Harvard Gardens

857-488-3861

316 Cambridge St Boston, MA 02114

www.harvardgardens.com

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A lively bar scene and extensive, inviting menu of comforting faves make for an ideal all-purpose hangout on Beacon Hill.

Categories:

Bars & Clubs, Bars & Pubs, Restaurants, New American Restaurants, Hamburgers

Details:

After Work, Martinis, $$$, Bar Scene, Brunch, Date Spot, Dine At The Bar, Group Dining, Late Night Dining, Local Favorite, Romantic Dining

Insiders:

T T. Jennifer S. Photo Photo Photo
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Kid Friendly: yes 0 no 0
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Mon-Fri 11:30am-2am Sat, Sun 11am-2am

Message from Harvard Gardens

Merchant_icon

Nestled between Beacon Hill and Mass General Hospital, the Harvard Gardens attracts a diverse crowd of young professionals, locals and more who crave delicious comfort food and a warm and friendly atmosphere. Our Boston restaurant serves up a savory menu of nachos, burgers, salads, pizza, tuna tartare, steak fries and more to the lunch crowd, dinner patrons and late-night diners. Come for a romantic dinner date, lunch with friends or just a fun drink at the bar. Friendly bartenders, a good selection of draft beers and an extensive, inventive drink menu add to the appeal of Harvard Gardens. Try the ever-popular raspberry sangrita, the H.G. Doli (pineapple infused vodka) or the Mafioso mixture of limoncello and stoli. From the American cuisine, to the relaxed atmosphere, our Boston eatery has something for everyone. Come into Harvard Gardens or visit our website.

Editorial by Citysearch

The Scene
Located across the street from Mass General Hospital, the Gardens attracts a diverse crowd of area workers and Beacon Hill residents. At night, the dining room glows with candlelight and other romantic touches, while the handsome bar hosts a renowned singles scene. Friendly bartenders, a good selection of draft beers and an extensive, inventive drink menu (white chocolate mint martinis, watermelon margaritas) add to the appeal.

The Food
Chef Jared Hargreaves splits his lengthy menu between comfort food classics (creamy baked brie, savory Portobello sandwich, creamy mac-and-cheese) and an ever-changing list of modern fare (grilled romaine salad, savory blackberry-chestnut waffle with venison sausage). Thin-crust pizzas are light and flavorful; toppings include seared scallops, spicy chorizo and roasted artichokes. Popular weekend brunch service provides several hangover cures (pastrami hash, applewood-smoked bacon), done in style. Homemade desserts like a Guinness float or a sinful "chocolate lovers" platter for two are worth a visit alone.

Key Points

  • Daily Handmade Pastas
  • Popular Thursday Destination
  • Renowned Singles Scene

The Inside Scoop

  1. The Extras - With its location across the street from MGH, the bar enjoys one of the highest ratios of doctors and nurses of any establishment in the city.
  2. When to Go - Need a late-night bite? A lengthy menu of comfort faves (nachos, burgers, salads, pizzas) is served Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until midnight.

Editorial and merchant content by Citysearch

Reviews for Harvard Gardens

Ratings_icons harvard gardens

Anonymous

Harvard gardens is a cool restaurant they have a wide variety of different kinds of foods and they are very well made. They arein a relaxing type of environment and i like them and would reccomend them.

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Ratings_icons Harvard Gardens

Jennifer S. | insider_guru Insider Guru | Rank: 211

The Harvarad Gardens is a very unique reasturaunt/bar. it is great it is located between Mass General and beacon hill there is so much going on there. They have a dining area with lighted candles which is a nice place to go for a romantic date and relaxed time and then at the bar they have drinks til 2and lots going on for the single scene. They have a lot of variety on their menu and are reasonabley priced. They have a great selection of beers and wines and the people that work there are nice and it is a very relaxed atmosphere. I would reccomend going there.

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Latest reviews from Citysearch.

Ratings_icons classy, casual and fun

theclassywino

My friends and I ventured over to HG after the Liberty Hotel line did not move at all. Conveniently located right by the MGH t-stop in Beacon Hill, HG offers a mix of casual and classy under one roof. The selection of males and females is an equal balance, and Saturday nights tend to bring out an evolving crowd of people either there to pregame, or there to stay, with new people constantly in line to get in. I have not tried any food ? stuck only to wine ? but my friends had mixed drinks and all the prices were on par for Boston. As a single female looking to mingle, I found a variety of men interesting enough to let engage me. I prefer when bars are most crowded to sit at the bar ? that way you can scope out the scene better ? and meet people who need to get drinks by helping them get the attention of the bartenders. Not a date spot because it can be too loud and busy to really get to know the person you went with. I recommend HG as a place to go with a group of people that might not all know each other, or a place to go if only a few people want to go out.

