10/08/09

Sexual Harrassment!!! Again!!! and poor service.

by rich fulbright fellow

It the 21st century and this doorman is Cartman off SouthPark as the Hall Monitor with the ID's, which is cool until he gazes at your girls breasts rubs against them, and wonders why you give him a look... Then he just grabs his Guiness, which apparently is OK to drink when bouncing in Cambridge ....{tool}

Downstairs the crap continues as the waitress are to cool-for-school and slow. We didn't finish our food because it tasted old and was cool instead of warm <yuk!!!> We will def. not come back and would rec u do not go with your friends or classmates.... they will be MAD at you!

• Pros: Great free poor_whoooo hard drinks
• Cons: Stalker Doorman / need attention NOW!!!!

02/11/09

A Monstrous Mistake

by Palateers

The Palateers believe that the expression ?It?s, like,?..? is extremely overused in American vernacular. Two usages of this expression especially irk us. The first is when one says, ?It?s, like, colder than a witch?s teat outside?; a person should actually say, ?It is colder than a witch?s teat outside?. The danger arises in the second usage, when the user of the aforesaid expression indicates a connection which is plagiaristic. For example, ?That painting you completed is like a Vincent Van Gough?; when in actuality, it is an exact replica of ?Starry Night?. The Palateers enjoy using this phrase only in a sarcastic manner. A good example of this is ?Grendel?s Den is like a good restaurant?, when actually it is a horrible restaurant.

We uncovered a scandal at Grendel?s Den, which immediately tarnished our view of the establishment. It all began when we were perusing the beer menu and came upon a drink named ?Grendel?s Ale?. The Palateers are always a fan of a new brew (which sounded like a unique microbrew), and when we overheard a nearby server described it, as ?like a Sam Adams? our interest was particularly piqued. However, when we enquired with our own server about the beer, we were shocked and amazed to discover that Grendel?s Ale wasn?t ?like? Sam Adams?.it was Sam Adams. The deception we felt was as painful as the food was bad, and the rest of the meal was a slippery slope to dissatisfaction.

The portion of salmon they served in the seafood platter was miniscule. The accompanying scallops and shrimp were overcooked to the point of tasting like boiled squid (think fishy flavored rubber bands). The mashed potatoes were lumpy and flavorless. The meat was overcooked and slightly burnt. The beef stew was mediocre. The spinach pie was small and over salted. They even messed up the rice.

Just as in Beowulf, where Grendel is envisioned as a repulsive and disturbing monster, Grendel?s Den is best to be avoided. google "palateers" for additional reviews

09/22/08

Bad Food! Good Location.

by jkboston1050

Wow, I was amazed how bad the food was. Really, really, really bad. Even if you put in the qualifier that it is Pub food...it is really, really bad Pub Food. The location is nice. The outdoor dining is wonderful on a beautiful day. Usually, people are hanging out listening to music in the little park area. The service was ok. To be honest, I felt bad for the waiter. As soon as he brought out the food, he started to hide out. The "medium rare" burger came out overcooked. But even funnier, it came out in two parts. The caesar salads came out wilted because they were served on hot plates (right out of the wash). At least they were washed, right? I can not say the same for the celery that came with the buffalo wings. It was covered in dirt. The buffalo wings were ok. Edible...but not great. My wife tried the fondue...it was bland almost bordering on tasteless...which was served with sliced up hamburger rolls. If the food wasn't so bad...this would be a good place. Great location, outdoor dining, etc....but really lousy food!

• Pros: Good Location, Outside Dining, Good Selection of Beers
• Cons: Awful Food...even for Pub Food, it's really bad Pub Food

09/11/08

Slipping up

by lbo906

I used to go to Grendel?s in 2004 and 2005 for a good, cheap happy hour menu with good food. There was one older, pinched looking, very rude waitress, but the value was good so I didn?t mind. I recently went back a few times and it seems the business is slipping. The food is low quality ? the spinach and artichoke dip is dry, like it came from a package and then sat out, and the chips they gave with it were like the small shards that remain at the end of the bag. I had three glasses of the sangria and ended up very? hydrated. It?s basically just a pitcher of ice with a little reddish juice thrown in for good measure. And ? that older rude waitress is still there, even more bitter and hateful than she was in 2004. Although still cheap, Grendel?s is not a good value. I recommend Border Cafe as a similar, but more positive experience.

