Pagu

Pagu is a fantastic dining experience! I love the open kitchen concept, where from the kitchen bar you can watch the chefs up close work in action or sit in the dining area and still get a great view of the kitchen. One of the best spots in Boston for innovative dishes! Everything I ordered came hot and fresh. The staff was extremely nice and cared about our dining experience. I highly recommend trying out this spot, you will not regret it!

Absolutely stunning dining experience. The atmosphere is well balanced between being warm, social and intimate. It’s been inspiring to see a restaurant sticking up for the right thing throughout the pandemic and to see their resilience through it all. The food brings me back to my time spent in southern Spain and the fusion with Asian cuisine is electric. Cannot wait to dine again!

Overall, the food is questionable. Nothing really tasted good other than the Chicken Katsu. The seafood paella was disappointing and smelled like fish (in a bad way). Not sure why they have this kitchen appreciation fee….just raise the prices and stop with the hidden mark-ups. Ambiance is ok I guess and servers are nice. Good choice for people who are concerned about Covid too since they require proof of vaccination.

This review is a much overdue review for one of my favorite places in the greater Boston area. I've celebrated many life events here, from anniversaries, family/friends visiting, graduations... it was even one of the last restaurants I went to before moving away from Boston. The reason I frequented Pagu for these events in my life was because of the special experience I had here each and every time. The menu is innovative and constantly changing. I won't even try to review every dish in my photos; the important part is that each one is well thought out and delicious!! Since leaving Boston, I have not found a place like Pagu that always made me feel so at home while providing me with an incredible dining experience. It saddens me to know that they are getting a lot of hate for requiring proof of vaccination to dine in. I believe that the Pagu team is just doing everything they can to keep their customers and their staff safe. I hope we can all have empathy for others, especially during this unprecedented pandemic.

We had the pork baos, ramen, jamon iberica, tempura green beans, fried calamari, and seafood paella. Everything was ok except the paella was disappointing. The fried calamari was fried well and the green beans had a nice kick from the Thai chili sauce. Comparing to the other photos on Google, I got a sparse amount of seafood. The seafood was cooked well and rice had good texture but no flavor. It needed some spices and some more salt and usually I find restaurant food too salty. It just tasted like bland rice with olive oil and steamed seafood on top.

It is hard to get to all great places in Boston. There are just too many. But Pagu should be on your list! The place is very inviting with a very generous outside seating area. The atmosphere just perfect for a date night. You can actually hear each other talking, sitting across from each other. The staff is amazing and very helpful. I loved the app selection. The pork steam bun should be my last meal. The roasted Brussels sprouts with some super tasty aioli were the big surprise for the entire table. Just perfect and delicious. I don’t get the papaya salad. IT’s not exciting to me. But I never bought a papaya at a farmers market in my life. Maybe just not my thing. Salmon ceviche… out of this world! I was surprised that the salmon was sliced that thick but it worked. Add this to my last meal list… When the black cod on cedar hit the table I could not wait to taste it. The smell was already heaven. And the cod was like butter. Very, very good butter. My vegan Paella was the best vegetable paella I ever tasted. (Sorry Spain!) Thanks to the entire team for a great meal. Chef Tracy Chang, I’m a big fan of your work!!

Pagu is probably one of the best restaurants in Cambridge for quality of food, service, and ambiance. I have eaten here 3 times now and have tried about half of the menu - the cheesy wafflato, the mushroom pan de cristal, roasted brussel sprouts, duck confit, and soft serves are must-get. The unagi bao buns were on the drier/chewier side; the ramen wasn't too special; and the veggie paella was just alright. All the servers I've encountered were friendly!