Judge me if you must, but I LOVE Charlie's.
Places to drink a brew outside are few and far between in Boston, and Charlie's comes out on top in my mind.
They have a pretty decent selection of beers on tap. Their food is pretty solid, and what you are craving when you've been lounging outside drinking beers for hours. I am a vegetarian and their black bean burger is nothing to scoff at, the veggie rueben, also pretty damn good (and its not too hard on the wallet either)
Pro tip: get beer fries. You'll thank me later.
There's not much else to say, get there early, stay till it gets crowded, and then stay a little longer.
P.S. It will get crowded
P.P.S. Use the bathroom before it does.
I was at Charlie's Beer Garden after watching my cousin graduate from Harvard last week. I had never been but will definitely be back! The french fries were some of the best I've ever had, and the service was outstanding. Our bartender (I think her name was Alexis) was fun, friendly and made sure we had everything we needed. When I left my sunglasses at the bar, she actually ran out to give them back to me! Great, great service.
Review Source:It's Cheep, It's good, and it isn't pretentious. One of my favorite places to go on a warm day is charlie's beer . If your lucky your go on a day they have the sliders 4 way special. They have a massive beer selection and a very attentive staff. I'ts probably the best chill out space in Harvard Square
Review Source:Remember the scene in Raiders of the Lost Arc where they open the arc and everyone's faces melt off? Â Yeah, this place is kinda like that.
When it comes to drinking outside in Cambridge, this place is the best around. Â First it has beer, which is essential to drinking outside. Â Next it has Charlie's burgers (the whole menu actually); much less essential to drinking outside, but still a welcome addition. Â After that there are the umbrellas which allow shade for those who don't do well in the sun. Then there is the occasional dog or baby+stroller; this is nether essential or relevant to drinking, but I wanted to add it because funny lists come in odd numbers (i.e. 3s, 5s, 7s, 21s) and I needed to fill space. Finally it has hordes of young people, so you're bound to make a new friend who can carry you home after all the burgers and brews.
Bottom Line: Indiana? Â We named the dog Indiana.
Why don't we have more beer gardens in this benighted city? WOE!
Sometimes you just want a place to sit outside and enjoy the weather, put a plastic cup of beer on a rickety table, and enjoy a greezy charburger with goddamn amazing waffle fries. Â
Sometimes. I mean y'all know what the menu's about - it's the same as in Charlie's Kitchen. Â It's just, outside. They don't really have enough servers to make it work, and it's super crowded, chaotic and loud. But it is outside.
That's nice.
There are three good options that come to mind for outdoor bar space in Harvard Square, and this is one of them (the other 2 are Daedalus and the Charles). Â Not bad for a beer or a burger. Â Seating is pretty limited, so if you come here in the evening expect to stand. Â That said, a good local find to keep on your radar, at least for the 6 months or so that it's viable.
Review Source:I must've walked by Charlie's numerous times before actually going. I can't believe it took me so long!
This place is perfect during the summer time, despite the fact that it gets absolutely packed. It's always a good time, good beer, and good people. The only down side is that it can be difficult to get into the bar and actually get a drink!
Yay! I am definitely a fan. I'll start this review off by saying bf and I have only been in the dining room part of this beer gahhhhhden, so the review is for there.
Great beers for cheap, decent (cheap) food for cheap. I think we spent $50 (tax & tip included) for 3 beers, wings, a burger and a black bean burger (yes, that one was for me, I was trying to be healthy but ate the wings anyways).
They have a decent selection of beer on tap, including a great Oktoberfest, so I was pretty satisfied.
Food is exactly what you would expect at a bar...greasy and delicious. Â They truly know their market as their food is extremely affordable for the poor college students. Â The beers are also very affordable. Â It wasn't very busy when we went at 3:30 pm, but I've seen it get crazy at night. Â The staff is super nice and attentive too.
Review Source:There is no better place to grab a beer (or house cocktail, or double cheeseburger) on a sunny afternoon in Harvard Square. Â The booze is cheap ($5 for a 20oz bottle of Magner's? Yes please!) and so is the food. Â Their famous double cheeseburger is delicious, especially after a long afternoon (yes, afternoon) of drinking.
