Brunch at Russell House Tavern

Russell House Tavern is one of my favorite spots in Harvard Square.  Since it opened a few years ago, I've frequented the restaurant several time for small plates, dinner or just to get a really great beer.  So when my friend Alicia mentioned that she'd be in town this weekend and Megan organized a brunch date at Russell House Tavern yesterday, I did what I could to move my schedule around and join in!

I got into Harvard Square a little early to run some errands and when I still had some time to kill, I headed over to the restaurant to relax at the bar with a brunch cocktail while I waited for Megan and Alicia to arrive.  My drink of choice was the Champagne Squishee, which had citrus-infused vodka, St. Germain, orange juice, angostura orange and some champagne.  It was absolutely delightful.

My dining companions soon arrived just in time for our 12:30 PM brunch reservation.  We were seated immediately and I couldn't wait to dig in since I was famished.  But before the food, we had to choose cocktails.  After all, you can't have brunch without a Bloody Mary and Russell House Tavern has quite a few to choose from.  We each chose something different and I went with the Mezcal Mary.  This spicy Bloody Mary use serrano pepper-infused mezcal, house Bloody Mary mix, and pineapple.  This cocktail had a nice kick to it and it certainly woke me up!

From L to R, Megan's Maria Basilico,
my Mezcal Mary, and
Alicia's Piggly Wiggly, which involved BACON!

There were a lot of breakfast items to choose from as well.  Megan with with the E.B.L.T. on a croissant.

Alicia opted for the Benedict.

And I couldn't resist ordering the Breakfast Pizza, which involved creamy spinach and baked eggs.  The menu described having smokey bacon but I couldn't find it in the dish. 

The pizza definitely didn't need it because it had a ridiculous amount of melted cheese that went perfectly with the eggs over easy on top of each slice of pizza.

I managed to wolf down two slices but I couldn't do much more than that.  This is definitely a dish to share and I encouraged Alicia and Megan to dig in. 

Russell House Tavern had a steady stream of busy as it transitioned from brunch to a lunch crowd.  Our server, whose name I didn't catch, was incredibly friendly and never made us feel rushed as we chatted throughout brunch.  Their consistently attentive service is a big reason why I'm already a huge fan of Russell House Tavern and I'm glad that their brunch didn't disappoint!

Russell House Tavern is located at 14 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA in Harvard Square.