Harvard Square, Cambridge

If you happen to be in Harvard Square, I recommend the following restaurants.

• Waypoint, inspiring seafood

• Park, hearty meats and potatoes

• Alden & Harlow, small plates, innovative ideas, complex cocktails, beautiful people, Veblen pricing

• Dumpling House, try the soup dumplings, Cantonese lobster, dry pot chicken

• Cilantro, try the “Fish Fillet w. Spicy Chili Sauce”

• Flame, I recommend eating here if and only if you order off of the secret lunch menu. There is a WeChat group run by Harvard students out of the Chemistry department, ask around.

• Maharaja, best Indian food in Harvard square

• Hokkaido Ramen, on a cold brisk evening Hokkaido Ramen will be crowded. You’ll wait at least 30 minutes, and that will be time well spent.

• Border Cafe, for a lively atmosphere, strong drinks, delicious food, excellent service and a fair price; look no further.

• Felipe’s, same as above but at an incredible price.

• Le’s, on a cold morning in Hanoi, I unexpectedly had my first Vietnamese coffee; that feeling of unexpected pure joy I had that morning is one of my fondest travel memories. Coming to Le’s reminds me of that trip.