Al's Tech Square Cafe

In the heart of the city, Als Cafe stands as a beacon of culinary delight. The location, undeniably prime, invites weary travelers and locals alike. Their steak and cheese is a revelation, with the unexpected addition of red peppers, a rare yet delightful twist. Usually only get gree. The portions are generous, ensuring no one leaves unsatisfied. The staff, ever friendly, adds warmth to the already inviting atmosphere. A visit here is not just a meal, but an experience to savor. Really good prices too!

One of the best sandwich shops in Boston! They don’t mess around here, be sure to listen when you’re waiting for a hot sub because you are guaranteed to get flamed for being on your phone or not paying attention. Their hot pastrami is absolutely massive, and they don’t skimp on the meat. Bread here is considered top among sandwich shops in the area. This place is popping during lunchtime, but I think it’s always worth the wait.

A friend and I decided to stop by after seeing a horde of people carrying the characteristic yellow Al's bag in for lunch. Sandwiches are HUGE here, they aren't playing around. I got the bbq chicken sandwich which was alright. I wasn't the biggest fan of the chicken itself, it tasted kind of plain alongside the BBQ sauce. My friends sandwich (chicken pesto, I think) was much better tasting, so I think I just got the wrong one this time around. Will definitely be back for more.

Al's is known for the best lunch deal in Boston, with high quality sandwich ingredients, fresh baked bread, fast service, and a chips and a drink for a bargain. Now you no longer need to go into Boston to get it! The Kendall area had a sore lack of affordable quick lunch options, and almost nowhere to get a good sub, now Al's has saved the day. I eat lunch at Al's several days a week, over 50 times at this location since it opened in March. Subs are large or small, but the small is larger than anyone else's large and will fill any big appetite. Order hot subs in the line to the right, and cold subs to the left. They also serve soups, salads, and chicken kabob meals at the far left line. Here are some of my favorites: 1. Roast Beef with Mayo and BBQ (and provolone, lettuce, and basil) 2. Turkey & cheese add bacon (a ton of tasty crispy bacon makes it well worth the extra cost) 3. Chicken salad add bacon (with lettuce, cheese, and oregano). The best chicken salad sandwich you will ever have. 4. Steak Bellino with american cheese. A decent steak and cheese that melts right into the fresh bread. 5. Hot Pastrami ("swiss and spicy" with swiss cheese and mustard) 6. Chicken Eggplant Parmesan. As the chicken is not breaded, the breaded eggplant adds that needed flavor 7. Pesto Chicken Kabobs. When I'm not in the mood for a sandwich. Awesome homemade pesto chicken breasts on a bed of rice, plus a salad and a loaf of fresh bread. 8. Meatball parm sub. Highlighted by their excellent homemade sauce. The chili is also that perfect balance of flavor and spice, meat and beans, and can be added on the side for a big meal or good enough on its own. Service is still very quick without the insanity and yelling of the downtown locations. There is just enough seating inside, and tables on the sidewalk on nice days.

Al's Tech Square Cafe offers soups, salads, cold and hot subs. Some of my favorites here are chicken pesto, chicken Parmesan, barbecue chicken, and tuna. My husband loved eggplant parmesan last time we went here. Sometimes it's just fun to build my own cold sub. Sizes of subs are so generous. The amount of food I get is totally worth coming here! It's really fun place to stop by for a quick bit to eat. It's always fun to see special of the day. I order two large subs for my husband and I. Each large was enough for two people or some leftovers. We are so happy to have extra meal for tomorrow's lunch. Prices are really affordable. For only 10 dollars, you can get a small sub, chips, and soda. That's a steal of a great deal! I always splurge to do large sub deal for only few more dollars. The food itself was delicious! We ordered cold turkey with cheese and chicken pesto. It was very fresh with each bite. It's tasty and leaves me satisfied. I am absolutely full for awhile. If you hungry and in neighborhood, totally worth stop by! It's worth every penny. ☺️💗

Love this place. Great subs (they're huge - the photo is a small). And good value with chips and a drink. Several locations around Boston and Cambridge. Get the Special - prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil!

Fire food. Undeniably one of the best sandwich places in Boston. The only issue is that there is not that much space to dine in inside. You can always take the sub and eat it outside at the Tech square lawn chairs tho.

