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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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Four Seasons Boston
Enjoy a dish of complimentary hot nuts while drinking from a menu of seasonal drinks. In summer, this might mean a specialty sangria (rioja, reisling, cointreau, syrup, cranberry-and-orange juice, fruit and soda), while on a brisk autumn day you might drink a concoction of cider, brandy and pumpkin. The expansive and modern hotel bar has lots of private spaces and soft leather couches.
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Fours
Boasting all sports, all the time, this makes a great place to appreciate Bostonians' near fanatical obsession with sporting events. The large two-level bar was established in 1976 and retains a dash of character from that period. In addition to the game of your choice, admire a Jersey collection and loads of pictures depicting legendary events in Boston's sporting past.
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Fritz
Inside the Chandler Inn Hotel, enjoy a long bar full of chatty men and lots of bottles of booze dimly lit by pink Christmas lights that enhance Fritz's atmosphere without feeling kitschy. The place swerves toward romantic with several break-away spots, though you'll be obliged to play homage to Boston sports on one of several TVs.
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Great Scott
The current 'it' place for rock and indie, Great Scott recently transformed itself from a crappy bar to music palace, with a management dedicated to Boston music. The place rarely gets uncomfortably crowded, and the stage is well raised.
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Green Dragon
Also purporting itself to be a historic watering hole, the Green Dragon is almost indistinguishable from the Bell in Hand. The place is stuffed full of overdeveloped biceps kept in perfect tone by constant high-fiving.
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Green Street
At first glance, the place looks like a classic Irish dive on a hidden side street. Hipsters like so much they can drink inside without needing to be ironic. A phenomenal kitchen turns out jerked chicken and spicy Caribbean inspired fare.
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Grendel's Den
Though a sign out front falsely claims that this subterranean tavern was established in 1271, Grendel's Den has only been a Harvard mainstay since the '70s. One of the big draws is bargain pub food (beef stroganoff, burgers, token vegetarian stuff). When you buy a drink from 5 to (on weekdays, add to ), all items on the menu are half price.
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Harpers Ferry
On some nights, this cavernous room gets decent acts like Farside, Lisa Light and Nashville Pussy. On others, you'll hear bands covering U2. Either way, there's a pool table and large bar to sit at if you want to get away from the stage. Sometimes the crowd isn't big enough to properly fill the huge space and it feels weirdly dead.
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Harvard Film Archive
For retrospectives of distinguished actors, screenings of rare films, thematic groupings (eg Chinatown: Broken Blossoms, ) and special events where filmmakers (William Klein, Bibi Anderson) appear to discuss their work, head to Le Corbusier's Carpenter Center. Tickets for most screenings are sold at the Cinematheque 45 minutes ahead of show times, which often sell out.
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Hasty Pudding Theatricals
The oldest theater company in the States, Harvard's undergraduate dramatic society was founded in 1795. While you can see several kinds of events, including the annual Hasty Pudding Awards, mostly it's all about musical comedy with guys in drag.
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Hong Kong
Climb straight past the 1st floor's greasy low mein dispenser to the low budget disco above. One level is a bar full of people drinking giant Scorpion Bowls (use a long straw to suck a future hangover out of communal mixing crockery). Above it is a dark room illuminated by a single disco ball packed with a racially diverse mix of townies, Harvard kids and slumming BU students. Slightly seedy.
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Huntington Theatre Company
For award winning theater, it's tough to outdo the Huntington, whose trophy cabinet was long been full. It stages many shows before its production is transferred to Broadway (at least three of these have won Tonys) and seven major works by August Wilson were performed by the Huntington before going on to fame in New York.
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Independent
A favorite haunt of local playwrights such as Tim Blevins (author of Love's First Thing ), the tall ceilinged space occupies a former bank and the bar serves the members of area kickball teams. An attached bistro space is dominated by yuppies and dark-brown furniture currently has that overly-stained-and-new feel.
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Jacque's Cabaret
Head to this dive on a dark side street to experience the gay culture of the South End before gentrification took over. A shaded lamp and pool table kind of place, Jacques hosts outstanding low-budget drag shows every night. We think Mizery is the cat's pajamas.
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James's Gate
This gastropub and its small wooden interior has a prissy, faux-Irish feel. But its enormous fireplaces is still a fine thing to sit by in the winter and the food, from the 'pub' menu or the more elaborate (and pricey) restaurant list, is pretty good. A big outdoor seating area is a popular place to drink during warmer months.
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JJ Foley's
Dating to 1909, this lovely Irish gem is well positioned in the middle of the peninsula, and exudes the authenticity of a well-aged bar. Expect tall ceilings, wooden booths, eight-foot wainscoting and sweet cabinetry behind the bar.
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Kells
If you'd like to gaze at the midriffs of hundreds of gussied-up BU students (or perhaps expose your own), head to the Kells where you can find a lot of dance partners with itchy crotches. It's the kind of place where Bacardi sponsors special events, management comes up with lots of gimmicks to attract the ladies and there's beer pong on Mondays.
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Kings
For an over-the-top tenpin experience, roll a few at Kings where high-tech lanes in pristine condition are lined with neon lights and surrounded by walls painted with trippy graphics. Behind deck is an enormous cocktail lounge done up in a retro style reminiscent of the Jetsons, a Howard Johnson's or the house from the Brady bunch.
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Landmark Kendall Square Cinema
Part of the Landmark chain, this modern theater screens popular foreign films and the usual collection of hits from the Sundance Festival (eg Half Nelson, Little Miss Sunshine ). Seats are steeply sloped and the concession stand actually serves snacks that taste good.
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Last Hurrah
Having been a haunt for Boston's 19th-century intelligentsia and politicians, the beautiful lobby bar of the Omni Parker Hotel is a throwback to Old Boston. Enjoy a dish of hot nuts, drink a bourbon and don't wear shorts - you'll look woefully out of place.
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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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Liquor Store
Even too cool for school hipsters secretly like this over-the-top club. To start, it's got a mechanical bull. And you can ride it, though cheeseball management generally prefers that you be a girl wearing a bikini top when you get in line. Better: they serve 40s in brown paper bags. Also on offer are packed dance floors and elevated stages with poles.
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Lizard Lounge
Beneath the Cambridge Common Restaurant between Harvard and Porter Squares, this intimate, basement-level club features live original music nightly. There is an open mike night on Mondays for the talented or attention seeking. Casual dress is cool.
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Lucky Strike Lanes
Run by a national chain, this high-tec bowling alley is embedded inside Jillian's, a large entertainment complex containing a dance club, arcade and pool hall. As the place fills with the Lansdowne St crowd, sometimes the wait for a lane can take a long time. The alley is exclusive to patrons 21 years and over after on weekends.
