This is my boyfriend's favorite place to go out. We love to TRY ALL THE SEASONAL beers over there AND THE FOOD is really delicious. usually we order spinach dip artichoke, which is the best home-made dip than in any other place I have been too, meatloaf and some seafood dinner. THIS PLACE IS AWESOME. HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU TO GO THERE IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN TO IT.
Review Source:So we were doing some shopping at a local store and needed a bite (Sunday 5PM). Â We are always up for a new brewery experience so decided to give it a go. We were sat quickly and the first thing I noticed was that the mirrors and walls were disgustingly dirty. Â Our waiter came right over and was attentive but in between taking care of customers, he and several other waitstaff would hang out in the front room, sitting down, watching Sports Center on the big screen TV. Â The floor manager was walking through the dining room out of a plastic package. Â It was the laziest restaurant staff I've ever seen!
The bread came to the table with some moderately spiced oil. Â It had a weird taste like fake butter. Â The beer was good, I can't knock that. Â We had the Vienna Lager and the Nut Brown. Â We got a Asian Chicken and Ginger Fried Cripsadilla appetizer which was doughy and really average to poor. Â For entrees we had what seemed like a pre-packaged, frozen meatloaf and the fish and chips. Â The fish must have been completely freezer burnt at some point as it was chewy, (mmm tasty, yes?) Â The fries were completely soggy and the coleslaw was basically chunked cabbage with mayo. Â For desert we had an undercooked Butterscotch Bread Pudding.
I can only figure that this place gets good reviews because it's beer makes it a local hangout.
Until the staff decided to work and clean the place, I will not be coming back. Â Yuck all the way around.
Came across this place on a random trip to the Natick Mall. Â
Loved the $2.95 house brew special which was actually a really good beer. Â
I had a good portobella mushroom sandwhich and love that they have sweet potato fries as an option - even if they aren't the best I have ever had. Â
Fiance got a huge burger which actually got him full. Â He hates getting a mini burger that leaves him wanting more.
This place is good - not amazing - but good.
We met here for some pub grub and some good beer.
Beer was definitely a good value I think between $3-5 beers. Not bad especially since they brew it themselves.
Food isn't bad either. Actually kind of good.
I ordered a salad- pretty good. We also ordered a BBQ chix pizza which was also good. Meal sizes are a bit small for price.
I took away a star because they told us to throw out coffee after seating us. Â Customer service much?
Came here pretty optimistic due to some of the good reviews on here, but it turned out to be a really disappointing dinner. Â The beer sampler was average--not horrible, but not memorable either. Â I ordered the Aztec salad with grilled chicken, my boyfriend ordered the Cajun turkey burger. Â The wait time for the food was about 40 min. on a Friday night, and what we ended up getting was mediocre at best. Â My salad was supposed to have tomatoes and tortilla strips... I found maybe three grape tomatoes, with a few small fragments of tortilla strips that were hardly noticeable. Â I ended up asking the waitress if there were even any tortilla strips in my salad at all, to which she responded "yeah they're in there" and proceeded to be very accommodating in bringing out some more. Â The blue cheese dressing was extremely underseasoned and watered down (especially for a blue cheese dressing...I didn't get any blue cheese, nor did it have any taste whatsoever). Â The grilled chicken was tough and underseasoned as well. Â My boyfriend's turkey burger tasted like something I'd get from a university cafeteria--soggy and spongey, and unfortunately, had nothing "Cajun" about it. Â Our waitress was helpful, but it didn't make up for the fact that the food was bland. Â I won't be returning, as nothing really stood out as worthwhile at this place.
Review Source:As a craft beer fanatic, and a homebrewer, I'm always excited to step into a brewpub. Unfortunately it also makes me extremely critical of beer, so I'm going to step away from discussing that in this review and touch upon everything else.
Service is friendly, and decent. Nothing to complain or brag about.
