Baraka Café

Delicious little family-​run restaurant. Went to Baraka on a Fri eve at around 6:30. It wasn’t busy at first, but by the time we were done, almost each table was taken. Cash only!!!
Loved the food, though I have to admit, I don’t know what to compare it to. In general terms, the flavors were quite distinct. We had a few appetizers and fish in tomato-​base sauce, which was quite delicate. (Normally I never get tomato-​sauce dishes.) The dessert was very cute — a beautiful platter with two smaller cups of mint tea, and a few desserts (similar to baklava).

This Cambridge gem offers stunning homemade North African dishes. Not all are exceptional. But the lamb or chicken tagine for dinner are quite fine; and most of the mezze/​appetizers are divine. The real treat is the bastila, which you have to order 36 hours in advance. An experience not to be missed.

Home-​made style and authentic Moroccan/​Middle eastern/​Mediterranean food with high quality ingredients. The restaurant is kind of a hidden gem in midd-​Cambridge. The ambience is beautiful and cozy. However, the light is too dim to the point that it’s hard to read the menu. Service could be a little better, but staff are super friendly. I will definitely go back here.

It could have been a ⁵⁄₅ but our server (which I believe he was the owner) made me drop a star and it’s cash only!
FOOD was Delicious!!! I had a sampler appetizer, lamb shank with couscous (big fan) and a tasteful lemonade!
It was really good for a change!

Tried this place to explore Algerian cuisine based on recommendation from other helpers. It’s a small, family run place on a quiet street. The food was quite average. I’m glad I tried it but I can safely say this is not my cuisine!
For anyone considering trying this place, they accept only cash!

This is a top restaurant disguised In a very modest, off the beaten path, cosy place. They have hands down the best lemonade (with rose petals) just yummy. The food is remarkably authentic and well prepared. The couscous is actually some of the best I have had. The prices are adequately reflecting the quality.

First and foremost, my only real reason for four stars, is the service is pretty slow/​inattentive and the restaurant was cold. (But we were right by the door as well).
Overall though, very tasteful/​cute/​small atmosphere, with delicious food! The special rose petal lemonade is a MUST. You’ll want a small pitcher to share.
The hummus was a good app, but they start you with a tiny amount of pita.
Both entrees were great. Don’t miss out on the hot eggplant entrée stuffed with cheeses and vegetables, served with couscous. We also got a
Special on the menu, a slightly sweet chicken cooked with fruits and delicious flavors.
We didn’t even feel grossly full at the end, so we shared the flourless chocolate cake which is a no brained. So light and yummy, almost like a thick mousse, with a Delish rose water sauce.
Def try this place! It’s a hidden, tasty gem in Cambridge.

Amazing, tasty and delicious!
Just moved into the neighborhood and had to try out this little spot. We went for dinner and had the hummus and one of the hot plate apps (forgot the name, soufflé of some sort). After eating it, I knew it was going to be a good night! For entrees, I ordered the chicken tagine (super yum) and my friend ordered the lamb shank.
To top it off, we had the special lemonade… Phenomenal! Best lemonade I ever had.
Owner was so pleasant and funny! Only con, it sometimes got a little smoky in there.
A MUST try!

Had two entrees — (1) vegetarian platter — really good pita-​like bread, dips are ok. (2) lamb — sort of ok — nothing too special but not bad. Small restaurant, cozy ambience.

I can’t believe I discovered this place so late after living in this area for several years! I was craving the flavors of my trip to Morocco last fall and stumbled upon this place. Its food is complex, delicious, and stays true to its North African roots rather than joining the regionless «Middle Eastern» trend. This is now my new favorite spot in Central!
— Mint lemonade — this is such a unique floral, herby mix of flavors that feels nostalgic yet is never found in American food. Try it!
— Chicken tagine — While this is not on the main menu, I gather it may be a fairly frequent special. The tagine style of cooking makes the chicken extremely tender and flavorful, with a perfect mix of sweetness, savoryness, and sourness that makes it perfect as an autumn dish. I wish the couscous were less dry and not so finely grounded, but that is probably based on individual preference.
I look forward to going back and trying more of this place! It is very small but warmly decorated and very comfortable. It is probably some of the best food in Central Square.

