adam s.'s Profile

I've honestly only been here once, but on hearing that it's closing, I felt I needed to write a review while they're still open.

This place feels strangely like a 50s diner, except updated and with an impressive cocktail menu and much better patrons.  This isn't a typical Boston bar, which makes it better than almost any other bar I've been too in the area.  It has a gritty, retro feel and generally features some of the best crowds of Cambridge.  I would get drunk here any time.

I've been bringing my Honda here for a bit over a year.  I've had a few small things over the last year -- new tires, muffler replacements -- and they have completed the repairs in less than a day and without lingering problems.  Hondar House doesn't "find" additional repairs that end up being unnecessary, as many shops do and hey have always been very good at explaining the repairs they are making and why.

For me, the ultimate test was that I once asked them to take a quick look at my car for any other issues while it was getting a new set of tires.  For most shops, this is an invitation to screw you over, especially with an older car like mine.  Hondar House came back and said I had nothing else to worry about, beyond the 30,000 mile tune-up that's I'd have to do in the next year.

I'd recommend this place to anyone with a Honda.

I decided to try this place out after reading the stellar reviews on Yelp.  I really didn't know what to expect, but this place is the truth.

We were able to get onto the patio after just a short wait.  They had coffee and muffins while we waited for tables to open up.  We knew we'd made a good choice when the first three groups groups of people walked out talking about how amazing the place was.

Once seated, we were immediately given orange juice, coffee, fruit and cream of wheat, before even ordering anything.  The menu was possibly the largest breakfast menu I had ever seen and the food was cheap, especially considering the sheer volume.  For about $8, I got two large pieces of french toast, two eggs and hash browns.  To the detriment of my health, I finished it all.

So..I recommend this place to anyone that enjoys eating large amounts of breakfast on a gorgeous patio.

After moving to Boston from the west coast, one of the most frustrating experiences was finding a decent place to get a haircut.  It's tough for a guy to find a place that actually adapts to your preference, rather than just force their specialty buzz cut or fade on you.  I went through mediocre haircuts from four different places before following Yelpers here.

Two haircuts in, I'm pretty happy with this place.  Umberto cuts my hair and remembered me and the style as soon as a walked in a second time.  At $25, it feels like a steal.  I'd recommend this place to any guy that has even the slightest interest in style.

This place is kind of like two bars.

There's the front section, which is divey, has cheap pitchers, free popcorn and bartenders who seem like have been working there for more than a couple years.  It's mellow, laid back and rarely gets too crowded.

And there's the back, which also has cheap pitchers and that divey feel, but is packed during karaoke nights and has a huge catalog of songs.  The crowd is always cool and the bartenders generally seem to have a good time, periodically jumping on stage for a song.  I swear they're more intoxicated than some of their patrons by the end of the night.

Don't get me wrong.  The burritos here aren't really that good, but given the limited Mexican options in the Boston area, they somehow get two stars.  In a lot of other cities, they'd be lucky to get one.

There are only two things preventing this from being a one-star review:
- The repairs to my car came out well
- They were really nice and seemed to genuinely care how it came out

And for the rest of the experience, it was a bit frustrating...
I went here because they had a relationship with my insurance company, but apparently part of that relationship meant they couldn't agree on the costs of the repairs and kept calling me to complain.  I'm not sure if B&D was trying to bleed the insurance company for extra money, or genuinely needed it for repairs.  Either way, relatively basic repairs took over two weeks to get done.

In addition, they only accept credit cards up to $500, or cashier's checks.  Since the most basic auto body repair costs at least $300, this was a little tough to navigate.  I ended up paying the majority of the cost in cash.

So, basically, I wish I read the other reviews on this place before dropping my car there.

Great beer selection with a cool red scare theme.  Probably my favorite bar in Cambridge.  The don't serve Sam Adams.  I like to assume it's because he was a patriot.

Before Zip Zap, my haircuts sucked.  And now that I no longer live in SF, my haircuts suck again.  I took the plunge after about  30 cheap haircuts that left me annoyed when I walked out of the barber's.  I went to James for over two years and he always delivered a really tight haircut.  Highly recommended.

It's more than you're going to pay at a Supercuts or barber shop, but it's worth the extra cost.  The haircut looks good the moment you walk out, takes longer to grow out and leaves you not looking like a chump.

I'm a bit of a burrito snob, having lived in San Francisco for a few years.  So I've been a bit disappointed by the burrito options in the Boston area.  They're either excessively "gringo", or just not that great.  Anna's is the old standby.  And it's good.  But Felipe's is much better, and the reason is the added spice and numerous salsa options.  I think if I lived in Harvard Square, I would probably go here at least 3 times a week and be about 25 pounds heavier.