Food is pretty good. Ordered the pulled pork sandwich, and something was a bit off about the meat. Can't quite explain it. The bun, fries and coleslaw were great, but the meat itself was questionable.
The table bread they provide was really good, buttery and tasty.
I'm a fan of this place, and would likely go back when in the area again, however I would not order the pulled pork.
Visiting from out of town, we were looking for good pub fare and craft beer. Â This was the place. Â It is set in a outdoor shopping mall. Â It was a Saturday early evening and very busy. Â Sat at the bar and ordered an IPA. It was very good. Â I had chicken parmesan and my husband had the fish and chips. Â They first brought out the freshest bread, with olive oil, which was very good. Â My husband had a cup of clam chowder which would make a good lunch just with the bread. My chicken parmesan was very watery on the noodle side .Chicken was good. Â Had to drain the water off. Â My husband's fish and chips was very fresh and excellent. Â Loved the feel in the place, very busy, and loud.
Review Source:5 stars for beers, 3.5 stars for food. Â Beers were solid- the Shopper's Ale with cinnamon & sugar rim was a hit. Â Also tried the Scotch Ale that was spot on. Â Food-wise the portions are ridiculous so don't over order. Â We had the kettle chips as an app, which could have been an entire meal for two of us! Â I had the smokehouse pizza- cool because the dough is made with leftover beermaking stuff. Â Piled high with pulled pork, sauteed onions, BBQ sauce, etc. Â A little over the top with toppings but tasted great. Â Wife had the quesadilla which was good but came with about a teaspoon of toppings. Â Kids menu was fine and the little one was satisfied. Â We're not from the area, but if we were and shopped around there regularly, this would be a standard weekend spot! Â Glad we tried it. Â PS, you can get growlers to go...
Review Source:I've been here many times over the years and am always satisfied. The food is not the most amazing, but it's always consistent and good.
We went recently after a movie and, even though we had a reservation, had to wait a bit to be seated. However, it was pretty crowded (they definitely need a bigger waiting area!) and we didn't wait long.
I love the foccacia bread and oil that they bring out, which helps with the wait for the food.
Three of us got the Aztec salad (mixed greens, grape tomatoes, avocado, corn, roasted poblano pepper, tortilla strips and our creamy cilantro-lime dressing), but all got something different.
I asked for the dressing on the side, as well as the balsamic dressing, and light tortilla strips. I was so impressed when the waitress brought out a separate plate with the dressings and a bowl of tortilla strips! Such a thoughtful gesture. The grilled chicken breast was perfectly cooked and the salad overall was exactly what I wanted.
My husband went for the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Breast (garlic tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, penne pasta, pesto, spiced parmesan cheese), which was perfectly tender and moist. And the pesto sauce was DELISH.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable meal and a comfortable (albeit loud) restaurant.
Remember the scene in Superbad when McLovin gets knocked out at the liquor store? Well, the woman who worked at the counter there now works as a hostess here...and she definitely failed her test because she's mean and angry as ever.
This place gets a B+ for beer and a B- for food. But it seems every hostess they hire is blowing off steam from the crappy mass pike to route 9 commute they have to deal with. Superbad chick is always especially aggy and rude when all I wanted to know was the wait time to get a good beer and okay entree. Geez!
Recommend sticking to traditional pub fare at this location: Appetizers, Burgers, Pot Pie, meat loaf. Â But this is based on one visit and two rather disappointing entrees. Â Chicken Parmesan was overcooked and dry, a thick layer of tasteless mozzarella cheese on top of overcooked penne pasta with a small amount of pesto sauce and not enough tomato sauce. Â Second entree was crab encrusted cod. Â Crust was tasteless and rice was dry and overcooked with very little vegetables. Â We were a large group (10+) and service was outstanding and attentive. Â Entrees all arrived together. Â Beer was fresh and really enjoyable. Menus at other locations seem more adventurous with entrees.
Review Source:This really IS as good as it gets! My favorite beers made fresh in house, homey comfort foods with a special John Harvard's touch.