This is a solid lunch spot for anyone working in the area. It's hard to get lunch much cheaper than $15-20 these days, but at least these cats aren't going to skimp you on the portions and you'll feel like you got your money's worth. Good sandwiches, good services, and a friendly crew. Definitely gets packed during peak lunch hours, so plan accordingly. You can order online in a snap and save some time, in the spring/summer/fall there are plenty of nice places to sit outside nearby.

The food was amazing. This is half a large...a large is 2 feet long, crispy French bread with tomato, basil, balsamic glaze, prosciutto and mozzarella. They don't skimp, and the sandwich is awesome. This is their Tech Sq location but they have a couple more in Bostons financial and by south street train station. A must go to for an excellent and cheap sandwich. Their large is a 2 feet long sub you can share among 2-3 people! It's that big. Large is 15 dollars too. Interior was very clean and the stafff friendly and smiley.

Bang for your buck. Choice of 16 inches or 8 inches, but it's only a price difference of a few dollars so I always get the 16. How fantastic!

" Definitely Delicious " Have you ever been so hungry on your lunch break you could eat a house . Look no further these subs are huge. Not only huge but definitely delicious. They also taste fresh including the bread . So give this vibrant place a shot if you already haven't . The vibe is warm . The service is good , and staff is friendly. Parking is difficult but manageable.

probably not the best move for vegetarians because there's only two veg options, but quick service, cheap for the area, and still pretty yummy. wanted the eggplant parmesan sub, but they were out, so i got the veggie sub, which was okay and probably would've been delicious if i was even 1% a bell pepper fan. very heavy on the bell pepper! but the mushrooms, tomatoes, and provolone cheese were very yummy. nice quick lunch spot with chill vibes.

Had a great experience ordering lunch for the office. Everything was well packaged and labeled and they were accommodating of allergies. Food arrived a little ahead of schedule and the driver was friendly and communicative. The subs are huge. The large could very easily feed 2-3 people. The bread is fresh and has a nice crusty texture. They missed one of my toppings, but not a big deal. Overall solid place for a sub and a good price point.

The price is great and the sandwiches are large... But the bread is pretty sad, soggy and lackluster, and the burger itself mediocre. Still, a filling cheap meal in an area that doesn't have many of those.

I had the most delicious meatball sandwish I have had in my whole life! Extremely large sized sandwishes (if you order the large one). Very nice and fast service. I will go there many times!

What a great branch of Al's Cafe, at Technology Square, Cambridge. The restaurant/store front has a warm, inviting, friendly, Cambridge-esque ambiance, and it is immaculate/clean. Our sandwiches were good, but bread just not as good as usual. Rather tasteless, and not crunchy. I wonder if they've gone off-course from their usual bread supplier? Today's bread was just, not good. The staff are friendly; the person who prepared our sandwiches had a very difficult time with English. Otherwise, our sandwiches were very good, high quality ingredients, other than the bread, and delicious. I hope Al's original recipe bread, returns.

I ordered a large sub and it was so long that I couldn't fit it in my backpack and had to carry it home in my arms like a baby! Their regular subs are around $9.50 and the large is $11.50. I got a hot pastrami Al's way which came with swiss cheese and hot mustard. I also added onions, pickles, and banana peppers. The sandwich was really tasty and I could see why this is such a popular lunch spot. The pastrami was flavorful without being too salty or greasy and balanced perfectly with the tangy mustard. The bread was also very soft and held everything together well, although the bread itself did not have a lot of flavor. For a lunch sandwich shop I highly recommend this spot! I did not come during a busy time but I could see myself taking advantage of their online ordering system to avoid long lines/crowds.

Three stars for Al's based on my rating of their steak, cheese and pepper sub. Al's does have ginormous portion sizes, fast turn around time, very reasonable prices, and overall tasty food. That being said Al's is crowded pretty much every second of the working day and it can be very chaotic so you have to mentally prepare before arriving. The small steak and cheese sub with peppers was humongous (about the length of my forearm). The steak in the sub was very ground up. I was expecting the steak to be thinly sliced with less of a powdered meat consistency. The meat to pepper ratio was not equivalent which left me with giant bites of meat and bread. Regardless, I could barely finish half of my sub Because my belly was stuffed! If I do end up coming back to Al's, I will probably order the chicken teriyaki sub. I have heard good things, and they stuff the sub with more veggies!

