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Sunset view of a large brewery patio on green turf, with blue umbrellas above each table
Mighty Squirrel’s expansive Waltham patio is one of the area’s family-friendly brewery destinations
Mighty Squirrel/Official Site

Where to Find Family-Friendly Brewery Patios and Beer Gardens Around Boston

Even though the beer gets top billing, breweries can be surprisingly kid-friendly destinations

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Mighty Squirrel’s expansive Waltham patio is one of the area’s family-friendly brewery destinations
| Mighty Squirrel/Official Site

Given the main attraction at breweries — the beer — it may seem counterintuitive to think of them as family-friendly destinations, but quite a few local breweries do invite the whole family to stop by. Often featuring expansive patios, crowd-pleasing comfort food menus, entertainment, and casual, loud ambiences, breweries can be the perfect spot for families to catch up with each other over a beer for the adults and snacks and lawn games for the kids.

Here are some of the best outdoor, family-friendly breweries and beer gardens to visit around Boston this summer.

Note: While nearly all state-mandated COVID restrictions have ended as of mid-June, many venues still have their own guidelines in place regarding face coverings, social distancing, party sizes, etc. Some are continuing to pause features like dog-friendly policies and lawn and arcade games as well. Check with an individual brewery for updates.

This map was originally published on May 13, 2021; it is updated occasionally. The most recent update, on June 24, 2021, added Aeronaut Allston, Night Shift Assembly, and Bent Water Brewing at the Porch, and details on other breweries’ current COVID policies and offerings were also added or changed.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Lord Hobo Brewing Company

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Lord Hobo’s Woburn taproom considers itself a “family-friendly community establishment” — kids are welcome but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times and must be prevented from running, climbing on furniture, and blocking walkways. The food menu includes pizzas, sandwiches, poutine, and more. Reservations encouraged but not required, and dogs are not allowed at this time.

Lord Hobo is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout (food, beer, and merch).

Idle Hands Craft Ales

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Malden brewery Idle Hands welcomes children 12 and under with a parent or guardian; otherwise, it’s 21+. (Children who cannot sit on a lap throughout the visit should be included in the headcount for reservations.) The patio — which is also open to well-behaved, leashed dogs — is unheated and open only when weather permits. In addition to its lineup of beers, Idle Hands is serving grilled cheese and pretzels. No reservations; all areas of the taproom are first come, first served.

Idle Hands is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating (and there’s standing room, too), as well as beer and merch sales to go.

The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint

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Lynn’s Bent Water Brewing is popping up on weekends with a beer garden at the Porch in Medford. The dog-friendly, family-friendly beer garden features lawn games and free parking. Open noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, when weather permits.

Night Shift Brewing (Everett)

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Night Shift Brewing has outdoor seating at its two locations (the original in Everett and the newer one in Boston’s West End), plus three beer gardens — one along the Esplanade (between Berkeley and Clarendon streets), one at Herter Park in Allston, and a new one at Somerville’s Assembly Row. They’re all back to operating at 100% capacity. All locations welcome “children and small infants.” At the Everett location, reservations are accepted (although most of the space is saved for walk-ins), and the patio is dog-friendly. Snacks are available from a rotating schedule of food trucks. See details on other locations below.

Night Shift Everett is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as beer pickup.

Bone Up Brewing Company

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Bone Up Brewing Co., located steps from Night Shift, is open seven days a week and has seating indoors and outdoors (in a sizable parking lot beer garden). Children are welcome (but can’t sit at the bar), as are well-behaved dogs. Kids (or adults) can draw on the tabletops, which are chalkboards, and there’s a bucket of toys available. There’s a small snack selection available, and customers can bring their own food or order delivery.

Bone Up is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as in-store beer and merch pickup. (Merch can be shipped, too.)

An outdoor beer garden in a parking lot is embellished with picnic tables and umbrellas
Bone Up Brewing Co.’s beer garden
Bone Up Brewing Co./Official Site

Aeronaut Cannery (Everett)

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This newer Aeronaut location (see details on the original Somerville one below) recently added outdoor seating, and it’s family-friendly. There’s Venezuelan food available onsite from Carolicious. No reservations required. Aeronaut asks customers to wear masks when entering and moving around the taproom.

Aeronaut Everett is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating on Friday and Saturday.

Night Shift Brewing Owl’s Nest (Somerville location)

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Night Shift Brewing’s newest beer garden is at Somerville’s Assembly Row, located between Foley Street and Revolution Drive, adjacent to the Smoke Shop BBQ. Food purchase is required and available from the Smoke Shop; outside food is not permitted, nor are dogs. No reservations. Open daily.

Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.

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Located adjacent to a park, Mighty Squirrel is a good destination for a family outing. The huge beer garden seats over 300 — and more tables are being added soon, plus there’s patio space — and there’s plenty of food available, including rotating food trucks and an in-house menu of hot dogs, grilled cheese, meat pies, and more. Customers are also welcome to bring outside food. Dogs are allowed on the patio space but not in the beer garden (more dog policy details here). No reservations — all seating is first come, first served. Restrooms have changing tables.

Mighty Squirrel is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as beer (and canned coffee) to go.

An expansive brewery patio features green turf and lavender umbrellas over round white tables
The Mighty Squirrel beer garden
Mighty Squirrel/Official Site

Aeronaut Brewing Company (Somerville)

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Somerville brewery Aeronaut allows kids when accompanied by a parent or guardian, and they must be supervised at all times. There are Polar soft drinks available. Outdoor seating is available in the artsy, uncovered courtyard, and there’s Venezuelan food sold onsite by Carolicious. Customers can also bring their own food or arrange for delivery. No dogs. No reservations needed. The brewery is open Tuesday through Sunday (and Monday for to-go cans only).

Aeronaut’s Somerville location is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as to-go beer.

Remnant Brewing

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Remnant Brewing, located in Somerville’s Bow Market and open daily, allows kids all the time; note that there are no high chairs available. Dogs are also welcome outdoors. Two-hour table reservations are available for groups up to eight, but there’s walk-in space, too. Remnant also has cafe service daily until an hour before closing, and customers can bring in food from any of Bow Market’s other vendors, including Koshari Mama, Saus, Buenas, and more. Keep an eye on the events calendar for yoga, live music, and more, all in Remnant’s courtyard. Note that masks are still required indoors unless you are seated at your table.

Remnant is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating (and standing room), as well as to-go beer and merch. (Merch can also be shipped.)

The Anchor

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The Anchor in Charlestown is a multi-story outdoor space that functions as a beer and wine garden as well as a community gathering and event space; there’s always something going on, and the venue is very family-friendly. Food options include hot dogs, chowder, pulled pork sliders, fried mac and cheese bites, and more.

The Anchor is currently offering outdoor seating.

A two-story stone structure with a courtyard is full of people of all ages. There are tables with umbrellas, too.
The Anchor
The Anchor/Official Site

Lamplighter Brewing Co.

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Lamplighter’s family-friendly outdoor beer garden is open for the season, operating Tuesday through Sunday on a reservation-only basis (reserve here); as of August 15, reservations will no longer be required. The full menu from Pepita Coffee Co., Lamplighter’s in-house cafe, is available, with dishes such as breakfast and lunch sandwiches (including a substantial amount of vegan options), soups, salads, and more.

Lamplighter is currently open for indoor (walk-in only) and outdoor seating, and beer and merch are also available to-go. Beer can also be shipped.

Exterior shot of a brick-lined brewery with a beer garden set up on the sidewalk in front on a warm, sunny day
Lamplighter’s beer garden
Lamplighter Brewing Co. [Official Photo]

Night Shift Brewing (Lovejoy Wharf)

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Night Shift Brewing’s Lovejoy Wharf location in Boston’s West End, steps from TD Garden, welcomes all ages on Thursdays and Sundays, while Fridays after 5 p.m. and all day Saturdays are reserved for 21+, with the exception of infants and young children, who are always welcome (under supervision of a guardian). There’s food made onsite, including Detroit-style pizzas, sandwiches, and more, and there are non-alcoholic beverages available, including Spindrift seltzers. This location is not currently dog-friendly. Reservations encouraged but not required.

Night Shift Lovejoy is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout and delivery of food and beer.

Night Shift Brewing Owl's Nest (Allston location)

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At Night Shift’s Allston beer garden, located in Herter Park, there are a variety of beers, hard seltzers, wines, and other beverages available, as well as snacks from a rotating roster of food trucks. Outside food is also allowed. Unlike the Everett location (see above), this location is not currently dog-friendly. No reservations.

View of a tree-lined river on a sunny day with a blue sky and fluffy white clouds
The view from Night Shift’s Owl’s Nest beer garden in Allston’s Herter Park
Night Shift Brewing/Official Site

Cambridge Brewing Company

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This Kendall Square mainstay welcomes “well-behaved dogs and humans of all ages,” per brewmaster Will Meyers. It features a comfortable patio in the One Kendall Square complex, and there’s a full food menu of burgers, steak tips, beer-braised lamb shank, and more. Reserve a table here.

Cambridge Brewing Company is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout.

A brick-lined patio at a restaurant on a sunny day
Cambridge Brewing Company’s patio
Jennifer Trebino

Aeronaut Allston at Zone 3

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Aeronaut Brewing Company’s summer beer garden in Allston is back, offering beer, live music, and a rotation of food trucks on Wednesday through Saturday throughout the summer. Minors are welcome if accompanied by parents, and leashed dogs are welcome in the side yard area (not in the food truck area). You can bring your own snacks, too. No reservations.

Aeronaut Allston is currently offering outdoor seating and standing room.

Two performers stand on an outdoor stage at a beer garden in front of a large seated and standing audience of adults
Aeronaut Allston
Aeronaut Allston/Official Site

Trillium Garden on the Greenway

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Like all Trillium locations (see Fort Point and Fenway below; there’s also one in Canton, which is beyond the geographic scope of this map), the Trillium beer garden on the Greenway is kid-friendly. The seasonal beer garden, located in the heart of downtown Boston, features rotating food trucks. No reservations. No dogs permitted at this time.

Night Shift Brewing Owl's Nest (Esplanade location)

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Located along the Esplanade (between Berkeley and Clarendon streets), this Night Shift beer garden offers Charles River views; an assortment of beers, hard seltzers, wine, and other drinks; and food from Brato Brewhouse. Outside food is also permitted. Unlike the Everett location (see above), this location is not currently dog-friendly. No reservations.

People sit at wooden tables and chairs in a tree-lined park on a sunny summer day
Night Shift Brewing’s Owl’s Nest beer garden on the Esplanade
Night Shift Brewing/Official Site

Brato Brewhouse & Kitchen

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Brighton’s Brato Brewhouse & Kitchen welcomes children of all ages to its spacious patio, and its food menu — including sausages made in-house and an extensive selection of grilled cheeses — will make the whole family happy. Reserve a table online (encouraged but not required).

Brato is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout.

Trillium Brewing Company (Fort Point)

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Trillium’s massive Fort Point location is kid-friendly, like all its locations. The full-service restaurant and brewery has outdoor seating out front and on a roof deck, which is all first come, first served. (Reservations are available — but not required — indoors only.) Dogs are not allowed at this time.

Trillium Fort Point is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating as well as beer and merch pickup.

Harpoon Brewery

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Harpoon is featuring its new outdoor space this year — appropriately called Outdoors @ Harpoon — and anyone under 21 is allowed when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Non-alcoholic options include Polar seltzers and other Polar drinks, and there’s food as well — pretzels, Legal Sea Foods clam chowder, and Sicilian-style pizza. No reservations. The outdoor space is open Thursday through Sunday, weather-permitting, while the indoor beer hall is open daily.

Harpoon is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as to-go food and drinks.

Trillium Brewing Company (Fenway)

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Trillium’s Fenway location, which is next to the Time Out Market Boston food hall, includes a grassy outdoor space. Bring food over from any Time Out vendor (or your own food from elsewhere). No reservations. Dogs are not currently permitted.

Trillium Fenway is currently open for outdoor seating and to-go cans, bottles, and merch.

Dorchester Brewing Company

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Dorchester Brewing Company invites babies and kids to visit the taproom with parents or guardians; there are sodas and seltzers available, as well as games, and M&M BBQ is open onsite daily for food. (No outside food is permitted, and dogs are not allowed at this time.)

Dorchester Brewing Company is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout (beer and/or food).

Turtle Swamp Brewing (Jamaica Plain)

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At Turtle Swamp’s JP location, which is open seven days a week, children are welcome, but they must stay seated at the table — no running around or playing away from the table, even within the seating area. Grilled cheese, hot dogs, and paninis are available, and there are often food trucks onsite, too. No reservations for outdoor seating. No dogs are allowed.

Turtle Swamp JP is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating (and standing), as well as beer pickup and shipping within Massachusetts.

Distraction Brewing Co.

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Distraction Brewing, a recent addition to Roslindale, welcomes babies and kids; they’re required to remain seated at the table. In non-COVID times, the brewery provides books and games, but at the moment, it’s recommended to bring your own entertainment for your kids. Seating is first come, first served, and dogs are not currently allowed.

Distraction is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as beer takeout and delivery.

A narrow patio, with blue umbrella-bedecked tables, sits alongside a brick building that is painted with a large mural of elm trees. A sign at the front of the patio reads “beer patio.”
The beer patio at Distraction Brewing Co.
Distraction Brewing Co./Official Site

Turtle Swamp Beer Garden (Roslindale Substation)

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In addition to its JP location, Turtle Swamp (see above) also has an indoor and outdoor beer garden at the Roslindale Substation, currently only open on Fridays and Saturdays. Children are welcome, but they are required to remain seated at the reserved table. No reservations.

Turtle Swamp Roslindale is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating (and standing); those looking for pickup should order from the JP location.

Jack's Abby Craft Lagers

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Jack’s Abby can seat over 150 in its family-friendly beer garden and offers a full food menu of wood-fired pizzas and more. Reservations are recommended but not required.

Jack’s Abby is currently offering outdoor seating, takeout (food and beer), and delivery (food).

Exhibit 'A' Brewing Company

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Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company has a dog-friendly beer garden; children are permitted if accompanied by an adult (and must stay with them at all times). High chairs are available upon request. Rotating food vendors. The beer garden is currently open Thursday through Sunday.

Exhibit ‘A’ is currently offering outdoor seating (no standing room), as well as beer and merch pickup.

Lord Hobo Brewing Company

Lord Hobo’s Woburn taproom considers itself a “family-friendly community establishment” — kids are welcome but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times and must be prevented from running, climbing on furniture, and blocking walkways. The food menu includes pizzas, sandwiches, poutine, and more. Reservations encouraged but not required, and dogs are not allowed at this time.

Lord Hobo is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout (food, beer, and merch).

Idle Hands Craft Ales

Malden brewery Idle Hands welcomes children 12 and under with a parent or guardian; otherwise, it’s 21+. (Children who cannot sit on a lap throughout the visit should be included in the headcount for reservations.) The patio — which is also open to well-behaved, leashed dogs — is unheated and open only when weather permits. In addition to its lineup of beers, Idle Hands is serving grilled cheese and pretzels. No reservations; all areas of the taproom are first come, first served.

Idle Hands is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating (and there’s standing room, too), as well as beer and merch sales to go.

The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint

Lynn’s Bent Water Brewing is popping up on weekends with a beer garden at the Porch in Medford. The dog-friendly, family-friendly beer garden features lawn games and free parking. Open noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, when weather permits.

Night Shift Brewing (Everett)

Night Shift Brewing has outdoor seating at its two locations (the original in Everett and the newer one in Boston’s West End), plus three beer gardens — one along the Esplanade (between Berkeley and Clarendon streets), one at Herter Park in Allston, and a new one at Somerville’s Assembly Row. They’re all back to operating at 100% capacity. All locations welcome “children and small infants.” At the Everett location, reservations are accepted (although most of the space is saved for walk-ins), and the patio is dog-friendly. Snacks are available from a rotating schedule of food trucks. See details on other locations below.

Night Shift Everett is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as beer pickup.

Bone Up Brewing Company

Bone Up Brewing Co., located steps from Night Shift, is open seven days a week and has seating indoors and outdoors (in a sizable parking lot beer garden). Children are welcome (but can’t sit at the bar), as are well-behaved dogs. Kids (or adults) can draw on the tabletops, which are chalkboards, and there’s a bucket of toys available. There’s a small snack selection available, and customers can bring their own food or order delivery.

Bone Up is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as in-store beer and merch pickup. (Merch can be shipped, too.)

An outdoor beer garden in a parking lot is embellished with picnic tables and umbrellas
Bone Up Brewing Co.’s beer garden
Bone Up Brewing Co./Official Site

Aeronaut Cannery (Everett)

This newer Aeronaut location (see details on the original Somerville one below) recently added outdoor seating, and it’s family-friendly. There’s Venezuelan food available onsite from Carolicious. No reservations required. Aeronaut asks customers to wear masks when entering and moving around the taproom.

Aeronaut Everett is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating on Friday and Saturday.

Night Shift Brewing Owl’s Nest (Somerville location)

Night Shift Brewing’s newest beer garden is at Somerville’s Assembly Row, located between Foley Street and Revolution Drive, adjacent to the Smoke Shop BBQ. Food purchase is required and available from the Smoke Shop; outside food is not permitted, nor are dogs. No reservations. Open daily.

Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.

Located adjacent to a park, Mighty Squirrel is a good destination for a family outing. The huge beer garden seats over 300 — and more tables are being added soon, plus there’s patio space — and there’s plenty of food available, including rotating food trucks and an in-house menu of hot dogs, grilled cheese, meat pies, and more. Customers are also welcome to bring outside food. Dogs are allowed on the patio space but not in the beer garden (more dog policy details here). No reservations — all seating is first come, first served. Restrooms have changing tables.

Mighty Squirrel is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as beer (and canned coffee) to go.

An expansive brewery patio features green turf and lavender umbrellas over round white tables
The Mighty Squirrel beer garden
Mighty Squirrel/Official Site

Aeronaut Brewing Company (Somerville)

Somerville brewery Aeronaut allows kids when accompanied by a parent or guardian, and they must be supervised at all times. There are Polar soft drinks available. Outdoor seating is available in the artsy, uncovered courtyard, and there’s Venezuelan food sold onsite by Carolicious. Customers can also bring their own food or arrange for delivery. No dogs. No reservations needed. The brewery is open Tuesday through Sunday (and Monday for to-go cans only).

Aeronaut’s Somerville location is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as to-go beer.

Remnant Brewing

Remnant Brewing, located in Somerville’s Bow Market and open daily, allows kids all the time; note that there are no high chairs available. Dogs are also welcome outdoors. Two-hour table reservations are available for groups up to eight, but there’s walk-in space, too. Remnant also has cafe service daily until an hour before closing, and customers can bring in food from any of Bow Market’s other vendors, including Koshari Mama, Saus, Buenas, and more. Keep an eye on the events calendar for yoga, live music, and more, all in Remnant’s courtyard. Note that masks are still required indoors unless you are seated at your table.

Remnant is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating (and standing room), as well as to-go beer and merch. (Merch can also be shipped.)

The Anchor

The Anchor in Charlestown is a multi-story outdoor space that functions as a beer and wine garden as well as a community gathering and event space; there’s always something going on, and the venue is very family-friendly. Food options include hot dogs, chowder, pulled pork sliders, fried mac and cheese bites, and more.

The Anchor is currently offering outdoor seating.

A two-story stone structure with a courtyard is full of people of all ages. There are tables with umbrellas, too.
The Anchor
The Anchor/Official Site

Lamplighter Brewing Co.

Lamplighter’s family-friendly outdoor beer garden is open for the season, operating Tuesday through Sunday on a reservation-only basis (reserve here); as of August 15, reservations will no longer be required. The full menu from Pepita Coffee Co., Lamplighter’s in-house cafe, is available, with dishes such as breakfast and lunch sandwiches (including a substantial amount of vegan options), soups, salads, and more.

Lamplighter is currently open for indoor (walk-in only) and outdoor seating, and beer and merch are also available to-go. Beer can also be shipped.

Exterior shot of a brick-lined brewery with a beer garden set up on the sidewalk in front on a warm, sunny day
Lamplighter’s beer garden
Lamplighter Brewing Co. [Official Photo]

Night Shift Brewing (Lovejoy Wharf)

Night Shift Brewing’s Lovejoy Wharf location in Boston’s West End, steps from TD Garden, welcomes all ages on Thursdays and Sundays, while Fridays after 5 p.m. and all day Saturdays are reserved for 21+, with the exception of infants and young children, who are always welcome (under supervision of a guardian). There’s food made onsite, including Detroit-style pizzas, sandwiches, and more, and there are non-alcoholic beverages available, including Spindrift seltzers. This location is not currently dog-friendly. Reservations encouraged but not required.

Night Shift Lovejoy is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout and delivery of food and beer.

Night Shift Brewing Owl's Nest (Allston location)

At Night Shift’s Allston beer garden, located in Herter Park, there are a variety of beers, hard seltzers, wines, and other beverages available, as well as snacks from a rotating roster of food trucks. Outside food is also allowed. Unlike the Everett location (see above), this location is not currently dog-friendly. No reservations.

View of a tree-lined river on a sunny day with a blue sky and fluffy white clouds
The view from Night Shift’s Owl’s Nest beer garden in Allston’s Herter Park
Night Shift Brewing/Official Site

Cambridge Brewing Company

This Kendall Square mainstay welcomes “well-behaved dogs and humans of all ages,” per brewmaster Will Meyers. It features a comfortable patio in the One Kendall Square complex, and there’s a full food menu of burgers, steak tips, beer-braised lamb shank, and more. Reserve a table here.

Cambridge Brewing Company is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout.

A brick-lined patio at a restaurant on a sunny day
Cambridge Brewing Company’s patio
Jennifer Trebino

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Aeronaut Allston at Zone 3

Aeronaut Brewing Company’s summer beer garden in Allston is back, offering beer, live music, and a rotation of food trucks on Wednesday through Saturday throughout the summer. Minors are welcome if accompanied by parents, and leashed dogs are welcome in the side yard area (not in the food truck area). You can bring your own snacks, too. No reservations.

Aeronaut Allston is currently offering outdoor seating and standing room.

Two performers stand on an outdoor stage at a beer garden in front of a large seated and standing audience of adults
Aeronaut Allston
Aeronaut Allston/Official Site

Trillium Garden on the Greenway

Like all Trillium locations (see Fort Point and Fenway below; there’s also one in Canton, which is beyond the geographic scope of this map), the Trillium beer garden on the Greenway is kid-friendly. The seasonal beer garden, located in the heart of downtown Boston, features rotating food trucks. No reservations. No dogs permitted at this time.

Night Shift Brewing Owl's Nest (Esplanade location)

Located along the Esplanade (between Berkeley and Clarendon streets), this Night Shift beer garden offers Charles River views; an assortment of beers, hard seltzers, wine, and other drinks; and food from Brato Brewhouse. Outside food is also permitted. Unlike the Everett location (see above), this location is not currently dog-friendly. No reservations.

People sit at wooden tables and chairs in a tree-lined park on a sunny summer day
Night Shift Brewing’s Owl’s Nest beer garden on the Esplanade
Night Shift Brewing/Official Site

Brato Brewhouse & Kitchen

Brighton’s Brato Brewhouse & Kitchen welcomes children of all ages to its spacious patio, and its food menu — including sausages made in-house and an extensive selection of grilled cheeses — will make the whole family happy. Reserve a table online (encouraged but not required).

Brato is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout.

Trillium Brewing Company (Fort Point)

Trillium’s massive Fort Point location is kid-friendly, like all its locations. The full-service restaurant and brewery has outdoor seating out front and on a roof deck, which is all first come, first served. (Reservations are available — but not required — indoors only.) Dogs are not allowed at this time.

Trillium Fort Point is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating as well as beer and merch pickup.

Harpoon Brewery

Harpoon is featuring its new outdoor space this year — appropriately called Outdoors @ Harpoon — and anyone under 21 is allowed when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Non-alcoholic options include Polar seltzers and other Polar drinks, and there’s food as well — pretzels, Legal Sea Foods clam chowder, and Sicilian-style pizza. No reservations. The outdoor space is open Thursday through Sunday, weather-permitting, while the indoor beer hall is open daily.

Harpoon is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as to-go food and drinks.

Trillium Brewing Company (Fenway)

Trillium’s Fenway location, which is next to the Time Out Market Boston food hall, includes a grassy outdoor space. Bring food over from any Time Out vendor (or your own food from elsewhere). No reservations. Dogs are not currently permitted.

Trillium Fenway is currently open for outdoor seating and to-go cans, bottles, and merch.

Dorchester Brewing Company

Dorchester Brewing Company invites babies and kids to visit the taproom with parents or guardians; there are sodas and seltzers available, as well as games, and M&M BBQ is open onsite daily for food. (No outside food is permitted, and dogs are not allowed at this time.)

Dorchester Brewing Company is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as takeout (beer and/or food).

Turtle Swamp Brewing (Jamaica Plain)

At Turtle Swamp’s JP location, which is open seven days a week, children are welcome, but they must stay seated at the table — no running around or playing away from the table, even within the seating area. Grilled cheese, hot dogs, and paninis are available, and there are often food trucks onsite, too. No reservations for outdoor seating. No dogs are allowed.

Turtle Swamp JP is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating (and standing), as well as beer pickup and shipping within Massachusetts.

Distraction Brewing Co.

Distraction Brewing, a recent addition to Roslindale, welcomes babies and kids; they’re required to remain seated at the table. In non-COVID times, the brewery provides books and games, but at the moment, it’s recommended to bring your own entertainment for your kids. Seating is first come, first served, and dogs are not currently allowed.

Distraction is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as beer takeout and delivery.

A narrow patio, with blue umbrella-bedecked tables, sits alongside a brick building that is painted with a large mural of elm trees. A sign at the front of the patio reads “beer patio.”
The beer patio at Distraction Brewing Co.
Distraction Brewing Co./Official Site

Turtle Swamp Beer Garden (Roslindale Substation)

In addition to its JP location, Turtle Swamp (see above) also has an indoor and outdoor beer garden at the Roslindale Substation, currently only open on Fridays and Saturdays. Children are welcome, but they are required to remain seated at the reserved table. No reservations.

Turtle Swamp Roslindale is currently offering indoor and outdoor seating (and standing); those looking for pickup should order from the JP location.

Jack's Abby Craft Lagers

Jack’s Abby can seat over 150 in its family-friendly beer garden and offers a full food menu of wood-fired pizzas and more. Reservations are recommended but not required.

Jack’s Abby is currently offering outdoor seating, takeout (food and beer), and delivery (food).

Exhibit 'A' Brewing Company

Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company has a dog-friendly beer garden; children are permitted if accompanied by an adult (and must stay with them at all times). High chairs are available upon request. Rotating food vendors. The beer garden is currently open Thursday through Sunday.

Exhibit ‘A’ is currently offering outdoor seating (no standing room), as well as beer and merch pickup.

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