Spangler Food Court at Harvard Business School

— Slightly over-​priced food
— Weekly Special are quite nice
— Nice salad bar and buffet
There is no restaurant nearby to HBS so this is quite convenient overall for students and staff who want to be here. They provide good quality and variety food in this restaurant, so it is nice to eat once for a while but might get bored if you try to have lunch here everyday.

Convenient, good variety, affordable — hard to beat for a school cafeteria

At the Spangler Food Court, they have a café (with coffee and tea), salad bar (three types of greens and assortment of ingredients and salad dressings), hot food stations (tonight — Chinese cuisine), cold beverages, and bakery stations (with pies, brownies, cookies, muffins).
Tonight, I had:
–Ginger Baby Shrimp and Calamari rings
Note: The seafood was fresh but lacked flavor.
–Braised Swordfish, Herb Roasted Potatoes, and Calamari Salad
Note: The fish lacked swordfish flavor. The potatoes wedges could have been cut smaller. The calamari was fresh and lemon juice/​cilantro/​parsley/​onion/​tomato added flavor to the salad.
–Beets in Tzatziki
Note: I liked how they were large pieces of beets. I never thought beets tossed in tzatziki sauce would taste so delicious.

The Spangler Food Court is all sizzle and no steak. The variety is great: a lavish salad bar, sandwich bar, Asian stir-​fry/​dumplings, pasta station, pre-​made sandwiches, and rotating International hot food line. And the setting in beautiful Spangler Hall is as good as it gets for a food court. But the food is just BLECH.
The Restaurant Associates crowd who runs this place has a knack for so under-​seasoning food that the cuisines of say, the Philippines, China, France, and California taste virtually indistinguishable from one another. That’s because most of the hot food consists of one or two proteins cut into weirdly-​shaped, huge chunks and served alongside some random vegetables. It’s really something else.
The sandwich bar is run in a spectacularly inefficient manner by some sandwich dragons who would very much prefer you, the customer, not to be there. And the pre-​made sandwiches are a joke! The tuna salad and chicken salad are both alarmingly.dry. I didn’t frequent the other lines as much, but when I did, I was bound to be disappointed!

There are a number of positives about the food court:
1. Overall selection — salad bar, sandwich station, asian station, soups, and rotating hot buffets
2. Staff — very friendly and helpful
3. Good snack options — yogurt, granola bars, desserts, etc.
The only problem I have is that sometimes the rotating buffet stations have some very random options that require you to be very adventurous to try out.
FYI The sandwich line moves very slowly…

I’m told by all the cross-​registrant students, that of all the dining halls at the various Harvard graduate schools, this one is the best. Good thing too, as the business school students often have to trudge the farthest to Harvard square if they don’t feel like eating on campus.
For lunch, this place will usually have a rotating hot buffet, a rotating hot food counter (not buffet), a salad bar, a made-​to-​order sandwich line, and an Asian station with fried rice and dumplings. During dinner, there is no sandwich or Asian station.
Their salad bar is amazing — possibly one of the best I’ve seen (school cafeteria or otherwise). The lunch sandwich station also makes some good sandwiches, but unfortunately often tends to have a really long line, so ends up not being worth it IMHO. The Asian food ends up being pretty good with sizable portions (though it’s «Americanized», not authentic!). Between the the hot buffet, and the hot (not-​buffet) rotating station, you can usually find something pretty good.
Note that this place does not accept credit cards.

If you happen to be near the Spangler Center before ~1:30pm, it’s definitely worth a look. The food is amazing and varied (though a bit pricey), plus there’s sushi downstairs. Open to the public but a madhouse at noon.

Over priced for the quality of food.

Is this a country club or a cafeteria? Either way I do not mind having to eat 2 out of my 3 meals a day here.
They have recently added fresh squeezed vegetable and fruit juices every day, which is a dream. The salad bar is amazing and the soups are really good too.
If you happen to find yourself on Harvard Business School’s campus definitely stick around for lunch.
But remember its CASH ONLY.

For a cafeteria in a school, it is not too shabby at all. It has most of the common types of cuisine – sandwhiches, Asian stirfry, salad bar, soups, sushi, pasta, etc. The center hot food always has a selection of meat, fish, veggies, and carbs. Once in a while, they have delicious fried chicken and pork ribs. love.
The prices are a bit high, particularly at the salad bar. Avoid getting those heavy fruits. The center entrees and pastas are decent (there’s even lobster mac and cheese!). If you’re in a hurry, there’s prepackaged sushi, salads, and sandwhiches. Overall, I average $ 10 for a meal, which is quite decent.

It’s probably not too cool to review the cafeteria at work, but hey, it’s on Unilocal,and it’s pretty awesome.
I’m a big sucker for the sushi and the sandwiches… all made-​to-​order, and super fresh. The other day, I had a chicken breast sandwich on foccacia, with pepperjack cheese, chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, and roasted red peppers, with a side of pickles. Pretty stinkin’ delish, if I say so myself. Today, I opted for lighter fare, and went with my usual spicy tuna roll… at $ 5.20 (plus tax), it’s not a bad deal AT ALL.
It gets super busy once the MBAs swarm back onto campus, but if you go during non-​peak hours or during the summer, you’ll get a much more personalized, relaxed vibe from everyone with whom you interact. There’s also the Grille downstairs if you wanna grab a beer or two after work.
Overall, solid food choices, great prices, and I’m very happy it’s basically in my backyard. I really like bringing visitors out to the back courtyard as well – love sitting outside (in the shade of a big umbrella) when the weather’s nice out… like today!

