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Wisteria - CLOSED

3.5 star rating
based on 36 reviews

Category: Taiwanese  [Edit]

Neighborhood: East Cambridge
569 Cambridge St
Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 868-8166
Hours:

Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Attire:
Casual
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Price Range:
$$
Good for Groups:
No
Good for Kids:
Yes
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
Yes
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
No
Outdoor Seating:
No
Good for:
Dinner
Alcohol:
None

36 reviews for Wisteria

Review Highlights   

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"I came for the beef noodle soup and can't wait to come back." (in 4 reviews)
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"Wow, Newbury Street comes to East Cambridge." (in 4 reviews)
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"I went here with my brother to celebrate Chinese New Year." (in 16 reviews)
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Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites'
Photo of Bryan C.

 

3

39

Bryan C.

Malden, MA

3 star rating
8/12/2009

This location has closed as of 8/10/2009.

I guess I saw this coming. Overpriced menu, terrible location. Another Taiwanese restaurant bites the dust.

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Photo of Amanda S.

Elite '10

39

110

Amanda S.

New York, NY

3 star rating
6/10/2009

Seriously overpriced for what it is--an attempt to make Taiwanese street vendor food luxurious (ironic).  The portions are all weird, because what should be in a small bowl comes in large $15-20 portions.

Anyway, last I heard this location has closed, and all they have left is at Super88.

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Elite '10

70

265

Tracee D.

Boston, MA

4 star rating
6/28/2008

I admire any business that decides to do business in East Cambridge because I want to marry East Cambridge.

I am a boring Taiwanese food order-er. But my usually angry boyfriend orders the dietary staples and he approves. Which is a rarity. Order whatever you want, it will be good .  It's a cute little place. It's also great to order take out or delivery from. They have great juices too!

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Photo of Yumiko F.

 

58

77

Yumiko F.

Brighton, MA

4 star rating
9/3/2008

I love their food.
It is difficult for me to eat or order from other chinese food after I eat at this place.
Because they are good!
As people stated some were greasy, I just had that experience with Tow side Crispy Lo Mein. But It was so good at the same time ... sauce has all shrimp, chicken beef and lots vegetables in it!
Bubble tea for desert!  
Owner told me that they opened Japanese restaurant by Natick mall and She said she goes to fish market to pick fresh fish everyday herself as well! sashimi on sale until mid sep.. better check it out! http://www.aoisushi.com
oh yeah, they hired Japanese sushi chef at this place and owner herself decorated to make it feel like at home restaurant she said...

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Elite '10

191

287

Daniel M.

Cambridge, MA

2 star rating
6/27/2008

While this is certainly the the best Asian restaurant that's inhabited this space that's not saying much.  The other two were rank and on par with mall food.  

So.  Wisteria.  I want to like this place more but there's something...off...about it.  The flavors don't quite match the presentation.  Once you wade through the menu and order you're often presented with a beautiful dish and a mouth full of meh.  I am a huge noodle fan and their lo mein tastes an awful lot like salted noodles soaked in soy sauce.  Gross.  The vegetables, though crisp and fresh looking have somehow had all the flavor ripped out of them.  How does that happen?

The seafood soup was a hellish nightmare of heads and limbs that I just couldn't handle.  The flavor was not worth the horror of seeing my soup stare back at me.  
On a happier note thinking of this is helping to end my days as a pescatarian so I suppose all is not lost.

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Elite '10

97

518

Julia F.

Cambridge, MA

4 star rating
9/20/2008

Spicy Sa Cha Stir Fried Noodles with chicken? Deelish! Not too spicy, because of the sweetness of the noodles. The chicken was in nice little pieces that weren't tarnished by icky fatty bits. I was almost in take-away-heaven.

Spring rolls were just what they aught to be, no need for any silly sauces. Crunchy, fresh, no need to tamper with the taste.

Price? Oh so right. Cheap as hell for scrumptious supper. Much less than I usually pay to be full of satisfyingly good foods. 13 bucks for two people to have a crazy good dinner? So very worth it.

Serving size? Enough for two. Easy. It isn't the type of food that leaves you starving for seconds after you've digested either.

Service? Really, really nice people at the counter. Not a long wait for take-away, but I was made welcome to sit for the few minutes it would take, or I could come back. I chose to sit, and tried desperately not to people-watch, because the dining area is dreadfully small.

