I frequent the Harp on a regular, as my boyfriend lives in the neighborhood.
The bartenders are awesome and very friendly, Â Drinks are decent, but seem to vary in price. Â It is best to have a double for ten dollars and have one drinks.
Apps are great, particularly the nachos and their cream of broccoli soup is the BEST.
Entrees not so much, I have had the bakes fish(too many crumbs and mushy) chicken marsala (plain not tasty), and the black and blue burger (yuck). Â
Brunch is good there, but the cook can't seem to differentiate between over easy and over medium eggs.
Overall, a great and friendly place to meet friends for drinks and apps, but not for a fin dining experience
Popped in here for a drink prior to a Scoville event next door. Â Nice, warm place. Â Plenty of local flavah, and a great big bar with plenty of seating. Â Our bartender was friendly and sassy, and poured our pints with aplomb. Â I'm looking forward to coming back for the food, since this place looks like so much fun. Â
Cheers!
I've been to the Harp & Bard a few times for drinks, but only recently ate their for the first time. A friend and I had brunch there one Saturday while she was in town visiting. She got the breakfast special and enjoyed it. I got the breakfast pizza and thought it was great. Pizza's great, bacon's great, and fried eggs on anything are great, so how could it go wrong? The pizza was big enough for me to take half home, though I ate the eggs on the slices that I had at the restaurant since I didn't think they'd reheat as well. I had the rest for lunch the next day and it still tasted great.
Review Source:I went later on at night on wednesday, sat at the bar, and ordered. I must say the service I got was the best I've seen in years. If you go here, look for Katie. Most attentive server/bartender I've met hence the 5 star rating.
Foodwise, I would recommend the buffalo chicken wraps, fried pickles, and fries. Haven't tried most of the menu however.
Avoid, avoid, avoid...
Wow, I can't remember the last time I've walked out of a place because of the horrible service. The other reviews are extremely accurate about the crappy service. We went in for brunch and the place wasn't that busy (which is bad sign regardless.) After waiting 20 minutes and not having so much as a waitress come by to ask us if we had menus, we walked out. I'll never go back again. Whoever is managing the service staff needs to go back to school.
If you're looking for a good brunch place, go to McKenna's right up the street (if you can handle the wait), My Diner on A Street (always a solid choice), or Mul's Diner on Broadway (where you'll get your coffee and/or OJ before you can take your jacket off - great service and food.)
Did Sunday brunch.
DRAFT BEER SELECTION: Â 4 Stars
KENO SITUATION: Â Â 1 Star. Â Only one Keno screen. Â Printer big time ran out of ink.
EYE CANDY: Â 4 Stars. Â Some nice cleavage, always appreciated.
RANCHOS HUEVOS: Â 2.5 Stars. Â Nothing to get excited about. Â Alot of jarred banana peppers, not so much fresh cilantro or avocados.
FRENCH TOAST: Â 1.5 Stars. Â Did not arrive hot enough to melt butter, criucial apparently for consumers of French Toast. Â She also said it was "soggy". Â Seeing as she herself makes excellent french toast, she knows when it is up to snuff or not.
In the words of Toby Keith "I Love This Bar." I have been going to the Harp for years now and especially love it during NHL playoffs. Gretchen has yet to forget what I drink no matter how long it has been since I walked through the door. I am not a fish eater, but the fish and chips is an amazing meal and even if the price seems a little high for it, the amount of food you  get makes you wonder how they can sell it for such a low price. And don't get me started on the haystack onion rings. I'm making myself hungry thinking about it and am going to have to make a trip soon since its right down the street!
Review Source:Made a trip back to the old hood to see what they've done with the place. I left impressed.
The place was clean, the waiter was friendly enough and the food came out fast and hot.
We ordered the cheeseburger, the spaghetti and meatballs and the broiled haddock. Not a single complaint at the table.
The one star above the minimum is awarded for the nice decor on the inside. Chic seating and bar, plenty of televisions, a nice little patio out back, and a good staff serving drinks and food.
