This place is awesome! It a small place, but has a great atmosphere- went with 3 other people. There aren't a lot of tables, so I sat at the bar. The bar tender was awesome, bringing us cold glasses for the pitcher of beer that we got which was pretty awesome. I wish there were more tables though! It was hard to talk to my other friends sitting at the bar
Review Source:castlebar's pretty cool. if i lived in oak sq, this would definitely be my spot. cheap drinks, buck hunter, karaoke, cool staff, complete lack of pretentiousness... aces all around. only thing to watch out for is that if you're not careful, you run a high likelihood of winding up across the street at last drop later.
Review Source:Came here last night for the first time and I was very impressed! It's a really nice place to have a couple beers with friends. The staff is super nice and accommodating. The bartender was handing out goldfish throughout the night and the service was excellent. The ambiance is really nice as the bar is on the darker side and pretty on the inside. Another plus: the bathrooms are beautful! I would highly recommend this place.
Review Source:Wow, I've never rated Castlebar? I guess at least part of the reason for that could be that the last two times I've been there I've been frigging hammered. About a year ago, a friend and I played hooky for my birthday and ended up there toward the end of the day. I was hitting on a chick who I think may have been lesbian, but I was hitting on her in what I thought was a pretty mild-mannered, non-sexual way: helping her out with the Sunday Globe crossword.
The other time was after a Sox game when some friends from Watertown and Belmont wanted to meet up after the game. We drank a lot of beer, and my friend who went to the game with me barfed in the men's room after someone (not me!) had the bright idea to get Johnny Walker blacks all around. Yikes!
Anyhow, we've done trivia here too (our team came in second one night!), and if I needed a local, this would be my local, but I don't, so it isn't.
For years I avoided this bar for fear of sketchiness until a friend dragged me in. I am not sure why I waited so long to try this place? The martinis are awesome and a total shock for a local bar. Drink prices are average, but the fun bartenders make up for it. They try and create fun event nights to get people in the bar such as ugly sweater parties and trivia nights. Despite the activities, we have never had a problem grabbing a seat and drinking the night away.
Don't come here if you are looking for a pretentious place to be seen. Instead come here if you want a casual atmosphere to share some beers with friends.
Best bar in Oak Square, although what that mean is that this bar is better than the Last Drop.
It is better than the Last Drop for the following reasons:
- Less embarrassing clientele
- Better prices
- Better ambiance (The Last Drop is always weirdly empty or overly crowded)
- No bouncers/lines to get in (waiting in line for the Last Drop is something no one should ever do)
- Thursday trivia
Maybe I should have just rated the Last Drop as a 1 star instead.
Friendly neighborhood bar. Â This place has a relaxed atmosphere, friendly bartenders and is generally a easygoing establishment. Â They have pub trivia every Thursday night which is usually a popular and fun event. Â Although they don't serve food, it is acceptable to call in an order to be delivered directly to the bar. Â Not a place to find a date necessarily, but a comfortable locale to hang out with friends. Â Also, they have one of the nicest ladies restrooms in Brighton with fresh flowers and seasonal airfreshers. Â Overall, I would recommend giving it a try.
Review Source:Divey, in a great way.
Don't feel like dealing with a crowed, wanna just kinda chill, play some buck hunter and darts and shoot the shit with some locals?
here is your spot.
There is no food. But did you really want any? yeah, then walk down the street and grab a slice from two doors down).
+ The stunning ladies' room that totally makes you forget that you're in a "dive" bar in Brighton.
+ Dave, the amazingly awesome bartender.
+ Dave's incredible margaritas that are at least 85% alcohol with a splash of lime.
+ Those margaritas are only 7 bucks for a HUGE glass and two knocked me on my ass.
+ Chill atmosphere, which is not really divey at all.
I stopped into Castlebar to meet my good friend Leah (the mayor!)for a drink before going out to dinner. I got there around 7:30. We saw no reason to leave for dinner (not even extreme hunger!) until almost midnight. At that point I was trashed and happy due to Dave's awesome margs.
The only minus? Castlebar, you're too far from my apartment.
Castlebar is one of my favorite little hangouts. It may look a bit divey from the outside...and even when you first open the door, but it's actually a very fun place to hang out with a laid-back atmosphere, good prices for drinks, and (as Lauren alluded to) the nicest ladies' room I have every seen.
