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The 30 Best Bars in Boston

Boston's cocktail scene does its best work in small rooms. The best bars in Boston spread from Downtown Crossing, the Leather District and the North End to Beacon Hill, Back Bay and the Seaport, with more in Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline. Two joined North America's 50 Best Bars 2026 as new entries on the 51-100 list: The Wig Shop, at No. 86, still shows faux wigs among its neon in Downtown Crossing, and Hecate, a 24-seat bar named for the Greek goddess of witchcraft, at No. 88. Farmacia in the North End seats just nine for a tasting menu of cocktails and snacks. Merai in Brookline, whose name means alcohol in Thai, was a James Beard Best New Bar nominee in 2025, and Spoke Wine Bar in Somerville was an Outstanding Bar semifinalist in 2026. Wusong Road in Harvard Square holds New England's largest rum collection, and The Koji Club in Brighton is Boston's first sake bar. Backbar in Union Square is walk-in only, so arrive early. These are the thirty we would start with.

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  1. The Wig Shop
    ★ TOP 10NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail Bar

    The Wig Shop

    Occupying a former wig store at 27 Temple Place, The Wig Shop transforms the mundane into the theatrical, glitzy interiors, exuberant cocktails, and a food menu that takes bar snacks seriously. Ranked No. 86 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026, the bar accepts reservations from 5 to 7pm Tuesday through Saturday and operates walk-in only after that, maintaining a buzzy, slightly chaotic energy that suits the room. The cocktail program runs broad, stirred classics for the purists, shaken tropicals for the adventurous, and a rotating list of house specials that reflect whatever the bar team is obsessing over that month. Open seven nights a week until 2am, which is practically revolutionary for Boston. The city's most consistently fun night out.

    27 Temple Pl, Boston, MA 02111Daily 5pm-2am
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  2. Hecate
    ★ TOP 10NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTSpeakeasy

    Hecate

    A 24-seat speakeasy accessed through a discreet alley entrance beneath the Greek restaurant Krasi, Hecate leans into all things mystical, tarot-inspired menus, theatrical presentations, and a darkness that is both literal and atmospheric. Ranked No. 88 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2026, the bar operates on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservations and no phone, only an email address for enquiries. The cocktail program draws on herbal infusions, house-made tinctures, and spirits aged in clay vessels, with each drink carrying a narrative tied to mythology or the occult. The intimacy of the room makes every visit feel conspiratorial. Boston's most immersive drinking experience, and worth every minute of the wait.

    48 Gloucester St, Boston, MA 02115Tue-Sat 5pm-1am; Closed Sun-Mon
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  3. Blossom Bar
    ★ TOP 10Tiki Bar

    Blossom Bar

    Tropical, agave-forward cocktails served alongside fire-blistered Sichuan cooking in the same room, Blossom Bar is the most singular bar-and-kitchen pairing in greater Boston. Bar director Ran Duan, also behind Woburn's Baldwin Bar, runs a program heavy on tiki structure, rum stratification, and high-acid builds, with garnishes that have turned the counter into one of the country's most photographed. The room sits inside Sichuan Garden at 295 Washington Street, where the kitchen's mapo tofu and dry-fried chicken cut sharply through the drinks. Listed by World's 50 Best Discovery, it remains Boston's most credentialled cocktail destination outside the city limits. Worth the Green Line ride alone.

    295 Washington St, Brookline, MA 02445Mon-Thu 11:30am-9:30pm; Fri-Sun 11:30am-12am
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  4. Equal Measure
    ★ TOP 10NORTH AMERICA'S 50 BESTCocktail Bar

    Equal Measure

    Industry veteran Jackson Cannon helms this cocktail counter attached to the revived Eastern Standard, and the pedigree shows in every detail, the ice program, the glassware rotation, the way the bartenders read the room and adjust the pace accordingly. Ranked No. 81 on the North America's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2025, Equal Measure operates Wednesday through Saturday with a concise menu of originals that change seasonally and a back bar deep enough to support any off-menu request. The space is deliberately intimate, designed for the kind of one-on-one bartender-guest exchange that larger rooms cannot replicate. If you care about the craft of cocktail-making as a discipline, this is where Boston's most rigorous practitioners work.

