Newtowne Grille

This review is mostly for the ambiance, or really, for my relationship with this place on the whole. The food is decent and the drinks are inexpensive, and unless there's a game on, you can always get a seat and it's not so loud that you can't carry on a conversation. The servers are friendly enough, and don't mind lingerers. I've met friends here for beer. I've taken dates here. I've come here after every terrible work day, failed exam, and parking ticket for the last three years, and it's like a breath of fresh air. I always feel at home.

Good honest food. Very reasonably priced drinks (when was the last time you paid $4 for a pint of Alagash White). And always very friendly staff.

When called out by someone in my circle of friends who says things like 'lets get some beahs and watch the game', this a safe place to meet them.  Not only do they have 'pitchas of PeeBeeAhh', but there's enough TV screens about the place to 'wahch the Brewins and the Sawks at the same time kid.'
And the reason that it's a safe bet is not just that this place is townie enough to make anyone from the Noh'th Shoh feel like they're in their Uncle Joe's living room, but the pizza deals that Newtowne has makes it still worth being around these guys even when they're in their Boston sports-fan zone.

In my opinion, for a student town Boston is way short on good pitcher deals... aside from Crazy Dough's in Harvard, there is no similar bargain to the pitcher/pizza deal that is Newtowne's most popular offering.  For the price of two drafts anywhere else, you can get four drafts and a pizza.  And the pizza is decent... the cheese is a strong contender for the stumble-home slice (except you can have it early, when you're still drinking!) and comes with the necessary four topping shakers that slice singles require.  It's not foodie pizza, it's bar pizza... and clearly labeled as such.

That's not the extent of the menu... there's lobstah rolls (when in season), frankfurtahs, and I'm pretty sure there's burgahs and maybe even salads on the menu.  The drink prices are fantastic for Cambridge (the name 'Newtowne' harkens back to what Cambridge and other towns were called in colonial times... and the drink prices do as well!) and the bartenders are friendly enough without being fake about it.

I guess the only complaint could be that hipsters have been moving in lately...  what with the ample bargains on beer and pizza, it was only a matter of time.  And I suspect since I'm not really townie enough to blend in completely... I'm probably considered one of them, even if i didn't show up with lamb chops on my fixie in an ironic hoodie. Dammit.
Give the Newtowne a try for your next 'local pub' experience... I'm sure they won't disappoint.