Anyway, here's the breakdown of our dinner:
5 beer sampler: Session Ale, Pale Ale, Espresso Nutbrown, Irish Dry Stout, and...WAIT FOR IT... Bacon beer--It's just as weird as is sounds. And you'll LOVE every sip of it.
Buffalo Chicken Mac&Cheese: It's fresh, drizzled with Buffalo sauce, and topped with crunchy pankobread crumbs, and you'll be glad to know that the cheese is not overpowering and dry and gross like a lot of restaurants.
Seafood Chimichanga: My friend had this, and wouldn't stop raving about how tasty the scallops and shrimp in it were. Â The chimichanga had a deep fried outer layer to it splashed with a kickin chili sauce, accompanied by rice and black beans. Yum
Chicken Pot Pie: our server told us about this award-winning dish, so as great customers, we HAD to try it. Three words: Holy Friggin Smokes! Flaky, buttery crust, and that homey chicken-pea-carrot medley that brings you back to grandma's kitchen.
When I though it couldn't get better, they told me they deliver and do catering in Boston/Woburn and a bunch of places through <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diningin.com&s=cd9e86176dfed26e438b636f6adc7ba160a2a4bc88e30fbaa5fed076246e1a03" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.diningin.com</a>. SCORE
Enjoy!
Since I was the DD for the night I can't comment on the beer, although I'd like to eventually. I went here with friends after we saw a movie, we got there around 9 and didn't have to wait for a table. The food here was alright, nothing great nothing terrible. I had a cheeseburger and my friend had the beef tenderloin mac & cheese special. Of course I had to try her mac & cheese and I have to say it was little disappointing. I realize that the steak was the focus of the dish and she said that was great but the mac and cheese was more like pasta in sort of a béchamel/alfredo mix. It wasn't very thick so the cheese taste was overpowered by the broccoli. My burger was good, can't complain or rave about it, the fries were great and everything came out hot and pretty quickly after we ordered. The prices here are a little bit high but other that that I just feel kind of blase about this place. There's nothing that jumped at me and nothing that severely disappointed me. I guess I'd go back there if I was hungry and had no other ideas.
Review Source:When immersed in an outstanding dream it always seems my high school calculus teacher appears to administer a clumsy barium enema or the woman I'm making sweet love to morphs into my grandmother's best friend Mildred who pooped herself that one time. Perhaps that is why I can never relax at John Harvard's. Delicious craft beers brewed in-house, New England sports on tv and food I've always found to be excellent. Understandably, I keep waiting for Nelson Mandela to smack my ass hard with a riding crop and kick me down a flight of stairs. But no. It is not too good to be true.
Review Source:I've been going here off and on for about 10 years. Â I used to work in the area, and would stop in for the occasional "liquid lunch" or for drinks with friends. Â I've moved to New Jersey since then, and still stop in at John Harvard's every time I come back to visit family.
Several of their beers, like their house lager, make a pretty good "session beer" - very drinkable and not too high in alcohol content (under 6%) so you can knock back several and not stumble out of the restaurant. Â They have stronger beers too if you prefer, and always several styles to choose from. Â Since I usually visit in the winter, I almost always have a Harvest Spice, which is a good winter beer with high drinkability.
I'll admit I've had better beers at better breweries, but they are often high ABV or very strongly flavored, and would have a harder time pairing with lots of food. Â I think John Harvard's toned it down a little to make sure nothing would pair too badly. Â This is not to say their beer isn't good, though - I do keep going back, after all.
As for the menu, I found the food a bit hit-or-miss. Â The Goat Cheese Flatbread appetizer (with arugula and olive oil) was tasty but messy, as it's basically just greens piled on a flatbread with cheese on top. Â The buffalo chicken mac and cheese was pretty good. Â I had high hopes for the spent grain pizza, which have dough made with grains leftover from the brewing process, but I think the strongly flavored crust overwhelmed the margherita pizza. Â It doesn't taste bad at all, but it's not quite pizza. Â On the other hand, the burgers are big and flavorful, if slightly pricey.
