This is my pick of South Shore restaurants. Wonderful food, beautiful dining room, great service.

We continue to enjoy Square Cafe in Hanover on a regular basis. We visit often enough that we sometimes find it difficult to make a selection from the menu. When the menu changes we tend to get excited about trying new things but often the changes just are not that big. Would love to have a sandwich or two added for those nights when we just aren't that hungry. Perhaps a bar menu with some limited lighter fare selections would suffice. Talented kitchen staff are certainly capable of offering some special dishes some evenings. Still giving Square very high ratings for food, staff, and ambiance. read more

Wine selection is meh (tried a barbera and valpolicella, both mediocre at best)... Food is meh (the flatbread was very garlicky, the linguine were overcooked, with a odd combination of buttery and sour flavors). Food came ~45min after order. Starvation mode. Prices were OK (except for $35 for the the weird linguine with shrimps). Definitely in my not-to-go-again list. read more

We've been to the Hanover location a few times now, twice for dinner and once for lunch yesterday. Very nice interior and the bar is great but limited seating. They have some good draft beer options, but it could be colder. We tried the Korean wings for an appetizer and shared the plate between the five of us. The bread service is excellent with crusty type bread and it's served with green oil and yellow olive oil and cheese dipping sauce, a must-try. So far i have always gone with the chili seared yellow noodles either with chicken, shrimp or just noodles and it is spicy as it has some red peppers in it but it is excellent, served with chop sticks if you prefer to use them. I would not recommend the salads there, my wife hasn't been happy with them compared to other restaurant offerings. Reservations are recommended and watch the hours because they close after lunch at 3pm and re-open for dinner at 5pm. The menu is varied but I am always laser-focused on the yellow noodles for good reason. Service has been good and attentive. read more

Square Cafe - Hanover - Chili seared yellow noodles, so good! - New American Near Me - Hanover, Massachusetts

I can't say enough about our experience at The Square Cafe. The service, food, and ambiance were all excellent. We'll be back.

First time patron. Met two friends for a holiday lunch. The bar is gorgeous. My pomegranate martini was delicious and packed a punch. We ordered the bread service with chive oil. My favorite chive oil (complimentary) remains Sorelle in Abington, but The Square offered a very tasty version of their own. My pork belly tacos were delicious--maybe fewer raw red onions in the slaw, or use pickled ones, since they did dominate the flavors. My friends enjoyed the burger and the smoked turkey grilled cheese--more club sandwich than actual grilled cheese. The fries were crispy and hot. We didn't have room for dessert, but I'd like to go back and try the salon burger and the Wedge salad. I didn't get our server's name, but she was friendly enough and checked back a few times. There were plenty of staff to clear dishes or refill water glasses. The price point is a bit high for lunch as compared to similar establishments, but the interior is clean, modern and hip, so I'm sure the rent factors into the overall costs. I'd go back again. read more

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I went to square cafe with two girlfriends for my retirement the food was wonderful the service was the best !! Everyone was so friendly and professional would highly recommend!! We shared the roasted Brussels sprouts amazing ! Caesar salad that was delish ! Special fish that was halibut really beautiful and the scallops outstanding dinner !!! read more

This place is amazing! Everything we ate was delicious. The mussels are a must. For our entrees we had the steak frites and a special of the night - Korean short ribs. Both were delicious. Creme brûlée was so good and a wonderful way to end the meal! At first glance prices look high but the portions are huge and well worth it. Great service and a lovely outdoor patio. read more

Square Cafe - Hanover - Creme Brûlée - New American Near Me - Hanover, Massachusetts

