Temple Bar

Food is mediocre. Dessert was old. Only two nice things were: (a) server (Leticia) and (b) we were seated on a quiet spot. By the way, pricey as well ($ 60/​person for a simple meal).
Not worth the try.

Awesome brunch spot! Started our meal off with good, bottomless coffee and delicious corn bread and muffins. I had the wild mushrooms with spinach, bechamel grits, and two sunny side up eggs. Cooked perfectly and a huge portion — took half home for a late lunch. The service was fantastic and the tunes were good too. Would definitely come back the next time we’re in Cambridge!

Sweet jeezus… The food. Just go. GO.
Try the parsnip soup and you’ll understand. Amazing.

Amazing service but okay food. Had the «wild mushrooms», and it was nothing too exciting. Also, I think they totally forgot our order because the neighboring table that ordered at the same time left even before we got our food! However, the service was great and gave all of us complimentary fruit bowls AND paid for our entrees. That’s incredible! But, don’t know if I’ll return just because the food wasn’t anything amazing. Thank you for your incredible service, though!

Lived in the area for over 10 years and kept trying to find something good at Temple Bar.
West Side Lounge closed down after 16 years and set the standard. Funny Unilocal only gave half star more for WSL than TB. Can’t fully trust reviews!
Anyways this place is great for french fries and drinks. That is it.
Today we tried rabbit casoulette and mussels apps. Alas both were gross. The casoulette could have been a frozen dish from Star Market reheated until everything was dry as a desert. It should have been called bacon casoulette with rabbit croutons instead. Heavily breaded too.
Mussels were undercooked and had a bad stench.
There are no real chefs here, just line cooks following franchise instructions. This is not really a restaurant. Better off eating at Chipotle and coming here for drinks only. Sadly many places around the area are using the same formula. Go to Mix It instead.

After my less than stellar experience for brunch, the manager reached out and encouraged me to return for another meal. Based on his attention to customer service, and my own experience at dinner, I would definitely be willing to return for dinner, or maybe even to give brunch another try. The intricacy of the menu at dinner blended unique ingredients very well, and all the food we had was perfectly cooked. It was pretty fantastic, actually. I hope that they will apply the same level of execution to the brunch menu as well!

Décor is warm and welcoming. Brunch menu is appetizing and fairly priced. Kids eat brunch for free. Lots to like… in theory.
In practice … It was a mess. First drink took about 10 minutes to make it to the table after ordering. In the end it took the food 40 minutes to come out. One of our orders was wrong. We didn’t bother sending it back because we didn’t want to wait another half hour.
Food was distinctly below average. Not properly seasoned and generally overdone.
Check came very quickly! Kids meals not complimentary after all. However they did take those charges off when challenged.
Avoid this place.

Dined on Saturday evening with a party of 5. Wait staff very helpful, friendly without being too intrusive. Food was excellent, crispy calamari, wonderful tuna appetizer, two in the party had the suckling pig and raved about it. Great beer and wine selection. Delicious dessert, well prepared cappuccino and Iggy’s (I think) focaccia in the bread basket. What more could you ask for? Having recently been in a resort area where all restaurant entrees were $ 30 plus dollars, entrée prices are a good value.

We were there for dessert and drinks. My husband had the apple financier, he said it was very good. Needed a little more ice cream. For sure, we can always say that! Three of us shared the chocolate fondue. For $ 15, I expected a lot more fruit and cake to dip in the fondue. Cutting a strawberry into quarters is rather miserly. The chocolate could have been a better grade. My espresso was fine. I’m interested in returning for dinner.

We were there for dessert and drinks. My husband had the apple financier, he said it was very good. Needed a little more ice cream with eat. For sure, we can always say that! Three of us shared the chocolate fondue. For $ 15, I expected a lot more fruit and cake to dip in the fondue. Cutting a strawberry into quarters is rather miserly. The chocolate could have been a better grade. My espresso was fine. I’m interested in returning for dinner.

Love their steak frites and salads are always excellent. Service is good and nice ambience. Tables near the door are drafty in the winter but that is my only complaint. Otherwise, wonderful.

You can’t beat the great interior and ambiance — we love the oversized mirrors, lighting and seating. Felt like a date night dinner for us… we got the burgers, black bean with ample avocado slices was well done, though the burger was too huge; the Temple burger was fine, but hubby ordered it without bun and it looked overwhelmed on the plate by the huge mound of fries. The house cured bacon chunk sitting on top was a disappointment, not salty at all, nor was it incorporated into the burger (like, melt the cheese over the bacon?) We had a fine meal but not particularly memorable.