As a conference host you have a few simple rules to ensure success, chief of which is to provide guests with coffee.
Most attendees I saw were scrambling between two tables, shaking the coffee dispensers to eek out every drop. I patiently waited, eating my so-​so coffee cake, for 5, then 10, 15 minutes. Only after a general announcement that the morning keynote was about to begin did I realize I would be without a conference staple.
Other food items were OK at best.

«When are we going to eat in Spangler?»
«When are we going to eat in Spangler?»
This is the same question asked every Tuesday and Thursday as my friends and I walk over the bridge for our HBS class. Every time, somebody is busy.
Finally, there came to be a three day weekend, and blocking out most of Monday, we decided to study in Spangler, and then reward ourselves with good food.
Because the dining hall was closed, we went to the grill instead, where we had our choice of pizza, entrée of the day, salad, and a variety of sides.
The salad bar was simple, comparable to that of the undergrad dining halls, except there were real strawberries in the fruit salad. Three stars, and that’s pushing it. The special of the day was roast pork. The sweet potatoes, roasted in maple butter? Oh so heavenly. The roasted artichoke hearts? Such good quality, but roasted a tad too much with a few burnt marks. The pizza? Ehhhh. I could do better at Uno’s or Nochs or Upper Crust for a bit more price.
Good quality food. Cheap prices. And the prestige of eating at the business school. Will I be back? Yeppp. You betcha.

I like the food here.
I do not like the prices.
The upside:
The stir fry section is my dream come true. I don’t know if they’re putting MSG in with rest of the bubbling hot and spicy goodness, but something in there keeps me coming back.
When I’m not chasing stir fry, I’m hitting the salad bar which offers a decent spread of veggies and a variety of veg and meat options that switch up daily.
The sushi looks good, although I’m a recovering vegan (just started eating fish and chicken again) and have yet to take the dive.
The downside:
The prices are high. I just bought what amounts to 1 orange and some grapes and the total cost was over $ 4. You should have seen the cashiers eyes bulge, hilarious to her, painful for me (I’m an entrepreneur and seek to use my resources wisely). Sometimes I have meals from the salad bar that cost over $ 14 (the cashier says it’s the hummus that ups my food cost).
Overall, I’m glad to have Spangler around as a convenient option, but convenience comes with a price.

Food is way way overpriced for a canteen! The «region» self-​service food station is small variations of the same food– Italian is not really Italian, Portuguese food is far away from the real thing as well, only to name a few!!!
Ingredient quality is very decent, speed varies according to hour, 1−2pm being the highest traffic hour!
Try the sandwich station and the sushi — both are great and with decent variety for the price!

If you are looking for evidence to dispel any Harvard Business School stereotypes… don’t look here! HBS’s Spangler Food Court is likely the nicest cafeteria you’ve seen in quite a while.
Food: Sandwich bar, Asian/​stir fry station, sushi chefs, incredible salad bar, ethnic buffet du jour, espresso bar… oh I forgot the risotto line. How could I?
Grab your food and come eat in the chandelier-​laden eating room. This isn’t a gourmet lunch, but this is quite the choice cafeteria. Just don’t judge HBS students based on the cafeteria… many of us are really poor college students who pay for our sushi with student loan checks!

The Spangler Food Court is quite tasty and open to the public. Multiple stations including sandwiches, sushi, pasta, salad bar, paninis, risotto, and stir fry. Prices are reasonable considering the high quality of the fair.
Avoid prime lunch hours — you will wait in long lines for individualized dishes if you arrive concurrently with a class break.
One warning. Watch out for Harvard Business School nerds. They really seem to dominate this place. Most are harmless, but be aware that these student speak in a fury of acronyms incomprehensible to the outside public. Just smile and nod.

The food is outstanding for a school. Can’t go wrong with having freshly prepared sushi by trained sushi chefs!

Uh, I LOVE that Spangler (or as I like to refer to it: Il Spangolo) is on Unilocal.
I’ve been working at the Harvard Business School for over a year now, and Spangler is for sure a great place to get food.
The lunch is a great deal for the amount and quality of the food. Each day has a different international genre for the hot food. Their selection of cold salads and their salad bar in general is fab.
I love their iced coffee in the summer. The sandwich station and the stir fry station are great. And where else in the world can you get two rolls of sushi for under $ 10? They’re not going to turn you away if you go in there, so I would def try it out if you live anywhere near HBS. Rull good.

I am 100% biased in this review, but I have to say that the Business School cafeteria is one of the best eateries around Cambridge and Allston. Tons of great, cheap food.
The diner’s located on the east side of the Spangler building, and it’s open to anyone. You can pay cash at the register, in addition to normal Crimson Cash for university students.
The décor of the dining room is great: super high ceilings and chandeliers, and big tables with large wooden chairs. Makes you feel like a little CEO. The lounges outside the café will also remind you of a power tie and a glass of scotch.
Here’s a brief run-​down of the food available:
Sandwich bar: Great meat and produce, good bread. Around five bucks for a sandwich.
Salad bar: Four or five main dishes that rotate every day, in addition to the usual proteins-​and-​greens lineup. Usually a pound of food is around 7 – 8 bucks. There’s always a really good main dish.
International bar: Five heated tubs of delicious food from around the world. Sometimes this is hit or miss.
Sushi bar: Okay, I’m going out on a limb here — it’s the best sushi around. At least within walking distance. Certainly compared to Cambridge, but I’m not that familiar with sushi joints in Allston.
Stir fry bar, wrap bar: Don’t know much about these two.
Only downside of the food court is that it gets REALLY, REALLY crowded between 11:30 and 1:10pm during the school year. All of the first-​years are on the same class calendar. I’d go before or after, and definitely during the summer (the food quality’s the same and the place is empty!).
Go for it, give the cafeteria a shot. It’s definitely worth getting surrounded by MBAs.