I've been coming to Clarke's for the past five years, and have had consistently stellar experiences. Â On occasion, service might be a touch on the slow side, but overall, I have nothing but love for Clarke's. Â In particular, their nachos are literally the best nachos I have ever had, and I have had a lot of nachos. Â If you get them with chili, they do get a bit soggy, but since my husband is anti-chili, I never have that problem. Â Back to the nachos - THE BEST. Â Lots of cheese, good portion, lots of toppings and they're never overdone or dried out. Â In one word, the nachos are amazing. Â
I've also had salads, burgers, and sandwiches and while none of these are mind-blowing, they're all solid American dishes. Â The beer selection is standard, nothing crazy, but decent. Â The atmosphere is pretty good - you get your standard after work crowd from the downtown area.
Really though, it's all about the nachos.
I never set out for a night of drinking and have Clarke's as my planned destination but I feel like I always end up there. The cover is Faneuil Hall standard $5 but you can get some drink specials (cheap PBRs) that many other Feneuil bars do not offer. I have found the crowd to be young here and there are always a lot of people to talk to. I usually meet more people who live in the city here and less out of the out of towners that you will meet at a place like Ned's (which I like). Bathroom is easily accessible and they have two areas to socialize rather than just the front bar. Music isn't too loud so you can talk to people easily (unlike many bars in the area).
I haven't checked out the food yet but will have to get on that. Would recommend making a trip here soon with friends, not the best place for a birthday party or something that encourages large crowds like that but you will have a good time.
I absolutely LOVE the Boursin burger here. It is the best burger in the downtown area. Juicy and yummy. When I think about an amazing burger, this is what I think about. The pub fries are good too. The burger will run you about 11 bucks but is worth every penny. All of the lunch time pub food is pretty good here. I have eaten here numerous times with lots of people and I have never heard a complaint from any of my friends. I have gone here after work to celebrate with friends who are leaving their jobs, its a decent, professional crowd right after work. I have never been here on the weekend nights, so I can't say about then.
Review Source:very large bar that has the smell of a corporate-owned bar. Â it's not immediately intuitive, but the corner door will let you in. Â lots of wood, except for the bar top, which is granite. Â great bar overhang that also contained 32" hdtvs, that are at a little bit of an awkward angle, but work after leaning back. Â no foot rail which is a little frustrating since you have to lean back to watch tv. Â bar is square that i believe has seating on all sides. Â no bar back per say. Â lower eating tables & high tables scattered around the bar. Â would be a great place to watch the game.
decorated for Christmas. Â brick walls with multiple seating sections. Â many groups & is very social. Â a few suits, but we are in the financial district. Â everyone is very friendly. Â does get a little loud, but big enough to handle the noise. Â windows all around provide a great view of the movement to & around fanueil hall. Â good service & above average food (my preference are the sliders).
wouldn't want to finish my evening here, but a great place to meet friends after work, grab something to eat, & a drink.
Clarke's was the first stop for us on our recent visit to Boston. The Faneuil Hall area can be a bit overwhelming, but Clarke's, kinda hidden around a corner, is the perfect hideout from the tourist traps that surround it.
Awesome Chowder. In fact, it was some of the best we had while in the Northeast. I know, I know. It's a bar-how can it be the best? Well, it's a great creamy, yet chunky chowder with awesome flavor. Â It was really good. That's all there is to it.
Also, they had Shipyard Pumpkin Ale on tap (in September) and I couldn't wait to get to a part of the country who would have this. Coming from CO, I love my craft beer and knew I was gonna get happy wasted on some Shipyard. It started at Clarke's, complete with a cinnamon sugar rim on my pint glass. So perfect!
Clarke's is an after-work, after-class, before-class, Thursday-night, when-there-is-nowhere-else-to-go, when-all-you-want-is-to-go-here sort of place. It is a Faneuil Hall bar without being a Union Street bar. If that makes sense, you must love Clarke's too!
Great pub food: the jalapeño poppers are amazing (probably frozen), nachos are huge and delicious, buffalo chicken tenders are hot and have lots of flavor and the salads are a good portion.
