Beantown Pub
Where’s the only place you can drink a cold Sam Adams while viewing a cold Sam Adams? The Beantown Pub in historic downtown Boston!
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Where is the Beantown Pub?
Beantown Pub is located in downtown Boston, along the Freedom Trail. It’s across the street from the Granary Burying Ground Cemetery, where Samuel Adams is buried among other prominent figures in United States history, which is where the pub’s slogan comes from. Their physical address is 100 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02108.
How to Get to the Beantown Pub in Boston
There are multiple subway stops nearby on the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA, most well known as the ‘T’). Park Street is the closest, which services the Red Line and all Green Lines (B, C, D, & E). The Orange Line ‘State’ stop and the Blue Line ‘Government Center’ stop are also only a few blocks away.
From the Park Street station, which is inside the northeast corner of Boston Commons, it's only a 1 block walk northeast on Tremont Street to Beantown Pub. If public transport isn’t your thing, there’s plenty of paid parking garages in the area.
Reservations at Beantown Pub in Boston
Beantown Pub does not take reservations unless you’re hosting a private party or “large gathering,” whatever that means. The bar is first-come, first-serve and they’re open daily from 8:30am to 2:00am.
Beantown Pub Menu
The menu is quite large for a pub, but contains the expected pub food. Appetizers vary from the traditional fries and mozzarella sticks to the more local fried Haddock bites and Tater Kegs, which are giant tater tots stuffed with bacon and cheese. Expect to pay $10-$16 for most appetizers, which all sounds pretty shareable.
They serve Title Town Wings, a nod to their beloved Red Sox (or Patriots, or Bruins), with a variety of sauces to please your palate, but nothing too crazy. A dozen wings cost $21. Soups and the obligatory salads are fairly standard and range from $9 - $14.
Entrees include New England Pot Roast, Marinated Steak Tips, and Fish & Chips, among others, and range from $12 - $25. If sandwiches or burgers are more your speed, they offer a few signatures named after some of the people buried across the street and a few lobster items, like a Jumbo Lobster Roll, Lobster Tacos, and a Lobster Grilled Cheese. These burgers and sandwiches range from $11 - $26 (because lobster). For dessert, pick up a Boston Cream Pie for $9.
Our Experience
Due to our Northeast Regional train coming in 5 hours late because of a bridge fire blocking our path in Philadelphia, we lost most of our time to explore Boston (and unfortunately had to miss seeing a local friend). For our one full day in the area, we’d opted to spend it on a bucket list destination: Salem, which proved to be rather disappointing. Fortunately, the evening proved to be more fun with our Salem Ghost Night Tour (which we’ll be covering next Tuesday!), so we were eager to at least see SOMETHING in Boston and grab a bite to eat.
Upon arriving at the North Station, which is connected to the Green Line, we picked a random station close to Boston Common and decided to find somewhere to eat. We walked slightly north, past the beautiful Park Street Church and realized we were across from the Granary Burying Ground, which we’d noted as somewhere we wanted to visit, because it’s the cemetery where John Hancock, Paul Revere, Crispus Attucks, and Samuel Adams are buried. It was dark, but it would have to do.
After happening upon the Beantown Pub, and with a quick internet search revealing their motto is ‘Drink a Cold Sam Adams While Viewing a Cold Sam Adams’, we decided to go in and get some grub. The place was decidedly packed, as we didn’t realize that the Boston Red Sox were one win away from playing for their league pennant. Noticing a bunch of people with medals around their necks, we also realized that the Boston Marathon had been run that day, and that the finish line was only a few blocks away. It was a crazy coincidence that we were in Boston for both events.
Regardless of it being very, very busy, we were given a table near the front, with what looked like mostly out-of-towners. The menu was expansive and the beer was cold, and we were able to stare out at a very dark Granary Burying Ground. Adam had to have an obligatory Sam Adams beer, being so tickled by the bar’s slogan. Phoebe insisted on getting a Jameson, which she received in a healthy amount, as she had to have an Irish whiskey in an authentic Boston Irish pub. Prices were about as expected in downtown Boston: the beer was $8 for the pint and the Jameson ran $9. They had plenty of other beers on tap too, if Sam Adams isn’t your favorite.
The food was quite tasty. I had the Paul Revere sandwich, since he was buried across the street (and I love pastrami) and Phoebe was finally able to get New England Clam Chowder in New England. The sandwich was very good and the soup was fine but wasn’t anything to write home about. The clam chowder was $8.99 and the Paul Revere was $17.99 and came with a choice of side. I opted for broccoli this time simply because we had been eating so much fried food on our month-long train trip already.
The bar is narrow but extends far back past the entrance area we sat in, which we didn’t realize until we got up to find a restroom. There are a bunch of pool tables, flanked by large projection TV screens and more TVs, everywhere. It was apparent this is where the locals sit to drink, play pool, and watch the Red Sox win, even if they’re playing at Fenway only 2 miles away... which the Red Sox did while we were there, and it couldn’t have been more exciting to see the entire crowd in the bar go crazy! They blared Dropkick Murphys (who are from Boston) immediately after turning off the game sound from the TVs, then encouraged everyone to sing along to ‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond. At that point, no one was an out-of-towner, and the camaraderie was catching. We got bits of it on video (see the YouTube video above) but it simply cannot encapsulate all the energy that was in that pub.
Our Verdict
Beantown Pub has good food, tasty beer, and a location in downtown Boston that can’t be beat. If you can catch a Red Sox game while visiting, Beantown Pub is the place to do it. Enjoy that view of a cold Sam Adams!
Quick Reference Guide
What | |
Where | |
How to Get There | The ‘T’ Park Street Station is the closest subway station, servicing the Red and all Green Lines. The Orange and Blue Lines have stops nearby too, and paid parking garages are available in the area if you’re driving. |
Time Commitment | Stop in for a quick drink while you walk the Freedom Trail or hang out and watch the Red Sox. They’re open daily from 8:30am to 2am, so it’s however long your wallet or liver can hold out. |
Cost |
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Reservation Info | No reservations. First-come, first-serve. |
Our Verdict | A great stop while exploring the historic downtown Boston area, especially if you need a break while following the Freedom Trail. We look forward to coming back when we’re back in Boston. |
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