I was surprised to hear that they offer gluten free bread in place of their usual burger buns, although they don't have a dedicated gluten free fryer. Â Hey, still better than your usual backyard bar!
Although the service can be pretty iffy when it's busy, I will definitely come back here when it's a good day for drinking.
Outside and Below.
Those two words quickly summarize Charlie's Beer Garden, and I'm down with that on a sunny afternoon. Â The food is relatively inexpensive, the beer selection is adequate & there's enough seating to snag a table if you get there early.
Why not more stars? Well... the bathroom situation... it's awful.  There are two bathrooms for the entire bar, and it can get predictably gross as the night wears on.  Don't let this fact deter you, but  you've been warned.  Good luck!
At first, it seems curious for Charlie's Beer Garden to have a separate, slightly higher rated listing than his dark, dank drudge of a sister.
But it makes sense.
The same cheap and greasy menu, albeit smattered with options aside from the $5.50 double cheeseburger that may catch your eye: bison burger, lobster burger, shredded Magners coaster burger, No. 2 pencil burger, non-GMO soy mochaccino burger, twin lobster rolls for $14, etc etc etc. I went with the latter and while the "lobster" was more of a knuckle/claw/Krab salad, it was pretty damn satisfying. Crispy sweet potato fries, too.
It's outside, hence the Garden not the Kitchen. Respectable comfort if you do as I do and go in the off-hour. Midday during the week? You'll get a table. Friday at 5:30p? You'll get tetanus from a stranger's earring pressed against your eyeball. Plus, verminae are somewhat expected in the open air. Snow White covered in chipmunks, mice and birds in her house gets "Cat Lady^10" stares, but out in a meadow, it's a damned miracle.
Eight dollars is steep for a modestly crafted Old Fashioned with a light pour, and I had to laugh when they asked my buddy how he'd like his burger cooked (does it matter?). But it's a spacious Jekyll to the Kitchen's Hyde with edible food and a buzzing social atmosphere, and that makes it A-OK in my book.
I went with a large group during a trip to see to Harvard. It's a pretty hip place in a nice area. Lots of beers on tap, and a large menu of decent pub food.
The most surprising part of the place was how fast we got our food. There must have been about 15 of us and we got our burgers within what felt like 15 minutes.
As for the food itself, it wasn't that great. The burgers are rather thin, and because they stack patties when you get the bigger burgers, its impossible to get anything cooked rare. Not bad by any means, but I recommend of skipping most of the specials burgers and sticking with the significantly cheaper double cheeseburger since all come with two patties, and there is no way some slightly unique ingredients are worth the extra $5.
Wait, is there something awesomer than a beer outside at Charlie's on a summer day? If so, I'd like to swap with some of these reviewers who clearly have way better things in their lives than I do.
Seriously, when summer comes here it broils and the best thing to do is a cold beer early in the afternoon. It's a scientific fact, which is why this place is so close to Harvard.
Wifey and I were walking around Cambridge getting our shop on when we ran into this place! It's a great place to grab a beer and sit outside to enjoy some sunshine! Our waitress was really nice and the beer selection was good. We didn't eat so I can't comment on the food.
I would definitely visit Charlie's again!
Why Charlie's Beer Garden reminds me of My Old Boyfriend's place:
"Sit wherever you want" is the greeting. Then comes a really great question. "What about drinks?" My Old Boyfriend was always into creating a welcoming atmosphere with the constant potential for hasty inebriation.
This little outdoor space in Harvard Square is quirky, a bit hidden away and perhaps more appropriate for trying out different beers than sampling sophisticated cocktails. Cocktails arrive with some serious spillage and weird stickiness on the glass. My Old Boyfriend didn't have a dish washer.
The TV is always on. That's right. You can catch a game any time, even on a lovely summer afternoon or an evening that has the potential to be a romantic one. My Old Boyfriend loved his new flatscreen. Go Patriots.
There's always a casual, laid back feeling. No napkins? No ketchup? Crumbs on the table? No worries. Just part of the charm at My Old Boyfriend's place, too. Â
There's a familiar menu. Burgers and fries. Lobster rolls. Crab cakes. Wings. More fries. More wings, It's pretty veggie friendly, too, which is really great. Even though My Old Boyfriend preferred steak tips and roast beef sandwiches, he always made sure he had some frozen veggie burgers around for me. Very thoughtful.
