Well known for its baked beans, the Fenway Park, The Boston Marathon, and of course for the bar from Cheers, Boston is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the New England area of the USA. We list here some of the best bars in Boston that you absolutely need to visit for gushing in joy and thrill for all your life!
What does your perfect drink for a night in Boston look like? A pint of traditional beer? An experimental cocktail, or a glass of fine wine? There’s a bar in Boston for every scenario you can imagine! And the atmosphere? It can be anything you want!
Cozy or fancy, serene or buzzy, aesthetic or wild: the city has it all. Here are the best bars in Boston you need to stop by soon.
1. The Best Wine Bars In Boston
1.1. The Bell In Hand Tavern
Located at 45 Union Street in Boston the Bell In Hand Tavern is acclaimed as the first bar in Boston.
The Bell-in-Hand Tavern in Boston prides itself in having poured the first draft of cold beer in the late eighteenth century. It now serves as a busy hub for printers and politicians, sailors and students alike.
In a very small span, this Boston bar has established itself as one of the most prominent bars in the whole of Boston that gives you the old school feeling you might like.
1.2. Rebel Rebel
Rebel Rebel is one of the finest natural wine bars in the Bow Market, Somerville, Massachusetts. One of the finest wine bars in Boston, Rebel Rebel prides itself on being what is called “rad”. Not quite suitable for strict oenophiles, Rebel Rebel at Bow Market is all dedicated to exploring idiosyncratic expressions from the maverick-minded lot.
Wine lovers will find the place fabulous and people with spirited temperaments will like the place more than somber ones. Rebel Rebel’s new upstairs wing, namely Wild Child, is an engaging book bar that encourages minds to read, think, drink and diversify by stocking its shelves with smart vintners as well as race, class, and queer-culture conscious writers.
1.3. Spoke Wine Bar
A refreshing approach to great wine and good food, this Davis Square wine bar is probably the best bar in Boston, New England to have fun in.
It offers small plates paired with an extensive old-world wine list laid in intimate digs with limited seating. Vibrant jungle-print wallpapers enwrap the cozy, narrow dining room; making it the right spot in Boston local for enjoying night long conversations or having fun, including the varied food its menu discerns.
Not to mention the dozens of by-the-glass European offerings (great cocktails, beers, old wines, and rums) and farm-focused small plates it’s always home to.
1.4. The Hub Pub
Boston Downtown has several great bars. The Hub Pub situated on 18, Province Street Downtown could be your next favorite among the best bars in Boston.
A popular spot for the after-work crowd of Boston Downtown, the Hub Pub is a classic bar in Downtown Boston for bar lovers on the weekends. They serve up traditional bar fare and have a standard beer selection on draught.
Get yourself a cocktail of your choice or play a round or two of pool; watch sports, or find your seat at the favorite oval-shaped bar; Hub Pub is where the fun begins!
1.5. Shay’s Pub & Wine Bar
Shay’s in Harvard Square is both a pub and a wine bar but the pub definitely wins out over the wine bar at this underground spot.
This aesthetic Boston bar is covered with beer ads and has a wooden bar that looks like it might’ve been shipped over from Cork. It has a finely-picked wine list that’s very much worth exploring as the wines are affordable and tasteful. It has plenty of half-bottle options as well you might find interesting.
If the weather permits, it would be fun to enjoy your cocktail or any other drink out in the shaded patio out front!
1.6. Shore Leave
Shore Leave is a cathartic tiki bar at 11 Mulisns Way Street, Boston city. The bar attracts many young professionals looking to have some night’s fun after a long day’s work, owing to the kitschy decor of the spot.
Shore leave offers a wide list of atypical tiki drinks and craft cocktails all of which are worth a try. Its drinks complement its great food well. There is some great bar food and small plates of delicacies like spicy kara-age chicken wings, Filipino barbecue ribs, or fried clam bao.
Its quirky environment will make you feel at home on a cozy tropical island, so just the right bar in the dead of winters of Massachusetts, when street foods feel frozen.
