The 10 best cocktail bars in Boston
Ten cocktail bars inside the city limits make up this list, from a nine-seat ticketed counter in the North End to an 83-foot hotel bar in the Back Bay. Every entry is in Boston proper, so the well-known bars of Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline are left for other lists. The picks suit visitors planning one good night out and residents looking for a new regular stop.
The list favors independent, locally run bars with a serious drinks program and a record in the local and national press. At the bars that publish prices, a house cocktail costs $16 to $21. Several are closed on Sunday and Monday, and most of the small rooms fill early on weekends.
How we chose
The list is alphabetical, not ranked. Each bar was checked against the business’s own website in November 2026 to confirm the doors are open, and chosen on evidence: placement on North America’s 50 Best Bars lists in 2025 and 2026, coverage in Time Out, Resy and Boston magazine, years in business, and a cocktail list that goes beyond the standards. All ten are inside the City of Boston, spread across seven neighborhoods.
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
Drink
Bartenders at Drink, a basement bar on Congress Street in Fort Point, build cocktails around what each guest says they like, and the bar’s site describes that custom approach as the house method. A menu is posted online for anyone who would rather choose from a list. Food comes out of the kitchen from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. On the second Sunday of every month the bar runs Tiki Sundays, starting at 4 p.m., with tropical drinks and bar snacks to match. The website invites guests to find a spot at the bar and does not describe a reservation system, so plan for a walk-in visit.
Hours: Daily, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Food is served 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Address: 348 Congress Street, Boston (Fort Point)
Why they made the list
- The bar is open seven nights a week, including Sundays and Mondays when several other bars on this list are closed.
- Custom cocktails made to a guest’s stated tastes are the stated specialty on the bar’s own website.
- Tiki Sundays return on the second Sunday of each month at 4 p.m.
Equal Measure
Equal Measure opened in fall 2023 in the Bower apartment complex in Fenway, next to Eastern Standard, according to Time Out. Jackson Cannon leads the bar, which has 11 seats at the counter plus a small lounge. The posted menu prices cocktails from $16 to $20: the Toki Highball with blueberry and lemon is $16, and The Perfect Martini with Cotswolds gin is $20. Two zero-proof drinks are $13 and $14. Snacks include deviled eggs with caviar for $15 and mini lobster rolls for $23. Reservations are encouraged and walk-ins are taken when there is room. The bar suggests checking the Fenway Park schedule before driving, because parking is tight on game days.
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Address: 775 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02215
Why they made the list
- North America’s 50 Best Bars ranked Equal Measure No. 81 on the extended 2025 list, Time Out reported on April 17, 2025.
- The main entrance is on the Beacon Street side of the Bower plaza, beside Eastern Standard.
- Valet parking and validation are not available, and the bar points drivers to meters and private garages nearby.
- Ibérico potato chips and gildas, both $11, are available all night.
Farmacia
Nine bar seats make up all of Farmacia, a North End cocktail bar on North Square run by All Day Hospitality Group. Visits are sold as prepaid tickets through Tock, and each ticket covers a progression of several cocktails served in order, a few small bar snacks, tax and gratuity. The bar says the snacks are not a meal, so eat before or after. Arrival times and seating lengths are enforced because the room is so small, and there is no standing room. Walk-ins are taken only when a seat is open. Bring a valid ID, and make any change to party size by 5 p.m. on the day of the reservation.
Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight. Sunday and Tuesday are held for private events.
Address: 5 North Square, Boston (North End)
Why they made the list
- The whole bar is nine seats, by the bar’s own count.
- Ticket prices include tax and gratuity, so nothing more is owed at the end of the night unless extras are ordered.
- Private events are capped at 10 seated guests or 16 standing.
Hecate
Hecate sits below the Greek restaurant Krasi in the Back Bay, with an address on Public Alley 443. Xenia Greek Hospitality runs the bar and Lou Charbonneau is the beverage director. The current menu, labeled volume six, lists ten cocktails with long ingredient lists: Thrice Great Sage combines gin, mastiha, Persian cucumber, fig leaf and ras el hanout, and two drinks are clarified with goat milk. Separate menus cover zero-proof drinks and snacks. Time Out counts 24 seats, so arrive early in the evening for the shortest wait. The website does not post drink prices or a reservation policy.
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Address: Public Alley 443, Boston (Back Bay, below Krasi)
Why they made the list
- North America’s 50 Best Bars placed Hecate at No. 88 on the extended 2026 list, Time Out reported on April 1, 2026.
- Boston magazine gave Hecate the Best of Boston award for Best Cocktail Bar in 2022, according to the bar’s awards page.
- The bar publishes a full zero-proof menu alongside the cocktail list.
JM Curley
Named for former Boston mayor James Michael Curley, JM Curley has poured drinks on Temple Place in Downtown Crossing since 2011, by the restaurant’s own account. The barroom has exposed brick, a concrete bar top and original wood floors. Behind the bar are a long list of American whiskeys, house cocktails and ten rotating draft beers with a local lean. The Curley Burger, with cheddar, caramelized onions and Russian dressing, is $24, and a smaller late-night version is $20. The kitchen stays open until 1:30 a.m. seven days a week, which makes this a useful last stop after a show. Discounted parking is available at the Lafayette Garage.
