Remnant Brewing fills a corner of Bow Market at 2 Bow Market Way, the converted warehouse courtyard at the heart of Somerville's Union Square. It opened in 2018 as an unusual hybrid, a daytime cafe and workspace pouring Barrington coffee that becomes a full brewery and beer garden by evening. Bow Market's own listing calls it the anchor of the courtyard.
Anyone who wants a relaxed all day room with strong house beer and a dog friendly patio will settle in fast. Anyone after table service, a quiet date, or a polished cocktail list should look elsewhere, since this is a counter order, communal table kind of place.
The room
The taproom is bright and industrial, with poured concrete, tall windows, and long shared tables that hold laptops by day and pint glasses by night. Two service bars keep the lines moving, and the courtyard beer garden does the heavy lifting in warm weather. Three event rooms, the Solstice and Equinox spaces among them, host private parties and the brewery's recurring dance nights.
The beer
The house list leans on hop forward and lager styles, and reviewers single out the porter and a hazy IPA brewed with tangerine puree and peel. An Oktoberfest lager and a rotating cast of single hop IPAs round out the boards. Order a flight if you cannot choose, since the lineup changes often enough that regulars treat each visit as a fresh read of the chalkboard.
The kitchen
Remnant keeps its own food light and leans on the Bow Market vendors that ring the courtyard. Barrington coffee and pastries carry the mornings, and a short menu of snacks bridges the gap to the neighbouring stalls. The setup means a long afternoon here never wants for something to eat between rounds. Pizza, dumplings, and tacos sit a few steps away under the same roof.
Who it is for
A remote worker who wants good coffee that turns into good beer without changing seats. A weekend group after a dog friendly patio and a slow pace. A beer drinker chasing a porter and an IPA poured from the same Somerville tank.
Best time to go
Weekday mornings are calm and built for the laptop crowd, with beer service starting at 11am. Evenings draw the after work and event traffic, and weekends fill the courtyard first. The brewery runs roughly 9am to 10pm on weeknights and later on Fridays, so plan a long afternoon rather than a quick stop.
What regulars say
Tripadvisor rates the brewery 4.7, and Yelp gathers more than 90 reviews that praise the beer quality and the easy communal feel. Reviewers note the bartenders can get slammed on busy weekends, and the consensus is that the beer carries the room regardless. The recurring advice is to come for the porter and the hazy IPAs and to settle in rather than rush a round.
Locals frame Remnant as the social heart of Bow Market, the spot that anchors a Union Square afternoon of vendor stalls and patio pints. The brewery marked its eighth anniversary in May 2026, a milestone the Bow Market calendar celebrated with a courtyard party, which speaks to how settled it has become in the neighbourhood.
Remnant earns its place in our craft beer bars in Boston guide. Pair it with a wider brewery run through Lamplighter Brewing in Cambridge, Night Shift Brewing in Everett, or Trillium in Fenway. See the full Boston bar guide or browse the best bars in Boston for more rooms worth the trip.
