Cafe Pamplona

No bathroom = minus 1 star
Sandwiches & Panini’s are bla = minus 1 star
No windows = minus 1 star
Beverages very small. = minus 1 star
Locally owned and not a chain = plus 1 star
Empanadas are delicious but only one variety (meat) = worth going if you want a beef empanada!

Very cute, little place with good food for the right price. No pretentiousness for being in the Square … a no frills kind of place, yet good food and drink. Very good selection of coffees and teas. The soup was hefty and delicious. The best part? No lines at lunch time, as it is sort of an inconspicuous little place in the heart of Harvard Square. A favorite!

The mocha was terrible. It had a weird aftertaste, like if it were old and made with swiss powder. The coffee was not hot and tasted like it had been sitting for awhile. The manager made us pay anyways even though I didnt drink anything. Horrible manager and horrible coffee

Cute café. I enjoyed having a more authentic Spanish coffee (had been missing them since leaving Barcelona). Felt slightly expensive but I enjoyed it. Kitschy-​studenty vibe (makes sense for the area.) Slow service.
Enjoyable but not somewhere I’d go out of my way to return to.

very adorable very quaint place, coffee very nice and rich. waitstaff helpful and not overly friendly but friendly enough fir me. has sandwiches and specials too.

Most coffee shops around here are always so busy but this is just a gem nestled in a really peaceful corner. It’s one of the only places you can sit outside and have a coffee ion a very relaxing environment. I definitely come whenever I can especially when it’s nice out to enjoy the patio.

Good food for a fair price, great atmosphere (for working /​conversation)
A little intimidating because of their strong European-​trendy vibes, but worth visiting. Looking forward to coming back, especially when the weather’s nice because outdoor seating is great (a little off Mass Ave so not too too busy, but a lot of foot traffic for people watching)
Service is slow (helloooo European vibes!) but SUPER friendly and accommodating
Turkey panini, Roast beef panini — both good, nothing to die for though. On appearance, it can look like the skimp on the ingredients, but I think the flavors came through and it was tasty. The bread isn’t artisanal/​hella fresh, but they’re not advertising that kind of service either
Iced latte — liked it! Would come back here just for an ice latte (better than nearby options like dunkin, starbucks, peets) but not craft coffee level (ie. thinking cup, george howell cofee)
Iced chocolate — would not get again and would strongly suggest others not to get. Had high expectations because our server seemed to love it. Was thinking it would be something along the lines of (NYC’s) Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate minus the frap texture, but it was a disappointing cold chocolate milk. Like not even that good of chocolate milk — I think Horizons (organic) choco milk is WAY better

I don’t normally post reviews on Unilocal,but on my recent visit to Cambridge I feel obligated to review two businesses I went to and absolutely loved. This is the first one, Café Pamplona is an excellent stop to relax and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere.
This shop is in the basement of a small house, it has low ceilings and feels very quaint. It’s exactly what I was looking for around the Cambridge area. The staff was incredibly nice and helpful, I’m very grateful for the level of service I got here.
The tea was good as tea goes, the staff was knowledgeable on the steeping time and types of tea. The food was good enough at a good price. Overall excellent experience here and I will absolutely stop by again in the future.

Was visiting Boston with my girlfriend and decided to check out the Harvard Square area. We stumbled across this place and stoped in for a late breakfast. I agree with some other reviewers that the basement room seemed dingy, so we decided to eat on the patio. The drinks were good but the sandwiches left a lot to be desired. I got a turkey and cheese sandwich… and that’s essentially all it was… basic lunch meat turkey and cheese on a bun that was toasted and squished… like a boring panini you could make at home.
The server was very friendly and I appreciate places with a local mom and pop atmosphere. If I was just getting a coffee and looking for some peace and quite to study or chat with an old friend, this would be a great place.

No working barhroom, which is annoying. However, the salad, soup, sandwich, and canoli were all delicious, fast, and fairly priced for the city. The ham and cheese sandwich was perfectly crisp on the outermost layer and warm and soft inside. I had never had cold chicken pea soup, but it was very tasty. Outside seating was ideal… reminiscent of Europe.

