Elements Café

If you work or go to school in the Longwood Area, you know that lunch time can get pretty hectic. Elements Café is just enough out of the way where you can get a sense of relaxation. There is outside and in-​door seating. The Café consists of a sandwich station, buffet, grill and salad bar. The only downfall is they only accept cash or a crimson card (for you Harvard Students), so a little planning is required before hand.

This place has great quality food, but is extremely pricey for a lunch destination.
Occasionally, they will serve something worth the price (i.e. Duck) but they run out of it halfway though the lunch rush.
I find it very frustrating that they post a menu, which I check daily, and then have different (lower quality) food when I arrive. I don’t even bother paying $ 10 a plate for… chicken.
If you post a menu, order enough of it to feed your patrons throughout the day. Simple.

So I’ve seriously been trying to go here for almost 6 months now and every time I do something happens and I never make it there. Well today I finally made it and I’m kicking myself for not going sooner.
First I have to say I like that they post the menu on a website that is kept up to date so you can see if there is anything you want before you go. Next, the amount of selections available is very varied and I would have been happy with almost any of the choices that were available. Lastly, I liked that everything was healthy and locally sourced.
This place is far from perfect though. The signage for what was being served is way tiny and placed in a way that you have to look like your cutting in the line to read it. The price is a bit high for lunch coming in just a bit more than the CHB café, but lower the O’Naturals (MIne was $ 8). The atmosphere in the seating area was a bit stuffy. It sounded more like a library then a busy cafeteria/​restaurant at peak lunch time. I was a little weirded out by this to be honest especially since my lunch companions and I aren’t exactly quiet sometimes. Lastly, cash only? Seriously, WTF. I understand little family run joints that are cash only or whose transactions are all under $ 5, but Harvard University can’t spring to get a POS device in there.
This place will definitely be added into the regular lunch rotation now.

Kelly summed it up pretty well. As a vegetarian, my jaw dropped when I walked into the café. No nasty cafeteria smells?! No styrofoam?! A map of the local farms that the day’s food had come from?! Tempeh?! Yay!!!
This place is pretty great. It’s healthy food, but actually interesting. Definitely on the pricier side, although I find ABP just as expensive. I hardly buy lunch (once every few weeks or so) so I don’t have that much of a problem with paying for an almost $ 10 lunch.
They should really have more than one person working the sandwich line and the stir-​fry line, though. It takes foreeeever to get your food, plus those poor people look overwhelmed!

Elements is one of those lunch places I would go to every day if I were rich (like most of its patrons, current or future MDs of Harvard). They have a wide selection of offerings that are all really fresh (mostly pretty healthy too) and generally made to order, relying on local and sustainable ingredients. Everything I’ve had there has been super tasty and many items they offer are quite unique… for example, today they had a Native American themed flair (which apparently translated into swordfish, roasted cauliflower, and potato wedges?).
Features:
–a cold salad bar (fresh spinach and mixed fish salad anyone?) and a hot entrée bar (usually with a protein and 3 – 4 sides) that are both pay per ounce which is nice (.44 I believe)
–sandwich bar where you can get your usual ham and cheese as well as some inventive offerings (mango chicken wrap?)
–action station (changes daily but is generally things like pastas, rices, etc, made/​mixed to order)
–flatbread station (they have some really interesting flavor combos, like butternut squash and prociutto)
–bbq station (meat, sides, cornbread, all kinds of bbq sauces)
–grill area for things like hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, etc (HUGE plus for me: their turkey burgers are not only locally sourced and delicious, they’re cheaper than the beef burgers! So often are beef burgers– which I don’t eat– cheaper than turkey and veggie burgers– which I do-​, but not here! the whole unhealthy-​foods-​are-​less-​expensive trend is the major cause of our country’s obesity epidemic IMO… but I digress)
–daily specials throughout (one of today’s was a brisket sandwich with a side of cheesy potato hash and marinated cherry tomatoes for $ 6.50)
–chef’s table– generally a really fancy entrée made by a dedicated chef for about $ 10. The other week it was scallops and some kind of purée, and it looked and smelled fabulous (but who has $ 10 to spend on lunch?)
–build your own snack cup (mostly candy and dried fruit offerings)
–various prepackaged sushi options, and the usual chips/​cookies/​sodas/​juices/​waters/​etc (with some organic options, of course)
Most of the meats proudly list what local source they come from (I think my turkey burger was from Nieman Ranch), and they strive to obtain most offerings locally and are good about labeling everything they offer in terms of diet (i.e. lacto-​ovo vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free, etc). They definitely care not only about the environment but about their customers.
I really do love this place but can barely ever come because it’s just too expensive, which is why it only gets 3 stars; rarely will you walk out of here for less than $ 7 (and that’s not including a drink). Today’s minimal meal of a plain turkey burger and a bag of chips cost me $ 5.50, which for Elements’ main clientele may seem like pennies, but to a poor (non-​Harvard) grad student it’s about 2 times more than I’m willing to afford for lunch on a daily basis. So sadly, Elements remains an infrequent (but delicious) treat for me…

Elements Café is probably my favorite place to lunch in the LMA. The only reason I didn’t give them 5 stars is because the only take cash — and I never carry cash, so lunch requires a little planning.
They have an awesome sandwich station and salad bar. The have a Pizza station and a recently a Burrito station as well. Their main dishes change everyday; there is a downloadable menu on their website. Get there early, because the quantities of their featured items are limited. Sometimes they will do sushi too. I’ve never tried their breakfast, just lunch.
Also check the website for breakfast and lunch hours. Very convenient if you work or study in the LMA. Located in the New Research Building (NRB) of Harvard Medical. Enter via Louis Pasture or Blackfan Circle near Fitcorp.
Weekly Menu:

The best part is their commitment to sustainability and their support of local growers — «Green is the new Crimson»

Can’t elaborate much on Kelly O’s review, she nailed it. Elements definitely doesn’t suffer from the typical cafeteria blandness, where everything tastes the same. There’s a lot of variety and everything is fresh, local, and «green».
But oy, the price tag. I got a chicken something wrap, a drink and chips for like $ 10… too much. You definitely pay for quality.
To save some dough look into the specials. They’re usually priced a little better than doing everything a la carte, or by the pound at the salad bar.