John Harvard’s Brewery & Ale House

I don’t recommend ordering the ribeye. Although a friend got an «acceptable» medium rare cook on their ribeye, mine was well done. The waiter agreed and suggested the kitchen prepare another. The next was a barely seared rare so I just ate the satisfactory gnocchi.

Honestly, we wanted to like it because it’s a great location, a roomy place and the atmosphere seemed nice. And, since it was raining pretty hard, we were happy to find it! But, that’s it. The service is slower than slow – even when there were only 3 tables with customers and about 4 people at the bar! When were finally acknowledged, there was no regard for how long we had to wait. Our drinks sat on the bar for about 5 – 8 minutes before they were brought to the table (by then, they were not as cold as they should be… one was a martini!). The food was okay. Next time, we will walk through the rain to the Russell House Tavern where the food AND the service are great!

The location itself is very spacey and a decent looking spot, good atmosphere to hang with friends.
Less stars for the limited beer selection, not a real «brewery» and the food was very disappointing. I had the meatloaf, which was good in serving size/​portion, but it wasn’t very warm. Seemed like it was taken out the freeZer and microwaved. Coulda use the «add 30 seconds» during heating maybe, it got cold quickly.
My boy had fish and chips, they were greasy, as if they hadn’t been «dripped» long enough, only thing good were the fries, hard to mess that up. Waiter went missing for a while too, i don’t think I’ll be back there anytime soon. Worth a visit though if you’re in the area, who knows, could’ve been a off night for them.

Awful! They brew 2 mediocre beers. Food (meatloaf and fish chips) and atmospher aint worth your time BUT the mac n cheese was very good! Plenty of better selections in the area.

Stopped at John Harvard’s after a night of bar hopping. My husband & I were looking for a place to get one last beer and watch a bit of the Bruins game. There were maybe 5 people sitting at the bar. We asked twice for the game to be shown on the TV. On the third ask the bartender switched on the NHL network — which was not showing the Bruins game; we had told him the station to turn to, but to no avail. We didn’t even try to correct him. We sat there, finished our beer while checking the score on our phones, and left… not before asking for our check and waiting far too long for our receipt to sign. All and all just a frustrating experience since we walked into JH with such high hopes. Won’t be back anytime soon.

Came here tonight for a Massachusetts Chapter Alumni event for IIE foreign exchange students. The space is great for large gatherings and their beer is A-​OK. Not the most remarkable place in Boston, yet one could do much worse. Overall a fun watering hole I could see myself returning to with the gang.

For the indecisive who just want the warm feeling of being held in a loving embrace from the inside by the tummy, get the CHICKEN POT PIE. Comfort food has never felt so right. It’s possible that I’m only so enamored by this savory pie because Marie Callender’s frozen turkey pot pie is all I’d ever known before, but if the other raving reviews are any indication, it’s gotta be more than that. Be kind to yourself; you certainly deserve some respite. Get the pot pie.

I had the mac and cheese and it was definitely one of the best I’ve had.
We went with a large party and a grandma in a wheelchair, they were super helpful with getting the wheelchair ramp up and running for us.
Warm and cozy décor – would come back!

After spending a week in Burlington for work training, I decided to go to the smartest place on earth — Cambridge, MA. After picking up some required souvenirs for the lovely lady, I popped in to John Harvard’s for lunch. The atmosphere and décor was quite nice — don’t forget to thoroughly admire the stained glass windows here.
After some indecisiveness on what to eat and drink, I decided on the chicken pot pie and a pint of the Harvest Spice Ale. The beer was delicious — warm and comforting! And the pot pie was also very warm, comforting, and filling! The food and drink was spot on.
Service was good, although quite a bit slow given the time of day and the amount of people in the establishment. Prices were reasonable for that part of the country as well. All in all, I would definitely come here again!

I went here with my rowing team after a long Saturday of races, simply because it was close and there were a wide variety of beers available. The post-​regatta crowds were insane, however our two and a half hour wait time only ended up being an hour and a half at most. The staff circulated and checked up on everyone who was still waiting, which cut back on the time they might have spent trying to locate and seat parties who had left already. We gave the bartender a big fat tip, and she kept our hands full with beers until we were able to sit down. I had the porter on tap followed by the IPA, and both were perfect.
We were seated at a big table in a back room that was slightly less noisy than the front area. Our sever brought waters in a timely fashion and took orders as soon as we’d had a chance to glance over the menu. She was very attentive and efficient for someone working such a busy shift. I was impressed. Our food came out soon, and everything was nice and hot. Several of us had burgers, which were excellent and very juicy. One person had incredible-​looking chicken pot pie (yum!) and two others had fish & chips. I had expected a mediocre dinner in a terrible environment since Head of the Charles is notorious for crowds, however I think John Harvard’s did a great job of handling the insanity of the evening. I’d go back without much persuading, hopefully on a less crowded night.

Beer was okay, IPA could have been hoppier, but totally drinkable! John Harvards is your typical big box brew pub. Always okay, but never earth shattering. Yummy enough food, but weird service. Each round of beer came out in a different glass (and not the correct glass for the beer ordered). We were either overly inundated with service, or left to fend for ourselves. Service varied from friendly to hostile. We actually watched waitstaff set of tables in the middle of the dance floor, while people were dancing. To the live band. Well, we moved the tables away so folks could continue to dance. Just plain weird!

Disappointing «sports bar» — went here to watch Sunday night football. We called first to see if they would show the whole game, they said yes. Told us the kitchen closed at 11. Website, Unilocal,Google all say the bar closes at midnight. Kitchen closed at 10, Last call was at 10:30 and they kicked everyone out at 11. We had to run next door to catch the end of the game. Go somewhere else if you are there for sports.