    775 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02215Wed-Sat 5pm-12am; Closed Sun-Tue
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  5. Merai
    ★ TOP 10Cocktail Bar

    Merai

    An elevated Thai dive bar where the cocktail list reads like a fine-dining tasting menu and the snacks come on plastic baskets, Merai sits in its own category in the Boston scene. From the team behind Brookline's Mahaniyom, the room at 14 Harvard Street runs on a program built by co-owner Panupong "Earth" Viriyapongsukij, with builds like the Hojicha Highball, small-batch Irish whiskey, roasted green tea, honey, Topo Chico, and the Wonka's Ticket, layered with brown butter coconut, coffee, and pandan. The food sticks to the dive-bar conceit with taro fries, mussels in red curry butter, and pork belly bao, and the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, and Time Out have all leaned in. The most fully committed concept-bar opening Boston has produced this decade, and the rare destination room where everything on the menu is under twenty dollars.

    14 Harvard St, Brookline, MA 02445Tue-Sun 5pm-1am; Closed Mon
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Flavour Blaster
  1. Coquette
    ★ TOP 10Hotel Bar

    Coquette

    Coquette is the French brasserie and bar of the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, run by COJE Management Group. The room is dressed with red lacquered chandeliers, velvet chairs, art nouveau murals and Murano glass, and the bar leans on French-accented cocktails such as a gin and tonic with Charentais melon. It serves dinner nightly and brunch at weekends.

    450 Summer St, Boston, MA 02210Mon-Fri 5pm-12am, Sat-Sun 11am-12am
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  2. Yvonne's
    ★ TOP 10Cocktail Bar

    Yvonne's

    A supper club and cocktail lounge occupying the former Locke-Ober space at 2 Winter Place, Yvonne's brings old-money Boston glamour to a room that was already dripping with history. The cocktail program sits comfortably alongside a food menu designed for sharing, but the bar itself, a long mahogany counter staffed by formally trained bartenders, operates as a destination in its own right. The menu favours classic cocktail architecture dressed in seasonal ingredients, with a notable champagne and sparkling section that sets it apart from the spirit-forward rooms elsewhere on this list. The dining room is theatrical; the bar is serious. For a city that can trend conservative in its nightlife, Yvonne's provides the right amount of occasion.

    2 Winter Pl, Boston, MA 02108Tue-Sat 5pm-2am; Closed Sun-Mon
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  3. Spoke Wine Bar
    ★ TOP 10Wine Bar

    Spoke Wine Bar

    Spoke has served wine and seasonal New American small plates in Davis Square since 2013, with co-chefs Paul Butler and Kelcey Rusch in the kitchen, sparkling, white, orange and red by the glass and a short cocktail section that includes a couple of boozeless drinks. The James Beard Foundation named it an Outstanding Bar semifinalist in 2026.

    89 Holland St, Somerville, MA 02144Wed-Sat 5pm-11pm
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  4. haley.henry
    ★ TOP 10Wine Bar

    haley.henry

    haley.henry is a small natural wine bar on Province Street in Downtown Crossing, opened by Haley Fortier in August 2016. The list leans on small-production and sustainably made wines, many from women producers, and the bar will open any bottle for guests who commit to two glasses. Food centers on imported tinned fish, ceviche, crudo, charcuterie and cheese, with menu sections named after 1990s hip-hop. The wine program was a James Beard Outstanding Wine Program semifinalist in 2019, 2020 and 2024.

    45 Province St, Boston, MA 02108Tue-Thu 3pm-11pm, Fri 3pm-12am, Sat 12pm-12am, closed Sun-Mon
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  5. Backbar
    ★ TOP 10Speakeasy

    Backbar

    Hidden behind an unmarked door off a Somerville alley, Backbar has earned a place on Time Out's Top 25 Bars in the World list and Boston Magazine's No.1 bar ranking, accolades that belie its no-reservations, walk-in-only policy and midnight closing time. The room opens to a colorful, Star Wars-decorated lounge where the cocktail program draws on global flavors, house-made cordials, and a willingness to experiment that keeps regulars guessing. Last call hits at 11:15, this is still Greater Boston, but the quality-per-minute ratio is unmatched. Backbar demonstrates that a neighborhood bar with genuine ambition can compete with any destination cocktail lounge in the country.