Pros: diverse crowd of people

Cons: can get extremely crowded on weekend nights

Ratings_icons Worst Brunch Experience

gtjojahpeach

We only waited a few minutes to sit down, but were not greeted by out waiter right away. When he did greet us he said they were out of ALL brunch items accept for eggs and omelets. He didn't come back for another 15-20 minutes to place our order. Our food took an hour to get to the table and the waiter did not alert us once to any kitchen updates or why the food was taking so long. We had ordered two omelets. When the food finally came, he didn't apologize for the delay. All of the food - eggs, bacon and potatoes were overcooked and looked and tasted as though they had been sitting out for a while. The waiter did not put any more effort than minimally needed to get us our food/see how we were doing. He also got one of the orders wrong. The check took just as long to get as it had to order our food. To say the least - not returning. Who is out of everything but eggs during brunch before noon?

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Service

Ratings_icons Great Food, Nice Bar Scene

ijdatz

Went out to this restaurant for dinner with my sister and really enjoyed it! We were a little short on budget but still have high standards and this one met them and exceeded! We shared everything that we ordered and the staff was very courteous about it. The butterleaf cashew salad was excellent, the truffled parmesan fries were awesome, (very big serving, and even better on oven reheat later that night!) and the asparagus ravioli was particularily memorable. It had a great bar scene but still very convenient and comfortable dinner seating. If anything was lacking it was the airconditioning. It wasn't too hot, but on a stifling day I wanted a little more than room fans.

Pros: Ambiene, Food

Cons: Air conditioning

Ratings_icons ridiculously HOT waitstaff & bartenders

denny21

great bar scene with equally great food. service is comparable to most other good restaurants only the staff at HG is downright gorgeous - read: serious eye candy. thursday nights are not to be missed - get there early, it fills up quickly so if you get there before 10, you can secure one of the coveted high top bar tables and stake out your section before the rush.

definitely try the tuna tartare - best in the city

Pros: great staff, great food, great drinks, FANTASTIC music

Cons: no parking, gets crowded early

Ratings_icons Solid comfort food

abirkens

The bar has a great vibe as it fills in during the weekdays with local doctors and businessman. The food is good, try the hamburger, its pretty good!

Ratings_icons obsessed...

beaconhillgirl

LOVE the HG for food and drinks on an off-night.

The menu is great, my only negative is that I have so many favorites, I rarely try anything new. There is tuna tartar in a martini glass with plum sauce, good bibb lettuce salad, delicious chicken salad, inventive pasta dishes that can come in half-sizes, creative pizzas, etc. Wine list is decent, and quite inexpensive. Martinis and special drink list is fun and reasonably priceD. It is a little too much of a scene on thurs/fri/sat, as a line develops out front by 10pm, but the rest of the week it is not crowded.

Perfect neighborhood locale for casual dinner and drinks!

Pros: tuna appetizer, reasonably priced, always plays sox game

Ratings_icons Not the same as it was

jay25

Fun food, fun drinks.
I love being able to order the best tuna tartar in boston, at the same place I can sling back beers have a burger and people watch. This place has come along way, I can call this my neighborhood place for any occasion, date, watching a game or special occasion

Pros: walking location, noise

Cons: parking, noise

Ratings_icons Suprise

jay27

I have not been to Harvard Gardens in sometime, I went back recently and was very suprised the food is not what it was, its much better, very exciting and the lovely crowds are still here. there now is a hugh menu with ton of specials, its worth trying

Ratings_icons The best single women in Beantown

dblackey

I have traveled all over the world and I can say that without a doubt HG plays host to the most beautiful women of any bar scene. The staff is equally as attractive!

Ratings_icons KICK ASS STAFF AND FOOD

bostonchick

I have never met a better bartender in my life than Karen at HG. She is the best- drinks, attitude and all! My favorite dish there right now is the salmon. I love the fact that there menu changes every season. Great neighborhood hang out.

Pros: the staff

Cons: none

Ratings_icons The Hot Spot on the Hill

duff29

I have been to Harvard Gardens a few times now, and every time I go I have a great time. The food is always great, the drinks are tastey, and there is always a lively atmosphere!

Ratings_icons READ ME

yankeesfan

Cool atmosphere, service is slowif you are sitting in the back area. Been there 5 times and the service is much better if you get seated near the front part of the dining room. Food is good and relatively inexpensive

Ratings_icons Hot and Bothered

SolsticeJo

I was unpleasantly surprised by this restaurant. I would expect a restaurant with rave reviews to have a large enough selection that you could open the menu. The menu was only one page, nearly half of which was pizza. I would also expect that the waiters would be capable of placing a complete order. I ordered an appetizer and a meal, and my husband ordered only an entree, but the waiter only placed the order for my appetizer and his entree! And it was almost 30 minutes between when we got our food and when he came back to check on us, so I had to wait 45 minutes for my entree. To make matters worse, they didn't have the common sense to turn on their fans on a 90 degree day! About the only good thing I can say is that once I got my food, it was good.

Pros: good food, easy access from T

Cons: small selection, uncomfortable temp.

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