Bukowski Tavern

 

definitely has a "dive bar" vibe - cash only, punk music playing, hipster bartender. The place is small, about 10 feet wide - fixed stools at the bar and just a few other tables. good tap list, and bottle list as well. bartender made some recommendations and was friendly. I had the peanut butter burger - it was decent.

They may be cash only... They may not have 80 taps... but if we're talking beer bars in Boston, this is my home away from home. I am a proud mug clubber (not subjective AT ALL) because I have been enamored with this place for over 10 years between the draft/bottle/can variety, the staff, the vibe and the proximity to "cool stuff" in town. The vibe doesn't get a 5, not because of the place itself but because of the central location of the bar, which sometimes attracts less sophisticated Beer Drinkers/super-clueless tourists (NOT BUK's fault). This is the first place I try and bring people if they're in Boston to visit and have enough time to check out a handful of beer bars vs. breweries/taprooms.

 

 

 

Came here on Sunday afternoon, very nice and quiet.

Well, this is a dive bar, pretty small, cash only and one of the stranger bathrroms i've seen. One room, with a lockable door, but both a toilet and a urinal? Hmm...

Taplist wall good and varied, also a great selection of cans and bottles. Prices were very reasonable. I only had a hot dog, as I would be fed on the plane home, but the dog was very good.

The bartender was very friendly, I think her name was Joanna or something like that. Talkative and really funny. Knew a lot about the beer and breweries she was serving, which is nice. Sure, not alot of variation in glassware, but hell, its a dive bar.

This was my last bar on my Boston trip, and I'm very glad I tried it. Kind of the polar opposite in the place i was in earlier that day. Row 34, but really cool, and I will return for sure.

AVOID!
Bartender chastised me for not saying please.??? After attempting to order 3rd round, I made the mistake of ordering something NOT on the menu and she walked away without explaining or offering an alternative.
Jesus Christ, I have bar tended for over 8 years, and could never imagine treating patrons like this.
God help us all.
Avoid this shit hole like the plague.

 

 

 

 

Yoanna is very knowledgeable about her beers. Great little bar. Very large selection. Ask for beers not in the menu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My thing is, I fucking hate Bukowski as a writer. He makes the rest of us wordy alcoholics appear even worse than we actually are--as, as if this world already wasn't prejudiced enough against my active, booze-forward lifestyle.

There's navelgazing, and then there's a fat violent hack writing novels about himself where he's still a violent hack only somehow everyone love him because he's misunderstood. And then there's legions of morons (at least before Chuck Palahniuk and Brett Easton-Ellis started stealing his readership) who just worship the guy, because what self-pitying feeb doesn't love reading about his own, lionized avatar.

Ok. That out of the way, I was prejudiced going in. I stopped by about a year ago and didn't think twice about it.

But then, New Years Eve, Bukowski's was on our walking route. And they featured prominent signs announcing that there wasn't going to be any NYE celebratory bullshit. Nor would there be covers. Or, fuck it, actually, they paid everyone who came in a dollar, in protest of NYE covers. I'm dead serious, and that's awesome.

The tap list is isn't very broad, it's but good. Nearly all of it was from MA. The food is fried crap, but solid. The bar itself is physically narrow and woody, and it can quickly get busy and uncomfortable. But the crowd is friendly and unpretentious, they don't blast shitty music, and it's inexpensive. It's also the best beer bar in its immediate vicinity.