18 Brattle St

It has an ideal location in the center of Cambridge. There are a variety of restaurants, bookstores, and coffee shops. Since Harvard is right next door there are stores that cater to the college crowd like Harvard related businesses. I like to walk to Harvard Square to watch the peopleThere seems like there is always something going on.

Great spot for walking around and exporing! Pros: + Amazing restaurants nearby + Metro accessible + Plenty of Live music Cons: - Very very difficult to find any parking IG: QueenOfAdventureNYC

As a bluebiker, I sometimes get/dock bikes in the three bike station in the Harvard Square. Biking is not easy in the Harvard SQ because so many oen-way road without bike lanes. For the Harvard SQ itself is good to walk around. There are some good restaurants and shops.

Nice area with young people. There are some really great restaurants around the place with a MBTA stop dead in the center. However, there are A LOT of homeless people which makes the situation less desirable. It wouldn't be so bad if some of them didn't get violent or belligerant. It is a shame that so much trash also gets left around. It would be a beautiful area if people just cleaned up after themselves. This is a classic tourist spot to visit due to the vicinity to Harvard University. The prices reflect it as such so be prepared to pay a premium for food and services.

Harvard Square can be found right next to Harvard University.  It's a small square that's full (almost to bursting) with groups of tourists from sunrise to sunset.  Despite the plethora of tourists, it's still very much worth paying a visit to this small square.  There's so much history here, and its wide range of eateries and small shops gives the place a charm that's unique and vibrant. Tip: The best time to visit is in the evening or late afternoon.  At those times, you'll find the smallest number of tourists here

Nothing much here. Stores filled area. Thinking much of like the time square kind of vibes.

A MUST DO! Harvard Square in Cambridge is an eclectic mix of businesses that are 50, 100 years old & even older along with new enterprises & restaurants too. Harvard Square is in the middle of a change with old standbys like the Newsstand that have closed after many years of operations but unique businesses & restaurants are coming into this area now. This is a great place to walk around & get your cardio in. There's always something happening here. You'll find new discoveries up & down many of the streets in this area that you have to check out. This is a college town with its most famous resident being the prestigious Harvard University. Besides a college town It is also a local town with lots of locals who come here to shop & dine. Yes, there are lots of tourists too & all share the same space. What's great is there are only a few big name chain stores here the rest are Mom & Pop & some really unique places to go. Here's just a few of the cool places to check out on some quaint streets: Harvard University, Coop & Book Store, Mr Bartley's (Tom Brady Burger), Lizzy's Ice Cream ( Charles River Chocolate), Spyce ( a completely computerized restaurant with robotics making your food), Mike's Pastry (Delicious Cannoli & other Italian Pastry & Cappuccino), The Giant DD Cup above the the Dunkin' Donuts, Felix Shoe Repair since 1913, Leavitt & Pierce (a Cool Store since 1883 with Gifts, Tobacco & Games- a Cigar Store & a whole lot more that has a little bit of everything including Apothecary & Soaps for both men & women), LA Burdick Handmade Chocolates & Hot Chocolate, Blackbird Donuts, Tate serving international Food, The Vintage & Bohemian Clothing Boutiques & so many other cool little places. It's a village of one of a kind shops & eateries. There's metered parking on lots of the streets & if you come on Sundays the meters are FREE! Lots of people bike here as well. It is also accessible by Train the red Line @ Harvard Square Station & there are busses too. It's an Enjoyable Day or Night trip right outside of Boston. Have Fun Exploring Harvard Square. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

Harvard Square is a great place to checkout if your visiting from out of town. The shops, eatery's and live street performers make it a must to visit. If your local then your probably annoyed by the tourist and I'm sorry. You can find the Coop which is the Harvard Bookstore and much more. My daughter enjoyed walking, shopping and eating at the square. A highlight was the live music which was in the green space. But they also had performers in the alleys. I'm not getting the haters here as this is certainly not in the three star scale whatsoever. There is construction around a few of the areas I walked. Come and enjoy.

