We’d heard many good things lately about Orinoco, a Latin kitchen inspired by “taguaritas,” rustic, family-run eateries found along Venezuelan roadsides, so we decided to drop by and check their array of Venezuelan and Latin American cuisines for ourselves.
Orinoco has three Boston locations: South End, Brookline Village, and Harvard Square. The Harvard Square location is tucked away behind a sweet little recessed archway under the trees, so, even before entering, we were immediately struck by the intimate and inviting atmosphere. Inside, the decor was tastefully done, with a mix of folk art and family photography adorning the walls. The dim lighting and soft music in the background set the perfect mood for a relaxed dining experience, and we immediately agreed that it looks like a great spot for a date. Especially if you sit out on the lovely outdoor patio.
The Maracuchitos:
The menu is digital and a bit disordered, but offers an enticing array of dishes. On the vegetarian side of things, most of the exciting options are some combination of carb and cheese. We ordered Maracuchitos ($7.75), Arepa La Gringa ($6.75), Arepa Jardinera ($7), Cachapa ($15) and Torta Fluida ($7).
The Maracuchitos – queso Paisa wrapped in sweet fried plantains – were wonderful. The plantains were soft and lush but had lovely chewy edges. The combination of the creamy salty cheese and the sweet and tangy plantains created a flavor explosion. One of us doesn’t usually like plantains, but loved this dish.
Arepa La Gringa:
The Arepa La Gringa was stuffed with shredded, unmelted edam cheese. To our taste both the filling and the bread were a bit dry, and there was nothing really to marry the one with the other. The Arepa Jardinera also features cheese, as well as sweet plantains, and guasacaca, which is a tangy avocado sauce. The individual elements were fine, but altogether the combination was not cohesive.
The Cachapa:
The Cachapa, which we ordered with only the queso de mano, was the unexpected (but nevertheless deserving) favorite food item. This is a tender sweet corn pancake overflowing with melted queso de mano. More sweet than you are probably thinking right now, though not overwhelmingly so, and certainly not dessert sweet. The slight saltiness of the handmade cheese really underlines that sweetness and makes it shine. For this dish alone, we would visit again.
Torta Fluida:
For dessert, we split a Torta Fluida, a molten chocolate cake, which the menu boasts is made with “100 percent Venezuelan dark chocolate.” This adorable individual cake came to us piping hot. It had a beautifully light crumb and was absolutely brimming with melted dark chocolate. Dark chocolate was such an excellent choice for this cake, as it cuts the sweetness and gives it more depth of flavor. Thus our meal ended on a high note.
While most of the dishes we ordered hit the mark, in the end, Orinoco left us with mixed feelings. While we had high expectations for the arepas, they felt like a miss compared to the other options, and the service was somewhat slow and inattentive. But while the experience had its ups and downs, we definitely appreciated the restaurant’s charm, the cachapa, and the chocolate cake.
A guide to popular restaurants and unique bars you can visit in the Cambridge neighborhood.
Grass lights hang over the bar at Wusong Road.
In Harvard Square, you will find a neighborhood bustling with students, neighbors, and first-time visitors. But the area is also home to a number of restaurants and bars, whether you’re looking for a burger with fries or a cocktail to sip on with brunch.
To help you navigate a host of enjoyable options, we’ve put together a guide to some of the most popular eateries and bars in the Cambridge neighborhood. Between browsing for books at the local shops or attending the Head of the Charles Regatta, you’re sure to find a new favorite spot.
Beneath the Brattle Theater, you’ll find this hip, subterranean New American restaurant that’s perfect for a night out. While you’re browsing the menu, think of ordering the basil pasta served with carrot bolognese, the Secret Burger on a housemade roll, or the Ora King salmon served with ratatouille. Don’t miss out on dessert—the smoked chocolate bread pudding is a winner in our book.
