with we had takoyaki, spicy wings and strips and spicy fried squid. The hotter the better am I right?! The takoyaki practically melted in my mouth and each bite was just delicious. Bites of octopus, so yummy. The wings and strips were so good! I've never had the strips and highly recommend them! Perfectly fried, not fried and full of flavor and spice. Their calamari was okay, I personally don't like sauce on my calamari. I'm more of a sauce on the side kind of person. All in all it was a great meal!

    Joy L.

    Super authentic. Love the spiciness!!!! Bulgogi is just okay but a good side for wings.

    Bibimbap
    Adina S.

    My roommate ordered food from Bonchon and it hit the spot! The bibimbap was great - lots of great veggies and a tasty gochujang sauce. We also had wings (not pictured), which lived up to the hype! It took a while for the food to come, but it was worth the wait.

    Chicken Combo
    Alma C.

    $9 Lunch special. Recommend the drumsticks over the wings. Could've been hotter. The coleslaw was good. Radishes were good, but I wish I would've gotten rice as my other side. Water was filled frequently. Staff was friendly. Interesting basement location. (anyonghaseyo) means hello in Korean.

    Seafood pancake
    Brandon G.

    The prices are pretty reasonable, especially with their lunch menu on weekdays! You get to choose two side dishes, which could include fries. The fries are a pretty big portion, and so, this could be a fairly filling lunch for its price point. This was my first exposure to Korean fried chicken, and I must say, it's still the one to beat for me. The drumsticks are so wonderfully moist and tender. I will say, though, that the chicken strips are very dry... I'd definitely recommend the drumsticks or wings over the strips! The seafood pancake is also quite hearty and filling. I must say that the restroom quality is kinda poor. It's often quite dirty in there. I'm also saddened that there aren't as many side dishes offered as at standard Korean restaurants, but that may be because this is ultimately a fried chicken joint.

    Takoyaki
    Maria G.

    Review #1056 What a great location right off of Harvard Square! You do have to enter through this building lobby and then go downstairs (either by the super slow elevator or take the stairs). The food is solid, as you can expect from any Bonchon locations. However, this location does not serve side dishes. Does it apply to Bonchon everywhere or just Bonchon Boston? They have an excellent selection for its lunch specials. I am not sure if I like the basement ambiance. Definitely not my first choice for lunch for Harvard Square, but will be an option in mind for sure.

    tteok bokki
    Elizabeth Y.

    Large sharable chicken combos and table booths with removable dividers that seat two groups of 4-5 or one group of 10-11 make Bonchon a good choice for eating out with a group of friends. Some of my meat-loving friends shared a bunch of chicken combos, while a couple of us ordered dishes. I'm not crazy about having a meal of just meat, so I got tteokbokki and tried a few bites of a miso soy chicken wing. Bonchon's tteok bokki is pretty good--it's quite large and comes with an egg and a good amount of rice cake and fish cake. There are also ramen noodles, but I didn't feel like there were quite enough. The miso soy chicken was quite sweet and very tasty. I like the crispy outside and personally prefer it to the spicy wings (which I didn't try this time), but my friends all said that the spice level has gone down considerably from last year to this year. Bonchon is a fun place with reasonable prices, which is great for fried chicken eating contests or if you want Korean food without leaving Harvard Square. It has a pretty laid-back, fast-food atmosphere, so I would only recommend it for casual meals.

    Boneless chicken - see the breaded chicken. It's salty and not at all like any Korean fried chicken I've had before. I had to toss it.

    I am re-reviewing based on the wings at bonchon. These were crispy, actually fried with a nice skin crust and hit the spot when I was craving Korean fried chicken. The smaller bits might have been slightly overfried and the meat itself is not that flavorful, but I think it's not bad at all. I got soy garlic flavor. The spicy is pretty good if you can take the heat and power through the pain of eating it. Just stay away from the boneless (first pic) which is breaded nuggets covered in sauce, and you should be good to go!

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    14 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Got the medium combo wings/drumsticks with a mix of the two sauces. Tasty stuff. I would go here again.

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    Page 8 of 14

    Ask the Community - Bonchon Cambridge - John F Kennedy St

    Hi there! Do you have any vegetarian options on your menu, or is everything meat-based? Thank you!

    Hello! Yes we do have vegetarian options !

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    Wings Over Somerville - Wings Half garlic parm / half hot

    Wings Over Somerville

    2.6(435 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    If you're looking for wings or tendies, Wings Over Somerville will deliver (literally and…read morefiguratively) but in our humble opinion, it's not quite the best in town. We placed an UberEats order: a 6-piece tenders meal with fries, and while the packaging was neat and everything arrived intact, the food was just... okay. We totally get the soggy fries situation (delivery life), so we're not knocking them too hard for that. What did get me excited was the variety of flavor options, for both tenders and fries. I'm a girl who loves having choices! I tried something new: dry rub Cajun Voodoo and Garlic Hot Buffalo for the tenders. My boyfriend went with his usual double buffalo obsession: Garlic Hot and Hot Lemon Pepper. For fries, I went garlic parm, and he picked Cajun. (We're a no ranch/no blue cheese household, in case that sways your judgment.) But honestly? The flavors didn't really land. Even with all those choices, everything felt kind of underwhelming. The fries were soft (expected) but didn't wow us, and the tenders, while decent in size, were kind of lacking in boldness. We found ourselves wishing we had some dipping sauces, which is rare for us! Overall, it was a mid experience. Not terrible, not amazing. If the wing craving hits hard and nothing else is open, we might return... but we'll probably check out a few other local spots before crawling back to Wings Over.

