Food here is really good but the wine selection could be better... Food: I shared the mushroom bread and bacon wrap dates with a friend. The bread was like a flatbread with cheese, mushrooms, and arugula on top. It was very delicious. The dates were good too but isn't everything in bacon yummy?! For an entree I got the simmered beef with rice, black beans, and plantains. This dish was fantastic! The beef was perfectly seasoned and it tasted so good with the rice and beans. This place was spot on with the salt and seasonings. The entree was pretty big and I cleaned my plate. However, it didn't leave me feeling stuffed bc it wasn't greasy. Drinks: the wine selection was pretty weak. I ordered a rose and it was ok but nothing special. I suppose the sangria would be better here. There were not a lot of options. I def will be back for the food as it was yummy and reasonable priced. Could be a good spot for a dinner date as lots of small plates to share and nice casual cozy ambiance. read more

Excellent is the only way to describe this restaurant. Amazing food great service, especially for vegetarians. Really recommend

Had the pepito de carne and it was SO good. Meat was tender and flavorful. Would definitely order again and come back. read more

Orinoco - Venezuelan Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Ordered delivery via DoorDash. Food is excellent, well packed for travel in individual take out boxes. Tequenos are excellent with the spicy ketchup! Asada Negro is another favorite served with rice and plantains. read more

El domingo tomé el tren a Harvard Square donde fui al restaurante Orinoco. Fui con un solo amigo. Fuimos a las ocho y media de la noche. Estuvimos en el restaurante con más o menos cuatro mesas más. Me gustó: mucho la música, era Latina, las pinturas de las paredes, y no había mucho ruido. Los meseros eran muy simpáticos y todos nos ayudaron con cada cosa que necesitamos. Yo pedí la arepa de Pernil. Estuvo riquísima. La comida llegó muy rápido. De postre, yo pedí una tarta de chocolate. Era muy dulce. Solo recomiendo pedir esto si te gusta el chocolate mucho! La única cosa que no me gustó de Orinoco fue que despides de salir mi ropa olía como comida para siempre. Pero no espero que sea un problema. Una arepa y una tora cuesta sólo doce dólares. Por estas razones le doy cuatro estrellas. En general, Orinoco es un lugar bueno para comer. read more

This is the most amazing place in all of Cambridge! Not only do they serve top quality eats, but this restaurant goes above and beyond! Dining last night, this restaurant did everything possible to help me avoid food allergies and were understanding and accommodating. A hidden gem down a walkway that is sure to impress. Don't think twice, head on in for an authentic Latin American dining experience in Cambridge. read more

Very good. Ordered bacon wrapped dates as appetizer. For entree ordered churrasco adobo, (flank steak) delicious! Loved the side salad as well. Other guest ordered asado negro (beef tenderloin) which was also very good. read more

El restaurante es perfecto! Yo le doy al restaurante cinco estrellas! Yo comí "la Pelua," que es carne de res con queso, y el pastel de chocolate. Los dos fueron muy sabrosos y la carne en la Pelua estuvo a una temperatura perfecta. También el servicio fue muy bueno. Mi camarera era muy graciosa y amable. La comida vino muy rápidamente. La comida era un poco cara pero está bien porque era deliciosa. El ambiente era diferente porque estaba un poco oscuro pero me gustó porque era agradable. En general, la comida es muy deliciosa, el ambiente es agradable, y el servicio es muy rápido. Yo recomiendo este restaurante mucho. Yo le doy al restaurante cinco estrellas! read more

Oh my god, the bacon wrapped dates. My boyfriend and I went here for dinner a few weeks ago and it was absolutely delicious. It was a little noisy, but in a pleasant way, and the service was great. I had an empanada and a salad, and he had a pork arepa. We also shared some vegetarian arepas. Some of the flavors reminded us of things we wouldn't expect (like italian pasta sauce and pepperoni), but we were pleased overall. I would go back here in a heartbeat. Oh, and, the bacon wrapped dates. Go get them. So. Delicious. read more

Amazing food, comfortable ambience, and affordable prices! Highly recommend and thoroughly enjoyed my experience while visiting Harvard Square! read more

I went to there at noon and there were so many people~ most people order the traditional salad, but I do not think that is really tasty. The first entry( lunch menu) is great, it was a dough with meat and some mango outside~ read more

