Best Bars in Boston 2026

Top Picks This Week

Our editors' latest discoveries and time-tested favourites

Editor's Choice

Drink

Fort Point, Boston

Cocktail Bar Fort Point $$$ ★ 4.9

No menu. You tell the bartender what you're in the mood for and they build something. It sounds like a gimmick until you try it. Barbara Lynch's bar in Fort Point has been the pinnacle of Boston cocktail culture for 15 years. The dark, candlelit space matches the serious approach.

Bukowski Tavern

Back Bay & Inman Square

Craft Beer Back Bay $ ★ 4.6

100 beers on the menu, misanthropic name, serious credentials. The kind of bar where regulars read at the bar and the staff remember your order. Best at 2pm on a weekday when it's half-full and the light comes in sideways.

Russell House Tavern

Harvard Square, Cambridge

After Work Cambridge $$ ★ 4.6

Two floors, serious cocktail program, seasonal menu. The street-level bar attracts Harvard Square regulars and tourists who accidentally found something good. The downstairs bar is better: darker, quieter, more neighbourhood.

Boston by Neighbourhood

Fort Point and Seaport

The industrial waterfront district that became Boston's most interesting bar area in the last decade. Converted warehouses, serious cocktail bars, and the city's best restaurant bar scene. Drink is the anchor. The rest of the Seaport has developed faster than its bar culture, but Fort Point proper rewards exploration.

Back Bay and Newbury Street

The polished commercial neighbourhood between the Public Garden and Fenway. Newbury Street bars attract a professional crowd of locals and hotel guests. The after-work scene is among the strongest in the city; late-night is quieter than you might expect.

South End

Boston's most diverse and creative neighbourhood. The bar scene around Tremont Street and Columbus Avenue has a distinctly local character. LGBTQ+ friendly, food-focused, and more experimental than Back Bay. The neighbourhood's density of good small bars is unmatched in the city.

Cambridge (Harvard and Central Squares)

Technically a separate city but functionally part of Boston's bar culture. Harvard Square has tourist bars and serious local bars in close proximity; Central Square skews more towards musicians, grad students, and long-term locals. Inman Square is worth the additional walk.

Somerville (Davis and Union Squares)

The working-class neighbourhood that became one of the best bar destinations in the metro area. Craft beer taprooms, neighbourhood cocktail bars, and dive bars with serious music bookings. Less expensive than Boston proper, more interesting per dollar spent. Planning an East Coast drinking itinerary? Our Washington DC bar guide covers the capital's cocktail scene, from Shaw's nationally recognised rooms to the Georgetown historic taverns, making it an ideal companion to this guide.

Boston Bar Guide

Top Picks This Week

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