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Boston Globe

At Daily Provisions in Harvard Square, counter-service melts for the modern age

The backstory : The first Daily Provisions opened in New York in 2017, a spinoff of Meyer's people-pleasing Union Square Cafe. This is the 10th location — and the first one in Massachusetts. (Another will come to the Seaport next year.) Meyer received a James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur Award in 2005, and his restaurants have won a multitude of outstanding service awards. The Lumberjack sandwich at Daily Provisions. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff What to eat : 'Silver Palate Cookbook'-esque, café cuisine. Breakfast is served all day, with heavier items sharing real estate with sweets and baked treats. Daily Provisions is known for maple crullers, and you can enjoy them as a husky Lumberjack breakfast sandwich with eggs and cheese ($13.50) or a la carte ($4.95). There's the requisite avocado toast ($11) with accompaniments ranging from smoked salmon to eggs, or a savory-sweet everything croissant piped with cream cheese ($5.95). Sandwiches are available after 10:30 a.m. They're simple and satisfying: Get the tuna melt ($13.50), a polished affair — no diner this — with a subdued amount of mayo, griddled sourdough just buttery enough to taste melty, not greasy, coated with a thin layer of American cheese. Advertisement The Tuna Melt sandwich and a Iced Matcha Lemonade. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff The rest of the sandwich menu veers picnic chic: BLTs, cured ham and cheddar, herb chicken salad, chickpea veggie, with healthy sides like tomato and green bean salad ($9) and snap peas with quinoa ($9). Advertisement My dining companion enjoyed a bountiful 'chefy' salad ($16.50, but big enough for two), with roast chicken, jammy hard-boiled eggs, marinated white beans, cucumber, gruyère, and breadcrumbs. 'Eggs were indeed jammy and really flavorful, which doesn't happen when they're overcooked. All the other ingredients felt fresh and did not give the vibe of having been sitting in a fridge bin somewhere. Chicken in particular was tender and gently shredded, not the squeaky cubes you often see in salad. Little crunchy topping and a really good, creamy dressing was light and not gloppy, kicked up with dill, clearly house-made,' she reflected after taking the rest home — but noting that, for $16.50, bread or chips might have made the salad feel more like a meal. (The dressing is DP's version of Thousand Island.) You can also order dinner-ish main courses here, though the space has a lunchtime, benches-and-laptops vibe. A roast chicken dinner, big enough for three, comes with roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts, and crispy potatoes ($45). Order it to-go, and pass it off as your own at your next small dinner party. The 'Chefy' Salad at Daily Provisions. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff What to drink : A wide assortment of caffeine and/or alcohol, from salted caramel cold brew ($5.75) to matcha lemonade ($6) to Beaujolais by the glass ($9) or bottle ($32). You'll order at a counter, but a server will deliver your goods. While you wait, take a moment to appreciate the local touches, such as a brick salvaged from the late, lamented Pit down the block, marked with a plaque and perched on a shelf that looks straight out of a Restoration Hardware showroom. An authentic brick from 'The Pit, Harvard Square" is on display at Daily Provisions. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff The takeaway : Once upon a time, The Tasty was Harvard Square's all-hours gathering spot for counter-service sandwiches, sweets, and melts. Down the street, Daily Provisions is the 2025 version: healthier, cleaner, dressier. Still tasty, though. Advertisement Kara Baskin can be reached at