They don't serve food, but you're permitted to bring in your own and, with so many options for food in the area, it's really not an inconvenience at all. Actually, it's kind of cool! You can have whatever you're craving and not have to smuggle it in like a creep!
It's also clean, which can be refreshing in the Allston-Brighton area, though it is quite clear that it is an older facility and could use a little TLC.
I would definitely be remiss if I didn't mention the fun that goes on in the function room. The second Wednesday of every month you can catch the (FREE) Very Nice Comedy Show with Andrew Mayer and Rick Canavan and through the month, the room is book with improv and other comedy shows. You have to check it out.
Cast-lah Bah, as Karen my friend's GPS would say, is a decent Irish pub I used to frequent when visiting friends in the area. It's not my favorite bar, but it serves its purpose.
I like that they have a jukebox with a decent selection (though I think it has the search function so really its selection is endless). My friends and I used to play darts here a lot too when we didn't feel like fighting for a spot at the infamous Silhouette. Dart board is kept in good shape too, I should add. This is also the first place where I got into playing trivia - they have it every Thursday night at 9, and a good sized crowd usually seems to show up.
Overall it's a good, cozy place. Paul the owner/bartender is a great guy, and most of the other bartenders are pleasant enough. You can bring your own food too, as others have noted (I recommend Sweet Pepper a block or 2 down the road).
This place was a solid irish divey pub, nothing fancy, and features team trivia on thursday nights.  the trivia jockey was a little difficult to hear, but  otherwise the vibe here was what you'd expect from virtually any non-descript local irish pub.
as some of the ladies have already mentioned: the weirdest part of the bar was the ladies bathroom, which looked like the bathroom of a medium-to-upscale hotel. Â i'm not sure why they invested as much dough in the ladies bathroom as they did in the rest of the bar combined, but i sure won't hate on it.
When I lived in Oak Sq I'd often pop down to Castlebar for a proper pint. Good bartenders with a proper brogue; great place for a girl to have a Guinness and listen to some Johnny Cash without being disturbed by drunken suitors. A good pour at a good price.
They lose stars only because I've literally seen someone "foreign-looking" walk up to the door only to be told by the 4 or 5 Irish smoking outside "I think you're in the wrong place, mate."
Meh. Racism sucks.
I lived a stone's throw from this place six months before going in. And I only went under duress. The crowd of sometimes-skeevy guys smoking cigarettes outside literally all the time was a turn off.
But when the power went out and it was 90 degrees and we found out that they still had power at Castlebar, in we went.
So, I guess, in an odd way, I owe the evil NSTAR for my newfound love of a dive bar. Which isn't even all that dive-y. Cheap drafts, friendly bar tenders, and a relaxed atmosphere make this the perfect spot to stop in for a drink or two after work. I am most definitely a fan!
Legend has it that Castlebar used to be a total dive, and a really divey dive at that. Â According to friends that have been living in Brighton Center for way longer than I have, all that changed a few years ago, and now it is a totally respectable Irish pub.
Actually, it's more than a totally respectable Irish pub. Â Castlebar has turned into a fun place to go to play some trivia, try your hand at darts, and enjoy some well-priced (cheap) beers. Â You can also impose your musical preferences upon the rest of the bar via the jukebox in the corner by the bathrooms. Â Speaking of bathrooms, they have the nicest ladies' room I have ever frequented! Â There are fresh flowers in there!!!!! Â
Anyways, now that I've sufficiently geeked out over the toilet, I should probably mention that Castlebar also has a nice function room right off of it. Â I've been there twice to go to a comedy show (Castlebar Cagematch) that is based there. Â I've had a really good time every time I've gone here, and I'll definitely come back, even after I move from Brighton!
Oh, just a note: Castlebar does not serve food, but it does allow you to bring food in, which, you know, I think is pretty considerate of them.
B+ bar that earns extra points for being surprisingly cooler than it looks.
I run by here allll the time and all I ever see is people outside smoking annoyingly in the middle of the sidewalk and what appeared to be a dingy, dark, small inside bar. So I never went in, until recently.