My advice? Â Stick to the beer and the simpler, bar-style foods and you'll have a good time. Â Or just have the beer.
This is THE place to go if you want a good burger and great beer. Â I also love the atmosphere as the paintings and stained glass windows are pretty darn charming. Â The only reason I'm giving them 3 stars instead of 4 is that they've messed up orders more than once. Â The food also leans on the heavier side just so you know.
Review Source:Its always a plus when you get beer that is brewed in house. Â Solid selection of drafts, and you can tell they brew in house with the copper barrels behind the bar!
Appetizers are solid. Â The calamari is to die for, its Rhode Island style with banana peppers and other hot peppers. Â
Can't go wrong with a burger either, but their pizza was so so although our waitress said she loves it.
Not a bad place, and go back occasionally, mostly for the calamari and beer though.
First off, their brew is very good. Â They have a good selection of different styles of beer, and offer a sampler tray of small amounts of several different beers, if you feel like experimenting.
As far as food goes, they have quality meals, but probably a little overpriced for what you get. Â I normally stick with the shepherd's pie, but have tried the fish and chips, and just got the Cuban sandwich last time I visited. Â I would recommend the former two - the latter could really use a little butter when they grill the sandwich - as is, the bread was fairly dried out from the grilling. Â Otherwise a good sandwich, but it's one tablespoon of butter away from being a great sandwich.
They also give you bread before your meal that is exceptional, and served with some oil and herbs.
Not spectacular, but good bar service, and good food.
The beer is always fresh, tasty, and varied. Being a brewhouse, if they screwed that part up, I would be highly concerned. Â Being a guy who eats by himself a lot, I tend to stick to the bar too. So, keep that in mind.
I've sampled bits and pieces from the menu, but am no longer straying from the burgers. I tried a few of the actual entrees to no great effect. Some were passable, one was sent back (and removed to mgmt's credit). If you're looking for a good place to have a beer and a burger, or just beer, then this is a great place to go.
I'm a fan, but beer and burgers are so solidly in my gastronomical wheelhouse that as long as you deliver those two things and don't spray me in the face with hot oil or something, I'll be back.
The food here is SO GOOD, but the service is sub par at best. 75% of the times I have been the service has been SO SLOW and the waiters uninterested in the patrons or their experience.
What brings me back is the food and the beer, especially the buffalo chicken mac and cheese, which is a bit expensive but so so delicious. It has an inexplicable smokey flavor (they either smoke the chicken or use some liquid smoke)
This place has way more promise than it delivers.
The beer selection is always great. Â I just wish the food and service fit the brew house. Â The food is very generic and something you could get at any chain. Â
Seating is terrible here too. Â It is awkward going in because the right side seating is seat yourself but you aren't quite sure where it is cut off. Â There are more hightops that aren't technically part of the bar (have to wait to be seated there) but they are cleary in the same general section of the place.
The service was not so lovely either. Â Luckily there was plenty of chatter in between the long pauses to take our orders. Â The food came so quickly and was a bit on the cold side. Â Which was a bit scary. Â The waiter walked by our empty beers and plates a few times before asking if we wanted another round. Â No thanks. Â We will go.
I've eaten here a few times and keep trying to like the place more than I actually like it.
We came here after shopping to grab a quick bite. Â The one thing I do like about this place is it has outside seating in the summer. Â Not a great view to look out at the parking lot but on a nice day there are not many places around to pick from.
So my recent stop was again ok.
Spinach Artichoke Dip was the best
Wings ok
Chowder ok
Caesar salad ok
Their own homemade root beer - sadly disappointing :(
The location is ok. Â Parking on the outer side can be better than driving through the store areas. Â The staff is hit or miss as well as the service, wait time for a table or for the food.
The beer is ok but I'd rather go to the BBC.
