Flat Top Johnny's

College dive bar vibes with pool tables, arcade games, and a heavy MIT crowd. Stopped by with a friend from MIT who lives nearby. Right next to the grad dorms, so the place was packed with students and researchers. It felt more like a post-lab hangout than a typical bar with groups huddled around the bar. Still, the pool room and arcade area had a livelier energy: definitely the more social side of the space. Food was surprisingly solid for a Kendall Square bar, and reasonably priced. We grabbed the Old Bay wings and a couple of hot dogs. I’d only had Old Bay on fries before, but it worked really well on wings too. The hot dogs were chicken dogs, but the buns were toasted with plenty of butter, and they were generous with the relish or onions. Nothing fancy, but no complaints. If you’re drinking, stick with beer. Cocktails weren’t expensive, but the fruity cocktail I tried was mediocre. Not necessarily sweet, but it tasted vaguely like a diluted version of a generic fruit cocktail.

Great local hot spot in Cambridge. Tucked on a side street. Parking is difficult as its paid meters but easy for bus/train commuters. Super busy, can get tight depending on how busy it is and can be hard to have a conversation. But it has a great vibe, free board games and pool & decent food. Great local hot spot if big crowds and louder spaces dont matter.

I don’t usually leave reviews, but this place was unbelievably bad. The pool tables were filthy, most of the cues are broken. the whole place smelled like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. The staff was just as terrible rude, unbothered, and acting like customers were an inconvenience. When we asked for help, they rolled their eyes and ignored us. Food took forever and came out cold, and the server had an attitude when we pointed it out. The worst of it is all this on a slow day. Definitely the worst pool and restaurant experience I’ve ever had. Save your money and go literally anywhere else.

$20/hour pool / billiards- good drinks and friendly service! Some arcade & board games too.

Solid place. Good music, competitive prices, and quick service (not sure why so many bad reviews in terms of service, but we had no issues). There were plenty of pool tables and they were pretty nice, but were definitely worn a bit/a little dirty (could use a vacuum). Some of the pool cues were broken but there was an ample amount. A trendy and moderately priced place overall, and would certainly recommend. The game was $20/hour for two people, but no timers at tables so make sure you keep track of how long you have been playing.

Unfairly treated, brought 7 of my friends there to play in two different pool tables and the guy says if it gets busy he’ll take one of the pool tables away from us. And i told them we paying for it seperaly. But he wasnt having it and was talking to us in a rude way for no reason. I left very angry and unsatisfied. We being there many times when it was busy and that never happened. ‘Bald guy was the bartender didnt know his name’

Being discriminated and disrespected. Tonight, I was asked to leave immediately by a bartender who told me that he would make a judgement call by visually checking whoever, in his opinion, looks below 30 years old. I am from Asia, and I am in my late 30s. I am not consuming alcohol as I did not bring my ID, simply hanging out with my friends after our class. Still, I was asked to leave abruptly. Even though I was leaving, the bartender raised his voice by saying ‘leave now’ with his finger. As a customer or as a human being, I do not think I deserve such a treatment. The bartender told me it’s the Massachusetts law not to allow anyone without an ID to enter the bar after 6pm, even though a customer does not consume alcohol. If that’s the case, they should check everyone before entering the bar, instead of discriminately spotting customers who visually look below 30 inside the bar. I was truly insulted by this action, and the bar should look into such discriminatory and rude behavior by the staff. Update: the same big bearded guy whom I saw other customers were complaining about. It was unnecessarily rude.

Horrible service, very disrespectful staff. Came in, and my buddy realized he forgot his ID. Granted that is his fault, but we all make mistakes. They said he can’t be in here without, mind you the group i’m in we’re all 24+. I ask the guy politely like he can’t be in here, it’s 32 degrees out it’s cold in december in massachusetts. The worker followed up with a “he’s a grown man he can do whatever he wants” while his coworkers followed up with “yeah a grown man wouldn’t forget his ID”. Horrible atmosphere and horrible servers, don’t come here

It was a large and lively space perfect for friend gatherings and hosting parties! They had $3 beers and typical bar food options. They had a decent amount of pool tables, a bar, and arcade machines. Service was friendly and efficient, overall a nice spot to hang out over some pool!

The pool tables are nice. Beers are solid. Cool vibe. I get the 1 star reviews about the bartenders and can see will there are many one star reviews about service of the bartenders.

Great for corporate functions. Emails are hard to get responses. Best to call and make reservations. Staff is very flexible and menu has veggie options for vegetarians.