The food is delicious! I always get the steak sub. I always order pick up because going in the store to order lunch is like going to a sold out musical festival for the first time. Literally there's no organization of who is in charge or where does the line starts. If you're new to Cambridge MA, I would only go here if a friend brings you here. The only downside here is the customer service, the lack of energy and enthusiasm here. People look miserable working here, especially one of the ladies in the front. There's only one lady in the front that's looks nice and greets their customers!! Cheers Hey management, can you feed some happiness to your team? I know you can feed the locals well, but what about your Ale family team? Let's get that going because small things goes long ways.

This is for delivery. Ordered the lunch small bag w/ Italian sub, chips and soda. The sandwich was ok, the French bread didn't taste super fresh and it was meager on the add ins (lettuce, onion, tomato, balsamic, olive oil). The sandwich in terms of size was generous (ordered a small, felt like a large). Delivery was prompt but came at a whopping $8 delivery fee, on a $16 order and 0.8 miles distance.

I had the small chicken arriana sub first time earlier this week and I loved it. Decided on Friday to try sharing the large size with a friend, and it was delicious as always, but that night we realized we had both gotten food poisoning. My friend told me today that last year he had also gotten food poisoning after eating chicken at Al's. There have been a couple other people who have reported getting food poisoning after eating the chicken at Al's on "iwaspoisoned dot com" so I would say proceed with caution. 1 in 4 Chicken Arriana's being poisoned is not worth the risk for me to try again. Unfortunate because it tasted great and the price is excellent.

Great value subs. You can get a "small" 10 inch subs for less than 8 bucks or a 16 inch sub for a few more dollars. The 10 inch sub is probably going to be more than enough for most people unless you are really really hungry or can find a buddy to split the large sub with you. You can order either cold or hot subs on separate ordering queues. I enjoyed their Italian cold sub. Definitely superior ingredients and much better assembly than what you would get at a large national chain, but perhaps not quite as good as a more gourmet deli with freshly sliced meat. The steak sub with peppers and onions plus melted cheese was satisfying. The meatball wasn't bad, but it was not served as hot as I would have liked. A great option for a quick, affordable, and satisfying lunch in Kendall.

Al's is known for the best lunch deal in Boston, with high quality sandwich ingredients, fresh baked bread, fast service, and a chips and a drink for a bargain. Now you no longer need to go into Boston to get it! The Kendall area had a sore lack of affordable quick lunch options, and almost nowhere to get a good sub, now Al's has saved the day. I eat lunch at Al's several days a week, and now that I've been to this location over 50 times I thought I would update my review. Subs are large or small, but the small is larger than anyone else's large and will fill any big appetite. Order hot subs in the line to the right, and cold subs to the left. They also serve soups, salads, and chicken kabob meals at the far left line. Here are some of my favorites: 1. Roast Beef with Mayo and BBQ (and provolone, lettuce, and basil) 2. Turkey & cheese add bacon (a ton of tasty crispy bacon makes it well worth the extra cost) 3. Chicken salad add bacon (with lettuce, cheese, and oregano). The best chicken salad sandwich you will ever have. 4. Steak Bellino with american cheese. A decent steak and cheese that melts right into the fresh bread. 5. Hot Pastrami ("swiss and spicy" with swiss cheese and mustard) 6. Chicken Eggplant Parmesan. As the chicken is not breaded, the breaded eggplant adds that needed flavor 7. Pesto Chicken Kabobs. When I'm not in the mood for a sandwich. Awesome homemade pesto chicken breasts on a bed of rice, plus a salad and a loaf of fresh bread. 8. Meatball parm sub. Highlighted by their excellent homemade sauce. The chili is also that perfect balance of flavor and spice, meat and beans, and can be added on the side for a big meal or good enough on its own. Service is still very quick without the insanity and yelling of the downtown locations. There is just enough seating inside, and tables on the sidewalk on nice days.

Decent subs at a very good price. Their size small is in fact large and their large is humongous. The only regret is that they have very limited hours around lunchtime, understandably because of the little foot traffic in the neighborhood.

Very disappointed.The foos is good and we are always glad we go here but for some reason this is the third time our food wasn't cooked as we specified.

I ordered the chicken kabob and took it back to the office. While eating a bug was in my food. Absolutely won't be going back.

My daily lunch spot! They have a great selection of salads and sandwiches at an unbeatable price. Everyone is such a pleasure to interact with and they extremely efficient all around.

Ok.... I have always liked Al's - their Lady Cafe is my favorite but I have an allergic reaction to basil now so I can't eat it anymore :( But... I was Craving a fresh sub so they are a solid go to. I ordered through door dash and the restaurant had them call me to inform me of any extra charge for the sides that I chose - confirmed everything but apparently there was a miscommunication lol. They got the order wrong... BUT... It was still good... Albeit frustrating given the call to confirm everything. The bread is my favorite! And the sandwiches are huge! My father is extremely hard to get an 'it was good' out of. Usually, "it was ok" or "meh - it wasn't that great". But this piqued his interest and asked the name of the place and location! With a smile! Lol Go there, they are great! Crunchy chewy bread! Love. BUT they can be super busy around lunch time. I know the Harvard Square location takes the phone off the hook so you may just need to show up and order. Enjoy!

The bread is the only thing this place has going for it. Service is horrible. It's not one person; it's all staff. Who trains the staff to make sandwiches? They don't know how to make sandwiches except to slap a few pieces of meat and cheese on the bread without care to symmetry so that one side of the bread has most of the meat with the other side a couple slices. There's no standard of measurement for mayo or other dressings. They just squirt whatever globs of dressing somewhere on the bread not caring if spots are missing or how much is used. I ask for mayo; one person barely squirts any on the bread; another will douse the bread. Language barrier or not, it appears staff are lazy with no oversight however many sandwiches they push through. Today was the third time in a row I've been disappointed and will not be going to this location again. It's sad because the bread is good.

I would give Al's 3.5/5 stars for taste of the chicken salad sub I got, but rounding it up to 4 stars for the value ($7.50 for a "small" that is actually like two small subs put together). I visited the one right in Kendall Square after reading several positive reviews online, most notably how much people are infatuated by Al's self-declared homemade chicken salad "with just the right mix of seasonings" sub as being "the best ever". I stopped by for lunch around noontime, and the place was already bumping. When I reached the front door, there was a line slightly protruding outside which I noticed was for the cold subs only. The line for the hot subs wasn't nearly as long and people seemed to head straight to the register. It looks like Al's has an efficient system going for ordering their subs (hot vs. cold), and it's an assembly line once you get to one of the 4-5 people at the counter who make your sandwich in front of you Subway-style. You get a choice of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and hot peppers (which are the thinly sliced pickled banana peppers)-- that's it for optional included "toppings". The server slabs on a somewhat thin layer of chicken salad onto what appeared to me a light-brown/honey wheat bread + 2-3 tomato slices and cheese slices, lettuce. A very simple sandwich ordering system indeed. I didn't think the chicken salad was amazeballs, just kinda average dressed in lots mayo and black pepper. Straight up chicken, no celery or grapes or what have you tossed in the mix. Actually too salty for my tastebuds. But I was impressed by the freshness of the sandwich bread. From first glance, it looks meager and borderline crispy-stale but it was the perfect amount of gluten-y chewy that I enjoyed. Like others have said, I was able to save 1/2 for a quick snack later in the day. A decent deal for the area!

I love this place. Great food, cheap prices, lightning fast, what more can you want at lunch time? Their hot subs without tomato sauce come with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I was a little confused by this as some of their options include BBQ chicken and teriyaki subs. Be sure to clarify exactly what you want for condiments if you don't want mayo in your BBQ chicken sub!

e Al's. The bread is on point and I believe, made in house. The steak and cheese, pictured (half cos I was so hungry), is awesome and a large is massive. Somewhere in the ball park of 18 to 20 inches! I've also had their meatball which is just as good and a bit messy, which isn't a bad thing. The Tech Square cold sub is also good. Plenty of fresh mozzarella and proscuto. One word of advice, know what you want before getting in line or risk getting sent to the back!

