Harvard Faculty Club

HFC is a truly exquisite experience for faculty, students, and fortunate visitors. I’ve had the pleasure of dining here on 3 separate occasions (Sunday Brunch, Pre-​Graduation Event, Wedding Reception) and everything was always top notch. The interior is elegantly embellished, as each room is picturesque in its own way. I especially enjoyed the sophisticated layout of the reading room, the charming personalities of all the private dining rooms, as well as the grand feel of the north dining room. As expected, everything has a refined feel to it. From the moment you step in to the hour you depart, your time here will be filled with a lot of rich history, great food, and stimulating conversations. Definitely a must see!

I’ve only been here for brunch, and it is one of the best I have ever had. Anywhere.
I prefer it to the Four Seasons for any kind of special occasion or celebration. Of course, you have to «be in the club» to get a table.
The lobster bisque is fantastic, the custom one lets very well done, and always a great selection of hot entrees. The desserts are excellent. They often have a seafood bard with raw, smoked, and cooked items.
Go Crimson!

Docking a star for service. They were probably busy and we were a large party, but we were literally filling our own wine glasses. I had to ask a couple times for a knife, and there was general unawareness of our silverware situation.
The kitchen did a great job though. Food arrived mostly at the same time and everything was pretty delicious.

Great food and atmosphere. We had a large group and they handled it well. Food is good (we had fish). They really cater to you and want to take care of everyone.
If you can get in (members only) it is a great place.

Lunch buffet is a great value. I’ve attended a number of events with professors here and the food is really top notch even though there aren’t any formal servers. They had all kinds of cuisines offered including a lot of desserts, cheese and crackers offerings. The whole building has a lot of history inside with paintings of past figures and a nice classy atmosphere. I would definitely suggest taking a trip sometime to experience the history!
Also, they do a wonderful job hosting small events. Particularly for firms who are interested in meeting students.

A classy place for nights to remember — especially one of those fancy academic events where they serve you great food with an exciting speaker, and you do not have to pay for the dinner yourself.

I guess they were having an «off» night. My scallops were under-​cooked, and my friend’s salmon was dry. The salads were very mediocre. $ 154 later, I felt a bit ripped off.
All pretense aside, if the quality of the food is mediocre, then I don’t care how much the wait staff treat me like royalty.

I attended a school function here. Space looks like the type of three-​story home a tenured professor would own — elegant, well-​decorated, & located on some pricey, coveted real estate. First floor lounge is beautiful… fireplace, elegant staircase, couches so comfy, they just swallow you up.
The event was catered with an elaborate Mediterranean spread — roasted veggies w/​olive oil, cheeses, breads, hummus, babaganoush. Waiters would come around with fancy finger foods, which Friend & I totally took advantage of. Who can say no to shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, & lamp chop lollipops (her fave!)
If you ever have a chance to even just take a gander, take the opportunity. HFC is gorgeous.
I’d definitely stay at the hotel located on the top floor. And I’d definitely try their Sunday brunch. Wonder when I’ll have time to do these things…

So they hired a new team of chefs and now the place is popping again!
Attended a reception there Friday night and I will say – I was impressed with the food.
Lamb chops were amazing, shrimp cocktail was delish and the vino was just perfect.
After the reception we had drinks at the bar and Cynthia took great care of us.
She, is impeccable at her job and deserves so much credit for giving the HFC its charm.
There are times when I am walking by and I pop in just to have a chat with her… very caring human being.

Best lodging in the Boston area: need I say more?
Okay, I will say some more!!!
The accommodations parallel with the MOST VENERABLE Harvard University that is serves, and it is so convenient to this utmost fine institution of higher education. I had the utmost fortune to visit and stay due to the fact that I was dating a Ph.D. candidate.
If you obtain the chance to visit and stay, by all means (more or less) seize the opportunity!!!

Harvard Faculty Club is an elegant place to dine & stay. Located across Lamont Library (East of Harvard Yard), it is housed in a lovely three story building. On the first floor is their dining facility (restaurant) & reading room, second floor has private dining rooms and third floor has overnight rooms.
Since I was a graduate student at Harvard, I didn’t need to be a paying member as all current students are considered free members of this facility. Even if you’re not a member and just visiting Cambridge, call them to see if they will allow you to dine. They are very accommodating.
Sunday brunch is to die for; the quality of food and service is quite exquisite. The ambience is upper crust. You dine as a piano plays in the hall.

I was offered the chance to become a member of the HFC last year and joined as a novelty. It’s not clear to me that the membership benefits outweigh the $ 150 fee, especially when the dining room is open to the public anyway. Last night, for Valentine’s Day, we finally got around to having a meal there. It was $ 69.95 per person, yet the bill came to $ 191 and change. We were dumbfounded and spent some time studying the check, thinking there’d been a mistake. Now, we’re not cheapskates, but we didn’t order alcohol, and the charges weren’t immediately obvious to us. We had a bottle of still water, and had tea and coffee with our dessert, and wondered where these fees were coming from.
Be aware that HFC includes a hefty «surcharge» (17−22%) on the bill, but it’s not gratuity. It’s to cover operating expenses of the Club. Uh… okay. That was one heck of a surcharge, and it’s definitely made me reconsider whether it’s worthwhile to retain membership. I’m also not pleased that tipping is not allowed. It’d be one thing if the «surcharge» went towards gratuity for the wait staff (all of whom were great), but it’s clear that you’re paying for the benefit of admission and nothing more.
I can see why the HFC appeals to people. The setting is genteel, traditional, and you know what to expect. It’s not a trendy or crowded place. The food was good, but I was disappointed that the Valentine’s Day menu offered only two options: vegetarian or meat option, and you couldn’t mix the two. I.e., I wanted the vegetarian 1^st course, but the waiter explained that since I was getting the steak and sea bass main course, I had to get the meat option for each of the other dishes. I’ve had fixed-​price meals at many restaurants and have never encountered that.
I ordered my steak medium rare and my husband, medium. Both were really quite rare, to the point where I asked if I could have mine cooked further. I have only done that once before, so this was an indication of how rare it was! Even then, the steak was a bit underdone, but I didn’t want to be «that» customer, so I just ate it. (The sea bass was cooked nicely.) Best part of the meal was an espresso-​sized cup of black truffle and foie gras soup.
I’ll go again for brunch, since that seems to really be where HFC shines. But I think after that, the whole novelty of «I’m at the HARVARD FACULTY CLUB» will wear off.

The brunch here is hands down my favorite in the greater Boston area. Efficient and courteous staff, and an amazing buffet, which is available every day! The food itself was phenomenal. As my dining partner aptly put it, «this isn’t commodity smoked salmon.» Not only that, but the portions and quantities were just right. For me, that set it apart from other fancy brunch buffets like, say, Henrietta’s Table, where the dessert cart was buckled down with huge (delicious) cakes and tortes to the point of vulgarity.
I was impressed by that kind of attention to detail, which gave the whole experience an understated elegance. You almost forget that this is likely the most pretentious dining room in America. But it is Hah-​vad, which means people watching is an added bonus. It’s like putting on a B horror movie and dubbing your own dialog. Only instead of microwave popcorn you have flank steak. And the zombie apocalypse has a penchant for tweed.

YES AS GOOD AS IT GETS
I eat there every month and have for the last twenty years.
Just can not say enough about how wonderful it always is.

I recently came here for a school-​wide, end-​of-​the-​year type of reception/​celebration. So, I didn’t try the brunch or look at actual food menus. On the other hand, I got to sample a wide range of sweet, one-​bite desserts… cakes, macarons, tarts, marshmallow, fresh fruit (pineapple, strawberries), melted chocolate, whipped cream… plus open bar with wine and beer and for non-​alcoholics, coffee/​tea for the caffeinated.
Bottom line: everything tasted delish… the place is everything you imagined a «Hahvahd» faculty club to be like… rich, dark, mahogany wood, leather furniture, etc. You will be fancy, sha-​mancy… maybe a little stuffy when you are there, b/​c the atmosphere is just filled with intellectual chatter and brilliance… however, have no fear, there’s an outdoor patio/​rose garden where you can mingle, catch your breath, and smell the roses. So, forget those pretentious folks and enjoy your time there!

Harvard Club is a privilege. Feels… cerebral, elegant. My mother-​in-​law is a Professor and we dine here frequently. It’s a lovely, historical building. Typically there’s a large lily bouquet when you walk in the door making the entrance smell heavenly. Dinner or Brunch are both great options. I highly suggest the oysters. Super fresh with a great sauce. Also try the apple tart. The crust is flaky. Yum. Only negative, my water glass and spoon were both filthy during my last visit. Service can be spotty as well. Example: waiter trying to take food order before wine and water.
If you get a chance, go!