Stick to the beer, however. The wine is no bueno, the mixed drinks are good but the safe choice would be a beer. Also, try not to come on a Saturday night. Sometimes it's too packed and full of Union Street spillovers.
A great bar spot, regardless AND a great place to catch a game.
I have been to Clarke's a couple times, once for drinking and recently this past Saturday night with my fella. They were very accommodating to my food preferences and quick to let me know that the pizza dough had dairy in it, when I called ahead to ask about the menu.
When we arrived, it was very early, 6pm, and it was pretty empty. We found a table and a nice waitress got us some drinks, and gave us the menu. My veggie burger was good, and I loved the sweet potato fries. My boyfriend enjoyed his burger and Dublin fries. Our waitress, wish I remembered her name was very attentive and gave us great service through out  the night.  What threw me off after such great service was, around 8:30-9 a man came up to our table and told us very abruptly that we had to get up. "You have to leave we are moving this table" which I thought was quite rude. Don't get me wrong, I understand after a certain time they move the table to allow more people to stand, but we had no warning what so ever and had to write our tab on the wall because there was no level surface to do so. If we were told 10 minutes in advance and it gave us enough time to finish our drinks, I would have given this place 3 stars.
This is the place to go for lunch and drinks after work. Â The atmosphere is great, the service is superb and the food is delish! Â There are plenty of HD TV's to watch the game and have a few beverages.
There are so many dishes that I would recommend from here... the fish tacos, nachos, buffalo wings and potato skin apps are awesome. Â Steak tips are my favorite but if I wanted to go for a burger or sandwhich, there are just too many to name that I recommend. Â A1 burger is on the top of my list and the pulled pork sandwhich is right there behind it... just to name a few.
Clarke's is probably my favorite bar around Faneuil Hall for eating and sort of behaving like a grown up. (Anywhere else, all bets are off - I'm just proud I can say I got myself kicked out of the Purple Shamrock before it closed. Classy lady right here.) It's nowhere near as much of a hole as other places and their food is actually fantastic.
Best nachos I think I've ever had. For real. I'm surprised they don't get more love. Chicken tenders and Dublin fries are both great. Once, my gentlemanfriend and I came in on a winter Saturday to watch some college basketball and eat some wings and nachos and happened to spy CT of MTV fame and his lady doing the same. I've only had apps and sandwiches but everything has always been great. Solid, better-than-most bar food.
Weekend nights can get very bro-y but fun if you're in the right mood. There's usually a bachelorette party or two making a ruckus on the dance floor so watch out for that on your way to the bathroom. We sat at the bar a few weekends ago from about 9:30-11 on a Saturday and had a nice time. It wasn't too crowded and the bartenders were really attentive and always ready to refill beers.
My friends and I came here after we went to see a show at the Hard Rock Cafe. There is still a line to come in, but somehow we were led right to the front of the line when we were walking up to the place.
I use to come here a lot when I was in my 20's and still is the same, still a bunch of intoxicated under 25 year olds, but I must say the men are still hot that come here.
I couldn't believe that there was a long line to go into the other room. which has another bar & music playing as well, I guess that was the IN place to be.
It was totally over capacity. You could not move what so ever. I got stepped on 3 times.
I think we stayed a total of 45 minutes.
I never know how I feel about Clarke's. I mean, I've been here a bunch of times (hello, delicious Dublin fries), but when I'm here on Friday nights I begin to question my wanting to actually be there. Of course by the time that myself, or my friends, think  "hey, let's go to Clarke's!", we're usually so far gone that we don't think to question this decision until much, much later.
So anyway. Drinks aren't that expensive given the location, what food I have had is pretty good, and the dancing can be kind of fun on Friday nights. That said, this place is just full of dudes and people from the 'burbs who think it's awesome to come into the city once a week for shenanigans. In fact, I texted one of my friends who wisely stayed home on Friday that the place was full of "dudes", and I didn't mean it in a complimentary manner. Hee.
I've never had very high expectations for the bars around Faneuil Hall. Â I feel like they are mostly tourists and just-turned-21-year-olds (and yes, I was that super young girl ages ago who went because that's where I thought it was cool to go on weekends. Â Whatevs.)