Oh my god their meat is so good. Ive been to South America and I can say this place is a lot more delicious than the restaurants I visited in South America. read more

Great place to bring friends for a quick bite in harvard square. The prices range, so you can get away with a $10 or a $25 dinner. Bacon wrapped dates are the best! read more

Wow. I am still reeling from my experience here the other night. My monthly book club always picks a different Cambridge and Somerville restaurant to go to and this was the pick this month. We got there at 6 p.m. when there the restaurant was basically empty. From the start we got attitude from the waitress since we were not sure if it was going to be 5 or 6 of us but hey that wasn't a big deal even if there is no difference in the table they would have sat us at. It was 6 of us, and we were seated. I thoroughly enjoyed both my vegetarian arepa and empanda. They were delicious and I was already planning a return visit with my husband. After we finished our food is when things went bad. Me and my friend wanted to order a second glass of wine. The waitress left, and a manager came over. He said he could not bring us more drinks since there were other people waiting for tables. I could perhaps understand this if we had been lingering for 2 hours not ordering much but it had not even been an hour yet, and one of us had just started on her dessert. We told the manager how ridiculous this was and he simply said sorry (though he clearly wasn't and didn't even try and offer any consolidation). The waitress tossed the bill on the table and refused to even acknowledge us with a thank you or goodbye. We promptly paid our bill, never to return, and went to spend more money at another bar. If this is your policy (eat your meal and get out) maybe clearly state that on the menu. I have never experienced such awful customer service in a restaurant, or any other place of business. read more

No modifications to menu items, rude staff. They won't let you sit even though there are 20 empty tables. They have vague rules about minimum orders and the food comes out cold. Nice garden. read more

Very rude, unprofessional personnel and manager. After 15 minuets of waiting they told me that I asked for a table of two and not four (which was a lie since he even explained that they had to put two tables together when I put my name down) and we had to wait for another 20 minutes. When I asked to see the manager and explained the situation to her she was also rude and backed the waiter up. (good boss, terrible restaurant manager?!). read more

I came here for Sunday brunch with a friend and was quite impressed! Between the two of us, we ordered pa' los gringos (scrambled eggs, chorizo, etc.), empanda verde (made with plantain flour, filled with wild mushrooms), quesillo (flan), and trota de chocolate (chocolate cake with chocolate oozing out), amounting to 32.31 without tips. Except for the flan, I thought everything was absolutely delicious, and the service was good too! read more

We used to be loyal, regular customers of Orinoco. We would bring all of our family and friends here. I was very excited to bring six guests to the restaurant for my 26th birthday, three of whom had come from out of town just for the occasion. The ages at the table ranged from 25-51, well over the legal drinking age. Apparently, Orinoco has a new policy--everyone who is from out of town must have two forms of ID on them for ordering alcohol. I understand and accept that they are a private business and can maintain any policy they want. However, (in my opinion) what I cannot understand or accept is the defensive, emotionally manipulative, and downright rude way the waiter and manager handled our confusion regarding the policy, which was not enacted on us ~2 weeks ago (we ate there on 9/25 and drank sangria, out of state IDs and all), despite the manager telling us that it had been in place for a month (which would be 9/10). When I brought this up, she seemingly just snapped at me and refused to explain. But this is why we were so confused, as people who go there quite often and had never had this issue before or even within the time frame she claimed the policy had been in place. It seemed like maybe we were being targeted for some reason, rather than it being a policy they consistently apply. As another example of the rudeness, when the manager brought out the written policy, she seemingly thrust it at us with anger and also very snarkily said something along the lines of "I hope you can actually read this" implying (perhaps) that we were illiterate. We ended up leaving and will not return. In my opinion, there are several more deserving restaurants in Cambridge who won't treat you poorly. read more

Nothing short of amazing! If you are looking for well priced food, a good place to hang with friends and flavors that make your mouth water, Orinoco is your place! read more

Good food, fun atmosphere - excited to go back and try more things from their menu!

