Boston area thread

[gregkoko]

I think that two of the best cocktails bars in Boston are pretty close to you: Eastern Standard and The Hawthorne. ES is my favorite. Drink, which is in Fort Point (close to the old Trillium spot) is another popular cocktail bar, but I've never been.

If you're willing to cross the river, I would recommend Alden & Harlow in Harvard Square, Cambridge. I love their cocktails and their food is very good. Very easy to get to via public transit (red line to Harvard Sq.).

Lastly, I'd be premiss to not plug my favorite restaurant (anywhere, really), which is Sarma in Winter Hill, Somerville. Good cocktails, ok beer options, but phenomenal food ("modern mediterranean"). It will be hard/impossible to grab a reservation now, but if you show up 20 min before open the bar is first-come and you can eat there.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I can be helpful.

These are great! Thanks! Sarma looks right up our alley, but don't know if we'd be able to get there right at open

 

[tylerk88]

These are great! Thanks! Sarma looks right up our alley, but don't know if we'd be able to get there right at open

Sarma is part of a small restaurant group (I believe women owned/operated) which also includes Oleana (Cambridge), and Sofra (Cambridge, but on the Watertown line). Oleana is the fanciest of the three, but you might get luckier with a reservation there. It's also closer to stuff which might be of interest (Lord Hobo, beer bar; Cambridge Brewing Co., Lamplighter Brewing, etc.). That said, Sofra is a quick-service spot and the cheapest of the bunch. A nice afternoon for me is going there to grab some falafel and other meze and walking to nearby Mt. Auburn Cemetery (which was the first garden-cemetery in the US and is really a beautiful place to walk around).

I know much more about Somerville/Cambridge than I do Boston proper, so I'm sure others can chime in with recs closer to where you're staying.

 

[thegerm87]

These are great! Thanks! Sarma looks right up our alley, but don't know if we'd be able to get there right at open

Agree with most everything already said but a couple other recommendations (mostly based on cocktails but all have excellent food):

Blossom Bar (Brookline) if you’re looking for more Tiki-inspired cocktails (also has excellent Chinese food). Very highly recommended.

Longfellows (same owners as Alden and Harlow) in Harvard Square

Waypoint (Harvard Square)

Chickadee (Seaport)

Oak and Rowan (Seaport) - fantastic desserts. Great option for brunch

Yvonne’s (Downtown crossing) - haven’t been in a long while but cocktails and atmosphere were second to none for a while

JM Curley (downtown crossing) - same as above, although way noisier

Can’t vouch for it myself but Shore Leave (South End) is supposed to be a good option for Tiki.

Lastly, Tiger Mama and Hojoko in Fenway are decent options for drinks too.

Could go on and on with food/drink recs but that’s a quick list of (mostly) highlights

 

[gregkoko]

Agree with most everything already said but a couple other recommendations (mostly based on cocktails but all have excellent food):

Blossom Bar (Brookline) if you’re looking for more Tiki-inspired cocktails (also has excellent Chinese food). Very highly recommended.

Longfellows (same owners as Alden and Harlow) in Harvard Square

Waypoint (Harvard Square)

Chickadee (Seaport)

Oak and Rowan (Seaport) - fantastic desserts. Great option for brunch

Yvonne’s (Downtown crossing) - haven’t been in a long while but cocktails and atmosphere were second to none for a while

JM Curley (downtown crossing) - same as above, although way noisier

Can’t vouch for it myself but Shore Leave (South End) is supposed to be a good option for Tiki.

Lastly, Tiger Mama and Hojoko in Fenway are decent options for drinks too.

Could go on and on with food/drink recs but that’s a quick list of (mostly) highlights

Hell yeah. Thanks. This should keep me plenty busy

 

[Skittle34]

Lower Depths is also in Back Bay down the road from ES. Cash Only but usually a decent beer selection.

Night Shift is opening up their Owl's Nest on the Esplanade soon, which over looks the Charles River right in Back Bay as well!

 

[quirk6]

Thinking about checking out Night Shift's Lovejoy Wharf location tomorrow, but I'm worried parking will be a bitch. NS doesn't mention parking on their website. Anybody been there yet?

 

[thegerm87]

Thinking about checking out Night Shift's Lovejoy Wharf location tomorrow, but I'm worried parking will be a bitch. NS doesn't mention parking on their website. Anybody been there yet?

I’m not the most experienced with parking in this area (for a lot of reasons) but also largely because it’s a pain in the neck. If I’m headed to that part of downtown, I usually try to park in the garage above Boston Public Market. If you buy something at BPM, they’ll validate and you’ll get garage parking for pretty cheap (as long as you’re there for less than 3 hours I think?). I forget the rates but it should be less than $10. Definitely worth it since theres a lot of good places in there. Downside is that it’s about a half mile walk to/from NS (which may not be all that bad with the weather this week).

 

[thegerm87]

Thinking about checking out Night Shift's Lovejoy Wharf location tomorrow, but I'm worried parking will be a bitch. NS doesn't mention parking on their website. Anybody been there yet?

Lmk what you ended up doing / how it worked out for you. I’m interested myself for when I eventually head down there

 

[quirk6]

Lmk what you ended up doing / how it worked out for you. I’m interested myself for when I eventually head down there

I was with my mom so I didn't want to make her walk from Boston Public Market. I first took her to a dispensary in Brookline for her first legal weed buying experience. A moment she dreamed of her whole life. We went to Lovejoy Wharf after. There is no parking on site. I hoped because TD Garden was there that there would be plenty of parking available. It was full, as well as several other lots near by. There was no street parking. I wound up finding parking in the North End Garage, which is pretty close. Cost me 18 for however long I was there.

 

[thegerm87]

I was with my mom so I didn't want to make her walk from Boston Public Market. I first took her to a dispensary in Brookline for her first legal weed buying experience. A moment she dreamed of her whole life. We went to Lovejoy Wharf after. There is no parking on site. I hoped because TD Garden was there that there would be plenty of parking available. It was full, as well as several other lots near by. There was no street parking. I wound up finding parking in the North End Garage, which is pretty close. Cost me 18 for however long I was there.

Pretty sure I know the dispensary you’re talking about. It’s had beer-release level lines outside of it every weekend I’ve driven by.

All in all 18 for parking a little while isn’t all that bad considering other places in the city.

 

[quirk6]

Pretty sure I know the dispensary you’re talking about. It’s had beer-release level lines outside of it every weekend I’ve driven by.

All in all 18 for parking a little while isn’t all that bad considering other places in the city.

Yeah, we had to wait in a decent line. Noon on a Thursday.

My mom was a bit shocked by the cost of parking, I just told her "that's Boston".

 

[tylerk88]

Looks like some Russian River is popping up around town. Row 34, Stoddard's (Pliny & Blind Pig today at 4pm), Publick House (Pliny and Blind Pig tapping today).

Hoping that there will be a Camberville tapping too!

 

[tylerk88]

Looks like some Russian River is popping up around town. Row 34, Stoddard's (Pliny & Blind Pig today at 4pm), Publick House (Pliny and Blind Pig tapping today).

Hoping that there will be a Camberville tapping too!

For those of us too lazy to cross the river, the answer is Olde Magoun’s Saloon. And it’s the best IPA I’ve had in ages. What a nice surprise.

 

[JulianB1]

So I'm going to make the complete newb post and ask you Boston-area locals what are your beer/brewery/bar recommendations besides the obvious, well-known stuff? Will be in Boston next week, roughly Wednesday evening to Saturday morning, with a couple of friends and we'll have a car so traveling isn't an issue. Tips regarding best day/times to hit places (including said well-known ones already on my radar) would also be appreciated, or like if there's days/times to avoid or when places are unexpectedly closed or whatever. I think plans are to hit Tree House on the way home on Saturday, and definitely go to Armsby Abbey one evening, but otherwise we're pretty open.

 

[Resuin]

Definitely Trillium restaurant in Boston, but that’s probably obvious. Some slightly lesser known good beer bars: The Merchant, Tip Tap Room, Lulu’s in Allston, Brewer’s Fork (good beer and pizza), Five Horses and Elm Street Taproom in Davis Square. Lord Hobo’s bar is probably my 2nd favorite place (to trillium) for beer and food in the Boston area, although I’m not a big fan of Lord Hobo Brewery’s beer.

People on here will likely say Cambridge Brewing is a must-stop; while I wouldn’t agree with that, I think it’s at least worth a stop if in the Kendall square area.

Also Trillium, Night Shift, Castle Island, Aeronaut, and more have beer gardens open now in Boston. Here’s a summary: https://www.boston.com/food/restaurants/2019/04/19/boston-beer-gardens-2019.

Almost all these places except the beer gardens are open almost all the time.

I’d also recommend going to Framingham to go to Exhibit A, Jack’s Abby, and Springdale breweries.

 

[tikk]

disapowzment would recommend the brewery at Boston Bowl in Dorchester. I heard he would trade rare pips for filled growlers.

 

[Skittle34]

If you have free time Thurs/ Fri I would suggest a quick trip out to Western Mass. There's Honest Weight in Orange, MA and Brick & Feather in Turner's Falls. Roughly an hour and a half drive down Rt. 2.

Honest Weight: 4- 9 Th/ Fri
B&F: 5- 8 Th/ Fri

 

[BeersMorgan]

So I'm going to make the complete newb post and ask you Boston-area locals what are your beer/brewery/bar recommendations besides the obvious, well-known stuff? Will be in Boston next week, roughly Wednesday evening to Saturday morning, with a couple of friends and we'll have a car so traveling isn't an issue. Tips regarding best day/times to hit places (including said well-known ones already on my radar) would also be appreciated, or like if there's days/times to avoid or when places are unexpectedly closed or whatever. I think plans are to hit Tree House on the way home on Saturday, and definitely go to Armsby Abbey one evening, but otherwise we're pretty open.