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SoOoOo...let me start off by saying I love the original location of Square Cafe in Hingham; the vibe, the ambiance, the food. Everything there is perfect. However, the Hanover location has a completely different vibe, ambiance and atmosphere. It feels like they should have made it a sister-restaurant and named it something else. But at last, I digress... My husband and I came here for dinner during the week. We ordered the bread service and french onion soup to start. We didn't appreciate being nickel & dimed (charged) for the bread & oil as normally that is complimentary at establishments of this caliber. However, it was fantastic. As was the french onion soup! It was rich in flavor but still had a light texture which is ideal for this type of soup. For my entree, I ordered the pan seared scallops. Everything about the meal was excellent. The risotto and citrus salad were perfect compliments to the scallops. I tried a bite of my husband's roasted cod and it was just as delicious as mine. For dessert, we shared the bread pudding as we love it from the other location. Even though it was delicious, I swear it didn't taste as good as the other location, but that's probably just my bias showing ;) I would definitely recommend checking this location out for yourself! read more

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My sister lives near this place and we have visited several times both for lunch and dinner. The food is super fresh and the waitstaff and host/hostess are superb. The salads are the freshest around and what a great menu, so much to pick from!! The bowls are awesome and we also enjoyed the dumplings appetizer. We have had the burgers, club sandwiches, fries and most of the items on the menu. The steak frites were very generous and delicious! The servings are plentiful and we also enjoyed the key lime pie and crème brûlée for dessert. The cocktails are good and they have a good selection of wines. The owners have been present each time I have been and I love that. They run an excellent restaurant and we will continue to be regular's here. Thank you for a wonderful experience every time. The atmosphere is wonderful and they also have outdoor dining if preferred. I have yet to sit at the bar but it is certainly inviting. Thank you! read more

Overall A+! Went here with a group for and the food was excellent. The mushroom flatbread, the brussels sprouts the noodles. So good! I am not sure the spice used in the brussels sprouts, but it was spicy and the best I have had. I would go back here just for those. I ordered a short rib special for meal and was also very good. Our server was very attentive, and they had someone making sure our water glass was full. They gave us all new silverware for our meals and cleaned up all the crumbs on the table. For dessert, the chocolate lava cake was every bit as delicious as the rest of the meal read more

Recommended by friends and stopped in for dinner. My 3 star rating is the combination of 4 stars for the ambiance, atmosphere and food, "ehh." Restaurant is nicely decorated, clean, well lit and great ambiance. Greeted by hostess friendly and polite. Because it was a nice night, we chose to sit outdoors. Waitstaff was good. Waiter asked if we wanted bread and we said yes. Little did we know, we discovered the bread was not free. $4 chargers for the bread service when we received the bill. We ordered the house made Szechuan pork shrimp dumplings, crispy pork spareribs, Dan Dan noodles for 2 and Caesar's salad with salmon. The dumplings came swimming in chili oil with pork belly. The chili oil was more oil than chili and the pork belly were very tough to chew. The spareribs were also hard to eat, dry but sauce was good. The noodles also swimming in oil and tasted Okay. The Caesar's salad lettuce was a wilted and not fresh. We won't be visiting again any time soon. read more

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Expensive but worth it!! Everything we ate here was amazing. Calamari appetizer, one of the best I've ever had. Seabass was incredible and they let me change the sides which a lot of restaurants won't do. Bread pudding dessert is on another level. You have to try it. read more

They need to change up old menu. Reliable but for regulars, an evening or noon DAILY special at least would be nice. The regular menus are excellent btw. read more

They continue to deliver solid scores from the kitchen. This should be 3 stars due to service and a couple misses on the plates, but I really want this place to succeed as I like the quality of the ingredients and the menu. We were frustrated with the service of our waiter last night as he was just MIA and standing at a computer screen the majority of the night. When he would stop by other tables he would put his head down and just walk right out of the patio without giving anyone an option to even make eye contact. We could have left 30 minutes earlier than we did if he would have come by and packaged up our leftovers and offered us a desert menu. Eventually he got an "excuse me" as he tried to get back to his computer and then we were able to request the leftovers get packaged up and order some dessert. The Steak Frites....Delicious! Cooked perfect and seasoned well. The White Bernaise that came with them was gross though. Truffle Fries to die for and side salad nice and fresh. The Halibut was slightly over cooked as all the edges were hard, but he middle was absolutely perfect. The red curry coconut sauce was on point and the baby bok choy and jasmine rice were the perfect accompaniment. We ordered a coconut cream pie with raspberry sauce and that was delicious as well. read more

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First time visitors, even though we live in town. Came in for lunch and sat in the bar area. Friendly, helpful staff. Liked how they made some suggestions since we've never been before. Food had a lot of flavor, great presentation, and the ambiance was very warm and welcoming. Nice, new(er) hidden gem in Hanover - we will be back! read more

Food: great Service: amazing (Peter is the best) Ambience: very cozy and intimate Celebrating 5 years of marriage. Square cafe did not disappoint. My wife and I will be back very soon!!! read more

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Second time here in three weeks, again for a birthday dinner for my wife this time. Five star dining experience. Choose the beautiful patio that is so well done you would never know you are on rt. 53. The best salad is outstanding. The calamari is the best I have ever had. Pit party and Lamb, Chicken Parm and Bolognese and thought it was outstanding. Large portions. Service is great. This is the only place on the south shore that is a five star dining experience. read more

We visited on a Wednesday night with a party of three adults and a reservation. We were seated right away in the dining room, two of us it was our first visit. We started with drinks which were good for beer but pricey for wines although it was good sized pour. One of our party tried the pomegranate margarita which was very good. We ordered bread service which was crusty and excellent and came with some olive oils to drag it through, infused with some goodness. Dishes pictured were all excellent, only ding was the scallop dish only came with four averaged size sea scallops but the taste was amazing with risotto. The Pan Roasted Atlantic swordfish dish was a healthy portion served with cous cous. The Chili seared yellow noodles dish w/chicken was excellent and served with chop sticks, but didn't use those. We followed the meal with a creme brulee which was a good portion and very tasty. We noticed the bar was quite full when we left which was around 6pm. Overall, excellent dishes, a bit pricey but the chef knows what they are doing there! read more

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Food delicious.Services awesome.overall an outstanding meal and atmosphere! Menu was very creative and delicious!Thank you for a great 70th for my husband! read more

I feel like I found such a gem in Hanover! I drove down from the city and stopped for some dinner. Andrea, the most wonderful and accommodating woman ever, greeted me at the door with a smile and sat me on the patio. She suggested a martini which was PHENOMENAL. I got the pomegranate martini and it healed my bad day. The service was phenomenal and the food was incredible. THE BREAD!!!! I would eat that every day if I could. I got the Farro Salad with chicken and a side of fries. It was genuinely amazing. I loved every moment of my experience and will absolutely be back for more!! read more

Great food and comfortable seating. The bread and oil is very garlicky. There is lots of parking.

Well let me start with I have been here at least 5 times for both lunch and dinner and every single visit was SPOT ON!! This restaurant runs like a well oiled machine and I can't say enough about the FOOD! If at all possible please try their calamari and Brussels sprouts. I do not like Brussel sprouts but couldn't stop eating these.. and the calamari was so tender and when you see what they put on the plate as accompaniments you will be blown away. Truly amazing. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and very inviting. You'll feel right at home... and when your food arrives you'll know you came to the right place.. love, love, love it! You will too! Thank you to the amazing kitchen crew makes that this all possible! Rita read more

First impression was the restaurant looks nice but there are some really odd seating arrangements with a long bench set up. You are very close to your neighbors so while having a conversation it feels like you're listening to them or they are to you. Dinner felt rushed even though we had a reservation and there was only 2 of us. She told us we should order when we ordered bread service. Dinner came out too fast. We ordered scallops that had no sides, just over a puree. They were nothing special. $38 for 4 scallops My friend got a beet salad which was just beets no lettuce or any other veggies at all. She added steak which was just 3 thin small slices for an additional $16. Drinks were good but after spending over $150 we had to eat again later that night and we are not big eaters. Portions are way too small for the cost- Won't be back read more

The food is always great. The service is impeccable, too! Best fried calamari ever! Every sandwich is scrumptious and tge fries are the best in town. Terrific bisque!! You just can't go wrong with any choice on the menu. read more

