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Exterior of a bar, with the name Great Scott written on the awning. The photo is black and white. — Allston, rock city

Visit These Boston Bars and Restaurants for Cheap Live Music

From jazz to punk to mariachi, the city offers something for every musical taste

by Terrence Doyle Aug 16, 2018, 10:20am EDT

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Allston, rock city

| Great Scott/Facebook

by Terrence Doyle Aug 16, 2018, 10:20am EDT

Drinking is great, but drinking while listening to live music is better. Boston may not be Nashville or New Orleans or New York City, but it’s still got plenty of bars, restaurants, and clubs hosting live music several nights a week.

Whether you’re looking to sip on a fancy gin drink while seated at a dimly lit jazz club or hoping to bounce the night away to some jagged, frenetic grime beat while ripping through can after can of cheap domestic lager, Boston’s live music scene can accommodate you.

Here are some of the best spots for live music Boston and its surrounding suburbs have to offer. (Note: This map focuses on smaller venues that offer music for free or relatively cheap cover charges. Larger venues with ticketed shows are not included.)

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The Burren

Head to the Burren for a Guinness, and you’re bound to hear anything from swing jazz to traditional Irish music. The music in the front room is free, while the music in the back room is ticketed. It’s rare that there’s not live music playing in one of the two rooms. On the other side of the river? The Burren team opened another venue, the Bebop, near Berklee in mid-2017.

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247 Elm St, Somerville, MA 02144

Visit Website

The Burren — The Burren is one of the area’s great Irish pubs

Also featured in:

Boston’s Most Essential Irish Pubs

Toad

Toad is an intimate venue with an impossibly small stage. It’s a good spot to see rock and Americana bands. There’s music every night of the week (and a small menu of burgers, too, “until it’s logistically impossible,”) and there’s never a cover.

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1912 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Visit Website

toad cambridge — There’s never a cover at Toad

Lizard Lounge

The musical stylings that can be heard in the Lizard Lounge are all over the map. Hip hop? Check. Jazz. Yup. Jam bands? You got it. Balkan folk music? Why, yes. Also, order the tots.

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1667 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138

Visit Website

Lizard Lounge tater tots — The tots are never a mistake at Lizard Lounge

Bull McCabe's

Bull McCabe’s is, thank the heavens, still open and still putting on live music shows. This is more than just a bar to go to to listen to Irish music on St. Patrick’s Day — but by all means go there on St. Patrick’s Day because the corned beef sandwich is the truth.

366 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA 02143

Visit Website

bull mccabe’s — One of the best spots for live music in all of Greater Boston

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El Potro Mexican Bar & Grill

The food and the margaritas are worth a trip to Union Square, but the best part about El Potro is the mariachi band.

61 Union Square, Somerville, MA 02143

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el potro — El Potro’s Mariachi band

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Beat Brasserie

Hear jazz, blues, rock, soul, reggae, and everything in between at this Harvard brasserie (formerly known as the Beat Hotel), which is the brainchild of the folks behind the Beehive in the South End. Go with a cocktail here. The list is constantly changing according to seasonal ingredients.

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13 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138

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Beat Hotel

The Plough and Stars

There’s live music seven nights a week at this Irish pub, including a weekly Wednesday night blues jam, and the food is solid.

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912 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

Plough and Stars — A Central Square legend

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The Cantab Lounge

Stay upstairs at the Cantab and check out the bluegrass scene on Tuesdays and the funk on Thursdays.

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738 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

A band with saxophone, trumpet, bass, guitar, and more plays in a small, casual bar. A couple dances in front of them. — The Chicken Slacks plays on Thursdays at the Cantab

The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub

Events in the Middle East Downstairs venue can get expensive, but music lovers can catch shows on the Corner, in Zuzu, and Upstairs on the cheap. Tallboys are also cheap. Order the hummus and some grape leaves.

Open in Google Maps

472-480 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

The Middle East

Middlesex Lounge

To the haters who think electronic music and DJ music aren’t live music: Get over yourselves; they are. Middlesex is one of the best spots in Greater Boston to catch a DJ set, and it has also been known to host punk shows. Get there before 9 p.m. to avoid a $10 cover.