However, I've been back a few times in my more mature (I hope) later 20s and I have to say I'm impressed. Â The service is good, there are multiple kinds of hard cider, which is key for a non-beer girl. Â And the veggie sandwich I ate the last time I was there was absolutely divine. Â Don't get rid of your chef, Clarke's. Â You're one of the few shots tourists have at getting a good meal!
Clarke's is Clarke's. Young 20 somethings trolling for talent after midnight. Beers are $4-6. PBR is cheaper. I'm not even sure if they sell food. Not sure why you would ever want to get food there anyways.
Anyways, beer isnt bad, space is kinda cool near Fanueil Hall, but full of chiefs and bros. This loser from Cornell was trying to fight us last night. What a damn loser.
This has recent turned into one of my favorite spots in Faneuil. They have pretty good food, a decent beer selection and are moderately priced. The place is smaller than other bars in the area, but there are plenty of TVs for watching the game. The crowd has been slightly older than college age so I hope it stays that way.
If there is one item on the menu you have to try I'd say go with the buffalo chicken nachos. My best friend was visiting this weekend and she already said she wants to come back here next time.
Clarke's is and always has been the after-work spot to get together with my co-workers or old friends when they're in town. Â The location is easily accessible from a few subway lines, there's never a hard-ass bouncer at the door, the prices are reasonable, there's always a decent amount of room, the crowd is a good mix and the food is better than expected. Â Recently they also upgraded the T.V.s - they're everywhere and it's a great place to catch a game.
The chicken fingers, nachos, sliders, etc. put sub-par pub food from McFadden's and some other local spots to shame and it's always consistent. Â I've also found that whether you head there with three people or twenty-five the waitresses are always on the ball and right there when you need another round or another order of nachos. Â
Lastly, should you need them to reserve an area I've never experienced any trouble doing so. Â With only minimal effort you can ask to reserve an area, have a dedicated waitress for when you arrive and the best game is guaranteed to be on.
See you on Thurs!
We didn't eat here, just came in for a drink to watch a Sunday Night football game. Â Easily got a spot by an open window table so we could see the TVs. Â We were going to sit at the bar but there was one TV awkwardly placed in the bar? Â Seemed weird.
Not the best place to watch sports, no one was paying attention to the game besides the bartender and half the TVs had X-Factor playing. Â Really? Â
We finished our beers and decided against another round to head home but had a borderline comical time trying to get the attention of the guy serving the tables. Â We needed something, either another round or the bill... Admittedly, a bigger group came in to order food next to us but it was like he was purposely trying NOT to make eye contact with us each time he ventured out from behind the bar.
The more I write Yelp reviews, the more I realize that it can be the people that make your night.
Clarke's is totally nondescript and looks like many other bars in Boston. Â My Sam Brick red was flat, and a drunken girl tried to walk off with my purse. Right in front of me. Â I had the straps on the arm of my chair in my line of sight, and when she went to take it, I put my hand right on top of hers, she claimed it "looked just like her purse" Â Not even close. Â
While this place was not exciting, good company made this place palatable.
My aunt has a million stories from going here after work every Thursday night while she was in her 20's, which has only made my affection grow.
My friends and I refer to this bar as the "hot guy bar," and while I haven't been here in a couple years, I hope it still rings true. Â I've never paid a cover here, but it doesn't bother me too much anymore since I'd say about 90% of the bars in Boston have covers. Â It does get crowded, so I suggest coming on the early side. Â Drinks are good and music is fun. Â Bring some friends and don't expect too much more than your average Boston bar.
I've never been to Clarke's after the sun goes down. Mostly I've spent a couple hours grabbing a few much needed libations after work - enjoying conversations fueled by muted ESPN highlights, endless amounts of mid to late 90's pop hits, and the exclamations of surprise at the strength of one's drink.
Does that make this place special? Not particularly. But for the 5-7pm weekday crowd, the bartenders are efficient, the drinks are well priced for the pours, and the crowd is almost entirely bro-free. For Faneuil Hall, that's pretty much the best you can ask for.
When I saw that they spelled "Clarke's" with an "e" on the end rather than the more traditional "Clark's" I knew they were something special. When I walked in and saw the warm glow of flat screens encircling the bar in a halo of light, I knew nothing else mattered but sitting down for a snack.