    7 Sanborn Ct, Somerville, MA 02143Wed-Sun 5pm-12am
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  6. 89 Charles
    Cocktail Bar

    89 Charles

    89 Charles is a subterranean cocktail bar on Charles Street in Beacon Hill, with a 12-seat bar and a 30-seat lounge finished in antique brass, tin tiles and deep blues. The list mixes reworked classics, retro drinks and seasonal cocktails, with a short bottle list of vintage Champagne and a couple of spirit-free drinks. Snacks include blistered shishito peppers and a French dip, and seating is by reservation.

    89 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114Tue-Sat 5pm-12am, closed Sun-Mon
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  7. Lucky's Lounge
    Speakeasy

    Lucky's Lounge

    Lucky's Lounge is a basement bar in a brick warehouse in Fort Point with no sign out front; guests follow red lights down the stairs. The room is a homage to Frank Sinatra, with a Sinatra brunch on Sundays, free comedy on Mondays and trivia on Tuesdays. The drinks keep to classics such as espresso martinis and mai tais, and the kitchen serves burgers, bao buns and flatbreads until late.

    355 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210Mon-Fri 11am-2am, Sat 4pm-2am, Sun 11am-2am
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  8. Marcelino's Seaport
    Cocktail Bar

    Marcelino's Seaport

    Marcelino's Seaport is the Boston offshoot of Providence's Marcelino's Boutique Bar, opened in December 2024 in the former Daily Catch space on Northern Avenue. Bar director Refaat Ghostine, previously of Central Station Boutique Bar in Beirut, builds Levantine and Mediterranean flavors into the cocktails, with savory touches such as feta foam and marjoram. The room borrows from Andalusian architecture, with a Turkish arch, infinity mirrors and blue and amber seating, and the kitchen serves dips, caviar and lamb chops.

    2 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210Daily 12pm-12am
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  9. Next Door Speakeasy & Raw Bar
    Speakeasy

    Next Door Speakeasy & Raw Bar

    Next Door is a 30-seat hidden bar in East Boston, reached through a concealed entrance beside the Italian restaurant Pazza on Porter, with reservations and a password. The room is dressed in heavy curtains and blue velvet banquettes, and the cocktails are presented with theatrical touches such as citrus smoke bubbles and misty lock boxes. A raw bar, small plates and caviar make up the food, and a dress code applies.

    103 Porter St, Boston, MA 02128Thu 6pm-12am, Fri-Sat 5pm-2am, Sun 6pm-12am, closed Mon-Wed
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  10. The Longfellow Bar
    Cocktail Bar

    The Longfellow Bar

    The Longfellow Bar is chef Michael Scelfo's two-story bar above his restaurant Alden & Harlow, in the former Cafe Algiers space in Brattle Hall. The house cocktail list uses spirits such as shochu, arrack and aged cachaca with house infusions, next to a short wine and local beer list. Bar food for sharing includes the house burgers from downstairs.

    40 Brattle St #3, Cambridge, MA 02138, United StatesSun-Wed 5pm-12am, Thu-Sat 5pm-1am
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  11. Brick & Mortar
    Speakeasy

    Brick & Mortar

    Brick & Mortar sits upstairs behind an unmarked door on Mass Ave in Central Square, a dim room of exposed brick built around a large horseshoe bar. The menu mixes house cocktails, martini variations and bespoke-spirit classics with a fine and rare spirits library, alongside bar snacks. Happy hour runs from 3pm to 6pm on weekdays.

    567 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, United StatesMon-Wed 3pm-12am, Thu-Fri 3pm-1am, Sat 5pm-1am, closed Sun
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  12. Bubble Bath Back Bay
    Rooftop Bar

    Bubble Bath Back Bay

    Bubble Bath Back Bay is chef Tiffani Faison's Champagne bar on the roof level of the citizenM Back Bay hotel, fifteen floors above Newbury Street with views over the Charles River. The pink room is lit by opaque hemispheres and a column of translucent spheres over the booths, and the list centers on sparkling wine with a full cocktail menu alongside. Snacks run to dips, salads and caviar-topped biscuits, and entry is 21 and over.

