The 10 best Irish pubs in Boston
Irish pubs are spread across Boston, from tourist blocks beside Faneuil Hall to corner bars in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury. This list covers 10 of them, all inside the city limits, for visitors who want a pint and live music downtown and for residents looking for a regular spot closer to home.
The list favors pubs with long local track records, Irish music sessions, soccer and rugby on the screens, and kitchens that cook stew, curry chips and a full Irish breakfast. Where menus are published, pub mains run from about $17 to $26. One pub here has no kitchen and takes cash only.
How we chose
The list is alphabetical, not ranked. Selection drew on each pub’s own website, Boston magazine’s Irish pub guide (updated March 2026), Time Out, Jamaica Plain News and other local coverage. Criteria were years in business, music and sports programming, published menus, and a spread of neighborhoods. Every pub was checked as open in November 2026. Pubs in Cambridge and Somerville were left out because they sit outside the city.
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
The Banshee
Soccer and rugby fans fill this Dorchester Avenue sports pub on match days. The Banshee is home to seven official supporters clubs, according to the pub’s website, and opens at 7:30 a.m. for English Premier League games. Boston magazine’s March 2026 guide calls the pub the most reliable place in the city to watch rugby. The food is general comfort fare, with steak and cheese egg rolls, burritos and pizza on the menu, and there is a weekend brunch menu. Check the match schedule before an early kickoff, because the 7:30 a.m. opening applies only on Premier League mornings.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Opens at 7:30 a.m. for English Premier League matches.
Address: 934 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02125
Why they made the list
- Seven official supporters clubs use the pub as a home base, by the pub’s own count.
- Doors open at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, two hours ahead of the weekday opening.
- Boston magazine included the pub in its Irish pub guide, last updated in March 2026.
The Black Rose
Open since 1976 by its own account, The Black Rose sits on State Street a short walk from Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Live Irish music plays seven nights a week, and the menu mixes Irish plates with New England ones: Guinness beef stew, bangers and mash, an Irish trio sampler, clam chowder and a lobster roll served cold with citrus mayo or hot with butter. On Saturday and Sunday mornings the kitchen serves a full Irish breakfast for $18 from 10 a.m. to noon. The Blue Line’s Aquarium station and the Orange Line’s State station are the closest stops, per the pub.
Hours: Sunday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Address: 160 State Street, Boston, MA 02109
Why they made the list
- The pub’s website dates the business to 1976, which makes 2026 the 50th year on State Street.
- The name comes from the Gaelic “Roisin Dubh,” or small black rose, according to the pub.
- Glynn Hospitality Group runs the pub.
- The menu includes an Irish spice bag and a ham and cheese toastie served with Tayto crisps.
Brendan Behan Pub
Named for the Irish writer, the Behan is a small, dim Jamaica Plain bar with no kitchen. Customers are welcome to bring food from the takeout places along Centre Street, and pop-up vendors set up inside: a burrito seller named Rafa appears on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m., per the pub’s website. A traditional Irish session with anywhere from three to 10 musicians starts each Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Craft Beer & Brewing magazine counted 20 draft lines, most of them local craft beer alongside Guinness. Bring cash, because the bar does not take cards, though Craft Beer & Brewing reports an ATM on site.
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Address: 378 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Why they made the list
- The pub opened in the 1980s, and Michael Soltani has owned the business since 2007, Jamaica Plain News reported on February 17, 2026.
- Tables can be reserved for groups of up to 20 through the pub’s website.
- Dogs are allowed inside, according to Craft Beer & Brewing.
- Boston magazine’s March 2026 guide notes front and rear patios for warm weather.
See the full directory listing
Corrib Pub
West Roxbury’s Corrib Pub is a family restaurant as much as a bar. Martin, Angela, Hughie and Mary Bligh bought the former P.J. Cronin’s on Centre Street in 1988, according to the pub’s website, and named the business for Lough Corrib in County Galway. The long menu leans toward New England pub cooking: fish and chips made with fried scrod is $18.99, shepherd’s pie is $16.99, and sandwiches such as the Reuben are $13.99. Roast prime rib is the special on Friday and Saturday nights. Boston magazine points to the fireplace as the place to sit in cold weather.
Hours: Opens at noon every day, per the pub’s website. Check current hours before you go.
Address: 2030 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132
Why they made the list
- The Bligh family has run the West Roxbury pub since 1988, by the pub’s own account.
- Clam chowder costs $5.99 a cup and $7.99 a bowl on the posted menu.
- The kitchen posts food specials during Monday and Thursday night games.
The Dubliner
Chef and partner Aidan McGee, a Donegal native who cooked in Michelin-starred restaurants in the United Kingdom, runs the kitchen at this Government Center pub, which opened in 2022. The dish to order is the day boat fish and chips: haddock with triple-cooked fries, mushy peas, tartar sauce and curry sauce, $24 at lunch and $26 at dinner. Guinness beef stew is $26 at dinner and the Irish spice bag is $20. Sunday roast starts at noon, with live Irish music at 3 p.m. Bands play Wednesday through Sunday, and there is a covered patio and beer garden. Book ahead for Sunday roast.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Address: 2 Center Plaza, Boston, MA 02108
Why they made the list
- Boston magazine named The Dubliner a Best of Boston winner in 2023 and again in 2024.
