The Pour House

The Pour House is hands-down my absolute favorite burger joint in Boston. The portions are extremely generous for the prices, especially on a Saturday night. Where else can you grab a delicious Hawaiian burger covered in BBQ sauce with a massive pile of fries for under $5? With beer glasses filled to the brim, you're sure to leave the Pour House with a steady buzz. The dive-bar atmosphere is intense and can become pretty heated when there's a game, but this is nothing new for a Bostonian and it's always incredibly entertaining. It may not be the best place to take a date as it can be a little difficult to talk over the music or a game, but the Pour House is a great place to take some good friends and throw back a few beers. The waitstaff is quite generous and incredibly hard-working. If you can catch them when they're not too busy, they've got some great stories to share as well. Perhaps not the place for everyone, but for the college student looking for some cheap delicious eats, and an exciting atmosphere, this is the place.

In a Boston neighborhood where high-end restaurants and cocktail lounges seem to reign supreme, the Pour House is a top destination for those seeking an affordable place to unwind after a hard day's work. You'll find great food and drink at beyond-reasonable prices, a very rare find in a city with such a high cost of living. All credit goes to their daily specials, such as half-price burgers on Saturdays and half-price Mexican entrees on Thursdays. The latter is an especially good deal: a mere $4 gets you a monstrous burrito stuffed with tender spiced chicken or steak, veggies, and melted Cheddar. It’s smothered with sour cream and salsa, and served with a mountain of beans and rice. Their beer list is mostly your college favorites like Millers, Buds, Sam Adamses, and Rolling Rocks, nothing too exciting. They do, however, have a handful of great hard ciders to choose from (a definite rarity at bars these days). The ambiance is what you'd expect of any Boston dive bar in a college area: rowdy, crowded, and LOUD. Even the decor is loud in its own way, with an eclectic assortment of retro signs, wagon wheels, bumper stickers, and license plates. This may be the Pour House's biggest downfall - such a decor scheme may work at a chain restaurant, but it just makes the Pour House look overwhelming and cluttered, like a last-minute yard sale. College bars can be cluttered and still work, of course, but the Pour House is just SO cluttered with mismatched finds that you forget what type of establishment you’re in at times. The roughly-hewn wooden bar top helped remind me that I was in a bar, but the 1001 other pieces of restaurant-style décor and seating areas were a bit confusing. My conclusion: the kitchen couldn't be better, but both the beer list and the interior could use a bit of a facelift. Other than that, the Pour House is a great place to hang out with friends or try to meet someone new, any day of the week.

Being a native of Boston it’s hard to imagine the city without it’s dive bars and seemingly overcrowded nation of Red Sox fans. Then again, there are certain areas of the cities that are sacred and around Boylston Street and the Back Bay. I like to steer clear of the “Game On” attitude that comes from enjoying festivities down near Kenmore Square. The Pour House isn’t completely devoid of Kenmore Square’s good-natured fun though. The décor is slightly outdated and random - you’re not quite sure if you’re in a country western movie, or maybe you just walked into the wrong bar. Most people who love going out in the Back Bay and the South End know that there is no end to the amount of swank that can be put upon you by places like Cleary’s and Brownstone. The great part about the Pour House is its legitimacy. You’ll get a good beer for a cheap price and maybe even find someone relatively attractive to engage in a conversation at the bar; however, there’s some down sides to the Pour House as well. There doesn’t seem to be a general theme to the place – are you a restaurant? More of a bar? I’m confused. I think we’re all confused. While Dillon’s down the street screams sophistication for people who can’t afford it, the Pour House seems to scream lack of sophistication for the same types. The potential is palpable once you walk in the door, but the line to get downstairs only to find another bar with a similar scene that is upstairs puts me off. Maybe it’s the giant mug of beer that’s clouding my vision and perception but I do believe that the Pour House could use some revamping – but it’s never short of a good time with a mix of high class ladies out for drinks after work and those catching a drink after the 9th inning. Either way, the Pour House in a gem, but don’t expect to leave reeking of class and sophistication.