Got halibut and chocolate fondue, great food and atmosphere here. Serving sizes are not huge, but definitely sufficient for having a good dinner.

The graphic design for the logo is pretty bad and the interior design is basic, but somehow I had a lovely time here. The food, while not inexpensive, was pretty good. I got nervous about a weird tasting oyster, but I was fine… I think it was just a bit brinier than the other ones. The steak was good. And there was some decent wine on the menu. I am between 3 – 4 stars for this joint, but honestly, since its next door to Giulia which I think is a tad bit overrated, I would give them 4 here to encourage people to give them a chance.

Temple bar is a brunch place for those who like regular brunch menu, European or sea food. Good quality of food, fast service. In summer they have outside area which is pretty nice.

I love Temple Bar! They always have a free table or free seats at the bar, nice food, nice drinks, great and fast service and a nice environment. A great place to have a drink after work and unwind, while snacking on something.

I have been to Temple Bar several times. Mainly sitting at the bar.
This time we actually got a table to send friends off on a birthday trip to Paris!
We went with heavy appetizers and drinks for the table. A great way to sample and share to keep our conversationsgoing.
I have the Fleur Di Leis and absolutely loved it! Actually I had two which made it twice as good!
Great place for friends to meet and great food!

Service: Slow. Asked server for recommendations on the food and he just gave us mediocre /​iffy answers.
Food: Eh. It was okay. One of the friends that I was with was kosher and ordered the Pan Roasted Chicken. To our surprise when it arrived there was bacon bits along with the plate. NO WHERE in the menu had it specified that it came with bacon! We reread the menu and was confused as to why it wouldn’t say that. Luckily he wasn’t extremely strict and just picked out all the bacon. The dish itself tasted pretty good but I just felt bad he had to go against his diet.
Fondue: The cheese was really liquidy so it would drip off all of the food. It came with a plate of potatoes, brussel sprouts, really burnt toast (literally one side was black), broccoli, pear, and apple. The brussel sprouts and potatoes were out of the options.
Long Island Duck Breast — The only dish I would recommend here. The duck portion is HUGE and so juicy and tender.
Seared Scallops — Nothing special, nothing bad. I just asked for the most photogenic dish and the waiter told me this one was the most beautiful.

NOT worth it. Decided to try this place again and the food really needed improvement. We got the special of the day, which were fried clams drenched in a cilantro/​citrus sauce and it was terrible. The clams tasted foul and way too fishy for my taste. Also, the cilantro did NOT complement the clams well at all.
For my entrée I got the grilled salmon with parsnip purée, and while the flavors blended well together and had a sweet kick from the honey-​thyme vinaigrette, the cut of the salmon was very bad. It was a thin slice, and didn’t flake away nicely. My bf got the duck breast, and his cut of meat was way too fatty. There was at least ¾ inch of fat on the meat. His dish also came with farro, and we weren’t sure if the farro intentionally had bits of crunchiness to it, but it honestly just tasted undercooked.
Dessert was alright, but nothing spectacular. The citrus cake was very dry, and the only thing that really helped it was the dollop of marscapone.
Probably not going to try this one again.

Good spot for brunch. Came on a Sunday and was surprised by how not busy it was! Granted it is a pretty large space. The outdoor patio seating was packed though.
All in all, I really enjoyed my meal and time there. The service was quick, our waitress was very nice, and the food was good. Ordered the cobb salad and it was the perfect portion. Also, bonus points for the free corn bread. Yum.

Food: ³⁄₅ Stars (But Portions are Huge)
Service: ³⁄₅ Stars
I came here for a double date with another couple. I had just come back from a trip to Korea so was actually in the mood for some traditional American fare. I do think that Temple hit the spot, but it hit the spot in the way that fried pub food would do it.
I didn’t think that there was anything really special on their menu but I tried my best to get out of the way so I got duck wings and lamb sliders. Portions were gigantic but otherwise taste was subpar.
For the duck wings (they weren’t wings, they were drumsticks, and they were giant), they were fried and then coated with some seasoning that was a little too sour. I also ordered the lamb sliders which were decent, and came with fries. The buns were a tad too dry and the sliders didn’t come out super fresh /​hot.
Overall, I think the atmosphere is nice, it’s cozy, dark and pub-​like with some very nice booth seats. However, it was quite difficult to flag down servers throughout the night and service was a little blunt, especially for servers which know they’re not assigned to your table.