Best gay bar in Cambridge! A lot of handsome tops, so if you're a bottom (especially power bottom) like me, I would highly highly highly recommend!!!

Great atmosphere, good for large parties. They have a bunch of pool tables and space to stand. Drinks are pretty good, and they also have a decent amount of food options. Quick service at the bar.

Flat Top Johnny's has always been popular among the Cambridge crowd, and even though I only visited a couple of times, I was definitely disappointed when they had to close their former Kendall Square location. Naturally I was excited when they reopened in this brand new spot just a few blocks away! The new space is tucked away on the back side of a large MIT building, so we had to ask the security team inside where to go when our Uber dropped us off on the wrong side. Once we found the place, the new space definitely didn't disappoint. You'll find all the pool tables and pinball machines Flat Top Johnny's is known for, along with a large bar, board games, fun murals, plenty of drinks, and a full food menu. We arrived around 4:30pm on a snowy Saturday and waited no more than 15 minutes for a pool table. Make sure to get your name on the waiting list with the bartenders when you arrive. With a group of 5 we sampled quite a few of their cocktails and found something for everyone on the craft beer list too. We also tried the loaded fries, which were tasty and exactly what you'd expect from a bar like this, and the nachos, which were a bit soggy and bland, I'd probably skip those next time around. We had a great time playing and the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed - there's definitely some serious pool player in the mix, but I didn't feel out of place with my subpar skills. I will say that they weren't very up front about the price of the pool table. We played casually for about 2 hours and ended up with a $50 fee. I'm still not even sure if it was a flat fee or by the hour, but we may not have taken our time quite as much if we knew what was up. We might of just missed it, and if you've played at the previous location more than I have you're probably already up to speed. Either way - it's a great spot to spend an evening and I'm already planning my return with family soon. Welcome back to Cambridge, Flat Top Johnny's!

Great local spot. Gives you the feel of a dive bar, but with an elevated/modern city vibe too. Drinks are relatively cheap, and the selection is fine. Service is good, and we were treated well. Don't expect 5 star restaurant treatment, because this isn't a 5 star restaurant, but it is perfect for the establishment that it is! Will definitely be coming back to visit.

Great bar, great bar tenders, and killer pinball lineup. Best place to waste a Saturday.

Bar tender was very rude when I asked if they could change the weird opera music they were playing. He said that was his favorite song and I could leave if I didn't like it. He should be treating clients more respectfully.

Don't pay with card here. I left a $20 tip on a $70 tab and I was then charged another $30 on the card

Good music, cheap beer, solid pinball selection. The hot dogs are good too. I love Flat Top Johnny's and go a couple times a month.

My friends and I were hoping to have a great night here, but to our dismay this expectation was too much for Flat Top Johnny's. We ordered several drinks to start, and two of my friends didn't tip because they ordered cheap beer. The bartender decided to cut our night short by coming up to our entire group to tell us we would not be served anymore since two members of our group didn't tip. Obviously we were pretty upset, as not only was this a complete non-issue, but also since the bartender thought it was a good idea to come up to us and tell us he wouldn't serve us again because of this. Terribly disappointed by how pretentious and oblivious the bartender was at this bar, I've never seen anything like this happen at any other bar. Avoid at all costs.

Nice neighborhood bar in the polished wasteland that is Kendall. This and State Park are the only shows left in town with any semblance of character. Cheap beer, good food, funny staff, will definitely be back.

Average bar. Can get very loud. A lot of space for pool, and bar folks pretty responsive. The food was good, but VERY fried

Small king at bar w mustache is a jerk avoid at all costs he's extremely aggressive rude and insecure

Would leave 0 stars if I could. Ordered the cheapest beer they offered because I'm a college student and have to save money for obvious reasons, and for this was approached by a worker who informed me that my business wasn't welcomed here FOR the sole reason that I didn't tip on the $3 beer. Will never be coming back, save your money.

bartenders are the rudest people i have ever encountered in my life. drinks are cheap as fuck (in quality, not price :) ), and service is actual dogshit. save your money and avoid.

The staff all have fine experience with the flair of living a true rock n roll life. If you want top quality food in a enhanced dive bar setting this is for you. Everyone from the chef to the owners take a lot of pride in every aspect of your experience. Love it and all the regulars!

Food was delicious and the pool was really fun! But bartenders were slow and extremely rude, so probably won't be back.

The staff at the bar were extremely rude and unfriendly. Their lack of courtesy was shocking. Visiting this place was a complete waste of time.

place seemed great but was refused service because no tip on 3 dollar beer????? what does the barber say? next!