Snacks and drinks after work for a going away party I rolled into the Boyne. Â I can't stop bouncing up and down when someone says "The Boyne".
The place is a local bar and pub but had a very nice feel to it. Â So for those looking to be bar fly at a hole in the wall it may not fit the $1 PBR draft you're looking for.
Kali was a great, I mean great waitress and hostess with the most-est. Â She was pleasant, fast, right on top of it. Â My super star coworker and close friend ordered a dirty martini and Kali made sure they were perfect all night. Â A bit more olive juice, check. Â The right mix, check. Â My dark and stormy with Ginger beer was a good 2nd choice since they didn't know the Gin Gin Mule (BTW GGM so yummy).
The food also hit the spot. Â One round of chili nachos and wings went fast among the group that we had to order another nacho plate. Â The two dishes were slightly different but again the plate was wiped clean.
Parking is hit and miss on the street but not as big of a deal as down town Boston.
Thank you The Boyne (jumping up and down making sounds) for a nice night. Â Here is toasting to Nate, someone I hope to keep in touch with over the years to come!!!
This is a bar that feels like a local bar, though it is isolated enough to be local to very few people. Â Very much more a pub rather than a bar to meet the person of your dreams/night. Â Still, if you are passing by, it is worth stopping in, instead.
Good selection of beer, very unpretentious, decent food (not a patch on The Druid) and a warm atmosphere.
My experience of the service was that it was fine, but then I was happy enough to walk two steps to the bar to order rather than wait.
Doug S. sums it up well.
The Boyne is a great place to go if you are looking for a nice Irish Pub and some food. Â Went there for the first time the other day and was treated to a live band, great food, and just the right amount of service. Â Food was definitely better than I am used to for Cambridge/Brighton/Alston area bars and pubs. Â Sitting in the back was a bit dark but I guess that's what I should expect from an Irish Pub? Â Plan on heading back soon!
Review Source:I'm gonna contest the quote from another review that the beer is fairly priced.
We all know that the standard US pint glass (former cocktail shaker) will only hold 16 oz if there is no head, and the glass is filled to it's meniscus, right?
Well, order a Sam Winter here, and you'll have it served in a Harpoon cheater pint, that'll be lucky to hold 14 oz, no head. Â And you'll get to pay $5 for it...
Just be honest, is all I ask.
Go:
for the food
with good friends who have stories to tell
if you want to avoid crowds
to relax and have a drink without being bothered
to take out of town guests to a clean, passable, authentic-ish Irish bar
Don't go:
If you've never used a rotary phone
If you just want a quick drink
If you're hoping to find young things to entertain (or entertain you)
If your idea of a good time is yelling at flat screens
if you wear tight t-shirts
Apparently, there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who like the Boyne and those who don't. I'll break down "why." The Boyne isn't crowded. It's not hip. And you're not likely to meet your soul mate there.
If your idea of a night out is bumping into people while flirting your way toward an alcohol induced coma, the Boyne is not for you. They don't serve fish bowls of liquor either, sorry!
On the other hand, the food at the Boyne is first rate and is simply some of the best - if not the best - pub food in Boston. The burgers are amazing - a can't miss - but branch out and try the scallops, a steak, or some of the authentic Irish food if you're feeling ambitious, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. I've had all of these things at one time or another and it's good, people. Real good.
The atmosphere consists of rows of quiet if not somewhat dark booths accompanied by a full length bar and several cocktail tables. It's decor resembles the end-scene of Sleepers where Minnie Driver and the boys are sitting around just drinking whisky and laughing while the camera pans out.....and the credits roll.
It's always clean, has decent bathrooms, friendly folks, and a staff that actually seems to care - a Brighton anomaly if you ask me.
So thanks, George.
The chefs there could easily grill up the type of grub you pay triple the price for on Newbury street but the Boyne offers something that the bars on Newbury street may find difficult to purchase: soul. In a desperate, shorts-to-short college town, maybe the Boyne is here for the professors of life, not the students.
I decided to give this place a shot because it got some rave reviews about its food. This is how it went down...
Me and 3 friends enter the establishment and take a table in front of the bar.
We wait...
and wait...
ooh hey, nice flat screen!
and wait...
Aaaaaand we leave!
I'd say we probably waited for at least 15 minutes. No menus no nothin.
Lucky for us we passed a pizza place nearby that served a great slice. Big daddy's. Go there instead.
Ridiculously good burgers and fries. Â Big and hearty potato skins. Â Very clean. The beer is average priced ($3.50 for a Bud Light, really?), but the food is cheap ($7.50 for burger and fries). Â
So why not 5-stars? Â No Miller Lt (Boo!) and rampant Keno. Â Come on. Â This place is too nice for toothless McGee to be drinking gin & tonics while scratching off lotto tickets and yelling at the bartender to get her Keno numbers in.
