Central Square is where Cambridge gets its edges back. Less polished than Harvard Square, it mixes longtime residents with students, immigrants, artists, and tech workers who spill over from Kendall Square. The result is a neighbourhood with better restaurants than Harvard Square, more interesting music venues, and a kind of urban grit that the rest of Cambridge lacks. Massachusetts Avenue through Central Square is one of the most reliably good streets in greater Boston for eating.
The square itself is anchored by the T station and opens into a mix of Ethiopian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern restaurants alongside the old music venues. The Middle East complex is the area's most famous institution. Alewife Brook Parkway at the western end connects to the Minuteman Bikeway, which runs all the way to Lexington.