Well, good staff except for the old codger standing outside trying to bar us from getting in. One of my friends was being carried accross the street to the bar because her knee is severely sprained. Unfortunately, this utter moron decides to interpret this as her being too drunk to enter the bar. He proceeds to tell us a bunch of lies; how they're "not taking any more people" at 12:45 AM (complete bullcrap), how she can't come in (because we're nice and helpful friends).
What a joke. He let us in after a needless argument, and boy did we regret his decision to do so. This place was absolutely crawling with douchebags. Backwards flat-brimmed hats, saggy jeans, chinstrap beards, earrings, tattoos, and general stupidity.
I won't be back unless dragged by force.
It was not bad, it just was not that good.
Horrible bloody mary, or shall I say tomato juice with a dried out lime and vodka.
Disappointing wedge salad, bacon bits nearly broke a tooth!
Good burger and tater tots,fried chicken sandwich needs a heartier bread, fell apart 2 bites in.
Very clean establishment and nice waitress
H&B was renovated over a year ago and now looks great; also, they are apparently adding deck space on the roof which will be amazing for beers in the summer.
This is a neighborhood spot for me and is a great bar, but the food options could use some help and are overpriced for the quality you get, although the portions are big. Basically, a lot of fried or pre-made-tasting items for appetizers.
They have karaoke and trivia during the week so it draws a fun crowd of locals and has the dive bar "feel" without being dumpy like most places in Dorchester...
Service is usually great, and there's a lot of TV's around the bar for red Sox/Bruins/Celts/Pats games.
I've only been here for brunch. It's been renovated so its sort of nice on the inside, but they have a strange issue with turning on the heat. It's always FREEZING cold in this place... well atleast morning-mid-day. I didn't take off my coat once both times I was there. I think perhaps the ovens in the kitchen throw some heat, so that you don't see your breath while in the bar and dining areas.
I've had brunch here twice due to the close proximity last winter when it snowed and we didn't want to go far. We tried to go to McKenna's but the line was out the door and it was snowing so this seemed like the closest alternative.
The breakfast was decent. We had the same waitress both times we went there last Feb, she was great. Very friendly and helpful. I ordered an omelet which was ok, and my boyfriend ordered a "hungry man" breakfast (both times). He seemed to enjoy it, and it certainly was a large plate of food.
The atmosphere in this place is a bit "eh". Aside from the friendly waitress and the decent breakfast, there isn't much of a reason for me to go back... I'm not sure what its like for dinner, or late nights on the weekends, but I have no interest in finding out.
Decent selection of liquor, but no Don Julio Tequila, no Cirroc Vodka, no high end Whiskey's  - if you want to come off as high end, and charge astronomical prices (5 bucks for a ship yard) then carry the high end stuff, or are you just pretending and don't know your head from your a**hole, i'm going with that because your "high end" is Grey Goose.  If you like Grey Goose, I'd bet the house you've never compared vodkas head to head... and you belong at this place.
I go here often (unfortunately) because its close to my school and convenient for many of us. Â I am 30, i'm not some crazy college student, so I'm not real sure why everyone there is so f**king Cunty towards the customers. Â YOU WORK AT A BAR! Â You are no better than anyone else.
On the bright side... Thursday nights start early, 9pm karaoke starts and is a blast, and the more I drink, the more tolerable the staff are, and the less I notice the outrageous prices.
Best turkey club I've ever had.
Parking is street parking, not terrible in this part of town, but i wouldn't park a nice car here. Â Your best bet is taking the T and walking a few blocks, between here and the T its not a real bad neighborhood.
First, let me say that this review is for the drinks/bar only - I haven't tried the food.
For an Irish place, they make a damn good margarita (albeit served in a fruity glass, but I can't really complain, because the glass is huge). Â My girlfriend asked the bartender to make a lemondrop martini (based on the Cheesecake Factory martini) and the bartender nailed it. Â
Bottom line - the drinks are good, the prices are reasonable, the bar itself is stylish (nice flat screens), the bartenders do a good job and the crowd is pretty cool, too.
