-- Boston's Hidden Restaurants --

Cafe Barada

2269 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 354-2112 Find location!

Photo of Cafe Barada, Cambridge, MA It isn't easy to find a good Middle Eastern restaurant in the Boston area. Sure, there are a handful of top Middle Eastern spots, such as Cafe Jaffa in the Back Bay and Sultan's Kitchen in downtown Boston. But there aren't many others, and of those, most of them are very popular. There is one Middle Eastern restaurant, however, in North Cambridge, that is both outstanding AND little-known. It is called Cafe Barada, and it is one heck of a restaurant.

The Lebanese-owned Cafe Barada moved from Arlington to Cambridge a few years ago. It is small, with seating for about 20-30 people, but that is one thing that makes the homey Cafe Barada appealing. And the owner of Cafe Barada maintains the warm appeal of the restaurant, as he is about as nice a person as you will find in the restaurant business. On one visit to the place, not many patrons were in Cafe Barada. The owner was waiting the tables, and he went out of his way to make sure we were satisfied with our dining experience. In an era when service is often lacking, Cafe Barada needs to be commended for showing the others how it is done.

Of course, great service doesn't count for much if the food isn't good, but Cafe Barada serves meals that are fresh, tasty, and very satisfying. The lentil soup is obviously homemade, and has exotic spices that give it an unusual flavor; the grape leaves are fresh and, unlike those of many other places, are not smothered with oil; the hommous is improbably smooth and has just enough lemon and olive oil; and the tasty grilled chicken salad can easily be a meal in itself.

Cafe Barada is situated in a part of North Cambridge that has every kind of restaurant imaginable, from Indian to Thai to Chinese to Greek. And all of these restaurants are good, particularly Greek Corner, which is up the street from Cafe Barada. The menus at Cafe Barada and Greek Corner overlap a bit, as they both feature Mediterranean food. But Cafe Barada is the restaurant to go to if you're hungry for great Middle Eastern food. It gives most Middle Eastern restaurants in the Boston area a run for their money.