Best of Boston

2003 Best Pickup Bar

Harvard Gardens

A bit loungey, a tad yuppie, Harvard Gardens is an ideal place to meet your dress-casual mate. The bar is crowded from Wednesday to Saturday, but the low lighting and comfy booths make the setting conducive to storing digits in your cell or just having a light getting-to-know-you conversation. Mostly for the 20s-to-30s set, this spot is especially popular on Thursdays, when you’ll have ample opportunity to pitch the perfect pickup line.

316 Cambridge St., Boston, 617-523-2727, harvardgardens.com