I'm giving this place 5 stars because I have yet to be disappointed when I come in here. The renovations have made a big difference and the bar has a great ambiance. The bar itself is large and offers a view of a beautiful Samsung HDTV from anywhere you sit. I watched the US vs. Ghana World Cup game here and it was a fantastic setting. The food is great and reliable, with enormous portions. I ordered fried whole belly oysters from the daily specials menu and got a mountain of food. The oysters were extremely fresh and came with fries, onion strings, home-made coleslaw and a hot roll and it was only 12 dollars!
I'd highly recommend this place to anyone in the neighborhood who's tired of the date rape scene at the Banshee or the old man scene at Tom English. The food is fresh, the service is good, and the prices are low. Can you ask for anything more?
I live right down the street so it's very convenient to go here. I haven't been here as much as I used to but it's a nice place. Great people there.
I've come here for food probably only 2 or 3 times outta the 1000000 times I've come...Usually just go to get wasted haha. Food was pretty good, I always get the steak tips medium rare. I loved the Clam Chowdah tho.
I'll probably come back soon. I'll be the petite asian girl with the shot of henny w/ club soda on the side at the bar =]
The Hahhp and Bahhhd got a facelift. We're all excited about the new polished look as it elevates Dorchester Ave. to the classy Main Street we all know it is capable of becoming (or restoring once more).
If you haven't wandered into the new! improved! H&B, let the Dottie Hottie recommend Sunday or Monday evenings for a buffalo wing smorgasbord. The wings - which come in an array of flavors including honey buffalo, buffalo, and barbecue - are a mere $.50/piece on Sunday and Monday nights. They're not only cheap, but they're quite meaty and mos def delicious. The Dottie Hottie has been in search of an establishment to offer wings at a reasonable price that would make Buffalo proud. But Boston bars, it seems, are wont to charge much too much for the pint and the poultry. The Harp & Bard gets the recipe just right.
Those with kiddies, here's a tip - go 'round about 6p on Monday evenings and have the run of the place. If your child is anything like mine (who thinks booths are made for being obnoxious and peeking over at the connecting booth), this time is to your advantage
So there were only 3 things wrong with this place.
1. It was clear no one had ever, ever thrown up in the bathroom, and there was toilet paper - ON the holder. Too weird. That's just too much self control from a bar's patrons for me to handle.
2. The waitress was wicked nice. Really attentive and super apologetic about the fact that she was the only one there. We didn't even notice, she was totally on her game. C'mon where's that attitude?
3. Food had been cooked by someone who knows what they're doing. The fish didn't come off the back of a truck it was ammmmazingly fresh. The clams were as good as you'd get in one of those authentic shacks on the beach and the fish and chips were a pile of pure oceanic goodness. Â Seriously? Seriously? Â I seriously just ate fresh fish at a bar?
So if this would weird you out as much as it did me - Fresh Fish/Keno combo was very difficult to reconcile, still, check this place out. It's pretty damn good...
I did not have drinks here, but that won't stop me. Â My girlfriend, her Mom and I were going out to lunch but first wanted to stop by Rite Aid. Â So there we were leaving and right across the street was a beacon of shining light in the rain. Â
The Harp and Bard. Â Since it was the middle of the day, and I didn't want to get banged up with my girlfriends mom with us, I had a pepsi, no coke. Â It was cool though, I know that sometime soon, I'll be back for what looks like a pretty extensive beer list. Â
I had the fish and chips and it was great. Â So good. Â Loved it. Â My girl had the turkey club, so good, Loved it. Her mom had the buffalo burger, not made with buffalo! Â So good, she loved it. Â All three of us had a great meal. Â
The girl and I will back to tear it up soon!
I have not been to the Harp and Bard since their remodeling but I enjoy their food and the variety of such. Â
It's a cozy neighborhood bar and their locals don't make you feel uncomfortable. Â Your waitress/waiter will take your order and spare you the small talk. Â If you don't want a packed bar and can tolerate standard issue "bar music" then you'll enjoy a beer and some fried food with some dot rats.
