Nubar

Nubar’s sleek, modern look is a nice change from the Sheraton’s older look. Dinner is a great time to go, because the restaurant becomes dimly lit and romantic, but the noise never reaches a level that prevents you from maintaining a conversation with the people at your table. The food is very reasonably priced and pretty good for the most part. But the two places on the menu where you won’t go wrong are the flatbreads and the desserts. The flatbread section offers a succinct and well-​rounded selection: your basic «Margherita», a vegetarian option, a braised short rib and duck confit. I tried both the short rib and duck confit options and was blown away at how fantastic they were. Both flatbreads had a modest number of toppings, but used ones that had very robust and distinct flavours. For example, the Duck Confit was topped with just duck, manchego cheese and mushrooms. Between the two, my favourite was the Braised Short Rib, as I found its meat and blue cheese combination unrivaled. If you’re a fan of mushrooms, you should definitely order one of these flatbreads because the mushrooms are huge and incredibly fresh. In addition to the flatbreads, I also thought that Nubar did a fantastic job with their desserts. The Flourless Chocolate Espresso Torta and the Chocolate Mousse Duo were both delicious, rich, and the perfect way to end the meal.
I had a great experience at Nubar but I cannot give them a 4-​star review because aside from the flatbreads and desserts, I wasn’t entirely impressed by the food. It was by no means bad, but it didn’t dazzle me the way a 4-​star rated restaurant would.

Honestly, the food was fine. Not great, but fine. My two friends and I came for Sunday brunch buffet and it was $ 27 per person. As a visitor to Boston, I’m not sure if that is par for the course or not, but from where I’m from, if you pay that much money for the buffet, it’s knock your socks off. The service was awful. Felt like we were an inconvience. They had the same guy on both omelets and carving station, and we waited for quite a while in fromt of the omelet station before he realized we were there. The waitresses were setting up the tables around us for an event as we were eating and obviously wanted us out. The general attitude was eat and leave.

Poor service. Our table was near by curtains probably used to privatize part of the dinning room. It was unpleasant to have it at less than 2 frets from our plates. Food was good but not excellent. Only good news is that i was able to enjoy a nice evening talking with my wife.

Good place for small gathering groups with valet parking annexed to the place. A bit too formal for younger groups but calm enough for an older audience looking for a nice calm place close to Harvard Square. The cheese plater comes with little bread so make sure to ask for extra !

Nubar is attractively decorated but the staff and management are basically very poor. Staff have to serve very few patrons and are unable to give adequate attention to the few they are assigned to. The restaurant is staff heavy and the staff do very little. Too busy talking to one another or watching tv at the bar. The hostess does virtually nothing and should help with serving, clearing tables and checking in with patrons. She’s too busy on her phone. If this place was not attached to the Sheraton Commander Hotel it would be out of business in a few days. Breakfast is very overpriced and of poor quality. Convenient if you are at the hotel but would never seek it out.
One hour later: now 2 women are standing behind the hostess station on their phones. It’s a pity that management is so lax and the staff so non– responsive.

After passing Nubar everyday on my way home from work I wanted to try it during «Dine Out Boston.» The $ 33 dollar prix fixe consisted of an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I ordered the duck mousse, which was nice, but it came with a minimal amount of bread especially if you wanted to share. My fiancé ordered the lentil soup which was again, a meager portion. My salmon was decent, but the side of fava beans and veggies was bland. The risotto was better, had a cheesy flavor, but some of the peas were still hard. The desserts were quite good, especially the chocolate terrine, it was SO fudgy!
The drinks were the best of the night. My «be serene» cocktail was like a hazelnut dessert and had a slight thickness to it. My fiancé’s «Ryan Gosling» cocktail was also refreshing.
Unfortunately, we felt very rushed during our meal from the start. We barely looked at the menu when our drink orders were asked to be taken. The dishes flew out of the kitchen at a very fast pace making it difficult to sit and enjoy talking. The bill was slapped on the table as the desserts came out. This did not make us feel very welcome and it seemed very transparent that the restaurant wanted to turn over the «Dine Out Boston» customers quickly. The turnover speed seemed particularly unnecessary since by the time we left the dining room was almost empty at 8PM.
We were not happy with how this meal turned out.

Surprisingly good food and drinks for a hotel bar. I was staying at the Sheraton Commander so I spent quite a bit of time at Nubar. The service is very quick and friendly and the food is quite good.
Breakfast buffet is $ 19 and yummy — well-​stocked omelette bar with a very friendly chef, scrambled eggs, variety of breads and pastries, sausages, french toast or pancakes, and usually a surprise item or two. Everything is quite good.
I’ve also had the cheese plate, the crab cake, and several of their dinner options and everything was very good. I’d even go so far as to say this restaurant would be worth visiting even if you weren’t staying at the hotel, which is a very rare compliment I’d give to a hotel restaurant.

