Message from The Middle East

Boston's home for live music 7 nights a week. Serving lunch/dinner
  • Live Music
  • Serving Lunch & Dinner
  • Full Service Bar

The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub consists of three live-music performance rooms, two family-style restaurants with full-service bars, and an elegant restaurant named ZuZu. Several of the rooms also serve as art galleries, offering a fresh showcase for local and international artists on a monthly basis. The Middle East first opened its doors in 1970 as a family-owned and operated Lebanese eatery; it was a time in which ethnic restaurants of all kinds were sprouting up all over Cambridge. Customers were at once attracted to the Middle East and won over by the authentic home cooking, and the restaurant's unique, eclectic ambiance. Music at the Middle East took a serious turn when rock impresarios began renting the 200-capacity upstairs and booking top talent to play there.

MarkerThe Middle East

4 Star Rating - Very good 4 reviews – Review The Middle East

(617) 864-3278

472 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139

Editorial Description by Citysearch
Multi-purpose venue with several rooms offers alternative rock and dependable bar food from its namesake region.
Rated 9.6 out of 10 by Citysearch.

4 Reviews of The Middle East in Cambridge

...Write yours here!

a cambridge institution  4 Star Rating - Very good

a really great venue that brings in top talent. i remember seeing death cab for cutie a million years ago before they got big. too bad there aren't more places like this in boston

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Favorite place to see live music  5 Star Rating - World class

Upstairs or downstairs, the Middle East gets the best bands to come play there. I cant even count the number of times I have seen live music here. Prices are very reasonable for Cambridge- stop by for lunch or dinner too- they make a killer falafel and kibbah!

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Greek salad and fresh pita  4 Star Rating - Very good

You can get a fantastic Greek salad at the Middle East in between sets of some band downstairs. It's awesome to have a way to get fed at a club. Most places have beer. The Middle East has beer AND pumpkin kibbeh. Fantastic.

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Music. Food. Good Times...  4 Star Rating - Very good

I like this resturant, and even more so I like the music.

Great appetizers and good locations (two other venues right near by)

A great place to grab a bite to eat and have some beers before your show!!

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3 Reviews by Citysearch:

Bizarre ID policy, lying bouncers, rude ticket-takers result in angry customers 1 Star Rating - Unsatisfactory

Why would you turn away a balding guy obviously over 30 from the 18+ show he drove 25 miles to see with his wife because his ID was expired -- instead of just giving him the "under 21" bracelet? And then why would you tell him that this is because you are "following the law as it's written" when you and he both know that there is certainly NO such law? I have no idea; you'd have to ask the management of The Middle East. Deliberately alienating your customers by irrationally keeping them out and then lying about the reason seems like a strange business strategy.

Posted 09/30/07 at 9:35pm

The music is good, but the food and service isn't 1 Star Rating - Unsatisfactory

Catch a show- but not the food.

Our party of 3 wasn't given the proper number of utensils when we were seated, and the waitress almost threw them at us when I asked for a third set. When one person went to the bathroom and we placed our drink order(s), the waitress didn't return to collect the third person's drink order.

A friend declared "the juices are great here!", so I ordered a Cranberry juice- and watched as the waitress used the soda gun to make it. It was sickeningly sweet artificial junk, served with an r0tten slice of lemon cut too thin to squeeze.

We ordered our food, and the waitress had to RETURN TWICE to ask what we had ordered; once for two of us, and then a second time for one of the orders she had asked about already.

Two out of our party of three were served our meals; it was several minutes before the third plate showed up and we could start eating, and the 'late dish was identical to mine. The 'steak' kabobs were clearly the cheapest meat they could get their hands on and very chewy, though they were at least cooked correctly. The salad had a disgusting dressing, and beans on the side were soupy. A huge chunk of onion was placed next to the kabobs; do they not understand that the veggies and onion go TOGETHER on the skewer?

Posted 08/13/06 at 12:00am

good 5 Star Rating - World class

if you do not like small places dont go. i love it, it feels like it was a show in freinds basement or somthing.

Pros: intimate, cheap
Cons: no seats, parking
Posted 02/14/06 at 12:00am