Nice little town center, walking distance from HBS campus. Love the variety of food and drink choice; accessible subway station. Note: there are two Harvard bookstores (aka The Coop).

I'd gone to Harvard Square a little before I was in college, but I really started discovering Harvard Square while in college, as we had a shuttle that took us to Harvard Square. I love how there are so many awesome shops, and especially restaurants to check out. They have everything from old to new, cheap to fancy, and everything in between. Not only that, but the area itself is great for a walk at any time of day or evening, or even at any season (though bricks and snow make for a slippery combination). I couldn't even start to name the businesses in and around HSq that I like, some of them are still around, some of them I never got a chance to visit before closing, and some others were favorites that have gone away. Gentrification here is taking away from the charm. Slowly those adorable small local shops, one that carried all sorts of teas, and another that carried various interesting gifts are slowly going away in favor of chains of various kinds. Rent is becoming unbelievably high, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Cambridge has higher rent than Boston (third highest rental market in the country). But I digress. Harvard Square still has a lot of charm, and when there is no virus and school is in session, there is a very energetic vibe that is hard to beat. The amount of people that are drawn also brings lots of different performers. There's already two CVS within throwing distance of one another, and there are plenty of chains to be found elsewhere. Let's hope that what makes HSq so awesome isn't forced out by chains that are out to make a buck.

Cool, cool, cool. So much history. So many greats have been here. Great food in this area. Do not eat before you go here. Try Mr. Bartley's. The burgers and the milkshakes are amazing. You have to stop by the bookstore and buy a Harvard T-shirt. Also stop and see the famous chess players.

Friend recommended to visit this square. I'm guessing it's a Main Street for Cambridge. I always imagined Boston to be red brick buildings, which painted the picture for me on the East Coast vibes! This common central is what I had imagined Boston to be. It's a good stroll with boutique shops here and there.

Harvard Square is the main hubbub of Cambridge, with streets lined-up with comedy and nightclubs, galleries, museums, theaters, restaurants, and festivals/annual events. Easily accessible from the T station, but those who are drive-centric can find super limited and restricted parking in the area. Intersections are busy and usually filled with a lot of pedestrians. +accessible from the T

this is a great place to walk around and enjoy the epitome of harvard university and surrounding neighborhood. while swarmed by harvard students, you'll also find professors, and visitors/tourists alike. on a semi-warm spring evening in april, i actually spent about 2 hours walking around this area, checking out local stores, gift shops, bars, cafes, bakeries and specialty stores. it is very safe and transport is easy with buses and the harvard square t station. if you're in the boston/cambridge area, don't leave without a visit to harvard square.

There's not much going on in Harvard Square that can't be found in any other mid-sized tourist town center across the country. Your choice of overpriced and underperforming bars, restaurants, galleries, trinket shops and the like, all vying for your dollars before you leave town or return to the dorm. Little value. Less parking. That's not to say that the nearby Harvard Yard is not a terrific place to walk and contemplate American history and excellence in education. There, at least, you can get a big bang for your school tuition bucks. It's just that the same can't be said for the circus sideshow that inhabits the surrounding commercial zone. It all feels rather decrepit, even on sunny days. If franchised consumables are good enough, then you may feel right at home here. Then again, the same names are available with free parking out at the malls. Times Square and Piccadilly are far more entertaining, and do decadence, grime and glare so much better. Harvard Square is little more than a big disappointment with expensive parking and little honkytonk.

It's HARVARD Square, that's pretty much all it's got going for it. Parking is going to be a total pain so you should probably take the subway. The shops and restaurants in the area are ok but I can't imagine anyone really doing any real shopping here. Basically the first thing that hit me was how dirty the area was, trash everywhere...smells like urine...so basically if you love NYC you'll be fine here haha

The big empty space above the T station, where Mass Ave and Brattle Square meet, you'll find Harvard Square. It's busy and there are a lot of homeless people and there are also a number of artists selling their wares. Coffee shops, newspaper stands and the unique Curious George store are here. If you're crossing the street, there are clear crosswalks with a button to push that will enable the crossing signal. Note that some bicyclists don't stop. :-( Tip: There is a public restroom on the third floor of the Coop store.

