The Cantab Lounge
About
The Cantab Lounge is a long-running Central Square bar and music venue, established in 1938, with two floors offering two different kinds of night. At street level, The Lounge has a classic neighborhood bar feel and a cozy stage for folk, jazz, cover bands, open mics and poetry slams. Downstairs, Cantab Underground packs a low-ceilinged room for hardcore, punk, EDM and experimental indie shows with no barrier between artist and crowd.
The bar has a rough-and-ready reputation. In a 2016 CBS interview, actor Casey Affleck recalled childhood visits sipping ginger ale at a table while his father tended bar there, and the interviewer, Tracy Smith, remembered hearing Little Joe Cook and the Thrillers at the Cantab in college. Today it is open daily with shows most evenings, and tickets for upcoming performances on both floors are sold online.
What to Know
- The venue is 21 and over only.
- There is no kitchen, but guests are welcome to bring their own food.
- Shows typically start in the early evening.
- It is listed by the Central Square Business Improvement District.
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