Checked in on a Monday night with friends. It is on the first floor of the Sheraton hotel, and has a bar area and tables for dinner. The beer collection was decent and was not overly crowded. The dinner menu was typical for boston cafes, and was reasonably priced. Had a NE clam chowder and the mussels and both were delicious. The service was good.

My boyfriend and I came for Valentine’s Day after being enticed by their $ 65/​person prefixe menu. I’m usually against judging a place by special menus or holiday events, but our dinner was so blah and our experience so odd that we both agreed we would not be coming back.
The service was not great. Though our server was nice, she was a little out of it (forgot spoons for our soups, forks for our steaks, etc).
The seating arrangement was weird. We sat around a fireplace with other couples in individual lounger armchairs with our own individual round tables. I guess it was meant to be romantic, but the tables felt too high, we were kind of far from each other, and I couldn’t find a place to position my legs. Maybe a good set up for having cocktails, but it was just awkward for dinner.
The food was average. Very, very average. Out of the four courses we had, only the duck cassoulet appetizer stood out. The others were clearly hotel restaurant dishes. Pretty disappointing.
Our desserts were also interrupted by a fire alarm that sent the entire restaurant outside into the 10 degree weather. I don’t hold this one against the place, but it just added to the weirdness of the meal.
In the end, we got a lot of variety for what we paid (amuse bouche, appetizers, champagne, truffles, etc). But the quality of each was so subpar that we ultimately paid for an overpriced meal. Maybe this would be a good place for drinks after work, but I’d definitely save your money for better food elsewhere.

The audience here is about 50+ years but the young people will find it funny too. It’s a perfect place if the size of your group isn’t defined in Saturday night. You can just jump in and enjoy.
I like their drinks selection, good price for wine and beer. The food is great too. I only set 4 stars because the waiter forgot the order. The meal was delicious although very late.

Nubar is awesome! In my old age I now seem to only hang out at hotel bars, Noir in the Charles Hotel being one of my favorites, and now Nubar. IDK. Maybe the hotel bars in Harvard Square are just exceptionally great.
Nubar’s food and drinks are delightful. But being totally honest, I come here for the fireplace because it’s super cozy in the fall and winter. Also, it’s usually not insanely crowded unless there is an event going on, so it’s a place I can typically count on if I am meeting up with a slightly larger group of friends in Harvard Square. Their cocktail list is great and changes up pretty frequently; their food is also awesome. At one point they had a delicious arancini appetizer on the menu; so many people in our group ordered it that the chef made us some special bonus arancini on the house. Who doesn’t love a free fried rice ball?
There are normal tables you can sit at, or cushy seats and small tables you can gather round and lounge in by the fireplace … which is where you will find me.
The atmosphere in here is cozy. It’s casual, but if you were all dressed up, you wouldn’t be out of place either. The lighting isn’t super moody like Noir at the Charles Hotel (which I love) but it’s pleasantly dim, and there is plenty of seating. It doesn’t seem to get super loud in here either, which is another plus.
Come for the Huckleberry Lemonade, stay for the Ryan (& Wood) Gosling. Cheers!

I really want to give this place a better rating but I’m having trouble. I went with my husband and cousin. My cousin absolutely loved his lobster risotto. He was talking about it the next day. The entrée was sooo small — There is no way it could fill you up.
I was thrilled to see a Vegan Menu upon request. Hurray! I ordered the veggie burger with avocado and peppers and a side of veggies. There was nothing wrong with this meal. But there was nothing great either. I could of whipped this meal together in 10 minutes in my kitchen. The veggie burger was frozen and not high quality (I’ve had them all as a vegetarian for 22 years). The vegetables seemed like they were also frozen and heated up.
This meal is not the kind of meal I expect from walking into a restaurant like this.
The wait staff was friendly. And it was a very comfortable environment with the fire and lighting.

My fiancé and I came here for Valentines day, and it was a pretty decent dinner. The exterior doesn’t reflect how nice and modern the inside is. The interior is classy and laid out in different sections: a bar area, the main dining area, and a fireplace with chairs around it near the entrance. Needless to say the inside of Nubar is very appealing.
As for the food, it was pretty good. I didn’t like the fact that they had a limited menu that night, as I had looked up the menu before and was excited for a certain item only to not be able to order it when I got there. It was a bigger issue for my fiancé who has some dietary restrictions, and also had an eye for a certain menu item or two. Limited menu aside, the food was good. I had a flatbread with sausage, cheese and rosemary for an appetizer, then the beef tenderloin for dinner. The flatbread was crisp and flavorful, with the cheese not making the bottom too soggy. The beef tenderloin was marinated and cooked very well, and was nice and tender. The food was a little pricey though, but then again the menu is a little sophisticated.
The server didn’t seem to be too attentive, as I feel there were periods where we were waiting for awhile for service. It could have been the night, but considering it was Valentines day, they should have had a full staff there so servers wouldn’t be overloaded with tables.
Overall, if I was making more money I may come here again.

First went to the bar and ordered from of the Riesling, SA Prum Essence, then settled into our table. Wine was not too sweet and not too tart, perfect for a bottle with dinner. The selection of wine was excellent with the prices being very moderate and fair for the quality. Not a huge fan of the seating arrangement. The tables were on the smaller side and apparently no enclosed booths which i imagine would make a conversation difficult when the restaurant, bar and lounge are packed.
We ordered the Grilled Shrimp with Romesco Sauce, Grilled Country Bread, Lemon and Rosemary and the Ropa Vieja and Tostones –Anchiote Braised Brisket, Fried Plantains, Jicama Slaw for appetizers. Our waitress was extremely pleasant and came to serve us in a timely manner. The shrimp was delicious but a on the smaller side (4 shrimp i believe) with small pieces of crustini bread pieces and a small salad on the side. The Ropa Vieja came in a small cup made from a friend plantain and the slaw was tangy and crunchy. Delicious!
For my entrée i ordered the Duck Breast-​Hot Smoked in House, Crispy Confit Leg, Spring Vegetable Hash, Rhubarb Mustard. The duck was cooked perfectly, sauce was sweet and paired well with the crispy assorted vegetable hash topped with some greens.
I gave ⁴⁄₅ stars only because i felt the seating arrangement made it difficult to have a private conversation at dinner. Other than that everything was perfection, will be coming back again!

My partner and I go to Nubar two or three times a year, especially during the winter. We love to sit in the lounge area and have a drink near the fireplace. This week we met for a drink in the lounge, and enjoyed delicious cocktails, served by an efficient, polite server.
We are familiar with the menu, and we often wind up ordering the same dishes because they are fabulous. I cannot say enough about the osso bucco. It is an enormous serving of tender pork on a bed of incredibly flavorful spinach and parmesan risotto. I had my fill and took enough home for both of us to have generous servings the next day. We finished with a slice of chocolate fudge cake, which we ate every crumb of. We left feeling completely satisfied and indulged.
The only reason I have given Nubar only 4 stars is because of the very inhospitable hostess. She barely looked at me when I came in, and sort of waved toward the lounge area when I told her I was meeting someone in the lounge for a drink before dinner. Maybe she was having a bad day, but really, the host/​ess offers the first impression of the restaurant. She needs to dial up her friendliness to at least a little more than luke-​warm.

If you are looking to have a glass of whine or a cocktail in a nice «lounge like» atmosphere this place is ok. I went for dinner and I was overall disapponted. The only thing I would come back for is the flat bread. Other things in the menu are too expensive for a poor quality. The steak was only… well. so, so and it was around $ 25.
The «sword fish pâté» (appetizer) was very disappointing. Perhaps since it is in a hotel they already have their clientele and don’t care about acquiring more customers… Anyway I will go back for drinks and flat bread.

Creepy. Oddly fake. Soulless and out of place. Seems like you’re on a set for the bachelor. Food was mediocre.

Food: 3.5 Stars
Service: 4.5 Stars
My girlfriend and I went to Nubar to celebrate during dinner. First things, the bread basket was wonderful, they had different kinds of bread with butter. They were very happy to replenish it when we were finished as well.
For entrees, we ordered the:
1. Autumn Vegetable Risotto: I believe this was the only vegetarian entrée on the list so not a lot of choice. But it was quite a decent risotto with strong flavors of mushroom and a great chewy texture. The cheese was quite strong but that didn’t bother us at all as we love the cheese.
2. Clam Roast: The clams were wonderful; they tasted fresh as if they had been caught right in the Boston Harbor. The noodles (Toasted Angel Hair) unfortunately were too salty and too dry. In fact on certain portions of the dish, it had actually be burned as if from baking for too long. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but it definitely didn’t taste the way that I had imagined. The noodles did not have the al dente feel that I had expected and I also felt the white wine seasoning used was too strong.
One highly redeeming quality was that the waitress we had was very helpful and nice which is why it warrants a 4 star review. Wonderful service which is very deserving of a fine hotel and would come again to try a different entrée!

Thank god they were still open when we checked into our hotel. Our flight from MSP was delayed by an hour and they didn’t server dinner on our flight. Well, technically we could have bought dinner but I’d rather wait than endure airplane food, unless it’s first class cabin fare. The clam chowder was rich and flavorful. Duck confit flatbread seemed a little burnt but it was still edible. Was a big fan of the pulled pork burger and the fries seemed pretty standard. Overall, a nice late night meal.

I only got drinks here, but this place was not really my scene. There was some sort of event going and we were told we couldn’t be in the bar area so they gave us a table. We got one strong and pretty tasty drink and moved along.