I came here in a group of 5 on a Friday night and we were immediately seated. The décor and ambience immediately caught my eye, and I imagine that it has resemblance to the environment of Algeria or Tunisia (heat included… even though the summer heat had cooled down at night, the interior of the restaurant seemed to have retained the heat).
Regardless, the food was flavorful and unique. I ordered the Melkha, a spinach and cheese stuffed eggplant dish with couscous. While I found certain bites to be too salty, the flavors were great and ended up eating a good chunk of the generous portion that was provided. My friend ordered the Melfouf la Kasbah, which came with three kebabs of meat, salad, and fries. Her dish looked delicious and fulfilling for those meat lovers out there.
While the food at Baraka didn’t blow me away, the unique experience definitely sets it apart from other restaurants in the area and is worth a visit!

Excellent service, the owner is very helpful. Food was delicious, highly recommend the salmon tagine and the lemonade !!!

The roasted eggplant with spinach and feta cheese was unforgettable. Accompanied with couscous it was delicious. The place was hard to find, with very limited sitting. But the food was authentic. Brought me back to Morocco. Lovely small place!

Baraka Café,
So out of the way, it would be easy to miss, but DO NOT overlook her.
EVERYTHING here is just plain amazing, even the Chicken is a taste explosion.
The Shank, ohh so very tasty.
The service is an experience all in itself, almost transporting you back to another land without needing a passport.
A must do for dinner in a location, that although central, seems like an island unto itself nestled so snug in their location.

I’m only giving two stars because I liked the food. If I wasn’t starving I would have immediately left.
The woman who seemed to be in charge was terribly rude to the staff and continued to yell and belittle them the entire time we were there. My husband asked if ALL the meat is halal (a common question Muslims ask when dining out since there is no consistency among restaurants). She then yelled at him and accused me and our relationship of not being halal. He then told her we were married and I presented my wedding ring to her as proof. Not that it was any of her business. She then went on to tirade for several minutes and left the restaurant when we asked for the check.

Everything we ordered was super tasty, especially the tagines. The crème brûlée was not warm, but that’s minor (and the taste was still good, though not as amazing as the other stuff). The lemonade with rose petals was so good we ordered 3 pitchers. The turkish coffee with cardamom was a nice twist (and I don’t even like turkish coffee generally!). Reasonable prices too. Very highly recommended.
Only caveats are that they don’t take reservations and that it’s cash only.

My three friends and I went to this place a few days ago on the recommendation of a friend. The place is small and a little dimly lit but the overall ambience is good.
I ordered their braised lamb which was well cooked but was quite bland. A friend ordered the M’Kataf which she also found bland. A third friend ordered their skewered meat with frittes which he enjoyed quite a bit. The chicken dish was also good.
Overall, the best thing about the place is their lemonade with rose petals in it. Tastes amazing and is the only thing I will go back for.
The service was okay and the place doesn’t accept credit cards. Overall, for the steep prices and average taste, not a place worth going back to.

The food here is hit and miss.
The lamb and pastilla are delicious.
The bruschetta is dry and un flavorful.
The crème brûlée is just awful…
Now let me talk about the main reason I am writing this review. I don’t ever write reviews but I think people should really know about this. The woman who works here (she could be the owner) can be warm and funny. Or she can be extremely out of line. We waited for a long time (which is totally fine, this is a small place). While we were waiting, she talked to us and explained to us where she is from. We sat. Had our meal. Then towards the end, she comes over to our table, asks us where we are from. Then she starts giving this speech about how the people from my country are oppressed, they don’t know anything because they are lied to (keep in mind, she is from Tunisia… But ok). Everything up to this point is still ok — although I just came to have dinner and not a political discussion.
Then everything turned south. Her speech became plain insulting, that the people in my country are ignorant, they don’t understand, they pretend to be Muslims but the are not, their hearts are not pure, etc… She asked me about my religion, I didn’t feel comfortable telling her. And she kept asking. At some point, my friend tried to intervene, and the woman said to her «am I talking to you? No? I’m talking to her?» And she kept yelling at my friend. At some point, she got so close to her, I thought she was gonna hit my friend. At this point, she turned back to me, I tried to tell her that I have lived for a long time in my OWN country and it’s not as she thinks. But she just wouldn’t have it. She continued with her insulting speech and walked away.
Then I noticed that she had some problems with another table. Apparently she said something insulting to one of them. And they asked her to apologize. And of course she didn’t. This ended up in a yelling fight between the woman and someone from the other table. At this point, I wished I had yelled back at her too. Now I don’t know what happened at the other table, maybe the other table was at fault… But somehow I doubt that.
I will never return here again. The food was just ok. And the experience can be summed up by a bigoted woman trying to tell me about me… If she had wanted to have an open and honest discussion, that would have been great. But she wants to impose her (sometimes extremely wrong and offensive) beliefs on everyone else.
If you go here, and find yourself in a yelling match with this woman, you were warned!