Definitely Trillium restaurant in Boston, but that’s probably obvious. Some slightly lesser known good beer bars: The Merchant, Tip Tap Room, Lulu’s in Allston, Brewer’s Fork (good beer and pizza), Five Horses and Elm Street Taproom in Davis Square. Lord Hobo’s bar is probably my 2nd favorite place (to trillium) for beer and food in the Boston area, although I’m not a big fan of Lord Hobo Brewery’s beer.

People on here will likely say Cambridge Brewing is a must-stop; while I wouldn’t agree with that, I think it’s at least worth a stop if in the Kendall square area.

Also Trillium, Night Shift, Castle Island, Aeronaut, and more have beer gardens open now in Boston. Here’s a summary: https://www.boston.com/food/restaurants/2019/04/19/boston-beer-gardens-2019.

Almost all these places except the beer gardens are open almost all the time.

I’d also recommend going to Framingham to go to Exhibit A, Jack’s Abby, and Springdale breweries.

I'd second Tip Tap (exotic meats), Lulu's (I personally don't love the food here), Brewer's Fork (pizza is very good) and Five Horses (if you go here get the cornbread) And definitely second the Framingham trio of breweries, JA/Springdale is one of my favorite stops. Cambridge Brewing is a good stop, but whenever I go there I end up next door at State Park doing Toronto shots/High Life combos for the rest of the night.

I'd skip Lord Hobo solely based on prices, last time I went there they didn't have anything exciting on tap so I ended up having a Queen City lager and a burger for $29.

Trillium Fort Point is just a little overpriced for okay food. Especially with Row34 basically across the street with a good variety on tap and IMO the best seafood in the area.

The Publick House in Brookline would be a good pick for a good tap variety with a bunch of Belgian stuff you don't see much and one of the few Trillium draft accounts. You can't go wrong with beer based the mussel pots.

 

[Resuin]

If you have free time Thurs/ Fri I would suggest a quick trip out to Western Mass. There's Honest Weight in Orange, MA and Brick & Feather in Turner's Falls. Roughly an hour and a half drive down Rt. 2.

Honest Weight: 4- 9 Th/ Fri
B&F: 5- 8 Th/ Fri

I thought about suggesting this but figured it was too far. Turner’s Falls is a great little town. Brick and Feather is definitely the best “sleeper” brewery in MA. A bit north of there is Brattleboro, VT which has Hermit Thrush Brewing (all sours) and a great restaurant/brewpub that makes their own beer and has HF on tap: Whetstone Station.

 

[dubdrop1]

If you go to Brick & Feather, stop for a meal/beer at Five Eyed Fox. I've only been there once, but it was excellent.

 

[Skittle34]

If you go to Brick & Feather, stop for a meal/beer at Five Eyed Fox. I've only been there once, but it was excellent.

Five Eyed Fox is no more

 

[dubdrop1]

wow, that's really disappointing! Five Eyed Fox was the perfect balance of relaxed setting, great food and great beer.

 

[Resuin]

Trillium Field Trip beerfest tickets just went on sale. Some friends went last year and said it was great, so I’m checking it out this year.

 

[BeersMorgan]

$170 for Trillium Field Trip VIP after fees and taxes.... good lord

 

[RyanG1]

https://dailydrinkingthread.com/community/

 

[Resuin]

$170 for Trillium Field Trip VIP after fees and taxes.... good lord

Fairly standard for fests like this. The Firestone Walker VIP was a lot more actually. I tend to just go GA though because things generally last and 3 hours of drinking is enough time.

 

[BeersMorgan]

Fairly standard for fests like this. The Firestone Walker VIP was a lot more actually. I tend to just go GA though because things generally last and 3 hours of drinking is enough time.

Last year was a good time but I think it was $25 including a beer ticket or 2, then $5 per ticket once inside. So this year is almost $100 more for GA with all beer included. Just judging from last to this year, are they assuming everyone will be drinking 20 beers? Then to jump another $50 for VIP ~ +10 beers in the VIP hour.

Not complaining, just curious, seems like a big jump.

I'm still just eagerly awaiting drinking my weight in pilsners next month in Portland for $50

 

[Resuin]

Last year was a good time but I think it was $25 including a beer ticket or 2, then $5 per ticket once inside. So this year is almost $100 more for GA with all beer included. Just judging from last to this year, are they assuming everyone will be drinking 20 beers? Then to jump another $50 for VIP ~ +10 beers in the VIP hour.

Not complaining, just curious, seems like a big jump.

I'm still just eagerly awaiting drinking my weight in pilsners next month in Portland for $50

Yeah, based on what you said, it sounds like they increased the price for sure. I’m debating going to that pils fest as well...

 

[Skittle34]

I really should get up to Notch sometime soon. I'm a 30 minute (Boston 30 minute) drive away

 

[JCastle1]

I really should get up to Notch sometime soon. I'm a 30 minute (Boston 30 minute) drive away

That was pretty cool. Nice to hear that they use Sterling for their Czech Pilsner, I just switched from Saaz to Sterling because it was way cheaper and wasn't sure how that would go.