clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
silvertone
Winter is coming; go get drunk at Silvertone
Silvertone/Facebook

Filed under:

Take a Booze Crawl Through Downtown Boston

Swing by Chinatown for cocktails, and then head back toward the park for cheap domestic tall boys

Welcome back to Food Crawls, a series in which Eater Boston staffers guide you (virtually) on various food — and booze — crawls in the Boston area.

When we go out, we often find ourselves wanting to try more than one restaurant or bar at a time — a drink and a snack here, another drink and perhaps a dessert there — and want to share our favorite multi-stop combinations with you. These crawls are meant to be relatively walkable, and the amount of food and drink is meant to correspond roughly to a couple of average appetites (so bring a friend), although your mileage may vary. Email us if there’s a particular theme, specific dish or drink, or neighborhood you’d like to see covered in a future installment.


It happened: It got cold. All those pretty brown and orange and yellow leaves are starting to give way to bare branches, and it won’t be long until the city is buried in snow. The best way to deal with the inevitable bad weather onslaught may be to drink about it.

As the holidays approach, you may find yourself downtown feverishly ducking in and out of stores looking for that perfect gift for your stepmother-in-law, Janet. It will be stressful, because Janet, while kind on paper, never likes anything anyone gives her. Failure is inescapable — Janet will hate her new glassware or her Chico’s gift certificate — and you deserve a drink or two.

Downtown Boston isn’t a monolith but rather a collection of neighborhoods and vibes. Pop into Chinatown for a bite and a cocktail at Shojo, and then weave back toward the park — which, admittedly, is stunning when covered with a fresh layer of snow — for a cheap beer at Silvertone. And, sure, why not — make another stop in between the two.


Bulgogi Beef Bao and a Don Papa Daiquiri at Shojo

9 Tyler St., Boston, MA 02111

shojo
Shojo has one of the city’s most beloved cocktail menus
Shojo/Facebook

Shojo oozes hipness. The interior walls are decorated with intricate murals; the food is unpretentious and excellent; the cocktail menu is one of the city’s favorites. Pad your gut with the beef bulgogi bao, and pair them with the don papa daiquiri, a simple and flavorful cocktail made with Don Papa rum, lime juice, and simple syrup.

Corn and Oil at Yvonne’s

2 Winter Pl., Boston, MA 02108

Yvonne’s
Yvonne’s is...ornate.
Eric Levin/Elevin Studios

Yvonne’s is dark and ornate, with the vibe of a private club — a nod to the space’s history as Locke-Ober. Drinking there feels a bit like drinking in a dream — or while tripping. Stick with the rum and lime theme, and have a corn and oil: rum, lime, clove, and torched lime. One will do.

A Cheap Beer at Silvertone

69 Bromfield St., Boston, MA 02108

A vintage cigarette poster hangs on a red wall, across a corner from a blue neon sign that reads Silvertone.
The wings are very good.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Silvertone is one of the coolest spaces in the city, period. It’s a space from a different time, and all the neon signage smacks of just that. It’s time to transition from the hard stuff to the less hard stuff, so order a cheap domestic lager or two — Silvertone has High Life in bottles and Narragansett in tall boy cans, each for the low, low price of $4. And if you’re still feeling a bit peckish, try the wings.

Silvertone

69 Bromfield St, Boston, MA 02108 617-338-7887 Visit Website

Yvonne's

3 Winter Pl., Boston, MA 02108 Visit Website

Shojo

9A Tyler Street, , MA 02111 (617) 482-8887 Visit Website

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Eater Boston newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter.