Near you in Boston
Boston keeps its cocktail rooms in distinct pockets, so the nearest serious drink depends on your side of the river. Fort Point and the Seaport hold the modern bars near the water. Downtown Crossing and Beacon Hill cover the old centre.
Kenmore Square serves the Fenway crowd, and Somerville rewards a short trip north for two of the metro's most inventive rooms. Each pick below is the top-rated bar in its pocket, so choose by where you already are.
Drink helped start Boston's modern cocktail era in Fort Point, with no menu and bartenders who build each drink to your taste. Rated 4.8, $$$.
Yvonne's hides behind an old barbershop sign in Downtown Crossing, a supper-club room with a long marble bar and careful drinks. Rated 4.7, $$$.
No. 9 Park keeps a refined bar beside Boston Common in Beacon Hill, the formal end of the city's drinking. Rated 4.7, $$$$.
The Hawthorne sits below the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square, a living-room cocktail bar a few steps from Fenway. Rated 4.7, $$$.
Backbar tucks into a Somerville side street off Union Square, a dim room built on inventive, seasonal drinks. Rated 4.7, $$$.
Shore Leave runs a basement tiki bar in the South End, with rum drinks and a low-lit island mood. Rated 4.6, $$.
The complete ranked guide to best cocktail bars in boston, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
The same query in every city, with the top room in each.
The rooms above are the best cocktail picks by Boston neighbourhood, grouped so you can find the nearest one fast. Ratings are shown where verified. For the full ranked list, follow the link to the city guide.
If a bar here has closed or changed hands, tell us. We keep the page honest by correcting it, not by inventing a replacement.