This izakaya opened last year, and since then, it’s become a neighborhood fixture. Bosso Ramen Tavern serves sushi, sake, and ramen, made with a homemade broth. For those who don’t eat meat, the vegan ramen includes soy meat, cashews, walnuts, and red chili oil. After a flavorful entree, cleanse your palate with the black sesame ice cream. A new Back Bay location is slated to open January 2024.
A casual spot on Brattle Street, Felipe’s is the place to go when you need a Mexican food fix. Order the Baja-style tacos, made with a choice of lightly breaded shrimp or fish, or enjoy nachos made with extra melted cheese, refried beans, and more. Reader Elaine S. from Belmont said, “A lot has changed in Harvard Square. Felipe’s is still a great and affordable social space with a limited but authentic selection of Mexican food… Best margaritas in Camberville.”
Inside the Charles Hotel, you may stumble upon Henrietta’s Table, a homey farm-to-table spot that sources produce from local purveyors and serves up classic New England cuisine. If you’re sitting down to brunch, you may want to order the salmon burger, served with spicy tartar sauce and mixed greens. For supper, you can dig into a Yankee pot roast, served with crispy shallots and gravy. Stop by, if you’d like to enjoy a great meal.
Students love this joint, where you can build your own burger or choose from one of their creatively named options, like the Joe Biden or the T-Swift. Reader Gene D. from Waltham called the spot “a local landmark,” adding that “the service is always friendly and fast, the campus ambiance is strong, and most importantly, the food is tasty! I’ve been dining there for years, and Mr. Bartley’s burgers are the best in the Boston area!”
For quality Venezuelan dining, visit Orinoco Kitchen. Try one of their many arepa options or the empanadas, which can be ordered with fillings like shredded beef or forest mushrooms, piquillo peppers, and cheese. The restaurant also serves a marinated chicken adobo that you can choose to eat with malanga gnocchi. The molten chocolate cake, made with pure dark chocolate, is a decadent finish. Orinoco also has locations in the South End and in Brookline Village.
Craving a slice of pizza? Head over to Source, which features “rustic yet refined food.” Neapolitan pies are cooked in a wood-fired oven, and you can choose from a variety of flavors: the classic margherita, the Tuscan kale, pepperoni, New York style, and more. You’ll also find pasta dishes on their menu, from the bucatini in a carbonara sauce to tagliatelli with bolognese sauce. Cocktails, wine, and beer round out their offerings.
If you’re looking to dine on seafood from New England and beyond, visit The Hourly Oyster House on Dunster Street. Order a seafood tower for your party, or fill up on blackened swordfish tacos, lobster rolls, or crusted halibut. Reader Mayor from Watertown said they have a great vibe and offer the best oysters in Boston. “It was better before COVID, but when we want oysters and can’t drive to the South Shore, we always come here,” she said.
Get a drink at Grafton Street, an Irish gastropub that is both contemporary and inviting. You’ll discover draft beers here, such as the Oxbow Brewing Company Punch Brook and the Remnant Brewing Fest Lager, as well as ciders and spirits. To celebrate the fall, try a cocktail like the Shave & a Haircut, composed of Bumbu rum, pumpkin puree, fresh lime, ginger beer, and shaved nutmeg.
Students frequent Grendel’s, a neighborhood tavern with beer on draft, sangria by the pitcher, and a range of cocktails. The spot offers “horoscope drinks,” a rotating selection of beverages based on the astrological charts, and now is Libra season, the time for silver rum, pineapple juice, triple sec, and more. Grendel’s also hosts live events, from music, to storytelling and poetry. Having been in the Square for over 50 years, they’re a classic haunt.
Noir Bar is a chic late-night lounge inside the Charles Hotel. Look out for craft cocktails like the Fleur de Lys, made with vodka, lime, herbes de Provence, and pear. Try the Monte Carlo Flip, which incorporates Italian amaro Averna, Amaro Sibilla, super cacao, and a whole egg. If you’re still wishing you had a bite to accompany your drink, request a flatbread, painted burrata, or a croque-monsieur. Noir promises to be an enjoyable night out with friends.