Very nice walkable Square on campus. Many shops and restaurants and cafés are scattered around here. Not as many students as usual which is understandable because of Covid, not sure how the school will proceed under these conditions. A lovely place to walk, study, or just enjoy the view.

So much to do here. You can literally find something on every corner, to Insomnia Cookies, Lizzys, clothing shops, and tons of restaurants... and Felipes! I love the field where everyone lays and hang out. This area is so scenic!

Nice spot. 1) Took the T train to get here. 2) The paid tour of Harvard can be purchased at the newsstand here. 3) Not much else is going on though.

Big square in Cambridge Harvard square has hotels hair salons restaurants banks and much more Harvard square is great

Surely a great place to visit right next to Harvard. You'll find some touristy shops selling mostly Harvard memorabilia and some local Cambridge stuff. It's a small area within just a few city blocks and has some great restaurants to stumble into. People seem to find it interesting to visit Harvards campus but you're better off just spending time in the square. Not much to really see or do at the campus.

Such a nice little shopping square to walk around at, right next to Harvard Yard. Honestly, it is more entertaining than walking around the college campus. You'll find boutique shops, a large CVS (with a restroom for customers), and the sole Curious George store in the world! I think the most worth-it part of the square is venturing into the Curious George store and reliving your childhood. This square is accessible to public transit, being right at the Harvard stop on the Red Line. You can also walk from here to the river for a nice view. Prices here are kind of steep, so I wouldn't necessarily buy anything here.

Harvard Square boasts 70+ Shops, 90 Restaurants, & other businesses in the triangular plaza bordered by Brattle St., John F. Kennedy St., & Massachusetts Ave. Over 70% are locally-owned independents. The 600 sq. ft. brick-&-glass subway access kiosk built in 1927 is globally recognized as the heart of Harvard Square. The Harvard MBTA Red Line, located directly beneath Harvard Square, is the 3rd busiest subway station in Boston. Buses & trackless trollies, or Trolleybuses, also frequent the area. "Harvard Square" can also refer to the entire neighborhood for several blocks in all directions. I walked almost every street, admiring the stately architecture & traditional landscaping.

"Hahvuhd Squayah" Is great place to meet up with people before embarking on a fun evening in Cambridge. The T stops right there so getting there is a breeze. If you arrive before your friend does, you can kill some time watching the chess players. There really isn't much going on in the actual square, but is a gateway to some pretty great shops, bars, and restaurants.

I used to spend a great deal of time here when I was younger. I grew up a Square away, in Central. I could usually be found here with all my friends running around, doing nothing much. As I matured, I then could be found here for the occasional meal, for work, or when I was enrolled at Harvard Extension School. It became a place that I would only go to for certain activities. From then on, it became a place that I didn't really want to go to all that often anymore, and now well over a decade since I used to frequent these streets on the daily, I drive through now and note the changes.

Havard Square is best area in usa.capitalone/ Café is my refuge when i'm felt live alone.

Harvard Square is a cool spot just to kick back and chill. There are often some sort of street performers playing music or doing magic shows which is cool... There are a bunch of cools restaurants, bars and novelty stores for you to get your shop on. It is also very centrally located near Harvard University and the coveted John Harvard Statue. Do be warned there is often a lot of panhandling and homeless people on the area, so that may make some people feel a bit uncomfortable. Pros- Restaurants Shopping Pinkberry Near Harvard Street performers Cons- Ghetto Dirty Lots of homeless Crowded

It's hip to be square in Harvard Square! This is where all kinds of interesting people hang out- intellectuals pursuing cerebral pursuits, street performers expressing their individuality, and urban campers living off the land. This is at the stop on the T Red Line, the first thing that gets you acclimated to the venerable learning institution. Here's where all the tours of the campus meet, and if you position yourself just right, you can eavesdrop in on the public tours to get a little background of what's going on here. You can just feel the education oozing from the red bricks and ivory white columns that overlook the square. This is a place of higher education, the highest, in some opinions, so please watch your prepositional phrases and use proper grammar. You might get beat up if you try to divide by zero. In the center of the Square is the Cambridge Tourism Dept, who is happy to try and answer any questions. However, they had to refer me to the Harvard astrophysics labs for some of the questions I had for them. There's all kinds of cool shops in and around this square- a lot of book stores and touristy stuff. If you're looking for postcards, I found 'em real cheap at the building in the center. Tell 'em I sent ya. It's a nice walk in such a historic square, and will take you right on over to Harvard Yard, which is nearby.

