Late Night in the Square

When the AMC Loews shuttered its doors in July 2012, Harvard Square lost one of its prominent late night attractions. The absence of the theater not only left a void in the Square’s nighttime entertainment offerings but also curbed the number of people on the streets after dark.

Nevertheless, more restaurants serving food past midnight have recently cropped up in the Square.

In the past year, Tasty Burger opened its doors, Insomnia Cookies brought fresh-baked desserts into the Square, and The Sinclair created not only a late-night restaurant but also a concert venue. Yogurtland is slated to arrive soon and serve up forzen yogurt until midnight.

The surge of late-night options has catered to the desire for a more robust nighttime culture and satiated the stomachs of students and residents, but it has also increased competition for existing businesses that have long been open after midnight.

As new late-night eateries continue to emerge, Harvard Square is poised to play host to an even more vibrant nightlife.

ZERO HOUR SNACKING

While Harvard Square staples like IHOP, Market in the Square, Falafel Corner, and Hong Kong Restaurant emerged during the earlier years of the late-night trend, this past year saw a spike in the number of eateries open into early morning hours.

“Late-night in Harvard Square is something that we have been working on for several years,” said Denise A. Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association.

According to Jillson, the improvements in the late-night offerings stem from the Healthy Harvard Square Initiative—a series of meetings held by the Economic Development Division of Cambridge from 2005 to 2006 to find out what students, property owners, business owners, and residents hoped to see in the Square. The most popular request was for more late-night dining and entertainment options.

Seven years after these meetings, Christopher A. Miao ’16 said he found it “surprising” that Harvard had so many late-night options. For him, Tasty Burger seemed to be the “game-changer,” as it stays open until 4 a.m.

“It used to be just a pizza and a burrito, but if you throw in a burger, that just changes everything,” Miao said.

Renee Sarnecky, marketing manager of Serve U Brands, the parent company of Insomnia Cookies, noted that these late-night hours can improve business. For Insomnia Cookies, that time is central to when the company makes a profit.

“I think it’s where we find the most excitement and where we see the biggest spike in the business,” she said.

Both Felipe’s Tacqueria co-owner Thomas J. Brush and Pinocchio’s co-owner Adam DiCenso noted that most revenue made by their restaurants comes from the lunch and dinner rush, but business begins to pick up again after midnight.

HUNGRY AFTER MIDNIGHT

While the bar scene in the Square is largely limited to those over the age of 21, the recent trend towards late-night hours provides food for anyone wanting a bite after midnight.

DiCenso attributed the post-midnight sales rush to what he called the “partying crowd,” which he said consists of both Harvard students and local residents.

“A lot more bars are open until 1 or 2 a.m. and when people have a few drinks at night, they feel like eating,” DiCenso said. “When bars close, they stumble around the Square looking for somewhere to eat.”

Whan Lee ’15, a Crimson editorial editor, who considers himself part of this crowd, said that the accessibility of these restaurants is key.

“After a late night of having fun, you don’t want to walk very far. The convenience factor is an important one,” he said.

Students listed Pinocchio’s, Tasty Burger, and Felipe’s among their favorite late-night joints. Lee said that these places not only have delicious food but also offer a “chatty and social” atmosphere that undergraduates enjoy.

“The Kong is usually the best for atmosphere. It’s a sit-down place, and it’s good for talking with other people,” Lee said.

Though their choices might be limited for now, students said they are generally satisfied with the available eateries in Harvard Square past midnight. They named Starbucks and Au Bon Pain as places to grab a quick evening bite and the 24-hour Market In the Square as a convenient place to pick up a sandwich or wrap at any hour of the night.

“I’d definitely love more options, but these current options have been treating me well,” Whitney S. Anderson ’16 said.

PUMPING UP THE NIGHT SCENE

Established late-night businesses have felt the impact of the past year’s increased presence of late-night options.

Brush said that when Felipe’s opened nine years ago as a late-night venue, “it was a mob scene in Felipe’s at two o’clock in the morning on Friday or Saturday nights.” Nowadays, he said, “it still gets very full, but it doesn’t get quite as crazy.”

Brush added that operating at odd times is not without its challenges, since unlike standard lunch or dinner hours, late-night business is influenced by multiple variables including weather and the day of the week. Staffing can also be difficult with public transportation shutting down around 12:30 a.m.

Yet despite these challenges and the pressures of increased competition for existing late-night businesses, Harvard Square continues to add new options.

Josh Bhatti, head of The Bowery Presents: Boston, cited this nighttime energy as one of the reasons why his company chose the Square as the setting to open dining and concert venue The Sinclair.

“We knew we wanted to be in a neighborhood,” he said, rather than a purely business district that effectively “shuts down after hours.”

“I’ve definitely seen more of a pick-up in the late night scene in Harvard Square in a good way,” Bhatti added.

The Square holds potential for even greater late-night activity, according to Jillson, and the HSBA is hopeful that new additions will provide both food and entertainment.

“There are more options than we had in the past,” she said. “And we’re looking forward to a few more.”

—Staff writer Nikki D. Erlick can be reached at nikkierlick@college.harvard. Follow her on Twitter @nikkierlick.

—Staff writer Michelle Denise L. Ferreol can be reached at mferreol@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @michiferreol.