A lively and comfortable spot, Russell House Tavern is a great place to sip drinks after work, boasting an extensive beer, wine, and cocktail list. You may be drawn in by the dirty chai martini, which combines chai vodka, coffee liqueur, cold brew concentrate, and Irish cream, or the mango chili daiquiri. To go with your beverages, order the local oysters, crab cakes, or the roasted Atlantic cod.
Hidden away in “the outskirts of Harvard Square,” Wusong Road marries Asian American cuisine and tropical Tiki escapism. Drinks include the Scorpion Bowl, made with brandy, almond Orgeat, rum, gin, grenadine, and fresh orange and lime juices, as well as the Jungle Bird, which mixes together two kinds of rum, Campari, pineapple juice, and lime juice. You’ll find some bites on the menu here too, such as coconut glazed spareribs and Aloha sliders.
Don’t go hungry while watching the world-famous rowing event
Competitors at last year’s Head of the Charles Regatta. | Carlin Stiehl For The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Every fall, the Boston stretch of the Charles River turns into a racing venue, attracting scullers and sweepers from around the world to a competition that lures in tens of thousands of spectators. This year’s three-day regatta will kick off on Friday, October 20, and goes until Sunday, October 22. Whether you’re planning an outing with friends or have someone to cheer on, here’s a list of fantastic spots to pick up coffee, pastries, and quick meals for picnics. Better still are the beer gardens and sake bars for celebrations afterward.
Joe’s Pizza
If your plan is to view the race from near Harvard’s main campus, you’re in for a treat. Joe’s Pizza, the famous New York City slice shop, made its Boston debut in September, attracting lines of pizza aficionados from all neighborhoods.
They’re packed with bold furnishings, lush greenery, and luxe designs—and, oh yeah, the food’s pretty great, too.
Wusong Road
Chef Jason Doo grew up in his family’s American Chinese restaurant in Malden, so when the Menton alum had the opportunity to open his own spot, he dreamed up an ode to those memories, from tiki mugs to crab Rangoon. Now, he’s filled two stories of the skinny Conductor’s Building in Harvard Square with tiki-style artifacts in every nook and an eye-popping collection of vintage finds (wicker peacock chairs from the 1970s, Navy diving helmets), with a backdrop of tropical wallcoverings and thatch overhangs.
As a result, there’s certainly nothing in Greater Boston that looks quite like Wusong Road. Perhaps most unique is the main stairwell: Inspired by the “three wise monkeys” shrine in Japan and crafted by general contractor Tiki Rancher (a company that specializes in tiki- and tropical-themed spaces), it features dripping greenery and weathered stone.
Doo himself was quite hands-on in the design and building of the space, whether painting resin monkey-shaped lamps from Italy to look like brass or working with a doll dressmaker to design mini fezzes for the monkeys to wear. The work is never quite done—he decorates the space elaborately for Christmastime, and he’s frequently introducing new custom tiki glassware—so there’s always something to explore here, ideally with a Malden mai tai in hand and a few plates of crispy ma la tater tots and classic pork-and-chive dumplings.
Boston-based donut chain Union Square Donuts made its debut in Harvard Square on Saturday.
Situated at 15 JFK St., the new location is the latest addition to Union Square Donuts’ existing roster of stores in Boston, Brookline, and Somerville.
The award-winning shop opened their first location 10 years ago in Somerville before moving to 20 Bow St. in Concord, Massachusetts. According to co-founder Josh Danoff, Union Square Donuts has been “actively looking” for a location in Harvard Square throughout the chain’s “slow and steady” growth.
“We’ve always had our eye on Harvard Square. It really was always a location that we wanted to have,” Danoff said.
According to Danoff, Union Square Donuts has been involved in Harvard spaces for a number of years, including bringing donuts to the Tuesday farmers’ markets in Harvard’s Science Center Plaza.