Always fun to make the trip to Harvard Square. You'll find some chain stores such as CVS, Lush Cosmetics, GNC etc, but you'll also find stores that are not to be found elsewhere. There are often street performers in the nicer weather. And it's always great to take in the beauty of Harvard Yard either with a walk through or sitting in the chairs that they have set up during the warmer months. There are lots of nice restaurants in the area offering different cuisines from Mexican to Italian to Indian. They even have some great hamburger places if you're in the mood for something simple. The parking isn't the greatest here so I'd highly recommend taking the T just to save yourself the aggravation of finding a parking spot or having to pay for a garage space. I love to go either in the spring or summer to shop, get a bite to eat, take a walk through the yard and make a day of it.

CAN I PAHK DA CAH IN HAHVArD YAHD? I met up with some locals when I was in Cambridge and I asked them how I could obtain this badass accent, and they kept repeating that phrase to me. HAHAHA. Anyways, this place is beautiful even when it's covered in snow. The roads are basically frozen, and slippage occurs pretty frequently. There are a lot of great shops around the area, and it always seems hustling and bustling. Great setting to an obviously wonderful institute!

We arrived to H Square to find their May festival in process so we had to navigate thru the crowds. Tours of the Harvard campus where in process as parents , students and visitors streamed thru in groups to see Harvard. The Square was quite lively with performers, musicians and booths of food, merchandisers, advertisers trying to get your email for a measly token of some sort. They have shops all over but we didn't want to fight crowds to look. Their are tours for a fee near the transit station, charging about $12 per person.

So many memories in Boston - and most of them lead back to Harvard Square. From Andrew climbing onto John Harvard's lap, placing his Rockets hat upon Harvard's glistening head in front of a mass of Japanese tourists - to the truth behind what really makes Mr. Harvard's foot so shiny. And let me tell you that it is not due to an abundance of kisses from tourists for good luck; which I would definitely advise against , after learning of an icky Harvard custom. There was many a night spent waiting for my housemates' mystery 'platonic' date at Brother's Jim. Uneaten burritos, so my other housemate, could try his hand at asking out the uninterested counter woman. And when I was in the mood for tacky 'Euro' night - the Redline was a perfect fit. Hacking up lungs in cars, to lost cars, to CVS afternoons, to meeting old friends for Cheech adventures, it was all so good. Harvard Square - I fell in love with you back in Middle School as I traipsed around you with siblings and parents in tow. Later, a litlte older, probably not much more mature, I fell back in love - as I sat in Au Bon Pain. Sitting, while watching the belligerent retired 'Boxer' bum, a Harvard legend, perfect his social skills. His mantra being to smile politely at all women and then growl and challenge all men to a full on boxing match. This Thansgiving we have a date. I'll bring the Californian charm, you bring the freezing cold weather.

During a previous business trip, I had some time on my hands and thought that exploring the Harvard University area would be kind of cool. In a previous life, I was accepted to Graduate School here, so why not find out (years later) what I missed? Harvard Square is a large triangular area in the historic center of Cambridge, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and John F. Kennedy Street. It's also adjacent to Harvard Yard (of course). The Square functions as a commercial center for Harvard Students, local residents, and for Tourists such as myself. It's also easy to get here via the MBTA Red Line. In an extended sense, the name "Harvard Square" can also refer to the entire neighborhood surrounding this intersection for several blocks in each direction. At the center of the Square is the old Harvard Square Subway Kiosk, now Out of Town News, stocking newspapers and magazines from around the world. A video of it appears in transitional clips used on CNN. The office of NPR's Car Talk radio show faces the square, with a stencil in the window that reads "Dewey, Cheetham & Howe," The popular show references this by asking its viewers to send in answers to the "Puzzler" to "Puzzler Tower, Car Talk Plaza, Harvard Square, Cambridge (our fair city), MA 02238". I also took the opportunity to walk around the Harvard University Campus, explore a cool Unitarian Church headed by a former Minister of mine, and shop around the extended commercial area around the square. I had a nice time and remained happy that I was privileged to have attended Graduate School at Texas A&M instead.

