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Fresco's Cafe & Grille
Rating Details »
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Kendall Square/MIT134 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
13 reviews for Fresco's Cafe & Grille
Scale of 1-10 (multiple visits):
8 Food
10 Service
7 Atmosphere
8 Value
Breakfasts here are great. Lunches are above average.
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.
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!!
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...
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.
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.
I know what you are thinking... Why did I just give such a simple place five stars!? Fresco's is a small cafe & grille that is at the head of its class/genre. As long as you recognize the place for what it is and judge it in its respective category, it will be hard to disagree. One example is that everyday it closes at 4pm. With that said, it is a throwback cafe where my favorite selections include a "that's all I need to start my day" delicious "on the go" bacon, egg, and cheese English muffin sandwich for breakfast and a "today I'll eat at my desk" perfect turkey and cheese sub for lunch. The service is great as the staff are more than just a pair of hands ready to take your money. They genuinely care about their customers new and old.
This place is an easy 4 stars for its product and service alone, but they get an extra star for the for the intangible element of being personable. They actually speak to you before your food is made, while it is being made, and after it is made. A business where the staff actually cares about the whole customer and not just what is in your pockets. A long lost art that you find immortalized in old movies. If you find yourself returning to Fresco's, I promise you that it won't be long before everybody on staff knows your name (and vice versa). Hmmm, a place in Boston where everybody knows your name...
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.
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.
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!
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!
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...
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.