I owe Al's this review. I spent a summer in Cambridge and I tried Al's hot sandwiches many times and made a lot of memories with my friends. Absolutely delicious and I wish they were in DC too!

Best chicken salad sub in Massachusetts's hands down Love those thin sliced red onions that melt in your mouth, and the bread oooooooo the bread so soft on the inside and crusty on the outside perfection

Pleasantly surprised by the value at Al's. Finishing the "small" in one sitting is really pushing it, unless you want to be in a food coma for the rest of the day. The bread is fluffy and chewy. They call it French bread but it reminds me of the dough they use for rolls at Bertucci's (which are always a favorite). In the hot sandwiches, the ingredients are hot. The sandwich is not toasted. In the Sicilian Steak and the Pastrami sandwiches, the meat is shaved like the meat in a standard Philly cheese steak. They are also heavier sandwiches that will satisfy even the most hangry of folks. Even at peak lunch rush, when all of the restaurants in Kendall are flooded, I spent less than 10 minutes there. The line moves quickly and they churn out sandwiches like no other. Pro tip: if you're craving a tuna melt, you can order the tuna salad sandwich (usually cold) in the HOT sandwich line, and ask for it with cheese and toasted/melted.

Checked out the new Al's spot today in Tech Sq after I had heard good things about the ones in downtown. The subs are huge and are a great deal. A small sub is $7.50 and is larger than what most places call a "large". The bread is OK, I'm not sure why everyone complains, it's average bread. I had the Italian. I've been told to try the chicken salad, so that's next on the list. The sub was mad within a few minutes and I walked out in less than 5 minutes. Great price, big subs, decent taste, fast service and a good menu selection.

My sub, a steak and provolone with red peppers, was delicious. The bread was soft and fresh. However despite my request fort only red peppers, they used green peppers as well. The sub appears huge, but the steak did not fill the bread. My friend ordered a south street cafe chicken sub, but they confused it with the south st cafe special sub, which is prosciutto, which she could not eat.

I would actually give this place 5 stars for the sandwiches, but ever since Al's was sadly forced to leave Harvard's campus I've been disappointed more times than not by the fact that Al's closes way earlier than their posted business hours. I got to the store today, June 30, at 2:35pm to find the store completely closed up and it looks like it had been that way for a while. Their sign says they close at 3 so it makes me super sad that they randomly close half an hour early, especially since I'm walking all the way from Harvard just to get these subs. Really though the sandwiches are awesome and huge, I legitimately spend $40+ every time getting a subs to eat and then have again for later. Please stay open when you're supposed be open, I'm just trying to give you my moneyyyy!

I was a daily customer at Al's Cafe for about a year. I had eaten most of the sandwiches and salads on the menu for lunch. I tipped daily anywhere between $2.00-$3.00 a day and I even bought a tee shirt. I liked this place. I spent a great deal of money here. One day I had to ask the staff person making my sandwich to change his gloves, he seemed visibly irritated by my request. I didn't report this incident immediately but I was surprised by his reaction. I felt that I was made to feel uncomfortable for asking. After this I tried to avoid him. If you have to avoid the guy making your sandwich, I guess you should probably find another place to eat lunch, so that's what I did.

Just the best subs around. The bread is baked fresh daily and it's beyond delicious. Absolutely delicious food.

What a gem! Al's has the BEST chicken salad I've ever had, just delicious. The prices are extremely reasonable and the service is speedy and friendly. The shoppe is clean with nice seating. I'll definitely be back.

Great place for sandwiches! I came here with a coworker and ordered a small pastrami from their hot sandwich menu. I was a bit confused when I saw my sandwich because it looked like a large but that was it! They are very generous with the size portion. Lastly, the sub was delicious.

I love the food at Al's cafe, Cambridge,always fresh and fast serving. The stuff is always friendly and smiling, my only issue is with the only oriental gentlemen that works there,I think he is from China or Vietnam I'm not sure where he is from, he is very rude and unfriendly he always has an attitude. Other than that everything is great.