And snack I did.
Been here multiple times with coworkers and wife since moving to Boston a couple weeks ago. The food is really good, especially the burgers.
With one exception, the service has always been stellar. From the bouncers to the barkeeps, everyone is friendly attentive and helpful.
If you're going here for the first time, I recommend the Caprese Burger or the Caesar Salad Burger. The latter sounds strange, but tastes delicious.
Oh, and don't order a "Virgin Shirley Temple", not even in jest. They'll look at you like an idiot since Shirley Temples are virgin by nature.
Just sayin'.
Came here last night to say hi/bye to an old coworker. Â I ended up coming back here today for lunch. Â
I got the garden burger and it was so tasty. Â Sauteed onions, peppers and mushrooms on top, with lettuce/tomato on a bun. Â The fries were a perfect crispy, all accompanied by a dill pickle. Â
It totally hit the spot!
I think if you are male and wearing some sort of Boston sports gear, you will get good service here...if you are anyone else I suggest going elsewhere. Â
I couldn't put up with the eye rolling, sighs, and attitude given by the waitress the last time I was there so we left. Â Who knew asking if they had a beer list was such a hassle?
Went here last night with my husband for dinner before going to the Pearl Jam concert. Yes there are plenty of places to eat closer to the Garden but we figured pearl jam boston places packed so we chose this place next to his office instead.
Average place that you can find at about 20 other locations in Boston. Prices were reasonable, beer was brought out fast, burger was cooked to order and yummy. I am giving it three stars instead of the 2 I wanted to because of the Fries- if you call them that. It was potato slices that were small circles and cooked just right and had just enough salt. I stuffed myself on those. I don't think I would choose to go back there again when in Boston but it served the purpose for the situation.
A big ol' meh.  There are a million other places just like this one.  The big draw to this place for a recent outing was location.  Our group of revelers this evening had people coming in on every color T line plus suburbanites like me driving in to rendezvous, so the Faneuil Hall area seemed an logical choice.  Convenience earns them one star and the fact that they are just off the beaten tourist-trap Faneuil Hall path earns them the second.  Everything else about this place was either mediocre and  forgettable in the neverending sea of pseudo-Irish pubs Boston has to offer. Â
Service was inconsistent. Â At times our server was very polite and efficient and other times she was nowhere to be seen. Â Initially, she was all over us like white on rice, maybe even too attentive. Â She REALLY wanted everyone to have a drink in front of them. Â The pressure she put on us to order copious amounts of alcohol rivaled that seen in any after school special. Â Simmer down, honey! Â We will all be ordering drinks and you'll get your tip. Â A couple people just wanted to hydrate before filling their gullets with the good stuff. Â I got the feeling that the staff here is much more used to catering to the early twenty-something crowd looking to get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible. Â After everyone had drinks, she kind of disappeared and it took awhile for us to be able to order food. Â
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Eventually we got our chance, but the food is nothing special. Â Very affordable, but nothing original. Â For an "Irish" pub, the menu had nothing particularly Irish about any of it, except I guess the fish and chips and the word Dublin slapped on a few menu item names. Â You'd thin that if a place is going to portray itself as Irish, it would at least serve a shepard's pie. Â In true Irish fashion, I had a Philly cheese steak wrap that wasn't bad, but desperately needed hot sauce to give it any real flavor. Â I did enjoy the signature Dublin fries, but as I write this review, I can't recall what makes them Dublin.
Having arrived fairly early in the evening, I did get to witness the nightlife crowd roll in. Â I was correct in my assessment that there'd be a lot of youngin's and at one point (I forget the time) the volume of the music increased significantly to the point where I had a hard time listening to those at my table. Â Though way too loud, they did play decent music that begged to be danced to, but alas, there was no room.
Overall opinion is that I would certainly come back again if asked, but I will not be picking this place to gather when it's my turn to choose.
I've begrudging accepted this as a regular place for drinks with my friends.
There's nothing that great about it but it's consistent and gets the job done. The bar is well-staffed compared to others Faneuil. The burger sliders are quite good and make a good snack if you've skipped dinner before coming here.
It was St. Patty's day night, and I never even had heard of Clarke's. But with every bar/pub in the area charging $20 for cover- Clarke's was only charging $5.. and assuming I wanted to order a lot of drinks, this was the best economical choice for me.
The reason why my review has three stars is actually because the bouncers were super nice, the bartenders were really friendly and they played awesome music. I mean- this is the drunkest, most annoying night for bars and pubs- and these people were all smiling and friendly? Granted, the bar wasn't too full and there isn't anywhere to go except for the bar itself- it satisfied my St. Patty's day desires for good beer and a good night.
Crap on a stick, is what this place is. Â Come 5:32pm on Friday afternoons, the relatively tidy and spacious and Hogwarts-esque interior is flattened by screaming happy houring financial types, downing their bud lites while hoping to score with that chick in marketing.
Anecdotal quibbles:
1. Their kitchen closes at, what, 10pm? Â Seriously?
2. Their spinach and artichoke dip is sponsored by Elmer's Glue. Â And that's even before it congeals. Â The chips that accompanied were straight-up stale. Â Like, even the waitress was a little appalled when one bent under pressure.
3. Â Said waitress had never heard of rye. Â I mean, maybe it's not the most common alcoholic enhancer, but to have never have even HEARD of it? Â And then get all pissy when I had to explain it?
4. The only light in the place comes from the TV's. Â It's creepy.
5. The spacing of the toilets in the ladies' room is such that they obviously only had one once upon a time, and then happy hour in the financial district was invented, so they squeezed in another one and thusly removed the ability to even turn around in the stall, let alone have a place for your knees.
But the handsoap smells nice. Â So I guess there's that.
When I worked downtown, this was our top after work watering hole. $2.50 Miller Light drafts all the time. The food is pretty good for a basic pub. I see a lot of reviews going a bit heavy on the food here, but come on. I don't go to L'Espalier for a pint of Sam, and I'm not going to Clarke's for a fine dining experience. That said, their Beef Satay is great, and the burgers are pretty darn good for Faneuil.
The service is excellent; a couple weeks after I started going there, several of the bartenders knew me by name. You ask me, this is a sure sign of people who appreciate one's business.
I've become a trivia semi-regular. Trivia is a good time and they appreciate that its a Tuesday night and start at an early enough time (6pm) so that us pathetic working semi-suburban stiffs can be home and packing our lunches for the next day by 9pm. Service during trivia is very attentive. It is a little pricey though - my Arugula Salad w/ grilled chicken and 3 vodka and sodas were $40 with tip. I guess for dinner, entertainment, and a buzz that's not too bad in the scheme of things. If your team of 6 or less (teams with over 6 people are disqualified from winning the prize) gets the highest score you get $25 off your bill. Be forewarned though - the Stump Trivia guy plays REALLY GAY music (George Michael circa 1987?? Cranberries circa 1993??) but its something you can have fun with. For example:
George K says, "Ya, those two gay guys in the corner won."
I say, "They came for the music but stayed for the trivia."
Good times!
Something half decent right next to Boston's tragically over-priced and underwhelming tourist mecca. But that doesn't make it good.
You might forget how close you are to tourist hell because this place is comfortably filled with white-collar folks from nearby downtown offices rather than a bunch of obvious out-of-towners turning a walking map of Boston every which way. But the $4.75 cheapy draft beer will remind you that you are still too close to the tourist hell known as Fanueil Hall.
This place is supposed to be famous for burgers. If actually being asked how you want your burger done is a signature of quality then sure. The meat was alright, nothing special. To their credit they cooked it perfectly medium rare, but the flavor screamed ground chuck. Meh.
I suppose at least the "Dublin fries" were pretty good: fresh potatoes cut vertically like super-thick potato chips and fried to perfection with a touch of salt. Â I could imagine myself really wanting a plate of these around 2am.
If I was the victim of a tragic accident in Fanueil Hall and was positively famished I might consider dragging my mangled body to Clarke's as it certainly beats the Food Court. But that's really the only scenario I could see myself coming back here with so many other options within spitting distance (don't spit on the street, it's gross and vulgar).
I couldn't tell you how to get here if my life depended on it.
