Two weekend visits to this relatively new subterranean Sichuan eatery in Harvard Square (Eliot…read moreStreet) with a very inviting interior and some VERY spicy dishes. -- Vegetarian Cold Noodle: Firm, peanut buttery, satisfying. Not spicy. Not too saucy, so you can "feel" the noodle, but I would have liked more vegetables. -- Yibin Fiery Noodles: Warm and similarly al dente, these were manageably spicy. Meat crumble, seeds or nuts, scallions, and heat. -- Red and Green Pepper Chicken: Batterless but crisp, tender, and not boneless. Relentlessly spicy from several heat sources and kaleidoscopically delicious. The closest comparison is dry hot chicken that also goes by a few other names, but this was better. Elite, and the best thing I ate in all of 2025, but sadly no longer on the menu. -- Stone Pot Tofu: Billed as Ma Po Tofu sizzling in a stone pot, but no sizzle and no stone pot. Identified as very spicy but minimally spicy and more numbing (more "ma" than "la"). I enjoyed the overall flavor (heavily seasoned) and the saltiness of the fermented black beans. Despite some of the menu discrepancies, this was a really good version for my tastes. Near-elite. -- Green Beans With Eggplant: Strong flavor, not too hot spicewise, but volcanically hot temperaturewise. Decent. -- Chicken and Clams: Black bean flavor, whole peppercorns, spicy but loaded with flavor beyond the spice. A deceptively huge and quite delicious. Elite. -- Beef Spring Rolls: Not my choice. Crisp, beefy, and chili sauce on the side added contrast. Solid, but boring, more typical of an Americanized offering, and a waste of an opportunity given Too Hot's killer menu. -- Pork Belly with Fermented Beans: Superb rendition, not drastically different from twice cooked pork, but much more flavor and giant pieces. Near-elite to Elite. -- Shrimp in Dry Hot Pot: Tons of dry rub spiciness, giant shrimp, chopped vegetables, and crinkle cut potatoes. Near-elite. -- Brussels Sprouts w/Shallots: More subtle flavors here but hardly bland. Fried shallots had sort of an onion ringy presence in miniature. Cooked just right. Outstanding overall experience, with the best dish on the first visit and almost all winners on the second. Kudos to the friendly and helpful service, including a server suggestion to switch an item after noticing we ordered two very similar items. Eager to return often and try even more of the menu.

Pretty solid szechuan spot in Harvard Square! I made a reservation to ensure no wait time and at…read morethe time, I had to make it quite early so it seems like a popular spot. Interior felt very modern and sleek - it was a bit small as well so it was a little cramped between tables and walking areas. The menu had a good selection of szechuan fare and we ended up sharing some of their popular dishes. I enjoyed the large fish one which was a good size for a family. Everything tasted authentic, my only qualm was paying for rice - you can't not have rice and it seems ridiculous to pay $3 for one bowl. Overall, a solid restaurant and option for Chinese food in Harvard Square.

Full Blog: https://tantorski.com/f/black-ruby…read more Friday nights in Cambridge have a great energy, and Black Ruby fully leans into it. The restaurant was buzzing when we arrived, but we were seated right away at the last available table. The space felt both lively and cozy, perfect for a date night. Service started a bit slow, but once it picked up, the pacing was excellent. Our server was more hands off, which worked well, letting us settle in and enjoy the night without feeling rushed. We started with the Larb Pork Dumplings, which were beautifully presented with chili lime mayo, fresh herbs, and crispy greens. They were fried perfectly, packed with bright Thai flavors, and the added crunch from the greens made the dish even better. With five dumplings, it was a great portion to share. For dinner, we ordered the Crispy Basil Burger and the Thai Garlic Burger, both cooked medium and full of flavor, with Thai seasoning adding a unique twist to the beef.

Once I tried Black Ruby, it immediately became one of my favorite restaurants in Cambridge. The…read morecocktails are creative and delicious--I love the Thai Tea Martini--and the food is fantastic as well. The Khao Soi burger is my go-to. It has all of the flavors and textures of Khao Soi, with pickled mustard greens for acid, crispy noodles for a crunchy flair, and just the right amount of spice. I find myself craving it often! The one and only bone I have to pick with Black Ruby is that the service, while very attentive, is almost TOO fast. I get that they want to turn tables over efficiently, but the last couple of times I've come, I kind of felt like they were rushing me out. I came here to catch up with a couple friends and our food came almost instantly, before our drinks, and the waitress seemed eager to keep us moving. I think our entire meal was less than 50 minutes. While I'll definitely be back, I think it won't be somewhere I'd bring friends anymore since it's just not enough time for a full conversation.

