Welcome Back, Harvard!

It’s that time of the year again. College students are about to return to the Hub in full force and though they can drive full-time Bostonians a little nuts, they make the city more energetic, so let’s welcome them, shall we? Over the past week, we’ve offered a series of posts for local colleges, highlighting our top picks for delivery, study break spots, hangover food, and dining on a parent’s dime. Last up is Harvard, where first-year orientation starts this weekend.

We’ve long thought that if you didn’t grow up in the Boston area, going to Harvard would be a pretty sweet deal. Not only is it, you know, Harvard, but it’s really quite ideally situated in terms of location. The houses are mostly quite lovely and on a proper campus, but step outside the campus and you have Harvard Square with all its shopping, eating, and drinking. Furthermore, you’re not too terribly far from any school in Boston, enabling plenty of socializing. All in all, it doesn’t seem like a bad place at which to spend four years. Harvard Square is filled with excellent eats. Below, four of our favorites.

Delivery: Trust us. By midterms, you’ll be heartily sick of each and every item Harvard Dining Services has to offer. Just because you can’t stomach one more bagel, however, doesn’t mean that you need to starve while you study. Call Trattoria II Panino Express and order in some hot and tasty sustenance. We’d recommend the linguine with calamari. It’s rather good brain food.

Study Break Snacks: When your computer completely and totally freaks out on you and crashes jusssst before you saved your final paper for your government class, desperate measures of comforting are necessary. Take some deep, calming breaths and mosey on down to Cardullo’s for a gourmet feast. We’d recommend picking up a Mozart Piano Bar and the Donald sandwich: duck confit with fig spread and gruyere. Head back to the dorm and feast on your bounty. You’ll be ready to restart your paper in no time.

Hangover Food: So, in addition to drinking far too much last night, you also spent far too much money. Now it’s the morning after and your tummy and your wallet are having an argument over who is angrier. Calm both down by making a beeline to Flat Patties. A bacon cheeseburger will set you back less than four bucks and make you feel infinitely better.

On Your Parents’ Dime: Harvard Square is a bustling place, which is lovely, but sometimes, you just want to sit down for a very quiet dinner with the parents. Rialto is peaceful as a church and the food is worthy of some serious worship. Get the steak. You won’t regret it.

Harvard University [Official Site]
Trattoria II Panino Express [MenuPages]
Cardullo’s [Official Site]
Flat Patties [MenuPages]
Rialto [Official Site]

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Welcome Back, Harvard!