TLDR: You can't go wrong with a warm, freshly made waffle…read morehere, but people definitely have their individual preferences. My recommendation is to go with the Liege waffle with berries and your pick of any other toppings. With a cozy atmosphere and the smell of warm waffles, this is an especially good spot during the colder months, but still a favorite in the warmer months too. ------ FOOD: THE LIEGE (5/5) The Liege waffle is the classic here and the one I'd recommend. Sweet, thick, and a richer snack (i.e. the satisfying treat you're probably looking for if you're stopping by a waffle shop). All of the topping combos are classic, and the berries they use here are high quality. Waffles come out hot and fresh after just being made, so if you order ice cream or whipped cream, know that you'll have to eat quickly if you don't want it to melt into the waffle. THE BRUSSELS (4.5/5) Besides the Liege, the Brussels waffle is an interesting choice and very different from the Liege. As the menu describes, it's definitely significantly lighter, and it's crispier in a different way (not from the caramelization of the pearl sugar but from crisped up batter similar to an Ego waffle). It's extremely delicate, so I'd recommend just doing some powdered sugar and maybe a chocolate drizzle or some whipped cream. ------ ENVIRONMENT / AMBIANCE: * Small shop on the edge of Harvard Square. Some window seating and a few small tables best for groups of 2 - 4. * Given how small it is inside, finding a seat during peak hours can be particularly challenging, and lines can be out the door too. ------ SERVICE: * Order at the kiosk and then find a seat (if you can). When a waffle is done, they'll call a name and come to you once you indicate that it's for you. * Water and utensils are self-service, and the expectation is that you put your plates, utensils, and cups away in a bin inside by the counter.

Perfect for sitting quietly on a sunny afternoon, especially when you're feeling down…read more Gourmand Waffle: Liege waffle/banana/whipped cream/caramel. The ultimate sweetness is evident from the ingredients. The waffle was light and crispy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside; the sweetness of the banana and caramel is mellow and rich, the pearl sugar was slightly caramelized, and the sweetness of the cream was natural and light. Every bite offered a different layer of flavor. But most importantly, it was really sweet, and sweetness is the most soul-stirring enjoyment. It was sweet enough to bring peace, allowing you to temporarily escape the world and focus on this plate of beautiful fairytale. Café au Lait (Latte): Beautifully layered, with a natural milky aroma. But what does the menu mean by confusing café au lait with latte?

Ball Square Cafe catered my son's grad party this past Friday night. Mike the owner/operator was…read moregreat to work with, friendly and knowledgeable. He made suggestions and calculated the proper amount of food with great pricing. He was professional, and delivered the food timely even though he had a difficult commute through the city. I ordered chicken parm, tremendous!! Good size cutlets and prepared perfectly! Chicken, ziti, broc was creamy and very tasty! Sausage, peppers and onions, a hit Meatballs were like Mom's. Took me back to her kitchen!! They were large and tender, really good. Thank you Mike for your service and great food. Third time we used you and every time was a great experience.

Good: glorious morning breakfast sandwich (no cheese), traditional two egg breakfast and strawberry…read moreshortcake waffle (deconstructed). I liked my breakfast sandwich but the potatoes were very oily and soggy. Service: helpful but place was busy. Ambiance: large space with lots of tables. Parking: difficult street parking.

First time visiting for brunch and cannot wait to go back. The feta veg omelette special was…read moredelicious - the omelette loaded with veggies and feta cheese, came with a side of beans and rice, and tasty potato hash. Ask for the hot sauce, it's tasty! The meal came with either cream wheat or fruit. Tried cream wheat for the first time and it was sooo good. Warm, cozy, sweet and salty. Entrees came with a bread basket of homemade buttered bread which was delicious too. Service was excellent. Patio ambience was lovely for late morning brunch. Love that they offer breakfast all day. Only complaint is the long wait - but they offer complimentary coffee and lemonade, along with bubbles for kids to stay occupied. Parking in the area can also be hard to find on the weekends. We will definitely be back!

Great food, friendly service, and a comfortable space to enjoy a meal with friends! As an island…read moreperson, having Haitian and other Caribbean flavors to enjoy was like a taste of home!

Great breakfast place and the coffee is fantastic…read more Nice ambiance. Check them out when in Cambridge next time.

Curio has extremely limited seating, so it's honestly better as a grab-and-go local coffee…read morespot--but unfortunately, I ordered a mocha and it was mediocre at best. It was very thin, and I couldn't bring myself to finish it. Seeing some other reviews celebrating their waffles, I would consider coming back for food, but likely not their coffee. The other reason I docked points was because I came on a mid-October morning, one of those days with pleasantly brisk mornings that quickly warmed up. Yet upon arrival, the heat was turned so far up that I was sweating the entire time I was inside. Curio also hasa no-laptops rule on weekday evenings and weekends, which is understandable given the tiny size, but always represents a challenge to folks looking for a third space to work in.

I was impressed with this place once I overcame my surprise this is not a stand alone diner car…read more I ordered the bacon cheeseburger since it is a signature dish. It was tasty, greasy (in a good way), and the spiced fries were a nice change up. My wife and I ordered a bottle of wine which was priced quite reasonably. This place has a stealthy good selection of craft beers on tap. Look forward to returning here again.

Walked in on day after thanksgiving for brunch, and this place was relatively quiet. We got an…read moreamazing booth seating, but really wanted their fancy bus seating which gives a classic diner feel to the restaurant. TL;DR - if you are from Bombay, are craving that specific Bombay Chinese food taste, and Vada Pav - look no further - this is the place. Most of their staff are fellow Mumbaikars - shout out to Shiv, Dhvani, and Ronak! Shiv, our server was friendly and our hungry table got straight to ordering which included a flavor packed and well priced Lychee Martini ($10), Masala Chai Hot Toddy ($12), and Spicy 'Lil Rita ($12) - being the best one! Food included some well name dishes like Kashmiri Deviled Eggs ($12), Vada Pav ($12), Rasam Risotto ($15), Butter Chicken Pot Pie ($20), Chicken Steak with Makhani Sauce ($18), Street Fried Noodles ($16), and Penne Pasta with Chicken for the kiddos. Food just hits the right spots and is very flavorful, extremely well seasoned, and perfectly spiced. Interiors and their bar is very inviting. Noise levels during our stay were on the lower end. Service was excellent. What was refreshing was they didn't charge us any automatic gratuity even for our large group - but absolutely deserved a generous one! Highly highly recommend if flavorful food is your thing!

This place is packed on the weekends. No online reservation system so you have to get there earlier…read moreto write your name on the waitlist. The patio outside is super cute, you're covered by grapes (literally). It's really fun!! I wonder what it's like in the winter here because in the nicer weather the patio is a plus. Their menu is large and they have specials, breakfast and lunch entrees come with an appetizer which is cool. Plus lunch a dessert! We got there late/had to wait so we ordered lunch. The linguica with peppers and onion was our choice, I got mine with rice. It also came with a salad or soup, we got one of each. Salad was yummy and had that nice homemade feeling. My boyfriend liked his soup. Plus they bring you delicious warm bread. The linguica was delicious as well as the vegetables and rice, all paired nicely!! My dessert was a rice pudding I liked it!! Portions were big I had leftovers. It was honestly delicious and I get the hype. I would like to come back for breakfast. Biggest things, cash only and be prepared to wait--but come early to put your name on the waitlist.

I saw that employee management can be improved, but their structure is an ultimately neighborhood…read morerestaurant. All that has to happen is friendly and welcoming service, which they provide. The service and food is good. It's not anything impressive, but I am satisfied and do not find myself being disappointed here. The ambiance is the best part. Super welcoming, cozy, nice. Cash only is strictly a business move so profits don't get eaten up by POS systems and merchants. There's an ATM available, but $3+ for a withdrawal? I never complain, but I'm considering majority of folks who don't want an unnecessary fee. I don't see myself coming back if I weren't in the neighborhood, Nothing necessarily impressed me. It's just a good stop to make and it won't disappoint as long as you have cash.