I look forward to coming here again, the décor is bemusing - but welcoming enough to try to figure out over a meal, so much wood paneling - so little time! I desperately want to try the soup and the teas or juices they have too!

You yelpers have done it again! Led me to a place that I've been keen on trying with your reviews.

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0

5

Steve J.

Cambridge, MA

1 star rating
1/6/2009

The food at this place is like your grandpa's bum -- old, smelly, and tastes like crap.

Let's face it: Unlike say San Francisco or New York, Boston has not been blessed by the food gods with particularly good Chinese.  Still, I really wanted to like Wisteria because it's so close to my house.  Unfortunately, amidst the many mediocre to decent Chinese restaurants in the city, this one stands out as being a cut below.

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Elite '10

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206

Sarah G.

Somerville, MA

1 star rating
7/15/2008

Yuck yuck yuck, and madd expensive to boot ($10.50 is standard price for meat entree, $9.50 for a pile of watercress).  I second Daniel M's review - looked good but was almost inedible.  I called to check if the hot & sour soup was vegetarian and I was assured it was.  I asked if the broth was vegetarian and they confirmed it was.  It arrived, looked great and full of bean curd and veggies.  Once I opened it though, you could smell it down the block.  I have no idea what the smell was, strong MSG mixed with....I have no idea, I just hope it's not stuck to the curtains.  I'm not even dumping this in the yard for the skunk.  I picked some pieces of tofu out and found a fun little meat surprise underneath.  Cute!  Thanks for the huge chunk of pork in my absolutely, positively vegetarian soup, Wisteria!  

Aside from the veggie lie, the chicken with scallions that my husband had suffered from the same "looks good but tastes nasty" ailment that seems to haunt this menu.  Dumplings the same - outside dough was fine, insides should not be experimented with.  

Delivery was quick though, which is not a good thing in this case.

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0

7

Black C.

Cambridge, MA

4 star rating
8/18/2008

I was hungry for some Taiwanese lunch box - the kind I used to have when I spent a year in Taiwan. After a long walk under an oppressive sun, I was telling myself that this was it, I wouldn't walk this far again for any lunch no matter what. But minutes later, as I was shoveling down the rice and pork down my throat, all was forgiven. It's that good.

I lived in SF for many years, and never found a place for a good Taiwanese lunch box (or rice box, as it says on the menu). Granted, I am basing this review on one menu item, which I have ordered repeatedly. But I wanted to register my opinion nevertheless, as my stomach demanded it from me today.

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Elite '10

366

783

Tom E.

London SW7

UK

4 star rating
2/29/2008

I've been on the Beef Noodle Soup trip recently. Partly just to offset the massive amount of Pho I've been having but also to help my Taiwanese co-worker decide where the best Beef Noodle Soup is in this town of ours.

Why?
Beef Noodle Soup is to Taiwan what the Burger is to the USA - it's the dish.

So my friends, let's try Wisteria's offering - after all they are a Taiwanese restaurant, and their new branch is not too far from my house. And it's cold, and Lost is on TV. Take-out time!!!

Although the menu at Wisteria is long with some awesome sounding offerings (stir-fry spicy intestine anyone?), I just rang up and barked "two Beef Noodle Soup" at the lady. 15 mins and 18 dollars later I'm at home pouring out the big fat noodles, the dark soup, veg and chucks of beef. 30 mins later I'm a big fat ball of satisfiednessnessness.

A wonderful noodle soup. On par with Shanghai Gate and Mary Chung's offerings and my Taiwanese co-worker says it's better. I hope to get a chance to dine in and sample much more of the menu soon.

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276

Hana T.

Boston, MA

2 star rating
2/23/2008 1 photo

Wrong Wrong Wrong!

Wrong #1:  We came in, and restaurant was not busy.  They forgot to bring the menu even after waiting awhile.  But it's ok, just a minor thing.

Wrong #2:  I inquired about having tofu in the chow foon noodles.  The waitress confirmed and seemed to jot it down... But alas, no tofu in my oodles.  Having no flavor and being too greasy, I could barely eat 1/4 of my dish.  And I'm not one that likes to waste food either.

Wrong #3:  My mediocre green tea milk boba drink- WARM on the bottom, cold on the top (ice), with somewhat stale tasting bobas is just wrong!

Wrong #4:  Long confusing menu.  Beef under beef, pork under pork, lamb under lamb.  Why do you have to stick pork with veggies under veggies?  It'd be so much easier to have a vegetarian section under veggies.  (O_Ox)

Lack of flavor + High prices + Friendly, but miscommunicated staff-kitchen = An unlikely visit from Hana again.  Sorry.

Yes, don't take me here or I'll bite you.  ^-^

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333

Cara P.

Cambridge, MA

3 star rating
1/6/2008

Not impressed. This place was the fifth restaurant to open in this location....particularly of the Chinese and Taiwan fare.

I am PISSED. One block away. One eansy teansy block away from my lazy ass. Perfect scenario...right?

Nope..this place...well .....it is ho hum....borderline sucks.

It is great if you want some quick appetizers or rice and noodle  dishes to bring home and smother with "duck sauce"...than cool.

What they are lacking is flavor!

We spent $30 for this conclusion: The scallion pancakes tasted like dough, the wonton soup with noodles tasted like plain pasta, the sesame chicken tasted too fatty and the chicken wings looked like they didn't even de-feather the wing!

Good sides: At least there is a restaurant with some  life at this location and they give you plenty of sauce and napkins, utensils and fortune cookies.

Ooohhhhh BTW..... the front door has huge plastic clear pieces hanging like a car wash ... I basically couldn't walk in or out with out getting tangled (it wasn't only me....there were others walking out as we waited for our food that were cursing every word in the book by the time they could make their way through)..... Plus, the second step to the entrance is hidden so I tripped over it and my face smack dab hit the center of the door.

I guess if you have them deliver (for safety's sake) and whip out the salt and pepper (for taste's sake) ....it may be worth it?

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163

381

Shaina G.

Cambridge, MA

4 star rating
3/9/2008

UPDATED 4/9/08:  
Mmmm!  I had another tasty bowl of soup here (how can I resist $9 for a huge meal even though there are plenty of other amazing food offerings).  This time, I ordered just beef tendon.  I think I like fat...  Anyway, I brought two other friends with me and both loved the atmosphere, prices, and the choices for food.  While one of my friends was hesitant to order the Sesame Chicken, she did anyway, and was not impressed with the chicken quality, but the sauce and side brocolli were delectable!  

By the way, hot tea is $1 for a huge pot.   And the number in parentheses next to the appetizer represents the number of pieces in the large sized portion.

OLD
Tom's right.  This place does beef noodle soup right.  Beef slices and tendon in a rich tangy spicy broth with loads of veggies and fat egg noodles.  How can you go wrong?  Perfect for easing the hangover if you need salt, liquid, and fat.

ATMOSPHERE
Honestly though, I was floored when I walked in the place.  There are only a few tables and none to accommodate more than 4 people (maybe you could squeeze in 6)  but the set-up is charming as heck!  The service was super prompt and friendly and the menu seemed endless.  

FOOD
I came for the beef noodle soup and can't wait to come back.  They have fish, shellfish, chicken, beef, pork, and lamb dishes.  The prices are decent and the amount of soup they provide is enough to feed me for two meals (although it was so good, I didn't have enough left to bring home), so I'm guessing the other stuff looks good too.

Try it.  

Side note:  Delivery fees are $2.50.

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90

Rebecca S.

Cambridge, MA

4 star rating
12/21/2007

Four points for quite good Taiwanese food, the extra star is for opening in East Cambridge!

Their menu goes beyond the usual Americanized Chinese fare you tend to see, and everything I've had so far has been well prepared and tasty.

I'm so glad there's a Chinese (ok, Taiwanese) place in the neighborhood worth going to!

Edit:  several weeks later, having been a few more times to Wisteria, I have to say that while some of the entrees are quite good, the menu is not uniformly so.   They're a bit hit or miss... not saying I won't ever go again, but I'm not so excited about them at this point.

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240

Huan z.

Somerville, MA

4 star rating
2/4/2008

Have to say the food is pretty tasty.  

- We had tofu spin, very tasty but little bit greasy.
- Sliced pork with garlic sauce. The chef has good knife skill, since the slice are very thin.
- Spicy chicken with triple delight with basil. well cooked but the chicken chuck is too big, the taste didn't get in.

I am glad another good restaurant opened near my neighborhood. Not the best, but pretty good. This Chinese restaurant had a different Chinese name when they opened in Boston. They also have a branch in 88 super market food court. The allston branch only sells noodle soup, rice plate and Dian Sun.

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2

10

J T.

Cambridge, MA

5 star rating
8/23/2008

Taiwan food a few blocks away from my house? Yes please! I have ordered take out and have also had a sit down dinner there and I have been pleasantly surprised. If you know what dishes to order, you'll be very satisfied. I agree with other yelpers that certain dishes are a little too greasy (scallion pancake and porkchop rice), but most of the dishes I've had were delicious! They offer a lot of Americanized foods, but for true Asian tastes, they have a wide variety.  The place has an intimate feel to it and the waitresses were very attentive. For Taiwanese food, I definitely give it a thumbs up with the authenticity.

Bonus: I left my credit card there by accident and I wasn't even 2 blocks away when they called me and let me know.

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John L.

Chapel Hill, NC

4 star rating
10/25/2008

This review is from a catering-related perspective.

I ordered a good deal of food from them (standard fare: Orange Chicken, beef w/broccoli, vegetarian delight, and a partial pu pu-type thing).  It was a little expensive considering other possible options, particularly the pu-pu thing, though in retrospect I could have ordered a little bit less food and been in good shape.

It was quite good:  about the same as one would get from standard places, and the catering arrived on time (I did have to go down to help the guy out, but considering the mess my building is in, I will give a pass.

There are cheaper options for small catering gatherings, but when it comes to Chinese/Taiwanese, Wisteria does a good job and provides a good amount of good food.

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334

953

Kiwi H.

London

UK

5 star rating
2/20/2008

I really miss having Wisteria in my 'hood, where it used to be on Newbury Street in the Back Bay. But still, I loved it so much and still try to make it out to this location when I can.

Although they are pretty small and therefore tight on space, I still managed to book a table for 12 shortly after Chinese New Year for a dinner celebration here. They were a little anxious since our group was large, and called me like a million times the day-of and hour before (and 15 mins before!) to confirm we were still coming, which was a little cray-cray but I undertand their fear of big groups + small place and limited seating.

The place is cute, clean warm and welcoming, and I like that they've gone for the more Aboriginal Taiwanese look rather than the typical Chinese restaurant decor. Four out of the six tables were East Asian people, and the other two (one of which was our huge table) had at least one East Asian person on their table - good sign!

We were relieved to find that the food had not changed - it is still the same great stuff they've always had. As delicious as ever, as many excellent choices as ever, as many delightful plates as always. Just be warned, if you want a whole fish, steamed or fried, it depends on what they have that day in the kitchen. So you'll have to take what they've got, or call ahead to make sure they have exactly what you want before you go.

The people are just as friendly as always, we ordered all our favourite hits and ate wonderfully, as usual. And our recent huge feast only came down to about $22 per person, tip included - pretty great, huh? Another nice factor to add into the snoozy food coma that followed.

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Susan N.

Kansas City, MO

3 star rating
3/9/2008

I'm pretty torn as how to rate this place.  I came in for take-out and they were pretty fast with it.  Looking around, the decor was absolutely beautiful.  I love the whole wood look so it really appealed to me.  But I wasn't sitting in the restaurant so I don't get to really count that as experience.

Upon arriving home, I dug into my meal.  Hot and sour soup with a crispy basil chicken main dish.  I LOVED the hot and sour soup.  I've only recently started eating that stuff since they don't put pork in it in the Boston area so I don't have much to compare it to.  I do know that it tasted quite different than what it's supposed to taste like as far as I know.  Less sour and more veggie goodness.  It was absolutely fantastic.  A very good flavor with lots of gunk in it to eat.  I love that stuff.  The chicken dish, though, was just ok.  I liked the flavor of the bok choy and spinach but not so much the chicken, since it was fatty and had a blandish flavor.

Maybe 3.5 stars?

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Meredith K.

Somerville, MA

3 star rating
7/16/2008

We order takeout here through foodler (man I love foodler) occasionally - and bf likes this place the best out of the other Chinese food takeout places we've tried.

We ordered again Monday night and the food always gets delivered hot (I hate when you get the shit lukewarm or cold) and tastes pretty good.

