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Boston is a Cinderella city, aglow with delights that for some end all too soon. With the T (subway and bus) making its final runs between midnight and 1 am and taxis sometimes scarce, most nightspots follow accordingly, with "last call" typically by 2 am. Though night owls may be disappointed by the meager late-night options, except in Chinatown, visitors find plenty of possibilities for stepping out on the early side. The martini set may stroll Newbury and Boylston streets in the Back Bay or Downtown, selecting from swank restaurants, lounges, and clubs. Coffee- and tea drinkers can find numerous cafés in Cambridge and Somerville, particularly Harvard and Davis squares. Microbrew enthusiasts find viable options at sports bars and brewpubs, especially near campuses and sports arenas. For dancing, Lansdowne and Boylston streets near Fenway Park have a stretch of student-friendly hangs, DJ rooms, and techno clubs. The thriving "lounge" scene in Downtown’s cooler hybrid bar-restaurant-clubs provides a mellower, more mature alternative to the collegiate indie clubs. Tourists crowd Faneuil Hall for its pubs, comedy spots, and dance scenes. The South and North ends, as well as Cambridge and Somerville, cater to the "dinner-and-drinks" set, while those seeking rock clubs should explore Allston and Cambridge, especially Central Square. College-owned concert halls regularly host homegrown and visiting ensembles. Prominent among these are Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, Berklee College of Music’s Performance Center, MIT's Kresge Auditorium, and Agganis Arena at Boston University.
Lively and contemporary, Shojo puts a shine on its little corner of Chinatown. This family-owned, edgy nightspot serves imaginative Asian-inspired cocktails using ingredients like house ginger beer, sesame-infused rye, and pea sprouts. While this place is a bar, do not overlook the kitchen: chef-focused small plates put a spin on traditional Asian preparations. The bao are incredible, as is the Shojonator (order it to find out what it is!).
Tucked away on a quiet street in Fort Point, Spin offers a lively afternoon or evening filled with Ping-Pong, excellent scratch cooking (shared apps to sliders), and great cocktails (lots of nonalcoholic options available); it's 21 and over after 9 pm. Although walk-ins are welcome, reservations are highly recommended if you want to play Ping-Pong (tables are for 2--10 guests). Expect a little bit of neon signage, a little bit of graffiti, and a whole lot of people.
This smart multiroom club and restaurant for the Boston LGBTQ+ community and their allies is livelier than ever going into its fourth decade. Behind a stylish restaurant, patrons dance in the "video lounge" or watch classic music videos, cult flicks, and TV shows. There are trivia, karaoke, cabaret, drag brunches and bingo, and DJ events weekly; a weekly Sunday Tea Dance from 4 to 10 pm is free.
Riffing off its location not far from Boston's Logan International Airport, this tropical rooftop bar boasts a lush place to while away the hours with a tiki cocktail in hand. There are incredible panoramic views of Boston Harbor as well as planes soaring overhead. Patrons can order drinks and island-inspired bites to eat at a walk-up window.
This multistory complex has something for everyone. Home to Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co. on the first floor, 150 games of all kinds and a bar and restaurant on the second floor, and 25 pool tables, 12 plasma screens, 16 bowling lanes, and an 800-square-foot video wall on the third floor, it's impossible to be bored.
