This experience was a solid "eh" which was disappointing considering the hype I've been hearing. We started coming in with the reservation being on the wrong night, our fault and was accommodated quickly and nicely by the staff. Staff were virtuous throughout the night, though a little slow. The drinks were interesting and well made, but the bar menu for food was not very impressive. Nothing with veggie or health content that wasn't fried. The pretzel was good but topped with some very bitter and unpleasant homemade pickled veggies which we took off. The burger, which I have heard is their main item, was very rich and hard to finish. It was alright, but nothing to write home about. Might be back for drinks, but many other food options nearby I prefer personally. read more

Overall was not impressed. I had high hopes and expectations for a bar owned by and right above Alden & Harlow, one of my favorite spots in the Boston area and definitely my favorite in Harvard Square. However, the first two drinks I ordered were duds, and then I ordered an espresso martini and got a Bee's Knees, which was far sweeter than others I've had and enjoyed. The crab rangoon "nachos" were *amazing* and the pigs in a blanket were good, but the deviled eggs were not anything special. The waffle fries were way too salty although the accompanying "Sunday" sauce, patterned after Chick Fil-A's sauce, was delicious. Overall I would say go and try it if it's not your main event and you have a dinner before or after to soak up your appetite and thirst, but I wouldn't make a special trip or expect too much, except for those crab rangoon "nachos" (but I love anything crab rangoon). I'm confused as to the hype for this place when none of the five drinks I tried were anything I'd order again. read more

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The atmosphere and services was great. The food is small tapas but good. I found a new place to grab a drink in Cambridge. read more

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I'm really giving the majority of the stars for the ambiance of the upstairs, I mean look at those photos. And I say that because my actual experiences haven't been stellar. The service is slowwww. I know these cocktails take time but sometimes the staff really does move unbearably slow. Also of the three drinks I've tried, I absolutely hated two of them. The Johnny 99, as others have said, has lots of actual bits of pecans in it that were very unpleasant. The Open All Night was actually one of the worst things I've ever drank. (And I was in college not that long ago so that's pretty bad.) The menu says it's made with Longfellow V8, which I incorrectly assumed was house made v8 juice. It was not v8. This drink tasted like I was drinking straight from a can of green olives. If you value yourself or your date, do not order it. So why even 3 stars? Like I said, the place is freaking gorgeous. The State Trooper is a very good drink. And lastly, I like everything else the owner of this place has done so I have faith that it will only get better. read more

A great third venture by Chef Scelfo following Waypoint and A&H with an excellent atmosphere and superior service with only a limited number of missteps likely due to the first week it's been opened. We reserved a table for 3, but unfortunately were sat a half hour late at the upstairs bar though we had arrived early for said reservation. They comped us some drinks and sent out the deviled eggs which were excellent to make up. A great environment overall with two excellent bartenders. Quite stunning decor though not much for the standing room crowd, so definitely reserve ahead. The drinks were inventive, though do take some time. The sweetbreads was the best item we ordered, followed by then honey-butter bread, hipon, and then last the short rib kitfo. A big qualm was the burgers took some time and the temps were off by a grade. Quite messy as well so the bottom bun tends to break up. Good vibes, sincere service, pretty great food so will definitely be back! read more

Worst experience ever! Very very rude staff! Bad attitude! We wanted to sit at bar table but they had a very awful AC which could cause bad headaches, we asked if they can adjust it, and they said no in a very rude manner. Then we asked if we could please move one of the chair to the other side and that awful manager! Said NO you can move there but you cannot move the chair!!!! Wait, what?!?!? Are you saying that one of us need to stand for the night?!?!?!?!?!?! Then they suggest to move us to other area which was a table with a view of their kitchen and dishwasher room!!!! More like garbage view!!!!!! We gave them many many many chances.... But the bad attitude and rude staff (mostly that manager) made us with no choice but to leave!!!!! I notice an abuse of power from the manager to his staff! AVOID THIS PLACE AT ANY COST!!! It's not worth your money and time. If I could give 0 I would do that. read more

Food is really innovative and delicious! Portion is pretty decent for tapa style food. Cocktails sounds great but taste horrible. The staffs there are really nice. Next time I will just order a whine. read more

Service was okay, drinks were bad, food was mediocre. It gets two stars for location and ambience. Algiers was such a cute cafe, it makes me sad it was replaced by this bar. I went there with a friend on a Tuesday evening. The place was pretty crowded. We ordered some drinks -- my friend had a non alcoholic cocktail which she did not like. I had the Apple blossom which had an unpleasant aftertaste due to some of the bitters (I think). Since this is a bar, that was very disappointing. My friend asked for a replacement and they were nice to change it, but she did not like the second one and they took it off the bill. For food we got the crab Rangoon nachos and the Longfellow burger. It took forever to get the food. I had asked for no cilantro or parsley on the nachos and we got them with no chives or scallions either. The person bringing the food made me feel as if he went out of his way to satisfy my request when the cilantro was just a garnish on top. Both the nachos and the burger were extremely salty. I understand that food is not their main selling point, but the drinks were not great either. Given that there are so many other options around, I will not be going back. read more

Good news: Fantastic whoopie pies, very nice ambiance, upstairs is quite clean and decorative, the bar is comfortable, menus are professional and updated regularly. Nice, central location. Chicken wings were delicious. Kitfo was delicious. The iffy news: While the cocktails pictured here on yelp almost always show a nice garnish, I noticed while at the bar, only 1 out of 8-9 cocktails had a garnish. I didn't particularly care for my drink, so I switched to beer. Even though the wings and kitfo were tasty, the servings were a little small. I think this place could easily earn 4 or 5 stars if the cocktails were improved in recipe, and presentation. read more

The Longfellow Bar - Upstairs bar - New American Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

RIP Cafe Algiers, but this place is quite awesome. The good: +great cocktail list but sadly didn't get anything to drink (#SundayNight) but the list looked awesome! +great food. the Tuna thingy was GREAT, loved the Freekah (freak in the sheets, freak on the dining room table?) bread was GREAT, and also loved the weird little Mexican dish with the root vegggies. I think the menu rotates monthly so glad we got the tail end of it all in end of March. +great service; not crazy pushy but def turning tables fast due to the high demand for seating at this little C-Bridge spot. The bad: -not much, just wish everyone could dine upstairs so def ask for that area of seating. it's super cute with better light + ambiance. The best: -the bathroom has mints AND FLOSS (FLOSS. AMAZING). I wish every woman on a first date can come here to get the crap out of her teeth before her midnight kiss. Will be back for sure. I am a vegetarian but everyone now and then I splurge on a burger... can't wait to do it up here with the #LongFellowBurger. xx, T read more

Great service and food. It was easy to find and park around i highly recommend this place

Cool vibe, interesting dining experience, but not my cup of tea. I started with a tequila cocktail that was very salty - it did say "salted" but I assumed that meant the rim, not the entire cocktail, so that was my fault for not asking. For food: Tuna: good but not my favorite Shrimp: delicious - my favorite thing we got Fries with guac: very good, but it'd be hard to mess up fries Pigs in a blanket: I did not like the mustard at all, but the actual pig in a blanket was ok - the puff pastry was a little weird though, and I'm also pretty sure they were frozen I'm glad I tried Longfellow, but I wouldn't go back. read more

I stopped in after visiting the Washington Longfellow House...made a lot of sense to me! I was not disappointed. I thought the ambiance was inviting and the people were very nice. I wasn't very hungry, but I did have the rye pretzel. It was delicious and for someone who wasn't hungry, I ate it all . The cocktails were well balanced and refreshing after all the walking in the humidity. I am only giving 4 stars since I didn't try an entree, but I'm pretty sure I would give a 5th if I had a complete meal. The music selection was very good and not overwhelming. Great place! read more

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Just go. Fantastic bar upstairs and downstairs. Get the crab Rangoon nachos and the pretzel. Both will make you feel your fatkid zen. Bartenders were friendly and accommodating and all of them really knew their stuff. I'm putting this place into my regular rotation. read more

The Longfellow Bar - White Negroni - New American Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cocktails are AMAZING. I haven't gotten a chance to try to the food but if the service/quality is anything like I have experienced, I'm sure it will be divine. I told the bartender what I like and he made me a custom cocktail that is in my top 5 cocktails of all time. It is on the pricier side but you pay for the quality! You can see that they take care to make their drinks with only the best and freshest ingredients. HUGE FAN. read more

The Longfellow Bar - Custom tequila based cocktail - New American Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

This has to be one of the top 5 restaurants in the Boston area. With less than a month under their belt, The Longfellow Bar has perfected their menu of elevated American classics. Every single item is a unique take on something you know and love. The pigs 'n blankets are familiar yet different with a hint of honey and dijonnaise. The Caesar salad is the best iteration of this dish you could ever ask for. The bread crumb/fried anchovy crumble on top will blow your mind. And the Longfellow burger. Just wow!!! read more

The Longfellow Bar - Pigs n blankets - New American Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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I went the new bar last night with my friend. The atmosphere is good. We came there for drinks and apps. But either of my friend and I enjoy the drinks or food. Drinks taste very weird. For food, we ordered nacho and burger. Both were to salty. And very slow too. For service, our waitress was very bad. She had very weird attitude to us. I guess she didn't like us as person. I had one evidence was that my bag falls to the floor. I didn't notice. She saw it but didn't tell me. I think that's very bad matter as a person even. Also they have a side door on the first floor staff just go on and go out through that door. Don't even care if customers get cold. I won't go again read more

I'm not surprised by how amazing this place is. if you know Michael Scelfo joint, you also know a spike lee joint. RADIO! Service is over the top. Dan, Brendan, Mishka provided me with a welcoming service that made me feel special and appreciated in this establishment. The drinks were on point, and the food hit the spot. However, don't come here if you desire an entire meal of food. This is a drink forward bar with complimentary food. However, you can get a solid burger and multiple items to satisfy your culinary desires. read more

The Longfellow Bar - New American Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Absolutely shocked at how rude the waiter was. He greeted our party of 8 by chiding us for sitting around the table he assigned to us because we 'blocked the way' with one of the chairs. He then informed us 45 minutes into our reservation that we'd have to leave in half an hour because the table was reserved. He left the check on our table shortly after that. We thought the rudeness had reached a crescendo, but then he proceeded to try to take a drink out of the hand of one of the members of our party for 're-filling her drink and squeezing a lime into it.' This was after he'd already placed the check for hundreds of dollars on our table. The manager wasn't much better. It was clear she was trying to be diplomatic, but ultimately failed to apologize for the terrible treatment and made it clear that we were not welcome. Such as shame-- this was our Harvard Business School end of the year gathering. I can assure you our colleagues will not be visiting this bar in the future. read more

I'm embarrassed. The Longfellow bar experience started amazingly. It did not last. After a 90 min wait for a table, we ordered a round of drinks. The drinks were delicious and well balanced. Certainly in the top of Boston. But... The experience of this bar was completely ruined by management and service. Our party of 3 were stunned when our waitress avoided, ignored, and told us to "get some french fries or bread". After 2-3 cocktails each, post-dinner. We felt disrespected and embarrassed. We were told we weren't belligerent, but he-said-she-said. Go to Green Street or Brick and Mortar in Cambridge, Drink in Seaport, or Wink and Nod in South End. You won't regret it there! read more

I just went here and the crab nachos were terrible. The manager challenged me about the dish tasting like crab and it clearly didn't, wouldn't go again. read more

It's rather unfortunate but I had an uncomfortable experience at The Longfellow Bar. Post dinner we were cut off after a couple cocktails in the span of 2.5 hours. Literally 2-3 cocktails. That's odd. That has never happened to me EVER, let alone in the 20 times I've been to the best cocktail bar in Boston, Drink in the Seaport. The worst part is that we were not belligerent, loud, or unruly. We were simply enjoying our Friday night. Instead the waitress and manager, Dan, decided that we should have more "drinks elsewhere". Thats exactly what I intend to do. I will not be coming back here. I recommend to stay away, at least until more seasoned management is brought in. read more

Good for drinks, not good for food. Very small menu and nothing was too impressive. Pigs on blanket felt like they had been cooked for a while. Steak tartar may not be what you expect with big chunks of meat. The pupusas were very good. Cute place for a date but just for a drink read more

Was super excited to try this place. Made a reservation a week in advance for 4 people for a 21st birthday; apparently this place doesn't serve people on their 21st, even after midnight. Left disappointed, without ordering a drink (we were planning to spend most of the night there) and unlikely to return. read more

Beautiful bar with great drinks but service was very rough. The bar tender was rude to our large group and made us feel very unwelcome. Unfortunate since we did enjoy the drinks and atmosphere. read more

What a gem in Harvard Square! Excellent start to our visit was coming in without a reservation on a Saturday evening, and being seated right away at the tables along the perimeter. We were keeping our eyes open for two spots at the bar to open up, when to our surprise the hostess came over to let us know two spots had opened which were held with 'reserved' signs after the previous guests left. So nice to be offered spots at the bar without having to fight for an opening! The drinks are on point, I especially liked the Johnny 99; buttered rum, pecans, hazelnut and a slice of fresh pineapple. Who knew I wanted chopped nuts in my drink, delicious! The Longfellow burger with waffle fries 'all done' was incredible, truly one of the best burgers I've had, and the waffles fries with salsa and aioli was a unique and tasty addition. Upstairs had another bar and seating area, along with the restrooms (which were incredibly clean!! And stocked with some demeaning products and floss/toothpicks for staying fresh after dinner!) Looking forward to coming back and exploring more of the food and drink menu! read more

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The beautifully designed interior has nothing on the delicious and fun takes on bar food classics. The food and drinks pave the way here, and great atmosphere and service support it for a great experience. The Alden Burger is a critical purchase, which with signature crackled cheddar is a massive improvement to an American classic. The baked comté shrinks classic french onion soup overload to just that which is required to spread it on a delicious buttery roll. Don't worry if all this sounds heavy to you; the cocktail menu provides the needed balance of clean acidity, sweetness or bitterness, depending on your liking. Highly recommended! read more

Food was kinda just average for what you get, and the staff was nice but kept coming over. In the span of five minutes they had come to us 3 times to check if everything is alright, not realizing that not much had changed since the last time they were there. read more

The Good- Upstairs bar and bartender, drinks, and wine The Bad- Manager, Food, and Service. When we arrived for dinner, we asked if we could sit upstairs. It was quite packed downstairs. We were told we had to sit downstairs and the upstairs was full. We decided to wait. About 1o min later we were told there was space upstairs at the bar. Surprisingly, it was empty upstairs with four seats at the bar and 4 empty tables for two. Most of those tables remained empty for an hour. We ordered drinks that were great. The bartender upstairs was wonderful. Unfortunately, our first appetizer, wings, took an incredibly long time to come out and the bartender apologized several times it was so long. We then ordered fries and a burger and thin gs got worse. The fries came out cold- not even warm. We sent them back. The burger came out and unfortunately was the saltiest burger I have ever had in my life. It was awful. We left and the manager never came over to us, but we did not expect him to take any ownership or accountability given that he initially lied to us. We were really disappointed because Alden and Harlow has such a good reputation. read more

Started with one really fantastic drink (some weird Japanese soda with rum) while the other was a little bitter for us. Can't recommend the Deviled Eggs(no taste, no salt, and I hate roe) but the short rib kitfu was great. All the small plates we tried were something a little different (some very unique pigs in a blanket, rangoon nachos) and generally very tasty. We really enjoyed that. The fried chicken sandwich and burger were great. Ambience an easy 5 stars. Sat at the bar and cancelled our table. Bartender was great - excellent service. read more

Look forward to going back! We love Alden and Harlow so we were excited to check out Longfellow. Made a reservation for a Friday night about a week in advance. We were seated right away at a table upstairs. Love the decor and atmosphere. Our server had a good cocktail recommendations and was familiar with all of the off menu drinks we asked for. To be honest, drinks were good but not as amazing as they are at Alden and Harlow. The fries with the beat chili were outstanding, I can't wait to have them again! We both had burgers and thought they were good/standard. read more

How do you get a patron to visit an establishment again? You offer them a sample of something on the menu that they can't stop thinking about. This is what happened when I visited The Longfellow Bar with a friend on a weekday and the Chef sent over the Crab Rangoon Nachos. I was immediately hooked and planned a second trip the same weekend with some friends. Due to Alden and Harlow's popularity downstairs, I'm not surprised how busy it got by 5:30 pm on a Saturday. We were fortunate enough to find space at the tables by the bar and ordered a few drinks and dishes to share. We ordered: - The Lambrusco ($12) - Highway PatrolMan ($14) - The Classic Burger ($13) - Regular Waffle Fries ($6) - Crab Rangoon Nachos ($9) As I mentioned, what I was suckered here for were the Crab Rangoon Nachos but we warned, it's definitely a treat for this price and the size of the order. I wish I took a photo but it's a deconstructed crab rangoon: 2 fried wontons (open-face) with cream cheese, real crab meat, scallions. They're extremely popular for just opening and I imagine it will only get worse as more hear about it. I'd suggest going early and being ready to spend a little more than you thought you would. Personally, I like the offerings here better than Alden and Harlow. read more

I went in here late one night with a friend, we were celebrating a new job and had been drinking for a bit. the bartender noticed we had been drinking and charged me $60 for 2 shots and 2 cocktails. I reached out to the company to get a call back and have them explain but never heard back. The bartender also took a shot with us and then ignored us for the rest of the night. Passing this information along so others don't get taken advantage of while out celebrating with friends. read more

Excellent drinks - they came with fancy metal straws. On a Friday night the service was extreeeeemely slow but the drinks were very good. Their bathroom is unisex entry with 2 separate rooms that have their own sinks - interesting Overall nice atmosphere, would come again to see if service is a little faster, and to try more off their cocktail menu! read more

We tried the Longfellow Bar last night and enjoyed the experience. Good cocktails (London Calling, which I think is a take on the Last Word with a champagne floater, was particularly good) and good snacks - we especially liked the pupusas and wings. I wouldn't try to get full here unless you want a burger, but it's great for drinks and bites to go with them. Solid service. We'll be back. read more

Happy experience here. Very nice service. Nice room with a cozy upstairs. Came on a snowy night so it filled up but not overcrowded. Tried the Alden Burger -- delicious (same as secret burger downstairs). Want to try the Longfellow burger next. The caeser-ish salad was excellent. An order of waffle fries was a little too crunch, so smaller pieces, but tasty. Had the Maximillion Affair cocktail, a Mezcal drink. Delicious, normally very shaken and straight up but I got it on the rocks and guess that's why it was not shaken at all. (You can look up the cocktails in advance if you want to know what to choose.) The molotes was our least favorite dish. Fried and stuffed corn meal. Flavor was a little underwhelming. Overall, wish there was a little more protein on the menu vs starch. But it's still great. Can't wait to work my way through the rest of their menu. Will absolutely be back! read more

In one visit, The Longfellow Bar has become one of my favorite restaurants in Boston. Both the food and drinks are filled with bold flavors, and the atmosphere is a natural extension of Alden & Harlow's refined-rustic energy. The tuna crudo is one of the most unique, flavorful, and texturally complex bites the whole city has to offer. In terms of drinks, I highly recommend the My Father's House - rye, peppermint, cacao, gentian - for a modern take on a classic stinger. Professional, attentive, and warm staff helps round out the entire experience. I look forward to recommending to friends, and visiting again very soon. read more

This is a fantastic night dive that gives you a nice bar and the most flavorful bar food you can imagine. The nachos are an artsy take on the dish with the most wonderful scallions and jalapeños on a few large handmade tortilla chips, the waffle fries (dresses) are full of a range of flavors and the sandwiches are great! Will be back; don't sleep on them! Great service as well who knows their menu! read more

Im only giving this 3 stars because of the food. The ambience, decor and location are all amazing and while the drink menu is limited the drinks were great. We tried an old fashioned and the slow rush both of which were excellent. However the food menu is even more limited and unfortunately we were not impressed. We got the shishito peppers, pigs in a blanket chicken sandwich and tuna kitfo. The peppers were decent and came with hummus and pita that were quite good but the Thai pigs in a blanket were over salted (I say that as someone who LOVES salt) the chicken sandwich was underwhelming and the tuna came on a crepe with sauces that over powered the dish in an unpleasant way. The service was decent. The hostess was incredibly friendly but the bar/ wait staff seemed totally overwhelmed and we felt ignored sitting AT the bar. I'd go back for drinks only when food order restrictions are lifted but wouldn't necessarily seek the experience out. read more

I dream about the crab rangoon nachos. Fun spot. Wish the portions were bigger but I get it is supposed to be like casual snacks / more like little bites than a meal but I often wish I had another of whatever I ordered so that can be good or bad thing depending how you look at it read more