Harvard Square's Three Best Restaurants: Patties, Burgers and Beers

The Boston Area has more named “squares” than any other American city, but Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts is among the most popular. Like most east coast cities, streets are zig-zagged and often change names without notice. It’s not easy finding a good place to eat – or worse, a good place to park. One stop will satisfy every palate in your group when it’s lunchtime in Harvard Square. Felipe’s Taquería, Flat Patties, and The John Harvard Brew House are good restaurants that can all be accessed within one building. 

The first and best advice when visiting Harvard Square is: Don’t drive. Take the local Red Line subway called “The T” ($1.25); there is a stop at Harvard Square. (Parking is astronomically priced and there are so many one way streets even local people get lost). Once you’re in the Square, stop in any convenience store or bank for a large, well-labeled local map. John F. Kennedy Street (JFK) begins right there in the square and these local favorite restaurants are less than a block away.


As you approach JFK St. the traffic will be coming one way toward you; stay on the left side. The address to the building is 36 JFK St. Inside the building there is a ramp to the right, an escalator in the middle, and a corridor on the left. Take the corridor. The first restaurant you’ll see is Flat Patties, a brand new no-frills burger joint that customizes your meal just the way you want it. It’s so new it doesn’t even have a website yet! There are a couple of tables to sit at or a long bar-style seating arrangement along the windowed wall, but for the most part, it’s a take-out place. Less than a month old, Flat Patties was an immediate success with the locals.