GET THE LEMONADE. It’s so good we’ve dubbed it a lap dance on your tongue. It’s an amazing concoction of lemonade, rose water, rose petals, mint, and a bunch of other stuff. The flourless chocolate torte… ooey gooey chocolate. Need I say more?
It’s a cute little hole in the wall place that’s basically someone’s house. It’s small and intimate, but that also means you might have to wait. The food is meh, but the lemonade is enough to bring me back.

A hole in the wall in Central Square that serves up decent food. During off-​peak hours, there’s just one employee waiting on and cooking the food. The quality of the food is a little inconsistent.
M’katef (New zealand baby lamb chops) — these were fantastic when I got them. Beautifully medium rare with nice seasonings.
Leg of Lamb dinner special — I thought this would be great, but it wasn’t. Flavorless and not very tender.
Seven Spice Flourless Chocolate Torte — ok, but I’d skip this next time.
Rose Lemonade and Mint Green Tea are refreshing complements to your meal.

You know, my Baraka experience has been written by all the, recent to near recent, one-​to-​three star reviews based on the lack of service – rude, apathetic, or both… I don’t know how other people put a four-​to-​five star review with the MANY complaints about – SERVICE (the most important facet of a restaurant) and food (portions and quality in relation to price is extremely important, when it comes to people that can’t afford to buy a meal that is pricey but too small, has no flavor, and the service causes me more stress than comfort).
Some of you have been real nice in your low starred reviews, and have acted civil in the way you’ve described how you handled, the clearly out of line staff and flavorless food that you experienced, at Baraka… I would have lost my head at these people, if I had some of the experiences described in Baraka’s reviews.
So, I am a strong believer in this simple and old theory in numbers: «If one person says it’s a pig, it still might not be a pig… If two people say it is a pig, it probably is a pig… BUT! – if three people say it’s a pig – IT’S A PIG.»
There were way more complaints saying the same things. And I can’t ignore that. And I thank those folks who warned me, via Unilocal review, that this is NOT the place to travel to, from Coolidge Corner, Brookline… Because I was considering it at one point.
Thanks again,
and I won’t go to Baraka ever, unless the reviews about service has done a complete 180-​degrees, to a five stars, and the food is predominately four-​to-​five stars (I am no one important but I have high standards pertaining to becoming a committed patron).

The place needs to be reported to the health inspector.
We were served another table’s food. After our party had confusedly sampled the food, the waiter, in front of the owner, removed the food from our table and placed it behind the counter. It waited there for one minute, and was then served to the correct table with our bites taken out of it. Unbelievable!
On the plus side the food was decent, even if it had already been sampled by the other patrons. I will not be coming here again and this place should be reported.