Had such a good time here meeting up with a girlfriend. Food was very tasty (meat was highly salted but balanced by the sides if you paced things correctly). Staff was observant with a minimal presence. Going back! read more

There were a surprising amount of vegetarian options here! Four of us shared two orders of the trio de empanadas (one of of the three is cheese) and an order of the plantains stuffed with fried cheese. For our main, we got the roasted portobello arepa which was fantastic. The sauce it came with in particular was delicious. It is pretty pricey but well worth the authenticity and flavors. read more

This is the note I wrote to the staff at this particular location. Good food, terrible service. Really disappointed in them. tl;dr: they made my pregnant wife stand for almost an hour without offering a seat. I don't care what your rules are, that's not ok. "Orinco staff at Harvard Square, My name is Kyle and I've come to your restaurant pretty frequently but will not be doing so any more for a very specific reason. Last Friday, I was to meet my nine-month pregnant wife and two friends at your restaurant. With the crazy rowing weekend and it being Friday night, I was fairly late stuck in traffic. During that time, you would not seat them because I wasn't there, even though you had tables available. So you made my nine month pregnant wife stand for close to an hour. No one even offered her a chair during this time! And, yes, the individual who told us he couldn't offer us a table was informed she was pregnant. I understand that you have certain regulations in place and I understand why you have those regulations are in place. You can't have one person holding a table for 6 for hours on end. However, you are also in the service industry and are human beings. This is absolutely abhorrent behavior. You did not offer a seat to a pregnant woman for almost an hour. Let that sink in. You don't need draconian adherence to rules. You can make exceptions. You didn't. And just to let you know the consequences of your actions: she was up all night with incredible foot pain. She didn't want to be an inconvenience to our friends so she endured your behavior. It's sad because your cuisine is quite good. But obviously you are not. I hope you disseminate this note so that if this situation arises again, you don't make someone else suffer just to keep to your rules." read more

Service: ** Value: *** Food:**** Atmosphere: **** It seems the Orinoco folks don't read Yelp, because they are still struggling with the same service issues that appear to have been here since they opened. Their phone voice is still on the snarky side. Their estimates for wait time are inaccurate, and they are absolutely unapologetic for it. The hostess/owner does not seem to grasp basic fundamentals of managing a wait list, which is a real problem because they don't take reservations. As a table of three, we watched countless tables of two get seated just by walking in, even though we'd been waiting for an hour-- including twice when two empty two tops next to each other could have been pushed together, but weren't. Then they actually made space for us, BUT RAN OUT OF CHAIRS (and beware, the chairs are flimsy --- I watched two people flip them over during our meal). Then they sat another two people who just walked in instead of pulling one of those chairs over to the table waiting for us, and then sat another two people at the table with space for four--all without saying anything to us, even though we were the only people who were waiting. I was finally frustrated enough to speak up, but the owner was defensive and unapologetic. We should have left after such rudeness, but having had the arepas in Brookline, I really wanted my out of town guests to see what we'd waited 75 minutes for. Finally they made space for us. The wait service was fine, a little slow on water, but took orders promptly (I think they felt bad that the hostess had us waiting for so long). The food was delicious, especially the special vegetarian arepas. The sangria was also tasty, more like a cold mulled wine, but you get a teeny glass. Even though it was a stunning, warm day in late May, their outdoor seating was not open, so it's not clear what they consider suitable for outdoor dining. In summary, the food is good, but you're better off getting it at one of the other locations. The attitude and lack of people skills at the Harvard Sq. location can put a serious damper on the night. read more

my sister researched this place for us to stop in while vacationing in Boston. prices were reasonable for lunch. service was so slow! we only ordered salads and arepas, food that is quick to make, but it ended up being a 2 hour long lunch. the owner was apologetic and said they're not usually that busy. she graciously comped our yucca frita. i would have left happy after that, but i left with a horrible stomach ache instead. read more

The complimentary water was ice cold, without noticeable chunks of ice, which was fantastic. Only downside is that the glass was small- but the size wasn't an inconvenience as the waiter refilled it immediately upon my request. Overall impressed read more

The food is okay, specially in terms of other Latin American offerings in Boston, but not really if you compare it to what you can get in New York. Portions are rather small, and taste ok. I had the arepas, which I grew up with, and they were just ok/below average. The service was terrible though. They seem to only have one waiter who they overwork, so everything takes forever. I rarely complain about service, but this was pretty awful. read more

