Pizza Ring’s motto is “You ring, we bring” but they should just shorten it to “you ring”. I ordered a pizza and chicken strips and it took them over an hour and a phone call reminder to actually show up. I was surprised by this as they are located a few blocks from my apartment and choose to advertise their delivery services over the quality of their pizza.

The pizza would have been alright had it not been sitting out for that mystery hour and was quite cold by the time it arrived. Same goes for the chicken strips.

They are pretty cheap, but it’s not much more expensive to just go to Basta Pasta and get way better pizza.

Just wanted to review some individual dishes… Read my previous review for this restaurant here

Redbones has a great selection of barbecue items. The ribs are great and they have a bunch of sauces worth trying. Portions are pretty big too – I laughed at the waiter when he asked if I wanted dessert. He joked that they don’t really have any, but no one ever calls him on it.

The dark side is that everyone seems to go to Redbones. We went on a Saturday at 8pm and ended up waiting almost 90 min. If they say that there is a 45-60min wait, this just means “it’s more than 45min”. I would recommend making reservations or getting delivery/takeout. There’s no room for waiting, so if you must wait, don’t do it in the winter!

Oh, and be sure to check out the drink menu. There’s lots of good stuff there.

First, John Harvard’s is known for its beer. Since I was having a workday lunch with coworkers, I can’t comment about the beer this time.

Lunch was good and everyone was satisfied. They serve the typical burger, salad, and sandwich fare and do it well. Prices are reasonable.

For lunch, the service was quite slow. It took a while to order, get our food, and get our check. If you’re in a rush during your workday, you should avoid John Harvard’s. However, if you’ve got time to spare, it’s worth visiting.

Granted, there’s not that many Indian restaurants in Northampton, but even if there were more, this would be better.

My family has been going here for almost two decades. Nobody in my family has been disappointed. The owners always seem to be around and are really friendly. They’ll chat it up and enjoy making suggestions (if you want). I’m amazed how they always get the spicyness level exactly right.

Although the place is always busy, I’ve never had to wait more than a few minutes to get in and can’t recall ever having reservations.

There’s really only two choices for Chinese food in Harvard Square: Yenching and Hong Kong Cafe. I’ve never been to the latter, but everyone who has tells me to stay away. So I guess Yenching is good by association.

The food is pretty good. It came out reasonably fast and there wasn’t a wait to get in. There’s a good mix of chinese food and americanized chinese food. Chinese and other nationalities seemed pretty happy.

If you have time to go to Chinatown, there’s better Chinese there. If not, this seems like the best option in Harvard Square

The Food Border Cafe is like the Chili’s of Tex-Mex food (maybe a little nicer). They have the typical quesadilla, burrito, taco set and some cajun food as well. Oddly, they don’t have nachos but the tortilla chips and salsa they give you are delicious. Make sure you try a margarita, they are good and large. The was good as well, but nothing really inspired.

The Place Border Cafe is located a block away from Harvard Yard and the center of Harvard Square, near the movie theatre. It’s decorated like a Mexican Chili’s so it’s by no means fancy. Not the best place for a date, but great for eatting/drinking with friends. I’ve heard it gets really busy on weekends.

Prices Prices were very reasonable. The Mexican food ranged from $7-$10 and the cajun dishes were around $10-12. Margaritas (quite large, mind you) were $5-8.

Food I went to Pinocchio’s last night for a quick dinner. The pizza was good and fast. Not too much cheese but cooked just right. I would say that it’s above average pizza (better than Papa John’s and Domino’s) but definitely not the best I’ve had.

Prices Pizza was $2 – $2.25/slice, whole pizzas seemed average priced too. Salads and some simple pasta dishes are on the menu as well. for $5 and up.

Location It’s right in Harvard Square, near Bombay Club, Pete’s, and the Curious George store. When you walk in, you place your order and can sit with your food if you’re lucky to find a chair. The place itself is really small and we couldn’t get a place to sit. However, there’s plenty of benches outside on the lawn and makes a great place to eat on a nice day or evening.

First, there’s always a big line to get in. I went early Friday night and waited outside for half an hour. I’ve heard it can go way past that.

Once you’re in, it’s a small packed restaurant but cozy. If you don’t like eatting near other people you don’t know, you won’t like Giacomo’s.

Once you sit down, everything is very quick (they want to get people in and out). We started with the Calamari, which was very good. We also shared the pasta with clams and mussels with Giacomo sauce, which was very good as well. The pasta menu is mix and match – you choose the seafood and sauce. They also have other italian dishes like chicken parm.

Prices were great for the quality of the food. For two people it was about $30.

Basta Pasta has a lot going for it. The food is delicious (I hear the chef studied in Italy). The menu has a wide range, from the Pasta dishes (their specialty) to pizza and hamburgers. You order everything at the cash register, so it’s very informal and prices are cheap – most pasta dishes are $10 or less. They give you a lot so even people with big appetites will be bringing leftovers home for another full meal.

If you want Italian in Cambridge, there’s really no reason not to go to Basta.