There's a lovely, relaxed attitude towards the resident rodent population. See a cute little mouse running around your feet? Well, the waiters here at Charlie's Beer Garden and My Old Boyfriend have the same commentary, delivered with a laconic shrug. "Oh, yeah. It's a little issue. We're on it." Nice to know.
I'm not sure I'd bring my parents to either locale. Even with some bleach, mops and industrious cleaning materials, not to mention the judicious use of mouse traps, my parents would be truly uncomfortable in either place. The youthful atmosphere, lack of organic salads, the hidden bathroom and the noise level would not make them feel too comfortable. My Old Boyfriend and I always met up with my parents at their refined and quiet hotel.
See you next time the sun comes out, Charlie's.
Hipsters, hipsters everywhere, and many a pint to drink, although it's an obscenely expensive pint. Having just relocated from San Francisco, I was stoked to see Lagunitas IPA on tap. However, that pint cost me almost $8. EIGHT FREAKING DOLLARS. Lagunitas is good, but it's not Chimay, you know? I've had good martinis that cost less.
Their tap selection is good, and if you want to drink outside, it's a great spot. Just make sure you bring a wad of cash.
OMG this menu will most likely kill u...beer battered deep fried double stuffed mushroom Swiss cheeseburger on the menu! GAW! What's a vegetarian to do? I guess I'll stick to their organic IPA :)
Aside from the death by grease menu, I really like Charlie's in the summer. Â It has a different feel to it in it's small, simple, enclosed outdoor atmosphere. Â It gets pretty crowded, but people don't seem to camp out at the tables...if you wait around a bit you should be able to snag a table or a spot at the bar.
Good place to go to start your night...or just swing by for a drink on the way home. Â And if you're into beer...there's close to 20 on tap-
Hello Boston.
My order:
1) Chicken fingers with buffalo sauce
The Verdict: chicken was a bit mealy. The sauce was over tangy, but when mixed with a bit of ranch dressing became more mellow, smooth and to my taste.
2) Chicken sandwich with guacamole
The Verdict: I appreciated that this was originally a hamburger dish but the waitress allowed me to swap beef for chicken. Â I also ordered beer fries instead of chips. Â Customized meals are the best. Â The chicken breast was surprisingly moist and tender, I was expecting a dry hunk- this was good.
I did get my glass of water spilled on me by the waitress, but that wasn't a big deal. Â I was happy and full from my meal.
Overall, friendly staff, decent food, bar atmosphere and reasonable prices equal go here if it's 8PM on a Saturday night in Harvard Square, you want a solid meal and most other places have a 30-45 minute wait.
I had a great time here. But....I am sort of unsure as to whether this had to do with Charlie's Beer Garden itself, or the people I was with. Either way, I had fun. Charlie's gets Four Stars for the following reasons:
-Great Beer Menu.
We're talking domestics, non-domestics, stuff I've never even heard of.
-Great Waitress.
She didn't bat an eye when I asked her to put a bandaid on my burger and let it walk to the table.
-Great Burger.
Basically raw, filled with nuts, topped with cheese and bacon. WHAAAA? Yeah it happened.
-Freezing Cold Bathroom.
Sometimes you get riled up and you need a place to chill out. GET IT?
I really loved this place. Â Casual and unpretentious, yet very upscale. Â Awesome beer selection: Chimay, shipyard ale, western Massachusetts microbrews, Harpers, Brooklyn Lager, Treble Hook, Sam's Octoberfest, Abita and Guinness. Their beer menu changes and they post it in huge chalkboards on the outside. Â Gets crowded but congenial. Â And the staff is friendly enough to talk about their beer selections and even give you samples before buying a pint.
Food-wise, huge burgers and tasty fries compliment the menu. Â Other than that, their food tends to be more simple than their beers. Â
Hands down, the best place is the outdoor seating inside the courtyard or on the sidewalk enclosures.
The lure of outdoor drinking is hard to deny, especially when the beers are cheap and the air is nice. Cambridge and Boston residents have reason rejoice over their very own beer garden! Owned and operated by the attached Charlie's Kitchen, there are a few things to note about this under-the-sky oasis of alcohol and fried food:
1. Almost all of the food is indeed fried. It's bar food, with highlights being the waffles fries and a very cheap lobster roll. Avoid the wings, unless you like "Tabasco hot" as opposed to "buffalo-style hot." Beware that not all items come with fries, because sometimes your server will ask what kind you want with your meal and they will end up on your bill for an additional charge.
2. There is a seat yourself policy and, because it's always packed, it's highly unlikely you'll get a seat unless you come early,
3. The above ensures slow service. Somehow, the taps are always being changed.
4. There is no beer list. Your server will surely rattle off what they have, but don't expect to see a printed menu.
5. Parties of 6 or more get an auto gratuity of 18% added to their bill.
This place is great for harvard square - went on 4th of July before the festivities started and had a couple of beers, burgers and fries - less than $20, can't complain about that!
The good: They have a custom beer on tap - Charlie's BBC which was a great, slightly hoppy amber that's delivered daily from the Berkshire Brewing Company. Â The service was also great - the waitress was quick, nice and got everything right.
The not-so-good: the fries were pretty mediocre and although its nice to have low cost meals, some additional choices for healthy eaters would be nice.
To sit in the beer garden (which often doesn't get enough sunlight given the buildings surrounding it), you pay a premium on the beer (though they do have a decent selection) and jeopardize destroying at least one artery with the selection of deep fried everything. Â
Also, the inside restaurant is seedy, the toilets aren't known for their cleanliness and depending on the night, or the hour, the crowd can become very sketchy.
It's St. Patty's day. Luck is in the air, I'm almost done with second draft Blue Moon and I'm still waiting for my burger. Understandable, it's a busy day.
We start talking about Matt's job and Kate's roommate, everyone gets their burger, I'm waiting and in the middle of pretending to tell a seemingly important story at the time (because I'm very quickly getting too drunk on an empty stomach), i accidentally hook my 20 oz glass and shatter it into a million pieces on the brick floor.
The music stopped, everyone bantered party disgrace comments and at that moment, I realized that I fucking LOVE this place! It was finally warm enough in Boston to be outside, and I was so glad to be standing in charles beer garden because the energy was so good!
It's always good. Every time I've gone, I've had an excellent experience with the crowd, however, the service is as good as it can get in a confined space with lots of drunkards. Needless to say, I finally got my burger and after waiting 45 minutes and finishing up beer numero tres, it was comp'ed. If you're looking for a relaxing and laid back time in Harvard, check this out. Especially if it's warm outside.
Most of the food on Charlie's regular menu is junk food, but it's top-shelf junk food. Their array of fried potato products is stunning, they make a high-value lobster roll, and the draft beer selection is better than average (and, more to the point when it comes to deciding where to have lunch in the Square, better than the draft beer selection at Shay's).
Their beer garden may be the coolest thing that's ever happened to Harvard Square. That's a bold statement, but I'm prepared to defend it because in my lifetime almost all of the changes to the Square have sucked (the Wursthaus, Elsie's, Ta Sheng, the pre-B&N Coop...). I mainly go to Charlie's Beer Garden in the summer while most of the students are away. Harvard does get overrun by tourists in the summer, but it seems like the guidebooks currently instruct them all to go eat at Mr. Bartley's, so I've never had a wait for a table.
Try the waffle fries.
Chimay on tap. Â Yay!
Nice place to spend a lazy sunny afternoon for a couple of drinks. Â I love the subterranean feel of it. Â But I've had a few clueless servers, including one who didn't know what a hefeweizen was. Â It's a beer garden!
Don't make the mistake of ordering anything other than waffle fries to eat. Â There are too many better options around.
It is what it is.
Personally I prefer the beer garden over stepping into the hole of a dump that Charlie's is internally. I prefer not getting some sort of weird disease or STD so I will stay out of it.
All joking aside, the beer garden is pretty cool. It's a nice patio area to enjoy your adult beverage.
For me, it will always be Lambic here.
The lambic is really the only thing that's got me returning.
Great beer selection and I love the outside seating---a BIG plus for any Boston restaurant in the summer!
The food was good--nothing great but tasty bar food, lots of choices and well priced. I had the lobster rolls with waffle fries and my bf had a burger roll up. Both were very tasty and the waffle fries were awesome! Great service and cool crowd makes Charlie's a great place to stop while roaming Harvard Square.
The biggest problem with Charlie's Beer Garden is that it's too crowded on nice days. Â However, that's really not its fault, but speaks to Cambridge's lack of outdoor patio space.
That being said, very relaxing, if capable of being loud and crowded, space, with beer as cheap as you'll find in Harvard Square as well as fairly good, reasonably priced food (try the waffle fries and lobster roll) and even cans of PBR for those who want to reminisce upon their college days. Â I'd recommend just getting whatever beer they have on tap because otherwise they'll need to go inside to get some bottles or anything that isn't beer. Â Also, note that you can't leave a tab open at the outdoor bar.
I'd suggest either going on a nice mid-week night or quite late on a weekend in order to snag a table.
Great outdoor seating (that you'll never get). Â Awesome beer selection.
Really crowded and, to the douchebags that literally pushed us out of their way to get to the table we were walking towards.... Â well, I suppose this is the kind of place that attracts those kinds of people. Â And my friend was on crutches! Â Â If you read this, you suck. Â (No worries, Charlie's... I'm not deducting stars for douches).
Overall, pretty solid place for outdoor drinking if you don't mind standing.
Four stars for being able to sit outside and enjoy a beer. Honestly, if I didn't still make the mistake of using New York as a bar against which to judge everything, it would be five stars, relative only to Boston/Cambridge.
But two stars for the fact that at the end of the day, the food still comes from Charlie's Kitchen. I.e. is pretty bad.
Three and a half stars for the large but lackluster beer list. Not sure what the point of having like 20 beers on tap is when the most exciting beer is a UFO.
And two and a half stars for the crowd, which runs towards the after work, women in makeup and low cut shirts trying to impress men in collared shirts who workout set. It's obviously personal preference that I don't really like this crowd, but there it is.
Grand total: three stars. Which is sad because the place has real potential.
Wonderful concept! Â Outdoor venue + nice weather + beer = happy me. Â Service was about the same as for Charlie's Kitchen. Â Food is exactly the same.
What I remember from the taps:
-UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen ($5 for a large glass--not bad for Harvard Square)
-Harpoon IPA
-Hoegaarden
-Steel Rail
My only quibble with this establishment? Â No greenery (e.g., trees growing in the picnic tables) or midgets to serve me beer.
After two disastrous visits to nearby outdoor lunch places, I wasn't expecting much from Charlie's new offering, though my interior experiences have usually been rewarding (the best, of course, was seeing BJ Snowden perform in front of bewildered students).
My coworkers and I put two tables together to make room and then I leaned back into the sun as we were unfortunately umbrellaless. Â Our waitress looked done with lunch already and it turned out to be only her 3rd day. Â The bartender called over to us to drink beer so she'd have something to do, so we did. Â So, nice, relaxing, and miss 3rd day got all the orders right and to our table quickly.
I was looking forward to the double cheeseburger with fries for 5.95, a deal that I can't believe I haven't taken advantage of in a while. Â This is what I recommended to my old boss who had never been to Charlie's and, as it was placed in front of him, I saw his face drop. Â "This is what you were raving about?" he asked, "A couple of Cosco burgers and some shoestring fries?"
And it was true. Â Two cheese-soaked pucks on a roll with some sad-looking vegetation. Â The fries tasted of old oil, so I eagerly reached for some yummy looking onion rings we had ordered to split and was disappointed to find they must have swum in the same oil. Â If it hadn't been for the bartender's suggestion of beer, the visit would have hardly been worth it.
(ps: I forgot about my review of the indoor Charlie's Kitchen back in 11/06. Â Yes, you guessed it--3 stars, and I was let down by that burger too.)
I was expecting so much from a place that consistently delivers so little. "Surely you jest," you might say. "Charlie's is a Cambridge institution!" But that's just it! What makes Charlie's Kitchen so great is that you expect so little that it's easy to be wowed.
But the beer garden is a whole other game. You have to expect great things from a place with that kind of real estate: a medieval fortress shielding you from the hustle of H.Square on a Saturday night.
Here's how it played out: the perfect spot, the perfect night, the sweatiest people, the rudest staff, the mediocre-est beer - you get the picture. Maybe next season they'll step things up with a beer selection beyond the typical Sam Summah fare. My inner beer snob reveals itself again.
Points for the attentive bartender and 'No Smoking' piñatas on the way in. But what's up with the outhouse bathroom? Those are some big beers you're serving up, Charlie!
Went here for the first time last night and met up with some fun folks. Â
I had a great time, but in thinking about it, I'm not sure I would have had that much fun if I hadn't been in such entertaining company.
The place is really great. Â On a nice night, what's not to love about drinking outdoors?
Grab a table as fast as you can though, because the place will get crowded fast.
Speaking of crowded, I'm not sure the crowd here was really my scene. Â Lots of Harvard grad school kids (nothing against you folks, seriously) and what appeared to be a lot of guys having guys night out.
I guess that's sort of what you'd expect for a *beer garden* in *Harvard Square* though, so I can't really complain. Â Except for the kid who stood behind our table and rested his arm on the back of my chair *all night*. Â What's up with that? Who does that?
Anyway, the service was a little messy, lots of mixed up orders with our drinks. Â
The food was ok, I had some french fries and the waitress did a lovely thing and went out of her way to find me some vinegar so I could have delicious salt and vinegar fries. Â
I heard from one of the kids that I was with that Charlie's opened the beer garden, essentially doubling their capacity, but didn't hire any more help. Â The waitresses we had were really nice, I think they were just overwhelmed. Â
Anyway, it was a good time. Â Check it out sometime this summer.
So this place is pretty coool. Â Was here saturday nite, it was a perfect nite to enjoy some brews outside with some awesome friends. Â note that this is a beer garden and they only serve beer. they do serve irish cider tho!
prices are $5 for a pint. pretty average. Â this place has limited seating tho. Â they have table of 4s and 2's and usually ppl are occupying them. so if you dont mind standing amoung the crowd , this is your spot. Â
luckily, tho we were able to snatch a table for our group.
good for groups who enjoy beer! Â no girly drinks allowed! Â os if you;re group is looking for a glass of wine. i suggest going to the cahrles hotel. we were there for wine and shots and enjoyed the end of the nite just chilling under the clear dark sky.. Â loved it..
I threatened to do this - and I know on a certain level it's cheesy to split a business into two listings - and if you don't like it, send me a note and I will consider deleting it (if no one else has added a review as well)
But really, this beer garden is nothing like the inside - not in vibe - not in feel - and DEFINITELY not in clientele. Â It's not better or worse, but it is so different.
And I get why - when you walk past the wonder known as the Kitchen, most folk don't know what to make of it - and when you ascend the stairs to the nirvana that is the upstairs, some people would have a considerably different version of nirvana in their own head - and that's cool. Â when a real juke has as much rock and metal in it, it's just not the place for everyone - thank god.
the garden, however, is much more inviting - and much safer - and therefore the crowd is much more, um, general - you definitely get all types - and the place packs them in.
the bar is small, and the seats are so close, they ensure that you will get to know your neighbor quite well - and unlike Legal's terrace, the beer selection out here is generous. Â The other stuff (bottles or booze) will take longer, since it comes from inside - and obviously so does the food.
the bartenders kick ass - and you don't realize it until you sit there and watch as they sling draughts for a patio of (easily) 100+ patrons - and there are only one or two of them back there. Â they are the thing that makes you realize it's still a Charlie's joint - because they are definitely cut from the same cloth as their bretheren inside - don't come here expecting to get ignored - they are efficient and attentive. but don't come here expecting to get small talk either - they are effen busy - order, pay, and go chat with someone hanging out
this place is the perfect addition to the new pedestrian friendly area that is building here in Harvard Sq - I hope the city sees how much this adds to the neighborhood and encourages more of it.
places like this make me just plain happy
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