“This just feels really great, having gone from having our donuts in the case on a rack at the Harvard farmers’ market to having a brick and mortar,” Danoff said.
“It’s a small shop, but I walked in and I had a smile on my face,” he added. “Our team did such an amazing job of taking a very small space — and with all the requirements that go into a space — and just getting everything in there that we needed.”
The shop’s interior features a glass display of their donut offerings. Aside from the classic flavors of donuts, Union Square Donuts offers specialized flavors such as “Pumpkin Cheesecake Bar” and “Salted Brown Butter Cruller,” and the store is “constantly coming up with seasonal flavors.”
“This is donut weather, so we have a lot of apple and pumpkin and just those fall flavors that, when you live in New England, you just gravitate towards,” Danoff said.
Christine Li, a visitor to Cambridge, said she wanted to see what food Cambridge had to offer and decided to try out Union Square Donuts, which she described as a “great store experience.”
“It leaned on the sweet side, but I think there was a depth of flavor that balanced out the sweetness,” Li said.
Lauren Crum, a customer, described her donut as “delicious” and was impressed by the “huge sample sizes.”
The store’s free sample tastings are a “plus,” according to customer Emily Song, because customers can try the flavor before ordering.
“I don’t see that at any other shops,” Song said.
Union Square Donuts is currently open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with plans to extend hours as they finalize logistics.
“We took the opportunity and are incredibly, incredibly excited to be able to call Harvard Square home for Union Square Donuts,” Danoff said.
Harvard Square filled with live music, food trucks, and people on Sunday to celebrate the 44th annual Harvard Square Oktoberfest and 18th annual Honk! Parade.
The Honk! festival featured a parade of local activist groups and free live performances from street bands. The festival lasted from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8, traveling to various neighborhoods in the Boston area.
Honk! is a street band movement that is “outrageous and inclusive, brass and brash, percussive and persuasive” and draws inspiration from a diverse range of music styles from around the world, according to its website.
David Brancazio, a pianist who has been participating in Honk! since 2015, said he originally saw the Honk! parade go down Massachusetts Avenue and knew he had to join, but he knew he couldn’t push a piano down the street and learned the melodica instead. He said that the festival has now “become a pretty big part” of his life.
Honk! is built as an activist festival, Brancazio said.
“People are used to going out and chanting the same things over and over, but when they have a street band with them, it becomes more fun for everybody and becomes more powerful,” Brancazio said.
Like Brancazio, who started the Boston Area Brigade of Activist Musicians, Chantal Sanchez also attended Honk! to support local activism.
Sanchez, a recent graduate of the Harvard Divinity School, is a member of the Massachusetts Poor People’s Campaign, which combats inequality at the intersection of systemic racism, poverty, environmental destruction, militarism, and religious nationalism.
Sanchez said the Poor People’s Campaign and Honk! use music and art as a way to “connect with people and get the word out.”
Declan J. Devine, who is from Roslindale, Massachusetts, joined the Jamaica Plains Honk! band about a year and a half ago. He said his favorite part of the band is “seeing so many people who are comfortable being themselves in the bands, who are just expressing themselves and not worrying about judgment.”
Abby A. Fechtman, a Cambridge resident, attended with her spouse and two daughters. She said she and her family are “Huge Honk! fans” and have been following Honk! for about 15 years.
“We love the atmosphere in Harvard Square and how lively it is, and we missed it during Covid,” Fechtman said.
Their daughters, Isabel H. Macedo and Luisa E. Macedo, grew up going to the festival. Isabel Macedo — who is now a sophomore at Cornell — said she remembers getting her palm read in middle school by a palm reader who predicted that she would have three kids one day.
Having lived in Cambridge for 21 years, Marcille C. Macedo — Fechtman’s spouse — considers Honk! his favorite event of the year.
“I love the spirit of Honk!” he said.