I love this place. Â
It's a sweet little local bar, nice relaxed atmosphere. Â Totally unpretentious and definitely not a meat market!
The food is very good and the burgers are fabulous.  Great beers on tap, but  I love the martinis!
The location is a little strange, and it's easy to overlook - but you'll be missing out!
I live a solid two blocks away from the Boyne, so as a bar within walking distance this place is great. They have 25 cent wings EVERY NIGHT and cheap beer. What more could you want? First time I came here there a great live Irish band. Mostly the place has four other people in it besides for my friends and I, and its a big place so it can feel empty. My only real complaint are the bartenders...I loved this guy Matt but I think hes gone now...replacing him have been a revolving door of unfriendly, smart ass guys who act like I'm bothering them when I order a drink. However, this place is nice and chill with good surroundings since the renovation, and parking is always easy. Give The Boyne a chance.
Review Source:Ok. I'm really quite disappointed in all of these reviews. If I wanted a stuffy, overcrowded, and impersonal bar to experience, Id walk a few blocks to Harvard Ave and hang with all those cool kids.
This place is amazing. It is off the beaten path where you don't have to worry about running into first rate morons who don't know how to hold their liquor. The drinks are quick, the staff are genuine and friendly, and their brunch is to die for.
Never in all of Allston/Brighton has there been a decent chef to live up to the "brunch" word. I guarantee you'll be begging for their Eggs and Kielbasa every Saturday or Sunday morning when you wake up with a nasty hangover and see the ridiculous lines at The Breakfast Club not to mention those soggy diner pancakes they try to pass as food.
So yeah, if you're coming here to pick up chicks, go hang with your buddies at Kells or if you're coming for good drink, good food, and an easy place to relax with your friends, this is a little gem.
I'm being generous with 3 stars only because I popped in for a quick beer. Full review will come if I ever go back for more.
It was Saturday night and totally dead. I'd blame the location for that. I think if this place was in Brighton Ctr it would do fine.
Good beers on tap, not too expensive, and plenty of tables. The bartender was pretty good too. If this place was more in walking distance from my place or a bit more crowded I'd probably frequent it more when I want to stay local.
Location, location, location...
$.25 wings during Red Sox games! Â WOW
I expected the wings to be sub par but actually they were quite tasty. Â The sauce was a nice semi-hot buffalo taste and they were crispy but fell off the bone. Â Great recipe if you ask me. Â Our first set was not very sauced but low and behold when the second set came out they were definitely much saucier.
No Miller Lite as a selection, we had two Irish car bombs (which at least they made them) but a bit pricey for a neighborhood bar- $8.  There was a dj around 10pm on Friday night and at first the music was a little odd  but it started getting better.  Not crowded but seemed to be an interesting crowd.
Woah, this place is hated here. Maybe I went on an "off" night but my experience was pretty good. Checked it out after a flag football game and couldn't get service at Bus Stop Pub down the road. Stopped in and it was pretty empty for a Thursday, but the barkeep, a younger wisecracking dude, welcomed us and we sat at a table. I had French onion soup and wings, both of which were top notch. Hell, I'd probably make the trip from Somerville for these wings again if I felt up for it, and the soup far surpassed my expectations from a place like this.
Interior looked fairly recently updated and it was a chill place. Clientele seemed mix of OG regulars and yuppie slummers. The bartender was a one man gang in keeping the beer flowing and food served and he was a cool cat. I'd go back after my next game or if I'm in the hood again. Check it out if you haven't already, you may be surprised.
They've renovated recently, bringing them up to 2 stars... sullen crowd, overpriced below average foodstuffs, plenty of muted television sets tuned to ESPN (whatever happened to having the captions turned on? Â what's the point of running 24 hours of talking heads and never hearing what they have to say? Â oh well...) and, since their prefab pub upgrade, 10 more watts of lighting...
Unless the 70 is hours late and you need to belly up to a bar, any bar, wtih cheap pulls and drown your commuter sorrows - you can do better...
I agree with Brian D. The only thing going for it is that they serve alcohol, and it's cheap. The reason I gave it one more star was because they not only serve alcohol but you don't have to wait for it, Â you can bet money you'll be the only person in the joint. The DJ they have on weekends also plays some songs which will, well, bring you back would be the most accurate. I don't know, it could be fun if you brought like 30 people with you and had your own private party. What the hell do I know, I'll go to any place that'll get me drunk.
Review Source:The only thing going for this place is the fact that they serve alcohol. Â The crowd is depressing. Â It is too brightly lit. Â The bar service is slow, and has mediocre manners. Â The juke box is bad, but not so bad as to be campy. Â There are a half dozen cheaper and better bars within a 5 minute walk. Â Don't waste your time or money here.
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