Nice bar for a late drink in Harvard Square.
Staff seems to have some snobby Newbury Street attitude, which seems out of place in Cambridge. Nevertheless, service was attentive and efficient. They even insisted on replacing the drink that I knocked over.
My verdict: I'd go back, but I wouldn't get out of my way to get there.
Noir is a nice bar whose atmosphere changes greatly based on the crowd. I've been to Noir for school socials, networking events, or just on a random night. In the two former type of events, I've appreciated Noir for their quick service at the bar and the variety of drinks. The bartenders are knowledgeable about drinks and they have a decent wine selection. On random nights, the crowd can be very mixed. It tends to be a quiet place, with more intimate conversations. However, when there's a game on, then the place does get rowdy. My only complaint is that there is no bathroom in the bar. You have to exit, walk out into the lobby of Charles Hotel and go upstairs in order to use the hotel bathroom. Quite out of the way, and difficult for a first timer to navigate.
Review Source:They offer a decent happy hour menu and I was pretty satisfied with  my basil, tomato, and mozzarella sandwich. The cocktails aren't amazing and are a little bit overpriced. If you want to order off the happy hour menu, there is a six dollar drink minimum . A beer is about five to eight dollars, which is a bit cheaper than their cocktails. The ambiance is eh. Personally, I kind of think this place is a little bit over-rated but if you're in the area around 5 or 6 PM, this isn't a bad place to stop by for a quick and cheap bite to eat.
Review Source:With a group of about ten friends we went to Noir for an evening of fun and we truly enjoyed our time there.
1. Our waiter was extremely nice and professional, no attitude or eye rolling when we asked for 10 separate checks!
2. The side dishes and appetizers are very reasonably prices, are very tasty and come in large portions!
3. Drinks are also reasonably priced and are well-made
4. The place is not large but modern and nicely decorated.
I only came back here because every other bar was full, and I STILL regret it.
When we walked into the bar, there was no one to greet us or seat us. We wandered through the small room looking for a place to sit and wondering if we should seat ourselves. The staff saw us, but still ignored us. Eventually I asked if there was a place to sit. The waitress looked at us dismissively and said, "Uh, well, all these [unmarked] seats here are reserved, but you can sit anywhere else that's open."
The only tables available had just two seats. "We've got another person coming," I explained. "Could we have another chair?" She shrugged. "Yeah, if you can find one." Really? At an expensive hotel bar, the waitress couldn't even bother to bring an extra chair to our table?
When we finally sat down, another waitress approached the table, threw a pile of three menus onto it, and quickly walked away without even saying "Hello." We waited too long to order, get our drinks, AND to settle our check. We were in here nearly an hour, and only spent about 15 minutes on one round of drinks.
This place just keeps getting worse and worse.
Literally worst service I have ever had at a restaurant.
My friend's soup came to the table and was cold. She brought it up to the bar since no one checked on us; however it was still listed on the bill. Our waitress was the worst waitress we have ever had. The drinks were fine, but service was beyond horrible.
The service at this place has always been great though the drinks could use a bit of a stiffening up for me if it's going to be that pricey. Though, having said that, I've never had a bad drink. It's a great place to decompress after work; grab a flat bread and a drink and chat it up with friends. The outdoor seating in the summer is great as well.
P.S. Definitely ask about the happy hour options. We might not be able to get discounted drinks but they more than make up for it with the food. Definitely worth it.
This place is hidden in the Charles Hotel. Luckily, it closes at 2 AM so this is usually the last stop before the customary Shawarma run across the street at the end of a night out. Hotel (or non-hotel) patrons can come here for classic (old fashioneds and the like) and crazy drinks (like "The Good Guy"). Most of the time the drinks are fine, though sometimes they will make them with slightly lower level liquor.
Never had the food here, so can't comment on it.
The 5 star rating probably includes the sentimental value as well.
Noir just did not meet my expectations. Â
Located in the Charles hotel, it is very close to Harvard. Â The interior was passable, the darkness did not give it any extra chic. Â It was not busy at all on a Wednesday night, and being from out of town, I was instantly taken a back when the waitress and bartender were wearing jerseys and t-shirts. Â I am just not used to this kind of casual attire at these kinds of bars--even at sports bars they bring their A-game; however, they were nice.