As Honk! concluded its three-day festival Sunday evening, Brancazio said he looks forward to seeing Honk! continue “to be a force for helping people fighting for social justice, economic justice, racial justice.”
Looking for something to do this weekend? Boston 25 has a few ideas for you.
Harvard Square Oktoberfest and Honk Parade
If you’re seeking something a bit more seasonal this October weekend, head to the 44th annual Harvard Square Oktoberfest and Honk Parade in Cambridge. On Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., you can enjoy a variety of beer gardens, food, crafts, entertainment on two stages, and the lively honk parade! Also joining this event is the 2nd annual Filipino American festival
Cambridge’s Harvard Square beckons a new denizen – local favorite Union Square Donuts eyeing expansion to this historic location as per NBC Boston. An inviting sign at 15 John F. Kennedy Street amplifies anticipation for local residents and aficionados of this esteemed donut brand.
With its distinct and toothsome offerings, Union Square Donuts has carved a niche for itself across the region. Its footprint includes the Somerville’s Union Square and Assembly Row, Boston Public Market, Brookline, and the Time Out Market in the Fenway. This maiden venture into Cambridge is poised to draw Harvard Square’s bustling crowds. As reported by Boston Restaurants, the expansion, which began in May, was spearheaded by Union Square Donuts’ director of operations Lynn Sniffen, who hoped to open the new store to coincide with “apple cider doughnut season.”
Although the inauguration date remains unconfirmed, the to-be location is already creating a buzz among locals and food connoisseurs. With the success of their previous outlets, the new addition to Harvard Square is anticipated with bated breath by the nearby community. The Union Square Donuts’ lineup includes a range of mouthwatering treats, promising their customers an encounter with some extraordinary flavors sure to satisfy their sweet cravings.
The golden rooster that keeps watch over Cambridge Common atop the spire of the First Church in Cambridge will soon be leaving Harvard Square after 150 years.
The golden rooster that keeps watch over Cambridge Common atop the spire of the First Church in Cambridge will be leaving Harvard Square after 150 yearsthis fall, and the congregation will soonbegin discussions on whether it should be sold and if they will install a replacement, church officials said.
At age 302, the weathervane itself is quite weathered on one side: video shot by a drone shows considerable erosion of the gilding on the right-facing side of the cockerel, especially along the tailfeathers, according to the Congregational church on Garden Street.
This Monday marks Indigenous Peoples Day, a time to commemorate the Indigenous peoples of America. As you enjoy the last bits of warm weather, take some time to learn about Native American history and honor the tribes who have lived in Massachusetts for centuries. Elsewhere across the city, there are spooky Halloween happenings, local art shows, and lively festivals. Take advantage of the first three-day weekend of the semester and start exploring.
Celebrate the annual HONK! Festival’s kickoff in Davis Square, Somerville. A 17-year local tradition, HONK! brings together brass bands from across the country for three days of music and activism. The festival aims to unite the community through street band performances, workshops, political protests, and more. Drawing from diverse inspirations like Klezmer, Balkan, Romani, Afrobeat, and hip-hop, the festival’s music is lively and engaging. On Friday night, attend a lantern-making workshop and lantern parade. Then, watch various bands perform around Union Square for the rest of the evening. Festivities continue Saturday and Sunday, and include parades, performances, and workshops.
Friday, October 6, to Sunday, October 8. Find the full schedule of events and locations here.
Harvard Square’s annual Oktoberfest returns this Sunday ready to light up the quaint, intellectual area with live music, performances, food, and beer. Oktoberfest is a German tradition that began as a Bavarian crown prince’s wedding celebration in 1810. Now over 200 years later, Germans and Americans alike celebrate Oktoberfest each autumn with much fanfare. Harvard Square’s Oktoberfest features performances on multiple stages, crafts, various international food vendors, vintage goods, and of course, beer gardens.
Sunday, October 7, 11 am to 6 pm, Harvard Square, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and Cambridge Street.