Atmosphere is absolutely amazing! I needed some break from Harvard Square’s bustle and bumped to this place while I was walking around. The outside seats are lovely especially when there is a calm weather. I ordered french toast with ham and sparkling water. I didn’t expect much but honestly, I loved it! Definitely recommended if you need some quite, lovely place to sit. Prices are pretty affordable especially for a student like myself.

Had the Pamplona special and didn’t see what the hype about the food is all about. The sandwich was bland and cold. Aside from the pickles, I couldn’t have guessed what was in the sandwich if I was blindfolded. It was compressed as if it had been exhumed from a purse after someone inadvertently sat on it. It was bigger than I was expecting, but still not enough to be considered a full meal. The chick pea soup was quality.
If you don’t like muenster cheese, your options are severely limited. There are about 2 food items on the menu that are not made with muenster. Luckily I do, but if you don’t you might be eating soup.
Our waitress was very nice but didn’t pay too much attention to us as customers seated outside. Service was slow.
The fruit drinks we got were alright, but I probably wouldn’t get one again.
Maybe I should come for a light snack next time instead of grabbing dinner here.

In the highly crowded area that is Harvard Square, it it sometimes difficult to find a nice and tranquil place where one can go to enjoy some coffee and a good book. I can honestly say that Café Pamplona provides such a place.
It is a good place to go on a nice day out, as you can sit on their outside patio tables. The actual place itself is very small, and could not fit more than 10 people at a time at most. Service was good. The waiter was really attentive, though the food itself took a while to get to us, which I believe was due to the high number of people at the time we ordered, and the lack of sufficient staff.
We ordered tostadas. My girlfriend had the cheese tostada, which she said was very good and it seemed to have a lot of cheese. I myself ordered the steak one, which turned out to be similar to any other steak sandwich but was good nonetheless. We also had coffee, which was very good by my standards and way better than that of chain coffeehouses.

Very convenient location, and nice to sit outside in good weather. The food was varied and good – we particularly liked a gazpacho special. We mostly tried the salads, which we liked. One oddity is that they don’t have a restroom.

The bright side: the place is nice, located in a nice calm street and it’s perfect for enjoying a coffee and a book or a good conversation. But I wouldn’t recommend it for lunch, at least not its Spanish food, specially if you have tried the real thing (I grew up in Spain). I ordered the tortilla and the beef empanadas and while the tortilla was ok but nothing special (and such a small portion!), the empanada was simply bad, bland and tasteless. The staff was friendly but they don’t seem to pay to much attention to people sitting outside.

Following Unilocal recommendations, I got the muenster and guava grilled cheese. It wasn’t what I expected, but still quite good! The French bread was perfectly toasted, and there was a generous amount of cheese and preserved guava. I had thought that the guava would be fresh guava (and the sandwich would taste more apple-​ly), but the preserved guava added a sweet kick to the sandwich. I also got a cup of spiced tea, which I really enjoyed. The tea was well prepared, and the teapot it was served in was also really cute! Overall a good place for a early lunch!

I came to Café Pamplona expecting a cozy interior and good coffee but instead the interior felt a little dingy and the coffee was just okay. The basement location is more dark than it is cozy for me.

This place is awasome.
Located on a realy calm corner and great choice for chilling or relaxing.
And they def have great coffee.
I usualy get soya latte but friend of mine strongly recommends to try coffee pamplona.
enjoy!

Though Café Pamplona has a full page of coffee, tea, and other beverage options, I go to Café Pamplona for one of only two things: hot chocolate or cold chocolate. The ratio of milk to chocolate and the quality of the cocoa are just right. Unlike a perhaps more famous Harvard Square purveyor of hot chocolate, Pamplona’s is not overly rich and viscous. The café offers a handful of salads, pastries, and sandwiches, including a visually appealing medianoche.
I suppose I also go to Pamplona for the pleasant off-​the-​grid feeling I get when literally going underground to this bare bones cellar. There is a romantic character to Café Pamplona. It’s a place where you can escape into your own thoughts, or into the company of a paramour.
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I love that this place is open late!