Redline fills the niche between Grendel's (friendly and lowkey) and Noir (expensive poseur). The bar is sophisticated in an unthreatening way, and drinks are remarkably reasonable, topping out at $8 for premium cocktails. Generous martinis are a very decent $7. Redline is usually crowded at night, especially after 1, when it picks up barflys from other local establishments. Despite its size, Redline has room both for lounge lizards and a small dancefloor complete with weekend DJs. Crowds notwithstanding, table service is quick and friendly, so grab a back table if you can. The kitchen specializes in fast, low-prep grill and pasta dishes at the same price point as other Harvard Square establishments attempting to win the sophisticated crowd. Lunch is usually less than $10, and dinner is pricier (appetizers $6-12, entrees $13-20, desserts $7-10). The substantial meat or pasta dishes are a pleasant surprise, proving that this bar and restaurant can indeed both fill your stomach with meat and potatoes and satisfy your jones for drinks and dancing. Sister establishment to Grafton Street and Temple Bar.

Om is a Harvard Square restaurant headed by New York and Providence chef Rachel Klein, who was named Best New Chef by Boston magazine in 2006. Chef Klein challenges her customers with innovative recipes and fresh and funky ingredients. Try Om for a shot of Zen in your dining experience. This place featuresover-the-top Zen luxury decor, a wall-ter fall, fancypants cocktails, and a whimisical bar menu. There are 2 floors to this place, the 1st floor is the dance floor which is pretty small. The 2nd floor is more of just a lounge. They only have single bathrooms, so the lines can be quite long, even for guys. However, don't get stuck in line - there are two sets of bathrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs. Deb Klein is no longer the chef and the cuisine last time I was there was disappointing and ordinary. The drinks are still good if you don't mind the NYC prices.

Wholesome and homey, with roaring fires and creaky floorboards, this restored gem of old Cambridge radiates with the glow of a cozy Alpine ski lodge. Dust the snow off your boots, shuffle inside and thumb through a menu of thoroughly good and varied fare, from lobster risotto to Spanish chicken ragout. For those who prefer light dining to feasting, the restaurant offers half-portions at significantly lower prices. The pork medallions a la saltimbocca ($20), stuffed with prosciutto and fontina cheese, is a succulent, flavorful treat well worth trying. Full-sized entrees range $20-$25, but there's no pricing the genuinely warm, attentive and welcoming service that greets you from the moment you enter. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard.

TVs are spread over three levels, and live music is featured on the weekends. Perfect pints of Guinness, usually delivered by friendly Irish waitresses, prove popular. cozy bar with old Boston knick-knacks that makes it feel like your grandmother's attic...surprisingly diverse (and good!) menu for a bar...get there early before the crowd takes over for the popular Fri and Sat night dance parties. Caters to students, frat boys, the "meat market" of women who are obviously trying to get drunk and picked up on, and the great many 20-something dudes with collared shirts (sleeves rolled up!) and too much hair gel.

Small cozy pub with an excellent selection of beers and a small patio where smoking and dogs are allowed! The sunken cobblestone patio of Shays is the place to while away a warm night with a group of friends and a pint or two. Inside, crumbling brick walls, exposed piping, and a laid-back crowd give this pub a cozy, lived-in feel. All drafts $4, bottles $3-5.50. Excellent appetizers range from the standard (nachos $5.75) to the distinctive (baked brie $5). All appetizers $3 after 6pm. Sandwiches, burgers, salads, and other pub fare ($3-6) available until 10pm.

