food Archives - Cambridge | Somerville Independent

The Half Shell closes in Porter Square, making way for a sandwich lover’s haven called The Sub Shop

by Marc Levy September 18, 2026

The Half Shell’s Greek-style pizzas, calzones, pastas and salads are gone, but The Sub Shop, a buzzy transplant from Boston, specializes in artist-level sandwiches.

LET’S GET COFFEE

Follow your nose: Pavement Coffeehouse and its predecessors

by Corky White September 16, 2026

Memories of coffee in places sometimes layer over each other; there’s been a lot of movement and those of us who remember have followed the coffee aromas across town.

BITE

Pork belly bao at Noodle Lab

by Marc Levy September 16, 2026

A quick-serve bowl restaurant offers appetizers of two steamed baozi filled with anise soy-braised pork belly, green onion and vegetable slivers drizzled with hoisin sauce.

BUSINESS

Coffee shop in the making aims to bring together Salvadoran beans and Cuban cheese rolls

by Marc Levy September 15, 2026

Launch could come before the end of the year in a vote of confidence in, and expression of gratitude for, the community and business district south of Porter Square.

BUSINESS

Lamplighter surprises employees with plan to go worker-owned next month (updated)

by Marc Levy September 14, 2026

The founders of the Cambridge brewery Lamplighter are looking to step aside and transform it into an employee-owned company. Meetings were planned for Monday.

NEWS

Cambridge meetings, Sept. 14-21: A half-million dollars to make up for federal cuts to food aid (corrected)

by Marc Levy September 13, 2026

Take part in meetings on handling growing hunger, the Healthpeak neighborhood project and changes to the city's multifamily zoning ordinance.

NEWS

Somerville meetings, Sept. 14-21: Squires Bridge and an all-day Dunkin’

by Marc Levy September 13, 2026

Take part in meetings on the Squires Bridge replacement, school district finances and a Davis Square Neighborhood Council (and take the Davis Square plan survey).

NEWS

After Food Nation and Honk!, Davis Square project looks at funding from a parking improvement district (updated)

by Marc Levy September 9, 2026

The group working to revive Davis Square is feeling good about its first five months, preparing for a big end to its first season and already looking at what’s coming in 2027.

FOOD

Talking food: A conversation with Ana Sortun of Sofra, Sarma and Oleana

by Corky White September 9, 2026

At 14, Ana Sortun washed dishes at a Seattle restaurant. By 19 she was at La Varenne, the cooking school in Paris. Then she went to Turkey and found her culinary home.

FOOD

Revelations on taste: New thoughts on coffee and food at Sofra

by Corky White September 9, 2026

Almost never is a café visit only about coffee, and that is particularly true at Sofra, a café-deli-restaurant-destination. Its food, with a morning cup of coffee, offers a lesson in pairings.