John Harvards always fails to impress.
No matter what, I always get the table right in the middle under the AC that they won't turn down or off, even when it's cold and rainy and/or winter outside. This table is where everyone walks by and either bumps you, or sends all your shizzzz flying to the floor.
The service is always mediocre. People are less than thrilled to be working there, it seems.
The beer they give me when I tell them what I usually drink is NOTHING even comparable to what I usually drink.
The menu never gets better. If you don't want chicken pot pie or fish and chips, you're kinda screwed. I also think their salads are way too complicated, and sometimes you just want a plain old salad, and I refuse to be the girl who orders the salad and then has to tell the waiter 100 things I don't want on it. ANNOYING. Had the Caprese Pizza the other day, and I honestly thought it was terrible.
I try not to come here, really, unless it's where everyone has decided to go. But now with Paparazzi near by, I'llstick with the places that continue to do a decent job.
Was randomly in the area with a friend and I was hungry. It was this, Panera or McD. We came in and were seated immediately, but in a kind of awkward spot where waitresses were constantly bumping our chairs. We were also close to a large party of people who seemed to have not seen one another in a few decades. Waitress was nice, but not super fantastic. She seemed to understand when my pal ordered the pizza caprese light on the oil...so why didn't it come out that way. I didn't taste it, but it looked underdone. Pal had the salad on the side and she said it was very good. I ordered a medium burger and got a well one. It was still pretty good. $12 for a burger, fries and water (tax and tip included) is a little steep for what I got though. Also weird was the fact that they have 2 types of burgers. Like these are our good burgers and these are our crappy ones. $3 difference.
I guess the menu was pretty varied but some of those things got pricey. Most expensive dish was $27.
All in all, I would have rather gone to McD.
I would give John Harvard's 2.5 stars. Tasty albeit uninspired beers, hit-or-miss food and inconsistent service are the main themes of this place.
Last night, I met my sister and a friend here for dinner. (Not so much because we love JH, but it is a central location.) I ordered a Harvest Spice beer and a Rocquefort burger that came with caramelized onions and bacon.
I should have stuck with the liquid diet. (Even though the fries were great.) First, I had to send my burger back because it was bright red. Gross. Certainly a new interpretation of medium-well. When I got it back, it was still almost inedible. Yes, it had been cooked a little bit but there were still pockets of cold. My mouth was not a fan of the incongruous temperatures. The bacon tasted like plastic. The caramelized onions were colder than the rest of the burger and hadn't been cooked well enough to evoke that sweet taste. The Rocquefort was runny and thin and made me feel like a pustule had burst open in my burger somewhere. On top of it all, the bun was soggy (despite being replaced when it was re-cooked). The burger just looked sad and decrepit on my plate. Where it stayed.
Repulsive.
I would come back here if I were in the area (I won't be) for some fries and beer, but would never return for a full meal.
Another inevitable foray into mediocrity.
Our second time here, and our second time looking at each other and saying "meh..." Â
We arrived around 8, just prior to the start of the Rangers-Sox game. The bar was packed, so we took at seat at one of the two-tops. Â Our waiter, obviously harried, surfed by us a couple of times with a "i'll be right with you" and a "just gimme ONE sec". When he did arrive, I felt like I better get our orders out quick, lest he burst into flame. OK, you've got 5 tables. Rough deal, I'm not gonna hassle you.
The beer at this JH's is decent; I've played it safe and ordered the Pale Ale, but I stuck my neck out on the stout and a pumpkin spice beer and been happy with all of them, though I don't care for the fact that they eschew seasonal ingredients...you can get a winter beer in July. That's not right.
Their free bread basket is spicy and delicious, and the basil dipping oil is a nice complement - you should save yourself the app order and just ask for an extra basket of this goodness.
The hummus platter would be SO much better with at least some veggies...but it's just triangles of "pita" (read: wheat bread cut into wee triangles) with the hummus, feta, olives and oil. Â Might as well skip it.
