Barback

Central Square · Craft cocktails

Darling

The owner literally reprints the cocktail menu every day, sometimes changing one ingredient, sometimes the whole drink, so no two visits are the same. It's a sake martini and dim sum kind of night rather than a big scene, which makes it a nice change of pace from the hotel bars.

Date nightQuiet conversationNightcap
Neighbourhood
Central Square, Cambridge
Style
Craft cocktails
Known for
cocktail menu that changes daily · Japanese spirits (sake, Japanese gin and whiskey) · dim sum pairing menu
Prices
$$ · cocktails ~$14–17
Getting in
Book ahead. Following has outgrown capacity per reporting, call (617) 945-1317
Food
Snacks and small plates
Hours
Tue-Thu 5pm-12am, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am, Sun 5pm-12am, closed Mon (per a 2026 listing, confirm before going)
Address
464 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

WebsiteMap

Checked: Confirmed via Boston Globe (7/15/2025), Infatuation, and Cambridge Day (8/1/2025), all describing it as currently operating. Could not load an official website directly to re-confirm Oct 2026 hours, call ahead to be sure.

Photo: Darling, from their website.

Same neighbourhood

Also in Central Square

Speakeasy$$ Central SquareBrick & MortarDim, industrial-chic upstairs hideout with a curved copper bar and vinyl spinning in the background.Walk-ins only Restaurant bar$$ Central SquareLittle DonkeyKen Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette's global tapas spot, loud and fun with a small but sharp cocktail menu built to match the bold food.Book on OpenTable Dive with good drinks$ Central SquareRoxy's Arcade (A4cade, inside Roxy's Grilled Cheese)A scrappy grilled-cheese counter out front that turns into a pinball-and-cocktail arcade through a walk-in-fridge door in back, now mid-reinvention.Walk-ins only