A- for reasonably priced beer. Like $4 for a good draft. Sweet.
B+ for nice, super-accommodating bartenders. My boyfriend and I went in and stood to the side because there were no bar stools available. When the bartender noticed, he went around the bar finding 2 open stool and brought them to us. Also...another bartender made us popcorn at the end of the night!!! Â Super nice!
B for the crowd. Loud and "townie", but nice and friendly.
A- for TVs. Excellent place to watch a Sox game, or a Celtics game (if you felt like crying a little bit that day)
Overall, a great alternative to other over-crowded & slightly over-priced
options in the center of town. Go forth and drink cheap beer in a local pub!
Awesome dive bar featuring local bands and other acts in back room. If you're looking for slick decor take your appletini-loving ass elsewhere. This is the sort of unpretentious place you go when you care more about friends and music than ambience. But the bathroom is clean and the bartenders are nice and that is ambience enough for me.
P.S. I actually like appletinis.
Let me state that I LOVE dive-y type places. I'm so sick of every bar in Boston trying to be something it's not and bartenders that forget that they're there to serve you. None of this is evident at the Castlebar. Paul and crew are some of the best, most hospitable barkeeps around and unlike a lot of places where you feel like you're inconvenicing the staff when you want another pitcher you feel like it's been your local place all along! Big Buck Safari, Golden Tee, Darts, trivia on Thu. night and a kickass juke box. Thanks to that and a gorgeous women's room (so the Mrs. tells me at least... fresh flowers and immaculately clean) round out the experience. If you're hungry you can hoof it over to Wings Express and (i think) bring the food back over and eat it there. Unlike most bars that are similar they also keep a small selection of 'better' beers (i.e. Victory, Wachusett, etc.) though I can't help but order anything but their PBR drafts ($7 pitchers WHAT!).
No, it's not a Newbury/ Boylston/ Downtown bar. It's a pub. And a damn fine one at that!
Ok everyone should take note that this place has undergone extensive renovations since the first review. Â The drop ceilings have been removed, the walls have been painted and the ladies room now looks like a bathroom and not a jack-o-lantern with a toilet in it.
That all being said it is a straight up local bar. Â Some would say dive bar and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Â The juke box has great music on it the staff is friendly and the reasonably priced drinks are poured with a heavy hand. Â There is no food, save for the carafe of goldfish that sometimes shows up at our table. (genius way to serve it by the way, less germy than a bowl everyone is sticking heir hands in). Â It has Golden Tee, Buck Hunter and darts.
There is a private room available to rent for cheap but it has not been redone yet and it's a bit rough. Â It does have its own restrooms and bar in there so it has the potential of being an awesome private room...if they would only renovate it!
Parking sucks but it's Oak Square and that is a drawback for all the businesses in the area.
I hate the Last Drop. Â I love the castle.
Pretty much your standard dive bar. Â I got there for trivia on Thursdays from time to time. Â If you're just looking to go to get a couple beers and answer of trivia questions, not a bad place to be. Â There are definitely a lot of locals who seem to spend time leering at the girls who come in for trivia. Â I made the mistake of going there in work clothes once and felt a bit out of place. Â At least the drinks are cheap and they make a good dark and stormy.
Review Source:truly a bar. i have only frequented this bar after company softball games but it is a great spot and get can crowded pretty quickly on trivia night. WHen cheap drinks and juke box are what you are looking for then look no more. SOmetimes you may find yourself there 30 minutes past last call waiting for your song to play so you can end up dancing sorry i mean prancing around on your tip toes to annie lennox because it was just one of those nights. OH man how can i forget one of the on bars that i know of in the area that has BUCK HUNTER. finally a arcade game worth having in a bar...boo golden tee. YEAHH BUCK HUNTER
Review Source:If you tell any older locals that you hang out at the Castle Bar, they will give you a dirty look and ask WHYYY!? Apparently this used to be the old man bar in town. Granted, it is still the local dive bar, but it's the classiest dive bar I know and it's our top choice for a local hangout. You should just see the amazing ladies room with fresh flowers and lovely decor!
Trivia Night (every Thursday) is the best I've found in town- Jacob the MC is awesome and they tend to have slammin' free wings (they've been slacking the last few weeks..I hope they haven't gotten rid of them completely!)