1.7. Bully Boy Distillers
Bully Boy is Boston’s first ever craft distillery which produces gin, white whiskey, white rum, vodka, aged rum, aged whiskey, and bottled cocktails.
Want an insight into the process of how drinks are made? Visit Bully Boy. The tour around the small distillery is one of a kind experience. The tour guides available are very knowledgeable and friendly. The process of the tour, including the drinks tastings, are fun and educational.
Bully Boy Distillers is the right place for both the connoisseurs and amateurs!
1.8. haley.henry
One of the best bars in Boston, haley.henry is an intimate wine bar located heart of Downtown Crossing by the terrific sommelier Haley Fortier. It mainly offers small batch, natural & sustainable wines. Established in 2016, haley.henry is a magical wine bar studded with dim lights that cultivates within it small conversations, beautiful romance, and hearty plans.
haley.henry’s menu sources natural wines from all around the world to cater to its customers along with delish seafood like spicy Portuguese mackerel in piri-piri. It is one of the best bars in Boston where you find good food and even better wine!
1.9. Lord Hobo Cambridge
Lord Hobo Cambridge is best known for its carefully crafted beer list. Apart from that amazing selection another reason to come to Lord Hobo Cambridge is for its excellent food. Make sure to get the Perfect truffle fries and the crunchy chicken lollipops!
An original brew pub of Boston, Lord Hobo Cambridge keeps its tap lines working with local brews and its delicious housemade beer.
In food, it serves wonderful food to soak the liqueur: fried chicken tenders, truffle fries, and the iconic “Big Mac Daddy,” you have to get them all!
1.10. Bukowski Tavern
One of the very first bars in Boston, Bukowski Tavern has been in operation since 1998. It serves the best beer available from local, regional, and global breweries.
Its cuisine is the typical Americana-style, made with the freshest ingredients in a casual setting. Their concept of great food, and even better drinks, with surly yet fun customer service, has made it one of the most popular bars for the past 23 years.
2. Best Bars In The Back Bay Neighbourhood Of Boston
2.1. City Bar
Speaking of Boston bars, the name that first appears in the mind is the City Bar in 65, Exeter Street, Back Bay. It is one of the best bars in Boston. An elegant watering hole located in the boutique of 115-year-old Lenox Hotel, City Bar is a great place for drinking and having fun.
Over the past century, The Lenox has housed many renowned celebrities, including Babe Ruth, John Travolta, and Judy Garland, to name but a few. City Bar exists as a hybrid bar, lounge, and restaurant combination.
Its beautiful dark lighting and fashionable, polished décor make it a blissful place where you can go drinking with your near and dear ones. That, coupled with its big list of wines, cocktails, and beers and a menu of tasty bar refreshments make it an ideal space for a romantic night out as well.
2.2. Towne Stove And Spirits
Towne Stove and Spirits is a magnificent bar situated beside the Hynes Convention Center in Back Bay. It has often been the ideal spot for young professionals of Back Bay to drink and relax after a long workday.
It comprises two floors, three bars, and a private dining room all richly adorned in colors of rich creams, browns, and reds. An enticing venue, Towne customizes fresh specials daily. It also indulges in luxury by providing an all-day, professional valet parking service.
Towne’s elaborate layout and its long, posh menu make it just the right bar for a dissolute night out with a group of friends or for dates.
2.3. The Pour House Bar & Grill
The Pour House Bar and Grill is the best in the Back Bay neighborhood if you are looking for a fun, casual night out. It encompasses three fully stocked bars, complementing its list of fancy wines, beer, and some amazing cocktail concoctions.
It is one of the less classy bars in Back Bay with zero cover charge and no less than 17 flat-screen televisions set up throughout the place. Although The Pour House is primarily known mostly for its cheap beers, the Bloody Mary it concocts was invited to be one of the eighty on the St. Regis Hotel’s 80th-anniversary menu.
As a feather in its cap, Business Insider named The Pour House Boston’s best bar in the year 2013. Its elaborate breakfast menu, which we assure you will like, was ranked by Playboy as the ‘Best in America.’
