36 Church St.
Just as rowdy, but considerably less interesting than Jacks or the Plough and Stars, is the Oxford Ale House, located around the corner from the Coop at 23 Church St. The place seems to attract a lot of townies, but maybe some of those people are freshmen who have come over from the nearby Yard--it's hard to tell the difference these days. It is routine to be carded, at least on weekends. This place provides live entertainment (loud), beer and more potent alcohol, and little else. There is no atmosphere, only noise. Somehow or another, the Oxford Ale House seems out of place in Cambridge, at least as out of place as Yale would be, and hopefully more so.
Beer is 50 cents and simple hard drinks are $1.00, slightly higher at night. Open noon to 1 a.m. every night except Thursday and Friday, when it stays open 'til 2 a.m. No cover charge.
Ha'penny
123 Mt. Auburn St.
Don't go to the Ha'Penny if you want to pick up or be picked up or if you get off on crowd scenes. But do go if you want a cozy place to have a heart-to-heart with someone over a couple of beers.
Located in the basement under the Blue Parrot at 123 Mt. Auburn St., the Ha'Penny features both domestic and imported beers on tap, Heineken light at 95 cents is reasonably priced and recommended. Two brands of domestic can be had for 70 cents. Other drinks start at $1.25, which is about average for the Square.
Seating is mostly at small tables with the kind of red-checked tablecloths you would expect to see at a country-style restaurant and the only music you'll hear is from the low-volume jukebox. Service is friendly and reasonably efficient.
The Ha'Penny is open noon to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Sundays. A lunch menu is served daily (except Sun.), but the only food available in the evenings is a few nibbles.
The clientele is generally sober in both senses of the word, with an emphasis on young professional types.
Grendel's Den
89 Winthrop St.
Far too many students go through Harvard without even knowing that Grendel's Den exists. That's a shame, because Grendel's is one of the Square's most enjoyable and most reasonably-priced eating places.
Many frequent diners at Grendel's feel its salad bar, which is open for lunch and for most weekday dinners, is the best deal the restaurant offers. For under $2 you can concoct your own salad from a wide assortment of garden greens, vegetables and dressings. You'll have fun competing against others in the contest of seeing how much you can heap onto one salad plate.
But Grendel's offers much, much more than just delicious salads. In fact, their menu may boast more items than any similiar Square restaurant. In addition to such mainstays of the menu as delicious soups, cheese fondue and veal cordon bleu, the chef makes one's choice difficult by offering a dozen or so other Middle Eastern, European, and seafood daily specials. Most dinner dishes go for around $4, and they include rice and (unfortunately usually overcooked) vegetables.
The best part of Grendel's atmosphere is its simplicity. It doesn't have the European landscape posters that other easteries find so necessary to their identities. Grendel's exudes a European ambience without even trying. The music is light and tends toward the classical, and the waiters and waitresses are generally cordial.
To make a meal at Grendel's complete, one ought to help it along with a bottle of wine. Grendel's doesn's serve anything stronger than expresso, but for a few dollars you can stop off at the Pro before your meal and purchase the wine of your choice. Since this is a common occurrence at Grendel's, you will be provided with wine glasses and a corkscrew as soon as you reach into the paper bag.
To find Grendel's Den, go down Boylston Street one block from the Square. On your right you'll see Winthrop Squae, behind which is a building that houses Grendel's in its basement.