TRATA is the Gaelic word for tomato. So, if you've walked past this cozy Mt. Auburn Street bistro, thinking that the food inside is red sauce Italian, you’ve really been missing the boat.  
 

TRATA serves up a dizzying array of dinner options nightly.  Entrées like Cajun-spiced salmon fillet, roasted ½ chicken with rosemary gravy, and soy-marinated steaks, all cost less than $20, yet the selection continues --- to hefty salads and gut-busting Cuban sandwiches to, yes, homey pasta dishes like vegetable lasagna and rigatoni Bolognese. An authentic brick oven turns out half a dozen crisp, fragrant pizzas, and the bar boasts more than 30 imported and domestic craft beers. Cocktails and wine are also available.

 
Add on TRATA’s cozy (almost glowing) and low key ambiance, the warm welcome from on-site owner Brendan Hopkins, and the early week entertainment, and you’ll have found yourself the ideal perch from which to enjoy Harvard Square like a local.      

Dinner daily from 5 PM  til late