But perhaps it is because they know the drinks suck. Â There are simply no measurements of the different components--my drink was pure alcohol. Â No mixology going on here, or any attempts to alter the state of these "cocktails." Â Its only redeeming quality was the music, but I would never come back.
Only reviewing the bar......and only been there once (so I'm hoping there's better bartenders that I missed out on). Went there at 6p on a Saturday.
Came with high hopes, left with a sour taste in my mouth....literally.
My drink of choice: whiskey sour......
1st problem: Whiskey = Jack Daniels (WTF??? In a sour??? Without asking???)
2nd problem: no measuring of contents, attempted a count but shorted it...led to next problem.....
3rd problem: All lemon juice (atleast that was fresh) w/splash of Tennessee Whiskey.....no sugar
4th problem: Major heart burn (probably from my lemon juice w/ a splash of jack....just sayin')
Watched the bartenders work behind the bar (having been a mixologists myself, I was interested).....they're better suited for a club rather than a bar purporting to have nice cocktails that cost $9+. Shook drinks that should have been stirred (ex: Martini), couldn't count pours properly, couldn't pour drinks properly when making multiple drinks (had to constantly repour), and generally sucked....atleast they refilled our water constantly.
Get a new bar manager, revamp your cocktail list and then give me a call when you're ready to make proper cocktails.
I really wish there were more classy wine bar like spots in this area which is why I was so excited to finally be able to try out Noir!!!
But...It really wasn't as cool as it sounded. They did have quite the cocktail list, with all kinds of creative names and mixtures of all sorts of things, but the cheapest cocktail was about $11 and they just went up from there. The cheapest glass of wine was $9 I think, so you can't really come here and stay too long if you don't plan on earning some major points on that rewards credit card of yours. The decor and the ambiance does make it quite nice though, especially for a bar in the middle of harvard square. It adds that touch of class for the more sophisticated crowd that doesn't want to just go to Charlie's beer garden all the time. It is weird that you have to go upstairs in the building to go pee, especially for a bar, but I guess that is just how this building works.
And the other weird thing, I think I would like to come back and try some food, because it looked pretty good and it actually was not too badly priced at all--way cheaper than the drinks!
So, i gave this place a few tries to impress me and the only really cool thing about it Is the patio area.
Their drinks are too strong in a really bad way,  the crowd sucks and their is no real ambiance just dark lighting. They sometimes display random silent black and white  movies on the back wall which is neat but I can't even enjoy it over the horrible music.
Needless to say I won't go back, sorry Noir.
Noir makes a synesthete such as myself so very, very happy. Â Like dark purples edging into bold blues in slow, deliberate, delicious swirls. Â
The ambiance is near perfect; it's sultry meets edgy. Â Think of the most naturally sexy person you know, who emanates such by a simple smile or way she or he walks, or puts themselves together. Â No, she or he does not necessarily work at - or frequent - Noir, but the same kind of allure runs rampant there, it nearly bursts at the seams.
Both the food and the drinks are equally delicious, but not equally pricey. Â Drinks are more expensive than you'll find competitively, while the food can get up in price, but many food specials and happy hours can aid in bringing your dining totals down to something easily affordable, leaving you more money to spend on super-pricey drinks. Â You know, if that is something you want.
If you have the opportunity to experience Noir, do not pass that up! Â And there is so much to enjoy that I think it will take you at least a few trips in order to really do it all.
This was my first time in Noir that wasn't part of an event where we had the place to ourselves. Â
For events, I think Noir has it on the ball, but just a group out, they are lacking.
Service is friendly but slow and forgetful and drinks are quite pricey. Â This would be a great place for a quite date with a new love, but not for a night out on the town with your friends.
Noir is a trendy but cozy bar that offers really good cocktails, an affordable happy hour (with great deals on their flatbreads, sandwiches and sweets) and good quality snacks. I really love their Black Dahlia cocktail with vodka, blue curacao, pomegranate juice and fresh raspberries and their flatbread with smoked duck, brie, grilled portobello's, roasted red peppers and truffle oil. The waiters are very nice and help you find the right cocktail for your taste on their menu, or mix your own creation for you.
Noir also has a very nice outdoor patio, where you can enjoy their great cocktails in the sun (while watching people walking by). Its definitively one of the nicer bar options, but also comes with a steeper price tag than some of the other places in Cambridge.