2.4. Solar Irish Pub
Situated at 510, Bolyston Street, the Solas Irish is a classic Irish pub to sit back and relax and spend your leisure time. More specifically, it is located around Newbury Street and Copley Square, in the legendary Lennox Hotel.
The place will make you feel at home in its cute and comfortable ambiance. The staff at the pub is friendly and the service is great.
The food it serves is really good and in drinks, it offers Guinness pints, local craft beer, and a miscellaneous list of house-made cocktails. We believe you will like to consider this pub for your weekend brunches, night-out with friends, or just for a quick bite and drink at the end of the day.
2.5. The Burren
Located in Davis Square, the Burren is one of the most popular Irish pubs in Somerville. The best time to visit this Boston Bar would be in the afternoon when the front room—with its wooden floors and mild sunlight seeping through the windows becomes the perfect spot for enjoying food, drinking, and enjoying the live music of informal Irish seisiúns.
The Burren is well-packed at night largely with students from the Tufts University (which is just around the border of Medford and Somerville), who crowd the big room out in the back to relish the loud, live music.
2.6. Oak Long Bar & Kitchen
If you’re looking for old-school elegance and laid-back style fun, you will like Oak Long Bar & Kitchen. Situated inside the Fairmont Copley Plaza, you’ll find exactly as the name suggests, a long, wooden bar. This bar in Boston is where Boston Brahmins and out-of-town hotel guests gather in groups on tufted leather stools to see, be seen, and, most importantly, drink.
Bartenders in bespoke vests concoct lip-smacking (not to mention pricey) cocktails under the warm glow of the crystal chandeliers. The martini service here is nothing less of legendary. Hence the honor of being best bars in Boston.
3. Best Cocktail Bars In Boston
3.1. Drink
Located in South Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood, ‘Drink’ is Barbara Lynch’s award-winning underground cocktail lounge perfect for some time alone. ‘Drink’ is one of the best bars in Boston known for its technique in mixology that allows you to customize your drinks.
This great Boston bar has no menu: bartenders attend to your preferences and customize your drinks so you can enjoy the perfect craft cocktail, mixed uniquely for you.
The drink also offers an arrayed collection of white wine, red wine, and sparkling wines, together with a selection of various styles of craft beer, and house-made mixers you can choose your drinks from!
3.2. Yvonne’s
Locke-Ober, Boston’s favorite mahogany bar that closed in 2012 after 137 years of pure magic has thankfully reappeared through Yvonne’s modern touch on high-end drinks.
Located next to the legendary Brattle Book Shop, the bar’s palatial atmosphere and awesome cocktail options attract people from far and wide. Whether it is a Churn & Burn with brown butter bourbon or five-spice demerara, and angostura, a Blackbird perhaps, or dark rum? Black sesame, strawberry-Campari, pineapple, and lime? Yvonne’s is the place to go!
3.3. Better Sorts Social Club
Want a wholesome experience on your drinking night? Better Sorts Social Club might be the best cocktail bar for you in all of Boston.
A bespoke, cultural place Better Sorts really has all sorts of space for you to feel your life in. The bar’s menu encompasses innovative cocktails and other bar favorites drinks, including gourmet food and appetizers that bring New England’s tradition closer to you.
Visit and see for yourself why it is the best bar in Boston!
3.4. The Baldwin Bar
Based out in Woburn, the Baldwin Bar has probably the best mixology programs of all bars in the whole of Boston. Ran Duan took over the drink menu at his parents’ suburban Chinese restaurant and turned it into a libation sensation in the Baldwin bar. Its varied menu now draws in cocktail connoisseurs from all over the globe.
Some of the must-have foods at Baldwin bar are house special eggplant, String Beans with Chengdu City Spice, and hot dry beef. Its cocktail bar is one of the most diverse in all of Boston, which invites cocktail connoisseurs from far and wide.
3.5. Roxanne’s
Located on Beacon Hill, near Massachusett’s Statehouse, Roxanne’s is a place you will really enjoy if you enjoy good food and eclectic cocktails. It is a place to visit with your friends and neighbors and have nice chats in Roxanne’s friendly, animated ambiance.
