Harry's Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Boston

I want to preface this by saying that I am NOT a person to lightly accuse ANYONE of interpersonal racism. I will jump through hoops and hurdles to justify someone’s behavior as being anything besides racism, because I understand the weight that that accusation carries. However, my friends and I genuinely have no other explanation for what happened though.

We came here to watch the Duke v. Houston game. As one of only 2 or 3 visible black / brown people here, I sat with my friends for over an hour without being served, as numerous waitresses walked directly by our table, and ignored our clear hand signals and verbal requests to get their attention. At one point, we got the attention of one waitress, who cleaned off the trash that the previous patrons left at our table. She didn’t say a single word to us as she did this, and never came back to our table to serve us. Fed up with over 40 minutes of not being served, one of my white friends went to the bar and got us drinks, although we still went without food. At another point after this, I personally flagged down another waitress to ask to be served. She stopped briefly, and told us that “if we opened a tab, you have to order from the bar” and immediately left. Nobody had opened a tab. We were all young people who planned to pay for our food / drinks separately. For another 20 + minutes, both waitresses walked by our table numerous times and never stopped to serve us. While for the first 45 minutes, I tried to justify it as them just being busy, by the time we got mad enough to leave, it was clear to all of my friends what was happening.

We came into the bar before the end of the Florida v. Auburn game, and much of the bar left at the games end, with a whole new group of people showing up for the Duke game. Despite being at this table before almost any of these people showed up, pretty much all of the all white table were asked for their order, served drinks, and even served food, while not a single waitress bothered to serve us. We left after about an hour and 20 minutes of not being served.

If you are any person of color, I would HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend not going to Harry’s. Hopewell is right down the road, and for what it’s worth, they have never treated me like a second class...

Hope to change this one day, everyone except the people who worked there were pretty nice. I came in around 1110pm, no indication that the kitchen was closed (or closing, still unsure tbh). Bartender was away so the doorman made the drinks. He said they "don't make long islands" - never heard this from a bar before, especially one with more than three shelves. I asked "if we could have a table, if it was too late" was told "it's not too late but order drinks at the bar". 25 min later (after watching a server serve 3 other tables to close out) we went to the bar and were told we had "two minutes or so" bartender looks at his watch and says "we actually don't, but could probably make dinner fries happen". Never been to a restaurant/bar that doesn't make long islands, let's uncertified people make listed drinks on the menu, doesn't greet, serve, or make a last call... This seemed very odd to me, a restaurant and bar known for wings/pizza open until 2am with a kitchen that closes before 11:30pm.

I couldn't get a drink or food, so I'm really just left with service, which I didn't really get in any way, so I have to then break that down to signage... Nothing indicated any of this. We just patiently sat around bc it's a bar! Things a a lil different. Apparently much different. I hope to try them one day! Everyone keeps talking about it and I went with a local, who was also shocked. Signage would be great, food hours on the menu, etc. We walked about 45 minutes based on other reviews. Would not recommend unless it's for lunch, unfortunately, still unclear when exactly the kitchen closes or if this is typical. Sometimes you have to learn the nuances of a bar like this, which I get. I looked for these details for over 20-30 minutes at the table. I'll go back for sure, at least everyone else's food......

Harry’s Bar and Grill in Allston is hands down one of my favorite spots in the area. From the moment you walk in, there’s a warm, laid-back vibe that makes you feel instantly welcome. The staff is consistently friendly, attentive, and genuinely seem to enjoy being there—it really sets the tone for a great experience.

The food? Incredible. Their burger is easily one of the best I’ve had in Boston—perfectly cooked, juicy, and loaded with flavor. The wings are another standout: crispy, saucy, and addictive in the best way possible. Even the bar bites and smaller plates are thoughtfully done and super satisfying.

Drinks are strong, affordable, and the selection is way better than you’d expect for a neighborhood bar. They’ve got everything from local beers to solid cocktails, and the bartenders actually know what they’re doing.

Whether you’re catching a game, grabbing a casual dinner with friends, or just want a solid drink after work, Harry’s hits the mark every single time. It’s one of those rare places where you feel like a regular even on your first visit.

Highly recommend checking it out—you’ll probably end up making it your...