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.

For an "insiders" look at how Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts feels, frolics and feeds itself, Casablanca restaurant and bar is the place to go. Casablanca, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, is a casual, neighborhood "joint" that has grown to near-legendary status. Students and their professors, writers and their subjects, musicians and their muses all congregate at 40 Brattle Street. Casablanca offers a relaxed drinking environment with a bit more flair than other restaurants. If the exotic, Moroccan-inspired decor doesn't already remind you of the Academy Award-winning movie, then the gigantic wall mural of Bergman and Bogart probably will. Visit Casablanca and enjoy a glass of merlot with friends at one of the intimate tables. Is it the mildly exotic atmosphere? The enticing Mediterranean cuisine? The chance to tipple at the bar elbow-to-elbow with a nuclear physicist, a poet, or the next Kanye West? Who knows?

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.

Prepare for an evening of culinary pampering at Harvest, one of the most upscale establishments in Harvard Square. With excellent service, a spacious interior, and an outdoor patio that manages to stay open until the early fall with the aid of heaters, Harvest aims to keep your body comfortable and then, when you're not looking, hit you over the head with its inventive, mouth-watering cuisine. But like all good things (and some illegal drugs), you'll be paying a hefty price for an experience that will leave you pleasantly euphoric, but not necessarily stuffed. With modestly-sized entrees that fall within the $24-33 dollar price range, your best bet would be to opt for Harvest's 3 course prix-fixe ($48/$60 with wine), a perfect sampling of the restaurant's culinary concoctions. The menu changes weekly, so the oyster stew you loved so much last time might have been replaced by the equally delicious salmon in lobster bouillon; however, with a consistent variety of gourmet seafood, pasta, and vegetarian options in addition to their 2 featured steaks, even the most discriminating connoisseurs will go home happy. Desserts ($8-9) range from the velvety vanilla bean creme brulée to the tangy key lime napoleon. Brunch ($33 prix-fixe) offered every Su. 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Border packs patrons in eights days a week, with lines stretching around the corner and down the street. On weekends, a vibrating beeper at this local hot spot will signal your entrance into the cajun-popcorn-promised-land after what can sometimes be a 2hr wait. A bottomless basket of homemade chips and salsa graces each table, but be careful: the entrees are both tasty and filling, if not mammoth. While Tex-Mex seems to be the name of the Border Cafe's game, their Cajun dishes are more delicious and inventive than somewhat predictable enchiladas and the like. Complete vegetarian menu. Take out available. Most entrees $7-12. With a waiting area packed tighter than a Japanese subway car, Border certainly looks like the place to be. Like the restaurant, the bar is always lively and packs in college kids drinking to forget they're students and young professionals drinking to forget they aren't. Pass the (long) time waiting for a table with any of a number of delicious margaritas ($5+). The late-night menu (appetizers, chips) starts at 11pm, F-Sa at midnight. Fire hazard? I don't see any fire hazard. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard.