Harvest - Cambridge

A perfect meal from start to finish. Beautiful private outdoor space in the middle of bustling and noisy Harvard square. Attentive service, beautiful cocktail and wine selection, and delicious fresh and thoughtful food. Can't wait to go back!

Please do not get the french onion soup $18) or the short rib tortellini $38) This restaurant was extremely disappointing for me. I had high hopes for it. It is in a great location near Harvard square and it has a nice outdoor seating option. However, there was much to be desired. The french onion soup looks amazing. However, I should have taken another photo without the melted cheese. There is hardly any actual soup. The color is grey and cloudy. It tastes faint and muddy. There are far too many mushrooms and too much cheese. I have never, ever not finished a dish in a restaurant and this was one I did not finish. It was taken away half finished and nobody asked if there were any issues with it. The french fries were good. However, the two dipping options were some aioli and just regular Heinz ketchup. I wish the other one was something unique as well. The real disappointment was the main dish. The short rib tortellini was a small dish with exactly 7 tortellinis. The tortellini itself was not al dente, as another review mentioned. It was slightly under that and needed 1-2 minutes more. As a result, it had quite a bit of a bite to it, and the taste was not pleasant. The short rib filling was tasteless and texturally unforgiving combined with the underdone pasta. The sauce it was in was rooted in Asian flavors, which did not round out the dish. The carrots and potatoes were an afterthought, adding nothing. They were both underdone and some pieces were legitimately hard. Again, no one asked how my dish was. I am sure Harvest has some great dishes. These two were not those. I came here for an anniversary dinner and was excited. My girlfriend had a great dish, so that is a highlight. However, I am writing my review on my own experience. The service was subpar. I was not asked how my food was and everyone just seemed a little cold and distant. For $150 I expect something pheneomenal. And I was left wishing I went anywhere else.

The food is excellent, the service attentive, the atmosphere unbeatable. Scallops were buttery and flaky, pork chop was expertly prepared and juicy, squid ink tagliatelle was fresh and delectable. Desserts were inventive had a black sesame custard and apricot cheesecake. Can't wait for another special occasion to celebrate at Harvest!

Reliably good food, service, a go to restaurant in Harvard Square

The ambience with a table in the rear room, by the fire, was cozy and warm, service was tactful and wonderful, the other diners seemed civilized! Harvest has been a refuge for decades and makes a positive effort to the menu interesting and updated. (It's been a while since a sommelier visited a table I was at! We split the lobster ravioli which was outstanding. I gave only four stars instead of five--that's because the roasted brussels sprouts side dish seemed to need a bit more attention Maybe some folks like their Brussels almost raw, but for me, when I roast them to tenderness inside, flavors are more delicious. But for the reunion of dear friends who hadn't seen each other in a while Harvest was perfect.