At Third Time Together’s Kendall Square cafe, ice cream is not just dessert, it is a spice experiment in a cone. The team is folding global herbs, teas, and condiments into house-made scoops, so the menu reads more like a well-stocked pantry than a traditional ice cream board. Think jasmine green tea perfumed rice, shiso threaded with dark chocolate, passion fruit cutting through chocolate ribbons, and a ginger pineapple tepache to wake everything up. The result is an inventive, often savory-leaning approach to frozen desserts that shares the stage with breakfast, coffee, and Middle Eastern inspired small plates.
From pop-up to Kendall Square
The project started small, first as a Bow Market pop-up and then through a residency at the Charles River Speedway, before landing a permanent home at 399 Binney St. in Kendall Square. As reported by Boston Magazine, the team scaled up into a larger Cambridge space in early 2026 after drawing plenty of local buzz. The owners pitched the new spot as an all-day neighborhood hangout where house-made ice cream lives right alongside coffee and sharable plates.
What they are scooping
The shop’s online menu lists roughly 16 rotating flavors, and the names alone tip you off that this is not your average scoop shop. There is “Perfumed Rice,” jasmine green tea and jasmine rice combined with the house ginger pineapple tepache, and “The Myth of Marco Polo II,” a shiso leaf ice cream streaked with dark chocolate. Other flavors blur the line between sweet and savory, from chocolate bases tangled with passion fruit to gelatos seasoned with fenugreek, cardamom, and lemon thyme. Full flavor descriptions and current pricing appear on Third Time Together's menu.
Owners and culinary roots
Owners Sari and Nick Ladin Sienne bring Jewish diaspora and Eastern Mediterranean influences to both the savory dishes and the ice cream case. Sauces like amba and zhoug show up alongside layered herb and spice blends, and that same pantry mindset carries over to the frozen side of the menu. Boston Magazine notes that the couple picked up Best of Boston recognition during their pop-up era and brought that experimental hospitality with them to Kendall Square. It helps explain how pickled mango jam and a shiso dark chocolate scoop can coexist without anyone blinking.
How the menu evolves
Every recipe is developed in house, and the kitchen treats flavor development as an ongoing improvisation rather than a fixed formula. As reported by WCVB, the cafe rotates roughly half of its flavors each month to keep things moving. The outlet quoted an owner describing the process as “all an improv exercise,” a reminder that the board you see one week may look very different the next.
Practical info
Third Time Together lists small cups at $5.50, half pints at $8, and pints at $13, and the Kendall Square location runs daily with morning coffee service and extended weekday hours, according to the cafe’s website. The all-day setup folds in breakfast sandwiches, stuffed pitas, and mezzes that play nicely with a scoop or two. For anyone who prefers to stay home on the couch with their unconventional flavor choices, the shop is also available on delivery platforms.
Why it matters locally
The arrival of Third Time Together brings a playful, experimental streak to the Kendall Square dining scene, a neighborhood that already takes food and tech innovation seriously. Boston.com highlighted the cafe in a recent openings roundup, noting how the scrappy pop-up ethos translated into a full-service operation. For adventurous Cambridge and Greater Boston diners who like their scoops laced with spices, herbs, and savory condiments, it is one more reason to linger in Kendall Square a little longer.
