Tavern at the End of the World

While working in Boston, I decided to visit some local spots to perform at the comedy open mic.  A local Boston comic suggested the Tavern, so I decided to stop by.  Last night was my first and last visit to the Tavern at the End of the World which is a bummer because I really like the name, it's a cool little bar and they have a parking lot in the back  (and I LOVE free parking).  

The place is small - two long rooms that may hold at most 75 people standing around.  The bar seats about 12-14 and there are a few tables in both the front and back rooms.  The volume level was doable and there was a nice crowd on a Wednesday night.  Sometimes it was hard to hear the comedy show in the back room due to the noise level in the front room but it wasn't terrible or a constant.

I didn't order any food, but I saw a lot of it from where I was standing and it looked decent.  

Why didn't I enjoy myself at the Tavern?  Well....I was the only black person there.  This is not a problem for me because often I am the only black person in a lot of places I go.  But I felt like it was a problem at the Tavern.  I was very uncomfortable with the glances I kept getting and when one of the comics told a black joke that fell flat, I saw several people glance at me.  (Comedy unspoken rule: If the black person laughs at the black joke, it's not racist.  But if they don't laugh, it is.  I didn't laugh. I didn't think it was racist, just not funny.)  Now, maybe the weird vibe wasn't because I am black, but because I am not a bar regular.  But other reviewers were not regulars and they had positive experiences here while I did not.  

To relax and shake off the weird vibe, I decided to have a vodka tonic - my go to bar drink that won't get messed up.  And I prefer Stoli, which I did not see.  So I asked the male bartender if he had Stoli and he said yes, and proceeded to open a bottle of Absolut which I HATE.  So I stopped him and he said that it all tastes the same.  Now...this is when my good breeding had to come into play because that pissed me off.  He'd already been abrupt when I'd ordered, which I understand is how the Northerners behave toward each other.  But now my delicate Southern feathers were ruffled because if I had said that Guinness was the same as Bud Light, I'm sure my butt would have been kicked. So while I'm thinking how to say kiss my grits in the nicest way possible, the female bartender saw my face and stepped in.  God bless her.  She asked if I would like Tito's vodka, which I like but a lot of bars don't carry.  She is why this review is two stars instead of one.  If not for her, I would have left right then, comedy show be damned.  Instead, I had two vodka tonics and watched some Boston comedy.  

All in all, it wasn't terrible and no one growled at me, but being an upfront person, I'd rather you growl in my face than snarl at my back.

a neighborhood bar, that refuses to be a neighborhood bar

Lots of great beers and really great food with a low key atmosphere.  I really like coming here whenever possible.