Best Boston Bars Near the Garden

Cheer the Celtics and Bruins at these top Boston sports bars

Heading to a Celtics or Bruins game at TD Garden? 

Stop by the best Boston bars near the Garden - officially known as "TD Garden" - for  a pre-game dinner or post-game celebrating.

You'll find plenty of great choices among these sports bars in Boston's West End. 

We take sports seriously in Boston . . . and after you discover all the great Boston bars near the Garden, you'll get a taste of Boston's real sports culture.   By the way, we pronounce that "cul-chah".

What you need to understand right away is that these are not just Boston bars . . . these are Boston sports bars . . . on steroids.  You can have some serious fun in these places.

Of course, TD Garden isn't just about sports . . . it's also a popular arena for concerts and other entertainment. 

So while all of these Boston bars cater at some level to the sports-obsessed, most of them target a wider mix of customers. 

A couple feature very good food, others are true neighborhood pubs, one is a well-regarded microbrewery / restaurant, several more double as dance clubs . . . and one or two are true dive bars, holdovers from seedier days before gentrification hit this area.

So let's take a tour of the top choices, and then you can decide which is your favorite.

Boston Beer Works

Boston Beer Works on Canal Street is the newest of 3 Boston Beer Works in the Boston area.  And it's huge - over 16,000 square feet on 2 floors. 

This kid-friendly place is a great spot to stop by before or after an event at TD Garden.  You can shoot some pool at one of their 15 billiard tables, watch the Celtics or Bruins play on their 15 big-screen TVs, or just enjoy a great beer and some well-prepared food.

Boston Beer Works may be a great sports bar, but above all, it's a real brewery plus a restaurant with food to complement the beer.  In fact, it's the oldest and largest brewery and restaurant in the Boston area, started in 1990 by two brothers, Steve and Joe Slesar.

You'll see the beer-dispensing tanks right in plain view behind the bar, and detect a slightly malty aroma in the air.  Best of all, you'll get to taste the specialty brews and decide which one of this Boston microbrewery's creations is your favorite.

Boston Beer Works brews about 50 different beers, ales, and lagers each year, with perhaps 12-15 on tap at any one time.  Names like "Beantown Nut Brown Ale," "Boston Common," and "Bulfinch Bitter" keep the local connections front and center. 

Even if you don't come here specifically for the food, you'll find some excellent options.  Starters include especially good versions of typical Boston pub food - terrific New England chowder . . . an over-the-top hummus plate garnished with feta cheese, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, baba ganouj, and of course pita . . . lobster quesadillas with spinach, red peppers, and melted gouda cheese.

Fries . . . you'll find everything from fried pickles to sweet potato fries to steak fries, and many, many more.  Lunch and dinner options get even better, if you still have room to consider anything else.  You'll find great salads, burgers, pizzas, and sandwiches, as well as steaks, fish, and chops.

Like the other Boston bars near the Garden and North Station, Boston Beer Works gets quite crowded on on game days and nights.  However, it's also a great option at other times.  It's relaxed, casual vibe makes it a favorite among people working in nearby Government Center, groups of friends, and families.

Details and Directions for Boston Beer Works

Address:  112 Canal Street, West End; Green and Orange Lines/North Station
For more information:  617-896-2337; website

Grand Canal

Grand Canal is large.  This would seem to explain its name, as in "big place on Canal Street" - but actually, it's named after an Irish canal with the same name. 

On the outside, Grand Canal is styled to look like a Victorian Irish pub.  A new porch at the back, made possible after the Central Artery was dismantled, is a popular warm-weather addition.

Although about 50 plasma screens line the walls inside, and do become magnets on game nights, Grand Canal's focus on music shifts it away from feeling like primarily a Boston sports bar.  On those nights, the screens are a backdrop for the dancing.

At noon and after work, Grand Canal is a popular gathering spot for people working in the neighborhood to stop by for a bite and a beer.  You'll find pretty much the same food here that's in most Boston bars - nachos, wraps, salads, pasta, fish and chips, and in a nod to the Irish connections, shepherd's pie and bangers and mash.

In the evening, Grand Canal hosts "Boston's best cover bands" - particularly those that specialize in music from the 1980s and perhaps the '90s.  In between sets, a DJ keeps the music playing - loudly.

