Boston’s Best Baseball Bars

Written by Jonathan Terbush Thursday, 15 July 2010 08:07

Five Great Places to Catch The Sox Game

So the Pats flopped. So the Bruins imploded. So the Celtics came so agonizingly, tantalizingly close to winning another title, only to be felled by the hated Lakers. Boston sports fans still have the Red Sox to root for. And even though, in our pessimistic New England hearts, we still expect the Sox season to end in misery, at least baseball will temporarily
take our minds off those other letdowns.
As the season slogs on through the hot summer months, head out to for a drink—or, given the aforementioned heartbreaks, five or six drinks—at one of these five great sports bars.
The Fours
Walking into The Fours is like crossing into Sports Heaven. The dark, varnished wood and meticulously arranged memorabilia of Boston sports lore create a stunning sense of nostalgia. You half expect to see cigar smoke wafting over from a table at which Red Auerbach and Ted Williams are swigging pints served up by a young Bob Cousy. Unlike traditional bar fare (greasy grease fried in more grease) the food here is exceptional. Forget onion rings and jalapeno poppers; The Fours has scrod and swordfish on the
menu. Add to all that the bar’s 42 TVs and its no wonder why Sports Illustrated named it the best sports bar in America in
2005. 166 Canal Street - (617) 720-4455

Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grille
Stallone has Planet Hollywood, Aykroyd has the House of Blues, and now
Remy has his own eponymous restaurant. The former Sox second baseman and current NESN color commentator opened his much-hyped eatery in March with a season-pass offer. For $500, fans can get a guaranteed seat for all home
games, food and rink vouchers, and other schwag. There’s also a multitude of TVs on which to catch the game, including a row of abutting displays behind the bar, two 6’x11’ screens, and even three TVs in the men’s bathroom. It’s like something out of 1984, only with better programming.
1265 Boylston Street - (617) 236-7369

McGreevy’s
Another bar owned by a Boston icon, McGreevy’s isthe pet project of Dropkick Murphy’s bassist Ken Casey. The bar is a tribute to Michael
‘Nuf Ced’ McGreevy’s legendary Third Base Saloon, established in 1894, which served as the home base for Boston’s rowdy fans, the Royal Rooters. Working with baseball historian and collector Peter Nash, Casey decked out the updated bar with all sorts of memorabilia to give it an old time flair. A painting of McGreevy that hung in the original bar even hangs in the same place in the establishment’s reimagining.
911 Boylston Street (617) 262-0911

The Cask & Flagon
Voted the #2 Sports Bar in America by ESPN, The Cask & Flagon is a Boston
institution. The exposed brick and steel girders inside the restaurant invoke the bowels of Fenway Park, and with a prime location at the corner
of Lansdowne and Brookline, there’s a gorgeous view of the Fenway façade across the street. The place can get packed before home games, but typically clears out as ticket holders amble over for the first pitch.
62 Brookline Ave (617) 536-4840

Boston Beer Works.
Beer and baseball go together like hockey and mullets, and no place in Boston serves up better craft beer than Beer Works. The restaurant operates breweries at both its Boston locations, churning out great neighborhood-themed brews like Haymarket Hefeweizen and Back Bay IPA. The Canal St. location is the more rounded place to watch the game, with 16,000 square feet of space, a patio, 15 pool tables and plenty of TVs. The Brookline Ave. joint is less sprawling, but, then again, is also down the street
from Fenway.
61 Brookline Avenue (617) 536-2337 and
112 Canal Street (617) 896-2337