10 Boston Bars Every Bro Should Check Out

Bars. What more can you say? They’re a bro’s natural habitat. It’s where we drink with our friends, watch sports, get in drink-spillage related arguments, and try to meet girls until we eventually find a wife. Believe it or not, bars are probably one of the most important things in our early twenty-something social lives.

Enter Boston, MA – one of the oldest and booziest cities in the nation. As the Founding Fathers intended, it also happens to be home to a shit-ton of bars. The city basically had no choice since there are so many damn colleges around here.

Our friends at Cabo Diablo challenged us to rank the most bro bars in Beantown. But before we reveal our list, we want to see your troublemaking ways on full display. So send in your photos or videos via the hashtag #DiabloMadeMeDoIt on Twitter and Instagram. You’ll be entered for a chance to win a trip and VIP experience at our epic Halloween Bash, hosted by Cabo Diablo and BroBible. The Halloween Bro-down is going to be poppin off at West 5 in Hoboken, New Jersey and sure to be a night you will never forget. Details below:

When the people of Boston aren’t arguing sports, complaining about how much they hate New York, or inventing Facebook, they like to drink. Where, you ask? Probably at one of the ten biggest Bro bars in Beantown:

Beacon Hill Pub 

By all accounts, this place should be considered a dive bar. Cash only, the music is supplied through a jukebox, and Big Buck Hunter and Hoop Fever reign supreme in the back of the bar. It has all of the familiar symptoms related to a dive bar, except it’s not. The place is filled to the brim with twenty-somethings on Thursday-Saturday night and never feels like it’s trying to be something pretentious. You have to respect it for that.

Pro Tip: Don’t get too consumed in the competition that is Hoop Fever. Keep you eyes on the prize and those valuable dollars in your pocket.

Tia’s on the Water 

Arguably the best summer bar in the city. Thursdays at Tias are essentially an event. For some reason, just about everyone there is intimidatingly attractive. Plus, once you have a couple of drinks, you can actually appreciate the excellent view of Christopher Columbus Park and the Harbor from the outdoor patio. A Boston summer staple.

Pro Tip: If you’re talking to a girl and run out of shit to say, just go with “wow, look at that view” – the place spits game for you.



Clerys


This place gives you options. You can come for chill, post-work drinks. You can stop by in the middle of the week for trivia. You can even come on a Saturday night and lose your soul. If you enjoy places that let you pick your poison, Clerys is an excellent option.

Pro Tip: If you want to have meaningful interactions with people, stay upstairs in the front area. It’s well-lit and not too loud. If you want to incinerate the dance floor and have no concept of what time it is, the basement is your spot.

Cask’n Flagon 

ESPN’s top ranked baseball bar in America is also, coincidentally, an awesome bar to hang out in when baseball’s not happening. This place gets WILD for sports in general and is usually filled to the brim with various football jerseys on NFL Sunday.

“But BroBible, what if I’m trying to get super weird on a Friday night?” No worries – that’s why the adjacent Oliver’s Nightclub exists. It’s there for you to get weird.

Pro Tip: There’s probably going to be a line. Go to Oliver’s and the line will be inexplicably shorter/non-existent. Go in, walk around, and you’re in Cask. 

Alibi 

Arguably the classiest bar on this list. Alibi has an unreal ambiance and gives off a bit of a pretentious vibe. It’s not that at all. Walk right in, order a Bud Light and act like you’d normally act. The crowd may be a little older and more refined, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a blast. Or you can say “screw it”, put on a façade, order something top shelve, and “act” like a gentleman for one night.

Pro Tip: The cocktails are crazy strong (…in a good way, since you can’t even tell). 

Cityside

Tucked right in the heart of Cleveland Circle, Cityside has always been known as “that bar you went to when the line at Mary Ann’s got too long.” As time went on, it became a more appealing option and has now solidified itself as an equally popular destination for the Boston College undergrad on Tuesday nights. Sure, maybe it has windows, a spacious bathroom and no visible pieces of glass on the floor, but damn it, it’s still a good time. Plus, it sneaky has one of the nicest roof decks in the city.

Pro Tip: Roggies is shut down for the foreseeable future, so you literally only have two options when you come into the Cleveland Circle area. Make this your choice.

The Pour House 

Ah, that good ol’ Boylston Street spot that gives you extra large drinks even though you didn’t ask for them. In my opinion, that’s a good way to show customer appreciation. Pour House is tucked in that neat strip of bars on Boylston that all seem like the same place.  What makes Pour House different is: 1.) the super large drinks and 2.) watching sports games in the basement.

Pro Tip: Continue up the street and you’ll find a spot called “Whiskeys.” Just make sure you meet the dress code for the night.

Whiskey Priest 

One of the two big Seaport hotspots.  Between this place and Atlantic Beer Garden, the two are very similar, but Whiskey Priest wins out due to a usually shorter line. Also, Whiskey Priest is BIG. Multiples floors, a roof deck and an outdoor patio right on the water. And, similar to Tia’s, it seems like everyone is inexplicably hot. Hot people + on the water + good atmosphere… hmm, I’m starting to sense a theme.

Pro Tip: The entire street on Northern Avenue after 2AM is insane. Once everyone leaves the bars and makes their last ditch efforts to flirt with girls and battle for Ubers. Keep your head on a swivel. 

White Horse Tavern 

White Horse is probably the most “normal” bar in the Allston area. There are pool tables, tons of TVs, multiple bars, monthly drink specials, and you’ll probably find lots of chicks inside.. Allston’s a great and unique place; there are places to dance, listen to live music, and get wild (see below), but White Horse is one of the rare spots that you can just go have a beer on a Friday night without lofty expectations.

Pro Tip: Every time I’ve gone here, I’ve left my credit card at the bar. Just one of those “shit, I forgot to close out my tab” spots that we all know and love. 

Tavern in the Square

It took awhile for Tavern in the Square to figure itself out, but once it did, it became a force to be reckoned with in the Boston bar scene. A popular spot for Boston College, Boston University and recent grads alike, Tavern in the Square is a spot for getting wild. No other way to put it. If you’re there on a Friday/Saturday night, you’re going to get a little wild. If you’re down with that, you’ll like this place.

Pro Tip: The bar in the front is generally WAY less packed then the bar in the back. If you don’t feel like waiting, irrigate your drink from the front to the back. Because efficiency. As always, Bros, drink responsibly!