John Hancock Building Concourse Cafe

When my company moved into the Hancock, just about the only thing I was excited about was the cafeteria downstairs. It’s been about 3 months and I’m over it. I actually loved it until I walked in to see a fellow patron chasing a cockroach with a tray to try and trap it. Then I saw a café employee walk out and smush it with his boot while the lady yelled, «Noooo! You’ll spread it’s eggs.» Gross. Following this episode, I took about a week off from eating there. Sadly, the convenience factor won over and I’ve eaten there since, though never with the same level of enjoyment. The prices are what they should be if it were a general café, but they don’t feel subsidized to me. I’d feel like I were getting a deal if everything was a dollar or two cheaper. Now I just try to pick out lighter veggies (no squash for me) and consider it a game if I can get out for under $ 7.

This is my first time ever working in a building with a cafeteria, but based on what I hear from my friends, we have it pretty good. There are two to three entrée items every day, a sandwich bar, pizza, and a kickass salad bar that I frequent 2 — 5 times per week.
Yes, I spent $ 10.15 on my salad today, but I got to choose exactly what went on it in what quantities (romaine, roast chicken, green beans, roasted eggplant, roasted brussel sprouts, roasted cauliflower, egg whites, cukes, mushrooms, and balsamic). And, as I learned from the vendor fair a few months ago, much of the produce is local, organic, and/​or cage-​free! Yes! Cage-​free asparagus! Ok, maybe not, but the eggs are cage free and delicious.
My *only* points of contention with the salad bar people are thus:
1. Someone there has a love affair with parsley. «Hmm. those cucumbers look lonely. I know! Let’s sprinkle on some chopped up parsley! That will make them look more appetizing!» Today my hard boiled eggs, cucumbers, and green beans have parsley on them. I have learned to tolerate it.
2. If it’s past 12:45 PM and it happens to be chilly or raining outside, don’t try the salad bar. It will have been ravaged and not re-​stocked.
Now for the bad news, kids: The cafeteria is closing and they’re putting in a parking garage! Timeline unknown. Supposedly they’ll be putting in some restaurants in the unoccupied floors (conveniently in our elevator bank), but only time will tell… so enjoy this place while you can!

I want to like the Concourse Café. They put a lot of effort into presenting a variety of food. And I’ll wager the Hancock subsidizes the prices at least a little, as it’s pretty reasonable for a café in the city.
But the sandwiches I’ve had here have been … well, cafeteria quality. Not comparable to a deli or a takeout joint in Copley Square at the same price. Like chicken paninis where the chicken is still rubbery in the middle. You have to worry at it with your teeth, like a dog finishing off a squirrel, or else it slides out from the middle of your sandwich.
Also, and this is an odd complaint: the cashiers aren’t great with handling money. When you hand a cashier a wad of bills, they’re supposed to count the bills out, face them all the same way, and put them in the tray. I’ve handed undifferentiated piles of singles to the cashiers, though, and seen them drop them in the tray without counting. So … make sure you count your change.
Protip: cheap breakfasts! Two eggs scrambled and two strips of bacon for less than $ 3.50. Good hearty protein! Wash it down with a cup of complimentary coffee from your office break room and you’re good to go. If your office doesn’t supply complimentary coffee, talk to HR, because that just ain’t right.

Ok, honestly? I really like the Concourse Café (*hides from criticism*)
I see people complaining here that the salad bar is too expensive. I really couldn’t disagree more. For the quality and variety of ingredients, this salad bar is a great value. Someone even calculated that it’s $ 7.49 a pound. Is that really unreasonable when you consider they often have organic, local veggies like roasted asparagus, butternut squash, and brussel sprouts? What about buffalo mozzarella, grape leaves, orzo salads, and a whole island of different nuts and dried fruits? I typically spend just over $ 5 for my salads and I am always satisfied. Shrug.
The pizza is pretty good too — a oblong personal pie with cheese, spinach, and cherry tomatoes is $ 4.
I’ve never gotten a dessert, but they all look heavenly.
The wait is never too long, and you can’t deny it’s convenience. My only qualm? Cash only. I HATE CASH ONLY! Oh well.

I work in the JHT. There’s something about the concourse that just makes me uneasy and totally claustro…
Food is actually ok. Why did they get rid of the stir fry, that was the best part! The salads that are weighed by pound are not worth it. There’s a lot of stuff you can add to it, but before you know it, you’re eating $ 18 worth of salad… for 3 days.
Muffins and cake items are pretty good. Avoid the pizza– you will pay $ 4 for a mini slice of sauceless pizza (try Viga down the street).
Keep in mind they don’t accept credit cards (bizarre, as they’re supposed to be catering to suits?)
If the weather is do-​able, venture out for lunch! This is ok for a rainy day option.

It may be weird reviewing the café in one’s office building (as unless you work in the Hancock Tower an «outsider» can’t partake of its dining experience). However, just wanted to say that this is one of the better cafeteria’s out there in terms of quality of food, quanity, and price. Everything is fresh, one has the option of getting something nutrious and also tasty. Their salad bar has the most selections of any in the City and the hot entrée selection has something for everyone. An added bonus is that when it’s crappy weather outside, I never have to leave the building!

The salads are very expensive. i was told that they use to have caps on them… Would enjoy it much more if they did. It is .49 cents an ounce which works out to be $ 7.84 per pound. I am a big guy, so a pound just doesn’t cut it for me. Their toppings are also hit or miss depending on the day.
Miserable how they do not accept credit cards. It’s like going to a dungeon…

I try to come here as few times as possible (something about eating in the basement of my office building just doesn’t appeal to me), but the omelets are yummy and the staff is uberly friendly.

When I first started working in the tower (and you need to work here, or have a guest pass, because it is past the security gates), I loved this café. Plenty of variety, cheap prices. The menu changes every day, but there are staples as well. You can always get a sandwich, some sort of stirfry, pizza or a hot meal. The staff are helpful – if you don’t want the given sidedish provided at a station (say, potato salad), they’ll grab a side from another location for you (green beans, chips, etc.)
Over time, dishes recycled enough that I found myself bored. Being a cafeteria, sometimes dishes have been under or over cooked. Despite the «eat healthy» literature, stirfrys have lots of oil, pasta sides are slathered in mayo, and the «Market Bistro» (hot meals such as roast pork loin, stuffed chicken breasts) is tasty but rarely health conscious dishes.
On the positive side, it’s cheap. I grab oatmeal every morning from the breakfast bar for $ 1.25 w/​fixings. You can get a large omelet to order for under $ 4. Prices have just been raised, but that is happening everywhere, and it is still cheaper than outside the building. They switched from styrofoam to some sort of pressed-​board food container this Spring, which makes me feel better about the environmental impact of my meals.
For the price, there is a lot of value. I don’t eat here more than two lunches a week, but there’s usually something worth trying.