Last night I met one of my favorite girls in Harvard Square for dinner. We had decided the night before to chow down after work on Monday at Mr. Bartley's. After a very chilly walk from the Charles Hotel, we were seated at a four top and greeted by our waiter.
Before I go on, let me say that on the walk over we were discussing how the waiters at Mr. Bartley's are notoriously sassy. Well, the universe must have heard us and decided to throw us a bone because instead of a waiter with attitude, we got the sweetest waiter ever! He was very patient while we inspected every line of the menu.
Mr. Bartley's is famous for their burgers. Not just the taste, but the name of the burgers, which are often created in honor of famous, local celebrities or currently pop culture phenomenons. Just a few examples:
- The Tom Brady (ladies take a pass at this): cheddar cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, red onions, french fries
- The Deval Patrick (will tax your taste buds): monterey jack cheese, jalapenos, salsa, french fries
- The Drew Faust (Harvard Prez): veggie w/red peppers, feta cheese, tomato, red onion, garlic mayo, french fries
- This Lady GaGa (lady gag me): provolone cheese, grilled peppers, sweet potato fries
You could spend more time reading and laughing at the burger descriptions than actually eating there!
We did finally decide and placed our order. The waiters yell the orders to the line cooks by the name of the burger. So you hear things like, "Give me a Tom Brady, extra guac!" Hilarious.
I decided on "the iPhone" which was a burger (veggie for me) topped with boursin cheese, mushrooms and onions. You can get any burger on the Mr. Bartley's menu as a veggie or turkey burger. Great perk!
My burger was delicious as were the sweet potato fries! I would order that same plate over and over again.
My dinner date order "the Scott Brown" with a slight twist (our waiter was totally accommodating). It came with cheddar cheese, guacamole, bacon, onions and jalapenos. I must admit, even to me, that looked damn good!
She ordered a side of onion rings which we both agreed were lackluster. We've been spoiled by amazing fried food on the Cape.
Now, you might think after all this greasy grub that we'd be full. Well, we were, but we also really wanted frappes. I ordered a chocolate frappe with chocolate chip cookies and my date ordered a chocolate shake, "extra chocolatey!" Well, our waiter delivered! Her shake tasted like it had half a bottle of chocolate syrup in it!
We got about one third of the way through of frappes and we couldn't sip anymore. Our waiter read our minds and offered to bring to-go cups. Is this heaven?
Mr. Bartley's is the absolute perfect place to pig out. It's no frills, has fun, kitschy decor and offers supreme, sinfully decadent junk food.
It's one block from the Harvard Square T stop making it super easy to get to. What are you waiting for? Go meet, Mr. Bartley!
