Finale

Food: 4.5 Stars
Service: 3.5 Stars
I’ve come to Finales many times when it was still open in the square. It’s a shame that it’s now gone because it had such great desserts and so close by.
On one occasion, I tried the dessert sampler with a couple of friends. I highly recommend it, and if you add the molten lava cake on the side it’s a great deal. I would say that it’s enough to actually fill 4 or 5 stomachs as long as you each aren’t going to demolish the platter.
The variety of custom made cakes they have is just so cool as well! They made pumpkin tiramisu around Thanksgiving and I had to get my hands on some of that. Although interesting, I’d probably prefer regular tiramisu; but, great exploration nonetheless.
The only drawback is that the pricing on desserts is pretty steep. But you get what you pay for!

I’ve love this place for take out dessert for over a decade. Their Crème Brûlée is to die for and so are many of their other small cake desserts. There is a 3-​layer chocolate symphony cake that I can’t resist. I like to come in to grab one of their fresh mini whoopie pies, but in recent years later in the day when I come in they are rock solid. I’m afraid this franchise might have gotten a little stale. I haven’t seen any changes to their pastry counter in years.

Love the Melton chocolate and cheesecake, but it was too sweet for me, so I took one star off

Cute dessert café & bar near Harvard Square. Came here with a friend late on a weekday night and the place was nearly empty.
Upon stepping inside, the elegant, quiet ambience is striking. Yes, the candles are artificial, but the setting is nonetheless suitable for a casual dinner date or just relaxing after a night out. The beautiful desserts are arranged under the counter in a large glass display — try not to stare. We ordered pumpkin cheesecake and a fruit tart.
How to describe the pumpkin cheesecake? Well, let’s just say the little guy inherited some good genes from Mister Cheesecake and Miss Pumpkin Pie. It’s on the lighter side of decadent — not too sweet but delightfully smooth in the mouth. The mild pumpkin didn’t overpower the rich cheesecake, and I savored every bite. The crust had a nice crumbly texture, but it unfortunately lacked the «toasted» flavor and had a bit of an oily coating.
The fruit tart was tasty as well. Once again, Finale strikes a balance, this time between creamy custard and fresh fruit. Mango, kiwi, strawberries, and mixed berries all tasted very fresh. However, the fruit was too tart and I would have liked a touch more sweetness, perhaps a dusting of powdered sugar.
The presentation of their desserts is on-​point. Overall, good. I’d come back to try their other dishes!

Finale Desserterie first entered the Boston scene in 1998. The Harvard Square location opened in 2002. Its age is beginning to show, however, as the edge of my table was a bit worn.
But still. It’s dessert! And everyone loves dessert! Okay, slight exaggeration, as I do know quite a few folk who prefer savory over sweet, but I’m not one of them.
We came to redeem the Four-​Course Dessert-​Tasting Menu for Two voucher ($ 29 for $ 60 value) that I had purchased in honor of my DC’s birthday. A bit leery of whether we could actually handle all these courses after a day of heavy brunching and additional grazing, we finally set foot inside their door after having walked about the neighborhood a spell in order to help our tummies digest. Then all those fears of whether she’s be able to consume all those sweet edibles went out the window once she sat down and began perusing the liquor menu and her eye caught sight of the sweet and fruity options. The birthday girl ended up opting for a flight of 3 ice wines. But that’s okay, since she was willing to let me sample each one, and we did end up doing the tasting justice.
Actually the portions themselves were quite manageable, or at least we nearly finished it all, but the food came out way too fast given that we were feeling leisurely, with me and my picture taking, and she savoring her first small glass of ice wine. The first was the sweetest and most enjoyable to our pallets, and it went downhill from there — although it could have been also due to the sugars from the sweets competing for our attention, after all, it was just a flight and not a paired flight.
First Course — Strawberries dipped in Valrhona 66% Caraibe chocolate and flight-​size hot chocolate samples
Second Course
A choice of mini pastry:
Manjari Mousse
Vanilla Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Pastry
Apple a la Mode
Intermezzo — A scoop of refreshing sorbet in a white chocolate florentine cup
Fourth Course — a shareable chocolate plate:
Caramel & Chocolate Affair — our signature molten chocolate cake filled with salted honey caramel sauce, a maple flan pastry, chocolate crème profiteroles, caramel truffles, and scoops of dulce de leche and chocolate gelatos
I ought to have sipped the hot chocolate prior to chomping on the strawberry as the sweetness of the chocolate fruit sadly overwhelmed that of the drink. Of the two mini pastries (which were indeed truly mini!), I ended up preferring the birthday girl’s choice of the Manjari Mousse over my Peanut Butter Pastry. The sorbet was refreshing, but the florentine cup put up quite a fight and so was less enjoyable to eat. We felt like throwing in the flag as the shared chocolate plate disappeared down our gullets.

