bars with great food in Cambridge, MA?

June 3, 2019 5:09 PM

You live in Cambridge (MA). You used to frequent River Gods and the B-Side, but now that those are long gone, you've found new hangouts with a similar feel. Help my husband and me discover new bars with great food on our upcoming trip to our old stomping grounds!
posted by Ralston McTodd to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

Best answer: Maybe the Cellar downstairs? I haven't been back to Cambridge for a few years, but I used to go pretty regularly when I lived there and I think it's still open. It's nice and cozy and you can order food from upstairs. (Downstairs is cash only, I think.)
posted by cimton at 6:34 PM on June 3, 2019

Best answer: I really miss River gods, alas.

B-side restauranteur also created The Automatic https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2016/02/16/the-automatic-cambridge-spring-2016/ its a bit loud last time I went.

I think Trina's Starlight Lounge has a nice atmosphere and decent food.

Christopher's and Toad are still in Porter Square if you want more traditional fare and live music. Lord Hobo by Kendall is nice for beer selection and food as well. Christopher's in Union as well for good beer selection and food, always a classic.
posted by miasma at 7:40 PM on June 3, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Russell House tavern near Harvard Square was one of my go to bars along with River Gods five years ago, and my husband went back a couple months ago and reports that it’s still great.
posted by permiechickie at 4:44 AM on June 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Lord Hobo definitely has more of a bar-with-great-food feel than a restaurant-with-a-great-beer-list feel, though an argument could be made for either. Green Street is another standby, and geographically close to the site of River Gods. I haven't been to Cuchi Cuchi in years, but I remember the decor feeling like a fancy version of River Gods.
posted by quatsch at 7:42 AM on June 4, 2019

Best answer: Lord Hobo would be BY FAR my #1 recommendation based on this info.
posted by branca at 12:51 PM on June 4, 2019

Lord Hobo, Trina's Starlight Lounge, Kirkland Tap & Trotter ($)
posted by mhaw at 4:33 PM on June 4, 2019

It's been a long, long time since I lived in Boston, and technically it's not a bar, but my friends and I used to really enjoy sitting at the bar at Dali restaurant on Washington St in Somerville. No idea if it still has the same atmosphere, but for drinks and some mind-blowing tapas on a weeknight after work, it was hard to beat.
posted by amusebuche at 9:55 AM on June 5, 2019