The place was one giant jigsaw puzzle to maneuver around and find your way to the bar. Take a right, hop on one foot twice, clap your hands as you round the corner, and BAM. You're drunk.
maybe that was just me. maybe I shouldn't have knocked down the 2 illegal emergency exits. I should confine my drinking to stif waters.
A little pricey, yes, though it seems like the beer prices are comparable to the rest of the city (4.50-4.75 for most beers, including Becks).
That being said, the service is really good, even during something as wacky as a trivia night, and the fries are incredibly cool. Â they're like potato disks, fried up as fries (oh wait, that's exactly what they are). Â But they're good, something that can be hard to find fry-wise in a city of McDonalds-like fry waste. Â On top of that, the small bacon-bleu burgers are really good as well.
Overall, a decent place to food and a brew after a long day, and do something like trivia.
I'm here at least once a week, so I can't complain too much about it.
$2.50 Miller Lite Drafts. How can you go wrong with that?
The guy bartenders are wicked cool -- Joe, Mike, Mike, and whoever else is slingling bottles back there. The female bartenders lack personality, but then again, I'm a chick, so what do I care?
The burgers are friggin' AMAZING and so are the fries. If you are there while food is being served, you'd be a fool not to order either.
On weekends, the line isn't too bad and the cover is only $5. There are two rooms, each playing different music (sometimes they play the accompanying video to the music as well). There are a ton of TVs, so you can watch it regardless of where you are standing/sitting, but the TVs are kinda small and not HD (I don't believe so anyway).
This is a really chill place to go and hang out with your friends. The crowd is a pretty good mix, and for the most part, NO COLLEGE KIDS! Kudos to that.
Whoever said "non-descript" was right.
Actors photos on the wall, Red Sox on the TVs, two rooms both playing equally bad music, overcrowded by the younger side of twenty-something post-college kids drunk as skunks.
Not only did I pay a $5 cover to get in here, once inside, Â there was an entirely separate line to get in the "back room"!! I am SURE that's where all the cool kids hung out.
To be fair, I was only there for 15 minutes (which, honestly may have been enough) and the drink I ordered ( Johnny Walker Black and Gingerale) was on the fairly large side. No complaints there.
This place is a joke. Â It's your average Faneiul Hall pub - sticky floors, loud bad music, extremely drunk patrons. Â But this takes the cake. . .
It's Halloween 2004, a wonderful time of year made only more special because the Sox had just won their first World Series in 86 years. Â I'm not into the whole getting dressed up thing, but stil wanted to hang out with friends, so we went to Clarkes. Â I'm just wearing a Sox t-shirt and jeans, no big deal. Â And of course a Sox cap. Â We got to Clarkes and the bouncer informed me that I wasn't allowed to wear a hat inside. Â On Halloween. Â After the Sox won their first world series in 86 years. . .
I took it off and we went in. Â Everyone is decked out in their ridiculous costumes. Â All the bartenders are dressed up, most wearing hats. Â Most of the costumes of the crowd involved some sort of hat. Â A cowboy here. Â An indian with a head dress there. Â A guy dressed as a yellow crayon with a pointy yellow hat, seriously. Â So once inside I put my cap back on.
Moments later, another employee came up to me and told me to remove my hat.  I told him I was dressed as a baseball player  - if they don't have a problem with the man-crayon then they shouldn't have a problem with me.  He asked me to leave the bar if I wasn't going to remove the cap.
A Red Sox cap. Â On Halloween. Â After they won their first World Series in 86 years. Â At a pub in Faneuil Hall with sticky floors and filled with drunk college kids wearing ridiculous costumes.
Dingy? Â Check. Â Impersonal? Â Check. Â Smells like puke? Â Check.
Clarke's is another non-descript bar in the Faneuil Hall area. Â Nothing special. Â Even in the late afternoon/early evening, the bartenders have a serious attitude-I mean, you can't chat them up about ANYTHING. Â I guess this is because after about 9 pm, the place fills up with an obscene amount of early-twenties rude college kids who probably don't tip and definitely contribute to the puke smell of this place. Â So I don't blame the bartenders for having their guard up 24/7.
Not a bad place to go if you want seriously cheap nachos and a beer right after work. Â But get the hell out of there by 8pm, or you risk being trampled by the night crowd.