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Cantab Lounge Dive Bar / Live Music Venue

Cantab Lounge Featuring local rock, blues, and soul musicians every night, Cantab Lounge's upstairs/downstairs set-up attracts an eclectic cross-section of pub crawlers, college kids, and music lovers. Boston United States 42.3661798 -71.1053048
3.15 8
Cantab Lounge - Dive Bar | Live Music Venue in Boston.
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4 User Reviews
  • User Reviews (4)

Ratings:

Lucas
Adriana
Jonah
Emma

Party Earth Review Featuring local rock, blues, and soul musicians every night, Cantab Lounge’s upstairs/downstairs set-up attracts an eclectic cross-section of pub crawlers, college kids, and music lovers. Early in the week, patrons will... ... read full review

  • Neighborhood:

    Cambridge / Somerville
  • Address:

    738 Massachusetts Avenue
    Cambridge, MA 02139

    Get Directions

  • T Stop:

    Red Line: Central Square

  • Phone:

    617-354-2685

  • Links:

    Official Website
  • Hours:

    M–W noon–1am, Th–Sa noon–2am, Su noon–1am

  • Recommended as:

    • Night Spot

First to review Christina W.

Write your review

Party Earth Cantab Lounge Review

The Scene

Featuring local rock, blues, and soul musicians every night, Cantab Lounge's upstairs/downstairs set-up attracts an eclectic cross-section of pub crawlers, college kids, and music lovers.

Cambridge / Somerville, Boston –

Featuring local rock, blues, and soul musicians every night, Cantab Lounge’s upstairs/downstairs set-up attracts an eclectic cross-section of pub crawlers, college kids, and music lovers.

Early in the week, patrons will find a pretty chill atmosphere as a laid-back crowd of blue-collar regulars congregates at the ground floor bar to shoot the breeze over cheap pints and listen to the live folk music drifting over the partition from the small elevated stage.

Monday’s Open Mic Night and Wednesday’s Poetry Slam get artists coming to perform original material, but the place really starts to liven up on Thursdays, giving way to more rocking weekend acts.

The cramped downstairs performance space draws crowds of indie-loving college students in vintage concert t-shirts and skinny jeans, ready to rock out to up-and-coming garage bands.

Upstairs, a slightly more mature clientele fuels up on spirits and hits the dim dance floor to get down to house-band renditions of rock and soul standards, or mingles and flirts with the twenty-something pub crawlers.

Hard to beat in terms of entertainment options, Cantab Lounge is an upbeat venue perfect for anyone looking for a cool drinking spot, a lively dance floor, an authentic music scene, and an outgoing crowd.

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Tip from Jonah:

Anyone aching to get onstage and show their stuff should check out Open Mic on Mondays at 8pm. Order is determined by picking names out of a hat, and performers get two songs apiece.

  • Crowd

    College students, indie music lovers, and local blue-collar regulars, mostly 20s downstairs, mid-20s to 40s upstairs.

  • Entertainment / Music

    Live music nightly, mostly folk, rock, blues, and soul. Open Mic Night on Mondays at 8pm and Poetry Slam on Wednesdays usually starting around 11pm.

  • Food / Miscellaneous

    Patrons are permitted to bring in food from elsewhere.

  • Prices

    Cover charge up to $7/Th–Sa. Beer $3+, cocktails $5+.

  • What to Wear / Dress Code

    Very casual, mostly jeans and sneakers. Tighter jeans and vintage duds downstairs.

  • Hot Nights / When to Go

    Thursdays through Saturdays for the live music, and Mondays for Open Mic night.

  • Close By

    The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub (472–480 Massachusetts Avenue), another great live music venue, is right down the street.

Tags:
20s30s40sBlue CollarBluesCasualCover chargeDance FloorFolkLaid backLive BandLive MusicMusic LoversOpen MicOutgoingPub CrawlersRockSoulSpoken Word PoetryStudentsTheme NightsVintage

Cantab Lounge User Reviews

meg jones wall May 6, 2013 3.0 stars fun dive with great live music the title really sums it up - this is a true dive, but there's always fun, live music. this is a great place to go with a group of friends on a night when you just want to chill out, dance a little, have a few beers, and enjoy yourself.
Grace Hilty Mar 6, 2013 2.0 stars Worth visiting... once. Cantab is a local must-visit, especially for college bar-goers and the over-40 crowd. However, there is not much in between the two age groups. The music is great, the dancing is fun, but there are few 20-somethings and 30-somethings besides the Thursday late-night rush of college bar-hoppers. Otherwise, the lounge is filled with older couples and a few singles dancing solo on the quite small dance floor. The band is a favorite, with a minimal cover charge for some genuinely good covers of great oldies. Sure to get you swinging, but not necessarily begging for more the following weekend.
ChristinaW Dec 11, 2012 3.0 stars Cool spot in Cambridge This is an awesome spot. I visited my friend in Boston about a year ago, and she suggested that we go here. I don't know much about Boston, so I obliged, and since we had been roommates I assumed she would pick a good spot. And she totally did! This place is adorable, and I had a great time just drinking beer and listening to music with a bunch of nerdy post-grads like myself. I specifically remember some really bizarre older patrons, including an elderly lady who wouldn't stop hitting on the college boys. It got a little awkward, but mostly it was funny and gave the Cantab a really unique kookiness to it that I definitely won't forget. If you are into chill live music where everyone is kind of doing their own thing, this is the spot for you. I will definitely be back there next time I visit Boston!

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