This isn't really my favorite type of place, but if you need to go somewhere for a recruiting/job interview drinks thing, it is almost always at Noir. Â I agree with most other people that things are kind of swanky with the dark lighting and retro movie playing on the exposed brick. Â
They do have a pretty great original cocktail menu and I had a really nice, funny conversation with the bartender while I was waiting for fiancee to show up. Â She was really cool and had lots of good recommendations for snacks and cocktails when we were discussing the menu.
One drawback is the lack of coat check - even at the Charles. Â I had my big jacket and bag from a full day and didnt want to cram them next to my chair at an already full table. Â I ended up persuading a guy at the concierge to hold/check my bag despite his protestations that they "never do this." Â That was cool of him, although I didn't really see why it was a big deal, but it was still a pain.
Anyway, I think Noir is great when it's nice outside and when you HAVE to go for work stuff, but not really where I would pick if I had an open slate of options for drinks around Harvard Square.
I'm a fan. Â Came here with a colleague for the 5-4-3-2-1 deal. Â I got a glass of wine and she got some kind of alcoholic cherry coke thing.
Then came the parade of yummy food:
Spinach, Bacon & Gruyere dip: I'm still dreaming about it
Artichoke & Parmesan dip: It was okay. Oddly lemony
Smoked turkey sandwich--colleague had it and loved it
Proscuitto & fig jam sandwich--slightly burned but yummy
Chocolate chip cookie--warm, gooey, yummy
Strawberries with brown sugar and creme fraiche--Tons of beautifully ripe berries and altogether delicious dessert. Â For a buck!
We got out of there for $20 each including drinks. Amazing.
The only weird thing was the deuling servers...they seemed to be fighting over our table and weren't communicating with each other. Â Also we were a little disconcerted because one of the waiters stared deep deep into our souls every time he spoke to us.
All in all, this place is dark and cozy, with a nice cocktail list and great bar snacks. I'll be back for sure!
I don't care what anybody says- this place is awesome... but only when the weather is nice and you can sit outside. Otherwise, it's like any other hotel bar.
BUT don't under estimate the power of good outdoor seating- especially in the Boston area where it's hard to come by. Â
Noir makes great drinks (I like the L.A. Confidential) and you can order mixed nuts! Â Ok truth be known, it's the simple things that matter to me.
Noir also plays really good music- always!
Only redeeming quality: Â Outdoor seating during the summer.
Here you have a typical ritzy hotel bar... teetering on the edge of cocktail lounge. Â If I were meeting a member of the mafia to discuss some "business" this might be the place I'd choose. Â I could just envision suited up mobster sitting at a corner booth, sliding a briefcase across the table to the Boss (and I don't mean Springstein).
If you plan on drinking like a true boozehound, this is not your place; as we all know, mass consumption leads to mass extraction... and the bathroom is way the hell up the stairs in the hotel lobby.
If you're classy, rich, and in Harvard Square... stop in to Noir for a martini. Â If you're average like me, go to a pub for a beer.
Nice cocktails, but be prepared to pay in the 10-12 dollar range for one of those sugary delights. Â Be warned, these cocktails are the type that taste like Hawaiian Punch going down, but then the alcohol slowly creeps up on you. Â
The crowd is a little odd at this place - a mix of college kids and adults coexisting in one bar. Â I once had a conversation with an older guy that worked for Harvard killing goats. Â Before anyone goes all PETA crazy on me (damn you, dirty PETA activists), it was research for the purpose of constructing artificial limbs for injured Iraq servicemen. Â Apparently the ligaments of a goat and a human are very similar - who knew? Â Definitely worth a try for some tasty bevvies and meeting interesting folks.
Located in the Charles Hotel, Noir is a great place for happy hour and people watching. I came on the night that they were having their annual block party and it was packed. Free hor d'oeuvres, live jammin' band, and $6 drinks, what more could a girl ask for? I got to sample their goat cheese, pancetta, and caramelized onion flatbread. Very tasty! There was also a shrimp cocktail with pineapple salsa - a little too sweet for my taste. What I enjoyed the most were the watermelon margaritas. Refreshing, delish, and went down smooth!
With happy hour available from Monday - Thursday 5 - 9pm, why wouldn't you give this place a try?
I have mixed feelings about Noir. Their drinks are pricey and the bar is loud and pleased with itself, so it's not a place I'd ordinarily seek out. But the "happy hour" 5-4-3-2-1 menu is a good deal, so I checked it out with a girlfriend. While the ultra sexy black and red decor is kinda weird while it's still light outside, they have a patio if you want to take in --GASP!-- sunlight while you drink. And the stuff we sampled from the bar menu was damned tasty, especially when a sandwich is $4, an app is $3, and dessert is a mere buck. I spent $6.50 on a roasted veggie and goat cheese sandwich, half an order of artichoke dip, and half an order of strawberries with creme fraiche and brown sugar. You can pay twice as much for a drink if you want, but my Mika's cup (Pimm's cup made with schmancy Hendrick's gin) was $10, which is not outrageous for a nice cocktail in the Bean.
If I had to pay full price or come when it was unbearably noisy and crowded, I'd knock this place down several stars, but the happy hour pleased me. And the Charles Hotel has a cool lobby and several other restaurants to peer into if you have to wait for a tardy dining companion. Plus, actual towels for your hands in the bathroom (upstairs, next to Henrietta's Table)! I am thralled by such elegance.
God bless the Noir staff. Â They have to deal with drunken hooligans (like I was at 22) each night. Â Noir is the place to go after most bars shut down - you do the math.
It's pricey, but they make a mean martini. Â If you haven't guessed from reading my reviews, I like martinis. Â The service has always been lovely, too. Â
The best part is that you can take your drink onto the patio during warmer weather. Â Full of win.
The Charles Hotel is my favorite of the Boston boutique bunch, and its lounge, Noir, is intimate, hip, WOW. Â Fantastic martinis and dim black and red lighting all add up to a sexy late-night scene.
Yep, my boyfriend at the time and I were making out like teenagers in one of the comfy circular booths. Â I do blame the champagne but mostly Noir-- its vibe is inherently seductive.
I hope to someday return on another snowy, cold evening... Noir's cozy confines somehow ameliorate even the worst Noreaster.
Noir chills their martini glasses on crushed ice.. at the bar. WOW.
Anyways.. it's nice to drop in here for last call-- 2AM.
They are here for us later chillers.
It's super for a hotel bar.. still has carpeted floors but manages to look pretty hip. Bathrooms are stocked with goodies since you have to travel outside the bar into the hotel to use them. It's like a ready travel kit for your voyage back to your seat.
Good for one on one.. at the bar.
Bad for groups.. whether in the Summer where you'll never get a seat or during Superbowl night when the booths can get cramped while looking at the projector screen.
This is the place I go to when I'm feeling a little fancy pants (which isn't very often, as I'm a total dive bar, cheap beer whore). They have fun, delicious drinks on the menu, and the cheese platter is yummy.
Bonus points for being really dark inside, sets the mood to create a little film noir scene of your own if you're wearing a trench coat and some sunglasses.
Their Dirty Harry martini, garnished with three gargantuan bleu cheese-stuffed olives, is maybe my favorite drink anywhere, ever. Â It's basically a cocktail with a delicious and filling snack on the side. Â Or dinner.
Except. Â Noir has a pretty fantastic happy hour deal. Â I won't detail it for you, because that would take up a paragraph and you would be bored, but suffice it to say that you could easily get a drink and a three course meal for $20. Â And it's good. Â The last time I came, a friend and I split the mozzarella, tomato, and prosciutto sandwich, the bacon and caramelized onion flatbread, and the strawberries with brown sugar and creme fraiche, all of which were sort of fabulous. Â The only exception to all the delightfulness was the chocolate covered pretzel, which was totally stale. Â But then it was also $1, so...I guess there's not a lot of room to complain in that price range.
Decor-wise, it seems like the place is maybe trying a little too hard to be sexy, but it could be considerably worse. Â As you might expect from a place called Noir, it's very dark, with lots of red accents. Â It's aesthetically pleasing, but it's still a hotel bar. Â I've never been during prime club-going hours, but I have been in a late-evening date-type situation, and it struck me as generally being an okay scene but probably not someplace I'd make an effort to go if I wasn't already in the neighborhood.
very attentive service. Â the bartenders were very friendly and accomodating (and we only had 1 drink each!)
The place is beautiful, feels like a little piece of Manhattan in Cambridge. Â The drinks were good, moderately priced..... and they didn't hurt going down!
Definitely a good place to grab a drink!