- Stout is poured in custom 20-ounce tulip glasses, according to the pub.
- Ed Sheeran played a surprise set here with the band Beoga in March 2025, the pub’s website says.
- Six Nations rugby is shown on nine televisions and a projector.
See the full directory listing
Eire Pub
A plaque inside this Adams Village bar marks President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 visit, and Bill Clinton later stopped in as well, according to the pub’s website. The Eire started as a men’s bar and has been part of Dorchester for more than 50 years by its own account. Today the kitchen turns out fish and chips with fried haddock and homemade fries, chicken curry with Irish curry sauce over fries or rice, curry fries, and a steak tip dinner with mashed potatoes. Prices are not posted online. The pub describes the bar as a regular stop for local, national and international political figures, so campaign season can be busy.
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, noon to midnight.
Address: 795 Adams Street, Dorchester, MA 02124
Why they made the list
- Two United States presidents, Reagan and Clinton, have visited, by the pub’s own account.
- The pub opens at 10 a.m. six days a week.
- The menu lists a swordfish dinner with rice, asparagus and lemon caper sauce.
See the full directory listing
J.J. Foley’s Cafe
The Foley family has poured pints on East Berkeley Street in the South End since 1909, Tasting Table reported in February 2026, and Boston magazine notes that the pub claims to be the oldest family-run Irish pub in the city. The bar room dates to before Prohibition, and a dining room added later serves a full dinner menu. Boston magazine lists rotating specials such as bangers and mash with a fried egg, chicken piccata and spicy stuffed quahogs. A separate J.J. Foley’s on Kingston Street downtown is a different business, so check the address before meeting friends.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 117 East Berkeley Street, South End, Boston
Why they made the list
- Boston magazine’s March 2026 guide describes more than 100 years of business in the South End.
- Guinness reviewer Jason Hackett named the pub’s pint among the best in the United States in 2025, according to Tasting Table.
- Sports play on the televisions in the bar room, while the dining room is set up for dinner.
Lansdowne Pub
Steps from Fenway Park, the Lansdowne Pub books live music seven nights a week and stays open until 2 a.m. Weeknight specials run from 4 to 9 p.m.: half-price appetizers on Monday, a $7 burger and fries with a college ID on Tuesday, and 75-cent wings on Wednesday. Dueling pianos take the stage on the first Thursday of each month, with DJs and bands on Friday and Saturday. The menu has shepherd’s pie empanadas for $14 and Guinness beef stew for $8. On Red Sox game days the doors open three hours before first pitch. Kenmore on the Green Line is the closest stop.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, noon to 2 a.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Opens three hours before every Red Sox game.
Address: 9 Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA 02215
Why they made the list
- The full venue holds up to 600 guests, according to the pub.
- A private room called the Big Snug, behind the stage, has a bar and a fireplace and holds up to 80 people.
- Twelve beers are on draft, and a shared oversized Guinness requires at least three people to order.
See the full directory listing
M.J. O’Connor’s
Inside the Boston Park Plaza Hotel on Columbus Avenue, M.J. O’Connor’s works as a hotel pub, a lunch spot for Back Bay offices and a place to watch Premier League and Six Nations matches. The clam chowder, $10 a cup and $12 a bowl, is listed on the menu as a three-time Boston Harborfest winner. Other Irish plates include shepherd’s pie for $24, an Irish spice bag for $18, Guinness onion soup for $11 and corned beef and cabbage egg rolls for $15. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The kitchen closes at 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday.
Hours: Monday through Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Thursday and Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Address: 27 Columbus Avenue, Boston, MA 02116
Why they made the list
- The kitchen stays open until midnight on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
- A second M.J. O’Connor’s operates in the Westin Boston Seaport District.
- The pub publishes a game watch schedule for the Back Bay location.
- Posted holiday hours show the pub closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in 2026.
See the full directory listing
Mr. Dooley’s
Musicians have treated this Broad Street tavern as a session spot since the doors opened in 1991. Mr. Dooley’s was the first pub of the late John Somers, a musician who went on to own the Green Dragon and Paddy O’s, according to Boston magazine’s March 2026 guide, and fiddlers and whistle players still drop in to play. Tasting Table describes both scheduled and impromptu music and a menu that mixes New England and Irish dishes, including a full Irish breakfast with black and white pudding. Tasting Table places the pub on a corner in the Financial District. Ask at the bar which nights have scheduled music, since many sessions are unplanned.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 77 Broad Street, Downtown Boston
Why they made the list
- The tavern has operated at the same downtown corner for 35 years.
- Boston magazine singled out Mr. Dooley’s among the many Irish-themed bars downtown.
- Somers also opened a second Dooley’s on the South Shore, according to Boston magazine.
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