Streetcar Suburbs
Candlelit tables, stained glass and old liquor cabinets make this dark den an attractive destination for regulars of all ages and origins (including dogs)…
Must-see nightlife in Boston
Kenmore Square & Fenway
Exposed brick walls hung with art create a bohemian atmosphere at this coffee lovers' dream. Berklee students and other creative types congregate for fair…
South End & Chinatown
The Beehive has transformed the basement of the Boston Center for the Arts into a 1920s Paris jazz club. This place is more about the scene than the music…
Cambridge
This is a no-pretense, all-comers, dance-your-booty-off club, wedged in between (and managed by) the Middle East. From Grassfed Disco to 'soulful dance…
Boston
A delightful destination for dessert or aperitifs, this frilly parlor displays antique espresso machines and black-and-white photos, with a pressed-tin…
Cambridge
If high-caliber craft IPAs are your idea of beer-drinking bliss, make a beeline for this unassuming corner brewpub north of Central Sq. What started as a…
Back Bay
It's a club! It's a cafe! It's a cabaret! Anything goes at this glossy, gay nightlife extravaganza. There is live cabaret in the Napoleon Room six nights…
Kenmore Square & Fenway
Decked out with scads of TVs, which form a ring around the bar, this place is in a prime location – directly across the street from all the action at…
South End & Chinatown
This late-night Parisian bistro serves up live jazz alongside an excellent selection of wines by the glass and a menu of classic but contemporary French…
Cambridge
Enter through the unmarked door (next to Central Kitchen) and climb the dark stairs to cool cocktail heaven. No pretenses here – just a pared-down setting…
Streetcar Suburbs
To sample Sam Adams ales and lagers straight from the barrel, pay a visit to the flagship brewery, with taproom on site. If you wish to learn more about…
Boston
Italian coffee. Antique Alsatian bar. Comfy couches and cozy fireplace. Cosmopolitan clientele. This place oozes Old World ambience, and we mean that in…
Back Bay
This sweet bar lies inside a parking garage next to the canyon of the Mass Pike. Expect sticky wooden tables, loud rock music, black hoodies, cussing, a…
South End & Chinatown
The South End's best – and perhaps only – hipster dive bar. This long-standing favorite has Christmas-light decor and a totally laid-back atmosphere. The…
Cambridge
When cool cats are not drinking and dancing at Middlesex, the space transforms into a cheerful tea shop, serving bubble tea and other inventive drinks. It…
Boston
Take an hour-long tour ($5) to see how the beer is made and to sample some of the goods. Or just take a seat at the bar in the beer hall and watch the…
Charlestown
First and foremost, it's a hookah lounge, with plush furniture, ornately carved woodwork, nightly belly-dancing shows and sophisticated flavors of tobacco…
Kenmore Square & Fenway
Once the unofficial 'Dirty Rock Club' of this strip, Bill's Bar is still an obligatory stop if you're clubbing on Lansdowne St. Not your first stop,…
Cambridge
Sleek and sophisticated, Middlesex brings the dance crowd to the Cambridge side of town. Black modular furniture on heavy casters moves aside when the…
Boston
Boasting all sports, all the time, the Four's makes a great place to appreciate Boston’s near-fanatical obsession with sporting events. The large two…
Back Bay
You may have never heard of Nightclub & Bar Magazine, but they once named this Back Bay original the best lounge in the country! That seems like a stretch…
Boston
West End Johnnies is a grown-up sports bar, with black leather furniture and retro sports paraphernalia adorning the walls. On weekend nights, it's also a…
South End & Chinatown
Whisky Saigon is among the hottest dance spots in Boston at the time of writing, and with good reason. Who can resist bubbles and laser lights on the…
Beacon Hill & Boston Common
If you're into wine, you’ll be into Bin. Big windows overlook Charles St and wine bottles line the walls. The extensive wine list spans the globe,…
Boston
Boston Beer Works is a solid option for beer-lovers and sports-lovers (conveniently located near the city's major sporting venues). The excellent…
Beacon Hill & Boston Common
Most nights of the week, this is a pleasant but innocuous cocktail bar with forgettable food. But come Friday night, the bar morphs into a wildly popular…
Back Bay
Located in the posh Copley Square Hotel, Minibar is much more enticing than your typical hotel bar. It’s a swank space with cushy couches, sexy people and…
Cambridge
Charlie’s is a three-in-one. Downstairs is a lovable greasy spoon serving burgers and bargain-price lobster rolls late into the night; upstairs is a much…
Back Bay
For an intimate atmosphere and sweet selection of cocktails, this swish bar in the Lenox Hotel is not exactly a destination in and of itself, but it’s…
Boston
With Irish bands playing traditional tunes on Monday and Thursday, and a decent list of appropriate beers, Mr Dooley's is one of the most welcoming joints…
Back Bay
Yes, it's touristy. And overpriced. And the food is not too inspiring. But the head-spinning city view makes it worthwhile to ride the elevator up to the…
Kenmore Square & Fenway
Disclaimer: this place gets packed with college kids on weekends and on game nights. If you can stand the happy, sweaty people, it's a great vibe,…
South End & Chinatown
Enter beneath the masks of Comedy and Tragedy into the dimly lit interior, where show posters adorn the brick walls. This tiny, theatrically themed tavern…
Charlestown
This is slightly off the beaten path (aka the Freedom Trail), but locals love it for the comfy leather chairs, specialty lattes and housemade English…
Kenmore Square & Fenway
This long-standing gay favorite practically guarantees a fun night out, partially because it's two clubs in one, upstairs and downstairs. So there are two…
Boston
If dive bars are your thing, you'll be happy here. In fact, Biddy's is sometimes called the 'best' dive bar in Boston (a town that has no shortage of them…
Beacon Hill & Boston Common
Beacon Hill’s long-standing neighborhood dive bar looks old school, with its wooden bar placed under hanging glasses, and a few comfortable booths…
Cambridge
This vast, underground nightspot, formerly the Beat Brasserie, has morphed into the Beat Brew Hall (not a bad shtick, but it's a shame to bid farewell to…
Cambridge
This is a popular, rowdy, almost divey bar, where wood paneling and carpeting cover the walls and Miller High Life is an ingredient in the 'official'…
Boston
Keep alert or you'll miss the hidden entrance into this subterranean space, home to a delightful lounge that looks straight out of 1959. Enjoy well-priced…