• Pros: Outside seating
• Cons: Crappy food, weak sangria

05/22/08

Not Recommended

by cmonsen

I've been to Grendel's several times and each experience has been worst than the last. Just recently, I went to a mostly empty Grendel's with a few friends to celebrate a birthday. As soon as we arrived, the waitress was chilly, to say the least. She was extremely rude in ordering drinks and our night ended with her yelling and cursing at us after one of us made a casual comment about the 20% required gratuity. I understand that she may have been having a rough day, but this was really the latest of several separate instances of sub-par service I have seen at Grendel's. Don't be misled by the seemingly relaxed atmosphere; the servers are incredibly uptight. I would not recommend Grendel's to anyone. Go to Charlie's around the corner and save yourself the grief.

• Cons: The worst service I have seen anywhere.

05/12/08

Nice place, WORST SERVICE ever

by becca1126

I was visiting Harvard from Los Angeles. A big group of us, all graduate students from all over the country, went to Grendel's. The place is comfy and welcoming, so we all sat down in a corner at the tables. The mojito I ordered from the bar was great. After we sat down, an older woman with grey hair who was our waitress came over and started yelling at everyone that she needed to get through. Now, the bar was NOT crowded, but she continued to tell people she needed to get through. At one point, she shoved my classmate out of the way as he walked down the stairs. She kicked my chair on purpose several times to try to get me out of the way, even though there was plenty of room to walk through. I have never met such an angry, bitter woman, and I refused to order a drink from her. A bar like that should have been a great, fun experience, but her disposition ruined it for everyone. I have no idea how she still works there, because I saw that many other customers were upset. I would never return there because of her poor attitude.

• Pros: Good mojitos, nice ambience
• Cons: terrible attitiude of server

03/10/08

Good times!

by JSizzles

As a visitor to the Boston area, this was a great experience. We went here on the first night of our trip & it was exactly what we were expecting-- dive bar, college crowd, ancient building. This place wasn't college "crazy", just a very low key crowd. The food was good & prices were great. Definately recommend visting Grendel's Den.

• Pros: Ambiance

09/20/06

Interesting place

by dagoogs

Always a crowd in there. Cheap food, cheap beer, can't go wrong if that's what you're looking for. Staff very down to earth, almost too down to earth, (smoking out front, wearing street clothes etc.) They've been around for a while so they're doing something right. Good happy hour spot, 1/2 price food when you spend 10 bucks on drinks or something. Patio is cool spot to people watch and drink. The food is nothing special but not terrible. I'd recommend this place, just know what you are getting.

• Pros: underground, patio, cheap food and drink
• Cons: a little dirty, smoking staff, food quality

09/19/06

Great Value on Great Food

by rookugi

For the budget conscience - this is the best place to go for great food at extremely reasonable prices. The atmosphere is a great college hangout kind of place. If you want a more "proper" attire - the outside dining is just as good. Portions are not too large (just the right size) and great tasting. Highly recommend. Got it on a recommendation from a TV show and so far she hasn't been wrong yet!

• Pros: great food for the value
• Cons: finding it in Cambridge if you are not familar with the area

Harvard Sqaure's beloved subterranean hangout provides one of the city's best dining deals.

by Contributor

The Scene
This subterranean hangout is usually filled to capacity with Harvard kids, grad students, recent grads and long, long-ago grads. Grendel's varied menu includes everything from portobello reubens and potato skins to steak tips, and everything is half-price nightly from 5pm to 7:30pm (and 9pm-11:30pm, Sun-Thu), with $3 drink purchase per person. The bar features hard-to-find beers like Caffrey's Irish Ale and Berliner Weisse.