Square Cafe opened another location in Hanover very recently. They are open for lunch and dinner. The atmosphere is modern casual upscale with a full service bar with seating & flatscreen TVs. The adjacent dining rooms have tables and booths covered with white linen table cloths & silverware wrapped in white linen napkins, plus candlelight, framed pictures on the walls, and dim overhead lighting. Light background music was playing over the speakers. There's also an outside patio seating area too. The food menu is new American cuisine which offers steaks, chicken, seafood, pasta, salads, burgers, sandwiches (lunch), appetizers, and desserts. The prices here are moderate high.  I stopped by Square Cafe in Hanover for dinner on a rainy night  I was promptly in a large C shaped booth with 2 soft pillows and given a dinner menu. I was brought over a glass of water and hot ciabatta bread with oil, red pepper, garlic and spices for dipping. I started out with the Tuna Poke Bowl ($18 plus tax), which had plenty of cold ahi tuna pieces, avocado, wakeme, crushed cashews, black garlic ponzu, 3 hot crispy coconut rice balls (sort like sweet arancini) and a tangy creamy dressing. The poke bowl was very filling and this could be enough food for dinner. Next, the Square Cafe Burger ($18 plus tax) arrived, a thick grilled beef patty topped with a thick white cheddar cheese, chewy thick applewood bacon strips on a toasted burger bun and dill pickle chips. There was no lettuce and tomato though as stated on the menu. The side basket of fried golden fries were crisp and salted. I had most of the burger and fries boxed so I could get dessert. For dessert, the Meyer Lemon Pana Cotta ($12 plus tax) was comprised of zesty lemon curd, Thai basil blueberry compote, toasted pistachios. The dessert was small, but a refreshing and fruity sweet and tart tasting dessert. The check with tax and before tip was $51. Overall the food here was pretty good with a chill vibe here. The service was efficient with two servers taking care of my table and the manager also stopped by too. read more

Words cannot describe how wonderful The Square Café is, and I'll tell you why. The food is very good and carefully prepared. What makes this place special is that the owners, a husband-and-wife team, are actively involved in ensuring that customers' needs are met. They work hard, bus tables, and make sure their customers receive the best possible service and food. I love this restaurant and visit as often as I can. It's a must-visit! As just a customer, I appreciate the beautiful ambiance and perfect details. Everything is just right. I highly recommend The Square Café. Lovely place. read more

Excellent experience... weather was cold and rainy and our seats were on the enclosed patio. Didn't matter, great food and ambiance was warm and comforting. Can't wait to go back read more

I agree with the person who was said the hostess was rude. It was an older lady. She was very snarky and not pleasant when we walked in. The food was decent, had the chicken parm. It was your typical chicken parm, nothing special. My friend got the chicken brick. She said it was decent but a little dry. I have honestly had better food at authentic Italian restaurant's for half the price. The atmosphere was decent. Very loud and the waitress bumped into me many times during my dinner. Could be because the tables are situated very close together. Overall, the experience was decent but expect a lot more given how much money we spent. read more

We went there for the first time last night. The space is beautiful. The staff were amazing and very helpful with recommendations. We started with the brussel sprouts. They were the best ones I ever had. The serving was huge. I just ate half of my left overs for breakfast because I wanted to get to them before my wife did. lol. I had the chicken which had an amazing crisp to it. My wife had the ribeye. She absolutely loved it. The portions of everything were very generous. We came home with 1/2 our meals. The only thing I wish was that they offered 1 more chicken dish and maybe a pork dish. read more

hands down one of the top restaurants in the area. food is superb, service is amazing. good ambiance. highly recommend!

