PUBS AND TAVERNS

 

Pubs and bars pepper the Boston area and attract every age group. Some provide live music and the standard pub menu while others serve nothing but the constant flow of drinks. Some are popular because of their convenience to large tourist attractions while others just have exactly what people are looking for in a small, anonymous booth. They are all well attended.

Black Rose
160 State Street
(617) 742-2286

Located on the perimeter of Faneuil Hall, even the exterior of the Black Rose emanates the genuineness of the Irish. Offered here are two bustling floors of food, drink and plenty of Irish music. A typical pub menu, the food is good and if you aren't Irish the music will make you feel like you are. You'll be dancing a little jig by the time you leave. Live Irish music is offered nightly.

Parking: Street and nearby garage
Cover: $3
MBTA Stop: Government Center

 

Cheers – Bull & Finch Pub
84 Beacon Street
(617) 227-9605

The Bull & Finch, made famous by and commonly referred to as "Cheers", is certainly worth the visit, but beware. Small and cramped, it's a tourist trap and can get downright claustrophobic on weekends. But the excitement swirls in this casual little bar where everybody knows your name, and people flock just to say they've seen it. The only names they really know are Washington, Franklin and Hamilton. Bring your money when visiting this merchandising mecca. The Bull & Finch seems more popular for T-shirts than for anything else. With the same large flags flapping in the heart of Boston, the photo opportunity alone is worth the visit.

Parking: Street and Valet
Cover: None
MBTA Stop: Arlington or Charles/MGH

 

Durgin Park
30 North Market Street
North Market Building, Faneuil Hall
(617) 227-2038

A casual, no-nonsense pub atmosphere, this is a popular fixture of Faneuil Hall Marketplace. While you may frequently find a line to get it, the restaurant/pub is multi-level and the lines move quickly. The pub has a good reputation and a real New England menu, including a long list of brews and such staples as Yankee pot roast, Indian pudding, baked beans and clam chowder – oh yeah, and lobster of course. The meals are home-style and continue to draw the crowds of tourists, sometimes seated at large, communal tables. Don't worry, if you look around you'll always find someone having more difficulty picking apart the lobster. Prices here are reasonable, and the brave-hearted will find a raw bar in the basement. After dark the bar is the real draw.

Parking: Pay lot/garage; validated
Cover: None
MBTA Stop: Government Center or Haymarket

 

The Kells
161 Brighton Avenue
(617) 782-9082

Located in the heart of Allston, The Kells is quite popular with the college crowd. Two dance floors, a decent dining area and ultra-casual atmosphere are the attractive points here, though on weekends it can become a bit of a meat market. Tuesday is open-mic acoustic and margarita night, Thursday is dance and beach party night, Friday is New York and Boston's best cover bands night, Saturday brings the mixes of a DJ, and Sunday attracts a crowd with traditional Irish music.

Parking: Street
Cover: Varies $6 to $7
MBTA Stop: Commonwealth Avenue

 

Mercury Bar
116 Boylston Street
(617) 482-7799

Once considered the place to be seen, this is still a Theater District hot spot. Hip and trendy, it attracts the Euro-set and young urban professionals – mostly clad in black. Visitors here can eat and drink in fashionable, over-stuffed booths before shimmying down to the dance floor. Typical dance music are the tunes of choice here – which drown out the steady stream of serious come-ons. Nevertheless, this is one bar with just as much sustenance as style.

Parking: Street and Valet
Cover: $6
MBTA Stop: Boylston

 

Purple Shamrock
1 Union Street
(617) 227-2060

Another hot spot near Faneuil Hall, this bar and live-music venue offers a potpourri of rock, country, acoustic, and Irish folk tunes. The dress is casual and the menu is Irish-American.

Parking: Street and nearby garage
Cover: $5 Thursday, Friday and Saturday only
MBTA Stop: Government Center or Haymarket

 

The Times
112 Broad Street
(617) 357-8463

Feel like you might not fit in anywhere? No worries – this is the place for you. In the heart of the Financial District, you'll find cabbies, attorneys and bicycle messengers sharing conversation over a drink – or if it's between 7:30 and 8, competing against each other in front of "Jeopardy". Tuesday is blues night, played by a house band encouraging guest participation.

Parking: Street, nearby lots
Cover: None
MBTA Stop: State Street or Aquarium