A sampling of the offerings at CanalSide, the new food hall inside CambridgeSide

CanalSide, the food hall inside CambridgeSide that the mall developed to replace its food court, is open.

Although the official opening date was set as Oct. 25, and promoted by CambridgeSide on its Instagram as such, only five of the 14 eateries – Caffé Nero, DalMoros Fresh Pasta To Go, Beard Papas, Juicygreens and Far Out Ice Cream – plus the C-Side Bar were open that Friday.

Others – anoush’ella, Nu Burger and InChu – opened Saturday, with Sapporo Ramen following Sunday, Lala’s Neapolitan-ish Pizza on Monday and Teazzi Tea Shop on Tuesday. The final two eateries, Fresh and Chilacates, will open this fall and winter, respectively.

Leslie Medalie, the president of Leary, which manages CambridgeSide’s public relations, said some tenants “had unexpected delays.”

Some the eateries already serve Camberville: Caffé Nero (locations in Porter and Central squares), Chilacates (in East Cambridge and Central Square), Juicygreens (in Assembly Row) and Sapporo Ramen, which is a transplant from Lesley University’s University Hall in Porter Square.

A food court is the kind of place you go if you happen to be in the mall; with CanalSide, CambridgeSide sought to make a reason to come to the mall. Did it succeed? We put it to the test in a visit to several eateries, prioritizing restaurants new to Camberville, and my verdict is, overall, yes. Here’s what I tried, starting with the best:

Lala’s Neapolitan-ish Pizza: Hot Johnny (tomato sauce, fresh mozz, pepperoni, hot honey, basil)
Price: $15.45
Rating: 9.5/10
Lala’s Neapolitan-ish Pizza is naturally leavened, which means instead of using packaged yeast to rise, it relies on a natural leavening agent, like a sourdough starter. I can’t say I noticed the difference, but no matter: It was extremely good pizza nonetheless. Neapolitan-style pizza generally has a more pillowy crust than the thin crust of New York-style pizza, and Lala’s stayed true to that. The crust of my pizza was doughy, pocked all over with dark charred spots that brought flavor and crunch. The sauce was bright and solidly tomato-y, the small pepperoni cups were the perfect vessels for catching the Parmesan grated on top, and the big basil leaves added freshness. I appreciated the adequate drizzle of hot honey, too. Its sweetness balanced out the saltiness of the cheese, while its spiciness balanced out the breadiness of the dough. All in all, this was a pretty perfect pizza, something that isn’t always easy to come by in this city.

DalMoros Fresh Pasta To Go: Pesto pasta
Price: $14.99
Rating: 8.5/10
Fast-casual fresh pasta is on the rise, but still a pretty new concept and entirely new to Camberville. At DalMoros, everything is customized. You pick your pasta shape (fusilli, rigatoni, fettuccine or bigoli) and your sauce (bolognese, amatriciana, “like butter,” aglio/olio/peperoncino, Napoletana, cacio e pepe, pesto, mamma rosa, caprese or mortadella). Extra toppings such as meatballs and chicken can be added for a surcharge. When my fettuccine with pesto came out, my expectations were low: The pasta was barely visible under the sauce, and I thought it would be goopy and overly heavy. But as soon as I took a bite, my feelings changed. The sauce was flavorful and, once mixed through the pasta, just the right amount. The pesto was garlicky and bright with a slight creaminess, and while the pasta was a touch overcooked, it was unmistakably fresh, with a great bite and texture. My only other complaint was that the vessel it came in, a Chinese takeout-esque box of thin cardboard, didn’t make sense for something that was so saucy (read: wet). But it was delicious and came with more than enough pasta to make it feel worth its nearly $15 price tag.

Nu Burger: Fenway (sharp cheddar, tomato, onion, lettuce, spicy pickle, NuSauce)
Price: $12
Rating: 8/10
Camberville is no stranger to burgers (and continues to get more), but smashburgers can be harder to come by. Nu Burger now offers a destination for them. On the menu are a series of burgers (chicken sandwiches are still “coming soon”), some rather out of the box (the California includes grilled jalapeño salsa, pistachio guacamole and Oaxaca cheese, while the Buffalo has buffalo sauce, blue cheese, tomato and lettuce), but I went classic with the Fenway. And classic was very good: it came with two patties, a nice surprise for $12 topped with melty cheddar, fresh tomato and lettuce and grilled onions, which were nicely caramelized and added a good hit of flavor. The NuSauce and the spicy pickles were a great way to top it off. My one issue was that the sauce was applied to the bottom bun, so the soft bread was quickly sodden between the juices of the burger and the sauce. It felt like it could have been better assembled, but otherwise was close to a home run.

Sapporo Ramen: House ramen (signature broth, chashu pork, egg, bean sprouts, corn, scallions, nori)
Price: $16
Rating: 7.5/10
I prioritized places that didn’t already have locations in Cambridge or Somerville but decided trying Sapporo Ramen, which made a name for its authentic noodles in Lesley University’s Asian food court, was worth breaking that rule. The menu includes sushi as well, but to stay true to its name I tried the classic house ramen with a signature broth and noodles topped with a soft-boiled egg, bean sprouts, corn, scallions and nori. You get to choose your protein; I went for the chashu pork. The broth was deeply flavorful and the noodles were cooked perfectly, retaining their bounce and springiness. The meat didn’t quite have the melt-in-your-mouth quality that chashu pork generally promises, but wasn’t bad. I enjoyed the hefty sprinkling of raw bean sprouts and scallions, which were just softened by the hot broth but remained fresh enough to cut through the richness of the broth. Was it the best ramen I’ve ever had? No, but it was still pretty excellent.

Far Out Ice Cream: Vanilla-mango ice cream
Price: $5.45
Rating: 6/10
Far Out has brought New Zealand-style ice cream, which is made by blending hard ice cream with fresh fruit to create a soft-serve texture, to Brookline and Boston and, now, to Cambridge. This spin on something nearly everyone knows and loves comes with suggested combinations – the Raspberri Mudslide combines chocolate ice cream with raspberry and tops it with dark chocolate flakes and chocolate sauce, for instance – but I decided to create my own. I chose the vanilla base and combined it with mango, which was good: The ice cream was exceptionally creamy and tasted like fresh mango, not mango flavoring (an important distinction). But I thought it could’ve done with more of the fruit; while the flavor was good, it wasn’t particularly strong.

In sum, CambridgeSide did well with CanalSide. Everything I tried was good, if not very good, and the hall undoubtedly adds a liveliness to the mall that wasn’t there before. (On Wednesday evening, a Halloween event was taking place. Children roamed between craft stations while a man armed with a taco costume and a microphone led the Cha Cha Slide.) The stated goal with CanalSide was to create a space that represented the diverse cuisines available in Cambridge and Somerville, and while it may not have checked every box, there are options for a wide range of tastes. Plus, in each case, I felt the price I paid was fair for the portion, an increasing rarity these days. The amount of pasta and ramen I got felt especially generous.

We’ve established that CambridgeSide succeeded in making CanalSide a reason to come to the mall. But would I return? Yes, in fact, I would.

A stronger

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