The Harp and Bard has been remodled and is again open for business. Â During the construction, I stopped by and read the Building Permit - They put $450k in renovations into the place.
New exterior, new entrance, they remodled the bar area with new lighting and new TVs. New menu items, I tried the Schezwan Pork Dumplings were pretty good.
Unfortunatly - same mediocre service. Â After we sat down at the bar, the bartenders walked by us several times with out even acknowledge us. It was probably 5-10 minutes before she finally stopped to take a drink order - and it wasn't really that busy.
I'll probably go back (begrudgingly) because its close and the food is decent.
Love the new decor and new menu. Â Nice lighting, nice TVs, new bar with good variety.
Went on Friday night at about 8:30pm and the front room was nearly full, but we were seated right away. They seem to have plenty of waitstaff to serve everyone promptly. All very friendly. Â
Yum! I had the goat cheese, tomato, and spinach salad ($10). The fresh tomatoes were lightly sauteed in garlic and balsamic and poured over the goat cheese and spinach to make it a melty, cheesy, delicious salad. Â I got the cheesecake for dessert ($8), it was served with little whipped cream puff and drizzled with raspberry sauce. Nice presentation and a huge portion!
Unfortunately, they were cash only on Friday night (9/18/09).
The Harp & Bard service can be hit or miss, the locals are either there or they're not, and it's either hopping or it's dead. I've never seen it in between. The decor was really run down, but they've just re-opened after some MUCH NEEDED renovations! The new decor is somewhat swanky, I was surprised. Swanky, Harp & Bard, in Dorchester??!! Seriously?!
They had a band playing, somewhat loudly, so it was hard for my date and I to hear each other... but I like it a lot more than I did before. Why did it go down a star if I like it better? Well, the initial 5 star rating was in '07, I had been meaning to bump that down to a 3 star but had just never gotten around to doing it... so they're up from 3 to 4 stars.
Temporarily, they are cash only until they get everything up and running again post renovations.
The space was in need of a major upgrade and that was done. It is now clean, fresh and inviting with a more quiet eating room separated from the larger bar/tavern space filled with flat screens.
The sad news is that the new menu is limited compared with the old, you get less for more money and everything is swimming in oils and sauces.
The old favorites like steak tips, fresh broiled seafoods are unrecognizable. Â You no longer get a soup or salad with your meal and substitutions will cost you extra. Â Overall a very sad experience.
If you want to hang around the bar have a few drinks and enjoy grease buried veggies and meats you'll like the new Harp. Â But if you looking for fresh nicely prepared veggies and meats this is no longer the place to go.
The last four times I've been into Harp & Bard it's been dead. Â I do enjoy the food and the location, but it's been such a bummer in there.
I didn't notice it at first, on a first date - it was me and the dude and two hours of conversation, beers and zucchini sticks. Â Date #2 was before karaoke night switched on. Â At 9pm, when the place was still E-M-P-T-Y, we were driven out by the ridiculously loud music. Â I can respect wanting to get the party started, but not letting my date come to a quiet and natural end really bakes my chicken. Â After that, was the quick stop on Ryan B's birthday pub-crawl: Dead at 11pm on a Saturday night (and I'm starting to notice a pattern here). Â And today, for brunch... yeck. I'm kicking myself for not going to McKenna's instead. Â The menu was boring, the place was dead as usual, and I just can't do this anymore...
Sorry Harp & Bard, I'm a social animal... I want to see you kick it up a notch.
I have to at least give this place 2 stars as i use to go to this place alot until one sour experience in the past, then that did it for me.
It's a nice family restaurant nicely divided between bar and restaurant. Their menu is pretty good and the prices are spot on for what it is. Every time i went there i never had any troubles with service.
Ok, onto the bad part, the manager is an ass. In the past i use to go here a couple of times a month. The last time we went, the fried haddock/cod whatever the dish was with fries were ordered. Got the fish and they said it tasted weird, i said no way, tasted it myself. Yup, definitely a bad piece of fish, no questions asked, doesn't matter if it was fried or not.