I was über impressed with the selection of goodies at Finale in Harvard Square. I came in on a random afternoon for one purpose: to look for a birthday cake for my husband. After doing loads of research, I decided on going to Finale… I just hadn’t decided as to when I would go, that is.
Upon entry, I knew what I wanted. I went to for the Razmatazz. Raspberry mousse and lemon chiffon cake with chocolate pieces and raspberries on top. Originally I was going to go for a Boston Crème… but…BUT…it wasn’t my birthday. Josh likes lemony, raspberry/​berry cakes, so of course I went with the Razmatazz selection. I was also offered candles on the house. Super awesome customer service. Josh LOVED the cake, and I thought it tasted supremely delicious.
I also purchased two cupcakes to try: Marble (which hubs devoured and loved), and red velvet (which we split and loved).
Customer service was impeccable. I didn’t feel rushed, although some rude customers yapping to the lady at the counter about beer that they wanted DURING my transaction made me a little miffed. Had nothing to do with the lady behind the counter… she was just as taken aback. Oh well… I was a happy girl laden with a lovely cake and treats, so who cares. Haha.
If you want a cake that’s decadent and tasty, make this at the top of your list! No disappointments, I promise.

I went here for the first time on this checking and was so so disappointed. None of the desserts really wowed me. Myself and my two dining partners ordered a dessert plate the sampler as it may be called. We all have sweet tooths and I was craving a good coffee after dinner with something nice and tasty. The dessert platter had a series of classics, tiramisu, cheesecake and a fudge centered something. The plate lacked a pop of flavor, innovation, and richness that I’d expect with the price tag.

Quite disappointing. It is a great idea to have a specialty dessert shop, but
1. Desserts are often less than fresh
2. Especially the micro-​cheesecakes are often dried out
3. Prices are excessive
4. Portions are homeopathic
5. The seating area is drafty (air conditioning system design has some issues)
6. Bathroom needs to get fixed.
Luckily, Harvard Square has a few alternatives.

This review is based only on their dessert and ice wine.
CREME BRULEE
For $ 10, you get a plate size of this decadent sweet thang. I’m not too fond of the torched sugar but the main attraction was warm and sweet. Nothing crazy.
ICE WINE
For a shot glass worth, it was not worth $ 18. It tasted like sparkling juice.
This place is fancy. They use IPads to present your receipt, however, you’re required to tip! I’m all for tipping but what if I receive bad service?

My friend and I shared the dessert sampler with the chocolate molten lava cake. GET THE CHOCOLATE MOLTEN LAVA CAKE, it was so good! The dessert sampler was ok, I think we both weren’t that hungry, but also, some of the items on the platter didn’t wow us. They were just ok. The ice cream/​cream/​sorbet melts really fast so remember to eat those desserts first. I like the idea of a dessert & wine only restaurant. It seems like a very chill place to relax and end your evening. I’d definitely visit again whenever I’m in Boston.

Brought the boy here today and since it was his first time here, figured we’d do the sample platter thing with the 9 desserts. Along with the three hot chocolate tastings. Starting with the sample platter thing (obviously not the correct term, just having a brain fart), it was great per usual. We basically split everything. Love love love the crème brûlée and my date can and will say that I love it. Scraped every bit off of it. The strawberry sherbet was really good whereas, the yellow one (I know, my terms are great), was a bit too sour for me. The cakes were delish. Now onto the hot chocolate tasting, there were three small cups along with a piece of chocolate that correlate to the cup. The milk chocolate was okay, no big deal. The one in the middle tasted like a brownie, or so says my date. I called it more of a Lindt chocolate feel. And the best for last was the white chocolate one and had some caramel. So so so good! It was the waitress’ favorite and she too hoped it was ours. And hands down, it was.
Finale is great, great ambience for a date night, first date, or even for gossip session with the bffl. They tend to have lots of Groupon promotions for dessert tasting and will be sure, if the boy wants, to go back and try one of those. Till then, food coma.

Call me a traditionalist, but I honestly do not understand the purpose of this restaurant. I went last Friday night at around 8 PM with two other people. We were seated promptly, probably because there was basically nobody else in the restaurant.
The two other people I went with had been there before, and seemed to be pretty familiar with the menu. One of them mentioned how she had always wanted the Patron sundae, but could never get it because she always had something to do the next morning/​right after. Since she had always wanted it, I decided I would let her live vicariously through me… because carpe diem, or YOLO, or whatever.
When I got the «Patron Sundae», I was super confused, because what the menu said was that there was a brownie with the sundae and coffee gelato. I would not go as far as calling this a sundae. It was a doughnut with some icing, along with coffee gelato and a miniscule glass of Patron XO. The gelato and the brownie were not infused with alcohol, to my surprise.
I was not disappointed with the service, but severely disappointed by the lack of variety in the menu, and by the prices. I think I paid something like $ 16 for a doughnut, a tiny bit of ice cream, and a very small amount of alcohol. I don’t really want to go back here, but if someone ties me up and drags me along, then perhaps I will.

