If you’re not a Porter Square local, you might aspire to become one after a visit to Bagelsaurus. The tiny bakery and sandwich shop on Massachusetts Ave. serves up airy, crackly-skinned bagels born from a decades-old sourdough starter. Open early until sellout just Thursday through Sunday with limited online ordering available, a wait in line is rewarded with a baker’s dozen choices baked that day, such as Sea Salt, Cinnamon Raisin, or Black Olive bagels. You can also opt for hearty breakfast sandwiches like the almond butter-banana-honey-bacon T-Rex, or our fave, the zesty Eggspañola (add avocado).

Giulia is as close to Harvard Square as it is to Porter, but it’s within walking distance—and worth it for homemade pasta dishes—like a decadent Pappardelle with Wild Boar—and other Italian food favorites. Rustic meats like Chicken Liver Crostini and and fresh Lamb Sausage are comforting and craveable, the Affogato comes with house-made gelato, and classic cocktails like a Negroni are riffed on just right at this Massachusetts Ave. restaurant. Reservations can fill up a month in advance at this longtime Cambridge destination. (Consider checking out new sister spot, Moeca?) If you’ll be dining in a big group, inquire about the 12-seat Pasta Table, where cooks work by day and a Chef’s Tasting Menu is served by night.

No need to leave the city to find that small-town ice cream shop: Just visit Honeycomb Creamery on Massachusetts Ave. The goods here are made with high-butterfat Jersey cow’s milk from Hadley, Mass., pasteurized in-house in Cambridge. The list of frozen treats includes scoops such as Honey Lavender and Salted Caramel Crackle, plus frozen yogurt and soft serve, and seasonal flavors like Basil Goat Cheese and Ginger Rhubarb Crisp. Even if you are usually a cup person, you’ll want to check out the homemade cones in flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and matcha. Pay a visit on Tuesdays to wax nostalgic for a homemade ice cream taco, or take a pint or two home anytime. 

Family-owned Hi-Rise Bread Company, founded by baker (and a former Boston magazine restaurant critic) Rene Becker, has excellent pastries, lunch options, and a full coffee bar. Tarts are made with local fruits and many treats employ extra-rich European butter, and plenty of the savory stuff is vegetarian-friendly. More than a dozen varieties of bread are baked in-house each day, and you can get your gluten fix by taking a loaf home or ordering a colorfully named sandwich, like Fern’s Problem Solver, (roasted turkey on grilled sourdough with Monterey Jack, avocado, and Russian dressing). Rustic wooden seating and good natural light make this bakery-café a pleasant place to while away an afternoon within walking distance of Porter Square.

The eternal line outside Yume Wo Katare is reminiscent of its noodle house-neighbor, Sapporo, but otherwise this is a very different ramen experience from Sapporo. The piping-hot bowl is absolutely loaded with fat noodles and a porky, 24-hour broth that’s showered in garlic. What really makes this place truly unique? If you order a “free dream,” you’ll be asked to stand up after eating (hopefully you’ve emptied the rich and robust bowl, but we totally get it if you can’t!) and share your dream with the crowd. It’s a strange and essential dining experience in Porter Square—and a very delicious soup.