In Cambridge for 2 weeks for work (Boston, Worcester: house, transfer, neighborhoods)

[Cantabridgienne]

I'd start by taking a look at the subway map. Your hotel is walkable to both the Lechmere stop on the Green line and the Kendall stop on the Red Line.


If you think you'll be out and about every night, then I'd get a weekly pass each week for unlimted subway/local bus rides. You can get it at any station at the self-serve machines, printed on a paper ticket. It's $21.25 each week.


Your hotel is in a bit of a no man's land, but not too far from some East Cambridge gems. I'd suggest Casa Portugal (for Portuguese), the Druid for above average Irish pub food, Trina's Starlite Lounge for a local hangout with good cocktails, and the Helmand for Afghan food (though I agree that service can be.....brusque). Definitely Sarma (can get pricey, but a few plates at the bar with a drink will fit your budget) or Oleana if you want a splurge.


There are some good places in Kendall Square for lunch: Area 4 (for pizza), Mamaleh's (Jewish deli), lots of food trucks.


Of course, further afield you have many, many other options.


As for sightseeing, the usual suspects are the Freedom Trail, museums, a Sox game, a ferry to the Harbor Islands, day trip to Provincetown via ferry... . You should probably do a bit of reading and see what sounds good to you

[edwardsyzzurphands]

African and Middle Eastern Options:

Oleana (Turkish) https://www.oleanarestaurant.com/
Fasika (Ethiopian) Fasik Ethiopian Restaurant, Authentic ethiopian food.
Ashur (Somali) https://boston.eater.com/2016/5/24/1...aurant-roxbury
Teranga (Senegalese) Teranga Restaurant | Boston's Only Senegalese Restaurant
Suya Joint (Nigerian) Suya Joint All African Cuisine
Cesaria (Cape Verdean) Restaurante Cesaria » Traditional Cape Verdean Cuisine - 266 Bowdoin Street, Boston, MA 02122
Baraka Cafe (Algerian) Baraka Cafe
Moroccan Hospitality (Moroccan) https://www.yelp.com/biz/moroccan-ho...ant-somerville

I also second Sarma and Istanbul'lu for Turkish. I lived in Turkey for a year and Istanbul'lu is one of the most authentic places I have found in North America.

Also you should try some West Indian food, which is done really well in Boston.

Pikliz in Somerville is a mixture of Jamaican and Haitian and amazing. https://www.yelp.com/biz/pikliz-inte...hen-somerville

[Cantabridgienne]

I recently tried Pikliz for the first time and was really impressed! Very friendly service, too.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Suya Joint in Dudley Square-Roxbury, has some really amazing an authentic west African (mainly Nigerian) food.

suyajoint.com

https://www.yelp.com/biz/suya-joint-...uisine-roxbury

[LordHelmit]

Awesome suggestions! Will absolutely be trying Suya Joint, Vejigantes, and Helmand. I was hoping for an Afghan place actually. There used to be 2 or 3 down here but they all closed up shop before I got the chance to try them. There's a decent Iranian joint, I might look for one of those. Also interested in east African cuisine...Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, etc. I've had Ethiopian, a friend from work is from Ethiopia and he's invited me over for home cooked authentic Ethiopian food a few times...very tasty. Any other ethnic cuisines that are a little tricky to find in a smaller sized metro like Raleigh that I should take advantage of while in a real metro? Here we have a lot of Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, French, Latin American, you know the common stuff.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by LordHelmit

Awesome suggestions! Will absolutely be trying Suya Joint, Vejigantes, and Helmand. I was hoping for an Afghan place actually. There used to be 2 or 3 down here but they all closed up shop before I got the chance to try them. There's a decent Iranian joint, I might look for one of those. Also interested in east African cuisine...Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, etc. I've had Ethiopian, a friend from work is from Ethiopia and he's invited me over for home cooked authentic Ethiopian food a few times...very tasty. Any other ethnic cuisines that are a little tricky to find in a smaller sized metro like Raleigh that I should take advantage of while in a real metro? Here we have a lot of Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, French, Latin American, you know the common stuff.