Great atmosphere, service, price, vibe, and desserts.
I think this concept is genius: how many times have you eaten dinner and wanted a delicious dessert but not liked anything on the dessert menu? This happens all the time to me! Finale is the answer! No more dirty looks from the restaurant folks for taking up a whole Table at a restaurant just to eat dessert and have drinks AND no more cramming up at the bar to grab that perfect dessert.
The place is adorable first off: it’s not very big but that just makes it that much cozier. The booths are so cushy!
The dessert and drink options are solid. I ordered the crème brûlée and it was phenomenal… The custard was still cold and the sugar was thick and warm. Not too much and not too little. It came with very sweet and tart berries which balanced it out well. The dish also came with three little sugar/​orange zest short bread cookies which were a nice addition after the crème brûlée: the zestiness and sweetness were perfect.
I did not order any drinks but they have a lot of yummy sounding hot totties which is rare. They also have hot chocolate.
Over all, it is a nice place to go after a spectacular dinner, either a date or a group.

I came here with my gf using the Four-​Course Dessert-​Tasting Menu Groupon.
First Course — Chocolate dipped strawberries with small cup of hot chocolate
Second Course — We each get to pick between 3 choices. I got the cheesecake and my gf got the apple a la mode. I honestly wasn’t very impressed as the cheesecake was topped with a rice cracker and the cheesecake was subpar.
Third Course –Sorbet with caramel shell, this was an interesting dish, the sugar shell
Fourth Course — This is the largest dessert plate out of the 4^th, there is a couple baked pastries, a flan topped with small wafers, a small piece of chocolate cake and a few other things.
I honestly wasn’t too impressed by the items on this tasting menu, 4-​course tasting menu as a whole was ‘decent’, not a dinner replacement since each plate is very tiny and shared by 2 people.

I was very eager to try the desserts at this place because of the reviews and my friend’s recommendation. From the website, I expected this place to be fancier than it is.
The place looks like a restaurant but there were only 2 people working at the cashier that time (thursday, around 4.30 pm). No waiter. We order at the counter, wait for the cashier to plate the food and go to find a seat. My table and 2 tables beside me weren’t cleaned and I had to ask one of the cashier to help me clean it.
I tried the cheesecake. it was ok. Nothing really special about it.

I’ve never been impressed by their sandwiches, but Finale takes the cake for its desserts. The blueberry cheesecake is to die for, and it’s actually quite reasonably priced if you can wait for a Groupon.
I usually see a lot of people eating dessert samplers, but the sampler is not one of my favorites as I feel the desserts included in it are pretty mediocre. If you want to enjoy a warm dessert inside, I highly recommend the molten chocolate cake with gelato. The apple pie a la mode is phenomenal as well, if a pie is more up your alley. Finale has some pretty tasty drinks as well. I was actually here for a friend’s birthday last night and had a sip of the Snow White, which is really delicious if you’re looking for a light alcohol fix.
I’m not sure whether I love or hate that I live about a 1.5 minute walk from this place.

So you’re on a date in Harvard Square. Dinner wasn’t really all that good and the conversation there wasn’t exactly enthusiastic. You feel like this is becoming an unmitigated disaster. However, you think this person is «the one» (ha!) and know the date has a sweet tooth. Time to play your trump card…
(okay, so things still ended up badly for me anyway, but I tried!)
The molten chocolate cake is really good and definitely an attractive dessert for the choco-​holic. The cake is moist, while the chocolate inside is warm and smooth. Port’s a great pairing with this cake. One dessert I miss is the caramel carnivale, as I liked the combination of fruit, crispy pastry, and caramel mousse.
The cakes to take home are decent, but rather overpriced. The chocolate symphony is fine but nothing a good bakery can’t surpass. The fruit tart isn’t quite my style, as their offering is less French traditional. The tiramisu and Boston Crème are passable. The good thing about these cakes at this location is that they’re generally moist. I’ve had really dry ones at now-​closed locations.
The dining area is comfortable, warm, and intimate. Their environment lends itself to the dessert and occasion for coming to Finale.
The last time I was here was to get a gift card for a friend and an Arnold Palmer for myself. The latter was okay, though a bit small for the price. Service has been reasonably good during my experiences. You don’t have to dress up but you might want to, depending on circumstance.
This spot is about a 3.5. Finale is nice for a bunch of girlfriends out. If you’re on a date and need to turn the tide, come here.

