When Cambridge Common reopened mid-pandemic, it did so with a slimmed-down menu that added a few classics from the still-closed Christopher’s in Porter Square. But the thing that has me coming back is the simple elegance of its Southwestern quesadilla.

Pinocchio’s is known for its square slices of doughy pizza. You can order whole pies, but why bother when you can get fresh slices heated and good to go in seconds?

Mike’s Food & Spirits qualifies as old-school in Somerville’s Davis Square, where it’s been providing food to the Tufts crowd since before the red line arrived in 1984.

Looking for a cantina vibe with your tacos, quesadillas or tortas? Orale has good, basic Mexican comfort food with attentive service and a transporting atmosphere.

Barcelona Wine Bar has both a destination and neighborhood vibe to it, as well as a menu that’s a bounty of unique flavors and textures that’ll have you coming back to sample.

The dining experience at Moëca may – dare I say it – supersede Giulia, the sister eatery focused on pasta that’s run by Michael Pagliarini around the corner.

For your special-evening-out dollars, Umami gives you an 18-dish custom meal with a chef’s entertaining explanation of each course and where it came from, sea to seat.

The menu’s handwritten and hanging up over the griddle. You sip your coffee and watch the cook whip, pour and fold your omelet on the steel hot-top just feet away. That’s old-school.

The food is every bit as good as it was at the old Tanjore, which was always one of my favored spots for Indian cuisine despite a flat, sterile interior – and that’s definitely changed.

The Life Alive cafes that have landed recently in Kendall and Harvard squares (there are Boston locales too) are a huge change-up from the crunchy Central Square original from 2010.