Small Bite at Meadhall

Photograph by Dan Watkins.

Kendall Square’s drinking and dining scene has picked up of late, thanks in part to Meadhall. The gastropub has more than 100 craft brews on draft and special glassware for each, targeting the same beer-geek clientele as nearby bars Lord Hobo and Cambridge Brewing Company.

But while Meadhall bests its rivals on the sheer number of taps, its selection falls seriously short. With such an extensive beer list, you’d expect to see plenty of niche offerings; instead it’s all the usual suspects, like Allagash, Ommegang, and Dogfish Head. For true beer snobs, the effect is more Stop & Shop than gourmet grocery — lots of beers you like, but few that you’ve never heard of.

Sadly, the food doesn’t cover the lost ground. An off-tasting burger with cold fries ($12) and a wimpy cheese plate (about $14) from the all-day menu were a bummer, and the dinner menu’s prices ($23 to $28 for entrées) and bistro leanings (mint oil? soubise?) seem at odds with casual beer-hall offerings like bratwurst ($12, pictured below) — not to mention the place’s overall vibe. Coupled with service hiccups, Meadhall has plenty to sort out before it can contend with the city’s better bars.

4 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, 617-714-4372, themeadhall.com.