I was born and raised in Cambridge and Harvard Sq is at my back door, so I am familiar with all of the eateries and nuances that take place in Harvard Sq. I remember the first Tasty Sandwich Shop, which is now the Citizen's Bank in Harvard Sq. Tasty's which was opened 24/7 with a few stools at the counter is where you could have small talk with the cook or the person sitting next to you. I used to frequent Bartley's when my son was small, because he loved burgers, especially bacon cheese burgers. Bartley's is an icon in Harvard Sq, because that's a place where all the students would congregate with friends and family, when they were in town and mostly all of the local or national politician's and celebrities have a burger named after them, like THE MICHELLE OBAMA (she’s hot & spicy) blue cheese burger with cajun seasoning and french fries only at Bartley's where they could pull this off.
I had my first visit to Tasty Burger in Harvard Sq. on Saturday night where I tried the gorgonzola burger with half and half, which included french fries and onion rings. The burger was very tasty and the service was very fast. The fries were also delicious, but my only complaint was that the onion rings were to greasy. I had to take a napkin and dab the rings, which saturated the whole napkin. Tasty Burger has to remember that Cambridge is a very health conscious city, which was rated in Self Magazine 2012 as the healthiest city of the top 100 metro areas surveyed and we wouldn't want to lose that spot over an onion ring.
If you wanted a political burger and wanted to wait in line you could go to Bartley's Burger and have Mr. or Mrs. Bartley hand you a menu you like you were in the corridor of school waiting patiently in single file to go to your next class. You can also be guaranteed that during election year you can always tell what political party Mr. Bartley affiliates himself with, because he is very vocal and you can be sure it would reach the Cambridge Chronicle or the Boston Globe. I haven't been in Bartley's in years, but I always pass by and see the tourist or the students waiting to get in. You have to admit, Bartley's does have a delicious burger, but you can't get a burger under $10.00, but they do give you fries and a topping to go along with it. On the other hand at Tasty Burger you can get a combo meal with fries and a soda for under $10.00 and if you wanted to add it as a specialty burger, you would just have to add $.50, which is not bad.
Tasty Burger, does sell beer and is open from 11am until 4am for those that want a bite after long study hours or coming in from partying. Bartley's doesn't open on Sunday's and their hours of operation are from 11am - 9pm. Overall I can say that Harvard Sq. does have an array of burger joints, that you can choose from. Oh I just remembered Flat Patties on Brattle Street, also sells burgers, but I will give my critique on them on the flip side, so it's Tasty Burger vs Mr. Bartley's burger and I can honestly say, they are both winners!!
Bon Appetite!