I wouldn't call it ethnic exactly (classic American?), but I'd highly recommend Veggie Galaxy in Central Square. I'm almost positive you wouldn't find something like this in RTP, plus the clientele is a true cross section of the diversity of Cambridge. The fried cauliflower and desserts are not to be missed.

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Originally Posted by LordHelmit

Awesome suggestions! Will absolutely be trying Suya Joint, Vejigantes, and Helmand. I was hoping for an Afghan place actually. There used to be 2 or 3 down here but they all closed up shop before I got the chance to try them. There's a decent Iranian joint, I might look for one of those. Also interested in east African cuisine...Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, etc. I've had Ethiopian, a friend from work is from Ethiopia and he's invited me over for home cooked authentic Ethiopian food a few times...very tasty. Any other ethnic cuisines that are a little tricky to find in a smaller sized metro like Raleigh that I should take advantage of while in a real metro? Here we have a lot of Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, French, Latin American, you know the common stuff.

I'm not super familiar with the dining scene and options in Raleigh but do you have alot of Portuguese food? That is something Massachusetts (Especially south of the city) is known for, but there are some very good options in the city like J&J in Somerville (jandjrestaurant) which is a really cool spot tucked away in the back of a convenience store.

The Super 88 Market food court packs alot of different options from around Asia into one visit. https://boston.eater.com/2015/7/17/8...heap-eats-2015

Most of the Ugandan food is in Waltham (Interesting read on Little Kampala - For immigrant Ugandans, Waltham becomes ‘Little Kampala’ - The Boston Globe) Which is not a bad drive if you have a car, but on the T I wouldnt suggest heading that way.

Otherwise, try out the Cape Verdean place mentioned in my post above. Cape Verdean food is very hard to find outside of New England.

A few other places I love are Suvaai for Sri Lankan food in Cambridge; Gauchao for Brazilian in Somerville https://www.yelp.com/biz/gauchao-bra...ne-somerville; https://www.yelp.com/biz/suvaai-cambridge; Yoma for Burmese in Allston https://www.yelp.com/biz/yoma-allston; Thmor Da for Cambodian in Revere https://www.yelp.com/biz/thmor-da-revere and also Chacarero for the excellent Chilean sandwiches Chacarero

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by LordHelmit

Awesome suggestions! Will absolutely be trying Suya Joint, Vejigantes, and Helmand. I was hoping for an Afghan place actually. There used to be 2 or 3 down here but they all closed up shop before I got the chance to try them. There's a decent Iranian joint, I might look for one of those. Also interested in east African cuisine...Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, etc. I've had Ethiopian, a friend from work is from Ethiopia and he's invited me over for home cooked authentic Ethiopian food a few times...very tasty. Any other ethnic cuisines that are a little tricky to find in a smaller sized metro like Raleigh that I should take advantage of while in a real metro? Here we have a lot of Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, French, Latin American, you know the common stuff.

AddisRedSea.com Addis Red Sea is good Ethiopian in the South End.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by LordHelmit

Awesome suggestions! Will absolutely be trying Suya Joint, Vejigantes, and Helmand. I was hoping for an Afghan place actually. There used to be 2 or 3 down here but they all closed up shop before I got the chance to try them. There's a decent Iranian joint, I might look for one of those. Also interested in east African cuisine...Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, etc. I've had Ethiopian, a friend from work is from Ethiopia and he's invited me over for home cooked authentic Ethiopian food a few times...very tasty. Any other ethnic cuisines that are a little tricky to find in a smaller sized metro like Raleigh that I should take advantage of while in a real metro? Here we have a lot of Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, French, Latin American, you know the common stuff.

Not so exotic sounding, but I can't imagine you have a decent deli in Raleigh. I would suggest giving Mamaleh's a try. It opened within the last year or so and has been getting rave reviews. It's kind of a modern take on a classic NY Jewish Deli. I guarantee you if you stray from the sandwich section of the menu you'll find something you've never had before.

Mamaleh's – 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02139

[wolfgang239]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

I guarantee you if you stray from the sandwich section of the menu you'll find something you've never had before.

Yeah, like $15 for a cup of soup and a half sadwich, or $7.50 for a small cup of matzo ball soup!!