I went to Noir for the first time last night after a wonderful Yelp Elite event in Charles Square. I typically enjoy upscale hotel bars and I had heard good things about Noir in the past, so I was excited to check it out for myself. While the deep red and black decor and general ambience was to my liking, the bar service (of lack thereof) was certainly not up to par. There was only one bartender serving and she did not seem to be concerned with speed or accuracy in her drink preparations. After waiting to be acknowledged for several minutes due to her lack of initiative (it's not like the bar was packed), I was shocked when she started preparing my friend's vodka tonic without putting the ice in the glass first. We watched in amazement as she sloppily poured Grey Goose into the glass, topped it off with far too much tonic and then dumped a huge load of ice on top of her haphazard concoction. Never in my life have I seen a mixed drink made in this fashion and I hope I never do again. If I'm going to pay Noir prices for a cocktail, I think I should at least be granted a final product that is made in the correct order and in the right proportions (the drink was very weak). Throwing in a smile or at least faking interest in providing a positive experience for the customer also never hurts, but I know that's quite a lot to ask. We'll start with getting the drink right first. The only reason I gave Noir two stars instead of one is because I do like the look of the space and I was in love with the playlist they had on (lots of Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys). When good music is the major redeeming factor of my experience at what is supposed to be a classy, upscale establishment, that's a problem. If I ever do have the courage to try my luck here again, I will surely run the other way if I see drinks being made backwards again by unenthusiastic staff. Perhaps Noir should dedicate a cut of their generous drink earnings to bartending courses for their staff. Just a thought. read more

There are recent reviews on here that talk about Noir's happy hour special, so I thought it prudent to point out that they are no longer doing the special. I went yesterday and was disappointed to be charged full price for my appetizers. The martinis are hands down the best in the city. They are also the priciest ($13!!!). The happy hour special made this place a reasonable after work option. Sadly, not anymore! read more

Literally worst service I have ever had at a restaurant. My friend's soup came to the table and was cold. She brought it up to the bar since no one checked on us; however it was still listed on the bill. Our waitress was the worst waitress we have ever had. The drinks were fine, but service was beyond horrible. read more

What's a pub crawl in Cambridge without going to Noir at the end. This was our 7th and final stop on our Monday night pub crawl. They are open late and the hippest of the hippest come here for last call. We were definitely crashing when we wobbled in at 1:30. Some bars would be closing at this hour but not here. They're just getting going. The only problem with this place is the cost. Drinks can reach double digits in cots easily, but they large and well made. Then again they are known as a late night haunt, so they drunk wannabes with plastic will easily pay their high prices. It is what it is. read more

Good for after-dinner drinks with friends (if you can get a table) and also getting wasted on week nights after other bars in Harvard close at 1am. I'm a big fan of the signature drinks that are named after Film Noir classics, although their Dirty Harry martini with blue cheese stuffed olives is my favorite. read more

Went for the 5-4-3-2-1 deal...and it's a keeper! Small place, nice atmosphere, super cozy circular booths, outside seating in summer. The selection of cheap eats is great during happy hour & I will be back mainly for that reason. I did, however, return once in a fit of feverish hunger and was completely satisfied paying twice as much for a giganitic scrumptous sandwich. read more

I just love getting lightly schnockered on fancy cocktails, and NoirBar is a good place to do it, especially during happy hour. For one dollar, you can get strawberriess with creme fraiche and brown sugar for dipping. So wonderful. Soooooo wonderful. read more

I used to work out at Wellbridge in which is in charles hotel and walk by Noir everyday. It looks more grand than it really is. On a summer evening, i decided to try it out. The wait staff, isnt very attentive.The drinks have fun names, that is great. It' s nice to sit outside in summer and inside is dark and red, with big plasma tv. Again , the crowd could range from people staying at the hotel, to students. read more

Always pleased. Went for Valentine's Day. Had the special drink and bean dip. The chicken sandwich and delicious tuna flatbread! That is tasty and should be ordered. Great service, it was a quiet Monday night, and I love the dim lighting there. read more

I've never been a fan of hotel bars, but Noir is a definite exception. It's got nice atmosphere, a great location, good food and tasty (but yes, pricey) cocktails. I get the impression it draws a crowd because it's open later than most Harvard Square establishments, but it's definitely worth a stop any time in the evening. Sandwiches were good and huge. Wait staff was very friendly -- not a surprise considering Noir is part of the Charles Hotel, a class act when it comes to customer service. I haven't been for happy hour, but the "12345" specials sure do sound appealing. The Dirty Harry martini, complete with blue cheese-stuffed olives, was excellent. read more

