Cafe Pamplona

Been here a couple times to meet friends. The space is really cozy, maybe a bit *too* cozy and dungeon like. There are usually seats, even on weekends, but it can get loud. They have a wide variety of loose-leaf teas that they serve in little teapots, as well as a wide variety of coffee drinks. The staff is really friendly.

We were there around noon on 9/23. I've been in the past and enjoyed it but never during the lunch rush. We sat ourselves indoors as the waiter was helping folks outside. The waiter came back in, saw us, but then went to take another table's order. Waiter punched in order for the other table, then went outside again. At this point we got up to get our own menus from the waiter stand as we had still not been greeted. We picked out what we wanted and waited to order. Waiter came back in, punched in another order, then disappeared behind the bar to make some coffees. He still had not spoken a word of greeting to us or even acknowledged our existence. At this point we'd been waiting over 15 minutes. We got up and left. It was a shame because I had been talking the place up to my family as a nice spot, but now it's unlikely we will return.

While not my favorite coffee shop in Harvard, it's always nice to stop in. It's a great place to sit, do work, or read a book. Tall people beware: it is in a basement. I personally love their grilled cheese, and the Cafe Pamplona (a shot of espresso with sweetened condensed milk on the bottom).

The hours were different, but it may have been due to holidays, got a pretty quick response when I emailed them though and the café itself was nice. Perhaps a bit colder, but it is winter. Maybe could use extra touch like more paintings or decorations, but the quality of the drinks was very good and thats all that matters in the end. Doesn't have a restroom though and that is the reason why I decided to put just 4* (4,5 is how I feel)

We didn’t get part of our order (the food part) even though the server acknowledged it. The Viennese coffee had the worst watery taste I’ve ever experienced outside of a broken machine at a gas station. When I asked about the coffee, there was no effort to replace it with anything. I remember this place being pleasant with decent drinks back in the day, but this was really disappointing.

I don't know wht this place has so many good reviews. My coworkers and I went for lunch one day. The service was horrible, they forgot one of our meals entirely. By the time we finally found the waitress to ask for the 3rd sandwich again, the other 2 had finished their lunches. When we asked for a box (because it had already taken 1.5 hours to get 3 sandwiches), the waitress offered to box up the sandwich for us. You would think this would be nice, but no, we waited another 15 min before tracking down the waitress. When we asked where the sandwich was, she claimed to have lost it. We were the first at my company to try this place, and based on our experience, we will also be the last.

Good service, nice patio, no AC. Excellent gazpacho and tortilla española with a very crisp and generous side salad. Suggest they provide whole wheat option on breads. Reasonable prices.

Love Cafe Pamplona, but I do have to admit that it's hit or miss. Food is pretty great (if you're looking for something light and simple, of course), drinks are some of the best in Harvard Square. The atmosphere is very nice, one of my favorite aspects of the place. Feels like you're in a hole in the wall cafe in Mediterranean Europe. Great to just chill out and enjoy the cool of the evening coming. Service is where Pamplona really can go wrong (almost always a single graduate student handling literally everything). But, hey, it's just kind of known that it's what you'll get there. If you feel like eating like a Spaniard some night, take a friend and a few hours and just soak this place up in all its subtle beauty.