Taste the unique cocktails, craft beers, wines, and more in a lounge setting. It has provisions for small servings and a snack menu is available, in case you want delicious food to wash your wine down with.
3.6. Brick & Mortar
If you are looking for good drinks with a laid-back feeling, Brick & Mortar in Cambridge, Massachusetts should be the first place you’d want to like.
One of the best bars in Boston, Brick Mortar, in its classic speakeasy-style, is known for the great cocktails available and delicious bar food. The live music playing is eclectic and can set just the right mood and right time for you.
Its menu offers the bar bites you should essentially try, the quaffable food you’d like to have, and the Brick Mortar specials (including the bacon-wrapped dates and deep-fried house-made pickles), favorite of many in and around Cambridge.
3.7. Blossom Bar
On Washington Street, Brookline, Massachusettes is situated the Blossom Bar inside the Sichuan Garden. Blossom Bar rejuvenates the Latin-inspired drinks and gives the local people a sophisticated craft cocktail experience. In a way, it saves valuable time in traveling the Green Line ride all the way downtown.
This Boston bar frequently refreshes its menu to innovate new inventions, while also maintaining a steady number of its beloved, standard beverages which include good beer, cocktails, or good wine.
Whether you’re sipping a seasonal feature cocktail or one of its classics, be assured your drink has been minutely prepared with exotic ingredients and served in the typical Blossom Bar style.
4. The Best Dive Bars In Boston
Dive bars don’t really care how you look or what you do for a living or what kind of bourbon you like. The dive bar would rather want you to have a few beers made in the local, hang out with a decrepit regular, and escape your own life’s hubbub narrative. Here are some of Boston’s best dive bars you will find that sell you booze, not ostensibility:
4.1. Deluxe Cafe
First established in the 1960s, Deluxe Cafe in South End has continued to remain humble as it stands the test of a more and more bourgeois time.
Decked with beautiful fairy lights, vinyl, and other kitsch, this is one such bar that caters mostly to longtimers and people who yearn for a safe space to hide out in solitude and spend quality time alone and not with others. In fact, the current owners of Deluxe bar were longtime customers themselves before buying the spot a few years back, saving it from certain obliteration.
While Delux indeed is the “ground” zero for cheap folks and the foolhardy, one should not forget the tiny kitchen in the back from which you should buy the burger and roasted half-chicken. It will make your day (or night)!
4.2. The Eagle
In Boston’s South End, stands the age-old dive bar The Eagle. But it is not as much “old” as it is classy in and charming in a creaky, divey way.
Its campy interior decor will make you feel you’re in one of those fun 90s sitcoms but its bracing drinks, gruff service, and grizzled regulars will provide the real charm. The Eagle is a place where real stories are made and lives are lived, with a pint of local beer and one or two cheap bar snacks.
4.3. Trina’s Starlite Lounge
Exquisite of all dive bars Boston offers, Trina’s Starlite Lounge in Somerville is the place to go if you are looking forward to having some sheer fun with some good beer and cheap wine.
Trina’s is the place to get America’s comfort grub bucket of ponies and a chili cheese dog . This hip Somerville spot is one that has all the usual suspects in cans, all local beer on tap, and a weirdly good lineup of great cocktails.
The team at Trina’s has expanded from Boston to Amesbury in 2017. It is one of the most fun and friendliest bars around Somerville you can get by!
4.5. The Longfellow Bar
The Longfellow bar at 40 Brattle Street, Harvard Square in Alden & Harlow, Cambridge is one of the finest bars in Boston established by the award-winning chef and restaurateur Michael Scelfo.
The food and drinks at The Longfellow Bar continue to be based on Chef Scelfo’s futuristic approach to experiencing a wholesome meal. The menu features bar food intended to be passed and shared so that guests can follow a tactile approach to eating.
Rooted in genuine hospitality and some exceptional cocktails, this Cambridge bar program follows Chef Scelfo’s ethos of taking simple ingredients and enlarging them into robust drinks which incorporate unique flavors and textures.
Watch this video for more information on the best bars in Boston!
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