Harvard Square is an interesting collection of random people and cultures clashing together. Lots of tourists come here because of its obvious name and the fact that there are plenty of stores and shops around to keep people entertained. Although I think mostly this place isn't know much for any of the food or shops around here (look up their reviews! typically not so good ...) but more for the location, historical significance and pure sightseeing destination aspect of it. I enjoyed my stay here but don't make a day out of it.

Although there may be plenty of tourists, the large array of shops and restaurants make it a pleasurable place to spend your time here. Not pleasurable if you are driving though because you probably won't find parking here. The cobblestone streets are cool, but I got lost here! Thank goodness I had my Iphone, and used the GPS. The square often attracts activists, street dwellers, goth subcultures, street performers, conservatives, tourists you name it! They have it. A cool thing to do is to check out "The Garage". It's a small shopping mall that used to be a parking garage. I'm not a fan of the national chains in the square though like Urban Outfitters (See my review and find out why) and corporate banks like Bank of America. I would rather support the small locally-run businesses with unique styles. It's one of the reasons why I dislike gentrification. Because of high rent, the small, independent mom & pop stores suffer, and it changes the culturally heterogeneous character of the neighborhood. This is the reason why I have to give the place 3.5 stars.

Probably one of the busiest squares in MA but it's definitely worth checking out (though take the T there's a stop in the square parking is limited and excessively expensive!) lots of bustle and hustle here! There's the one and only curious george store which is adorable! Lots of CVS's (not sure why but there is so I thought I would mention it) and a lot of really fantastic restaurants with in steps of the T stop!

Harvard Square can be easily forgotten, overlooked or under-appreciated by Bostonians, especially folks who have lived here their whole lives. But, like Davis Square or Central or even Kendall and Porter, dense and exciting clusters of stores with a ton of foot traffic and interesting architecture are fairly rare once you leave the coasts. There are a ton of cookie cutter towns out there, with only a couple of strip malls on a four lane road to entertain them. But we here in the Camberville have a wealth of squares that intrigue us, allow for walkable bar crawls, and let us spend money on all sorts of cool stuff without having to drive 45 minutes to do so. Love your squares, Boston. Love them and realize how rare they are.

There's no pah-king in the hah-vahd yahd. Take the T. It's true - there's no parking but Harvard is a staple of Cambridge so very well-worth the trip! They don't do student-led tours - you have to pay from the professional groups that are just outside of the entrance. If you want the history, I'd pay for it, otherwise it's also fun walking around and talking pictures of the bucolic campus. Harvard Square encompasses all the shops, bars, and restaurants outside of campus which are worth checking out. See where the students hang out!

In the middle of Harvard Square, it is not hard to find a tourist, I could probably sneeze on the corner of Massachusetts Ave and John F Kennedy St and a week later start a cold in 10 states and maybe even another country or two. With this, Harvard Square is starting to not be able to resist the commercial enterprise moving in, that it long has countered with culture. Barry, a worker at Harvard coop states "tourists will always keep coming." Barry has lived in the area since 1993, and he spoke a concern, that in his 27 years in the area that the long-lived culture is being pushed out, "It seems Harvard Square is becoming homogenized" he stated. He has found that a lot of real estate is being bought up and the old businesses are being "squeezed till they have to leave". One, in particular, that was notable to Barry, was the recent closing of John Harvard's Bar last May, that much like Barry, was here for 27 years. The jovial book salesman said he loved the potpie they served there and since its closure he has resorted to iHop as a local favorite. He explained to me that he hasn't been able to find somewhere to replace this favorite dish. Barry also marked this move in the change of culture in the Square with a noted loss in used book stores that "just weren't able to make it in the market". With Boston and Cambridge boasting 19.3 Million visitors per year according to HarvardSquare.Com is the cultural empire in threat of losing its old book smells and warm pot pies in succession of Full stacks of cookie-cutter pancakes, or will its long history and culture be able to prevail the effects capitalism has on the tourist-filled area?

Ah how this place has changed. Once upon a time, hackey sacking, cigarette smoking, book reading and low key, Harvard Square is a tourist haven. Although many good restaurants have come to the area, the cool, sweet spots have mostly been forced out. The garage houses a few remnants.

Unbeatable sense of history. The Square has an incredible past, shopping, transport, coffee houses, and of course, Harvard. It brought me back to the pre-Giuliani days in New York's Washington Square... Including the bums and panhandlers. Fortunately, I didn't see "windshield cleaners" like they used to have in NYC. For local flavor and history, Harvard Square is awesome. Clean it up a little and it would be superb.

The highlights of the Harvard square were the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Santouka, Boston Tea spot with their wide array of delicious mochi flavors, Shake Shack, Panera Bread, Starbucks... The parking situation has been truly challenging. I may take the commuter MBTA rail next time....

I love hanging out at Harvard Square - there's so much activity and so much energy - full of students and all kinds of people. Super diverse area and just a great place to hang out and meet people.

The bars are fun, the restaurants are ok, everything else pretty much sucks. Have to listen to fake pretentious conversation or utterly dumb inane comments... what a headache! (I thought the screening process was selective?? Then again, the awesome people are probably doing more interesting things than trolling around the square so... the Square is definitely not the place to be. The square does host interesting street fairs/festivals so I give the planning committees props for that. Otherwise, Davis/Inman and even Porter exhibit a little more character! I do like the independent bookstores in Harvard Sq, but how long will they last?? oye.

Thanks to all the Yelpers who mentioned that parking was a pain in the arse. AT and I left our car at our nearby hotel and hiked over to Harvard Square, in search of Boston Tea Shop for the famous mochi. We came by foot during the evening and just noticed throngs of people as we waddled between them, trying to look nonchalant while hoping that Google Maps was not going to lead us astray. I was really tired and only had my eye on the prize, so I barely noticed the shops and restaurants that we walked past. While it was pretty dark, I did notice that the area was a tad untidy, as mentioned in other reviews. Once I grabbed my mochi cup to-go, we beelined for our hotel, so that we could get a little pause in our day before dinner. I wasn't impressed with our mochi and am likely not returning. Maybe the next time we visit Beantown, we'll find another occasion to visit Harvard Square? I'm not sure for now and from what I remember, it's not high on my list of priorities. [#Yelp365: 75/365]

A square outside the world's greatest university brings European charm to this spectacular college town Enjoy the cafes, bars, bookstores and food. However you won't enjoy parking here or paying for parking. Come on the T toy train :)

Chill, slightly hipster, cool shops, expensive stores, eateries, ice cream, bookstores, Chameleon Tattoo shop, Newbury Comics, Tasty Burger, countless coffee shops, outdoor benches, Urban Outfitters, snobby people, down to earth people, trust fund kids, grateful students, black, white, yellow, purple, green, Insomnia Cookies, bars, hotel, people crossing the street without looking both ways, live music, Pinkberry, CVS, Hahhvard yard, Chipotle, public transportation, idiots, tourists, panhandlers, dogs, eyebrow threading, The Garage, vegetarian food, spas, fast-ass kids that should be in the library, culture, lively, men that should be at home with their wives, cafes, art, souvenirs...in the heart of Cambridge. That pretty much sums it up. Great place.

Decent if you like Mob Scenes, I have lived in the area all my life & never have I come to Harvard Sq where it wasnt packed... All hours of the day & night its bustling... I try to avoid at all costs, I mean I love several things in the square (Fire & Ice, Magazine Stands, etc...) but I try to just visit other locations, parking is too high & thats if you can ever find a lot open... Good food, good shops, just way too busy for me with the baby!