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    Cambridge Common

    3.8 (809 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican, Bars
    Closed 12:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 2 months ago

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    Cambridge Common Photos

    CAMBRIDGE COMMON ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Cambridge Common

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    Reviews With Photos

    Macaroni
    Kite Q.

    I got macaroni and cheese and it was very good. The music they play is amazing, played multiple of my favorite songs. Oh my god I love this place. Would come back. I love bob Dylan. I love hole. I love Mazzy star. The food was good good price too. Lovely time

    Em B.

    i came here all of the time in high school, and returned for nostalgia's sake. cambridge common is a comfortable, casual bar with comfort foods and a traditional ambiance. service is decent, food is decent, good neighborhood bar. fried pickles 7/10 burger 7.5/10 good enough. ambiance: 4/5 food: 3.5/5 service: 3.5/5 cambridge common: 3.6/5

    STEAK FAJITAS
    Leena S.

    Cambridge Commons is a local restaurant and bar with good service and nice ambiance. When in Cambridge visiting my sister it's always the place they default to. The food offerings are your typical bar type fare. I would say the food is average but the overall experience is always pleasant. We ordered some salads, chicken sandwich, grain bowl, steak fajitas and tater tots. The tots had a bit of a smokey taste to it and my grain bowl was very bland side, but all the ingredients were fresh. The rest of the group enjoyed their food, so I'm giving Cambridge Common a solid 4 star rating.

    1776 Burger with $3 side salad.
    Carol L.

    This was a great spot for a Father's Day brunch. The hostess was charming, the burgers were delicious. What I didn't like were the up charges on the bill that we weren't told about when ordering such as $3 for a Tequila brand I never heard of. $1 up charge for Tito. Shelf brand would have been fine for us. $3 up charge for a salad instead of fries. The salad was large and I'm glad took the substitution So $7 of up charges, hmm.....

    Menu

    The service was not great. I ordered the chicken tenders and when they brought out buffalo wings my server told me "the tenders are the boneless wings, you wanted the chicken fingers." Which is not true and on their menu it literally says "chicken fingers - crispy chicken tenders." They came out 10 minutes later and were tasty but very tiny for $11.

    Brunch and outside seating. Enjoying the last days of good weather!
    Stella K.

    Typical bar food and ok service. Very conveniently dog-friendly (outside seating), a good place to people watch. The inside area can be really loud. Sometimes it's great to indulge in deep fried everything

    veggie burger
    Christiane M.

    solid casual place in porter square. homemade veggie burger was pretty good and i liked the sweet potato fries, also very reasonably priced which was great. meal was $30 for food, drink, and tip which is impressive. lots of outdoor seating too !

    Anita J.

    Came here on a Sunday around 11am for brunch with a few friends. I would describe this place as a "pub" - big long bar to get drinks with lots and lots of seating - some tables, some booths. We didn't have to wait long for a table which was great. I can only comment on their Sunday brunch menu but we all thought it was a great place for a decent weekend brunch. There were also lots of interesting beers on tap but alas, it was a Sunday morning after a night of fun so we were all recovering a bit. The staff were also very friendly! I would definitely recommend this place for those interested in Sunday brunch, interesting brews, and larger parties!

    The outside patio is open!
    Juliet K.

    My family has been going to Cambridge common for decades. It's literally my dad's favorite restaurant and my son likes it a lot too. The food is OK. The service is great. The beer list is even better. Ambience is casual American bar. Lots of dark wood. Comfortable booths if you're lucky enough to get one. There is often live music downstairs at the lizard lounge. This is a great place for large groups. There is a kids menu and it is loud enough so that nobody will be annoyed by your children eating dinner next to them. Most of the patrons are graduate students from the local universities. Expect to wait for a table during peak dinner hours during the academic year.

    Grilled Chicken Sandwich with (substituted) sweet potato fries

    I'm a Chef. A fun tavern ambiance and good service. This is a good late night spot. I got the grilled chicken sandwich, the chicken was juice, the lettuce, tomato and onion was fresh and the bun was nicely grilled. I enjoyed the pepper jack and aioli combination. A little messy from the dripping oil but still enjoyable. The bacon was a little too crispy in some areas but some people like it that way. I've had the normal fries, curly and sweet potato, all disappointing. I question how often they change their deep fryer oil.

    Mac & Cheese Bites, Chicken Fingers Buffalo, Crispy French Toast Bites

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    1 year ago

    Simple easy American bar food. Outdoor seating is nice. Sandwiches are good. Have heard about the lizard lounge underneath but haven't been

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    2 years ago

    French fries burnt, bartender talking to the help when not on cell , windows filthy, bathroom clean, vandal proof and smells nice.