A little pricey, but in my opinion, very much worth it!…read more My friend and I went here for dinner the other day. We sat at the bar and ordered drinks. I got the mango sticky rice cocktail, which was served in an ADORABLE mug. The cocktail was strong ($15) but sweet like juice, a dangerous combination. I loved it and had to force myself to savor it with slow sips instead of guzzling it. We shared the pu pu platter for two, which was a bit expensive at 50-something dollars but came with a LOT of food. Plenty for two people and maybe even enough for four. The platter came with a variety of delicious things. There were chicken skewers and beef skewers, and both were cooked perfectly. The chicken was juicy and tender, and the beef was a great medium rare. There were also scallion cheese quesadillas (yum!), crab Rangoons, and fried fish. The only thing I didn't really like was the vegan egg roll. I could really tell it was vegan, and the veggie filling was too salty for my taste-buds. We also ordered the ma la tater tots. I was skeptical about ordering tater tots at an Asian restaurant, but they were fantastic! Crispy perfection and well-seasoned with a light spice. In addition to delicious food, the restaurant offered great vibes with whimsical decor, friendly staff, and a cute menu inspired by Where the Wild Things Are.

The drinks were super fun, we loved trying them all and checking out the cute mugs(which you could…read morealso purchase)! The only food we ordered were the tater tots and they were great! The aioli was meh, but the tots were solid enough to stand on their own! The only downside was the service was slow, once we were finally able to order drinks they came out within 5 minutes though. I'd recommend this place for a fun novelty night out!

The scallion pancakes are among the best I have ever tried. Love that they include some braised…read moreand organ meat dishes. Hope we can still get a table after their recent award.

Finally got the chance to try Jahunger in person! Prior to this, I've only ordered takeout through…read moreUberEats. The restaurant is a decent size and I think they'd be able to accommodate larger parties with no issue. Only thing is, they don't do reservations & only walk-ins. We visited before the kitchen closed & ordered the following dishes: - Jahunger noodles - Meefen noodles - Kavap (lamb kebab skewers) - Hand-made Lamb Dumpling (7) - Not Your Average Honey Cake I had to try the Jahunger noodles again! When I ordered this for takeout, I really enjoyed the flavor but was skeptical about it because I couldn't believe how small the portion was... or if I got skimped because it was a delivery order? I feel like I did get a slightly bigger portion dining in vs. takeout but that could just be me! Anyways, I loved the chewiness of the noodles & the spice! The spice is subtle & hits you at the end of each bite. The Meefen noodles were my favorite. We were warned by our server that this was a spicier dish but luckily, we LOVE spicy. Yeah, it's definitely more spicy than anything else we ordered but I didn't find it to be that spicy. LOVED THE FLAVOR for this dish! I liked that it was spicy but didn't have a bitter note like how Szechuan mala dishes can be with the peppercorn. The sauce tasted like it was made with chili bean sauce & sweet bean paste. Enjoyed the noodles a lot too! Super bouncy and very similar to udon noodles. The kavap lamb skewer kebabs were cooked well. Didn't taste gamey at all & felt like they were seasoned well. Very strong in cumin flavor. The hand-made lamb dumplings was a dish I personally could do without. I don't typically like when dumplings are wrapped this way and when we received this dish, the dumplings were cold. I don't enjoy cold food, plus the filling was very bland. Lastly, we had the Not Your Average Honey Cake for dessert. This was so good! I'm honestly not even a cake person usually but after seeing so many great reviews about it, I had to try it. It's not too sweet & was perfectly moist. Overall, the food was more or less solid! I think next time I won't be ordering appetizers... I feel like they're expensive for what you get here unfortunately & not worth it. $15 for 3 tiny lamb skewers is insane & $13 for lamb dumplings that were cold and bland. I did enjoy the noodle dishes & the honey cake though! We don't mind prices of food if the dishes are good. The appetizers are not worth it, in my opinion. Service: It was meh. My guess is our server's name is Elden, as noted on the receipt? He was a taller individual who just looked like he didn't want to be there. Originally, he had us wait a few minutes to prep the table and when he brought us to the table, it had just been cleaned. I go to sit down & immediately he goes "No!", with no explanation for why. He proceeded to move all the tables around, remove the extra chairs aggressively, and place the utensils and napkins. Throughout the meal, he was just staring at us to see if we had finished or were finishing up. Felt super rushed essentially. I understand we came close to kitchen close time but we ordered quickly & left before restaurant closing time. I thought it was interesting though because many of the tables around us arrived and ordered just before us or a minute after us & by the time we left, people were still eating... Lots of attitude & many of our interactions with him (for water, etc), he was nonverbal but his face was loud! Very passive aggressive from start to finish. So, I didn't particularly like that. And not to mention, we paid for the bill while we were still eating & after he took the bill and tip (20% cash), he was much happier + nicer to us... too funny. Overall rating: Food- 3.8-4/5 Service- 1/5 Likely won't be back for a while.