First Time ever going to a brewery!
It’s at the happening place and full packed.
We waited for good amount of time before someone could attend us!
Limited Drink options in the menu. Ordered nachos and buffalo chicken wings. I have had better nachos and wings at other places.

Being nice, 3 stars, Nice atmosphere.
The wait — very slow with every and anything including water. Our waitress was nice but maybe new.
Highlight — desserts. We tried all 3 and they were all good, not great but def good especially compared to the food.
⁵⁄₇ orders were wrong and 1 was cold. We all ordered burgers… How do you mess up a burger and how it’s cooked?!? I had the sweet potato fries and they are made different than the usually and I personally did not like the mushy texture.
Great place for college students/​grads! Probably will not return…

A big peeve I have is when someone organizes a huge group dinner and insists on landing us reservations to a minuscule boutique restaurant for 10:30pm on a Tuesday. Sometimes, you need a place to hang out with a group of friends while not worrying about space, location, or noise. Always, there is John Harvard’s.
Decent bar food — the onions rings are huge, the fries are huge, the burgers are huge, the salads are huge and surprisingly not terrible. The beers (all brewed in-​house) are fine and fun to try out. If you’re looking to have your socks knocked off with cutting edge beers you’re probably at the wrong place. But if you want a place for your friends (classmates, reunions, people you don’t really care to impress, etc.) in a cool and spacious basement level bar (it’s dark), then John Harvard’s is a great choice.

The food isn’t that good, sure, but after taking off a star for that, I only have good things to say about this place.
I found the beer great and cheap. There was an IPA on tap when I went that was delicious, and I don’t normally like IPAs. This is the place you want to hang out to avoid the Harvard yuppies (mostly) and get a great brew and watch a sports game. It can get crowded despite its spaciousness, and it can get loud if it is crowded. But overall, it lives up to its reputation: a spot where you can have a beer and watch TV with your friends.
The service has generally been on the slower side, especially when it’s really crowded, but it wasn’t slow enough to get angry about. The wait staff is very nice.

First time ever going to a brewery! Came here on a Thursday night around 10:30 pm with my cousin. To my surprise, it was pretty packed, and bustling with life!
We sat ourselves down, and were quickly given the drinks menu and the late night snack menu.
We ordered:
–1 Fernet buck: fernet Branca, lime juice, ginger beer, orange bitters
–1 tropical sunrise: tanteo tropical tequila, grenadine, pineapple juice
Pros:
–good atmosphere. It was a warm and cozy environment with people there just chilling.
–good service. Server was nice– she would ask us multiple times if we wanted food since the kitchen was closing down.
Cons:
–drinks came quite slow. We waited for a good while before anyone actually took notice of us.
–pretty limited cocktail menu. Maybe because it’s a brewery… not exactly sure.
I’m not a frequent drinker (just turned 21 not long ago) so I started with something simple and hopefully fruity.
The Fernet Buck tasted kind of weird at first, but I got used to the taste. I could taste hints of alcohol in it, which is good since I wanted something refreshing but not too crazy.
The tropical sunset looked nice (pretty color!) but I really didn’t like the jalepeño in it. My cousin was fine with it though– to each their own!
Overall, I would come here again if I was around! But I might try a different drink instead.

If my friend had not introduced me to john harvards, I likely would’ve missed this gem! It’s become our «cheers» this term! The staff is all outstanding! Super polite and great service! The food is amazing the fries are top notch and the hummus plate everyone simply must try! I am so so on the spinach dip; it isn’t bad don’t get me wrong but it’s a little too onion-​y for my personal liking.
Drinks here are top notch! Our favorite beer is the blonde, all the beer is brewed on site! Definitely a place you don’t want to miss out on!!! Highly recommend

They’ve got trivia on Mondays, some brewing tanks right by the bar, and some pretty tasty desserts. Other than that, I’m afraid John Harvard’s falls a little short. There’s a lot of space and some TVs which are good for game watching. They also have music on certain nights.
Overall, this is not the first place I think of when I want to go have a meal or even a beer in Harvard Square. But if you do go, check out their stained glass renditions of some of Boston’s better known «saints.»

For the price range and a pub in this area, the food was pretty good. I had the grilled chicken BLTA — bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. The sandwich was served on naan bread, which was a nice change from the usual. Although the chicken breast was a bit overgrilled in certain parts, it was tender and not too dry. The avocado was generous, as was the bacon. I thought the sandwich would have benefited from more garlic aioli but overall it was a good eat. The fries served alongside it were also delicious — fluffy on the inside (without being too potato-​y) and crispy on the outside.
I went at lunchtime on a weekday and we were told to seat ourselves in the general pub area. All the tables there are raised, so it’s good to keep that in mind if you ever go with someone who would rather sit at a regular table. The service was a little slow at times but it didn’t take more than 10 minutes for the food to be served.
Would probably go back if I ever had a large group of people around the Square and needed a place to eat. Might not go back for fine fare but definitely not a bad bet for lunch/​pub grub.

I’ve been to John Harvards a few times, mostly with larger crowds because it’s one of the easier places to get a table.
The food is just not good. We were in on Sunday and got beers and dinner. I am a vegetarian and got the vegetarian sampler which is 3 sides. I got mashed potatoes, beets, and butternut squash. My potatoes were cold and bland. both my squash and beets were drenched in oil and were poorly seasoned, to the point where my squash was almost squishy. The only thing that I enjoyed was the hummus that we got… and the pita that came with the hummus was stale.
The beer is also just not good. With so much good beer in the Boston area, I’m really not sure why anyone would come here for beer. The IPA was super underwhelming. The only beer that I felt had potential was the stout.