Student's Guide to Cheap Eats: Harvard Square

An evening out in Harvard Square:
Even in the bitter cold of the Boston winter (which often seems to last until May), a evening out in Harvard Square is a treat with the bustle of people, numerous street performers, bright lights of the shops, and, of course, exciting restaurants to eat in. The best street performance I've seen in Harvard Square had two strong men from the audience hold up two wooden pulls that supported a tightrope about 5 feet off the ground. The performer managed to do all sorts of tricks on the tightrope, including juggling fire!

Most exciting place to eat:
Definitely a tie between my favourite Tex-Mex restaurant in Cambridge, The Border Cafe, and Fire & Ice, which breaks the cheap-eats rule at to per plate but is all-you-can-eat (so maybe you can eat enough for two meals). The Border Cafe has a lively atmosphere with lots of Texas paraphernalia, and it's usually packed with people! Fire & Ice, on the other hand, has a more subdued decor, but allows you to concoct your own combinations of dinner to be cooked on the open grill in the center of the restaurant.

Quick Tips:

Getting the most bang for your buck:
One of the big tips for saving money is to get a take-away box at the end of the meal. Most restaurants give portions large enough for two meals, so if you divide your meal in half and take one half home, your dinner is half price! (Plus easy cooking!) Another tip is to avoid soda, since there is a really high mark-up on this product. If you are really stingy, some of the restaurants offer a take-away service, which allows you to avoid paying for drinks and tip but requires finding somewhere else to eat the food (not necessarily recommended).

Consider booking ahead when possible:
Harvard Square is extremely popular for local students (during term) and tourists (during the summer), so consider making a reservation if it's possible. Alternatively, try eating early (getting to the restaurant before 6 or 6:30pm) to avoid the queues.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting there:
Harvard Square is easily accessed either by the #1 bus (the north end of the line is Harvard Square, so you can't miss it) or by the red line of the T (subway)--the stop is cleverly named "Harvard Square." Fares within the Boston/Cambridge area are for a single journey.

Parking:
Practically nonexistent; public transit is highly recommended. Look for the white "P" on blue background for parking garages or try residential side streets. Be sure to look for signs indicating whether parking is for residents only, since towing is very expensive in this area!

Getting Around:
Your options within Harvard Square (not a particularly large area) are foot, rollerblade, bicycle, or skateboard. I recommend foot, but be especially aware of the people zooming in on the other three. As a pedestrian, be very wary of the auto traffic since Boston/Cambridge drivers can be quite merciless.

Highlights:
The Border Cafe is a lively restaurant with two levels of seating (ground floor and basement) and loads of tables squished in. The highlights here are the energetic atmosphere and Cambridge's best attempt at Tex-Mex food.

Making it a "Cheap Eat":
A large number of the Tex-Mex dishes (tacos, burritos, enchiladas) are $6 to $8 and include large portions of beans or rice (or thin tasty french fries if you ask for the substitution). We occasionally splurge the extra dollar or so for sour cream or guacamole. Most of these meals can be divided in two and the second half taken home. All but the french fries reheat well in the microwave.

Special tips:
Don't be dissuaded by the long queues (lines, for Americans) outside the restaurant during the weekend. The restaurant (annoyingly) likes to hold people out there even when tables are free to make the place look more popular. Get in the line because it moves very quickly. Once inside, you'll be given a pager, and then you can hang out in the bar or go outside to one of the nearby shops (bookstore and bead store nearby) and look around. An insider tip is to say "no alcohol" when they ask while taking your name. Non-drinkers get seated first because they want to give those who are going to drink time to spend money at the bar. Normal time to wait to get a table, even with a line, is 5 to 15 minutes (if you say no-alcohol).

Getting there:
From Harvard Yard or the Harvard Square T stop, locate the Body Shop. It is on the corner of Church Street. Head up the street past the crummy little movie theatre and the book/map shop, and the Border Cafe is on your left.

The low-down:
The only concerns with the Border Cafe are that it is loud/crowded (thus not suited for romantic dining) and that the food, while filling a much needed Tex-Mex niche, should not be expected to meet up to any Tex-Mex standards you might expect if you are from Texas--remember, Boston is 2,000 miles away!!

Highlights:
Johnny's is a 1950s-style diner that is both intimate and cheap as it comes in Harvard Square. It has the plush booths, the long counter with stools, the neon lights, and the TV broadcasting sports or news. Also, there's something comfortably familiar about eating at Johnny's--maybe because it reminds one of that nostalgic view of America.

Making it a "Cheap Eat":
This is a burgers-and-fries joint where you can get a basket meal for around $3, making this the cheapest sit-down eats in Harvard Square. For burgers and fries, the quality is good--and there's even room to splurge on a milkshake and still keep the bill around $5.

Special tips:
Keep in mind that Johnny's is open late, so if you are hungry after a movie and other restaurants are looking closed, you can still hold out hope for a cheap eat.

Getting there:
From Harvard Yard or the Harvard Square T stop, locate the yellow Curious George sign for Wordsworth. If you at the newsagent at the main T stop exit, it will be to the left of the Harvard Coop in the middle where the road forks. Follow this road up past Wordsworth and when things start to get dark, you'll see Johnny's on your left.