We complained and the manager comes over and i explain the situation and tell him we come here often and this has never happened to us. He gets a fork and actually tastes the fish himself. With us being appalled, he says the fish is fine. We then go no it isn't, we took a bite each and thought not and asked for another piece of fish or at least another order of something.
He proceeds to say, "its always like you kids to want a free meal its always something free, the fish is cooked perfectly and i will not take it back or off of the check and no substitutes"
I don't know what foot pole was shoved inside of him, but i know i will never go back here....
Golden Tee!!
Well Thats not the only great thing about this place. The people who work here are nice and the place is far from pretentious but not a total dive... Â think the correct word is a neighborhood bar/ grill!! yayy!!
I swear by the Blue Cheese burger, especially if you are into carmalized onions! and the club sandwiches. On a snowy day my bf and I trudge or drive over Jones hill for those burgers and sometimes, ( dare I say) get a salad from these folks and I have yet to be let down.
Oh yeah they have a patio!! Can't wait to smoke a cancer stick out back there this summer!
I usually sit at the bar at Harp & Bard because the people there and bartenders are very friendly. The crowd at the bar is usually middle aged local Dots who all know each other and are more than willing to talk to us and even buy a round!
If you're bringing kids there is booth seating as well and a huge room in the back.
The beer selection is decent, red wine tends to be a bit warm and served "bar" style in a huge short glass filled to the top. I just really like the atmosphere more than anything. Plus they served me a bloody mary at 11am after a bad breakup - Bartender: "you need to order food to get alcohol before noon" Me : "give me a pancake!!!" That bloody mary was great and I was gone before the pancake even showed up.That's my kind of place!
The food is also decent. Wings are excellent. Huge and loads of them.
We went here yesterday to check out the band that performs on Sundays. Â We're hiring them for our wedding! Â They're great.
This place is OK. Â The atmosphere isn't that cozy (bad lighting). Â Service was solid and the food was what you'd expect. Â I had shrimp scampi with a baked potato and butternut squash and that was decent. Â Jen liked her veggie burger. Â We split zucchini sticks that were solid.
We were bought a round of drinks by a local drunk. Â Other guests were chatty with us, which may not be for everyone - ie. not for me but Jen liked it...
I'm sure we'll go back to see this band again before our wedding but probably not for any other reason.
I've eaten here for years, and while it's had ups and downs, it is currently on an upswing. Â This is a real neighborhood place, unpretentious and friendly. Â Pours a decent martini - although the price for the Sapphire just headed north of what you'll pay at the Blarney Stone, and that's a tad hard to justify.
Regular standouts:
- The BLT - best I've had. Â Get it on dark rye.
- The cole slaw - they put in, something spicy, maybe horseradish, maybe CRACK. I can't stop eating it.
- French onion soup - unfancy and hearty
The must-have:
- the 'chicken fingers'. Â These are not fingers, they are WHOLE BONELESS BREAST portions, fried perfectly with an amazing wing sauce (if you get the hot variety), and the large order has about a freakin' dozen of them, with great blue cheese dressing. Â Save some for tomorrow's hangover.
Psst...all you people waiting on line at McKenna's...Sure, I love McKenna's too, but down the street? There's no wait for a table.
Yes, it's true: Harp & Bard serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10-4. My whole family came here on a Sunday morning and we had the whole back room to ourselves. (Wait, you didn't know there was a back room, either?) The pancakes are huge, the corned beef is made from *real* shredded beef brisket, and the coffee cups are color-coded for decaf or full caf. While I didn't get a solid answer on whether or not they take reservations, the host knew we were coming and was really nice about it. BTW, the phone number listed here must be old; use 617.265.2893 instead.
I've been here a few times for dinner, and it's good solid comfort pub food served by friendly people. It's a great neighborhood spot that compliments the other fine dining establishments. And if you need a Golden Tee fix, they have it.
update: extra points for being open on the 4th of July!