This place is simply amazing. They offer beautiful, authentic Algerian/​Tunisian food. Upon entering, you will be faced with the reality that your experience may be limited to what cash is left in your wallet. We had a whopping $ 23 bucks. After a much careful review of the lunch menu, we decided that this could work so long as we did without the bells and whistles. Being the foodie and instagram addict that I am, I was unable to pass on the amazing rose petal lemonade that flooded Baraka’s instagram tags. I carefully calculated that into our budget. Lunch for two and a lemonade, plus tips = $ 23. This lemonade has vibrant colors And to top it off, it was served in a mason jar! Most importantly, it tasted just as magical!
Both of our plates were delicious. I had the Djadje Chicken (grilled chicken marinated in North African spices) and he had the Homemade Grilled Merguez (lamb and beef North African sausages). My chicken was tender and perfect and his sausage was also yummy (that’s what she said). My only gripe with the sausage plate is that it could have used a bit more sausage. There were only two tiny pieces tossed on top of a plate full of veggies, Berber bread and pommes frites (fries). Since it was made with both lamb and beef, you will definitely taste the lamb more than you will the beef. I like lamb so it was fine for me.
The décor inside is very cute. It’s old, tiny, homey and welcoming. It’s not anything fancy, nonetheless, did not lack in its charm. If you’re close-​by, totally worth the walk over! However, we came in on a very humid 90-​degree day, the old, loud A/​C didn’t quite cool us down as quickly as we would have hoped. I also need to add that the roles of our host, waitress, and chef were all played by the same person. I commend her for that. Service was okay as there were a slight language barrier and she was kind of busy playing all three roles to pay much attention to us, which I kind of preferred actually being in such a small space…
We also witnessed a guy dine-​in without any cash on him that the owner (?), our host/​waitress/​chef, allowed to leave to grab some greens. In case you’re curious, he did return. She thanked him for his honesty.
I am looking forward to my next dining experience here!
Update: we came for dinner! The open-​faced sandwich plate (pictured) was not offer for dinner in any form whatsoever. We will unfortunately have to save this place for just lunch as that was our favorite plate here. The dinner menu was just okay to us.

I honestly had the most uncomfortable experience in a restaurant I have ever had here. The food was pretty good, but no food is good enough for that. The woman ignored us for most of the meal and made awkward passive aggressive comments about us as we were eating. We were charged for food we didn’t order and assumed had been a complementary starter. The meal ended in a shouting match.
Honestly, don’t go here.

Baraka Café is a small restaurant serving up tasty dishes. The service is a bit slow, even when there was very few people in the restaurant, but we still had a pleasant time. the key to the delicious food was definitely the subtle seasoning in my eggplant dish. The flower lemonade was so pretty!
I would go back to try some other dishes.

I always love a place where the staff are both friendly and gracious. It’s small and tucked between residential homes off of Pearl St (a 3-​min walk from the Central Sq T stop).
Every single dish we had was awesome and really felt authentic and homey. To start, we ordered the sausages (one lamb, one beef) that were appropriately small and had a nice spicy kick, the za’atar app (like a flatbread with pickled onions on top), and the harissa paste.
For the main dishes, we ordered the leg of chicken, which had a sweet, fruity sauce and the salmon tagine (on the specials menu). The tagine was a little salty for my liking and needed a dash of lemon juice, but when I took the rest home and added some more rice, the overwhelming saltiness of the dish was less apparent and I was able to taste the other flavors of the dish.
We ended the meal with Turkish coffee w/​cardamom, which actually tasted rather floral, almost like gulab (rose) flavoring with that characteristic bitter after-​taste. Not sure I would get it again, but interesting nonetheless.
So sad I didn’t get to try their cherbat lemonade since it was rainy and cold when I went last week, but I shall return for more!

I would never come across this hole in the wall establishment if it weren’t recommended by a lovely couple we met. Because the boyfriend and I were ready for a new food adventure, North Algerian/​African cuisine at Baraka seemed like a great place to start.
Baraka is tucked away on a side street in Central Square and is easy to miss. We were able to find street parking not too far away from it. Upon entering, the restaurant is darkly lit as well as small in size. We were lucky to get seated right away and didn’t have to wait. After we got our seats, the place filled up pretty quickly.
We ended up ordering from their special menu and got a Salmon Tangine as well as a Lamb chop ontop of their couscous. And of course, like the other 200 something Unilocalers that have written a review on Baraka, we’d be fools not to order their mint-​rose petal-​spice infused lemonade called Cherbet. A carafe, $ 6.50 was enough for two people.
Everything tasted alright; the veggies accompanying the couscous were delicious. The lamb fell right off the bone and was easy to eat. The tangine’s broth was good too and added good flavor to the dish.
I felt as if there were parts of both dishes that stood out, but overall the food was just mediocre. It’s hard for me to tell if Baraka is amazing because I’ve never had food within the same cuisine to compare it to. However, I was happy with the experience and trying something new.
Side note: Baraka is cash only!