Boston gets overlooked among American cocktail cities, which is wrong. Drink opened in 2008 and proved a no-menu cocktail bar could work in this market. The Hawthorne, Eastern Standard and Backbar followed. The 10 below cover the Back Bay, Cambridge and the South End — the city's three serious-drinking neighbourhoods.
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The 10 best bars in Boston
01 · Boston
Fort Point
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No menu · Counter
Barbara Lynch's room. No menu — you tell the bartender what you like. Boston's first serious modern cocktail bar (2008).
Order: Bartender's choice
02 · Boston
Kenmore
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Hotel bar · Modern
Jackson Cannon's room at the Commonwealth Hotel. Modern American cocktail bar standard — long bar, knowledgeable team, deep menu.
Order: A French 75 variant
03 · Boston
Kenmore
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Brasserie + bar
Boston brasserie with one of America's most respected cocktail programs since 2005. Long bar, classics-driven, late-night kitchen.
Order: An East-of-Eden (their signature)
04 · Boston
Somerville
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Speakeasy · Reservations
In Somerville's Union Square. Tasting-menu-style cocktail format, theatrical drinks, reservation only.
Order: The full multi-course tasting
05 · Boston
Inman Square
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Tiki-leaning lounge
Inman Square cocktail bar with tiki leanings. Casual, neighbourhood feel, drinks that punch above the format.
Order: Whatever's the tropical seasonal
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06 · Boston
South End
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Speakeasy · Reservations
South End speakeasy. Pop-up kitchen residency program — the food rotates while the bar program stays consistent.
Order: A bartender's-choice spec
07 · Boston
South End
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Live jazz · Bistro
South End jazz-and-bistro room. Live music nightly, French-leaning food, classic cocktails done well.
Order: A Manhattan + the late jazz set
08 · Boston
Allston
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Craft beer + cocktails
Allston neighbourhood bar. Long beer list, casual cocktail program, the ideal walk-in spot.
Order: A craft IPA + a whiskey
09 · Boston
Downtown Crossing
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1868 · Restored
Restored 19th-century saloon. Wood paneling, classic-cocktail-driven menu, gas-lamp lighting. Boston historical drinking.
Order: A perfect Manhattan in the historic bar
10 · Boston
Boston Common
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Hotel bar · Quiet
At the Four Seasons. Quiet, formal, a martini-after-the-symphony room.
Order: A martini, served with olives
More Boston bars by categoryCocktail, sports, hidden gem — the full Boston index.
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Why Boston deserves a longer drinking trip
Boston's bar scene runs late by Massachusetts standards (1 AM closes are normal) and is concentrated enough to walk between rooms. Drink + Trinas Starlite Lounge + The Hawthorne in Cambridge or Back Bay covers the technical end. Eastern Standard's bar in Kenmore is the institution. Stoddard's downtown is the historical room.