315 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

middlesex lounge — One of Greater Boston’s best spots for electronic music

Also featured in:

40 Things You Should Eat Today

O'Briens Pub

O’Brien’s is one of the last good venues for punk and metal in the city. (The Cambridge Elks Lodge — AKA the Hardcore Stadium — didn’t qualify for this list because it’s not regularly hosting shows. But it’s definitely worth catching a show there if moshing and getting punched in the face is your thing.) The beer is cheap, and the cover is usually less than $10. And there are so many sad boys screaming about being sad.

3 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

Visit Website

o’brien’s allston — O’Brien’s

Lucky's Lounge

Lucky’s was cool before people started thinking Fort Point was cool. There’s no cover, and there’s live music every night of the week.

355 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210

Visit Website

lucky’s lounge fort point — Cool before its time

Also featured in:

Great Scott

Like O’Brien’s, Great Scott is holding down the punk rock fort in Boston. Covers rarely rise higher than $12 (it happens when legends like Kim Gordon play here, but hardly ever otherwise), and the High Lifes are $4.

1222 Commonwealth Avenue, Allston, MA 02134

Visit Website

Exterior of a bar, with the name Great Scott written on the awning. The photo is black and white. — A good spot for punk rock in Allston

The Beehive

Few better spots for jazz and blues in Boston. The drinks at the Beehive are also exceptional, and the decor conjures jazz clubs from the first half of the 20th century.

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541 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

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The Beehive — Intimate and chic

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Wally's Cafe Jazz Club

It’s hard to say anything about Wally’s that hasn’t been said before. It’s been in operation since 1947, and it’s hosted the likes of Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday. Today, students from Berklee College of Music ply their trade on the historic stage. It’s Boston’s most iconic and most important live music venue.

Open in Google Maps

427 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

Wally’s Cafe — The bar is simple; the jazz is less so

Also featured in:

17 of the Boston Area’s Essential Bars

Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen

Owned by Darryl Settles — who also founded the Beantown Jazz Festival in 2001 (now run by Berklee College of Music) — this South End favorite is the spot for soul food and live jazz.

604 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen — Get the shrimp and grits

Also featured in:

Slade’s Bar & Grill

Slade’s was sold to an investment group in 2015 (which included, among others, the aforementioned Darryl Settles), but all that changed were some improvements to the space’s interiors. Catch live music, DJ sets, or comedy on most nights.

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958 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120

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Slade’s Bar & Grill — A good spot for soul food and various forms of live music and comedy

Also featured in:

Capo

Catch the Sinatra show in Capo’s downstairs Supper Club every Sunday night (yes, this is real), or head there on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday for rotating musical acts.

443 W Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127

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Capo’s Supper Club

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The Haven

Eat some haggis, drink some Belhaven (and some Scotch), and listen to some bagpipes at the Haven. Over a decade ago, pre-Haven, owner Jason Waddleton was the music booker at Matt Murphy’s, turning it into a hotspot for jazz and more. At the Haven, he hosts regular open mic nights and also brings in Scottish music, folk, Americana, and more.

2 Perkins St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

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Interior view of bar seating in a tavern, featuring lots of wood and Scottish-themed decor. — The Haven

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The Burren

247 Elm St, Somerville, MA 02144

Head to the Burren for a Guinness, and you’re bound to hear anything from swing jazz to traditional Irish music. The music in the front room is free, while the music in the back room is ticketed. It’s rare that there’s not live music playing in one of the two rooms. On the other side of the river? The Burren team opened another venue, the Bebop, near Berklee in mid-2017.

Open in Google Maps

247 Elm St, Somerville, MA 02144

Visit Website

The Burren — The Burren is one of the area’s great Irish pubs

Toad

1912 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Toad is an intimate venue with an impossibly small stage. It’s a good spot to see rock and Americana bands. There’s music every night of the week (and a small menu of burgers, too, “until it’s logistically impossible,”) and there’s never a cover.

Open in Google Maps

1912 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Visit Website

toad cambridge — There’s never a cover at Toad

Lizard Lounge

1667 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138

The musical stylings that can be heard in the Lizard Lounge are all over the map. Hip hop? Check. Jazz. Yup. Jam bands? You got it. Balkan folk music? Why, yes. Also, order the tots.

Open in Google Maps

1667 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138

Visit Website

Lizard Lounge tater tots — The tots are never a mistake at Lizard Lounge

Bull McCabe's

366 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA 02143

Bull McCabe’s is, thank the heavens, still open and still putting on live music shows. This is more than just a bar to go to to listen to Irish music on St. Patrick’s Day — but by all means go there on St. Patrick’s Day because the corned beef sandwich is the truth.

366 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA 02143

Visit Website

bull mccabe’s — One of the best spots for live music in all of Greater Boston

El Potro Mexican Bar & Grill

61 Union Square, Somerville, MA 02143

The food and the margaritas are worth a trip to Union Square, but the best part about El Potro is the mariachi band.

61 Union Square, Somerville, MA 02143

Visit Website

el potro — El Potro’s Mariachi band

Beat Brasserie

13 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Hear jazz, blues, rock, soul, reggae, and everything in between at this Harvard brasserie (formerly known as the Beat Hotel), which is the brainchild of the folks behind the Beehive in the South End. Go with a cocktail here. The list is constantly changing according to seasonal ingredients.

Open in Google Maps

13 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Visit Website

Beat Hotel

The Plough and Stars

912 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

There’s live music seven nights a week at this Irish pub, including a weekly Wednesday night blues jam, and the food is solid.

Open in Google Maps

912 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

Plough and Stars — A Central Square legend

The Cantab Lounge

738 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Stay upstairs at the Cantab and check out the bluegrass scene on Tuesdays and the funk on Thursdays.

Open in Google Maps

738 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

A band with saxophone, trumpet, bass, guitar, and more plays in a small, casual bar. A couple dances in front of them. — The Chicken Slacks plays on Thursdays at the Cantab

The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub

472-480 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Events in the Middle East Downstairs venue can get expensive, but music lovers can catch shows on the Corner, in Zuzu, and Upstairs on the cheap. Tallboys are also cheap. Order the hummus and some grape leaves.

Open in Google Maps

472-480 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

The Middle East

Middlesex Lounge

315 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

To the haters who think electronic music and DJ music aren’t live music: Get over yourselves; they are. Middlesex is one of the best spots in Greater Boston to catch a DJ set, and it has also been known to host punk shows. Get there before 9 p.m. to avoid a $10 cover.

315 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

middlesex lounge — One of Greater Boston’s best spots for electronic music

O'Briens Pub

3 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

O’Brien’s is one of the last good venues for punk and metal in the city. (The Cambridge Elks Lodge — AKA the Hardcore Stadium — didn’t qualify for this list because it’s not regularly hosting shows. But it’s definitely worth catching a show there if moshing and getting punched in the face is your thing.) The beer is cheap, and the cover is usually less than $10. And there are so many sad boys screaming about being sad.

3 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

Visit Website

o’brien’s allston — O’Brien’s

Lucky's Lounge

355 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210

Lucky’s was cool before people started thinking Fort Point was cool. There’s no cover, and there’s live music every night of the week.

355 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210

Visit Website

lucky’s lounge fort point — Cool before its time

Great Scott

1222 Commonwealth Avenue, Allston, MA 02134

Like O’Brien’s, Great Scott is holding down the punk rock fort in Boston. Covers rarely rise higher than $12 (it happens when legends like Kim Gordon play here, but hardly ever otherwise), and the High Lifes are $4.

1222 Commonwealth Avenue, Allston, MA 02134

Visit Website

Exterior of a bar, with the name Great Scott written on the awning. The photo is black and white. — A good spot for punk rock in Allston

The Beehive

541 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

Few better spots for jazz and blues in Boston. The drinks at the Beehive are also exceptional, and the decor conjures jazz clubs from the first half of the 20th century.

Open in Google Maps

541 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

Visit Website

The Beehive — Intimate and chic

Wally's Cafe Jazz Club

427 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02118

It’s hard to say anything about Wally’s that hasn’t been said before. It’s been in operation since 1947, and it’s hosted the likes of Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday. Today, students from Berklee College of Music ply their trade on the historic stage. It’s Boston’s most iconic and most important live music venue.

Open in Google Maps

427 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

Wally’s Cafe — The bar is simple; the jazz is less so

Related Maps

Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen

604 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Owned by Darryl Settles — who also founded the Beantown Jazz Festival in 2001 (now run by Berklee College of Music) — this South End favorite is the spot for soul food and live jazz.

604 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen — Get the shrimp and grits

Slade’s Bar & Grill

958 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120

Slade’s was sold to an investment group in 2015 (which included, among others, the aforementioned Darryl Settles), but all that changed were some improvements to the space’s interiors. Catch live music, DJ sets, or comedy on most nights.

Open in Google Maps

958 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120

Visit Website