What has never failed to impress me at Noir is their low rate of staff turnover. How frequently is it that you go to a bar maybe 10 times a year and see familiar faces each of those times? If the familiar faces make a great cocktail, I keep coming back for more. Noir hasn't failed me yet, and I've tried a heckuva lot of cocktails here. Recently I've been on a kick of their crave-worthy dirty martini, aptly named a "Dirty Harry."
Delightful. Does the trick.
The atmosphere is also fun, with some space to lounge and an outdoor area. In the summertime, it's a great patio for a mojito. Not to be overlooked, the music is always on the poppy side of hip and at a level that is grooveable but also allows you to speak. This is a difficult balance, and I've never been there on an occasion where it has been otherwise.
If I had my way, I'd expand their menu. I think there were lighter and more creative options at some time, but now it seems to be a standard menu of pizzas, sandwiches and starters. I've not had a bad meal here ever, but I also like options. Any bar with 7 different single-malt scotches must agree on that point, too.
Regardless, because of location and quality of booze, I'm always sucked back in here, where a familiar face is always around to pour me a nice one. Cheers to that.
Noir seems like it would be exclusive and uptight (like the hotel it's associated with), but it's really a neighborhood hangout with a great cocktail menu. Popular with the restaurant crowd, since it's open 'til 2am. Drop by on Fridays to meet up with a very friendly (and mostly harmless) Harvard admissions officer. He'll give you his card.
Bonus: best bathrooms of any bar in the Boston metro area.
Great food, great drinks and fantastic atmosphere. Â
Tuna tartare, calamari and flatbread pizza's are the best for late night munchies. Â Love the outdoor seating in the summer! Â
Noir is a great after work happy hour bar. Â I've spent some time at the Charles Hotel, and have come to Noir many times for drinks. Â They have fun cocktail menu, but I always go with their mojitos... cool, refreshing and yummy. Â A great place to meet people to as there is a good mix of locals and travelers staying at the hotel. Â Always friendly. Â Always cool and relaxed. Â If you're into celebrity sightings (I'm not), Ben Affleck has been known to come down for a drink when in town.
Noir may be noisy, overpriced and often crowded, but you kind of would expect that considering it's trying to be Harvard Square's 'premium' destination. What it does offer are late hours, a wonderfully sexy ambience and good cocktails with an imaginative film noir theme.
It's been said before that this is a great place for a date - with comfortable elegant booths that encourage intimacy - but really this is more a place to 'end up' if a date has gone well. It could be difficult to start a date here with the lack of lighting and the noise, but it's perfectly suited to the after-dinner drink and maybe a desert too.
Disclaimer - I promised a sugar-addicted date I would remove one star from my rating as they didn't serve cake. She even shouted 'cake cake' repeatedly at the waitress but to no avail.
Being open until 2 every night is a def. plus of this sultry, dark bar. I love the lounge type atmosphere--the hodgepodge of late night drinkers and smokers sitting outside on the patio. I've never eatten here, just drinks after the bars close but if you're not quite done with your night and have no idea where to go--you'll love the sexy martinis and cool atmosphere.
It's also located right across from the 66 bus stop and 2 blocks (if that) to the Harvard T-stop. Â Cabs often go by here as well (great after the T stops running)
Not my favorite: rude/unprofessional waitstaff, boring (and slightly pricey) drinks, and it feels like extreme narcissism is a prerequisite to becoming a regular.
The only reason to go there is because it's open until 2am. Instead, when you hit that time of the night just suck it up, put on your ironic game-face, and head to the Kong instead.
as far as spots to go and mack a date, noir is up there at the top... Its open till 2a and the drinks are fantastic. Â I also tend to end up there if I'm hanging out with my degenerate friends on Monday or Tuesday nights cuz we usually will get kicked out of the bars in central square. Â One time I went there with a couple friends on one of these nights and we we're drinking Old Fashions at the bar... Â So to get to the bathroom you gotta go into the Charles Hotel and up the stars past Henirettas Table... Â It was holiday season and they had this huge gingerbread house set up complete with a Marzapan (sp?) pig... Â Well my friend took one look at that pig and started pocketing candy. Â The security gaurd got really pissed off, but ended up blaming the wrong person for the crime... That was a stupid night, but the pig was pretty tasty...
Oh yeah, order the kabobs son....
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