Eastern Edge Food Hall opens in Kendall Square on Feb. 13
Dre Starling: “It’s not your ordinary food hall”
Vivian Hir–The Tech
On Feb. 13, the Eastern Edge Food Hall officially opened in Kendall Square. Located on 290 Main St, next to the Kendall/MIT MBTA Red Line station, Eastern Edge is a first-floor occupant of Building E39. The 11,000 square-foot food hall can seat 275 guests and has nine food and drink vendors that include vegetarian fast food chain Clover and Caribbean grab-and-go vendor Chatty Patty. All vendors are local except for Bacaro Café & Bar, a Venetian-inspired cafe. Gather Group, a hospitality management company based in Alabama, operates and manages Eastern Edge.
Workers at Eastern Edge were optimistic about the opening of the food hall.
Jiho Ru, the General Manager of Eastern Edge, stated that the purpose of the food hall is to foster connection and build community in Cambridge. He also highlighted that Eastern Edge’s environment is influenced by MIT’s innovative atmosphere, given that MIT is near Eastern Edge. For Ru, what makes Eastern Edge special is that it is a “chef-driven company” instead of being driven by profit. “I really appreciate the people here; they are happy to be here,” Ru said.
Frenel Julce, the partner of Southern-Caribbean soul food vendor Everybody Gotta Eat, is proud that Eastern Edge is the vendor’s first physical location and new “official home.” Founded in Cambridge, Everybody Gotta Eat holds large-scale community events that range from annual barbecues to cultural gatherings. His goal is to not only feed the community, but also to connect the community by sharing the Caribbean and Southern culture with others. “We put our heart into this,” Julce said. “Money is secondary, passion is primary.”
Dre Starling, a worker at Fuji Sushi, found the food hall’s environment to be “welcoming” and “relaxing.” “It’s not your ordinary food hall,” Starling said. He found the first week of business to be busy, with weekdays being busier than the weekends.
Jonas Beausejour, the owner of burger joint Juicy Jay’s, said that he has received good reviews from customers and that the fried red snapper sandwich burger is popular. A Haitian-American, Beausejour aims to integrate Caribbean flavors into the burgers through house-made sauces and other ingredients. He added that Juicy Jay’s is special for using fresh ingredients, as their burger meat is ground fresh everyday.
Customers also had positive comments about various aspects of Eastern Edge, from the food to the ambiance. Cambridge resident Giselle Arredondo liked the physical layout, especially the cozy seating and optimal lighting. “Time Out Market is dark, while Cambridgeside Galleria is very bright,” Arredondo said. She also liked the varied food selection, such as the vegan and vegetarian options.
Chris Peterson SM ’13, Director of Communications for MIT Admissions and Student Financial Services, liked the proximity of Eastern Edge to the MIT Admissions Office and the pho at Viet Citron. However, Peterson considers the food prices to be above his allowed budget. “Viet Citron is so good and having pho beneath my office is a dream and a nightmare,” Peterson wrote.
Students, however, had mixed thoughts about the food hall, particularly the high price of the food.
“[The] ambiance is fine. But [the] food is so damn pricey,” Gabriela Erin Mariangel ’25 MEng ’26 wrote. “Like, I’d rather eat Chipotle at that point.” Mariangel plans to go to Eastern Edge at most twice a month in the future.
Aleksandra Kaminska ’26 ate at Lone Star Taco Stand and was dissatisfied with the burrito’s size, as she felt hungry after eating it. A burrito at Lone Star Taco Bar costs $14.00, while an equivalent at the neighboring Chipotle costs between $9.65 and $11.65, depending on the protein of choice. Kaminska does not intend to eat at Eastern Edge again.
Although Hana Sousa ’27 also believes that the food is overpriced, she noted that the MIT dining plan is also expensive and “doesn’t taste as good,” making the food at Eastern Edge to be fine overall. High price aside, Sousa likes the food hall for the diverse global cuisines.
“Eastern Edge is a very cool place as one can meet friends with different tastes in food and everyone can [be] satisfied,” Sousa wrote.