Temple bar is definitely a hidden gem. It’s not really hidden, since it’s right on Mass Ave, but it’s surrounded by dodgy Chinese and university housing, so more unexpected.
On a Friday night and without a reservation, we were seated within 15 minutes.
I was impressed by the wine list. I’m a huge sav blanc fan, so to know that there are two on the menu (including a New Zealand) mad me very happy.
The food was fantastic. We ordered the duck wings as an appetizer. The meat was falling off the bone, and the orange glaze on top was just perfect at bringing out the duck flavor. I had the flounder for my entrée, and it was fabulous. A beautiful cut of fish, and it the vegetables with it were done wonderfully. The dessert menu looked great, but we were so full we couldn’t try it.
I’m definitely going to be back!

A very nice place between Harvard and Porter Sqs. Recommend the grilled chicken sandwich which comes with enough fries to share. Good competition for Noir.
As an app the beef tacos work well (to share bet. 2).
Good service, too and screens for watching the sports games.
You can dress up if you want to, but you don’t have to.
Convenient to 77 Sherman St. bus stop too.

I used to come here all of the time, but I havent had the freetime to pop in. Glad my fiancé and I came tonight! Didn’t order our usual mussels or duckwings. Instead we did the steak frites lamb osso bucco and the artisan cheeses. And finished with the coconut basil and lime sorbet. I’m a fan of the new manager too. Change is good!

Yes I am still a fan, but I see some worrisome signs since the restaurant reopened.
The service is still outstanding. Overall the food tastes great. BUT the pork was not fresh. Luckily I ordered it well done, so it was safe. As a German, I am very sensitive to less than perfect pork. Beef is good aged. Pork is not and I take notice. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t spoiled, but it would have been in a few more hours and that makes me drop a star.
Besides the pork, everything else is still as good as it gets.
My program: Temple Bar is still one of my favorites, but I’ll skip the pork for a while.

This is a hidden gem of a brunch spot. There’s never a wait on Saturdays and Sunday’s and I’ve never received bad service.
The brunch menu is simple and on point: chicken and waffles, breakfast pizza, steak and egg burrito, classic omelet and eggs bene just to name a few.
I’m pretty sure I’m biased due to my love for horseradish but I love their Bloody Mary. So flavorful and surprisingly consistent.
Overall, always an awesome experience here.

Great place for a girls’ night out! Eunice E. and I stopped by on a Saturday evening, and it was fairly quiet, which made for a perfect atmosphere to sit and catch up with a lovely friend over some good food and drinks.
We split the lamb sliders to start, and they were phenomenal. All conversation ceased as we were temporarily lost in lamb slider heaven. They’re served medium rare, and topped with jalapeño and onion relish, smoked tomato and feta aioli, on warm, buttery brioche buns. They came with a generous portion of delicious, perfectly crispy fries.
We both got the Pleasant Valley Sunday cocktail, which was very tasty albeit seemingly low on the alcohol content. Hey, it was Saturday night, and I was hoping for a drink that was a little stronger.
For our entrees, I got the duck and sausage pizza. On the menu, it listed having «zesty» tomato sauce, dates, smoked pistachios, and pickled onions on it. Sounds good to me, minus the dates. I couldn’t picture how that would taste good with sausage, duck, and the rest of those toppings. So I asked for my pizza to be made without them, and it was delicious. Perhaps a bit too spicy (was it the sausage? I couldn’t figure out what was so hot!), but enjoyable nevertheless. Eunice got the grilled chicken sandwich, which she enjoyed, but seriously, those lamb sliders were a tough act to follow. Her sandwich was enormous, as was my pizza. Needless to say, we were too full for dessert, and had plenty of leftovers to take home!
I’d come back. Service was pleasant, atmosphere was nice, food was good. I would just hope that the next drink I order here will be a bit stronger!

Temple bar just renovated and I love the ambiance! Though I’m disappointed that the ceviche is no longer on the appetizer menu. I usually go for the calamari (the sauce is really good), and the white truffle pizza. However, the new menu doesn’t seem to have as many options as the older one.
Brunch, however, is spectacular! Would definitely recommend brunch over dinner. I’ve had the salmon eggs benedict, which is an edgier play on the traditional salmon eggs benedict, since temple bar uses sourdough bread. Their eggs are cooked perfectly and their home fries are awesome. Also love the mascarpone stuffed french toast. So tasty and would recommend, though I don’t even like cheese.