I can see why the reviews on this restaurant are all over the place: the food is good, but the…read moreorganization is not professional. I arrived at around 6, alone, to try it out. The restaurant shares an entryway with an apartment rental realty business, which is already a bit weird from the point of view of atmosphere. I almost missed the door to the restaurant because it's in a corner, and there were several delivery boxes of takeout containers waiting to be taken in, almost blocking the doorway. If I had been in a wheelchair, I wouldn't have been able to get through the door. I mentioned this to the front desk staff and the boxes were gone before I left. My plan was to eat at the bar. It turned out that there was a large party hanging out at the bar before sitting down at the large central table, so the only room for me was at the very edge of the bar. However, the bartender was nice and got me a menu, and they did eventually sit down so I got a little more space. My cocktail (pomegranate old-fashioned) was excellent. So was my turmeric tandoori salmon. I had a glass of Pinot Grigio, which was very reasonably priced for Brookline. I was not thrilled by the cardamom chocolate tart: the chocolate was liquid, inside a stale-tasting shell. Overall, it has potential and I'll probably come back. I'll call in advance to ask about large parties, and I'll avoid the chocolate tart unless I'm assured that it's changed.

I had really been looking forward to trying this place and was finally able to on Valentines Day…read more The decoration was adorable and I'm pretty sure they were booked out for the evening. There was a great singer, pianist, and sax player to really set the mood. They were super fun, especially when a couple got engaged! To start, I got their ginger martini and while my friend went with a Do-er neat (not a whiskey drinker myself, lol). He tried to order 2 of their beers but they were out of both. My drink came after 15 mins and then we had to remind the waiter about his whiskey. That took another 10. We started with the chicken bao buns and the samosas. Both spectacular! My only complaint is the little size for the samosa size. For our mains we got the short rib and the white butter chicken. The butter chicken could've used a bit more chicken for the price and was frankly a bit tough. The sauce was great. The short rib was flavorful and packed the perfect punch. Dipping the garlic naan in both sauces was my fav part!! Overall an ok experience. I want to give the restaurant grace because it was very packed but service was poor. I think we had 4 different staff members help us total which probably led to lots of miscommunication.

One of the BEST Thai restaurants in Boston. Love that I don't have to drive into the city, there is…read morea spacious parking lot, and the folks inside are always speedy and friendly. The food is spicy, delicious, and flavorful every time. Everything is fantastic and I've yet to taste a dish that I wouldn't get again. Things I've gotten: -Larb - quintessential, can't go wrong. -Thai Saap Pork Ribs Soup: SO GOOD. Sour and spicy (you can adjust the heat). It was perfect during the cold winter. The ribs were very tender and the broth was full of flavor. -Pad Thai - again, can't go wrong. -Wonton Soup - some of the best I've had. The broth was deliciously savory and so much tastier than the bland versions you get from most Chinese places. -Pad See Ew - also fantastic. -Rad Nah - appreciated that they packed the noodles separately so I could assemble the dish fresh. No soggy noodles. -Ka Prow Crispy Pork - by the time I got it home, it wasn't very crispy anymore but it didn't matter because the flavor was fantastic. -Crispy Chicken Basil - same thing, not too crispy but still delicious. Restaurant decor looks comfortable and there are a decent amount of tables inside. I haven't made the effort to eat onsite yet, but looking forward to doing that at some point because I definitely want to try their whole fish. It looks amazing! Can totally understand why some people would be intimidated by the location and look from outside, but looks can be deceiving! Absolutely worth the drive.