I work in the restaurant and bars industry and I cringe when I walk into this place. However, I feel at ease once I realize that you can have a great view from any seat in the house of one of thier flat screen tv's to watch any game thats on (this time it was the Celtics who shamefully suffered their 5th loss of the year to the Washington WIzards).
They pour a mean Blue Moon and make a meaner brownie Sundae. Don't believe me? You can ask my friend who sat next to me dripping in fudge and ice cream. I've been to this place before because one of my great industry friends used to bartend there but sadly I don't see myself venturing out there just for the Harp & Bard. It's no destination place but when your there you can enjoy the BBQ roasted chicken and thier tucked-away patio which quickly turns into one of those rooms you see at airports designated for smokers.
Trivia night is on Thurdays @ 9pm and Bekah darlin' I swear I'll make it one of these days. 4 stars...
After driving around looking for some place to eat the sky opened up and a little ray of sunshine led us here!
Is it wrong that sometimes I judged places by their honey mustard?
Whatevs... theirs is GOOOOOOOOOD.
Especially when smothered on something fried like mushrooms or french fries or my double bacon cheeseburger club. Ok that's not fried but it was still delicious. The burger was a little under cooked but edible and the french fries were just kind of blah. It's really the honey mustard that brought it up to 4 stars. oh and I was STARVING! Â The only thing that stopped me from devouring everything on the table was that my 5 year reunion was that night and I didn't want to ruin MONTHS of not eating!
The service was great and out waitress wasn't even sketched out by the fact that we were taking pictures of EVERYTHING! If I'm ever lost in Dot again I would not hesitate to come here!
This was the absolute cure for the fact I hadn't eaten in 36 hours. I guess work, interning, tanning, primping, and drinking take up a lot of time on my Fridays--so much so that I don't remember to eat until my stomach starts picking at my vital organs.
The food here was nothing spectacular as in a MUST TRY but it was completely satisfying for those greasy desires and rumbles in my belly. I was unable to stop eating the food here. First we ordered some fried mushrooms with honey mustard for dipping. They must use the same frialator for their food because the mushrooms had a fishy taste--but that can be cured with a double dunk of the honey mustard.
I ordered myself the bleu burger which I gladly inhaled. The caramelized onions were rather tasteless and kind of made the burger soggy, but the bleu cheese crumbles made up for their lack of taste. The fries were delicious and there were plenty to go around. Jenna C. ordered a club sandwich while our other friend ordered Nachos to share--so obviously I ate most of her nachos since she wasn't hungry and clearly I'd eat the table if I could.
The waitress was very friendly and service was prompt. She made sure to check-in when necessary and kept our glasses full. The restaurant itself is kind of awkward. I couldn't tell if I was in a Richdale or a pub. Picture a bar, wooden booths, plasma TVs, and hanging lights--Faneuil Hall type pub, right? But then there were big bulky TVs playing Keeno, hanging advertisements for smoothies from the drop down ceiling, as well as Keeno sheets on the table--Richdale, right?
Whatever the case, four stars for good service, satisfying food, and more than fair prices.
A few hours ago I sent the following text: "I love this place. a bloody fistfight broke out a bit ago. Sweet." Okay, I'm not one for bloodlust, but it was a rare sight - even for this bar. It didn't seem that this was a common occurrence like at some bars, I'm sure. Beyond the fight, the bar/restaurant was actually pretty good. Waitstaff and bartenders were genuinely helpful and attentive. The steak tips were pretty juicy and huge. The mashed was a bit weak so you should probably get a different side. Best of all there's a trivia night on Thursdays at 9!
Update: No fights...but some darn good chicken fingers.
The Harp & Bard
Four stars, Decently priced beers, like 3.50 for a bud bottle, 5.00 for a classy draft. Â Great food they serve until 9 or 10. Â plently of TV's and who could forget Keno. Â Good jukebox but thier is usually an older crowd there. Â
I''ve been told to leave a couple of times, maybe for having too good of a time but besides that great place to go if your just looking for a drink and a tasty reasonably priced meal.
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