Hours: Lunch Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner Sunday to Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Late-night food until 1:30 a.m. daily.
Address: 21 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111
Why they made the list
- Time Out included JM Curley on a list of Boston-area cocktail bars published October 6, 2023, citing bar-book classics and house originals.
- Late-night food runs until 1:30 a.m. every night of the week.
- Bogie’s Place, a small steakhouse under the same roof, takes reservations through the same website.
- Wings are $1 all day on Sundays during football season.
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OAK Long Bar + Kitchen
An 83-foot copper bar runs the length of OAK Long Bar + Kitchen, the restaurant and bar inside the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel on St. James Avenue, facing Copley Square. Time Out’s October 2023 list of cocktail bars singled out the martinis. The room is open from breakfast through late evening, so a drink here works before dinner or after a day in the Back Bay. Food orders stop at 11 p.m. and the last drink call is 11:45 p.m. Reservations go through OpenTable. Valet parking is $30 with validation, and the patio is closed for the cold season.
Hours: Daily, 7 a.m. to midnight. Last food order 11 p.m.; last drink call 11:45 p.m.
Address: 138 St. James Avenue, Boston, MA 02116
Why they made the list
- The copper bar measures 83 feet, according to the restaurant.
- OpenTable named the restaurant a Diners’ Choice Award winner in 2024, the restaurant’s website says.
- The bar is open every day of the week, with dinner service from 4 p.m. on weekdays and 3:30 p.m. on weekends.
- Mocktails are on the drinks list along with cocktails and American wines.
See the full directory listing
Offsuit
Offsuit describes the place as a small bar that fills glasses to the top and plays albums from start to finish. The bar is on Utica Street in the Leather District, reached through a door in the alley, and the house instruction is to call rather than knock. There is no password and no dress code. Reservations are offered every night and walk-ins are always taken; when the room is full, staff at the alley door add names to a waiting list. Food is served until 11:45 p.m. nightly and includes a bacon cheddar burger with fries for $20 and steak frites for $36. A 5% surcharge for kitchen staff is added to every check.
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Address: 5 Utica Street, Boston, MA 02111
Why they made the list
- Albums are played in full, front to back, as a house rule.
- The kitchen serves until 11:45 p.m. every night the bar is open.
- Walk-ins are accepted every night, with a waiting list kept at the alley door.
- Smaller plates include blistered shishito peppers for $13 and duck fat papas bravas for $16.
Shore Leave
Tropical cocktails are the focus at Shore Leave, a basement bar in the South End from Traveler Street Hospitality, the group that includes chef Colin Lynch and Ryan Lotz. The front door is at 11 Mullins Way, behind the back of the CVS. Time Out’s 2023 list pointed to the Mai Tai, Blue Hawaii and Painkiller. The kitchen sends out sushi and share plates until 9:30 p.m., and a Laotian pop-up called Phaeng & Phiu is on the calendar through December 31, 2026. The bar also hosts karaoke nights and monthly drag shows. Book through OpenTable for weekend nights.
Hours: Bar: Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Thursday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Kitchen: Tuesday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Address: 11 William E. Mullins Way, Boston, MA 02118
Why they made the list
- The room is below street level and designed to look like the deck of a ship, according to the bar.
- Sake, wine, beer and cider are on the drinks list for anyone skipping rum.
- The team behind the bar also runs Bar Mezzana and Black Lamb in the South End.
The Wig Shop
Wigs still fill the front window at The Wig Shop, a cocktail lounge on Temple Place in a storefront that housed Wig World Boston for more than 50 years, according to Resy. The lounge is next door to JM Curley and connected to that restaurant. Resy’s February 2023 report described nine couches around low tables in place of bar stools, a Champagne list of more than 30 bottles, and a best-selling drink called I Feel Pretty made with citron vodka, raspberry syrup and glitter foam. No password is needed; guests give a name at the host stand. Reservation rules have changed since opening, so confirm with the lounge before a weekend visit.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 27 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111
Why they made the list
- North America’s 50 Best Bars ranked The Wig Shop No. 86 on the extended 2026 list, Time Out reported on April 1, 2026.
- The neon sign from the former wig store still hangs out front, Resy reported in 2023.
- Food at opening was mostly finger-food canapés, per Resy.
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Yvonne’s
Guests reach Yvonne’s through a door at the back of a blow-dry bar on Winter Place, then walk into the dining rooms of the former Locke-Ober, a restaurant that opened in 1862 according to Yvonne’s. COJE Management Group kept much of the old woodwork and runs the space as a supper club with shared plates. House cocktails cost $17 to $21. The Hot and Dirty, a vodka martini with white miso and a spiced brine, is $21, and the Toki Old Fashioned with toasted sesame is $17. A 3% kitchen fee is added to each check. Validated discount parking is at the Hyatt Regency garage on Avenue de Lafayette.
Hours: Sunday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Monday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Supper ends at 11 p.m.
Address: 2 Winter Place, Boston, MA 02108
Why they made the list
- The bar pours until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Time Out’s October 2023 cocktail bar list noted the 19th-century mahogany bar kept from Locke-Ober.
- Reservations are taken through the restaurant’s website or by phone.
- Spicy lamb pizza on stone-fired pita is $22 for anyone who wants food with drinks.
See the full directory listing
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