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Specialty bar glassware: a horse head with a pony head cozying up to it. A frozen cocktail and neon bendy straws are coming up out of the top. The glassware sits on a curved wooden bar with a brick wall in the background.
A drink from Brick and Mortar.
Emily Phares/Eater

17 of the Boston Area’s Essential Bars

Cocktail destinations, beer bars, wine bars, and more

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A drink from Brick and Mortar.
| Emily Phares/Eater

Boston loves booze. To describe the most essential bars in and around Boston, one must consider a variety of options; they all contribute to the city’s drinking scene in different but equally important ways. One person’s essential bar is the classic neighborhood hangout around the corner with the free popcorn, while another person ranks the world-class cocktail lounge with a line around the block as the best in town.

This map examines high-end cocktail destinations, cozy wine bars, and places to go back to.

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Spoke Wine Bar

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Time has flown since the new team took over Davis Square’s beloved little wine bar in 2017. Despite serving a seasonal menu that changes often, the delectable sunchoke doughnuts with leek powder gently dusted over, has remained as a mainstay. The beverage menu is stunning, featuring meticulously curated natural wines from all over the world and an extensive list of hard-to-find spirits to sip on. But before you order food, be sure to try one of the cleverly designed and beautifully executed cocktails that’ll surely ease you into the night.

Interior view of a small restaurant and bar. A wall made of horizontal wood slats is in the foreground on the left, and the angle of the photo peers toward the sunlit front window. There’s a long bar on the left and a row of high-top tables on the right.
Spoke Wine Bar.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Dear Annie

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Serving an extensive list of natural wines from small producers, Dear Annie is a collaboration between the people behind two Somerville establishments, Field and Vine and Rebel Rebel. Serving an extensive list of natural wine from small producers and pescatarian small plates, this wine bar has attracted national media attention after it was named one of the new best restaurants in America by the New York Times and Bon Appetit.

Rebel Rebel

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With a fight-ready name like Rebel Rebel, this tiny, feminist Somerville wine bar doesn’t shy away from activism, shouting its politics loud and clear. Friel and her team pay plenty of attention to the actual wine, too, which is all natural and often small-batch, hard-to-find, or otherwise interesting. Grab a snack from any Bow Market food vendor (or a whole pizza) and sidle up to the Rebel Rebel bar to pair it with wine and rage against the patriarchy. Or head upstairs to its sibling Wild Child, a bookstore featuring rare-to-find cookbooks and food zines, as well as weekly wine classes.

Shelves of wine bottles and a chalkboard menu inside a wine bar.
Rebel Rebel.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Backbar

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In the heart of Union Square, down a hallway accessed from a driveway that leads into a back parking lot, Somerville’s hidden piece of cocktail heaven awaits. The supremely cozy-yet-trendy Backbar follows in Drink’s footsteps with bartenders ready to stir up a drink based on the drinker’s whim, but there’s also an ever-changing menu full of much to explore — not to mention the drink specials of the day and week, including a rotating milk punch. Occasionally, the main bar space will open up for Nerdboi pop-up, where bartenders showcase the riskiest and most innovative drinks they’ve been working on, with an ever-changing theme from anime to sitcom Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  

A unique piece of bar glassware — a bluejay, with the head off to the side and a straw coming out of the body. Light wooden shelves of bottles are visible in the background.
Glassware at Backbar.
Emily Phares/Eater

Trina's Starlite Lounge

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Hot dogs, cocktails, and joy. This Inman Square joint has been serving a perpetually delicious and approachable cocktail list for over a decade with drinks such as the Starlite cocktail (white rum, Parfait Amour, lemon, and bubbles) and the Fallen Angel (a spicy mango margarita with a barbecue dusted rim), along with a variety of craft beers. (Although some days just call for a big bucket of High Lifes.) Plus, the longstanding Monday brunch (also served on Sundays these days) is a good opportunity for day-drinking; there are options such as the Adirondack (butter-infused bourbon and maple syrup with optional chocolate-covered bacon).

A neighborhood bar with black and turquoise accents and various pieces of vintage signage.
Trina’s Starlite Lounge.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Wusong Road Tiki Bar

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One of the newer additions to Harvard Square’s bar scene, Wusong Road bar and restaurant serving Chinese American meals ranging from classics such as General Tso’s Chicken to innovative dishes like baos shaped like cartoonish chicken. Its lush interior decor and cocktail menu emanate strong tiki vibes, with classic rum-centered cocktails taking the spotlight.

State Park

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State Park juxtaposes a dive bar vibe with excellent food, drink, and activities (shuffle board, pool, etc.) Several cocktails are available in two pitcher sizes (Pimm’s Cups for everyone), and there are also a number of shot-and-a-beer combos available. 

A red-lit booth in a dark bar. A large neon Budweiser sign is on the wall behind it.
State Park.
State Park/Instagram

Brick & Mortar

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Located up above sister spot Central Kitchen in Cambridge’s Central Square, Brick & Mortar serves incredible cocktails in a dark, loud bar that tends to get crowded with industry and non-industry drinkers. Grab a seat, settle in, and order a burger — all worries will melt away. Keep an eye out for interesting glassware: VIPs may get to drink out of the special horse head mug, Ponies in the Surf.

Specialty bar glassware: a horse head with a pony head cozying up to it. A frozen cocktail and neon bendy straws are coming up out of the top. The glassware sits on a curved wooden bar with a brick wall in the background.
Ponies in the Surf glassware at Brick & Mortar.
Emily Phares/Eater

Haley.Henry

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This intimate, convivial Downtown Crossing wine bar makes a lot out of a little bit of space. The tiny kitchen doesn’t allow for much cooking, so the focus is on fancy imported tinned seafood. (But the few items that are cooked are excellent.) The other star is the wine — finds from around the world, especially natural wines and wines from small producers. There are lots of half-bottles available, so the tasting possibilities are endless.

The interior of an intimate wine bar that has a bit of a nautical vibe.
Haley.Henry.
Brian Samuels

Yvonne's

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This swanky spot transformed the historic Locke-Ober space into a speakeasy of sorts; the entrance is through a hair salon, and the interior is dark and opulent, with showy pieces of artwork, lots of lounge-like seating, and a general vibe of exclusivity. The cocktail list is compelling, featuring a mix of classics and originals. 

Interior shot of a swanky bar with dark wood, a muted color palette, and crystal chandeliers.
Yvonne’s.
Eric Levin

A cocktail destination with plenty of beyond-Boston acclaim, Drink appeared in Fort Point in 2008, one of the driving forces behind the neighborhood’s evolution. This subterranean bar is part of Barbara Lynch’s empire. Drink’s schtick is the lack of a drink list; customers discuss likes, dislikes, and their mood with their bartender, and voila, the perfect drink appears. It’s best to show up right at opening, ideally in the middle of the week, to avoid long lines and to be able to have more in-depth conversations with the bartenders. There’s food, too, including one of Boston’s essential burgers that at one time was a “secret.”

Interior shot of a sunlit garden-level bar with brick walls, silver metal stools, and a light wooden square-shaped bar.
Drink.
Cal Bingham/Eater

Taberna de Haro and Straight Law

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This Brookline tapas restaurant, which opened in 1998, is known for its extensive and award-winning wine list, which exclusively features Spanish wines, including a huge selection of sherries. “Owner Deborah Hansen spent eight years living in Spain, cultivating her passion for the food and, perhaps more importantly, the wine. In 2014, Drink alums Will Thompson and Sean Sullivan helped give Taberna de Haro’s bar a bit of a rebirth, dubbing it Straight Law — named for a sherry-and-gin cocktail — and focusing on sherry- and gin-based cocktails.

A clear martini sits in an elegant small glass with a citrus peel.
The Straight Law cocktail at Straight Law.
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

This high-energy izakaya comes from the team behind opulent sushi palace O Ya, but the two venues have vastly different vibes. Hojoko is boisterous and cheerful, with staffers in music t-shirts and the walls covered with pop culture knick-knacks. There’s an extensive sake list, including both cups and bottles, not to mention several varieties of sake bombs. The cocktail selection ranges from frozen pina coladas to mai tais, not to mention large-format punches meant for four. Sit poolside if weather permits.

