Trip to Boston - Suggestions on pubs?

I'm going to visit my best friend in Boston at the end of February. He's in his first year of residency at some Harvard Hospital, and hasn't really had much of a chance to get to know Boston. Any suggestions on sites to see, places to eat and of course pubs would be much appreciated. I'm going to be in town from Wednesday February 25 through Sunday March 1.

 

There's this place in Hyde Park called "Townsend". It boast having more beers and ciders/perry on tap than any other place in Boston. I've been there and its great! Also they have some pretty decent food thats beer inspired with Infused types of ales and lagers into dishes. Key place if you love beer. Theres also another place in Allston/Brighton area with rthe same claim. I just seen it in the Metro yesterday but I can't remember the name. Look it up though and do tell.

 

The Sunset Grill and Tap. They have 100 or so beers on tap. It is my favorite place to go and try new beers.

 

I'll keep my snippyness in check since I can't seem to follow a Sunset mention without some level of venom. All I'll say is it's not my favorite place.

If you're coming to Boston... and you're looking for a very serious "beer bar"... there is a very short list of places. The best beer bar in Boston is the Public House in Brookline (a section of Boston and accessible from the Green Line on the T or a fairly cheap cab ride from downtown). Another good one is Deep Ellum in Allston (same thing as Brookline... cheap cab or green line).

Both bars are very serious about thier beer and have great food. Sunset doesn't have a very good reputation among snobby commercial beer geeks due to what is perceived as "quantity over quality", not exactly the best beer-line sanitiation practices and general lack of knowledge around the beers.

Public House will serve you an enourmous number of (FRESH) rare and amazing beers in proper glassware and at the correct serving temp so when you get a beer, it tastes like it's supposed to taste. Pretty much same for Deep Ellum. I'm not sure I would say that about Sunset. Put it this way... when my brew club does a pub crawl through Boston... we skip the Sunset.

ALLLLLL of that being said, if you're just looking for a couple of good beers, a fun place and some decent food, there are 4.8 million places all over Boston. I would suggest anywhere down by Fanuiel Hall and North Station. Boston Beer Works over by North Station has some pretty nice beers brewed on the premises and I think they have great "pub-food". It has a great atmosphere and if you catch them while they're brewing (which is often) the whole place smells like boiling wort... which isn't a bad smell!

Best Guinness in the city is Mr. Dooley's over on Broad St (next to Fanuiel Hall). It's a pretty good "irish pub".

One of the most well-known "Irish Pubs" in Boston is probably the Black Rose right there as well.

Kinsale in Govt Center (right across the St from Fanuiel Hall) has a really nice tap selection and great food (I have lunch there at least once a week).

Anyway... that's my two cents.

 

I hate to beat Revvy's horse for him...but here's my thread from May of last year!

Boston Trip Needs some brewpub planning

 

Boston Beer Works is good.
Cambridge Brewing Company is better.

 

Agreed... just mentioned BBW since it's right downtown but I agree with CBC being better. Kris from the Worts is good friends with the head brewer there.

 

Also, not beer related but Boston in general, check out the Union Oyster House downtown, the map room at the Christian Science Center (it sounds wierd but it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen), James' Gate if you find yourself in Jamaica Plains - maybe for the Sam Adams tour.
Also check out Charlies Deli, cool old timey deli with GREAT food and a good bit of history, and if you have time a place called Santarpio's Pizza. It's over near the airport and they do a pizza that will blow your mind.

 

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I also went and checked out the other thread. A lot of good information there.

 

If you're on the Cambridge side of the river check out John Havard's and Cambridge Common in Harvard Sq.(beer), Redbones in Davis Sq.(food/beer) or East Coast Grill in Inman Sq. (food).

Also, The Other Side at the Newbury Street/Mass. Ave. intersection.

 

Oh god I can't believe I forgot this. You've got to find a reason to drive north of the city and stop at Kelley's Roast Beef. Go hungry. Order a roast beef and a lobster roll. Go on a nice day, you can sit and watch the beach while you're eating.

 

Bukowski's Tavern -- Large selection of beer, mostly bottled. The places gets very crowed and is not very large. -- Bukowski's Tavern - Boston, MA, 02115-3155 - Citysearch

There are also two brewpubs that I know of that have some decent beers. Boston Beer Works & Rock Bottom. -- Welcome to BEER WORKS - BEER WORKS © 2009 & Great Food and Handcrafted Beer - Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery

Sunset Grill & Tap is ok, I'd look at the other three first.

 

and over charges for every beer they serve...

 

He is on vacation, money is no object.

 

I assure you, money is an object.

Anyone been on the Sam Adams tour? is it worth it?

 

Yeah it was quick and cool and we got to meet the guy in the carhartts from the commercials.

 

Bukowski isnt' cheap but it's also among the few really good "beer bars" around the city and for the type of selection they have, I don't think they're too overproced. Is it the best selection on the planet? no, but they've got a pretty decent tap/bottle list.


Publick House
Bukowski
Deep Elum
... believe it or not I would even add Kinsale in there if you're looking for right downtown.

Those are, I think, the three really good beer bars right in and around Boston. There was a few more mentioned on this thread (I think Tony L mentioned one) that i'm sure are good, I've just never been.

A lot of people also like Sunset... as you can tell, I'm just an "anti-Sunset guy".

If you're looking for something to kill a bunch of hours duyring the day, the Museum of Fine Art is actually really cool. It's not just a bunch of fat naked chic paintings from the 1500's... they have some pretty cool exhibits in there... Egyptian mummies, Roman and Greek stuff... it's a pretty cool place.

Take a tour of Fenway.

And... depending on the weather and some folks might make fun of me for suggesting it... but... take a Duck Tour. I was dragged on one kicking and screaming and it turned out to be pretty interesting.

 

Take a tour of the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) then walk up the hill to the Bunker Hill Monument (forget for a moment that it is actually on Breeds Hill.) If the sun is shining take a walk on the Freedom Trail. Walk around in the North End, there is a lot more there than Hanover St. The Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum is a great take. Take the Green Line out to Fenway Park and marvel. (Has anyone been in the Cask lately? I couldn't believe how it had changed. You could bring your mother there now.) Boston Beer Works has some nice brews and the food is ok. I found the Sam tour to be a total waste of time. Go by the State House and see the largest collection of crooks in the Commonwealth. The Top of the Hub is cool and so is the Top of the Pru. The Granary Burial Ground is actually really cool, it's right by the Common.
PTN

 

Beer Guide for Boston - Massachusetts, United States - BeerAdvocate

You could always check beer advocate! I personally recommend the Kinsale at government center. Excellent beers on tap. About 20 I think. Great local brews like Smuttynose and Cambridge Brewing Company.

Enjoy!

Sean From NH

 

Instead of Bukowski's, walk across Mass. Ave to the Other Side. Food and beer is better and cheaper.

I'll second the Kinsale and give a nod to Jacob Wirth's, which is also downtown.

 

I'd never eat at The Other Side. Lets just say that the kitchen has a few "extra" helpers. The beer though, is bottled, and safe

 

yeah... it's 20 taps now.... and they have probably four or five that are rotated often. For the rotating last week they had Sam Choc Boc, CBC Big Man... umm... they always have a few Southern Tier beers or Clipper City beers rotating through.

(I have lunch there at least once a week... it's basically across the street from my office)

 

Okay, the big day is here! I fly out tonight to begin my beercation. Thanks for everyone's suggestions, I'll be sure to report my thoughts and any additional finds.

 

Travel safe and drop me a PM (if you'll have access) if you're going to be at Kinsale around lunch time at all during the week. I'll wave from across the bar.

As matter of fact, pretty positive I'm having lunch there Friday.

 

My trip to Boston was a success!

The Lows
1. Return flight Sunday to Atlanta was cancelled due to Atlanta snow storm.
2. All flights to Atlanta Monday were cancelled due to Boston snow storm.
3. Re-rescheduled flight Tuesday morning was cancelled for unknown reasons.
4. 3 days in a row of packing, walking to the train station, taking the green line to the blue line to the airport shuttle to the A terminal, checking bag, going through security and hanging out at the crappy sports bar to hear that the flight is cancelled and then the mad (and drunken) rush to the ticket counter to reschedule, pick up checked bag, go to the airport shuttle to the blue line to the green line walking back to my friend's apartment, unpacking...god I hate flying.
5. The Sam Adams brewery tour, not worth it.
6. Flight 1 at the Sam Adams brewery tour - Boston Lager - not bad, not good.
7. Flight 2 at the Sam Adams brewery tour - White Ale - almost undrinkable.
8. Flight 3 at the Sam Adams brewery tour - Cherry Wheat - What the hell? It tastes like cough syrup.
9. Kelly's Roast Beef, not worth the drive out of the city. Friendly service but mediocre food. Really didn't expect it to be a fast food joint.
10. Quincy Market - it's like a mall foodcourt.

The Highs
1. Bruins game - beat the ducks 6-0. Great crowd.
2. Harpoon IPA at a dive bar before the Bruins game.
3. Dinner at Giacomo's in the North End.
4. Wine tasting at a small wine store a few doors down from Giacomo's.
5. Lunch at no name seafood - great seafood chowder and scallops.
6. Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) - great building, great views, great galleries.
7. Brunch at the Fireplace.
8. Dinner and lots of beers at the Public House - Great bar!
9. Maparium and tour of the church sanctuary.
10. Beer at the Top of the Hub.
11. Walking the Freedom Trail.
12. USS Constitution.
13. Wandering around Boston.
14. Chowder, Chowder, Chowder.

 

Glad you liked the maparium. Isn't it cool!

 

HI ,TOO BAD You MISSED THE TASTING ROOM AT HARPOON BREWERY,GREAT FUN, FREE, AND THERE'S A SEFOOD PLACE ABOUT 100METERS FROM THE BREWERY THAT HAS GREAT STUFF,the celtic ale was just tapped last time i was there

 

Ah HA! Told you the Public House was a good spot!

Glad you had fun while in town. It's a fun city. The weather is kind of tough for flights apparently but other than that, it's a fun place.


And yeah, Quincy Market sucks. I work a block from there and I've never understood the draw.

"Ooooo look! They have a hot dog stand!! AND a Starbucks!! OH.... MY.... GOD!! A Crate and Barrel!!!" I don't get it. It's 5 bajillion people crammed into a mall food court because it's somehow "must see" in Boston. Do yourself a favor... skip it.

 

I'm pretty sure that something is wrong with his capslock.
But that seafood place is...."No Name Sea Food"

 

I told you the Sam tour was a bust. And you went to the wrong Kelleys. You must have gone to teh one on Rt 1 in Saugus, you should have gone to the original on Revere Beach. Of course, that would have meant heading to Revere but you gotta sacrafice a little.

PTN

 

But tha one in Reveah is only good after they close all tha bahs and the broads with the pimped out hairdoos and the guido's with their camaros and gold chains show up

 

Wow sounds like he may have participated in this once or twice...but yeah the one in "Reveah" is where we went. Long drive from JP but worth it IMHO. Plus we were on our way to Portsmith.

 

Glad you had a great time in Boston. Too bad you didn't get to the Harpoon Brewery. It's in walking distance from the No Name Restaurant and they make it worth the trip.

 

Yeah, I'll be sure to visit harpoon next trip. Overall Boston's a great city. Not exactly what I expected, but generally good.

 

I ALWAYS TYPE IN CAPS , AND THE NAME OF THE RESTURANT IS YANKEE LOBSTER CO.

 

No mention of Penguin Pizza in Brigham circle?

It is definitely overlooked, probably because of its mostly college-aged crowd (like me), but 40+ taps and loads of bottles. Its beer list has over 200 beers, but they only carry about 75% at once. Though I may be partial because I have a mug on the wall there. The pizza is pretty good too.

My other favorite spots in the city are the beer garden at Charlie's Kitchen in Harvard square (good for outdoor drinking, $1 burgers), the otherside, both Bukowski's, and Deep Ellum.


I suppose if you were expecting a roast beef restaurant and walked into Kelly's I can understand your disappointment. But damn, I can't drive up rt 1 without stopping there... Large Beef 3-way.....*drool*

 

+1000. SO MANY BEERS! In addition to the 100 on tap they have hundreds of kinds in bottles. I think they have something crazy like 400 different beers.

Here's a link

Sunset Grill - Allston, MA, 02134 - Citysearch

 

You can also go to the Harpoon Brewery as well - they do tastings. They also have Harpoon Fest a few times year where they have bands, ect. - It's a druck-fest

 

Just realized your trip is over...didn't read the whole thread before posting

 

Thanks, I'm sure there will be future trips to Boston. I also forgot to mention that I was astonished at how many Dunkin Donuts were up there. You Bostoner's must live on coffee and donuts.