Silhouette Cocktail Lounge Dive Bar

Allston / Brighton, Boston –

With its inflation-resistant beer prices, delightfully tacky décor, and homey low-key interior, it’s easy to see why the Silhouette Cocktail Lounge has become an Allston institution where college students, blue-collar workers, and local hipsters can mix freely in an unpretentious, come-as-you-are environment.

A bit rough around the edges, as any good dive bar should be, the venue features a sparse but clean décor of cheesy checkerboard paneling left over from its heyday in the 60s, broken up by a collection of vintage beer advertisements.

Chatty regulars tend to crowd around the bar, while good-natured groups of students and area musicians cram into vintage black vinyl booths to talk, munch on free popcorn, and kick back a few beers.

Although the corner TVs are tuned almost exclusively to Boston sports, they can’t compete with the lively action around the pool table, where newcomers try their hand at knocking off the reigning champ and taking possession of bragging rights.

Those who prefer darts need only ask the bartender for a set and head to the back room, where couples on dates, groups of friends, and the occasional serious aficionado gather for more relaxed competition at the several boards lining the wall.

Though Silhouette Lounge is a good bet for a mellow time any night of the week, it does get a bit crazier on Friday nights when there’s usually a long line of spirited patrons waiting to get in to enjoy the bar’s sociable crowd, cheap drinks, and more boisterous party vibe.