There was a line when we got there but it moved very fast and the staff was good at getting…read morecustomers through without making you feel rushed. The ice cream was amazing. It is all home made and they nailed the flavors. The pumpkin pie cheesecake tasted so naturally like pumpkin.

No free samples. You can complain about a flavor if you don't like it (once ordered and paid) and…read moreget it replaced, but they throw the original all away. This is their policy and it's fine, just seems wasteful. This also makes it hard to try the unique flavors :( I wouldn't have had an issue (since it's their own policy) but the replacement portion was way smaller. I'm not sure if the staff was having a bad day or not, but it seemed like asking for a replacement flavor was purposefully made uncomfortable to deter you from asking? (P.S. Paying $6 for very little portions plus not having samples of flavors seems counterintuitive.) Also, Horchata is a rice based drink (with its main liquid being milk, water is also added though), so how can that be a vegan option? If they were able to actually have it taste like Horchata (with or without milk) that would've been fine, but it tasted like water + cinnamon. This was the flavor that brought me to this place so I was disappointed :( Overall, I might come back for the Cold Brew and Brown Sugar Vanilla flavors when I want a sweet treat (there are other sweet places for a better price and experience). But the fact that I ended up liking two of the most basic flavors out of the whole menu disappoints me :/

Yummy! Jean-Deng is a delightful person and the food was excellent…read more I enjoyed how he interacted with customers and the community. Note: everything is made to order and fresh so you might have to wait...but it's worth it!

It was pretty average. I was fooled by Yelps' high 4.7 rating…read more Tri-berry Cheesecake Crêpe: The crêpes were made to order, and the wait was a bit long on Friday afternoon (about 15-20 minutes), but understandable. The crêpe itself was decent--soft yet chewy, not dry or oily, with a slightly rough surface and a pleasant natural wheat aroma. However, the filling was just strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and a little berry jam--very perfunctory. The raspberries were soft and mushy, not fresh enough, and the blueberries were small and didn't blend well with the crêpe. Also, I couldn't taste any "cheesecake" at all. Cappuccino: The taste was also average, but it was a very large glass. The place was very hot; I'm curious how hot they had the heating on.

This is a solid breakfast/lunch café with standard prices for the area…read more We came here for brunch on a Saturday and were seated with no wait. Service was friendly and fast, with our orders being taken and coming out quickly. I got the green omelette, which didn't skimp on the veggie filling and was a large portion size that kept me full all afternoon. My dining companion got the Basic Plus, which was fully customizable with his choice of meat, toast, and eggs, but wasn't as large in portion size. The one unfortunate part of the meal was that the menu advertised that homefries came with our dishes, but we were instead served fried mashed potatoes, which we couldn't have due to dairy allergies. Listing out allergens on the menu would be a big improvement!

This omelet was delicious! A big portion with a creamy veggie filling. Our waiter was very friendly…read moreand helpful. The restaurant itself is casual with a fun theme- perfect for brunch!

I ordered the southwest chicken sandwich. It was phenomenal! I ordered pickup during lunch hours…read moreand it was timely and they packaged it nicely. Would recommend!

The food was great. I got the lemon berry pancakes. It was not too sweet, the cream was fresh and a…read moregreat addition, the berries were very fresh and the pancakes were very fluffy. I love that the bacon is thick so it was cooked through and well, and you had something to chew (not bacon flavored air chips. if you know, you know). I LOVED the crispy brussels sprouts with bacon, the flavors were so interesting and balanced, and the brussels were good very well. My partner had the black bean and pulled chicken and omelet. He says the flavors were good, but he would have preferred them separately, it didn't go together as well as he thought. The servers were lovely and fast, and the decor was modern with a comfortable feel. It was a nice day and the sun came through just enough from the windows that it lit up the restaurant in a good way. If you're thinking about it, I say go!