There are definite regulars (I'll refrain from sharing their code names as some may or may not take offense haha). The bar tenders are awesome - Dave and Liam especially! $7 Amber Bock Pitchers, the shots are HUGE and they are definitely NOT sheisty on the alcohol! I tend to leave there quite drunk!
Castle Bar is great to stop by for a drink after work (no one would judge you if you sat alone), if you want to go and catch up with a friend, or go out with a group of people. Challenge some Irishmen to a game of darts (they'll probably house you), beat the high scores on buck hunter or just hang out and chat. Â Order a pizza to the bar or munch on the free goldfish!!
Castlebar is a neighborhood bar that's laid back, rarely super busy, and good for a few beers with friends on occasions when it's unnecessary to complicate matters with public transportation and overpriced beers.
Speaking of beers, the selection is pretty good. Â It's not a beer bar, but they have some nice foreign and domestic drafts and a good selection of bottles/cans. Â There's an especially nice chocolate stout, and tall cans of PBR are cheap if you're broke.
Karaoke night is fun here. Â Go with 4 or so of your friends and have a few beers, and maybe win. Â First place gets $30, and second and third get a free round. Â There is also free food on Karaoke night about half the time.
Atmosphere is good. Â They have nice bathrooms, a fake internet jukebox with an enormous selection, and a decent amount of seating, including tables. Â They don't serve food, but I've seen people bring in food from outside. There's also darts and an arcade game if that's your thing. Â
What it boils down to: it's better than the Last Drop. Â Check it out.
When I told a friend I was going to Castlebar for trivia she replied "Isn't that where the construction workers hang out?". Keep in mind she said 'construction workers' with the same tone she would probably use for 'lepers' or 'bloodthirsty vampires'. Although it initially served as a source of trepidation, I said "What the hell?" and went to meet my friends.
So basically my friend is a liar. Or her source is.
The Castlebar was great. Not too crowded- even on trivia night. The trivia guy was cool and didn't balk at the lewdly named teams. (I hate that, we're all adults here.) The bartenders were great. Quick to serve and pretty nice. They had a menu with some yummy-looking specials but I thought that maybe the bartenders looked a little too rugged to pull off a cosmo and so I stuck to beer. My mistake. My friend ordered one and it was pretty tasty. AND under $5. In fact, a round of 4 Sam Summers and that cosmo was $18.
Like Kristen F. said, the bathroom is very nice. Like, walk in and say "Uh..am I still in Castlebar?" nice. I will definitely be back.
Oh. And not a construction worker in sight.
I have to agree with Sarah M and Mary Ann C. about this place.
I came here for trivia and expected just a dirty BC dive bar. I actaully loved it. The bar is long and the guys behind it were great and attentive. Never did I wait for a drink and a round for 5 cost 20 bucks! The trivia guy did a good job as well. Totally chill and laid back, nothing stuck up about this place and they don't act like they're something they are not. Also, LADIES - nicest bathroom I've seen. I felt like I was in the bathroom at the Ritz when I walked in. Random, but I was impressed!
It's a great neighborhood bar with no false pretenses. Â Trivia draws a good crown on Thursdays at 9:30. Â They don't have food, but places around the area deliver. Â The bartenders seriously rock. Â They have fun drink specials. Â You go here cause it's easy and friendly and laid back, not because you are looking to get lucky, have a drink in a place with swanky decor, or try interesting beers. Â I think people don't like it cause they are expecting one of these things going in. Â Walk in with no preconceived notions, and you'll have a BLAST.
Review Source:I seriously cannot understand why this place has such low reviews...........
I read them before going to Castlebar and was so suprised...
the place was clean the decor although sparse was totally fine
the bartenders were FANTASTIC
friendly without being annoying
the jukebox was downloadable so thats always good..
I drank way to much cider
the bathrooms were spotless and the crowd really friendly .
I already cant wait to come back.
this place is one nasty dive.
I go in and just want $200 to decorate and it it would make a HUGE improvement, I mean HUGE!!!!!
cheap booze, idiotic but easy women, ugly and old dudes, uh... the only reason to go here is to check out the randomly bad band you have friends in.
ok, so they are not bad, but still... gross bar!!!
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