One Reason Garden Bar Prepares to Mix Back In to Harvard Square

One Reason Garden Bar will be returning to the Charles Hotel on May 5, marking the bar’s second year in business after it first opened in July 2023.

New this year is the bar’s partnership with Taqueria El Barrio, which currently operates out of Time Out Market in Boston and Portico Brewing in Somerville.

The new partnership will bring pollo, birria, carnitas, and veggie tacos to the bar’s menu, all of which will be served on the taqueria’s hand-made tortillas. The restaurant’s “Torta del Dia” sandwich, as well as chips, dips, and seasoned watermelon will accompany the selection of tacos.

One Reason Garden Bar’s drinks menu will consist primarily of natural wines and local beers, according to general manager Augusto Barbosa Lino. The establishment will also offer a whiskey smash as well as a lineup of frozen drinks on a rotating basis.

The bar itself is built in the style of Cape Cod houses, with its cedar shake siding, white trim, and shingled roof.

“It’s basically a small Cape house, made by Cape builders,” Barbosa Lino said.

Accompanying the bar will be picnic tables, lawn games, and a garden, which provided inspiration for the name.

The name is also a nod to Tracy Chapman’s hit song “Give Me One Reason.”

“She was busking in Harvard Square early in her career, and Harvard Square has a tradition of music in almost a nostalgic way,” Barbosa Lino said.

“We wanted to make sure that we honor that tradition,” Barbosa Limo added.

One Reason Garden Bar hosted several musicians last year, but the bar’s late opening and the rainy summer put a damper on plans to bring more performers.

“Some great musicians came through last year. We already developed a little bit of a following and we’re just looking forward to getting it started early and hoping for a drier season,” Barbosa Lino said.

—Staff writer Michael A. Maines can be reached at michael.maines@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @m_a_maines.