I’m very fortunate to work for a boss who took us (9 of us) to the faculty club for a holiday brunch. It’s as good as it gets, definitely! As soon as you enter the building, you are in a lounge area where a lady plays the piano. Being the holidays and all, there was also a choir singing christmas carols.
The dining rooms are huge. There are 3 separate rooms, with the food all lined up in the first room. I wish we were seated in the bright solarium, it looked beautiful and faced a garden. The other rooms are grand! Polished silverware, wooden paneling and heavy curtains– you get the picture. We were served coffee immediately and we also had a choice of fresh juice, champagne, mimosa or bloody mary. Champagne it was. And the coffee reminded me of Café du monde.
We started the meal with fruits, salad, smoked salmon, shrimp cocktail, different varieties of cheese and bread. And for the main course, we had french toast, home fries, bacon, frittata, eggs benedict (the best i’ve had so far), chicken marsala and seared ahi-​tuna. If this wasn’t enough, there was lobster bisque for soup, a made to order omelet station and grilled meat section. And a selection of desserts (about 12 – 15 varieties)! Suffice it to say I was stuffed.
Can’t think of many places that serve such a fabulous brunch!

Apparently you’re supposed to be a member to come here but if they are having a slow service they will let members of the community come in as guests to eat.
I came here with a party of 4 for their Sunday brunch buffet. It was simply fantastic. They had a spread I could only compare to a Vegas buffet at one of the nice hotels in terms of offerings and quality. The attitude here is pure Harvard though, be sure to be wearing your Sunday’s best (no jeans or t-​shirts).
Some of the notable brunch items included:
Belgium Waffles w/​fresh fruit, whipped cream, and syrup
Bacon
Home fries
Hungarian Veal Goulash
California Rolls
Seared Tuna
Shrimp
Assorted pastries
Mushroom Spinach Cream Sauce Crepes
Omelet Station
Lobster bisque
Salmon
Artisan Cheese
Vegetarian Dumplings
A table of about a dozen different mini desserts
Banana Bread Pudding w/​fresh butterscotch
All you can eat for $ 38 plus a free mimosa or bloody mary isn’t a bad deal. Come here, take your time, relax and enjoy.

Spectacular venue next to the venerable Harvard Yard in the midst of this epic institution. Class and quiet New England dignity abound in the place amidst the mahogany paneling and the thick velvet curtains.
Exquisite service and outstanding food. We started with appetizers courtesy of the house, followed by a Roquefort Cheese and fruit plate and as the piece de resistance, halibut with a vegetable mélange. An exquisite dinner. One of the features of the Club is a no tipping policy, a remnant of the old New England dinner club ethos, which makes it even better…

I have stayed here as a hotel guest several times and have eaten the occasional lunch at the Club. I’ve also been to countless banquets and private dinners.
The hotel rooms, which are not very large in number, are available for reservation by Harvard folks and members of faculty clubs at other universities that have signed a reciprocity agreement with Harvard. I’ve stayed over perhaps 3 or 4 times in my life, sometimes for 5 or 6 days. The rooms are simple and elegant and might remind you of a bed and breakfast place that actually had great taste. There’s no plaque on the wall that says that George Washington slept in your bed, but there might as well be: the place reeks of history and tradition. The room won’t look as modern as the ones in boutique hotels in your favorite downtown, but it doesn’t need to. The plumbing works and the bed will be comfortable.
In the old days, there was a killer hot breakfast buffet that came as part of your room charge. Unfortunately, that’s now gone. Instead of kippers and hot Irish oatmeal, you’ll have to make do with croissants, muesli, a fruit salad and coffee. In other words, it’s the dreaded continental breakfast. As continental breakfasts go, it’s far from the worst. The croissants are flaky and fresh, except on weekends.
As far as the food service goes, it’s kind of hit and miss. If you have lunch with a Harvard faculty member who knows the good things to order, you’ll probably do OK. If you attend a banquet for 100 people, your dinner will remind you of the «rubber chicken circuit» that politicians and retired sports personalities sometimes complain about.
The people who work here are warm, cheerful, friendly and eager to please. They’re also very competent — and proud of it.