However, compared with other takeout Chinese it's kind of pricey, and the serving sizes are smaller. For example the sesame chicken is quite tasty, but the portion size is about half of what you get from Yummy Hut, same for the Pu-pu platter for one. I suppose that is probably a good thing in the long run seeing that we ate less.

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Chris P.

Somerville, MA

5 star rating
1/9/2008

There was dancing in the streets - finally, really *good* non thai Asian in the Kendall Square / East Cambridge area!

I had heard about them for a while in their old location, but a friend and I had lunch there today and it was down right excellent.  I had the sauteed pork with scallions rice plate, and my friend got the spicy crispy chicken.  Both dishes were superb.

To top it off they have a really nice selection of juice drinks and smoothies - the "Purple Tour of Passion" is a hoot (and tasty too :)

Can't wait to go back.

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7

28

Michael C.

Cambridge, MA

2 star rating
3/7/2008

There are two types of good Chinese food.  There is the kind that nicely combines fresh ingredients and light sauces for some truly amazing flavors.  Then there is the other kind that is so greasy and sauced you can't tell the chicken from the pork or the carrots from the broccoli, but is still amazing because you also just polished off a bottle of rum.

Wisteria is neither of these.

The decor, prices, and even food execution all speak of something that is a little more upscale than the average Chinese food place in Cambridge. But, Wisteria really has a problem with flavors. Our chicken dish had no flavor at all, while our beef dish had the distinct flavor of those packets of apple cider powder.

I really wish Wisteria put out some good food as its a comfortable little neighborhood place. I'm even willing to say that maybe they just had a bad day as the ingredients were fresh and the preparation was good.  But, until I get back for another try, I'd vastly prefer some greasy general gao's and a bottle of Appleton.

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18

464

Countess A.

Boston, MA

2 star rating
4/8/2008

Ehhhhh... I heard of this place and expected so many things.  It was.. decent but nothing amazing.

I also think that they have a huge problem with.. naming and recommending their dishes.  Let me elaborate.  Watercress is actually tong choy.  Beef is actually pork.  And we asked what was good.. they said the sizzling seafood platter.  I would give it a HUGE thumbs down.  It was one shrimp and one scallop with vegetables on a hot plate.  Not inventive or seafood-like at all.

Not huge portions either which is too bad.. but I guess figure friendly.  

I would say they are more of a place that is targeted towards non-Asians.  It's too bad.. I had heard such good things.  

Oh.. and parking isn't so great around here either.

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87

Chris W.

New York, NY

5 star rating
6/16/2008

Wisteria is my goto place in Boston for Taiwanese food, or even Chinese food in general ... and I'm not Taiwanese.

Wisteria may have a pretty confusing menu, and lots of misunderstandings with the staff (if you don't speak Mandarin), but the greatness of Wisteria boils down to the simple fact that they have good ingredients, and they cook them well. I've never had any of their Americanized dishes (they've even stopped us from ordering them before because we were Asian), but all their authentic dishes are well made and very tasty.

For example, for lunch, I love to get the simple beef with scallions rice box. It's just white rice with stir fried beef and scallion on top of it, so it's very simple, yet very delicious.

I also love the fried tofu appetizer. It's a little spicy, so be warned. The fried fish dishes with either the tofu or hot bean sauces are really good too.

All the boba tea drinks may take hella time and also be slightly warm at first, because everything's made fresh, on the spot, from real tea.

Wisteria is great ... especially for Boston, where good, authentic mid-level Asian restaurants are hard to come by.

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11

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Kathy K.

Cambridge, MA

4 star rating
12/17/2007

Finally, a new Asian restaurant just a few blocks from my house, yet still delivers on these cold days AND looks promising as a dine-in option. Wisteria took over the spot two failed, deteriorating Chinese restaurants vacated within the last year.  They had their Grand Opening a few days ago and at least from the outside it's appealing, refreshed and offers what seems to be many, many great dine-in, take-out and delivery options.

They also have a place in Alston and just closed a Newbury location. My advice to the managers - lose the $2.50 delivery charge, populate the neighborhood and MIT with menus, and give me great food at a good price and I will put your number in my cell phone.

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Jenny L.