Fantastic! Such a great location with a wonderfully intimate & shaded patio area in back. Our food was incredible. Datiles & Tequeños appetizers were savory and delicious while the empanadas were perfect and balanced with nice greens and light vinaigrette. Incredibly friendly staff and the location is just amazing; hidden away from the hustle & bustle of the street. Highly recommended & will definitely be back at our next visit to the Boston area! read more

Very friendly staff. The menu is interesting and unique. Some things are definitely too heavy and either over or under seasoned. It is difficult to tell if this is just the flavor profile of the cuisine. It's a fun place to go with friends to try a new type of food. They only have wine and beer and not the best selection. It's cozy and romantic. I would recommend sharing small dishes instead of ordering entrees. read more

the food was quite delicious but a bit overpriced because it's in harvard square. but everything was cooked right. the meat was tender and flavorful. the rice was nice. and the plantains were sweet and not mushy. the service is attentive but not too attentive. at the end, they left us alone to talk after he said no to dessert, which i appreciate. but nothing is really mind blowing. read more

My friend and I walked right past the turnoff for Orinoco the first time-- the gilded sign over the wrought-iron gate are easy to miss if you're not looking, Once inside, we were ushered back to a private little patio where a fountain tinkled gently in one corner. It was a gorgeous day for outdoor dining, and we were the first ones there (they open at 5:30). The waiter was really chill, let us chat and peruse the menu for a longer-than-usual amount of time, but checked back in a few times to make sure we were still OK. Throughout our meal he was attentive without ever getting pushy. And the food... oh my god, the food. We got the Guyaba flatbread to start, which I could have happily eaten three of all by myself. If you like goat cheese, it's a must have. We then split the Reina Pepiada arepa (like a sandwich made on a fluffy pita bread) and the Mechada empanadas, both of which were fantastic. The flavors are melded so well together, and there's lots of salad greens with everything so it doesn't feel heavy. It was wonderful start to finish, and I'll definitely be returning. read more

Had a great date here Friday night. I had one of the meat options that came with rice and plantains and he had the plantain mahi mahi. Both amazing plates. It's a cute little restaurant and the waitstaff was great. read more

An absolute must. Lovingly made and beautifully presented authentic Venezuelan like no other!

Where the parents of a child going to Harvard. This is always a must do. The fried bananas are a must. As a Vegan there weren't too many options for me but my husband seem to really love the beef that you ordered so does my son. It's some kind of pulled beef that they said is really delicious read more

Been coming to Harvard Square for years but never found this place until this past weekend. The food was creative and of high-quality. The service was great and the waiter made some helpful suggestions, all of which turned out to be exceptional. Would come back in a heartbeat. read more

The food is amazing for great prices, but the service is atrocious. We were there for over an hour after we ordered some empanadas and we had no idea what was going on. Don't go there if you have to be out a certain time, and make sure you're there with people you want to spend a lot of time talking to. But otherwise the menu is novel and the food fresh and flavorful. read more

We had a great experience at this restaurant! The food was delicious. Beware, the "small plate" empanada is a delicious empanada and a pretty good sized salad. Big enough for a dinner by itself! In our group of 6, we had the ribs, the vegetarian arepa (nightly special), steak, and shredded beef. Everything was delicious. Service was attentive but not overbearing. The vegetarian in the group appreciated the vegetarian options. We had nice patio seating for a beautiful night. Definitely a place we would recommend. The prices were reasonable. read more

Pull Pork Arepas and the Pistachio Crusted Lamb Chops were amazing!!! Nice atmosphere, too and excellent speedy service. Missing a 5 star rating for desserts, not bad, but definitely not as stellar as the dinner items. I can't wait to go back. :) read more

Ok, to start, the bacon wrapped almond stuffed dates are as good as everyone says. A real treat! I had the Rollo Pollo for my entree ( more wrapped food) with an apricot filling then chicken then, yes, more bacon. It was smoky and delicious with a nice accompaniment of baby carrots. We also had the Orinoco salad which was generous with its fruit and grilled chicken. Great atmosphere too. read more

Food is good but not memorable. Ambience is quite different from other places in Harvard Square, more intimate, less crowded and touristy, not ultra hip, not filled with rich undergrads. read more