It feels like an eternity ago that Christopher’s closed its doors. One of the last bastions of bohemia in Cambridge with its homey center bar, melting-pot vibe and comfort food staples – Buffalo tofu, veggie burgers and a Cobb salad that was the tops – the hub of hangout shuttered with other restaurants during Covid. But when pandemic restrictions were lifted, the owners struggled to get the lights back on, and after 42 years, decided to sell the beloved eatery and music lounge next door, Toad.
The business and building sale took a while to find the right buyer. Eventually, Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello, owners of The Burren in Davis Square and The Bebop in Back Bay, where Irish music and vegetarian fare are front and fore, stepped in. After a long and rigorous renovation, the buzz is back in Porter Square.
Toad remains pretty much the same – same layout, same free music every night. What has changed is at the restaurant, now McCarthy’s: The main concourse, the fireplace and woody, wraparound bar are gone. In their stead is one large, open room with a stately dark bar on one side, family-style seating in the center, bright red walls adorned by pictures and tchotchkes galore above the bar.
Like Christopher’s and the area’s other come-as-you are bar, The Abbey, McCarthy’s serves lunch, brunch, dinner and late-night fare. The menu’s a slimmed-down version of what you get at The Burren – fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash – with a proudly featured “plant-based” slate.
My early trips to McCarthy’s were a tad fraught; the opening last month seemed to come with a few kitchen fits. Nothing unusual, as opening jitters happen. All is solid and well now.
The item I had my eye on was the chicken sandwich, a flavorful and moist marinated breast topped with roasted red peppers, generous slice of provolone, arugula and thick house pesto. Nothing too exciting, but besides that Christopher’s Cobb, this was a comfort go-to that I have been missing. (You can sub in mixed veggies or mashed for the fries it comes with.) The same sandwich is on The Burren menu, so it’s not a renewal as much as a transplant, but served on a light, lightly toasted brioche bun it did not disappoint.
On the vegetarian slate, there are chickpea and cauliflower tacos, a sweet potato and chickpea veggie burger that draws the eye (something different from your basic black bean burger), eggplant pizza and a vegetarian shepherd’s pie. I tried the lentil stew with its mix of slightly al dente broccoli, sweet potatoes and zucchini in a hearty, light tomato-y broth, and was glad I did. Also fun on the plant plate menu are sweet potato boats, tender roasted tuber halves filled with corn, red onions, tomatoes, black beans and topped with a thick, aiolilike cilantro dressing.
For brunch, there’s your full weekend listing of omelets, pancakes and Benedicts (classic Canadian ham or Florentine) and natch, a hearty Irish breakfast that comes with eggs, rashers, sausage, baked beans and white pudding (black pudding without the blood). There’s a veggie version as well, and a vegetarian hash. I was pleased with McCarthy’s western omelet, which came with generous amounts of lean, cubbed ham and large diced chunks of onions and peppers. It comes with fries, but you can swap them out for fruit (berries) or baked beans. Most all brunch dishes come with Irish soda bread, a dense, doughy side to sop up the ends of your indulgence.
Of course, no matter what you’re noshing, your imbibe has to be a tall creamy pint of Guinness; to do otherwise would be to cheat yourself of the McCathy’s experience – expert pours are what they do, and with pride.
McCarthy’s is festive: There’s Irish music in the main room nearly every night and Scottish music for Sunday brunch. The upstairs is open for weekly events including open mic and trivia and after 7 p.m. at Toad there’s always someone strumming. McCarthy’s is not Christopher’s resurrected, but it is an in-spirit replacement – locally run, too! A better way to think of it is as The Burren West. It’s a welcome entry into an area that has been on the wane (with the Newtowne Grille still not replaced) and poised for resurgence.
McCarthy’s, 1920 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge
Tom Meek is a writer living in Cambridge. His reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in the WBUR ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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