Pagu
Patatas bravas with mojo verde land on the same table as crab laksa with ramen noodles, and both come out of Tracy Chang's kitchen in Central Square. MICHELIN has given it a Bib Gourmand.
Why go
Chang grew up in Lexington and cooks off Japanese, Spanish and Taiwanese experience, which is why the card reads the way it does.2 The guide's inspectors have it open since 2017 and still moving: tempura string beans with Thai chili hot sauce, bao stuffed with pork belly, a chocolate cake made with tofu that happens to be gluten free and vegan.1 The whole kitchen is nut free, and dishes are written so they can be pulled apart for other diets without losing the point.2 Alongside service she runs cooking classes and whole suckling pig dinners.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the patatas bravas with mojo verde.1
- Order: the crab laksa, which arrives with ramen noodles and poached shrimp.1
- Order: the chocolate cake. Chang makes it with tofu, and the inspectors report it disappears fast.1
What locals & experts say
- The MICHELIN Guide Boston, awarding the Bib Gourmand:
With a fun menu that takes cues from both Spain as well as countries across Asia, the cooking delivers quality ingredients, bold flavors, and the right amount of care.
3
Good to know
- Bib Gourmand, MICHELIN Guide Boston 2025, one of six in the metro and one of three in Cambridge.3
- Nut free throughout, by the kitchen's own policy.2
Verdict
should-visit — Tracy Chang cooks Spanish and Japanese in the same service without either one going soft, and the guide's inspectors put the Bib on it for the cooking rather than the price alone. The kitchen is nut free end to end and the dishes are built to come apart for gluten, dairy and vegan diets, which is a harder discipline than it sounds and it has not cost the food its edge. The gap is local: I have not found a Boston critic's review of the room to set beside the guide.