I really wanted to like this place. To start off one of the hostesses was extremely "snarky" and actually rolled her eyes at me and made a face when I asked if we needed a reservation (there were three in our party). Another hostess witnessed the interaction and was super friendly and sat us right away. We all got seafood. Members of our party said that, the crab cake was good and the shrimp scampi was good. I happened to get the pan seared scallops over risotto. My meal was luke warm and the risotto was soupy and had crunchie grains in it...I love risotto and this was not risotto. The scallops were good and I ate them. It is a huge turn off for a restaurant to charge for bread, which they do. Again...I really wanted to like this place since so many people have raved about it. Not sure if I will go back, mainly because of the rude hostess. read more

Food is consistently good. Service was good. Nice ambiance. Easy parking. Love their salads. Drinks were on point

Great new location for Square Cafe in Hanover. The space is gorgeous from the moment that you walk in to the point when the hostess/general manager was seating us, I couldn't help but stare at all the beautiful fixtures. The Hingham location is quite cozy, intimate, but small and the Hanover location is quite similar, but definitely more roomy, and has a lot of extra seating with a much larger bar. The menu is also quite similar. We headed straight for the entrées. I ordered. their baked cod and my husband had the bone in pork milanese. My cod was delicious. Very fresh and very simple with mixed veggies, extremely healthy since I am watching my weight. My husband's dish was also delicious although it had too much of the arugula salad overpowering the dish and the sauce was mostly under the mashed potatoes and not on the pork. I also ordered a glass of white wine, but the glass I was super, super spotty, but they were great about swapping out the glass. Service was great too and felt like everyone helped out which was nice to see! They have a huge patio as well. I can't wait to come here when the warmer weather is here...hopefully soon! read more

Square Cafe - Hanover - Cod - New American Near Me - Hanover, Massachusetts

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Cannot say enough about this gem! Every meal I've ever had there is beyond amazing, I want to order everything on the menu! The bartenders are always nice and attentive, as well! Although a very pricey restaurant, I am a believer in "you get what you pay for." Could the portions be a little bigger, yes, but overall, the food is incredible, and I will continue to go back time and again! How lucky we are to have such a gem right in our own backyard. read more

What an amazing dining experience we had last night at Square Cafe in Hanover. The drinks were great, the food was great, and the atmosphere and the service were great. We got the Pork Shrimp dumplings as an appetizer and I wanted to bottle remaining sauce they came with because it was so delicious. My wife got the halibut and I got the butternut squash ravioli for our entrees. Both were prepared perfectly and were very good. The bread pudding dessert was massive and delicious. Every aspect of our meal was as good as it could possibly have been. We cannot wait to return for another visit in the future and/or try their Hingham location. read more

The ambience is perfectly done . Right from start we were greeted by the hostesses with a smile and took us to our reserved table. Staff was very friendly and menu had a great selection to choose from. We started off with calamari which is the best we've tasted on the South-shore. Followed it up with pan seared scallops and statler chicken under a brick were both delicious and perfectly cooked Will definitely be back !!! read more

Nice atmosphere. Good service. Food is uninspired and lacking. Meh at best. A trend is good local restaurants opening another restaurant in a nearby town which feels like a money grab that misses the charm and quality of the original (looking at you, Davio's, Sullivan's Castle Island). read more

Went with my family and sat on the heated patio, started with the pork gyoza dumplings...the pork shoulder on top is my favorite bite of the night. I got steak frites, which came with a pretty good side salad and hollandaise, very delicious. Overall pretty expensive but it's a nice restaurant with great food and service. read more

I'm glad to have this in the area as I have been a long term fan of the Hingham location. They were busy when I went for lunch so I am hopeful they will make it. Restaurants often struggle on the South Shore. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the Hingham location but a larger bar area is featured and the space seems more open. It is part of a strip mall but that's okay. It is adjacent to a specialty market and wine store. The menu and food quality is similar to the Hingham location. The salmon had an Asian presentation with lots of sesame seeds, wontons, seaweed salad and a spicy soy glaze. The steak frites dish was also good. They overcooked it (it was fine) but they proactively gave us a new one because the manager didn't like the looks of the original. I guess they stand by their product. We had dessert drinks that were really good too. Basically a well executed and enjoyable experience. read more