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Pick a square and stay in it: small cocktail rooms in Union, pubs and bands in Davis.
Somerville has no downtown, so pick a square and stay in it: Union for small cocktail rooms and wine, Davis for pubs and bands, with the Red Line at Davis and the Green Line Extension at Union. In our Beer Index the cheapest listed beer here is $4 at Olde Magoun's Saloon.
16 places
Aeronaut, a brewery and taproom at 14 Tyler Street in Somerville, brews a long list of inventive beers. They include a wheat beer with sumac and a cocoa milk stout. The taproom is also a community space with arts and culture programming.
Backbar is a tiny Union Square cocktail bar at 7 Sanborn Ct with only 39 seats. It takes walk-ins only. Time Out describes a menu of inventive cocktails that keeps changing.
Bronwyn, a German and Central European restaurant and bar in Union Square, lists hand-crafted sausages, schnitzels and traditional noodles on its own site. The biergarten next door overlooks the square in warm months. The Infatuation recommended light haus bier, warm pretzels and smoky sausages in 2024.
Above the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square, the Crystal Ballroom is a live event room with a capacity of 500 patrons. It comes with a bar, lounge, lobbies, and restrooms of its own. Boston magazine's 2023 Best of Boston named it Best Small Music Venue.
A 2015 Time Out review counted 37 rotating drafts and 130-plus bottles at Five Horses Tavern in Davis Square. Its own site says the tavern is built on craft beer, with locally sourced American food and many vegetarian options. The same review lists soft pretzels, wings, tacos and ribs on the food menu.
Davis · about 2 min walk (estimate)
Foundry on Elm, at 255 Elm Street, is one of the classier joints in Davis Square. The dining room is modeled after a French brasserie. It has a 43-foot Italian marble bar.
Davis · about 2 min walk (estimate)
Highland Kitchen, at 150 Highland Avenue in Somerville, is a neighborhood restaurant and bar that takes no reservations, just come on down. The shrimp and grits are worth the uphill trek. The Infatuation recommends Southern classics like a spicy jambalaya with cornbread.
Olde Magoun's Saloon, a craft beer bar at 518 Medford Street, carries every Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics game. Its site lists 28 taps of craft beer, local and imported, plus a rotating weekly cask. Time Out highlights six mac-n-cheese variations served in cast iron skillets.
Rebel Rebel is a natural wine bar in Bow Market, in Somerville's Union Square. Its site says the wine program earned three James Beard nominations. The tiny bar draws a big following.
Remnant Brewing, a small taproom at 2 Bow Market Way in Union Square, opened in 2018. It calls itself one of the few women-owned, brewer-owned breweries in the country. The production area is in view from every seat.
The candlepin lanes off Davis Square date to 1939, when the Sacco family opened the alley. Boston Magazine says the Sacco's Bowl Haven name still hangs above the lanes, though American Flatbread now runs the building. The family kept this one after selling or closing its 18 others.
Boston magazine's 2016 Best of Boston named Saloon Best Neighborhood Bar in Davis Square. Its own site calls it an intimate, subterranean cocktail bar. It also lists a wide spirits selection.
Somerville Theatre opened its doors in May 1914 and has put movies and live acts on the Davis Square stage since. Its projection booth can run 70mm film, which few New England cinemas can. Beer and wine have been on offer since 2007, among the first venues in the region to do so.
Davis · about 2 min walk (estimate)
Spoke Wine Bar, near Davis Square at 89 Holland Street, has a wine list Time Out calls small but well chosen. Plates are made for tasting and sharing. Special wine dinners explore specific regions.
Davis · about 5 min walk (estimate)
The Burren is a Davis Square Irish pub at 247 Elm Street with live music seven days a week, from traditional to Americana. It is among the north side's biggest and most popular Irish pubs. Students fill the back room for loud roots rock.
Trina's Starlite Lounge is on Beacon Street in Somerville. It is part gay bar, part dive bar and part Southern diner. Low lighting, dark wood paneling and retro beer signs fill the room.
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap. Lines and stations: MBTA. Venues without a confirmed address match are not pinned.
Union Square runs on small rooms. Backbar is the one to find, tucked behind an orange door in an alley. Its menu is designed to resemble a tabloid magazine, so bring some patience for reading.
Rebel Rebel in Bow Market is the wine stop. Its site boasts three James Beard nominations for its wine program. The team skips the big-name brands for small producers, which is the point of going. Next door, Remnant Brewing is an easy first beer, since it points patrons to the Bow Market food vendors. At Aeronaut Brewing Company the food is BYO.
Davis Square is louder. The Burren is among the largest and most popular Irish pubs around. It has live music 7 days a week. The back room fills at night largely with Tufts students, so expect it young and loud.
For a quieter table, Spoke Wine Bar is a compact wine bar that opened in 2013. Time Out's advice is to sit at the bar if you can.
Davis and Porter are on the Red Line. Union Square is on the Green Line D branch. The rest of the extension runs on the E branch. Check Last Train before the final round.
Trina's Starlite Lounge keeps its bar open until 2 am Friday and Saturday. Time Out calls the room part gay bar, part dive and part Southern diner. Foundry on Elm has a late night snacks menu. Highland Kitchen keeps its bar open until 1am every night, but the kitchen shuts earlier, so eat first. More in Eat Late.
Wikipedia describes Somerville's business activity as spread over many different nodes.
7 licensed stores in the Index for Somerville, an eighth runs about $29. Adults 21+ only. Consume only on private property, and do not drive. See our Cannabis Index. Data: Glass (glassintel.xyz).
Davis and Porter are Red Line stops. The Green Line Extension serves Union Square on the D branch, and East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square, Ball Square and Medford/Tufts on the E branch, with Lechmere shared between them. The last trains differ by line and by night, so check Last Train and the MBTA Trip Planner before you commit to a last drink.