    408 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115Mon-Fri from 4pm, Sat-Sun from 12pm
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  13. Extra Dirty
    Speakeasy

    Extra Dirty

    A 20-seat ticketed cocktail tasting hidden behind a velvet curtain at the back of The Red Fox on Commercial Street, Extra Dirty has stacked up more new-bar accolades in twelve months than most rooms collect in a decade. Owner Phillip Rolfe, also behind the nine-seat Farmacia, runs the format on a prepaid ticket, with multi-course progressive cocktails, themed menus that rotate several times a year, and food courses pacing guests through a 110-minute seating. Boston Magazine named it Best New Bar 2025, and Beli users voted it the best new bar in the world the same year, beating contenders in London, Chicago, Detroit, and Mexico City. The most credentialled new bar Boston has produced in years, and the reservations system reflects it.

    326b Commercial St, North End, Boston, MA 02113Wed-Sun 5pm-11:30pm; Closed Mon-Tue
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  14. Farmacia
    Cocktail Bar

    Farmacia

    A nine-seat marble bar in a historic North Square storefront, Farmacia offers a bespoke tasting-menu format that rotates its concept around a single spirit, region, or ingredient. Owner Phillip Rolfe personally selects each spirit and infuses every syrup, and the experience feels closer to an omakase counter than a cocktail bar, guests watch every step of the production process from their seats, and the bartender-to-guest ratio borders on one-to-one. Reservations release sixty days ahead on Tock and sell out within minutes, which tells you everything about the demand. Located steps from Hanover Street on the Freedom Trail, Farmacia proves that a bar does not need scale to achieve greatness, it needs conviction.

    5 N Square, Boston, MA 02128Wed-Sat 5pm-12am; Closed Sun-Tue
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  15. Gray's Hall
    Wine Bar

    Gray's Hall

    Gray's Hall is a natural wine bar on East Broadway in South Boston, opened at the end of 2019 by Matt Thayer and Andy Fadous, who run the cheese and wine shop American Provisions next door. The list focuses on natural wines alongside a few beers and rotating spritzes, and the kitchen serves seasonal plates such as tuna crudo, arancini and a house burger. Holiday lights and a disco ball stay up all year.

    615 E Broadway, Boston, MA 02127Tue-Wed 4pm-11pm, Thu-Sat 4pm-12am, Sun 3pm-9pm, closed Mon
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  16. Krasi
    Wine Bar

    Krasi

    Krasi is a Greek meze and wine bar on Gloucester Street in Back Bay, from Xenia Greek Hospitality, and calls itself a wine bar first. The list is entirely Greek and runs deep, from Assyrtiko to Mavrodaphne, and Symposium Wednesdays are given over to Greek wine. The meze menu keeps to light Mediterranean plates, with brunch at weekends and lunch on Fridays.

    48 Gloucester St, Boston, MA 02115Daily 5pm-11pm
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  17. My Girl
    Cocktail Bar

    My Girl

    My Girl is a cocktail lounge beneath the Cuban restaurant Mariel on Post Office Square, run by COJE Management Group in the former Mariel Underground space. The room takes its cue from 1950s Havana, with pink, peach and gold tones and curved booths, and the list runs from house cocktails such as a banana Old Fashioned to a considered spirit-free menu, with light bites and bottle service. A dress code applies.

    10 Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109Wed-Fri 5pm-close, Sat-Sun 6pm-close, closed Mon-Tue
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  18. Nook
    Cocktail Bar

    Nook

    Nook is a small cocktail bar on the second floor of Bow Market in Union Square, fitted out like a 1970s sunken living room with a fireplace. The menu is a short list of original cocktails, backed by a curated spirits selection behind the bar.

    1 Bow Market Way #23, Somerville, MA 02143, United StatesMon-Tue 4:30pm-9pm, Wed-Thu 4:30pm-11pm, Fri 4:30pm-12am, Sat 12:30pm-12am, Sun 12:30pm-9pm
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  19. Rebel Rebel
    Wine Bar

    Rebel Rebel

    Rebel Rebel is a small natural wine bar in Bow Market, opened in 2018 by sommelier Lauren Friel. The list favours small family farms, many of them women-led, with bottles and by-the-glass pours that change often. It runs wine classes and community events, and guests can order food from the other Bow Market vendors.