    Ordered 3 sets of 10 wings and large fries. Walk home with the food, and a set of 10 wings are…read moremissing. I walk back, tell the cashier lady. She goes to the back to tell the manger. He says "tell him to bring the bag back". I tell them I'm not lying about 10 wings and I walked all the way back already. Rude manager with the ginger beard and bad tattoos makes 10 more wings. I get the bag and ask if it has the blue cheese on the side and she checks, and the wings weren't sauced at all and the side blue cheese wasn't there either. I get a side container of buffalo sauce to dress the wings myself. Will never go back. The red head manager is such a prick. On top of this, while waiting for the missing 10. The manager yells at the cashier lady to quickly intercept the delivery driver who just walked out with an order because it was missing an item. I watched her sprint outside with wings in her hand.

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    Wings Over Somerville
    Wings Over Somerville
    Wings Over Somerville

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    Parlor Sports - Burger with cajun fries

    Parlor Sports

    4.6(88 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    Cozy spot for sports and local vibes. Food exceeded expectations - burger was pretty good and cajun…read morefries were fresh, solid bloody mary, and service was attentive and friendly. Place was full of regulars, families, couples, friends. Tvs everywhere, even in the bathrooms. Prices pretty reasonable for this area. Fun spot to have a meal and see a Premier League game, would return!

    I wanted to find a sports bar that I could watch the Pacers game AND have above average bar food…read more Parlor Sports hits it out of the park ! It's unpretentious and welcomes all. It is ok the smaller side, so I would arrive slightly early if you would like good viewing of a specific game; however, there is TVs throughout the small-ish space. I ordered the cheese curds to munch on, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that they were some of the best cheese curds I've had. The breading wasn't thick like most, just an ultra thin layer. Added fresh jalapeños. And for dipping it was a ranch-styled sauce. So SO good ! I had a local, canned beer to drink. Service was good and it gave off a local/community vibe since the bartenders seemed to know who the regulars are. I will definitely be back! I typically don't drink cocktails at this sort of establishment, but the White Russian 2.0 has perked my interest. If the food is that great and it's only $13 for a cocktail... I'll be back to give it a try.

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    Parlor Sports
    Parlor Sports - Burger and bloody mary

    Burger and bloody mary

    Parlor Sports - Cheese Curds

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    Cheese Curds

    The Coast Cafe - the fried wing combo plate with candied yams and mac n cheese.

    The Coast Cafe

    4.1(429 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    I was craving some soul food in the Boston area and I found The Coast Cafe on tik tok. Let's just…read moresay I was super happy I did! This place is super cozy with delicious food in Cambridge. I got the mixed chicken plate with Mac n cheese and candied yams. The chicken was very good--fried very well with great seasoning, a crispy exterior, and juicy interior. The Mac was very gooey and cheesy. And the yams were excellent as well. I thought the texture of the yams was near perfect--not too hard but not too soft and mushy either. Also not overly sweet. I also felt like the price was very fair. A lot of times, similar entrees can cost near $30, but this was just over $20 which was super reasonable especially for the quality. The staff was very kind and friendly as well. Keep in mind that the interior is quite small, so plan ahead on whether you're going to eat inside or take it to go. But overall I'd recommend this to anyone in the area, and I'd love to go back!

    I ordered from Coast Cafe expecting something special given all the awards and recognition--but…read morethis was a major letdown and honestly felt like a waste of money. Let's start with the "Jamaican" patties. These were not patties. They were empanada-style, lacking the flaky crust, seasoning, and depth you expect from a true Jamaican beef or chicken patty. At $5 each, that's not just disappointing--it feels misleading. Then the soul food. This is where it really fell apart. The chicken was dry, under-seasoned, and surprisingly small--more like an afterthought than a centerpiece. Soul food should be rich, flavorful, and comforting. This wasn't! The greens were another miss. No depth, no richness, and completely lacking the traditional pot liquor that gives them their signature flavor. It felt like a stripped-down version of what should be a staple dish.The only bright spot was the candied yams--they actually had flavor and were enjoyable. What's frustrating is the gap between reputation and experience. When a place has awards and hype, you expect authenticity, quality, and consistency. This didn't deliver on any of that. Overall, I wouldn't return. There are too many places doing this food the right way to spend money here again.

    Photos
    The Coast Cafe - Fried Chicken

    Fried Chicken

    The Coast Cafe - Fried chicken thigh, corn bread, mac and cheese and green beans

    Fried chicken thigh, corn bread, mac and cheese and green beans

    The Coast Cafe

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    Grafton Street

    Grafton Street

    3.9(786 reviews)
    0.0 miHarvard Square
    $$

    Cambridge is a city jam packed with a lavish selection of fine eateries from corner to corner. As…read morewith options this vast, it can be daunting making a decision on where first to embark. Luckily for us, my bestie and her hubby were our unofficial tour guides for the evening, as we ventured on a casual double date night at none other than Grafton Street. It's as every bit as street level as its exterior decorum exudes. Incidentally enough, we discovered that the best time to arrive on a Friday night is anytime before 7:30, because that's when the crowd decided to show up. That having been said, it's important to note this place can become very noisy very quickly. It is a bar after all. And the lushes were afoot on this most boisterous Friday night. So anyways, we started the night off with two apps.. Spinach and Artichoke Dip: My bestie highly recommended this app and her palate was most spot-on with this one. Creamy as hell with large Artichokes throughout. And the homemade chips add a much appreciated rustic touch to the whole thing. Though, I do wish there were an option to add a protein like shrimp or even lobster meat or something. 9 out of 10, would recommend! Steak Tartare: What's the best way to put this? I think....misleading sums it up. I'd even go as far to say this felt like a fake tartare. For one thing, it didn't even look the right color. And that's likely because it was doused in some kind of dressing that gave the whole thing an unusual taste. Now, we've had our fair share of tartare apps in the past; the carpaccio from Proper Chophouse at the Nash Casino being among the best. But this one had a strange flavor with a bizarre, chewy texture that just didn't sit right with us. Not only was the beef unrefined, it was also underseasoned. Needless to say, we ended up sending this one back after only one bite each and swapped it out for the artichoke dip. 1 out of 10, this one just didn't work. Onto the mains.. Shepherd's Pie: From what I gather, the wifey was quite pleased with this one. She just needed to add her copious amounts of salt as she does because she's the salt queen. After which, she thoroughly enjoyed it. We also appreciate the fact this is a REAL Shepherd's Pie and not merely cosplaying as many other restaurants do by making theirs with beef. Nay. Nothing but lamb in this legit dish. Grilled Pork Chop: Okay. I need to start this out by stating how elated I was to finally try a properly cooked pork chop in a restaurant. So, a little background story - growing up in the 80s, I was fooled into believing pork chop was simply something I pretended to enjoy, since it was always a thin cut, overcooked, dry as hell slab of anemically seasoned pork. Ch'yeah...my uncle really cooked like a donkey sometimes. Anywho, fast forward to 2026 and I'm presented with this gorgeous cut of freshly grilled pork. Right away, I can tell that it is WELL seasoned! A lot. Like...salty. VERY salty. Salty like the sea. Chat, the pork was overseasoned. And I can't even believe I'm saying that! But allow me to elaborate. It wasn't overseasoned to the point of being inedible. But JUST over the mark. And I've NEVER had that happen in a restaurant setting before. Usually, you'll hear me complain about food being quite the reverse. This is so rare, in fact, that I initially had a tough time admitting it to myself. After bite number 7 or 8, I thought, "Wow! This is the saltiest piece of meat I've ever tasted inside restaurant walls!" The insides of my mouth felt drier than Pakistan. I felt as if the Special Forces were about to start conducting maneuvers inside my mouth-hole imminently. But, I digress. This one was OKAY, but I don't think I'd get it again. 7 out 10, not sure if they'll take requests for reduced sodium, but....be sure to drink a tall glass of water with this one. Side note on the potato salad: it was good. Not quite as good as the one I make at home. Though, I can appreciate the fact they use Yukon Gold potatoes, same as me. This one was served warm, however; possibly due to the hot pork chop sitting atop of it. All things considered, we would certainly return. The vibe is contemporary, as is its decorum. And wouldn't you know it? They actually have tap-to-pay courtesy of their mobile POS systems! That was an unexpected, considering normally only casual chain dine-in restaurants have that sort of thing. Next time around, I'd be willing to try a burger or even the fish n' chips, if the mood so fits. Taking into account their potential, aside from their one-off faux pas, I'm gonna give Grafton Street 4 savory pork chops hot off the grill out of 5.

    We were craving some steak so decided to come here (even though it's not necessarily a steak house)…read morewe saw the good reviews and decided to give it a go! Service was pretty good. Staff were friendly. The coladas I ordered were sweet but also one of the best I've ever had! They were nice enough to split the steak for us without having to ask. Food was nicely seasoned. I mean, I'm not sure what's not to like about this place. Definitely good vibes all around.

    Photos
    Grafton Street - Cool decor!

    Cool decor!

    Grafton Street - Moules Frites

    Moules Frites

    Grafton Street - Front entrance with outdoor seating

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    Front entrance with outdoor seating

    Bonchon Cambridge - John F Kennedy St - korean - Updated September 2026

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