Marina del Rey, CA

4 star rating
2/8/2008

I went here with my brother to celebrate Chinese New Year. We ordered the beef noodle soup, pork and bamboo shoots, clams with basil, minced shrimp in lettuce cups, and watercress. (Yes, all that for the two of us.) The beef noodle soup was perfect and will keep me going back for more. The pork and bamboo was spicy so be prepared or ask them to tone it down. Clams were a little bit salty and minced shrimp should never have pine nuts in it. And the watercress made us feel like we were back in our mother's kitchen 3,000 miles away.

The meal was expensive (but we did order a lot) and turned out to be about $30 per person. That being said, I took about 1/3 of the food home so it was really more than enough for the both of us. The food was authentic and satisfied my need for some home cooking.

I only complaints are the funny looking and slightly uncomfortable chairs, lack of seating for big groups, and the $2.50 delivery charge when you are too lazy to pick it up yourself. But overall, I am very grateful to have this place open less than a mile from my house for all those nights I crave a bowl of noodle soup.

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Amie F.

Arlington, MA

1 star rating
2/20/2009

I really really wanted to like the food... Got delivery one night and couldn't finish it. The sesame chicken was fine (even though it was a little tough).. but the curry we got was unrecognizable. There were bones in the meat, which I'm pretty sure wasn't the intent. I might try again, as friends seem to like it - but our food was NOT up to par.

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Hannah L.

New York, NY

4 star rating
2/26/2009

i really like wisteria. the decor is cute, and the food is really good. the people who work there are really nice!

i don't like wisteria haters. it's authentic and for $7.00, you can get a big yummy dinner. where else can you do that??

i won't order scary things like fried pork intestine or pig ear though...

all the normal stuff is really yummy..and very easy on your wallet!!

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Julia L.

Cambridge, MA

1 star rating
10/26/2008

Awful and unethical. I will be shocked if they are in business in a year. I ordered delivery from here through Foodler for myself and 3 friends. it seemed a bit pricey but I hoped the quality would make up for it.

Chinese food can either be greasy and salty pu-pu platter good or it can be light flavorful combinations with fresh ingredients. This meal wasn't either. The food was greasy, mushy, and flavorless. The shrimp had not been deveined. The chicken was stringy and gristley. Gross! Even the scallion pancake and crab rangoon were bland. The portions were small which actually was fine since none of us wanted to eat what we had. We threw it away and ended up going to Koreana.

Lastly, Wisteria forgot part of our order and when I called to get a credit card refund they insisted they couldn't do that but said next time I placed an order I could get the missing items. I told them it was unlikely that I would order from there again and I wanted a refund. The woman on the phone kept me on hold forever and then said she would call me back. I still haven't heard back or gotten a refund.

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5

81

Linda S.

Cambridge, MA

3 star rating
10/7/2008

I stopped in here on a Thursday afternoon shortly after they opened.  The atmosphere is amazing - they have put a lot of detail into re-creating the rustic look.  Some people may be put off by the bamboo and twig structure/partition separating the dining area from the kitchen or all of the knotty pine -- I liked it.  I ordered the chicken in black bean sauce with white steamed rice with crab Rangoon luncheon special as takeout.  They get an extra star for making my order with white meat chicken breast when I asked if the chicken was white meat or that snarly dark meat.  The wait staff was very nice and pleasant.  I'll definitely come back.

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8

57

Maryn H.

Cambridge, MA

3 star rating
9/26/2008

I love the ambience of this place! There is video-game like Taiwanese music in the background that makes you feel good. You should order multiple dishes and share with your friends. We were quite full after all of our food. It was good. The waitstaff was very friendly too and refilled our water glasses almost instantly. No pretention here; you'll feel comfortable no matter what. Never ordered take-out here, but I'm sure it'd be good.

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Photo of Shirley Y.

Elite '10

18

78

Shirley Y.

Cambridge, MA

4 star rating
4/14/2008

i have been wanting to try this place since i found out that wisteria house had moved from newbury street to my neighborhood.  strange location for a taiwanese restaurant to open up, but it benefited me greatly, despite my neighbor's warnings that their take out was not up to standards.  

a couple friends of mine and i ventured into this cute little restaurant with very funky, old-school nautical decor.  it was filled with only chinese people [some from hong kong, since i understood the cantonese being spoken].  this was not the place where you would get americanized chinese food, as my friend giggled and pointed to the orange chicken on the menu.  

the service was very good.  however, the food was outstanding.  we ordered hot and sour soup, and it was not your standard hot and sour soup, mind you.  it is runnier, and actually has pork blood, which is one of the ingredients in traditional hot and sour soup.  i must have bit into 3 chili peppers.  we also ordered the lion's head dish, which actually came as five little meatballs with a heavy sweet sauce, instead of the standard one large meatball.  the sauce was a little much for me -- i like it to be simply steamed.  the young chow fried rice was outstanding.  they added little chinese sausages in there along with whole shrimp, green beans, string beans, edamame and other goodies.  

it is great that such decent chinese is in the neighborhood of east cambridge.  i would definitely come back here again, and drag my neighbor with me.

