Quiet place to drink, write, and read in Cambridge/Somerville MA?

October 2, 2013 7:25 AM

I like to have a glass of whisky and read and write on weekday evenings. I'm looking for quiet bars (or licensed cafes) where I can hole up with a laptop and/or book. Does such a thing exist?

The most important factor: I want to find a place where I wouldn't be seen as a weirdo or a pain. It is technically possible to go to a sports pub and do this, but I would stand out as the loner who isn't ordering any food. So: a welcoming place for someone to drink and work, in the same way that at many coffee shops it's a given that people will be studying for long stretches.

As for location, proximity to Harvard or Davis Square would be ideal, but I can go as far as the Central Square area in the other direction. MIT might be pushing it, but I'm open to suggestions.

I've seen this AskMe thread from 2010 about quiet bars on the weekends, but unfortunately it doesn't help with the "places where a laptop wouldn't be weird" factor.

Thanks!

posted by Beardman to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

Darwin's is a licensced cafe, full of people on laptops, although noise levels vary.
posted by munyeca at 7:53 AM on October 2, 2013

Darwin's is great, but only sells beer (and coffee, etc.). Tavern in the Square (Porter and Central) might fit the bill. Cambridge 1 and Tory Row, both in Harvard Square, could work. Thirsty Scholar, too, but it's probably too far out of you way.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 7:56 AM on October 2, 2013

Shouldn't have a problem at Fire & Ice in Harvard Square. (I go there ~twice a week and sit at the bar with a book.)
posted by Melismata at 8:03 AM on October 2, 2013

I've sat at the bar at the Cellar a few times with a magazine or book and a glass of wine, and it's been fine. It gets busy at weekends, but I've done Tuesday and Wednesday nights and it's been less crowded. It's between Harvard and Central squares, so at the edge of your range I guess
posted by darsh at 8:04 AM on October 2, 2013

There's a bar in the lobby of the Charles Hotel that's perfect for this. You have to go into the hotel to enter the bar. It's not the club-type bar facing the street. I think it's the Regatta Bar, but the photo on the website doesn't look right.

You can do what you want to do virtually anywhere in Cambridge and not look like a weirdo, in my opinion.
posted by vincele at 8:27 AM on October 2, 2013 [2 favorites]

vincele, I think you mean Noir, which was ny suggestion as well.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:45 AM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have a friend who regularly does this at Sligo in Davis. Not too crazy/loud early in the week, and you can almost always find space toward the back (past the bar). Only caveat is that this probably won't work if you're easily offended by dive bars.
posted by rebekah at 8:50 AM on October 2, 2013

Unless it's changed, Fire & Ice is cavernous and super-loud unless it's very empty.

I'm curious to see what other suggestions come up, since in my experience, most places you can drink aren't really conducive to working with a laptop the way the many coffee shops are.
posted by canine epigram at 9:53 PM on October 2, 2013

I agree that this would work most places in Cambridge, but some specific recs:

I spent a lot of time at Shay's in Harvard Square when I was in grad school, and I think it would fit the bill, at least Sunday through Wednesday evenings. It gets crowded on the weekends, but during the week, it tends to be pretty quiet and frequented by grad student types, many of whom will be doing the same thing as you.

The same goes for the People's Republik in Central Square.
posted by lunasol at 10:29 PM on October 2, 2013

Seconding noir, or peoples republik.
posted by pazazygeek at 6:31 AM on October 3, 2013

People's Republik and Sligo are the two places that I would go to do this.
posted by Aizkolari at 7:13 AM on October 3, 2013