Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Po Toi Island and Stanley Hong Kong
      Po Toi Island and Stanley Hong Kong
    • Wakaran Hong Kong
      Wakaran Wan Chai
    • Godenya Hong Kong
      Godenya Hong Kong (revisited)
    • The Chairman Hong Kong
      The Chairman Hong Kong (1 Michelin Star)
    • Hanu Wan Chai Hong Kong
      Hanu (Korean Beef) Wan Chai
    • Always Joy Hong Kong
      Always Joy Hong Kong
    • Michael Chiarelli Ottimo Yountville California
      Bottega + Ottimo Yountville
    • Ciccio Yountville California
      Ciccio Yountville
    • Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
      Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
    • Cole’s Chop House Napa California
      Cole's Chop House Napa California
    • Compline Restaurant Napa California
      Compline Restaurant + Wine Shop Napa
    • Napa, California
      Thomas Keller's La Calenda: A Tribute {Now Closed}
    Home » US Travel » Boston » Cambridge » Harvard Square

    Upstairs on the Square (Monday Club) {NOW CLOSED}

    Published: Jun 11, 2009 · Modified: Oct 29, 2014 by Jennifer Che

    This place has phenomenal food for reasonable prices, and Bryan and I are so bummed we did not come here and eat sooner.

    Unfortunately, I forgot my camera that day, so I have no pictures of food.

    Some background - this restaurant used to be called Upstairs at the Pudding (named because they were renting from Harvard's theater group the Hasty Pudding Club) until Harvard University forced them out of their location. They reopened in 2002 as a two-part restaurant. Upstairs on the Square, Soiree Club is for upscale dining, while the Monday Club downstairs is a bit more casual.

    We went to the Monday Club on . . heh heh . . Sunday.

    Bryan ordered a frisée salad with poached egg, bacon lardons, Great Hill Blue cheese & toasted croutons. Such a simple salad, but it was really good, and only $12. Bryan really liked it.

    I ordered a salad of warm farro & wild arugula, sweet tomato, shaved artichoke & ricotta salada. I absolutely loved my salad. The farro added a nice hearty texture to the salad, and the greens were really fresh, fragrant, and seemed as if they had been picked that morning.

    We were in the mood for Italian, so we were pleasantly surprised to find that this restaurant actually had several fresh homemade pasta dishes. We got two pasta dishes:

    Bryan ordered the hand rolled pappardelle with classic bolognese sauce, padano grana & parsley. Although a bit expensive at $22, it was a really good pasta dish. The sauce, a mixture of ground meat, celery, and carrots, was just hearty enough without feeling heavy at all. The pasta was just slightly softer than I would have liked, but other than that, it was great.

    I ordered the beet chitarra with crisp short rib & candied ginger ($20). The beet chitarra is actually a homemade pasta made out of beets. I had never seen anything like it before. It had great texture - chewy, al dente. The crisp short rib sort of reminded me of freshly made Chinese pork sung. Imagine strands of short rib meat baked to a crisp and scattered throughout the pasta. It was such an interesting dish, with unique flavors and textures. Really really good.

    We sat outside, which was really nice.

    Oh, and they have a fair number of good wines at pretty good prices. I think we paid around $35 or so for a bottle of pinot noir from Oregon and we really liked it.

    Excellent excellent restaurant. I can't wait to go back.

    Oh, and if that's not enough to get you to come, U2 chose to come here after their performance in Somerville back in March.

    Upstairs On the Square
    91 Winthrop St
    Cambridge,MA 02138
    (617) 864-1933
    Upstairs on the Square on Urbanspoon

    ©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
    All Rights Reserved

    More Cambridge

    • Jen's Top Restaurants to visit in Boston - 2023 Update
    • Farewell Bergamot
    • Urban Hearth Cambridge - Cafe by day, Supper Club by night
    • (Partial) Solar Eclipse Fun! Solar Eclipse 2017

    Recent Posts

    • Po Toi Island and Stanley Hong Kong June 17, 2025
    • Wakaran Wan Chai June 15, 2025
    • Godenya Hong Kong (revisited) June 12, 2025
    • The Chairman Hong Kong (1 Michelin Star) June 6, 2025
    • Hanu (Korean Beef) Wan Chai June 2, 2025
    • Always Joy Hong Kong May 29, 2025
    • Bottega + Ottimo Yountville May 14, 2025
    • Ciccio Yountville May 11, 2025
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • Ad Hoc Thomas Keller Brunch Yountville California
      Thomas Keller Ad Hoc + Addendum + Bouchon Bakery
    • Mandalay San Francisco
      Mandalay San Francisco (Burmese Food)
    • Boulettes Larder Ferry Building San Francisco
      Boulette Larder (Ferry Building) San Francisco
    • Bodega SF California (Vietnamese)
      Bodega SF (Modern Vietnamese)

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Support Tiny Urban Kitchen by making purchases on Amazon through our affiliate link:

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2024 Tiny Urban Kitchen