Sweet and Sour in Boston

Top 5 (okay 6) favorite bars. This is a small list as most of my favorite bars are mentioned in my top ten restaurants to frequent. (i.e. On the Hill Tavern, Bonfire, etc)

Again, it’s not in any particular order as my tastes and moods are always changing.

Bacco. North End. Also known as “The $11 mojito place”. They make the best mojitos I’ve had in Boston. They also crafted a drink after the coconut-chocolate girl scout cookie. I think they’re called samoas. It’s sweet and tastes just like the cookie (!) but unlike the cookie, it gives you a great buzz (bonus!). The bartenders are friendly and also make terrific Belvedere and tonics. At least we think they do…It’s a cool bar if you’re in the mood to have a couple of drinks, but if it’s one of those nights where you’d like to drink a lot, I’d suggest going someplace cheaper. It’s very easy to stay at this bar for hours, just adding drinks to your tab and come midnight when your tab is over $200, it's a bit of a downer. However, by this point you’ve had 5 or 6 (or 9) drinks and you can fret about the cost in the morning.

Kennedy’s. Downtown Crossing. Cold Guinness. Irish bartenders. And Ken. Kennedy’s is a chill bar with good people, good beer, good food and nudie hunt. My favorite nights are the nights when Ken plays cover songs. If you go, ask him to play Crazy, the Gnarls Barkley version, not the Seal version, although that’s good too. Chances are, I’m there and I’ve already requested it, but hey, more requests won’t hurt. He also plays a mean version of TLC’s “Waterfalls”. His version is so stellar, you’re halfway through the song before you realize what you’re singing along to. I also like going on random nights when it’s not too crowded. Kennedy’s is a bar you can go to with a date and actually hear each other talk. And if conversation is lacking, you can always play erotic photo hunt for 50 cents.

JJ Foleys. South End. PBR on tap. I don’t need to say anything further. But I will. No frills. I like that my feet stick to the floor, less chance of me slipping if I’m stuck. Bartenders are always nice. Haven’t eaten off the menu, but don’t really need to. There are games in the back. And like On the Hill Tavern, there is always a game shown on TV. On St Patty’s they serve corned beef sandwiches and a pint. Heaven.

Pho Republic. South End. If you can get a spot at the bar, it’s awesome. If you have to stand, it’s still awesome, but you have to watch out for the busy waitresses running drinks and food. The bartenders make excellent mixed drinks. Recently I tried the cherry sake mojito. Splendid. Their prices are on par with the area ($10-$12) for specialty drinks. However, their vodka & sodas are under $10 which was a pleasant surprise. Griff and Lisa work Thursday & Friday nights. They are exceptional bartenders. Their personalities are as fantastic as the drinks they mix.

Boston Beerworks. North Station. Maybe it’s because I’m sappy and JP and I had our first date there. Maybe it's because it’s the first time I ever watched the Sooners play. Maybe it’s because their beer is so tasty. Who knows? Whatever the reason, I like this bar. They have homemade brews, which I love. I love breweries. I also love when they allow you to have samples of 4 or 5 of the beers on tap. I can try more without paying more! If I get two samples, that’s 10 brews for the price of 2! Obviously it’s the same amount of beer as 2 beers, but who cares? Variety is the spice of life or something like that. The food is pretty good too. Nachos, burgers, chicken fried steak. Something for everyone, unless you’re a vegetarian, but no one really cares about them anyway.

Peoples Republik. Central. Cool crowd, cheap beer, and they have darts. Lots of them. So you can have tournaments against your friends and make them buy you beer when you win. The food, especially the o-rings, is tasty. Their assortment of beer is delightful; I’m a happy girl when I can find Magic Hat on tap. Another plus is the bathroom. Generally it’s clean and it’s larger than most bathrooms. Just be careful if you’re walking to it, you can walk right into the middle of a dart game and take one to the head. Not that that’s happened to me or anything.



Honorable Mentions: Goody Glovers (for trivia!), The BHP, Delux, The Times, An Tua Nua (any bar that allows for flip-cup tournaments gets an A in my book)