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    Page 1 of 21

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    Wusong Road - Summer Rolls Shrimp (gf)

    Wusong Road

    4.2(465 reviews)
    0.7 miHarvard Square
    $$

    Frank helped us out on our first visit. He's the mug wizard. Since then, numerous employees have…read morehelped us. All friendly and welcoming. This is the best tiki bar in Boston/Cambridge area. Probably in the state if I think about it. Legit cocktails. Very, very good food. Veg options. Creative and affordable mugs. An adjacent parking structure (the only one in Harvard Square). The place is unicorn material. I've been here maybe four times over several years. Shame on me for finishing this cumulative review now. The good news is every visit was solid. I've been here as a small and also large party. Sat at both the bar and table. Had reservations and also walked in. Visited in the summer and also winter. Weekends are tough to get in without a resy. It's tiny. And its Cambridge. Weekdays you'll be fine but reserve anyway. It's free. From bar to tables to booths, you're covered with seating. Can they serve a table for ten? Maybe but I wouldn't be that person. Check ahead of time. Drinks are strong. Sometimes sweet but mostly balanced. Food is yummy. Plenty of vegetarian and vegan options clearly marked on the menu. Serving dishes and bowls are fun too: skulls/shells/etc. Enjoy this hidden secret. And don't steal the mugs. Buy them--they're so reasonable.

    WR was directly behind my hotel and tiki bar had me sold. I entered and the sign said "wait to be…read moreseated" and I waited... And waited... And eventually walked to the bar and asked the multiple staff members standing near the bar if I could sit. They said yes, so I did. There were 3 mai tais on the menu so I went with the recently revised version, recommended by the bartender. It was served in a super cute takeout box cup. I then had one of the sweeter rated drinks that had coconut rice milk or something. Also delicious. I waited too long to order food because by the time I was done with my 2nd drink, I was ready to head out and still didn't have my food. I asked the bartender if they were able to pack my order to go and he made a note on my order and it came to go container soon after. I brought it back to my hotel, had a few bites, put it in the fridge and one about my evening. The crab rangoon was delicious, the lemongrass chicken thigh on skewers was also delicious and the spring rolls with bang bang chicken were just okay. They came with peanut sauce that I felt like should have had a much stronger peanut flavor and the spring rolls and themselves ended up sticking together and ripping apart when I attempted to eat them later that evening. I wish I had ordered other food to bring back to my hotel room because the items I ordered really were not satiating but I was conservative with how much I was spending. I would recommend WS for the drinks and food, but I don't think all of the food is a hit. I will know that the place seemed to be very busy very quickly. Other people approach the bar and asked if they could sit there and staff questioned if they had reservations, which they didn't do to me, and those people were ultimately turned away from sitting at the bar. As a result, I don't exactly know how the seating works here, but as a single female I didn't have a hard time getting a seat at the bar but would probably try to make a reservation if I was going to go again.

    Photos
    Wusong Road - Interior

    Interior

    Wusong Road - Baos (crispy queso chichuahua & katsu chicken)

    Baos (crispy queso chichuahua & katsu chicken)

    Wusong Road - Bao - Cha Siu Pork Belly

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    Bao - Cha Siu Pork Belly

    Grafton Street

    Grafton Street

    3.9(786 reviews)
    0.7 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

    Club Passim - Rosemary frites

    Club Passim

    4.3(130 reviews)
    0.6 miHarvard Square
    $$

    I'd been here for lunch once or twice over 20 years ago, never for a show. Funky set up with long…read morerows of tables. There are nice side tables but the show was almost sold out by the time I learned about the show and was able to purchase tickets. Fun time, would go again.

    Great experience here seeing Puerto Rican cuatro player Fabiola Mendez. The space opens at 7 for…read more8pm shows and you can order drinks and food from a limited, but tasty menu. We opted for their Passim burger with thyme fries on a brioche bun which exceeded my expectations for a place that's primarily a music venue. I thought the food would be more of an afterthought but it was equivalent to a casual bistro or gastropub. We sat right in the front row which was amazing for the experience and pics but I would recommend maybe bringing some ear protection if you sit this close. Our show was supposedly sold out but we lucked out that the folks seated next to us didn't show- otherwise I could see that one would be really packed in here as the seating is extremely close together. The performance was amazing! We absolutely loved the show and the intimate vibes. I also really appreciated that Fabiola took some time to explain her instrument, some Puerto Rican history and her experience growing up playing a folk instrument. She graduated from Berklee in 2018 and also brought in a Cuban tres player named Olivia Soler Espinosa in the latter part of her performance who is currently studying at Berklee. Another cool aspect of this place was the mixed ages. There was a good representation of older folks who looked like they have been coming to Passim since the 60s as well as younger folks in their 20s and 30s as well as folks in between. Anyone should feel welcome here.

    Photos
    Club Passim - Interior as it opened

    Interior as it opened

    Club Passim - Greek salad

    Greek salad

    Club Passim - Entrance

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    Entrance

    Cambridge Common - tradamerican - Updated August 2026

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