A colorful Japanese-inspired mural leads to the door of a restaurant with wooden signage reading “Hojoko.” There’s some greenery around the exterior.
Hojoko.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Fool's Errand

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With the energetic vibes of a Spanish tapas bar or a Venetian cicchetti-filled bacaro, Fool’s Errand from Tiffani Faison is a standing-room-only “adult snack bar” with pretty cocktails and small plates to match. It’s perfectly designed to be one of several stops in your evening.

Closeup shot of a pink cocktail with a foamy top, garnished with pink and purple flowers.
Painted Ladies cocktail at Fool’s Errand.
Emily Kan

Wally's Cafe

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The only remaining jazz club of a bygone era in Boston, Wally’s has been around since the 1940s (located across the street from its current location until 1979). This cozy little bar is filled with live music every night of the year (including a jam session from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every single night), showcasing students as well as professionals. The beer’s pretty cheap, and the mixed drinks are no-frills.

A plastic-covered cocktail menu, a small bottle of Crane Lake Brut, and a pint glass filled with a pink cocktail sit on a table.
No-frills cocktails complement the live music at Wally’s.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Blossom Bar

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Ran Duan and his team have won a lot of cocktail awards over the past few years. Blossom Bar is a gem for those closer to Brookline, pairing intricate, tropical cocktails with fiery Sichuan food and some American-Chinese classics. Coming up next, another bar: Birds of Paradise, an aviation-themed bar nestled inside the Speedway complex Brighton. 

A boozy dole whip sits in a Blossom Bar branded glass, with a pineapple in the background.
Boozy Dole whip at Blossom Bar.
Blossom Bar

The Haven

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Boston’s “Scottish headquarters” spent its first few years of existence without a full liquor license, making things work well enough with an outstanding selection of almost exclusively Scottish beers and ciders — but one thing was missing. Whisky. The Haven has since acquired its full license and is now showcasing whisky from all over Scotland. The bar and restaurant also serves Scottish food — including haggis — and hosts numerous events, including live music, game watches, and tastings.

Interior of the Haven, a Scottish restaurant in Boston’s Jamaica Plain, featuring an antler chandelier and simple tables and chairs.
The Haven
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Spoke Wine Bar

Time has flown since the new team took over Davis Square’s beloved little wine bar in 2017. Despite serving a seasonal menu that changes often, the delectable sunchoke doughnuts with leek powder gently dusted over, has remained as a mainstay. The beverage menu is stunning, featuring meticulously curated natural wines from all over the world and an extensive list of hard-to-find spirits to sip on. But before you order food, be sure to try one of the cleverly designed and beautifully executed cocktails that’ll surely ease you into the night.

Interior view of a small restaurant and bar. A wall made of horizontal wood slats is in the foreground on the left, and the angle of the photo peers toward the sunlit front window. There’s a long bar on the left and a row of high-top tables on the right.
Spoke Wine Bar.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Dear Annie

Serving an extensive list of natural wines from small producers, Dear Annie is a collaboration between the people behind two Somerville establishments, Field and Vine and Rebel Rebel. Serving an extensive list of natural wine from small producers and pescatarian small plates, this wine bar has attracted national media attention after it was named one of the new best restaurants in America by the New York Times and Bon Appetit.

Rebel Rebel

With a fight-ready name like Rebel Rebel, this tiny, feminist Somerville wine bar doesn’t shy away from activism, shouting its politics loud and clear. Friel and her team pay plenty of attention to the actual wine, too, which is all natural and often small-batch, hard-to-find, or otherwise interesting. Grab a snack from any Bow Market food vendor (or a whole pizza) and sidle up to the Rebel Rebel bar to pair it with wine and rage against the patriarchy. Or head upstairs to its sibling Wild Child, a bookstore featuring rare-to-find cookbooks and food zines, as well as weekly wine classes.

