If beers and brackets are your thing, Boston certainly has no shortage of sports bars.
Last year, we rounded up a collection of the best sports bars in town to watch March Madness. This year, we are kicking things up a notch. Here’s a look at the top places to watch the games in style.
Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks
Over in Kenmore Square just steps from Fenway Park, Eastern Standard serves up stylish cocktails and hearty fare to watch the games. Sip a Chasin the Bird cocktail in honor of Celtics great Larry Bird (we’re not sure it was actually named after him, but this weekend we are pretending it is) and pair it up with a charcuterie board filled with pates, terrines and cured meats and selection of cheeses.
Photo Credit: Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks
528 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215; Website
BOND Restaurant & Lounge
Under 25-foot vaulted ceilings with opulent crystal chandeliers, belly up to the rosewood bar and get ready to watch the games in style. The Financial District bar tucked inside the Langham Hotel has a nice selection of champagnes available by the glass and bottle ready to be popped for that celebratory win. Snack on a sampling of Hudson Valley foie gras, New Bedford sea scallop crudo or a grilled veal chop to round out the haute experience.
Photo Credit: BOND Restaurant & Lounge
250 Franklin Street, Boston, MA 02110; Website
Grafton Street
Instead of heading to a sports bar near the Boston Garden, head across the pond to Cambridge for some respite from the rowdy NCAA basketball tournament fanfare. Grafton Street’s Harvard Square location is going to be a haute spot this weekend to take in the games. Be sure to get there early to score a seat in front of the pull-down screen and share an order of their buffalo cauliflower, steamed mussels or fried calamari with pickled peppers.
Photo Credit: Grafton Street
1230 Mass Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138; Website
City Bar
It’s all about martini madness at City Bar in Back Bay where the drinks flow as fast as the basketballs hit the hoops. Tucked inside the Lenox Hotel, don’t miss one of their signature martinis (we recommend the Caribbean Queen, a fruity concoction of rum and prosecco or the blood orange cosmo). Served chilled and strong just the way we like them, the enormous martinis here go perfectly with a sampling of grilled steak tacos, goat cheese grain or the short rib flatbread. There is a second location in the Seaport District.
Photo Credit: City Bar
65 Exeter Street, Boston, MA 02116; Website