Considering its location in pricey Tech Square, Al's is probably the sandwich shop that will give you the most bang for your buck in the area. For $9, you get the lunch special, which includes a small sub, chips and a drink. The small sub is pretty big though and will most likely more than feed you for lunch. If they're located anywhere else, I wouldn't say it's worth the price. If you find yourself hungry near Kendall Square, Al's is a good choice compared to other sandwich shops in the area! Try the chicken pesto - it's one of their best hot sandwiches.

They make amazing sandwiches, and their staff are friendly and efficient. This is a great place to pickup a quick lunch in Kendall Square. Their sandwiches are huge with generous amounts of fillings. My favorite is the Sicilian Steak. The bread is soft and chewy - very fresh. And the portobello mushrooms and plum tomatoes complement the steak very well.

Great value, very tasty sub, super efficient and friendly service. What more could you ask for in the high rent Cambridge district than for a quick and filling lunch! Hot or cold subs were $7.50 for a "small" (actually pretty big at 10") and i think $9 for the "large" which is 16". My son and i each got a small combo which includes the sub plus a bag of chips and any drink from the frig for $9 each. We both got hot subs, the chicken pesto and the chicken with buffalo sauce and cheese. We were first-timers since just visiting for a long weekend and got there just past lunch rush hour so was very quick and the order takers were patient and friendly. We especially loved the sub rolls, they were more dense and chewy than bready rolls at some spots, really added to the overall taste. My only disappointment was that i guess they are closed on weekends since they were closed on Saturday when we went back to do it all again. We will definitely return next time we are in town!

This place is super efficient; they have their system down pat, and the women working behind the counter was very nice and helpful. The sandwiches are huge, though not overflowing, so not too messy to handle. We came in with a group of teenagers and they were more than happy with the size of the sandwiches; as a grown woman, I took home half of my small steak Bellino sub. Great deal for the money.

It's not that the food isn't good, it is, but what I appreciate most is ordering a large sandwich and knowing it's going to be two meals. Food is expensive around here. I mostly get a grilled chicken with buffalo/red-hot sauce, if not a steak and cheese, both are very good.

People have been raving about Al's and I gave it a shot today. The hot sandwich line was not bad for coming at 12:30...my colleague and I both orders the chicken Parmesan sandwich and were completely underwhelmed. Too much sauce, the consistency of the bread was very dough like and I was even willing to give the grilled chicken a try and it did not live up to expectations. Not my idea of a good sub.

I had a really disappointing experience here today. First of all, the restaurant refused to give us cups of water, saying they only sell bottled water. Who does this?? Then, we ordered a chicken eggplant parm sandwich, only to find that there was no chicken on it. Really unfortunate.

Ok, I know I should not eat to many subs. But these are so good. First, some of the best bread around. Warm and fresh. The size is 'OMG'; a small gives me two meals! I have tried the steak sub (shared with my boss), a sub with turkey and cheese and the chicken kabob salad. All were very good although the steak sub could of used more cheese. Most of colleagues like the place; some are looking for more meat in the subs. They seem fine to me but perhaps not to you! Anywho, a nice refreshing addition to 600 Tech Square. A affordable lunch meal in the Kendal Square area.

What I like about this is the food is affordable. Not only is it affordable but it is delicious hot or cold. You can't go wrong with hot philly sub or a Italian cold sandwich. This place is worth a lunch visit.

This place is overhyped. The food is mediocre at best. If this is considered "the best sub shop in Boston" then Boston has some terrible sub shops and some of the actual good sub shops from the burbs should set up shop. The reason for the three stars is the amount of food you get for a relatively low price compared to the rest of Cambridge where your easily spending 10$-$12 for one little sandwich. Also, they are really fast at getting your sandwich to you.

This place just sucks. Ordered a cheesesteak plain yesterday but they added tomatoes onions n Mayo. I bring it back and the front lady gives me an attitude as if it was my fault. I order a barbecue chicken "tender" sub plain w light sauce. I get heavy and sauce and grilled chicken. Even when they make the subs correctly they're still below average. My coworker found a insect in his salad a month ago

These subs are amazing. Really fast service and delicious food. Was really sad when they closed their cafe in Harvard Square

Great bang for buck. Wide variety of decent sandwiches and salads.

Good in a pinch but they screw up your order more than half the time. There are better options in the area