In the basement of “Upstairs on the Square” sits another one of those ‘Harvard' bars, Grendel's, a mountain-town pub shoehorned into contemporary Cambridge. Most nights of the week Grendel's is filled with a lively mix of locals, grads, undergrads, and the occasional professor, who all huddle around cozy, dimly-lit tables for an atmosphere that's more low-key than anything its nearby competitors can provide. Compared to the nearly perpetual happy hours at Grendel's, other bars seem downright melancholy. The crowded red-bricked basement interior, faux-Tuscan tiled tables, and small plates make for a medieval dining hall meets college pub experience. The menu is a motley mix of cuisines, from cheeseburgers and pizza ($5.50) to falafel. Everything is half-price with min. beverage purchase of $3 daily 5-7:30pm and Su-Th 9-11:30pm. Express lunch specials M-F go for only $3.95. A wonderful way to round off the weekend, “The Sunday Seven” menu features 7 items at $1 each, again with $3 min. beverage purchase. Youngsters, beware: they frequently don't admit those under 21 after 5pm (especially F and Sa), so call ahead. Entrees $5-8. The beers on tap are an excellent variety of microbrews and imports (no “Bud” here, but at $4/pint Paulaner Hefeweizen has risen as a crowd favorite). The Grendel's Happy Hour offers half-price menu items with min. $3 drinks (daily 5-7:30pm and Su-Th 9-11:30pm). Cheap, tasty food and a warm-fuzzy-glo atmosphere make Grendel's a convenient budget locale for those who like to munch while they imbibe. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard.

The least Harvardian of the Square bars, Whitney's is for the students who want to escape and the plaid-shirt townies who can't. The uncomfortable dark barroom offers darts, golfing games, gruff company, and fine people-watching from the window seats. Bottles of Bud are $3, and if you can't hack it, a pint of "those other beers" (like Harpoon) costs $3.75. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard.

Sequestered in a corner of the The Charles Hotel, Noir is a sophisticated bar and lounge with prices to match. As its name suggests, the decor recalls 1940s film noir, with atmospheric red lights overhead and dark corners for darker deeds. Fortunately, Noir doesn't take itself too seriously, making for a fun and even cozy night out. On weekends, the bar lets its hair down a little: live music occasionally hits the joint, and the crowd starts wearing jeans and, shockingly, sometimes flannel. The innovative menu, designed by Rialto's Jody Adams, satisfies late-night cravings of all sizes with everything from a single chocolate chip cookie ($1) to soy ginger beef skewers ($7), as well as an extensive selection of pressed sandwiches and grilled flatbreads ($8-10). Drinks from the bar are mostly top-shelf alcohols (bottled beers $4-7, mixed drinks $9-13). This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard. The key is to show up between 5 and 7 p.m. on weeknights, when the food is all steeply discounted (everything $5 or less). Definitely worth a trip.

Much touted Rialto deserves all the praise it receives. The elegant and comfortable decor of the most luxurious of the Charles Hotel's 3 restaurants belies Rialto's radiant and ever-evolving menu, reflecting the chefs' seasonal and geographical inspirations. Appetizers such as the light but satisfying chilled asparagus soup and salad ($12) and cod fritters ($14) prepare the palate for the more stimulating Tuscan fish stew ($28) and tender braised rabbit leg ($32). Reasonably-sized entrees make way for imaginative desserts like the macadamia nut and expresso tart ($9) and the hot chocolate cream with fresh mint ($9), both of which become almost cloying when coupled with any of the sumptuous after-dinner cordials and liquours. Everything at Rialto is spectacular, but you have to be willing to pay for it, and you have to get in first; call early as reservations are limited. $1 Oysters every Monday night! This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard.

The cavernous John Harvard's has long attained classic status in Harvard Square, with an almost always packed interior. The smell of the best microbrews in Cambridge lures the masses inside to a quirky combination of dark wood paneling and whimsical stained glass, inspiring a comfy and collegiate atmosphere. Appetizers are the real favorites here, but ale and porter also go down well with solid pub grub (burgers $7, fish and chips $10) and often overlooked decent dinner fare (salmon $15, filet mignon $18). After 10pm on Mondays, some appetizers are half-price for students with college ID (though alas, the "favorites," including crisp calamari and buffalo chicken strips, are no longer on the half-price list). Reservations accepted for parties of 8 or more. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard.