I went here on Friday July 12 with a friend for dinner. Its a nice concept- an homage to the first american printer but there's just too much not right about this place, especially for the price. The acoustics are terrible so it 's loud. We ordered fried calamari for an appetizer....whoever ruined that calamari in the kitchen should not even be allowed near food!! It was so overcooked...by a LOT...that the calamari was dried out underneath the too greasy batter. And they used what I think of as filler in there...fried pickles and apple slices...if I order calamari give me calamari please not extra stuff to fill up the dish!!
For entrees I ordered the mussels app as an entree...it was very good! it came with a couple pieces of grilled bread which was good because you'd want to sop up that delicious broth. My only complaint is not particular to this resto though they did it too...WHY do chefs think they have to put sausage in a seafood dish all the time?!! The mussels came with chorizo, I would have rather  it didn't.
My friend got the eggplant potato moussaka...it didn't look like moussaka and I tried a bite - it didn't taste like moussaka.....the eggplant tasted too...green...not done, something not right, she loved it though.
The acoustics in the place are pretty bad, everything bounces off of everything. The decor is nice, except I don't think orange walls are right for a restaurant. & eating atmosphere. Our waitress had a very difficult time opening our bottle of wine. Â They were out of the sangiovese we ordered so they gave us a nice bottle of Chianti for the same price. Someone came out with a little amuse bouche...potato stuffed with cheese...meh. But it was a nice touch.
First Printer is OK, I dont think I would go back. If you
go don't order the calamari!!!
I was debating between three and four stars for my review. but, ultimately, I go to a restaurant to eat and enjoy my meal, and my food was good, but nothing spectacular, so I decided on a well-deserved three stars.
Even though I've been working in the Square for over a decade, I only recently discovered First Printer. It is kind of tucked away on Dunster Street, and not really noticeable at all! The inside is quite bright and spacious. The tables aren't crowded together, like you would normally expect at other Harvard Square restaurants. Since there was a large group of us, we got a nice big booth to squeeze into.
The menu had a good selection on lunch fare and it was reasonably priced. I ended up deciding on the Steak Frites. Instead of bread, the table got a few small plates of pickled cucumbers and squash to share (not my cup of tea, but I heard they were pretty good). Our waiter was prompt and attentive.
My food was OK, but like I said, nothing to write home about. The steak tips were huge. I got three of them, but they all were about double or triple the size of a regular steak tip. The fries were wedge fries, and it also came with a small sampling of a mixed green salad. The steak was cooked the way I ordered (medium rare), but they were a little chewy and lacked flavor/seasoning. The fries were pretty good (this coming from a gal who always prefers shoestring fries) and the salad lacked the vinaigrette dressing I asked for, but it was still good.
Standard lunch where nothing stuck out in particular. Don't think I'd come back, because there are other restaurants here that I like more, but I'm glad I finally stopped in and had a meal!
I'd give this a 2 stars for the drinks + the service. Â I think I'll have to go back a few more times to determine if this deserves 3 stars.
Pros:
The space is BEAUTIFUL and I loved their dedication to the printing-press theme. Really nice layout -- bright and  open.
Cons:
I got the Rock Steady, and my boyfriend said it tasted like cough syrup. Â It just was not well balanced at all. Â He got the Pimm's Creole Cup, which was better but also SO sweet. Â
Our waiter basically hated life. Â Like, hated EVERRRRRYTHING. Â He left us to wait forever. Â I asked for his opinion between a couple drinks. Â He made a horrible face about the other drink I was considering... so.... guess I won't get that one. Â I ordered the carrot and beet salad with dressing on the side. Â After waiting SO LONG for my salad, he brought it pre-dressed. Â I asked about the dressing and he said: "Oh, ok I'll go fix this and be back in a minute." Â The door to the kitchen was open and I could see him... doing stuff... with the salad? Â I don't know. Â It was weird and we made eye contact.
The salad ended up being ok, but my boyfriend didn't feel like the bison burger was all that filling. Â I suppose it was on the smaller side.
At one point I tried to get the waiter's attention and he made a "Oh, you talking to me?" type gesture and then just walked out the front door of the restaurant to the sidewalk. Â And my boyfriend and I were at the window table, so then it was awkward sitting there and seeing the waiter continuing to hate life while outside.
I don't know about this place. Â I want to love it SO MUCH because I love the concept and the food/drinks all SOUND amazing. Â I think it's mostly an error of execution, but I'm willing to go back and try again.
I like everything about this place.
The atmosphere - beautiful decor, jazz playing in the background, and a stone to commemorate the living space of the first printer in America. Great place for a date or to bring a group of friends.
The food - I've had the vegetarian burger, beet salad, and clam chowder, and all were absolutely delicious and well worth the price.
The service - I've always had very attentive staff and the bartenders are talented
The drinks - AMAZING. Not only are the drinks on their menu off the charts, but also their bartenders can make drinks off-the-cuff based on one's interests. My good friend wanted something "spicy" and the bartender whipped up a fantastic spicy drink off the top of his head. They use legit alcohols and mix them to perfection.
Overall, it's one of my favorite places to grab a drink or a meal.
The interior is gorgeous; all rich, dark wood tables & booths and rich color on the walls. The menu seems to try too hard for a pub/restaurant - I tried the pan seared scallops, which were good as far as scallops go, but I would happily exchange scallops for a more extensive beer list.
Speaking of the beer list, I would have loved to try some brews as the evening wore on, but our server darted from table to table like a hummingbird and didn't stop at our table long enough to take any additional drink orders; another situation of too much work for the level of staffing.
We did manage to get an order in for dessert; I was looking forward to the scoop of ice cream, but it tasted like freezer burn.
Overall, this place has a lot of good points, but needs to increase its level of staffing and rethink its menu.
The one star is for the excellent beer. Avoid this place! The food was not good. There is so much food in the area that IS good, why bother with this place? We ordered the hush puppies, which were over-fried and greasy. And strangely, didn't taste like any hush puppies I've ever had. Bad mouth feel. I only came in because I saw poutine on the menu. Â Now, I didn't ask if the fries were made on site, but TGI Friday's potato skins come to mind when I saw the poutine. Poutine only has three ingrediants: fries, brown gravy, and cheese curds. This was potato skins/fries, a few pieces of cheese of the non curd variety, and NO gravy! There were some onions from a French Onion soup. Â I can just hear Gordon Ramsey saying "such a shame". We didn't finish them, or anything else for that matter. My husband ordered a flat bread pizza since we were told that the menu that brought us in from the street was only the brunch menu. It was neither a pizza nor appetizing. There was some strange sundried tomato sauce on the Margherita pizza, and the flatbread tasted stale. Unfinished. We came here hoping to discover something tasty...and left wishing we had just stayed home with the kids. Yuck.
Review Source:One of my worst restaurant experiences - and I go to eat at restaurants alot! :(
Celebrated my cousin's birthday here back in July. Had the worst customer service ever. Had to flag down the waiter THREE times for my friend's beer, only for them to end up saying they don't have it and he had to pick something else. My sister's entree never came out. They claimed she never ordered it, she ordered steak and the waiter had asked her how she wanted her steak.. If she never "ordered" it, why did they ask how she wanted it??! The entire mealtime, waiters never came back to check on it; otherwise, they would have noticed that one person in the party was missing their entree!!!
Also, while waiting for their mediocre food to come out, they finally gave us bread after we asked for it.... after they cleared away our appetizer plates!! Now how am I supposed to eat my bread if I have no plates??
This restaurant clearly did not care about us since we not only were neglected during our meal.. but when asking to talk to a manager to discuss the poor service, they didn't seem to care too much about that either.
Definitely will not be back and will tell my friends to skip this restaurant and try the many other wonderful cambridge restaurants instead!!!
Very loud, mediocre service, mixed reviews on the food. Â The menu in general seemed in need of a seasonal update--brussel sprouts and roasted root vegetables are out of place in May. Â The scallops were flavorful and satisfying, although the accompanying pommes puree were soupy. The herbivore burger disappointed in every way. Dry and flavorless, and it disintegrated when eaten as a burger and had to be eaten with knife/fork. Should be removed from the menu.
Review Source:Friday I found the best bar in all of Boston...yes, it's true, my new go-to with $5 flatbreads and the best cocktails in the world, with refreshing twists, non-sugary juices, and wild bitters tossed in, First Printer in Harvard Square is a quick skip from the T but worlds-away from the scene outside with the high ceilings and huge windows. Guaranteed to see a mixed crowd, the people-watching is fantastic and the drinks are unreal...every single one of them!
Review Source:This was a love at first dine situation! We had a Sunday Brunch here and were blown away! All I really need to say is Shrimp'n'Grits! But I'll continue.
The food is really, really good! The portions were an excellent value for the price! The music and the wait-staff were first rate too!
My meal was great. Those Shrimp'n'Grits were huge shrimp and cheesy grits with cornbread! The Bloody Mary had a bite to it.
My companions loved their meals too. (I tried the Herbivore Burger and fries and liked both.)
I have nothing bad to say about this place. Mike was our waiter and he took very good care of us.
The music was a Jazz trio(Barclay, Ruben and Sergio) and really gave the brunch a nice and relaxed vibe to it that worked well with the food and atmoshere.
I will no doubt return and wouldn't hesitate to recommend First Printer!
Quiet dining room on a Monday night = speedy service and well-prepared food (although I'm fairly certain they'd provide the same level of service on a busy night).
We took a good friend here and had a chance to catch up over delicious food - I we ordered the Arctic char (prepared the same way monkfish is), chicken and waffles, and the classic burger. The food was spiced well, cooked to perfection, even the skin on the char was flavorful! The only downside was that they were out of the scallops and monkfish entrees.
Our server was attentive and on point all evening, and let us be while we caught up. Now that's service awareness!
This place is a great addition to Harvard Sq.
4 words - Fried chicken and waffles! Serisouly, one of the best things I've ever had! I'd come here every night for this if it didnt mean gaining 1,245 lbs!
The cocktail menu, apps, flatbreads, and cheese plates are all quite scrumptious as well.
The space is pretty cool. An old loft where some print guy used to live... has a "vault area" that I wouldn't want to sit in but might be kinda cool if you're lookig for more of a private dinner. Atmosphere is cozy and dim.
Staff is friendly... price a lil high but typical for a place like this. You should go!
Second visit to first printer, first dinner was great, creative drinks and good food with reasonable value. Â Our recent visit was not good, if it had been our first we would not be back, but we'll likely try them again to see how they do the third time. Â Our waiter was friendly and personable, but he forgot our salad (entrees showed up so quick I forgot we ordered the beet salad to share as a starter), I needed to ask for our drinks, which he had clearly forgotten, and a medium burger came out raw and cold on the interior. Â They fired a new burger, but by that time my wife (who is a slow eater) was done with her meal, so basically we got to take turns eating.
We love to support local businesses so we really hope they get their act together.
I had eaten here a couple of times with my fiance in 2012, and we really enjoyed it. Located on a smaller side street, it looks nice from the outside with large windows and a solid bar area. Ultimately, my fiance and I decided to have a true Harvard Sq. wedding as we had both our first and second dates(!) in the area.
We did not want a typical hall or anything to have the rehearsal dinner, and I was initially worried about having it in such an open restaurant as The First Printer, but we were assured we would have a private space. Working with Christine, my wife and I could not have been happier. We had an entire side of the restaurant to ourselves as it was roped off and somewhat secluded! She really went out of her way to make sure everything was perfect, including doing a mock set-up of the space for the rehearsal dinner and showing us photos of that.
The menu we chose was excellent as well. My wife and I worked with the chef and Christine to really come up with something for everybody to enjoy, whether that was lobster rolls for adults and burgers for the kids. The dessert was a real standout as the chef suggested a Left Hand Brewery Milk Stout ice cream and bread pudding; nothing but compliments all around.
Besides the food, the drinking and the friends, a real treat for the rehearsal dinner was a band that started playing in the restaurant around 9 o'clock. We had a few nieces and nephews there, so dancing was done by many of us. We are all pretty bad dancers though!
All in all, everything worked out great at The First Printer. Christine did a terrific job exceeding my expectations, and even though we did not get to utilize the vault (there were too many of us), we drank and celebrated all night.
My wife and I are now happily married as well.
I went there on a Monday so the service was really good so I'm gonna go ahead and give this place five stars Lol.
The atmosphere is really good dark wood brick red walls a big window in the front the back wall is covered in printer stuff. I really like a big bar and the bar seems to wraparound so there is a bunch of seats at the bar.
My burger was pretty good but my friend got the veggie mushroom burger thing and that was amazing. Plus it was the restaurant one year anniversary so free spinach and artichoke dip!
I'm glad this place is in the area because it's better than a few other newly added additions in the past few years and it's less expensive than some of the other places around the block. Plus I love a place with a story and a good beer selection.
I'll have to try this place out on Friday or Saturday and see what happens here on the weekend.
Nice atmosphere, good food, decent prices for the area.
I had the French-Onion Bison Burger with fried egg and cottage potatoes. The burger was cooked more than I had ordered, but was delicious and juicy nonetheless.
Incidentally, there was a combo group when I are there on St. Paddy's. They were good and only slightly too loud for the venue (where most groups are simply far too loud for the room...)
Here for lunch on a Thursday. Â Atmosphere = nice. Service = fine. Â Ordered the calamari and then the roasted beet salad. First dish, if I had wanted just fried peppers then the dish would have been fine. The calamari are few (very surprised since this is what I wanted!) and if I had known that this dish came on a generous bed of greens I would NOT have ordered the additional beet salad! Â But to be fair the beet salad was good, just nothing to write home about as it was a bit overcooked. I ate more greens than I had planned to but I guess that was a good healthy thing to do...argh
Review Source:This is a decent place in Harvard Square. Â The drinks are pretty creative and the drinks menu changes every once in a while, so it's nice to try some new things. Â The bartenders are really nice and accommodating.
The food is decent but the service is terrible. Â When asked what the flatbread of the day was, the waiter replied "it's not good, don't order it". Â I never got the answer as to what it actually was despite asking again. Â Then, I asked him what the specials were to which he replied "no specials." Â When I gently reminded him that there were 2 specials written on the board by the entrance, he was like "oh those...". Â And that was the end of that. Â Needless to say, I had no other choice but to order off the regular menu. Â I started with the beat salad, which had 2 different colors of beets and was quite delicious. Â For my main, I ended up getting the Zarzuela, which was good but not great. Â Plenty of shrimp and mussels and other seafood. Â I also tried my friend's French Onion Bison Burger. Â If you LOVE french onion soup, then perhaps you will like this (but no guarantees). Â If you like French onion soup ok, then don't get this burger. Â It's not that yummy.
I've been here before for both lunch and dinner and feel like the quality of food and service has been disintegrating. Â Hopefully they get back on track as there aren't that many options in harvard square.
First Printer is a great "OK" place for a casual evening dinner with someone you've been dating a while, a group dinner event without spending a ton of money, or a quick nibble and cocktail at the bar on the way to something else. This is not a destination eating adventure for someone looking to be wowed or to impress a date.
The evening begins with a cheerful, helpful, courteous hostess (argh I don't remember her name but she's blonde and delightful) who apologetically relays that our table for 10 is not yet ready, but hey, it's 7:30pm on a Friday so let's be reasonable here. Â We hang around the hostess stand eating Andes Candies and perusing the menu for 5 minutes until we are ready to be seated. Â Note: they will seat your incomplete party here, and with a party of 10, i'm thankful for that!
We get a long table near the kitchen and begin to order drinks as our party trickles in. Â There are some obscure IPAs on the menu (and a beer list that does not revolve around New England, thank goodness), so I'm in heaven. Bread and butter arrives at the table, along with a dish of pickled, diced veggies. Â Though it seems a bit out of place (do you put the veggies on the bread or eat them out of the dish?), it was a cute idea. Â The bread was about 1-day stale and dry, but the butter was salted, whipped, and very spreadable. Â Had I come the day before, I think the bread would have been the perfect sourdough.
A quick glance at the menu revealed a small but diverse offering of apps, flatbreads, mains, sandwiches, and salads. Â There's something for everyone here and, while the restaurant only really seems to take chances with its mains (the rest of the menu is very play-it-safe), it is sure to appeal to a wide audience.
Though the chicken and waffles was calling my name, I knew I couldn't adequately tackle the menu with that dish, as the heaviness would just slow me down. Â Instead, I opted for an arugula salad to start, a crispy flatbread (recommended by the hostess), and a bison burger (also a recommendation).
Field Greens and Local Vegetables with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette and Roasted
Almond Pesto ($8): This was basically a plate of arugula with a few thinly-sliced carrot rounds mixed within. Â Luckily, the salad was dressed perfectly and the vinaigrette was so well-made that this otherwise boring-salad-choice turned out to be the highlight.
I then moved on to the Vegetable Conscious flatbread - Mascarpone Spread, Roasted Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Charred Peppers, Arugula and Chili Oil ($10): Â Pieces of this dish were great, which was actually a huge letdown overall. Â Sure, the cold fire-roasted red pepper was delicious, but that's hard to mess up. Â Caramelized onions were one thin film over the flatbread, and these too were great. Â The arugula topping added a freshness, a lightness, that nearly made you forget that you were eating pizza. Â However, together? Â Together it was boring at its best parts, and bad at its worst parts. Â The mascarpone spread was thick and sour-cream-y, and did not contribute to the flavor or texture of the flatbread. Â The bread itself was chewy when it first came out of the oven, but when it cooled a bit and sat on the table for a few minutes, the edges became rock-hard and dense, able to chip a tooth or crack a crown. Â This pizza is like an interview gone bad: on paper, it looks great. Â In practice, when you bring it in for a test run, it's lackluster and underwhelming.
Finally, i moved on to the French Onion Bison Burger - Ground Bison, French Onion Gravy,Gruyere ($12) with the option of a Sunny Side Up Egg for $2 more. Â The burger was actually flavorful and juicy, but my med-rare request was unfulfilled, as it came out more med-well. Â The bread was just a bit too large for the meat, and hid the patty completely within, but it was squishy and chewy and otherwise delightful. Â The bison with french onion gravy redeemed the size discrepancy, however, and overall I had a hard time putting it down. Â Unfortunately, First Printer opts for a sort-of steak fry as the side item, so the fries were too potato-y and bland, with not enough crunchy greasy goodness. Â
The kicker was when the bill came. Â We had, on the phone making the reservation, informed the hostess that we would be paying with 10 separate checks. Â I confirmed this when I walked in, and the hostess informed me that that would be taken care off, not to worry. Â When the bill came, the server brought out one large bill for the 10 of us. Â I filled him in on the arrangement I'd confirmed with the hostess and manager, and but he refused to split out the bill because he didn't want to lose his 20% mandatory tip that he could not add in 10 separate checks. I had to get the manager involved, our party was confused, and I was upset that the server would refuse to honor our arrangement on account of making sure he got his full compensation. Â Not an ideal last impression.
I sat at the bar with friends on a Sunday afternoon, and the bartender served us up each several fantastic cocktails. They were all well-crafted and came with thoughtful explanations of the ingredients. He was very capable of handling questions about the drinks and food, and was even able to arrange for a smaller portion of the lobster chowder.
Now, I regret getting a small bowl of the lobster chowder. If I could do it all again, I would order it swimming pool-sized and spend my day wandering through the silky broth complete with GIGANTIC lumps of whole lobster meat. NB - I don't even really like seafood.
Sat at the bar for legitimately 15 minutes while I waited for a bartender to notice me. My friend arrived a little before I did and had 3/4 of a drink in her glass when I arrived. By the time we even got a drink menu, hers was long gone. I even had to get my own menu from the host stand.
Risotto was undercooked as helllllllll. If anyone actually tasted it they were have immediately tasted it was not yet done. Each bite was kind of sweet and sour... Sweet because the flavor was good. Sour because of the crunch of the rice. Sigh. Such an easy fix too.
Brie en croute was good, but I was kind of confused by the accoutrements. Each item individually was a winner, but none of the tastes matched each other.
The menu as a whole is kind of... Disjointed. It doesn't make sense together, kind of like that Brie plate.
So, bad service, hit and or miss food. I might try it again, but... Eh?
I chose this restaurant for Valentine's Day because my boyfriend and I are both bibliophiles. Neither of us had been to this place before but we were looking for something new and different. The food was great, it was everything else that was the issue. I made a Valentine's reservation for 8pm. My boyfriend and I arrive a few minutes after 8, there are a LOT of open tables. They walk us over to a table right by the kitchen door. And immediately to our right is a table with a toddler. My boyfriend asked for a different table but they said they could only move us next to the DJ. (Despite MOST of the tables still being free at this point) I have some trouble hearing, especially in loud rooms, so I declined to move. The toddler screamed and made noise the entire time, which isn't the restaurant's fault but in addition to being next to the kitchen it was a lot of racket for what I wanted to be a romantic, intimate date.
Like I mentioned at the beginning of my review, the food was good. There was a special prix fixe for Valentine's Day. I had the leek and mushroom soup. The leeks were a little brittle but it was good. My boyfriend had the dim sum plate. He said it was "weird" but that the pork bun was good. Then I had the prime rib and he had the lobster. The food runner made a faux pas in that they assumed my boyfriend had ordered the steak and gave him the steak knife. It was a LOT of food. Perhaps for their next event they should consider smaller portions and lowering the 50$ price. We took home food and we weren't even at the dessert course yet. We both ordered the cheesecake and it was delicious. There were also truffles and chocolate covered strawberries served. All of this would have been very romantic if I hadn't had the harsh light of the kitchen on one side and a crying child on the other. Major negative points on ambiance.
The first drink my boyfriend ordered had crushed ice. It seemed like lots of people have said something about the crushed ice from the way our server reacted when my boyfriend ordered a different second drink, citing the crushed ice as the reason for the change. He enjoyed both his drinks, he just thought the crushed ice watered down his drink. The first drink was the Fedora (the waiter mentioned it was the only one on the menu with crushed ice). I forget what he ordered second. I ordered a Nuevo Ano. It was excellent. Highly recommended. They do one large ice cube in that drink, which is nice.
The service was ok, our server was good. The restaurant did fill and it was Valentine's so understandable that at the end of our meal we had to ask for the check. I am a former server myself and I tipped very well. There was the one issue with mixing up our entrees. My main issue was with the hosts who wouldn't reseat us somewhere better. I also worked for a long time as a host, I know how stressful it is when you have a night full of reservations. They gave me an extra rose when I left as an apology. I would have preferred that the manager come over and talk to us. If I'm spending 160$ on dinner, I don't want it to be like TGIFridays ambiance-wise.
I probably won't be back to First Printer.
I was very sad to see the old Herrells Ice Cream shop close a few years back but was happy to see that the ownership decided to go with a full fledged restaurant this time around. The decor is simple but detailed and warm, the bar is amazing, the whole place has an old feel to it but is open and spacious. I also love the historical aspect of it and how much they embraced that history.
As for the food is was great! Most recently I had the chicken and waffles for lunch and was happy to find a place that made a tasty version (the owner tells me the chef is from North Carolina, that explains it.) Most other places that offer chicken and waffles either fail on the waffle or the chicken, First Printer gets it right on both.
This is a great location with a super roomy interior that is just lacking a bit of umph. Everyone in my group had food that was "fine". Not great. Not really even good. Just fine. The mixed greens salad with local vegetables was literally some greens with a few shaved carrots. I didn't taste any lemon in the vinaigrette and found no pesto on my plate. The added grilled chicken UNDER the salad was a bit odd and also a bit bland.
My friend enjoyed her flatbread special, but the other who had a burger wasn't a fan of how rare her medium burger was cooked.
The one thing that really got me annoyed was how long it took our server to stop by our table. SOOO SLOOOW. We waited to order. We waited for our drinks. We waited for our bill. For a not very busy Monday night there was no need for us to be forced to leave the table to find someone to give our money.
I didn't get a chance to check out the cocktails, which I have heard are quite tasty. Possibly a return visit for a drink or two? Eh. After such a meh visit I'm not so sure.
An initial glance at the menu confused me. Some dishes are southern, but some look like they were fished fresh from the harbor. I wasn't sure where these dishes were going, but the descriptions definitely made me want to find out.
We started our dinner with the Hush Puppies of the Day. I'm not sure how these relate to the printing industry, but each tasty mouthful of crab and cod is an exact, awesome duplicate of the one before.
The Shrimp & Grits were disappointing. The grits were pretty perfect, but merely topping grits with shrimp does NOT make shrimp & grits. The southern girls were NOT impressed.
So the southern cuisine didn't make much of a splash, but the French Onion Bison Burger was pure awesomeness. The gravy and gruyere soak into the bun, and it's just a gamey combination of awesome and more awesome.
I like First Printer, but I object to its name. The website marks it as the former site of the first printer in America, but thanks to the ambiguous name, I passed it by for months thinking it was a bookstore. I definitely don't regret going in thanks to that bison burger so pleasepleaseplease don't make that mistake!
Quite a nice addition to the Harvard Square dining scene. Well, more to the cocktail scene. While I'm happy with my experiences there so far, I would name a few places over this if asked for a recommendation in the area.
What I like: the bar, the bartenders and the drinks. It really is a beautiful bar and a wonderful cocktail menu. My first time here was after the Oktoberfest parade and while I rarely fly solo, I had heard about the new opening featuring cocktails by Brother Cleve. The place was immediately inviting as I walked  in from the suddenly chilly air. I don't usually notice this, but the windows are really nice and combined with the lighting inside, it was a great setting for a stag drink. I took a while reading over the drinks and the bartender was friendly and patient. Asking for "that drink from the Improper" was enough to get me going. It was called the Rock Steady and it was really good. Other things ordered since: Fedora, The Nap, Boulevardier, Bossa Nova, Pimms Cup, and Tennesee Tuxedo. All very good as far as I can remember (one stood out but now it's a bit hazy).
What I didn't like as much: the dining areas. They just feel a bit dark and depressing, especially compared to the much nicer bar area. Red brick walls, plain wooden booths, and stark factory/mining lighting cages give it sort of a back alley feel.
The food: Most of the criticism I've seen so far centered around the food. Pretty much everything we had was good. Honestly, nothing was great, and as I mentioned before, I would send people elsewhere specifically for a nice dinner. The burger was good but was a bit soggy underneath. I still enjoyed it, but if I'm being picky and honestly reviewing a $15 burger, I have to ding them for it. Still, when you take it all together with the experience of the great drinks, it's a positive experience.
This place has a pretty bad rep, but I heard they recently overhauled it, so my boyfriend and I decided to give it a try.
Definitely glad we did! If you came here before the overhaul and had a bad time, give it a second chance.
I got the Grilled Shrimp & Grits, which came with a bread and butter pickled jalapeno - SO good. And spicy as hell. I removed most of the seeds, only sprinkling a few around, and it still burned like crazy - but in such an oh-so-good way. That's a smart approach, too - it makes the spice optional. I know a lot of people around here don't have the same spice-tooth that this Texan does. Â :) Â The cheddar grits were amazing, and grilled shrimp were HUGE and fresh. My boyfriend got the Grilled Hanger Steak, which was pretty incredible. It was cooked perfectly medium rare, and served on top of a Potato & Cream Spinach Brik.
The drinks were AMAZING. I got the Pimm's Creole Cup. I seriously wanted a pitcher of the stuff. It came with a cucumber and was one of the most refreshing things I've ever tasted! My boyfriend got the Smokey Joe (or something like that - can't remember the exact name), which was equally impressive, but a lot stronger (I'm a wimp and can't handle that).
Each dish was about $20, and the drinks were $10. A $60 bill for a nice night out for two - I don't mind that, especially considering how good everything was. The sandwiches looked really good, and ranged around $10-$15.
It has great decor and a warm ambiance, making for a great date night. The service was fairly awkward, but friendly. The space was EMPTY. We went around 8 on a Friday and it was pretty ghost-town, which is too bad. Give it a second chance!
Solid Stuff. Had the charcuterie plate for starters and the local greens salad with a lobster add-on. The charcuterie was intense in flavoring and  had nice breadth of items. My only complaint was that the bread was so stiff.
They did not skimp on the lobster - fresh and sweet. Finally, I got a scoop of chocolate ice cream. It had some fancier name, but really it was just chocolate ice cream. It was pretty tasty, more dense than creamy, which is how I like it.
I would say this place is a bit on the expensive side for the standard, less imaginative fare they serve. However, First Printer has a good atmosphere with an attentive staff, suitable for solid staples and meeting up with friends.
I hosted a private dinner for 15 people in the vault at First Printer and it was really fantastic. Â Justin did a really great job taking care of us. Christine was supremely patient and helpful answering all of my questions in the prep beforehand. The food was truly awesome, and the desserts were off the hook. Seriously ... surprisingly great. I was planning the dinner from Texas, so I took a leap of faith on the place. Boy, it paid off.
The food was top notch, and the drinks are on the cutting edge of the classic cocktail revival. I'm not easy to please in that department, so that is saying something! The service was unobtrusive but really efficient. Everyone got what they wanted without any disruption to our conversation. Where else can you get chicken and waffles in Harvard Square? That alone was worth the price of admission.
If you are a fan of innovative cocktails, ask for Justin at the bar. Â This dude knows his craft. Â He will not lead you astray.
I was worried about some of the negative reviews here, and well... I wasn't there when they happened. Â I'm sure people are saying what they feel. Â All I can say is that First Printer is my new headquarters in the Square and I love the place. Â
You are I'm good hands with First Printer. I'll see you in the vault!
The service was absolutely atrocious! Some of the worst that I have ever experienced actually. The waiter came to our table and lengthily told us how exceptional his service was, but sadly wouldn't be able to show us these super powers of his because he was single handedly dealing with the whole room of patrons.
We ordered our drinks soon after the "talk" and roughly 30 minutes later we got 1. He assured us they would be on the house and come bill time they weren't.
It was a good thing that we ordered our food when we ordered our drinks because that came about an hour after our order was placed. The food failed to deliver. I'm sorry, but your food needs to be pretty exceptional to forgo salt. The food was unseasoned and salt was not offered on the table. We asked for salt- a request that went unmet.
I decided then and there that I will not be returning. It's a shame really. The atmosphere is cute and they had a live jazz band playing (and one of their bartenders was in the band- an interesting choice seeing how understaffed they were), despite the slowness of the service our waiter was friendly and the food palatable as it was- needed salt.
Came here for a cool laid back dinner. Â They have like an american/southern twist to some dishes, with the basics of seafood since it's Boston. Â I had the scallops, which were seasoned well and came with some hash potatoes and a nice sauce. Â It was cooked pretty well. Â I also tried the mixed greens salad, which was good except I was not a fan of the sweet/tangy dressing sauce. Â The lobster roll also looked delicious, which is what my brother got. Â
The service here was really good. Â There was a bug in my beer and within a minute I had a new beer. Â The beers on tap are all local, which I enjoy as well as some other bottled beers. Â Great decor and ambiance and a good wait staff.