I can say that the fish and chips is good. Fishy, chippy, served with malt vinegar and good ol' New England tartar sauce (mayo and relish), this is a solid entree.
The buffalo chicken salad is also a solid choice, though go easy on the dressing - get it on the side, unless you like your greens swimming in goop. Spicy chicken.
Loud? sure. Convenient to Route 9? You bet. Reason to come here beyond being in the neighborhood? Absosmurfly not.
Went again recently and I've still never been disappointed, so bumped the rating to 4. It's a great place to have a draft beer with your family meal.
The good: Had a delicious Irish stout and a sip of my wife's very tasty brown ale. Actually had a decent healthy meal on the menu - Mediterranean salad, hummus and lentils and all (of course the server tried to give it to my wife instead of me). The kid wolfed down the foccacia appetizer, his (lightly breaded) fries, and even tried to take down his full sized burger (with fries on top, his idea).
The bad: $15 is a bit much for fish and chips, but if it was real haddock...okay. All the pastas have cream sauce, but it is a pub after all.
Summary: still old reliable.
John Harvard's boasts an extensive list of brews. My favorite The Oktoberfest and John Harvard's Pale Ale (Silver Medal 2000 Real Ale Festival)
So, Besides the beer, "Whats good"? You ask- Well Just about everything else on their Brew house menu From Appetizers and snacks all the way down to the desserts.
What I like most about it is that they have a very Different menu from other pubs and grills... You are getting the Fridays and Unos prices, but at a much better quality and selection!
The Waitstaff could definitly use a little more training as far as food and Beverage knowledge go- But other than that- Id say its rather Delish!!!!
Pretty average. 3.5 stars, really.
Used to like going here. The food is usually pretty food for pub food. Service can vary wildly depending on when you're there.
It's great that they have their own beer, they usually have something for everyone. TVs are placed around the bar so you can usually keep tabs on your games.
The last few times I've been in here, we were just trying to go out and be with the people. But, the people weren't there. Where is everybody? It seems like the scene has left this place.
Well, except for that one time I was here on a semi-blind date and my ex was there. That made for an interesting visit...
I'm going to give it four stars tonight just because the bartender that I haven't seen in like 2-3 years remembered me! I was actually delighted to see that he still works there.
I love their buffalo wings because it's not fried. The skin is soft. The meat is juicy. After sitting there for a while, the wings stays as is...not get hard and dry like fried ones do. Hence, I still get to savor the wings when it gets cold.
I also had a side of Cesar which could be done better. The basic complaint is that it was not well tossed. Some pieces were dry and others had adequate amount of dressing.
Another plus here is that Level One is fifty cents cheaper than Goose which is really wierd!
I'm giving JH 4 stars, it really only deserves 3.75, but alas....
i like the food, the bread is yummy and the home brews can add up to me starting to raise my voice to the level in which wifey will look at me and start to laugh because i am obv getting to drunken fool land (which is all laughs and no belligerence btw!)
go for that i say wtg JH!
its good try one time, you shan't be sorry
Allow me to say that while I love the beer here and other menu items, I loathe their service. Â With the white hot passion of 1,000 suns. Â But get the nachos and the crispadillas, and try the cask ale. Â
That's the reason for the low stars. Â I should also say that most times I have a problem, it's been with a group. Â One time we wanted to push some tables together for dinner, but they were apparently in different "zones". Â Like I give a crap what zones the tables are in. Â I found the older lady in the front to be crabby and mean. Â
Oh, and me and my group have been cut off here twice. Â Not because we were loud, but apparently if you're there for a really long time, no matter the quantity of alcohol or food consumed, the manager comes up and tells you that they can't serve you anymore. Â It was kind of insulting. Â
So Boo to John Harvard's in Natick. Â Your service is crap. Â Sadly you're the only decent bar around my office, since those boneheads at Desmond O'Malley's made it into a steakhouse.
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