Written by Jack Sheridan
If you’re like me, you have certain restaurants that you keep in your rotation. Spots where you know you’re going to be greeted with a smile, a cold drink and great food. A place, for all you guys out there, that when you ask your girl what she wants and she says “I don’t care,” you bring her here because you know it’s always a good spot. For me, Harp + Bard at 1099 Dorchester Avenue is at the top of my personal “go to” rotation.
I am usually a guy who likes to sit at the bar and eat, so Harp and Bard’s horseshoe bar that has about 20-30 seats is perfect for me. Typically, you can always get a seat at the bar that is mixed with a diverse portfolio of patrons. But if you want to sit, they have about 10-15 booths to sit at and I love a good booth over a table. There are a few high tops around the bar and there is a back room for functions. Harp + Bard has plenty of TV’s that are viewable from anywhere in the joint and my favorite perk, KENO!
I have a go to drink, Tito’s and soda, but the bartenders are willing to make you anything you can fit in a pint glass. The brunch menu has a fantastic list of spiked Mimosa’s made with champagne, juice and a matched flavored vodka or liquer. The draught beer selection is decent, but lacking some IPA selection. With that said, if you are from Boston, Harpoon IPA should be enough for you anyways.
I definitely recommend the brunch at Harp + Bard which is phenomenal and I could write a separate post for their brunch menu alone, but for the sake of time, I’ll keep it to the dinner menu. The apps are great, they have your traditional wings with various flavors , my personal favorite is the honey buffalo wings, they are by far the best flavor. They also have nachos!
Now this is where I make some borderline ridiculous claims, but the bar pizza is in my top 3 slices of pizza of all time, it is a MUST ORDER at Harp + Bard. I would put it up against Santarpio’s, Pizzeria Regina (N. End Location ONLY), or my guilty pleasure, Papa Gino’s. (Feel free to hash this out with me on Twitter @jack5heridan). Harp + Bard’s pizza has crunchy crust, great sauce and the perfect amount of cheese. You can build your own pie or choose from their signature pies.
The dinner menu has a variety of options from soup, salads, wraps, burgers and a plethora of entrees. If you go the wrap or burger route, the tots are a must as they are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. If you’re looking for an entrée, there is a variety of options from tacos to pasta to steak tips. The best feature about the dinner menu at Harp + Bard is the revolving specials menu. The special menu recently has had options such as prime rib, chicken supreme, clams, scallops, steak Carmella, chicken pot pie, veal marsala, stuffed clams, mussels, etc etc. The specials menu at Harp + Bard is the real hidden gem of the menu as I always find something new and surprising which is why this is so high in my “rotation.”
This night I went with a specials menu selection and got the prime rib while Mrs. S got the baked haddock. We joked that you really must trust a kitchen if you’re willing to get the fish and it did not let down and it was perfectly cooked. The prime rib was delightful with mashed potatoes and corn. My friend and bartender Diana hooked it up with a full cup, yes a cup full, of au jus to top my meal off. The thing about Harp and Bard is that not only is there a great selection, but their chef’s cook to perfection as my meat and the fish was cooked as ordered.
As you can already tell I’m going to highly recommend you take a trip to Harp + Bard. Make sure you tweet us all your highlights from one of the most underrated spots in Boston! Harp + Bard is open 7 days a week 11am-1am.
Sounds good. Gotta try this place next time I’m in Dorchester.