Union Square

Union Square has grown and evolved in the four years I’ve been here, adding restaurants and rock gyms, ice cream parlors and community spaces, fitness centers and circus arts havens. It’s gotten increasingly more quirky; in five years, when the T invades, it will become the new Davis Square. You just have to be patient.

Definitely an up-​and-​coming square. Recent years have seen beautification projects (brick crosswalks, new sidewalks, planted trees all along somerville ave leading into the square, bike lanes, few new parks on the residential streets). Union has some chill bars, a couple great restaurants, and a nice vibe. It will keep taking off in coming years as gentrification continues and the green line station comes in.
Bars: Precinct, Independent, Bull McCabe’s, Sally O’Brien, etc. All have a more local feel than Harvard and chiller than Davis.
Restaurants: Highly recommend India Palace, Machu Picchu, Sweet Ginger, Buk Kyung. Many others.
Coffee: Bloc 11 is outstanding. Also Sherman Café and Fortissimo.

soon I will not be able to afford to live here… well, actually I can’t aford to live here now.

I’ve walked around here once and can’t wait to do it again. There seem to be a lot of nice shops and restaurants here – need to make more friends who live in that area! A bit of a hike to get to, as the T isn’t right there.

I love living (sort of) close to Union Square. Though I know that a T stop via the green line extension may be a wonderful thing for residents and businesses in the area, I wonder if it will change the eclectic character of the neighborhood.
Parking can be challenging to say the least. There are metered spots in a parking lot until 8PM, and there is some street parking (also metered) in the vicinity as well. During the summer months, I like to use Hubway to get to and from Union Square, as there is a place for bikes in Union. In the winter, I drive or cab it.
Some of my personal favorites in the square include (I’ve reviewed several of these items):
1. Union Square Farmers Market — a well run market with a diverse cross-​section of vendors (including Stillman Farms, Jordan Brothers seafood, and Taza Chocolate).
2. Casa B — a wonderful south american tapas restaurant that is elegantly run. Great date spot!
3. The Independent — great selection of drafts and bottles, items that go in and out of rotation seasonally, and great food to boot (the fried chicken with mac and cheese is a worthy diet buster, but truly fantastic).
4. The Precinct — another worthy watering hole
5. Backbar — ridiculous drinks
There are plenty of other wonderful places as well. There are also some anxiously awaited openings in 2013 that will add to the awesomeness that is Union Square.

Union Square is awesome and it keeps getting better! A bit of jaunt from the T (though easily accessibly by bus), it is a vibrant neighborhood full of bars, cafes, ethnic restaurants (the Neighborhood!), and interesting shops. Plus, there is a people park, a dog park, a farmer’s market, MARKET BASKET, and ample parking. It’s also an easy bike ride, or longish walk, to Inman Square, Harvard Square, Central Square, Porter Square, or Davis Square. So if you’re looking to get off the heavily beaten path of the T, head to Union Square, and explore!

This exists?! I had no idea! It’s been taking a backseat to that bully Davis Square for years. With a sweep of my eye, I saw The Independent (an American pub), a Mexican joint, a Brazilian joint, a sushi joint, and a farmstand?! Unilocaling for joy.
I need to check this place out more. I came for a documentary at SCATV and was thrilled that the meters took CCs (but whined when I found out they ran til 8 pm). I’ll be back!

I don’t love it.
I used to live right in the middle of this mess. The streets were a total mess forEVER until just the end of last year (they still have yet to mark the lines on the streets though… awesome!) —
Our shop is here, so I have to come here for work often. There are a great many things that I like about Union Square — they are mostly individual stores or restaurants, but as a whole… This place I can easily go without.
Living in Union was a headache and a half. The traffic pattern has always been bad, and it will continue to be bad, especially if there is a train station there someday in the not so near future… More foot traffic won’t make it easier to navigate.
My least favorite part? Traffic caused by the stupid charter school drop off/​pick up. It makes the roads almost totally impassible from 7am-​9, and 2:30−4pm. OB. NOXIOUS.

Things I heart about Union Sq:
–a 5 min walk from my house
–The Independent
–Precinct
–the farmers market on Saturdays
–bloc 11 café
my un-​favorite things:
–no T stop (about 8 years away last time I heard)
–the concrete mess in the middle of the square on Somerville Ave… they are slowly improving it, and hopefully it will be done soon

So, when I first moved to Union Square 3 ½ years ago I would have said maybe 2. Lately that has changed, it’s still a pain to get to from any train line, best bet is to hit Lechmere and hit the 88 or 87 bus, but the place has grown on me.
The shops and restaurants there really have a neighborhood mentality, visit them a couple of times and they will remember your name and say hi, there is something really cool about that.
There is a dog walk, a park, great breakfast and brunch options, Prospect hill as at the top of, well the hill. And music venues just outside the square.
My top 5 Union square squatting spots:
1. The Land and Sea (formerly Sabor Do Brazil) Carlos and co. are fantastic here, great brazilian food, incredible desserts and they are very happy to see you all the time. Also, they are open late for a Somerville buffet.
2. Holiday Cleaners — This is by far the coolest dry cleaners you could ever have, Billy and Kate really go out of their way to help you out, and if you are ever in the store with others chances are if they know you, you are going to get introduced.
3. P.A.‘s lounge — great indie music, really indie music and a good amount of hardcore. They have the bar for those that want to chill, and the stage area for those that want to, not-​chill.
4. Bull McCabes– was the Tir né nog, then something else, now Bull McCabes, really small but once again, that neighborhood feeling comes out with the staff and the regulars.
5. And last but not least, the Neighborhood. The food is really good, really large, and the staff, well, just don’t be in a hurry and you will be fine. In the summer you sit under a grape vine covered terrace on picnic tables and it really is a great place to take friends visiting town. Like I said, just have time.

I can’t stop raving about how Union Square will be the new hot spot in Somerville. I love it because its small and conveniently located to inman and central squares. I like the new shops that are coming up all the time. With the development of the green line I’m sure it will make at attempt to get yuppified, but please I beg that it doesn’t. I also enjoy the fact that during the summer the city of somerville also hosts movies in the park at Union square. Macchu Picchu is awesome, Razzies is a great dive, the food at The Independent is really good, the main post office is there, ummmm… The Neighborhood Restaurant ROCKS!

I love Union Square, oh so very much.
By far the best neighborhood I have lived in. It’s close to downtown and takes me less than 30 minutes to get to work, and it’s close to my favorite spots within Somerville and Cambridge. It’s close to family, and the people I care about the most (okay, well a lot of them). There are great art events in the square, and the farmer’s market in the summer. I have everything I need and more in my neighborhood, and that’s what I missed the most in living in Roxbury. I feel safe (granted, I feel safe most places) and I love our place, despite one shit head neighbor. Most of the local businesses (Hub Comics, Fashion Way, Capone Foods) are all run by genuinely nice and friendly neighbors. I will gladly give them my business, as they are awesome.