Shelves of wine bottles and a chalkboard menu inside a wine bar.
Rebel Rebel.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Backbar

In the heart of Union Square, down a hallway accessed from a driveway that leads into a back parking lot, Somerville’s hidden piece of cocktail heaven awaits. The supremely cozy-yet-trendy Backbar follows in Drink’s footsteps with bartenders ready to stir up a drink based on the drinker’s whim, but there’s also an ever-changing menu full of much to explore — not to mention the drink specials of the day and week, including a rotating milk punch. Occasionally, the main bar space will open up for Nerdboi pop-up, where bartenders showcase the riskiest and most innovative drinks they’ve been working on, with an ever-changing theme from anime to sitcom Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  

A unique piece of bar glassware — a bluejay, with the head off to the side and a straw coming out of the body. Light wooden shelves of bottles are visible in the background.
Glassware at Backbar.
Emily Phares/Eater

Trina's Starlite Lounge

Hot dogs, cocktails, and joy. This Inman Square joint has been serving a perpetually delicious and approachable cocktail list for over a decade with drinks such as the Starlite cocktail (white rum, Parfait Amour, lemon, and bubbles) and the Fallen Angel (a spicy mango margarita with a barbecue dusted rim), along with a variety of craft beers. (Although some days just call for a big bucket of High Lifes.) Plus, the longstanding Monday brunch (also served on Sundays these days) is a good opportunity for day-drinking; there are options such as the Adirondack (butter-infused bourbon and maple syrup with optional chocolate-covered bacon).

A neighborhood bar with black and turquoise accents and various pieces of vintage signage.
Trina’s Starlite Lounge.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Wusong Road Tiki Bar

One of the newer additions to Harvard Square’s bar scene, Wusong Road bar and restaurant serving Chinese American meals ranging from classics such as General Tso’s Chicken to innovative dishes like baos shaped like cartoonish chicken. Its lush interior decor and cocktail menu emanate strong tiki vibes, with classic rum-centered cocktails taking the spotlight.

State Park

State Park juxtaposes a dive bar vibe with excellent food, drink, and activities (shuffle board, pool, etc.) Several cocktails are available in two pitcher sizes (Pimm’s Cups for everyone), and there are also a number of shot-and-a-beer combos available. 

A red-lit booth in a dark bar. A large neon Budweiser sign is on the wall behind it.
State Park.
State Park/Instagram

Brick & Mortar

Located up above sister spot Central Kitchen in Cambridge’s Central Square, Brick & Mortar serves incredible cocktails in a dark, loud bar that tends to get crowded with industry and non-industry drinkers. Grab a seat, settle in, and order a burger — all worries will melt away. Keep an eye out for interesting glassware: VIPs may get to drink out of the special horse head mug, Ponies in the Surf.

Specialty bar glassware: a horse head with a pony head cozying up to it. A frozen cocktail and neon bendy straws are coming up out of the top. The glassware sits on a curved wooden bar with a brick wall in the background.
Ponies in the Surf glassware at Brick & Mortar.
Emily Phares/Eater

Haley.Henry

This intimate, convivial Downtown Crossing wine bar makes a lot out of a little bit of space. The tiny kitchen doesn’t allow for much cooking, so the focus is on fancy imported tinned seafood. (But the few items that are cooked are excellent.) The other star is the wine — finds from around the world, especially natural wines and wines from small producers. There are lots of half-bottles available, so the tasting possibilities are endless.

The interior of an intimate wine bar that has a bit of a nautical vibe.
Haley.Henry.
Brian Samuels

Yvonne's

This swanky spot transformed the historic Locke-Ober space into a speakeasy of sorts; the entrance is through a hair salon, and the interior is dark and opulent, with showy pieces of artwork, lots of lounge-like seating, and a general vibe of exclusivity. The cocktail list is compelling, featuring a mix of classics and originals. 

