Bar entertainment in Boston
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A
Excelsior
A trendy(ish), tame crowd of 30-something urbanites drink in style under a ceiling covered with sophisticated geometric tapestries. The room swims pleasantly in warm tones of dark teak and amber, the whole thing set around a glass -and-steel cube that contains the wine collection. Efficient, professional staff will hurry oysters to your table as you admire the Public Garden across the street. We lament the lame out-of-character flatscreen TV.
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B
Doyle's Cafe
This Irish bar dates to 1882 and provides an unadulterated glimpse into some vanishing bits of Irish American culture. Distant pressed tin ceilings hang far above a completely worn out floor that was long ago covered in linoleum, itself almost entirely worn away. No tourists come here, just locals and off duty cops drinking from a huge selection of ryes. Also see an enormous (and ghastly) mural of Paul Revere high-fiving a minuteman.
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C
Cellar
Though it doesn't look like much from the outside, descend the stairs to find a rockabilly bartender trying to avoid a conversation about the merits of 7-card stud and a room where the acoustics are decent enough that you won't have to shout. The space really is a cellar, and a wall of crumbling brick-and-enormous-stone blocks provides an interesting cross section of old foundation techniques.
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D
Model Cafe
This two-room joint and its loud jukebox attracts droves of precisely dressed hipsters and rockers who enjoy drinking cheap beer (sometimes stale) and crappy liquor while complaining about how either (1) the place is too much of a cool kid haunt or (2) about how the placed used to be cool. Either way, it's a scene near closing time and the pool table is too close to the wall.
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E
Cafe Paradiso
The Saturday morning regulars are so dedicated that some painstakingly organize their business calendars so they don't miss their spot at the counter. As he has for years, Luigi masterfully attends to the espresso machine and pours neat cognacs with efficient and understated flourish. It's a good spot to watch overseas soccer matches. Excellent desserts.
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F
White Horse Tavern
For some, this is a fun bar with 'great' music like Dave Matthews. For others, it's a meat market with a no-tank-top dress code. Either way, they have a stupid rope outside to imply non-existent exclusivity. The best time to visit is when it's really crowded, as the masses provide a vibe of excitement in an otherwise humdrum mega bar.
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G
Vox Populi
Vox Populi ‘Urban chic’ is the goal of this bistro and martini bar. The effect is inviting, especially in the 1st-floor fireplace lounge. The eclectic menu represents fusion at its most extreme; if you just come for drinks, you’re bound to find something you like on the list of creative martinis and classic cocktails.
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H
Squealing Pig
This pub is a fries-and-gravy kind of place (on the menu) that attracts dweeby guys in long-sleeved dress shirts and aspiring engineers being trained at nearby Wentworth. The place looks ye olde English, though the wainscoting is fakey. Tunes are best characterized by 'Desperado', the Eagle's masterful ballad.
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I
Clery's
Big, popular and very sanitized, Cleary's attracts droves of heads accustomed to wearing baseball hats to its weekly trivia night. Some criticize it for fake Irishness, and poor acoustics turn collective conversation into cacophony. Emblematic song played during visit: U2's 'She Moves in Mysterious Ways.'
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J
Reel Bar
Among the trendy spots in Allston, this bar ranks among the cleanest and most laid-back. So nuzzle up to the bar, nurse a reasonably priced beer from an unusually good selection and ask someone to pass you the joystick for a remote-controlled Galaga arcade experience. Odd movies often play on a screen.
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K
Coolidge Corner Clubhouse
A tiny closet of a sports bar, the 'three Cs' somehow manages to fit several dozen TVs onto its limited wall space, and you can reliably watch almost every major college and professional football match. Though the vibe is great for fanatics, the crowd is often uncomfortably large for the small space.
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L
Sister Sorel
A pleasantly cracked concrete slab forms the floor of this small bar, whose brick walls and bay window compete against images of roosters in various stages of abstraction in a historic vs. artistic battle. A few patio tables provide sidewalk seating in front of the charming building. No TV!
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M
Noir
Nearly elegant with artful red lights and summertime terrace seating, Boston's ubiquitous flatscreen emerges to sabotage the atmosphere, analogous to the reasonably well-dressed ladies being attended to by men failing to hold up their end of the style bargain. It's in the Charles Hotel.
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N
R&D
Take an odyssey through Frank Gehry's Stata Center (MIT's Building 32 -the giant angular thing that looks like a pile of windsails) to enjoy style cred in this quiet bar and restaurant, which has a cool skylight. Clue: it's on the forth floor. Other clue: some elevators only go down.
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O
Independent
The dark, inviting interior and Irish-accented barkeep are the obvious appeals of this Union Sq star. Above and beyond your typical pub grub, the food is good enough that Boston residents come out to Somerville to eat here. You can take bus No 86 from Harvard or No 91 from Central.
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P
Silhouette
Yes, it's an over-lit dive full of sticky tables, around US$7 pitchers of Pabst, overturned baskets of popcorn and several Keno monitors, but it still feels good on rowdy weekends - even with that ugly drop ceiling. Inside find bike messengers and philosophical college dropouts.
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Q
Laurel Grill And Bar
After the dinner rush, gay boys and a small mixed crowd cluster around a heavy bar under good-looking lamps from the early 20th century that hang amid tall windows and hardwood floors. Pity about that incongruously ugly drop ceiling.
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R
Flash's
While mostly full of fellows, this not-quite industrial bar shoots for a modern vibe with its splashy neon sign. Inside, find hardwood floors, a lot of TVs broadcasting Sox games and a few ladies. Strong, bargain martinis.
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S
Pour House
For years, young college students have introduced themselves to urban nightlife by enjoying cheap drinks and cheaper patty burgers in this pleasantly ratty bar. At least one of the TVs is playing Kino, not the Sox game.
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T
Crossroads
Being a low-budget, cheap drinks kind of place, it attracts lots of students, sports fans and folks looking for a good game of darts. It's heavy duty Irish and isn't the kind of place where you want to order Bushmills.
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U
Caffé Victoria
For absolutely superb cappuccino in a frilly parlor displaying antique espresso machines, grab a marble topped table and live it up in Victorian pleasure. Also on offer are ports and dessert.
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V
Top of the Hub
A head-spinning city view is on tap at this chic restaurant-lounge on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center. Live jazz nightly too.
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