The low-down:
Seating is somewhat more limited here, so be prepared to wait a bit if you come at a popular dinner hour. Also, I remember it being a bit smokey at times, but this may have changed with new anti-smoking laws.

Highlights:
The Greenhouse is an organic/eco-conscious version of the pancake house. The cooking here is full of homespun goodness, and the large number of houseplants makes you feel like you've stepped onto someone's back porch or into a farmhouse kitchen for a big breakfast. The Greenhouse offers an all-day breakfast. My personal favourite is the pancakes with fresh blueberries and cranberries in them. Don't forget the baked goods. My friend is so crazy about the muffins, her boyfriend Fed-Exed her one to England after we moved here.

Making it a "Cheap Eat":
The pancake meals can border on $7 or $8, but they are so filling that you can easily make it a brunch (thus save on two meals) or share with a friend. Also, if you are not a heavy eater, you might be satisfied with juice and a baked good, setting you back only a few dollars.

Special tips:
The Greenhouse opens at 6am, making it one of the only places to go in this area for a good early breakfast.

Getting there:
From Harvard Yard or the Harvard Square T stop, locate the main entrance to the Coop (Harvard's Bookstore)--white letters on a red sign. The Greenhouse is just around the corner across from the children's Wordsworth (you'll see the big Curious George sign).

The low-down:
The Greenhouse is definitely greasy if you get traditional breakfast items--not too greasy, but you should be warned if you are sensitive. Also, it can get a bit crowded.

Highlights:
Henrietta's Table tries for a homespun but definitely upscale menu that offers some of the tastiest food in Harvard Square. The cranberry bread that they serve you while you are browsing the menu is so good, they've had to set up a little shop in the front of the restaurant to sell all the baked goods that their guests are clamouring for to take home. The decor is minimalist and elegant with ivory walls and dark wood.

Making it a "Cheap Eat":
Every college student knows that the cheapest eat is the one where someone else picks up the bill. Whether it's your parents visiting or a recruiter, if you are asked for a suggestion, this is a safe bet since the food is extremely tasty and, for a nice restaurant, the cost is not extreme.

Special tips:
The restaurant is extremely popular, for good reason, making reservations a must. The food is wholesome but health-conscious. The whole-grain breads served before dinner are fresh out of the oven. On the menu, the main courses (meats cooked tender with excellent gravies/sauces) are separate from the side dishes, which are meant to be ordered family style (e.g., one vegetable and one potato dish would be plenty for a family of four). There is a wide variety of original salad combinations (including the favorite mandarin oranges and roasted pecans--or was it walnuts?--regardless, it was excellent!).

Getting there:
The restaurant is actually located in the expensive Charles Hotel. It's about a 10- to 15-minute walk from the T stop. From the main T exit, look for the Wordsworth Curious George and head down the right fork (Brattle Street) past the Greenhouse. You'll reach the square where the hotel is, and the restaurant is on the ground floor.

The low-down:
The only setbacks are the cost and the need for planning ahead to get a reservation. Now you just need to wait for Mom and Dad to visit!

Highlights:
Fire & Ice is an exciting place to eat and perfect for a fun night out with friends. There's only one option, and that is an enormous buffet of raw materials for creating the perfect stir-fry. In the middle of the restaurant is a huge grill where they fry up your selections while you watch. The decor is upbeat and trendy, making this a great place to go for a special occasion such as birthdays! I enjoyed all the choices and the speed at which you start eating. Along with the buffet (complete with recipe cards for the clueless), rice and tortillas are provided at the table, giving you a hint of how varied the cuisine can be.

Making it a "Cheap Eat":
At a flat fee of $13, the only way Fire & Ice qualifies as a cheap eat is that it is all-you-can-eat, so you might be stuffed enough to skip the next meal. On a more serious note, the misers that we students are, every once in a while we want to go to a "nice" restaurant we can afford. Fire & Ice definitely limits the damage (unless you drink loads of alcohol!).

Special tips:
Reserving for a large group is a must since this place is really popular. On busier nights, be prepared to wait a while at the grill. Using the menu cards to put together your meal is highly recommended because not only do they save you from concocting something awful, but they also have some neat ideas of interesting combinations that you might not have otherwise tried. This is a good place for vegetarians, too, as there is lots of choice. Ask for yours to be cooked in foil if you want to avoid other people's meat juice contaminating your veggies.

Getting there:
From Harvard Yard or the Harvard Square T stop, locate the Body Shop. It is on the corner of Church Street. Head up the street past the crummy little movie theatre, the book/map shop, and the Border Cafe on your left. As the street curves around a bit to the left, Fire & Ice is on your left.

The low-down:
The alcohol here is expensive and can bring your tab close to $20 or more. Also, watch it in large groups, because a service fee of 18% (the tip) will be tacked on to your bill. This is annoying since the waiter does little for you (and is usually scarce when you need more rice or tortillas) and usually doesn't deserve more than 15%.