Interior shot of a swanky bar with dark wood, a muted color palette, and crystal chandeliers.
Yvonne’s.
Eric Levin

Drink

A cocktail destination with plenty of beyond-Boston acclaim, Drink appeared in Fort Point in 2008, one of the driving forces behind the neighborhood’s evolution. This subterranean bar is part of Barbara Lynch’s empire. Drink’s schtick is the lack of a drink list; customers discuss likes, dislikes, and their mood with their bartender, and voila, the perfect drink appears. It’s best to show up right at opening, ideally in the middle of the week, to avoid long lines and to be able to have more in-depth conversations with the bartenders. There’s food, too, including one of Boston’s essential burgers that at one time was a “secret.”

Interior shot of a sunlit garden-level bar with brick walls, silver metal stools, and a light wooden square-shaped bar.
Drink.
Cal Bingham/Eater

Taberna de Haro and Straight Law

This Brookline tapas restaurant, which opened in 1998, is known for its extensive and award-winning wine list, which exclusively features Spanish wines, including a huge selection of sherries. “Owner Deborah Hansen spent eight years living in Spain, cultivating her passion for the food and, perhaps more importantly, the wine. In 2014, Drink alums Will Thompson and Sean Sullivan helped give Taberna de Haro’s bar a bit of a rebirth, dubbing it Straight Law — named for a sherry-and-gin cocktail — and focusing on sherry- and gin-based cocktails.

A clear martini sits in an elegant small glass with a citrus peel.
The Straight Law cocktail at Straight Law.
Katie Stryjewski/Eater

Hojoko

This high-energy izakaya comes from the team behind opulent sushi palace O Ya, but the two venues have vastly different vibes. Hojoko is boisterous and cheerful, with staffers in music t-shirts and the walls covered with pop culture knick-knacks. There’s an extensive sake list, including both cups and bottles, not to mention several varieties of sake bombs. The cocktail selection ranges from frozen pina coladas to mai tais, not to mention large-format punches meant for four. Sit poolside if weather permits.

A colorful Japanese-inspired mural leads to the door of a restaurant with wooden signage reading “Hojoko.” There’s some greenery around the exterior.
Hojoko.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Fool's Errand

With the energetic vibes of a Spanish tapas bar or a Venetian cicchetti-filled bacaro, Fool’s Errand from Tiffani Faison is a standing-room-only “adult snack bar” with pretty cocktails and small plates to match. It’s perfectly designed to be one of several stops in your evening.

Closeup shot of a pink cocktail with a foamy top, garnished with pink and purple flowers.
Painted Ladies cocktail at Fool’s Errand.
Emily Kan

Wally's Cafe

The only remaining jazz club of a bygone era in Boston, Wally’s has been around since the 1940s (located across the street from its current location until 1979). This cozy little bar is filled with live music every night of the year (including a jam session from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every single night), showcasing students as well as professionals. The beer’s pretty cheap, and the mixed drinks are no-frills.

A plastic-covered cocktail menu, a small bottle of Crane Lake Brut, and a pint glass filled with a pink cocktail sit on a table.
No-frills cocktails complement the live music at Wally’s.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Related Maps

Blossom Bar

Ran Duan and his team have won a lot of cocktail awards over the past few years. Blossom Bar is a gem for those closer to Brookline, pairing intricate, tropical cocktails with fiery Sichuan food and some American-Chinese classics. Coming up next, another bar: Birds of Paradise, an aviation-themed bar nestled inside the Speedway complex Brighton. 

A boozy dole whip sits in a Blossom Bar branded glass, with a pineapple in the background.
Boozy Dole whip at Blossom Bar.
Blossom Bar

The Haven

Boston’s “Scottish headquarters” spent its first few years of existence without a full liquor license, making things work well enough with an outstanding selection of almost exclusively Scottish beers and ciders — but one thing was missing. Whisky. The Haven has since acquired its full license and is now showcasing whisky from all over Scotland. The bar and restaurant also serves Scottish food — including haggis — and hosts numerous events, including live music, game watches, and tastings.

Interior of the Haven, a Scottish restaurant in Boston’s Jamaica Plain, featuring an antler chandelier and simple tables and chairs.
The Haven
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Related Maps