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227

Mags L.

Cambridge, MA

4 star rating
3/12/2008

update:  my favorite neighborhood noodle place ever!  not only do they do a damn fine spicy beef noodle soup, but they know how to pan-fry some mein.  egg noodles.  yes!  i don't have to go into chinatown if i don't want to.  and bubble tea.  green tea & boba!  strawberry smoothie.  2 mins walking distance from my house.  can't be beat.  won't be beat.

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spiciness, beefiness, noodly-ness.  tom & shaina = reviews i can trust.

the beef noodle soup was reminiscent of my beloved bun bo hue.  it was spicy, had beef in it.  all the makings of a A1 100% Super Fantastic soup.    what pleased me most about it was the bok choy - such a cute and tasty veggie.  my only minor complaints were that it was a bit greasy and slightly underseasoned (here is where some fish sauce would have been nice).  

we all split some fried tofu and chinese watercress.  both were yummy.  the waitresses were friendly, if not always on point, but i'm not usually one to be irked by these things.  A for effort.  the dining area is small, so probably not conducive to huge groups of eaters, but there were only 3 of us and our table suited us rather nicely.

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9

Charlie S.

Cambridge, MA

4 star rating
8/6/2008

Wow, Newbury Street comes to East Cambridge !

When this place first opened up I could not believe the changes to the decor.  What an amazing job compared to what use to be there.  

Finally there is a quality Chinese place in East Cambridge that is geared towards working professional people who want something better than the average low life crack addict munchie place most other area businesses seem to want to cater to.

I have been there many times and every time I go there 80% of the customers are Asian so that should tell you if the place is any good.  

I usually get the appetisers and a dish like sizzling beef or pork chop and a seafood combo or a house Lo mein.  

The BBQ spare ribs are right up there as one of the best I have had.  The chicken wings were enormous when they first opened up but have since went on a little diet.  The fried shrimp are a little different and look sort of like long straight coconut chicken fingers but are good.  The spring rolls are huge.

I haven't had take-out but I have heard of occasional problems.  I would give them a chance to get adjusted to the new area.  Anytime you can put East Cambridge and Newbury Street in the same sentence it's a good thing.

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75

David X.

Somerville, MA

2 star rating
7/13/2008

Ordered takeout from here.  All the food came with high quality ingredients, which frankly is a rarity amongst a large contingent of takeout restaurants.

The egg rolls though were extremely greasy and tasted funny.  I took the eggroll apart to try to find the strange taste. It wasnt in the filling.  It seemed to come from the oil it was deep-fried in, or else something else in the eggroll skin.  I can't imagine they would use a special oil just for eggrolls though and crab rangoon didnt have the flavor.  It was greasy and bad enough that we couldnt eat them.

The shrimp/scallop dish came with a generous portion of huge shrimp and huge scallops.  It LOOKED delicious.  But the shrimp hadnt been deveined, or deveined properly.  That's a sign of food prep sloppiness that is unforgiveable.  The food itself tasted decent enough I guess.  But all the dishes we ordered were 'spicy' according to the menu but had zero spiciness to them, and little flavor beyond that.  Indeed everything was seriously underseasoned.

While I would love to add it to my list of regulars, the bland food and undeveined shrimp and terrible eggrolls pushes it, sadly, into the 'no' column.

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3

5

Julie Y.

Cambridge, MA

3 star rating
Updated - 4/14/2009

looks like Wisteria is closed for business - lights are out and phone is disconnected.  for those looking for taiwanese in the area, Mulan on Broadway near One Kendall Sq is a yummy choice, but they have a $20 minimum on delivery.

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1 Previous Review: Show all »

  • 5 star rating
    1/2/2008

    The same great food and decor as the old Newbury spot.  I went the week they opened and service was… Read more »

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