This bar manages to be hip and stylish while welcoming and friendly at the same time. A creative drink list means that you can find both "classics" and liquid innovations at the same place. The crowds tend to be interesting, diverse and eclectic as well. A great place for a fun night out, and close to Harvard Square for post-drink snacks (or pre-drink dinner). (They also serve food but I haven't tried it yet.) read more

This place is the perfect place for a strapping young lad to take the lady of his affection. The ambiance is perfect: fairly quite, and the lighting is such that you can only see the person you're with. The food is awesome, especially the pizzas. The drink menu is long and very inviting. Top choice place! read more

Oh My God, you mean it closes at 2:00 AM? If you think Boston's drinking laws are ridiculous, head on over to Cambridge, where most places close at 1:00. Great little spot, good drinks, nice staff, but I have to words for you: HAPPY HOUR. Food specials that are very niiiiiiiiiiiiice! read more

i used to like this little bar. but i went in last night and ordered a dirty martini and the pour was really short. the bartender was really rude and the manager was not helpful at all. if you're going to charge 12 dollars for a martini it shouldn't be one inch empty from the top of the glass. and if that is a proper pour then get smaller glasses! read more

Noir rocks! This is pretty much my favorite bar in the Harvard Square area. Perfect for birthday drinks, celebratory drinks, coworker drinks, and sexy date drinks. Wear a cocktail dress, or a t-shirt and daisy dukes. The atmosphere is great -- dark and moody inside, and the outdoor patio is wonderful in the summer. The music selection is usually pretty excellent, and is played a volume where you can start a dance party and also carry on a conversation with someone without screaming. Noir always has a fun cocktail selection (and they seem to switch the menu up fairly frequently). At roughly $13 a cocktail, if you are interested in saving money this probably isn't the place for you. If you are interested in blowing some of your money and drinking tasty things, this place is for you. Their sangria is a less expensive option that is also great. The service can be a little slow but is always friendly and unpretentious, and their food is good too! I miss their half price happy hour menu, but discount or not, I will still indulge in their mac and cheese with tortilla chips ... seriously one of the best foods on the planet. Their BLT is also out of control, you definitely get half a pack of bacon in that thing. It was actually almost too much bacon, if that is possible. And let's not even talk about the warm chocolate chip cookie for dessert. Mmhmm. As always, looking forward to my next trip to Noir! read more

On a beautiful day, I had a lovely time with a friend sitting on the patio sipping drinks and eating good food. We had gotten there around five, so the food was half off, and it majorly cut the bill down to size. My "dirty o pear" was very strong, and her mojito was lovely. The tomato mozzerella flatbread could have used some salt, but the crust was oh so good. Blue cheese walnut salad was delicious, and the strawberry dessert with creme fraiche and brown sugar was a tasty and healthy alternative. The patio became kind of crowded after a while though, and some guys were smoking cigars. But overall.... yummy. read more

Good strong drinks in a nice dark atmosphere. Open late as well-- too bad it can get a little crowded/is a little expensive...

This place has pretty good drinks. It's a bit tiny inside, but has a patio that makes up for it. The decor is dim and sleek on the inside. The cocktail specials are great, anything with chocolate is. This is one of the few places that closes at 2am in Cambridge, and it's never too packed. A great place for last call. read more

Noir is better for intimate dates then larger groups who just want to get our drinks & chat. Several of us had a get together here and ended up placing our drink orders at the bar b/c the waitress had a difficult time keeping up. read more

Been meaning to check out this place as it had a great reputation going in...it was fantastic. Not overly trendy but very cool atmosphere. Their mixologists behind the bar really know what they are doing. Drink were $9-13 but not watered down at all. If you want a good stiff drink, I reccomend it. read more

4 stars for the drinks and atmosphere; 1 star for service. I'll be generous and round up to 3 stars. The service: I went to Noir with a couple friends at about 10:30 on a Saturday night. We sat at a table, a rounded booth in the corner near the entrance. For a full 20 minutes, nobody brought drink lists, took our drink orders, or even acknowledged our presence, even though there were two servers clearly doing table service, and it wasn't particularly busy. When another table more in the middle of the bar emptied, we got up and moved to it, but still nobody came to take our drink orders. Eventually I went up to the bar and asked if there was table service because we had been waiting a really long time, and the guy at the bar was kind of dismissive (no apology or anything) but did bring over drink lists. About 30 seconds later, a hurried waitress came to take our order, and even though we had barely had time to look at the drink lists, we decided we'd better order or we might never get another chance. Later, when we had long finished our drinks, nobody came to ask if we needed anything else, and again I had to go to the bar to ask for the check. The rest: Many creative but not overly foo-foo cocktails, as well as twists on the classics, reasonably priced, and a good beer list. Nice vibe, comfortable tables, good music, although the "sultry atmosphere" described on the website is perhaps a bit ambitious. Although Noir is in the Charles Hotel, it doesn't have the feel of a hotel bar (I consider that a good thing). It also has a separate entrance through the side patio area, so you don't have to walk through the hotel to get to the bar. read more

Great atmosphere but I'm truly stunned at the lack of service. Come on! I'm here with a decent number of people and want to spend money. If you're part of the waitstaff check in with your table more than once every 30 minutes. read more

I'm writing on behalf a friend of mine who was treated incredibly rudely during our visit to this place a few weeks ago. After 3 of my friends enjoyed 2 drinks we were getting ready to go. 2 of them settled their tabs at the bar, while one decided to stay and meet another friend there. As we got up to go the waitress came to ask if we needed to settle up and we kindly told her we were all set. We stood, put our coats on, chatted a moment and the waitress came back over to see if we needed to settle up again. We again told her we had settled, and clarified that only 2 of the 3 of us had been drinking (I had not had anything to drink) and our friend was staying. As we went to leave the woman who was managing came over and, for a third time, ask if we needed to settle up. My friend told her we were fine, that the other waitress had already checked with us twice and we were on our way out. The manager then proceeded to tell my friend that she "didn't need to be such a bitch." Understandably upset by this my friend attempted to clarify what exactly the issue was and the manager told her she wanted her to leave. As an employee of a Cambridge restaurant/lounge, I am disgusted by this display of disrespect on the part of the manager. As an establishment I have heard great things about by others in the local industry I can not believe that they would permit such behavior by their employees. To use such language is inexcusable and a quick way to gain a poor reputation for a bad attitude amongst their peers and patrons. I can not currently comment on their drinks and you can be sure I never will. read more

after TWO WEEKS of calling, leaving messages, etc. i was finally refunded the overcharge. not one call was returned. not. one. NOT OK even if it were a $10 overcharge, and this was a $72 overcharge - 3 times the bill amount! totally unacceptable. read more

Decent cocktails but bartenders are absolute assholes who have no interest in serving anyone. Multiple visits confirmed this was the norm and not a fluke. read more

This was one of the most disgusting meals I have ever had. The poorly shucked oysters were full of grit. The charcuterie board was mediocre. I also had a "caesar salad" that tasted like the dressing was 50% Chlorox. I don't even know how you make a salad that bad. A Domino's side salad drowning in sour cream would have been a welcome upgrade. Maybe the chef had the day off or something, but I will never be returning to find out. The waitress/bartender was nice, but that was the only upside. read more

every time I'm here Gabby is the absolute rudest person and constantly miserable. I have never had a good experience there because of her. I have heard the same thing from other industry people that have been here and wonder why she is still there, while she's rolling her eyes at customers and seems constantly disappointed at people ordering drinks (her job). I will not be back, she makes the bar uncomfortable. read more

My friend & I walk in after work right at 5pm, only 1 other person is there besides the 4 workers. We sit and it took a while for the waiter to take our order, we order our food which was tasty, but after we were finished, someone came by to ask if we were still working, when we were finished they brought us the check and then they proceeded to chat amongst themselves for 30 minutes!! No one cleared our table or brought us containers for our left overs. In fact, they never came back for our payment, finally, my friend went up to them and said we are all set. Clearly there is a LACK of service/management of this place. The food was good but the service was not. As we walked out no one said goodbye or have a nice evening. I hope the manager sees this post to straighten things out...other yelpers have also complained of the lack of service! read more

I only went here for drinks, but I'm sure the food is good too. It's a little pretentious, so don't show up in a sweatshirt or anything.

