Best-of list · Cocktail Guides
The best cocktail bars in Boston for 2026, from Eastern Standard and Backbar to Wink & Nod, Deep Ellum and Yvonne's. The city's deepest bar rooms.
The short answer
7 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Boston's cocktail scene is older and more settled than its reputation suggests. The current generation came up through Eastern Standard, which opened in 2005, reopened in the Fenway in 2023 and still sets the house standard. The seven below defend a clear style, from Somerville and Inman Square to the South End and Downtown Crossing, with deep whiskey and a quietly serious rum tradition behind the bar.
Eastern Standard, the Kenmore institution that closed in 2021, reopened in 2023 a few doors away in the Fenway, brasserie energy and all. The bar program is back to its old standard, classics poured fast and right by a deep bench. Around 15 dollars. It fills before and after Red Sox games. Go on a non-game night for elbow room, sit at the marble bar and order a Martini.
Full listing & hours →Backbar hides down an alley in Somerville's Union Square, a tucked-away room that has long been a bartenders' favourite for inventive, well-priced drinks. The menu changes often and leans playful, with house riffs that actually work. Around 13 dollars, cheap for the quality. Go on a weeknight to land a seat, because the room is small and the locals know it. Hard to find, worth the hunt.
Full listing & hours →Trina's in Inman Square is the unpretentious all-rounder, a retro lounge where the cocktails are sharp, the kitchen turns out a proper burger and tots, and nobody is precious about it. Drinks run around 13 dollars. The patio is the prize in summer. Go for a relaxed night with good drinks and better food, no booking, no fuss. The neighbourhood bar everyone wishes they had.
Full listing & hours →Wink & Nod in the South End reopened in 2022 as a speakeasy-style room with a rotating chef residency, so the kitchen changes every six months while the bar stays steady. The cocktails are creative and the small plates keep pace. Around 16 dollars. Open from 5pm daily. Go downstairs for a low-lit, grown-up night, book a table at weekends, and see who is cooking.
Full listing & hours →Deep Ellum in Allston is the beer-and-cocktail crossover done well, a long bar with a serious draft list and a cocktail menu that punches above the neighbourhood. Prices stay student-friendly, around 13 dollars. The brunch and the patio earn their keep. Go for a relaxed session with a mixed crowd, order off both the beer and cocktail lists, and settle in. Allston's most grown-up bar.
Full listing & hours →Wig Shop sits below Downtown Crossing in a former wig storefront, a moody little cocktail room from the Yvonne's team. The drinks are precise and the space is dark and date-friendly without trying too hard. Around 16 dollars. It is a tucked-away spot rather than a destination session bar. Go for an early, well-made cocktail before dinner, grab a corner and keep it civilised.
Full listing & hours →Yvonne's in Downtown Crossing dresses up as a modern supper club behind an old barbershop front, a handsome room with a long cocktail list and a kitchen to match. It leans smart and prices follow, around 16 to 17 dollars. The crowd dresses for it. Go for an occasion, book ahead, sit in the library room and make a night of the cocktails and small plates.
Full listing & hours →