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Fresco's Cafe & Grille

3.5 star rating
based on 12 reviews

Category: Restaurants  [Edit]

Neighborhood: Kendall Square/MIT
134 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 491-8866
Price Range:
$
Accepts Credit Cards:
No
Parking:
Street
Attire:
Casual
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
Yes
Takes Reservations:
No
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
No
Wheelchair Accessible:
No
Outdoor Seating:
No
Good for:
Breakfast, Lunch
Alcohol:
None

12 reviews for Fresco's Cafe & Grille

Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites'
Photo of Sean S.

Elite '10

42

147

Sean S.

Chandler, AZ

4 star rating
11/11/2009

Scale of 1-10 (multiple visits):
8 Food
10 Service
7 Atmosphere
8 Value

Breakfasts here are great.  Lunches are above average.

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Photo of Dale S.

Elite '10

30

142

Dale S.

Everett, MA

4 star rating
11/8/2009

Great little spot for a quick lunch.  The lines are usually a little long during peak hours, but it moves quickly.  Everything is made fresh and to order; you won't get cold, stale fries here.  The prices are a lot lower here than at the student center.  Ex: My burger cost $2.50 here and $6.00 there.  No contest.

The only downside and reason for the 4 and not 5 stars, cash only.  I understand it's a small mom and pop and they're trying to save on overhead, but I almost never have cash on me and live off my check card.  It's a small bummer, but I'll get over it.

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Photo of Michael P.

Elite '10

157

168

Michael P.

Cambridge, MA

3 star rating
11/3/2009

A lil cafe nestled in the corner of a giant red brick warehouse with no businesses nearby?  Weird location indeed, but it's so convenient for MIT students to grab a quick bite during the day.

Chicken Kebab in Pita ($4.83): Served hot in a warm pita, with plenty of juicy pieces of chicken, fresh sweet chunks of tomatoes and chopped red onion.  The dressing sauce was minimal, if nonexistent, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good!  The juice from the chicken and tomatoes was enough to keep the pita to consistency of my liking.  It's a very simple dish, so don't expect too much from it.

Delightfully light lunch, but I wished portion size was bigger since it did cost $5.  I will be back to try out perhaps their subs!

ALSO, props for them offering hand sanitizer next to the water dispenser!!

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Photo of Ryan K.

 

16

34

Ryan K.

Boston, MA

5 star rating
7/13/2009

5 stars given for:
-diversity of menu (breakfast + lunch/dinner items)
-price. I don't understand why this place isn't more crowded. For $2.50 I can get a burger that will cost me $6 at the MIT student center (but that's a story for another day). Fresco's is actually closer to my classes and offers a quiet sit-down table area.

I have friends who, during the school year, eat here 4x/week. They probably spend half as much as an average MIT student on food, and eat better, too. If I were better at attending class every day, I'd eat here much more frequently. There's enough on the menu that it never gets old.

A lot of MIT faculty and staff eat here, too, so it's not uncommon to walk in and run into the TA you promised an assignment to last week...

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Photo of Stephen Y.

 

3

22

Stephen Y.

Cambridge, MA

4 star rating
8/17/2009

A really stand up place for a solid lunch.

There's something intangible about the reuben they make here that makes it my favorite one I've tried.

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Photo of Ryan L.

 

13

126

Ryan L.

Boston, MA

3 star rating
9/3/2009

Another place I frequent due to it's proximity from work.  It's a typical sub shop and cafe, nothing too fancy.  I usually come for a quick steak sub and they usually don't disappoint.  It's not phenomenal by any means but it does the trick when I'm in a rush.  Prices are relatively cheap as well.

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Photo of Daniel J.

 

3

21

Daniel J.

Somerville, MA

4 star rating
1/23/2009

Eh, they are a simple restaurant but they do it pretty well. I got a veggie burger and onion rings. The counter staff was very friendly.  I don't really lke "GardenBurger" brand veggie burgers, which is what they sell here. But it was an adequate experience.

If anybody from the restaurant reads this, please consider switching to another brand of veggie burger.  Morningstar, wildwood, boca burger, almost anything is better than GardenBurger.

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Photo of Hans R.

 

0

39

Hans R.

Wakefield, MA

3 star rating
9/11/2009

This place is very MIT convenient but not a 5 star place. You have to know what to order.  It is a mom and pop sandwich shop that opens from about 7-4.  The breakfast sandwiches and specials  are very reasonable and like home cooking.  The fish and chips, kabobs lunch special and the Italian sub is solid.  They also have a chef salad with pita and salad dressing that is a good deal.  The chicken salad or burger sounds safe but low quality.  There are specials written on the board to the right of the cashier. Free water in a big dispenser for the truly cheap.  No parking to speak of.

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Photo of Maura H.

 

4

60

Maura H.

MA

2 star rating
5/10/2007

I would not recommend getting bagels from this place. My husband and both ordered bagels on morning and watched as the "chef" pulled out the bagel, sliced it in half and proceeded to squash the bagel between his bare hands until it was flat enough to fit in the toaster.

The place is a working class restaurant, which is refreshing in the midst of Cambridge, but please just buy a bigger toaster!

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Photo of K D.

 

0

31

K D.

West Newton, MA

4 star rating
3/26/2007

Yummy chicken kabob salads with delicious Greek dressing.  I usually take my food to go, but there are some tables. It is easy to walk to, but parking is terrible. Great if you work in the area - - friendly family run business!

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Photo of Richard F.

 

34

157

Richard F.

Malden, MA

3 star rating
6/20/2007

nothing more than your average breakfast/lunch/sub shop

it's cheap - pretty much $5 or $6 for a sub

menu is decent

guys aren't very friendly unless you're a regular or something...

i'd like different bread, but hey, for $5, it's better than quiznos and all that other crap around here...

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Photo of Melissa L.

 

1

15

Melissa L.

Cambridge, MA

5 star rating
5/28/2008

Really good, but you have to know what to get.  The tuna melt is super good, and so are the mushroom burgers (so many mushrooms!)  It's a small place, but the food is great, and it's a cheap, quick lunch spot.

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