Went for the first time last night and we will def be back soon. Cozy spce, beautiful bar, Brother Cleves delish cocktails started us out right. We shared a bunch of dishes; the beet salad which had candied lemon and was sooo good, the lobster bisque which was rich and so intense, a huge slab of yummy pork belly and the steak with shrimp and grits which had deliciously cooked steak and rich creamy grits and a slightly spicy tomato sauce. We also had a side of whipped potatoes with cheese curdswhich were so rich and creamy, I wanted to lick the bowl. Try it, you'll love it!
I think I found my new regular spot!
Tonight was the fifth time that the spousal unit and I went to First Printer, and despite word of a recent shakeup of their staff, and a very recent menu redesign, we both think that they're making steady upward progress in terms of food and service. Actually, truth to tell, the service has always been good. Friendly to a fault, which is more than enough in our book to forgive occasional lapses in pacing dishes coming out of the kitchen. But while our first meal there not long after they opened was "meh", and our subsequent meals solid (if unremarkable), our latest dinner was quite good. We like the new menu, the new chef, and the emphasis on fresh regionally-sourced ingredients.
Tonight I ordered rather idiosyncratically and on the light side - having had a fairly substantial breakfast and lunch. Just the oysters (from Cape Cod and excellent) and their version of the now ubiquitous beet salad (with mustard, labneh, lemon zest and pomegranate seeds). But the spousal unit was so hungry she ordered both an app (a very interesting green salad with almond butter) and a main (the butter-poached lobster with johnny cakes and berries - which was a big win on the flavor front). She also got her socks knocked off by their powerful Planter's Punch, while I remained relatively abstemious with an American pilsner.
Dessert was also very good. A blueberry crostini with (probably house-made) vanilla ice cream. Downnotes were minor. We would have liked some bread to start - or something starchy to go with the tasty house-made pickles they put on the table in small crocks. And - due to a broken espresso maker and the resultant unavailability of frou-frou euro-coffee - the decaf coffee was too harsh for primetime, and too big to finish.
We definitely plan to return in the near future and check in on their progress. Especially since we heard Brother Cleve has joined the staff. And that's just ... you know ... cool.
But I do feel impelled to note that this Yelp page has been infested of late by a person or persons that have a real ax to grind with First Printer. And I find it highly problematic that the much-vaunted Yelp review filter has failed to flag several attack reviews being posted by people with only a few (or one) reviews under their virtual belts. A number of which appear to be written by the same person using sockpuppet accounts SINCE THEY ALL FEATURE LOTS OF OPPROBRIUM IN ALL CAPS. Others seem far too detailed to have been written by a casual diner looking to highlight some (perceived) offense to their palate, hygenic standards, and/or personhood. And all of the offending reviews are clearly exaggerated at best and fabricated at worst. Â
Whatever bad blood might have been generated by the recent staff turnover, that's no excuse for trashing the place in the guise of real reviewers. If these faux-reviewers have some dirt on First Printer that the public really needs to know, then they should take it to local news publications and bring all relevant info into the light of day.
But if ex-employees or potential competitors (two of which are within a block of First Printer) just want to use Yelp and other social media to spread enough disinformation to sink the place while hiding behind fake identities, then I call shenanigans. And hope the Dark Lords of Yelp wreak swift and terrible vengeance upon their accounts.
I should have paid attention to Hank, my friend who had mentioned that he hadn't heard a THING about this place since February when they opened. Â Hmmm. Â No one raving about it? Â Here's why:
Hank found a chicken bone in his curried chicken salad croissant. Â Actually, Hank found 3 pieces of chicken bone in that sandwich. Â Once major bone, and 2 small shards. Delicious! Our waitress was mortified and removed it from the check, but this didn't help the experience we had with the other dishes. Â
The rest of us, wanting some comfort food, ordered a grilled cheese, with "shoestring" fries. Â What we got was a overly greasy, WAY TOO SPICY grease and hot pepper sandwich with a side of micro potato sticks with some strange white powder sprinkled on top. Â Our lips were burning, our throats hurt, and all three of us had to deconstruct our sandwiches to attempt to get some food in our starving bellies. Â Let me tell you, you couldn't even rely on the fries. Â WHAT ARE THESE THINGS? Â Bacon dust? Â It says so on the menu, but its pretentious and terrible. Â When we asked another server (not the nice woman who was tending to us) what the white powder was, we got a loud and strange response, " I DON'T EVEN KNOW!!" Â Ok, cool. Thanks, man.
We learned as well that the original menu hadn't worked and they recently had changed to their current offerings. Â I might suggest to First Printer, change it again so people can have some food to eat. Â Not bones. Not weird white powder. Not a grease and pepper sandwich. That's not food.
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