I'm a big fan of their cocktails. Creative without being over the top. The setting is a bit more upscale than some other bars in Harvard square so it's nice for a more intimate evening out. read more

good ole noir...growing up in Cambridge this little nook of a bar has been a staple in my nightlife. never had any food here, but any given weekday when the rest of the bars in Harvard sq close at 1pm (sun-wed), I've been known to bump into people i haven't seen in years. the crowd is so diverse and improperly dressed, it's unbelievable this little upscale establishment is in a fancy hotel! I'd call it the place for Cambridge/Belmont/Somerville stragglers who couldn't figure out where or what they were going do at 1am. read more

Noir is a nice bar whose atmosphere changes greatly based on the crowd. I've been to Noir for school socials, networking events, or just on a random night. In the two former type of events, I've appreciated Noir for their quick service at the bar and the variety of drinks. The bartenders are knowledgeable about drinks and they have a decent wine selection. On random nights, the crowd can be very mixed. It tends to be a quiet place, with more intimate conversations. However, when there's a game on, then the place does get rowdy. My only complaint is that there is no bathroom in the bar. You have to exit, walk out into the lobby of Charles Hotel and go upstairs in order to use the hotel bathroom. Quite out of the way, and difficult for a first timer to navigate. read more

Cool space for cocktails and conversation. Food is okay, with the exception of a (meat?) sandwich they have, forgot what it was but it was pretty good. Taylor's the only reason this place gets 5 stars. He's super sweet and makes pretty great drinks. Thanks Taylor! read more

Seems like a pretty cool bar, although I was pretty hammered by the time I got here. Very dark, loud, and cozy, and definitely in a good way. The service was amiable, and it's kind of got that dirty/sleazy hotel pickup bar vibe going -- but just a little, and definitely in a good way. I'd check it out again. read more

Nothing special. Over-priced and not worth the wait. The staff seems falsely caring. The drinks are made well, but honestly I can cross the street for the better value. read more

Wow looking back at the last year it's amazing how many times I've ended up here in the late (for Boston) hours. It's 12:30 on a week night and you want to go somewhere in Cambridge and get a drink. What options do you really have? Most everything will closed by the time you belly up. Noir serves a very important purpose in the local nightlife and for that I applaud them. The drinks are only average (great cocktail menu, just not really great cocktails) and it's a shade too pricy. The outdoor patio is a great asset and should be used whenever possible (with the caveat that it could take a while to get drinks; you may be approached at some point by someone besides your waitress and asked if you want anything - this is a trick. If you say "yes, I'll have a [insert alcoholic drink]" you will get a quick "oh, I didn't mean a drink". I'm still unsure what was on the table there). I like that they hosted Mad Men nights there but it was quite the scene I hoped for when I finally stopped by. The staff here has always been friendly. I don't know, I could go either 3 or 4 stars depending on my most recent experience. If they buffed up their libations a bit it would be a solid 4. read more

Noir - Lounges Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I have fallen up and down the stairs leading to the bathrooms thanks to either charlies or shay's. Sometimes this place is alright for a late night drink but sometimes its absolutly ridicolous and the people take themselves way to serious for me. Tables outside arent a bad touch either. I have never eaten here since its usually just last call stumble time. read more

Very small, very dark. I'll be honest - Very expensive. It's actually not all that pricey, given the drink selection and atmosphere. They have very fancy (and I mean that in a good way) cocktails, and good wines. For a hotel bar, they are very sophistocated. I've always had a great time here! read more

I feel that if I'm going to pay over $7 for a drink then I'd like to be in a place that doesn't make me feel like I'm back in high school and I'm not 'cool' enough to be there. I find Noir a good antidote to those kind of places. Good drinks, attentive bartenders, a friendly bouncer, and a very eclectic dress code. I've been there with my roommate while he was wearing shorts and Chucks. I'm happy to report that we were still treated with respect (vs. places that have a dress code and act all snooty because of that). Since it's in a hotel, the crowd is pretty eclectic and they tend to be friendly. There's a mix of hotel guests, students, and normal people in their late 20's, like me. Among some of the people I've chatted with at Noir- a pair of Canadians who were in town to fix the ice at the rink where Harvard plays hockey, a restaurateur (sadly I've not yet been able to try his food), employees from the Charles Hotel, and some staffers from Sonsie and Upstairs on The Square. read more

Great happy hour. I only go during the happy hours which are Mon-Thur. The drinks are unique and pretty strong. The bar food is so cheap for what you get. My favorite thing to order is the Watermelon salad with seasame dressing!! You have to try it! read more