    1 Bow Market Way, Somerville, MA 02143, United StatesMon-Fri 4pm-12am, Sat-Sun 2pm-12am
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  20. Saloon
    Speakeasy

    Saloon

    Saloon is a basement cocktail bar in Davis Square, below its sibling Foundry on Elm and next to The Rockwell, styled on pre-Prohibition bars. The list mixes classic and house cocktails with a deep whiskey selection, an absinthe menu and grower Champagne. Food runs from dollar oysters in the early evening to late-night snacks.

    255 Elm St, Somerville, MA 02144, United StatesTue-Sat 5pm-1am, closed Sun-Mon
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  21. Temple Records
    Cocktail Bar

    Temple Records

    Temple Records is a listening bar on Temple Place in Downtown Crossing, opened by chef Jamie Bissonnette with partners Babak Bina and Andy Cartin and modeled on the record bars of Japan. Staff choose the vinyl from the bar's collection and play it through a custom sound system, and the cocktail list leans on Japanese gins and whiskies, with snacks such as Korean fish jerky. A 22-seat sushi counter, Sushi @ Temple Records, sits downstairs.

    17 Temple Pl, Boston, MA 02111Mon-Thu 5pm-12am, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am, closed Sun
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  22. The Blind Duck
    Speakeasy

    The Blind Duck

    The Blind Duck is the speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar of Raffles Boston, perched on the 17th and 18th floors of the hotel with sweeping views of Back Bay, the Charles River and the city skyline. The hotel describes it as an intimate hideaway with an atmosphere of intrigue and quiet glamour. The handcrafted cocktail menu evolves with the seasons, with signature drinks such as the Soufflé Espresso Martini and the Midnight Garden alongside low- and non-alcoholic options. Jazz nights run on Thursdays and DJs play on Wednesdays, and the room can be booked for private events of up to 90 guests.

    40 Trinity Place, Boston, MA 02116Tue-Thu 5pm-1am; Fri-Sat 5pm-2am; Sun-Mon closed
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  23. The Koji Club
    Wine Bar

    The Koji Club

    The Koji Club is a sake bar inside the Charles River Speedway complex in Brighton, opened by Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale, an advanced sake professional who previously worked with the O Ya group. It began as online tastings and now pours a rotating list of sake by the glass and bottle, with ticketed tastings and events on its calendar. Walk-ins are always welcome, with a limited number of reservations.

    525 Western Ave, Boston, MA 02135Tue 5pm-9pm, Wed 5pm-10pm, Thu 5pm-11pm, Fri 4pm-11pm, Sat 2pm-11pm, Sun 2pm-8pm, closed Mon
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  24. Trina's Starlite Lounge
    Cocktail Bar

    Trina's Starlite Lounge

    Trina's Starlite Lounge has been open at the edge of Inman Square since 2009 in the former Abbey Lounge space, with low lighting, dark wood panelling and retro pictures on the walls. The bar pours a long list of house cocktails at one price alongside craft beer, and the kitchen is known for its hot dogs and comfort food. Seating is first come, first served, with themed food nights through the week and brunch on Sunday.

    3 Beacon St, Somerville, MA 02143, United StatesMon-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri-Sat 5pm-2am, Sun 11am-1am
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  25. Wusong Road
    Tiki Bar

    Wusong Road

    Wusong Road is a tiki bar and restaurant in the historic Conductor's Building in Harvard Square, decorated with thatch, dark wood and vintage Chinese pieces. The drinks list runs through tiki classics such as mai tais, Zombies, Painkillers and scorpion bowls in tiki glassware, alongside house drinks. The kitchen serves New England Chinese American food for sharing, from crab rangoons to pupu platters.

    112 Mount Auburn St, Cambridge, MA 02138, United StatesMon 5pm-11pm, Tue-Wed 3pm-11pm, Thu-Sat 12pm-12am, Sun 12pm-11pm
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These 30 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Boston, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.

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