Historic Bars in Boston

Doyle’s Café

Historic Bar / Irish Pub

Party Earth Review Established in 1882 and featured in films including Mystic River, Doyle’s Café is the granddaddy of Beantown Irish pubs, a veritable wood-paneled time machine whose décor of antique clocks, colorful murals, period photos, and vintage newspaper clippings celebrate its long history. Waitresses slinging “chowda” in their thick ... more

3484 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02130

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The Bell In Hand Tavern

Club / Historic Bar / Pub / Tavern

Party Earth Review A Boston landmark dating back to 1795, The Bell In Hand Tavern – named after founder Jimmy Wilson, Boston’s last town crier – claims to be America’s oldest tavern. Housed in the same building since 1844, modern upgrades have transformed the multilevel venue into equal parts pub and club. Low lighting, polished mahogany ... more

45-55 Union Street
Boston, MA 02108

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Union Oyster House

Culture / Historic Bar

Party Earth Review The oldest continually operating restaurant in the country, Union Oyster House has been forking up its namesake mollusk since 1826 in a building so old that nobody is quite sure when it was built. A major tourist hotspot, the bi-level venue’s main draw is the small ground floor oyster bar, where boisterous out-of-towners ... more

41 Union Street
Boston, MA 02108

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Eire Pub

Dive Bar / Historic Bar

Party Earth Review Since the early 1960s, Eire Pub has been serving up cheap eats and pints of Guinness to generations of unhurried blue-collar locals and even a few past presidents. Originally a gentlemen’s prestige bar – ladies were not allowed – the unassuming watering hole has since discarded its old rules, although the green marquee ... more

795 Adams Street
Boston, MA 02124

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The Last Hurrah

Historic Bar / Hotel Bar

Party Earth Review Inside the historic Omni Parker House Hotel – reportedly the birthplace of the Boston cream pie circa 1867 – The Last Hurrah transports its classy patrons back in time with vintage chandeliers, drinks served on silver trays, and overstuffed leather couches ideal for settling in for cocktails and conversation. Through the ... more

Omni Parker House Hotel
60 School Street
Boston, MA 02108

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As home base to some of America’s most important historical moments, it should come as no surprise that there are a bunch of great historic bars in Boston, with roots that date back to the late 1700s.

Claiming to be the country’s oldest tavern, Bell in Hand Tavern is a Boston landmark that opened its doors in 1795. The tavern’s founder, Jimmy Wilson, was also Boston’s last town crier who gave up his bell in favor of the bar. Today, the joint is equal parts pub and club, with DJs spinning late-night jams to drunken twenty-somethings. Jimmy might be rolling over in his grave.

Another classic Boston historic bar is Union Oyster House, which has been serving up seafood since 1826. Now a tourist hotspot, the Oyster House was also home to the Massachusetts Spy newspaper that was printed in the 1770s.

Doyle’s Café is yet another historic bar that was established in 1882. This old-school haunt is considered to be one of the original Irish pubs in the city and is home to blue-collar sports fans and college students just looking for a good beer.

Boston is a city deeply rooted in history, and the historic bars and pubs are timeless watering holes that celebrate that history in the best way they know how – with beer…lots and lots of beer.