MEmama Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Do you have recommendations for lunch/casual dinner places nearish MIT? Either side of the bridges is fine. Also, if you know of ***anywhere*** for decent coffee in that general area I'd love it if you'd share! :) Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Legal Sea Foods yum...expensive but yum That's where we went last time we were in that area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 (edited) I love Clover Food Labs - it's vegetarian with locally grown produce, they make their own wonderful fresh pitas, they have weird food combos that always are delicious, and they have the most awesome fresh 'sodas' from fresh squeezed something and soda water they mix right there (my favorite is ginger). Toscannini's ice cream in Central Square isn't really food, but I always have to make a trip - amazing ice cream. They also have great coffee. When we're actually stuck at MIT for the day, I often just go to one of the places in the Student Center. You going for Spark? Dd18's teaching a class. :) ETA: I have to run to take dd to CC, but if you have any particular kind of restaurant you'd like, maybe I can think of something more specific. So many good places down there. I often just wander about and look in and try new things. Kendall Square is super near, Central Square is an easy walk, and the Galeria Mall is down by the Science Museum and has more chain restaurants and a food court. There are more restaurants on First Street on the way there. Edited March 10, 2017 by Matryoshka 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 We went to Spark one year. DS had an absolute blast. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 http://m.unionoysterhouse.com/ My favorite restaurant in Boston. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 I love Clover Food Labs - it's vegetarian with locally grown produce, they make their own wonderful fresh pitas, they have weird food combos that always are delicious, and they have the most awesome fresh 'sodas' from fresh squeezed something and soda water they mix right there (my favorite is ginger). Toscannini's ice cream in Central Square isn't really food, but I always have to make a trip - amazing ice cream. They also have great coffee. When we're actually stuck at MIT for the day, I often just go to one of the places in the Student Center. You going for Spark? Dd18's teaching a class. :) ETA: I have to run to take dd to CC, but if you have any particular kind of restaurant you'd like, maybe I can think of something more specific. So many good places down there. I often just wander about and look in and try new things. Kendall Square is super near, Central Square is an easy walk, and the Galeria Mall is down by the Science Museum and has more chain restaurants and a food court. There are more restaurants on First Street on the way there. Yep. :). What class is she teaching? This is DS's second year going to Spark. It's better than Christmas. :) I don't know what's wrong with us but we can never find food in that area. We have been to Clover, and we've found one place with good chai (some pastry place with a pretty chandelier down some side street), but coffee eludes us which of course is weird with Boston being such a student Mecca. Boloco is a must and we don't mind walking as far as we need to for their burritos. :) All other suggestions are very appreciated! (We are vegetarian but don't need anything specifically geared that way) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 I don't recall a ton of restaurant options. Or at least none that appealed to us. There are various chain places, as you know. We ended up mostly at chain places like Panera. we are looking into attending Splash in November 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 I don't recall a ton of restaurant options. Or at least none that appealed to us. There are various chain places, as you know. We ended up mostly at chain places like Panera. we are looking into attending Splash in November We'll be there too! :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 oh cool...we should meet up at some point unless you think I'm scary LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 oh cool...we should meet up at some point unless you think I'm scary LOL Definitely! (That we should meet up, that is. :) ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 (edited) Yep. :). What class is she teaching? This is DS's second year going to Spark. It's better than Christmas. :) She's co-teaching a class called "Excavating a Shipwreck". My older two did Spark, Splash, and HSSP for years; now that she's in college, dd's thrilled to be on the teaching side. Younger dd is less enthused, but has done them a few times... I don't know what's wrong with us but we can never find food in that area. We have been to Clover, and we've found one place with good chai (some pastry place with a pretty chandelier down some side street), but coffee eludes us which of course is weird with Boston being such a student Mecca. Boloco is a must and we don't mind walking as far as we need to for their burritos. :) All other suggestions are very appreciated! (We are vegetarian but don't need anything specifically geared that way) Central Square is full of stuff. Mary Chung (Chinese) has been around forever... best known for their spicy Dun Dun Noodles. The Middle East is just down the road, but it's better known for their downstairs music club than their food, I think... Bao Nation and the Dosa factory are little counters down a back alley; I've tried the Baos from the former. Looking at a map of Central Sq, looks like there's a lot of non-chain places, but I haven't lived in Cambridge for years, and tend to visit favorites (like Toscannini's and Clover) when there, so I can't give personal recommendations. One of my favorite restaurants (La Groceria - Italian - used to be there, but it's now gone :( ) They used to have a great early-bird special. There's a Cafe Luna and a Caffe Nero, but I've never tried them. I always end up getting a coffee with my ice cream at Toscannini's - their cafe mocha is amazing. If you're driving to Central, there's meter parking in lots behind Mass Ave (to the right as you're coming from MIT). ETA: And if it's a nice day, Central Sq is only about a 15 min. walk straight down Mass Ave... Edited March 11, 2017 by Matryoshka 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 Thank you for the recommendations! Those are super helpful. :) DS tried to get into that class but ended up not getting in. Now he will be double bummed--it sounds cool! That's so awesome that your kids get to help teach! Must be a blast. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Thank you for the recommendations! Those are super helpful. :) DS tried to get into that class but ended up not getting in. Now he will be double bummed--it sounds cool! That's so awesome that your kids get to help teach! Must be a blast. :) here's a secret... if you just show up to a class you didn't get into, no one's going to kick you out. My kids did that all the time. The problem is knowing where the heck the class is, as they don't tell you unless you got in. If my kids had a friend that got in to a class they really wanted to take, they'd tag a long and take it. It's only possibly a problem if there's some kind of limited resource, like if computers are needed or something, but often even in a 'full' class someone doesn't show up and you're okay. You can just hang at the back and see how it shakes out... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 here's a secret... if you just show up to a class you didn't get into, no one's going to kick you out. My kids did that all the time. The problem is knowing where the heck the class is, as they don't tell you unless you got in. If my kids had a friend that got in to a class they really wanted to take, they'd tag a long and take it. It's only possibly a problem if there's some kind of limited resource, like if computers are needed or something, but often even in a 'full' class someone doesn't show up and you're okay. You can just hang at the back and see how it shakes out...My aunt did this.... She was first on the waiting list for a college (probably in the 40's) and hadn't heard the day before... My grandma told her to just go to the classes and if a roll was called to just say they missed her. About 2 weeks in they called to say that there was a place for her. So she would have been 2 weeks behind. I did it at my technical school (but my Dad was an instructor there, so rather safe). We were allowed to take 1 extra option of options term, but there were 2 extra I wanted to take. I showed up to the one I want regretted in and had my name added... And a few years ago the was waiting lists for the summer (every day) swim lessons... We were regulars at the Y, and known and recognized by the aquatics director. So we showed up the first day and I put my couple of kids in swim suits.... If there was more than a couple of kids missing, she added my kids to the class. (She didn't if only one was missing as sometimes someone missed the first day...) Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 flour bakery Azgard - student-ish pub I'd take the T to Inman Square and go to the amazing S and S, or in to the North End. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 I guess DS was lucky. He got all of his picks. Maybe he picked stuff that fewer people wanted. He missed one of the classes though because he went and found his own food. He's very picky and didn't like what was being served so it took longer to eat lunch. I think next time I'll tell him to not pick a class around lunch time. Looks like we intend to go in November. What was very cool is some of the students gave our their e-mail. He corresponded with one for awhile and was over the moon about that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zejh Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 It's often way too crowded, but I really like Flour, on Mass Ave just the other side of the train tracks from the main campus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zejh Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 For the most part, if you walk up Mass Ave toward Central Square, there are a lot of choices these days. I haven't been to all of them, but it's been over a decade since I've walked into one that I'd warn anyone against. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I always go to the burrito place in the basement of the student union building. It was disappointing when they split out Spark from Splash. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I love Clover Food Labs - it's vegetarian with locally grown produce, they make their own wonderful fresh pitas, they have weird food combos that always are delicious, and they have the most awesome fresh 'sodas' from fresh squeezed something and soda water they mix right there (my favorite is ginger). Toscannini's ice cream in Central Square isn't really food, but I always have to make a trip - amazing ice cream. They also have great coffee. When we're actually stuck at MIT for the day, I often just go to one of the places in the Student Center. You going for Spark? Dd18's teaching a class. :) ETA: I have to run to take dd to CC, but if you have any particular kind of restaurant you'd like, maybe I can think of something more specific. So many good places down there. I often just wander about and look in and try new things. Kendall Square is super near, Central Square is an easy walk, and the Galeria Mall is down by the Science Museum and has more chain restaurants and a food court. There are more restaurants on First Street on the way there. My son used to work at Clover! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 My son used to work at Clover! Dd (same one that's teaching) worked at Clover last summer. :) Is your son going to school in these parts? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Dd (same one that's teaching) worked at Clover last summer. :) Is your son going to school in these parts? My son may have worked there last summer too! I think or maybe it was the summer before. His hours got reduced to doing the night shift on either Sat or Sun because he had other jobs. He graduated from Berklee a couple years ago. He's living in an MIT frat house with a bunch of friends right now. He used to live over in Cambridge with a bunch of students from Harvard. He's a beatnik musician. He also plays guitar for Potbelly's all around the city (I think the Prudential Center maybe? and one other place) and especially at the one at the airport. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 My son may have worked there last summer too! I think or maybe it was the summer before. His hours got reduced to doing the night shift on either Sat or Sun because he had other jobs. He graduated from Berklee a couple years ago. He's living in an MIT frat house with a bunch of friends right now. He used to live over in Cambridge with a bunch of students from Harvard. He's a beatnik musician. He also plays guitar for Potbelly's all around the city (I think the Prudential Center maybe? and one other place) and especially at the one at the airport. Cool! I think dd would have loved to have worked in one of the hip city ones, but she was working at a couple they've opened up out here in the 'burbs. Cambridge is such a cool place to live. I used to live right in East Cambridge when I was in my 20's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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