For whatever reason, I only come to this place in the winter and I am always seated in the outer area (never in the main room). It is freezing cold in this part of the restaurant, which makes for a less pleasant experience than one would like. I’m not sure if there just is no heat in this area, or if it’s because it’s near the door, but i recommend you ask to be seated in the main room. It’s much warmer there.
I always come back for the delectable desserts because I know I am guaranteed a good food-​experience. I have only ever had the crème brulée (which is gluten free), and it has always been very tasty. Make sure you let them know if you have fruit allergies because they tend to top this dish with all sorts of fruit. It’s not something I thought about or cared about before I developed a strawberry allergy.
Definitely a great place for dessert. I’ve never had dinner here, but I bet it would be overpriced. My friend had the molten chocolate cake and that was about $ 11. It wasn’t super generous a serving, so we were a bit shocked at the charge.
It’s always pretty easy to get a seat. It was on New Year’s Eve, which was awesome because we were basically rushed out of the place where we had dinner. 5 stars for the dessert… I had to dock it a star because it is just *that* cold.

Short version: Get the desserts, but skip the dinner. Avoid if you want to throw a private event.
Long version: First off, I have to give them credit where they deserve it. Their desserts are to die for. Finale’s is absolutely a desserts place. Come here after dinner for a dessert cocktail or something baked. Yes, they’re a desserterie, and they do dessert amazingly. Their crème brûlée is to die for, and their molten lava cake is amazing. It’s unfortunate that they don’t sell a lot of their hot desserts to go, since I always want to run over and grab something to go without having to dine in a wine-​glass and tablecloth setting. They do have a counter at the front where you can buy cold, premade desserts to go, though.
Do NOT, on the other hand, come here for regular dinner, or do an event here. I’ve been to Finale’s quite a few times, and I can definitely say that service and organization is not their strong point. On my birthday, we went to Finales and they had us wait 30 minutes before even acknowledging us. All three of the private events I’ve attended here have gone pretty bad in some way. The most recent experience was quite horrible.
I attended a private event that was big enough to reserve up the entire Finale’s dining room. The event was supposed to start at 5 and run until 7. An hour in, and they still haven’t taken our orders. We had to ask before they started taking our orders, and it took them another 40 minutes to start gettin the salads out, and it took them 30 minutes to distribute the salads. Our event was only two hours long, and an 1 hour and 50 minutes in, people are just getting their salads. Also, since for some reason they had no one staffing the front test or a hostess party, a family of four came into the dining room we had reserved, and sat down at an empty table for a good 10 minutes before the staff kicked them out — that’s unfair (and bad service) to both the family and us. Please manage your customers.
The worse part was, when we went up to ask what was going on at around 6:40 — the lady at the counter gave us attitude stated that the reason the food came late was because we ordered too late, claiming that we only placed our orders in at 6:30. HUGE pet peeve here:
1. Ok, we placed our orders at 6 — believe me I was obsessively checking my watch every 5 minutes wondering when the food was getting there. Please don’t lie to my face like that.
2. You’re basically admitting that you didn’t take our orders 1.5 hours into a two hour event, and somehow trying to use that to blame us. You’re a restaurant. Learn to manage your time.
3. No one else was in the restaurant except for our party, and the salads were nothing more than a regular leafy blend with some goat cheese and two cherry tomatoes. It can’t take 40 + 30 = an hour and 10 minutes to toss a huge batch of salad.
4. Please don’t try to make something like this my fault. If the foods not coming out, there’s obviously something wrong in the kitchen.
Needless to say, the event was a complete disaster. Most people never made it past their salad before they had to leave.
Their regular dinner entrees are pretty lackluster as well. The chicken is unapologetically dry, and even though it’s supposed to come with polenta, multiple times it’s only come with rice — no explanation, no apology. I’d rather you just tell me that you’re out of polenta when I’m ordering, and not just make the substitution decision for me after I’ve ordered. The truffle mac and cheese is pretty boring, and doesn’t live up to its fancy name and luxurious-​sounding menu description. Salads are rather plain and minimal on the ingredients, and feel like a rip off for what you’re geting. Dinner in general is pretty disappointing. Service is pretty hit or miss as well — some of the staff are fantastic, but some are openly rude and couldn’t care less.

Nothing I’ve tried at Finale has impressed me all that much. I had the Chocolate Symphony and the cheesecake most recently (Yeah I bought two desserts. Anyone who knows me knows I’m crazy like that). The former was just a very light chocolate mousse, cream, and a little bit of chocolate cake that was too dry. Nothing to rave about. The latter actually wasn’t bad, and I’m a tough critic when it comes to cheesecakes. The consistency and texture were on point, and it wasn’t overly sweet like I’ve often encountered. So if you’re going to try anything, I’d say the cheesecake is a safe bet.
Service at the bakery counter was underwhelming, too. There was no real line, and the people waiting for tables were mixed in with the people who wanted to order from the bakery, and the person working behind the counter made no effort to alleviate the confusion. Service was pretty slow, too.
Overall, Finale is an average bakery at best. There are other places in the Boston area that you’d probably do better at.