It’s Italian food all day and night at Gufo in Cambridge
Where to: Gufo, an Italian restaurant and cafe in East Cambridge.
Why: It’s run by Coda Restaurant Group, also behind SRV and Salty Pig, known for pizza and other excellent Italian fare. It’s open day and night. There is a huge outdoor dining space. And it has a bocce court!
The backstory: Executive chef Andrew Hebert previously worked with chef Jody Adams at Trade and more, before joining Coda Restaurant Group. Gufo occupies the space that was formerly Loyal Nine. The name means “owl” in Italian, in case you didn’t guess from the owl-bedecked wallpaper.
What to eat: In the cafe, open 8 a.m.-4 p.m., there are pastries (salt-andpepper pecorino scones, pistachio-ginger biscotti) and sandwiches (fontina frittata, mortadella with stracciatella and artichoke-pistachio pesto). Later in the day, share little plates of olives, nuts, and triple-cream cheese over drinks, then start eating in earnest. The snap pea Caesar is a salad worthy of obsession — no greens here, just the peas, sliced on the bias and tossed with creamy, anchovy-forward dressing, crunchy breadcrumbs, dill, and radish. Head-on shrimp come in a pool of deep red, warming Fresno chile sauce. Fried dough is draped with prosciutto and brushed with garlic butter. There’s pasta: squid ink bucatini with baby clams, mortadella cappelletti with corn. And pizza, lightly charred, with beautifully chewy crust. Get one with merguez sausage and bitter rapini; pepperoni, olives, and vodka sauce; or a combination of your choosing. Those who need protein will want the half-chicken with harissa, arugula, and potatoes or the whole roast fish. For dessert: olive oil cake, dark chocolate torte, or soft-serve with toppings.
What to drink: In the cafe, coffee drinks and kombucha. At the bar, a rum spritz, a Negroni, or a house cocktail like the Shaken No. One (gin, strawberry-rhubarb syrup, and lemon). There is also a nice selection of beer, cider, wine, and zero-proof drinks.
The takeaway: Cambridge just got a day-to-night haunt with delicious food and drink. And bocce! If you like SRV, go to Gufo.
660 Cambridge St., Cambridge, 617945-9734, www.gufocambridge.com. Appetizers $12-$17, pizza $16-$19, larger plates $21-$32, dessert $5-$10, cocktails $12-$14.