Baraka Cafe

i was served by the owner with so much warmth and class. she had a very strong personality and that is maybe i can see why it will bother some of special kind of man that has made an opinion about a VEILED MUSLIM WOMEN???? WEAK she is not. The food was so well presented, served,and delicious. do not leave until you have the chocolat flourless torte with their home made sorbet...yummy

This cozy restaurant nestled on Pearl St. off Cambridge?s Central Square offers delicious and unique Algerian-Tunisian and North African cuisine. Main courses include wonderful couscous, tender lamb chops, and eggplant stuffed with a tasty concoction of olives, spinach, scallions, and two cheeses. At this hidden gem you will have an aromatic flavorful meal that you will not soon forget.

I had heard and read rave reviews of this place, and we were disappointed when we went. There were three of us for dinner and we ordered pretty much every vegetarian dish they had, and none of them were worth a second trip back to Baraka. We got olives, eggplant, carrots, harissa, soup, salad, and cous cous, and the cous cous was the blandest of all. The rosewater lemonade was interesting, but felt like drinking sugary soap. It's not that Baraka's terrible, it's just that with so many great ethnic restaurants in Cambridge and Boston, there's no reason for me to go back. Try instead: Casablanca (Middle Eastern tapas) in Harvard Square, Helmand (Afghan) near the Cambridgeside Galleria, The Kebab Factory (Kashmiri) in Inman Square, Bengal Cafe (Bengali) between Porter & Davis on Mass Ave, and Sabur (Mediterranean) in Davis Square.