Details and Directions for Grand Canal

Cover:  Sometimes on live music nights; usually a small amount
Address:  57 Canal Street, West End; Green and Orange Lines/North Station
For more information:  617-523-1112; website

Greatest Bar

Greatest Bar is huge - one of the biggest of the Boston bars near the Garden.  Part sports bar, part nightspot, it features lots of big screens, including a 14 foot high definition TV, plus DJs as well as live music.

Within Greatest Bar's 4 floors are 3 separate area.  Bars, naturally, dominate on each floor, while music and broadcast games compete to drown each other out.

Top 40 tunes play on the first 2 floors, which include space for dancing.  You'll find rock, classic to modern, playing on the 3rd floor, and oldies and Motown from the '50s, '60s, and '70 on the 4th. 

Covering many of the walls and ceilings are posters, photos, and collages showing "greatest" Boston moments - mostly in sports, but also including history, politics, and other categories.  That's what inspired the bar's name . . . it's a bar that displays "the greatest." 

On game nights, a 90 minute video highlighting the greatest moments in Boston sports plays before game time to get everyone cheering.

A cover charge applies on some nights, but beers are relatively inexpensive and the food is reasonably priced.  Food includes a good selection of typical bar food - wings, nachos, and chili, plus more substantial fare such as steak tips, fish and chips, burgers, pasta, and salads. 

Details and Directions for Greatest Bar

Cover:  Usually on live music nights
Address:  262 Friend Street, West End; Green and Orange Lines/North Station
For more information:  617-367-0544; website

Hurricane O'Reilly's

Part dance club, part sports bar, and part Irish pub. . . but except for game nights, more dance than sports, despite the big screens.  A top 40s orientation draws a younger crowd, which gets big on the weekends, especially Saturday nights. 

The main room has several bars and a dance floor.  A quieter back room is sometimes used for private functions. 

On game nights, it's a popular option for stopping by before or after the game for a quick bite and beer.

Details and Directions for Hurricane O'Reilly's

Address:  150 Canal Street, West End; Green and Orange Lines/North Station
For more information:  617-722-0161; no website

McGann's Irish Pub

Quieter and more unassuming than many of the other Boston bars near the Garden, McGann's Irish Pub is one of those great places that once you find it, you want to come back again and again with your friends but you kind of hope that no one else discovers it.  You like to think that it's your own place . . . the place where everyone calls you by name. 

You'll find plenty of wide screen TVs showing both American and Irish sports - especially rugby, hurling, and soccer.

There's a full bar with reasonably priced drinks, and excellent pub food from both sides of the Atlantic - mac and cheese, fish and chips, burgers, an excellent bbq pulled pork sandwich, plus a couple of excellent curries, shepherd pie, and mouth-watering Irish beef stew.

Irish bands occasionally play here in the evenings - yet another reason to stop by frequently.

Details and Directions for McGann's Irish Pub

Address:  197 Portland Street, West End; Green and Orange Lines/North Station
For more information:  617-227-4059; website

Porter's Bar and Grill

A little off the usual track from the rest of the Boston bars near the Garden, Porter's has fewer tourists, college kids, and inebriated sports fans than some of the other nearby places.  In fact, despite the 10 foot projection screen and HDTVs, it's more like a normal neighborhood bar where you can watch a game, have a few beers, and munch on some wings or nachos.

Porter's draws a good-sized crowd from people working in the area who stop by for lunch or an after-work drink.  Tuesday night trivia, an occasional live band, and music at a volume where conversation is a possibility add to its evening and weekend appeal.

You'll find about a dozen beers and ales on draft, more options by the bottle, and drinkable wines.  Food options include pub standards - salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, steak tips, fish and chips.

Details and Directions for Porter's Bar and Grill

Address:  173 Portland Street; West End; Green and Orange Lines/North Station
For more information:  617-742-7678 ; website

Sports Grille Boston

If the number of flat screens showing sports are the measure of a true Boston sports bar, Sports Grille must rank at or near the top of all of the Boston bars near Garden.  The walls are plastered with them, showing all sports events underway at any given moment - and then each booth has its own small screen for good measure.

If you can move your eyes past the TVs, you'll also see lots of sports memorabilia around, adding to the atmosphere. 

You'll find plenty of beer and other beverage choices, and as for food, you'll find the staples of most Boston bars plus some tasty additions - great cheese steak subs, baby rib subs, thin crust pizzas, and sandwiches.  Try the George Forman steak tips sandwich, or the fried fresh haddock.  Prices for drinks and food are reasonable.

Sports Grille's claim to culinary fame, though, are the half-pound hot dogs served on sub rolls with fries on the side.  Additions of cheese, beans, peppers, and sauerkraut give you some options.

A "rookie" menu for sports fans 12 and under is a nice touch, and underscores that this is a family-friendly sports bar where everyone will have a lot of fun.

Details and Directions for Sports Grille

Address: 132 Canal Street; Green and Orange Lines/North Station
For more information:  617-367-9302; no website

Sullivan's Tap

Perhaps the only one of the Boston bars near the Garden to be considered a true dive bar, Sullivan's Tap (locally called "Sully's") is more about semi-cheap drinks than sports. 

You will also find some TVs, video games, and pool.  The bar - long, narrow, dark - gets packed on game and concert nights.

Ambiance?  Fights, profanity, and huge beer bellies.

Details and Directions for Sully's

Address:  168 Canal Street, West End; Green and Orange Lines/North Station
For more information:  617-617-7617; no website

The Fours Restaurant and Sports Bar

The Fours opened in 1976 as one of the country's first sports bars, and continues to be the standard against which all other Boston sports bars are measured.   

Sports Illustrated rated The Fours as the #1 Sports Bar in America.  You may, too.

This renowned Boston bar is a kid-friendly place.  If your children love sports and you don't have a chance to take them to the Sports Museum in the Garden while visiting Boston, bring them here for lunch and a look-around instead.  The Fours has the most extensive collection of sports memorabilia in the Boston area. 

And as for sports . . . 42 screens!  They have satellite and Direct TV sports packages for everything - MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA.  This is a serious sports bar.  They take pride in making sure that wherever you're from in the country, you'll get to see your team play.

The Fours also takes pride in serving good food  - a cut above most Boston bars.  You can get super versions of all the usual starters - buffalo fingers or buffalo wings or even phenomenal buffalo chicken nachos with hot sauce, celery, and bleu cheese . . . fabulous quesadillas . . . baked artichoke and spinach dip - plus a few unusual specialties such as the seafood mushroom caps filled with their homemade lobster, crab, and shrimp stuffing.

The salads, chowders, pastas, burgers, and wraps are all also great choices.  Sandwiches come with little pots of very good baked beans. 

As a bonus, The Fours dinners are much better than what you'd normally expect to find in a sports bar - shrimp or lobster scampi, local swordfish, baked stuffed shrimp with homemade lobster sauce, steak tips, and yummy bbq ribs.  And you'll totally enjoy your meal after you discover how affordable this place is - most dinners are under $15. 

In case you're wondering about the name,  The Fours is named after the Bruins' legendary Number 4 . . . Bobby Orr, considered by many people to have been the best hockey defense player ever.  And their Bobby Orr sandwich is also the best.

Details and directions for The Fours

Address:  166 Canal Street; Green and Orange Lines/North Station
For more information:  617-720-4455; www.thefours.com

Map showing Boston bars near the Garden

Here's a map that will help you find your way around the part of the West End where TD Garden is located.  You can use it to find the locations for the bars, North Station, nearby streets, and, of course, the Garden. As you'll see, all of the bars are very close together, and they're all close to the Garden and North Station.  

6 tips for having fun at Boston Bars near the Garden

1. You'll enjoy these Boston bars near the Garden the most if you like large, noisy, somewhat boisterous crowds.  If not, come at a non-game time when they're still a lot of fun but less, um, exuberant.  On game nights, you can find quieter places to have a drink in nearby Beacon Hill or the North End.

2.  Stay out of fights. 

3.  Understand each bar's age requirements.  Some of these bars limit admission to 21+ at some times.  If this might impact you, check with the bar ahead of time.

4.  Don't drink too much. 

5.  Don't drive.  Come on foot, by T, or by train.  And if you do drink too much, call a cab.

6.  If you run into one of the Bruins at one of these Boston bars, try not to stutter too much when you ask for his autograph.