Outdoor cafe or casual dining?

[margareteats]

Hey - So I'm pretty new here and a friend (also new, from California) and I were wondering if there are places in Boston/Cambridge where you could sit outdoors, have coffee or a bite and watch the world go by. Like in Greenwich Village. I'm thinking more sidewalk than patio.

Thanks, everyone.

[Snoop37]

For a great tapas place with outdoor seating (only in the summer) I would recommend Taberna de Haro in Brookline.

[aquariumtown]

when it warms up, two classic spots in Cambridge are:
Cafe Pamplona
and
Grafton Street
both within a half block of each other.

Also in Cambridge, Central Kitchen has sidewalk dining though you are right in the middle of Central Square madness, so you take your chances... More of a dinner.

A couple of coffee places: 1369 on Mass Ave is both a bohemian/graduate student hangout and also an inspiring testimony to the fact that the forced institutionalization of the mentally ill in the 1960s and early 1970s was really unnecessary as long as there are places in the community where you can get a coffee, set down a sketch pad, and write in little cramped letters to document your delusions.. Likewise Au Bon Pain which is a chain but has the best Harvard Square real estate, street chess players, and also ample testimony to the capability of public spaces to accommodate both the mentally ill and the mental giants of the college across the street, and of course, the many Cantabridgians who are mentally ill mental giants.

As above you've got to wait until May, but when it comes, it is glorious and sweet.

[hiddenboston]

Welcome! There are some good options for outdoor dining scattered all over Boston and Cambridge. A few restaurants that come to mind are Orinoco (Venezuelan) in the South End, Casa Romero in the Back Bay (though you can't people-watch there, as it is an enclosed patio), Il Panino (Italian) in the North End, the Cambridge Brewing Company in Cambridge (Kendall Square), and Geoffrey's Cafe in Roslindale. All are casual places....

[Pegmeister]

IL Panino also has those patio heaters, so I wouldn't be surprised if they opened a little earlier than a lot of other restaurants. I was in Salem last weekend when the weather was so nice and people were eating outside at Finz.

[Harp00n]

First off, welcome to our fair city of the left on the right coast.
A lot of us are thinking about Al fresco dining & drinks about now.
Here's a few fairly recent past threads that might help in scratching that itch:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/512244

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/543580

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/525557

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/536430

Harp

[CoryKatherine]

There are a number of places with outdoor seating- however, unlike California, they are all subject to the cruel winter. They almost all close their outdoor seating until May-ish. Some to try in the summer are the Alchemist in JP, the Otherside on Mass Ave and Newbury (although not a ton of people walk by there), City Side in Cleveland Circle, as well as a number of small places up and down Newbury St, although most in that neighborhood are decidedly less casual (more expensive). Since you're from out of town, you might enjoy Fanueil Hall- there are a number of places with outdoor seating, or you can get food inside and sit outside. Wait till it warms up though, for heaven's sake!