This place used to be the adult store but I think it moved to the back. Decent parking around since…read morea small lot. Its small inside with tables for dine in. 4/5 drunken noodles was spicy and delicious. Arived fresh and hot. This was lunch portion so assuming its smaller sized. Think there was only one cook so things bit slower but fresh cook to order. 4/5 fighting fish roll was decent. Crunchy tofu skin exterior and packed with flavors of pork, crab and shrimp. Juicy and hot inside, good flavor and texture. 3.5 siam fried rice was decent and flavored well but just wasn't distinguishing itself enough. Service was decent, it was one guy doing waiter and cashier. He was back and forth and sometimes waiting inside kitchen. Overall will come again since location has decent parking and reasonable prices and good thai food. I like their specials menu which I assume rotates.

Sugar & Spice is a great casual Thai spot in Cambridge if you're looking for something delicious,…read moreefficient, and no-frills. The restaurant has a fast-moving energy to it -- the food comes out quickly, the service is very efficient, and it feels like they do just as much takeout business as dine-in, which honestly adds to the neighborhood spot vibe. My wife ordered the Massaman Curry and I had the Kana Moo Krob, and both dishes were excellent. The flavors were rich and well balanced, and the portions were surprisingly generous. Definitely one of the better Thai restaurants we've had in the area. It may not be a place you go for ambience, but if your priority is flavorful food and a satisfying meal, Sugar & Spice absolutely delivers.

This is my FAVORITE Thai place in all of Cambridge and probably Boston. I so so recommend it, I'm…read morebaffled at some of the lower ratings. I've gotten lucky with walking in but they have enough seating for one to generally be able to snag a table even around dinner time. During the summer, they have lovely outdoor seating! I've gotten take out here once and the food holds up well. Now onto the food... - drunken noodles: occasionally these are very spicy and occasionally they are appropriately spicy. They are always so excellent and the noodles are bouncy and chewy! I usually get this with pork. - pad see ew: this is my favorite Thai noodle dish and it's no exception here. Not as spicy as the drunken noodles but just a massive portion of filling noodles, chicken/tofu, and Chinese broccoli. There's something about the way they do the sauce here that is just so savory and delicious. It feels less greasy than it usually does at other Thai places, which I really like - pad mee korat: my friend always get this and raves about it. I felt like it was worth sharing that this comes in a huge plate and was finished completely. They have a lot of variety in dishes!!

This was our first visit to Pagu, and it might already be one of my new favorite spots in…read moreCambridge. The menu had a great mix of reasonably priced dishes and a few higher-end options. Everything we ordered was amazing!! The Tempura String Beans were our favorite (perfectly crispy and addictive), the Hamachi Crudo was super fresh and balanced, and the Pork Spicy Knife Cut Noodles were spicy but honestly some of the best noodles I've ever had. The Miso Black Cod was rich and buttery, and the Chicken Karaage was incredibly tender with a great crunch. Service was great, dishes came out maybe a little slow, but we enjoyed taking our time. We also loved seeing the chef/owner Tracy Chang so hands-on, checking in on guests and delivering dishes, which made the experience feel extra special. You can tell a lot of care goes into every dish. Already planning my next visit, it looks like they have a bunch of cooking classes on the weekends too!

Having received a Michelin Bib Gourmet, Pagu is appropriately described as good food at a good…read moreprice. While marked as fusion, the dishes we ordered leaned more Asian and didn't disappoint in variety. Even so, they did boil down to mostly basic flavors and lacked nuance. All were good, but nothing was great. Even so, the atmosphere and service made this a great place for any group from coworkers, dates, or family celebrations. There was plenty of seating and we would have loved to hear more from the staff about their cooking classes.

We had a great time! The Meat Variety set was the perfect amount for three of us, and we had great…read moreservice from Khao! definitely will be back

Sam is the best ! She was a wonderful server for our table, very kind. This restaurant is a must…read morevisit

Ordered Tom yum soup, Khao Grapao and Pad see ew. Tom yum soup could be more flavorful than just…read morespicy, yet was close to being authentic. Last 2 dishes were really good and satisfying. Quick service, may be because we went at 2 PM on a Sunday. Seating limited.

Came in for lunch for two on a Monday and service was fast. No trouble getting a seat at 11:30, but…read moreit filled up shortly after we arrived! Casual spot with good food at a great price and I always love a cash discount! The boat noodle soup was pretty good, very nice for a cold day The second dish was also quite nice and was solid! Have dined here several times and will definitely be back.