Young and Yee is at least the second best Chinese Restaurant in the Square, and given the Hong Kong's unreliability Young and Yee may well be number one. Young and Yee's food may not be great, but it is always reliable. The chow mein is passable but the best food Young and Yee has to offer are the specialties listed on the back of the menu. The servings are generous in size and relatively low in price. Two people can eat there for about $5.

Charlie's Places

Charlie owns two gathering places in Cambridge: one for workers, especially subway workers, and one for students. Located across from the entrance of the about-to-be-demolished subway barns, Charlie's Kitchen serves some of the best bar fare in Cambridge. The food is cheap, the waitresses pleasant and the atmosphere quiet. Charlie's Place, at 1 Bow St., is a lot louder. The food is downplayed, and the music turned up. Last year it emphasized the golden oldie tunes of the fifties routine, and was a place to have a good time. This year it will probably remain the same, and it will still be a better place to meet people than to eat meals.

Casa Mexico

75 Winthrop St.

Tucked away in a cramped but opulent cellar on Winthrop St., Casa Mexico is one of the best restaurants around. Go there for spicy Mexican food, candle-lit atmosphere, and fine service. Bring a lot of money.

Everything on the menu is spicy, and expertly prepared. Casa's straight-forward fare is based around enchiladas and tostadas (mainly combinations of meat, chicken or cheese rolled in dough, and usually served with beans and rice) and a few seafood dishes.

The fruit desserts are especially good, and the restaurant's unique blend of coffee is excellent. No liquor is served, but you can bring your own, and the restaurant staff will chill your wine and provide you with glasses.

All this comes at a price, however. The restaurant's cellar room is over-crowded with revenue-producing tables, and the floor arrangement allots little space to groups of two or three. Casa's prices, already high, have been raised by 10 per cent in the wake of recent increases in food prices, and a $4 minimum per person has been decreed, even though it is difficult to wheedle a $4 meal out of the menu. An average meal runs close to $8 a person, excluding tip.

Legal Seafood

237 Hampshire St.

For law-abiding seafood lovers Legal Seafood in Inman Square is the place to go. There are not many seafood houses in Cambridge but this one is excellent and probably the most reasonably priced around Boston. It is advisable to get there early since a two-hour wait later in the evening is not unusual. But if forced to wait, the clam bar upstairs is not a bad place to do it. The shrimp in garlic is one of the menu's highlights, and a bucket of steamers is always a good and relatively inexpensive dinner. All the salt water entrees are fresh, of course. The Legal Sweetshop is also worth a visit.

Osaka

617 Concord Ave.

The best Japanese food in Cambridge can be had for a short trip to Fresh Pond. The prices are by no means low, but the food is good enough to make you forget how much you are shelling out.