Everything about this place screams local pub local pub local pub. I used to live in Jamaica Plain for four years and frequently came here with coworker friends. Now that I live in Hyde Park I rarely frequent this area anymore but I did stop by Friday night when I saw via FB that a friend was there. Walking in brought back old memories of cold winter nights greeted by a warm atmosphere, good beer, and good friends. This place is great for many reasons but my favorites are: 1) Local bar! Independently owned, unique, just good times. Not sure if they still have a juke box but they used to (which was always fun to do something crazy like play Brittany Spears in in the Behan! ) They also used to have movie nights - not sure if they still do but those were good times. 2) Good beer. Lots of local beer on tap and the bartenders know what they are doing. I have had many many Harpoon UFOs here with a slice of lemon. 3) Dark and cozy. I like the dark atmosphere and awkward seating. 4) You can bring your dogs! Yes you can and be careful esp during the winter because walking in the dark bar you may just trip over a dog! I love dogs! 5) You can bring in food! They don't serve food here so instead you are allowed to bring in your food. We used to hit up the pupuseria next door and get our Salvadoran on. Unfortunately that place closed but there are many other Chinese, pizza, etc. places around to get something to go. 6) Friends! Everyone goes here that lives in JP. It's a great place to catch up with friends or hit up the bar after a hard work day. I miss you so much bar! read more

Sometimes you just want to leave your house. and pay someone to pour you a drink so you dont feel like a lush looser sitting at home with your beer alone watching dancing with the stars. Sometimes you dont want to go more than a block to drink. Brendan Beehan is perfect for these times....oh and you can bring in your own food..major bonus! read more

While it probably won't affect your opinion of this place, I made out with a pretty hot New Zealander rugby player who was still in his uniform one time at the Behan. And that pretty much defined it for me. The Behan's a place where you can drink beer, meet people from New Zealand, don't need to change your clothing after a rugby game and can find a cozy corner to make out in. Can't ask for too much more from a bar. Perfection really. read more

I want to give this place 5 stars for back in the day.... good bartenders,, cheap booze and rockabilly. Then some bitch upstairs or next door complained so they stopped the live music, then they remodeled and now it's often filled with cheese balls and bad music. There are some good nights, and I love food wall washed down with beer, but overall now it's a 2-3 star place. Bring back the old school Behan! read more

What can I say about this place that hasn't already been said? I like dingy bars and petting dogs, looks like I'm in luck. Most of the dogs in there are cool, just try not to step on them. Often they just lie down and hang out. The atmosphere is pretty laid back and the bartenders are good. They even show the games on a decent projector. For my money, it's the best bar in JP. read more

A bar that lets my dog in is cleary a 5-star kind of place. My guy said they poured a nice Guiness and although I thought I'd be laughed out of the place for ordering it, my glass of red was actually decent. It was nice to meet fellow yelp dog owners, lovers and poachers alike. If only Flynn would have sipped on the beer and wine he was offered! It could have induced a nap and we could have stuck around a little longer. read more

Darkest Bar I've ever been into. BYO Food is cool with them. Cash only (boo) people bring their dogs into the bar. That's pretty cool! read more

Solid selection of beer on tap. Prices are decent and half pints and tasting shots are available. Bar is dark which makes it hard to see and definitely don't come if you're looking for conversation since it's noisy. Also, they only accept cash! There's an ATM up front but I only had my credit card on me which won't pull out cash. SOL. I'll be back, but during the day and with cash. read more

A fun pub that you can bring your dog to. It just seems so natural that I don't know why all pubs don't do it. And if dogs, beer, and cider weren't enough, you can get Chinese food across the street and bring it in. We came here as part of a group of 9 people and 3 dogs after the Hounds of Yelp event. It was an awesome way to spend the afternoon. If I lived closer and had a dog, I'd be a regular. Just keep Rover away from the darts, though. At least if I'm playing. 5 stars because I loved it. Much of why I liked this Pub was the dogs and their owners. Thanks to Brian for organizing the day and to everyone who brought their dogs. It's too bad that more people and dogs didn't stick around after the Arboretum and join in at the pub - that would have only made it better. But really, it was still awesome. And I came home with enough treats for the office dog (a little white puppy who we have to keep away from the chocolate). Okay, this is a review about the Brendan Behan Pub so I'll just state the obvious. If you want your faithful hound to join you at a friendly and laid-back pub, you won't do better than here. read more

After stopping in one time before and enjoying the experience, I decided to stop in and grab a pint (or 2). The bar was quiet as it was close to last call on a late Sunday night. Upon entering and moving out of the way of some pretty serious dart players (haha!), I ordered a pint and began the journey to the bottom of the glass. After that tasty beverage, I decided to have another. Upon handing the bartender (a cookie cutter hipster type of young lady) a 10 dollar bill for the next 5 dollar pint, she decides to not give me my change. After asking her for my money, she insists that she I gave her a 5 dollar bill. As someone who works in the nightlife industry and has been a bar back and a bartender, the last thing you do is steal or argue with a customer. Extremely unprofessional and a final note..eating rancid Asian food at the bar while it's still serving hours...is tacky. read more

I LOVE this pub! Very laid-back vibe, great beer list, friendly bartender and cool ambience. I had been wanting to try The Behan for quite some time, as I had heard such great things about it, but the only things I remember hearing were that it was a great Irish pub that allowed dogs. Apparently, the dogs got the kibosh recently, according to the bartender, but it's still on my list of top 3 Irish pubs in the area. You can drink good beer at a lot of places nowadays, but the service at many of the establishments serving delicious beer is not always up to par. Also, I've found places with awesome beer are usually packed, overexposed, and overrated. The Behan will offer quite the opposite with its unassuming charm. And I have to address the reviewers that wrote about getting kicked out for inappropriate comments and/or behavior. I did witness a patron being asked to leave due to inappropriate behavior, which I thought was very cool of the bartender because this particular patron was disrespectful to a female patron. I say good for the Behan watching out for the customers and fighting the good fight! Cash only! read more

Trivia. Spiffy holiday decor. Neighbors. Lots of beer, and good beer. It's five minutes from my house. These are reasons I like the Behan. It's always a good place to decompress from the day, and you can bring delicious food in from neighboring restaurants and they allow dogs. Yep, dogs. Recently I got to pet my fave JP dog, a Viczla named Socrates AND not completely lose at trivia. I just wrote a review that began and ended with the same word. Go celebrate autumn with some Cambridge Pumpkin Ale. It's pie in a glass. read more

I adore this place. It's a fun, comfortable spot. It's affordable. There's never a cover. The people who work here are friendly and awesome. You can bring in outside food. You can bring your dog. You can fawn over other people's dogs, if you're sad and dog-less like me. They have great taste in music too! But, that brings me to my only problem here. It's embarrassing to admit, but, I think the music is too loud. I know, I'm old. And uncool. ("You darn kids get off my lawn!") My problem with the volume stems from the Behan's website, purporting it to be "the talking bar." But I find I can never actually talk to anyone here if they're not sitting right next to me and shouting. But still, I adore this place and I'll be back. Frequently. read more

Pretty cool pub. Love the lattice-patterned window on the frontice. Ordered a Dewar's, they don't have it. Oh well. Good beer selection for the beer drinkers out there. Not all that cheap - $8.50 for a Glenlivet. In the bathroom there is lots of great graffiti art which makes for interesting trips. The toilet seat was on the ground leaning against the wall. Very amusing. The crowd this past Friday was very post-Depeche Mode-art school-depressed-and-self-important. I mean, I know you're cooler than me and everyone else, that's fine, but would it kill ya to crack a smile? This silliness makes Behan a fun joint. Good place to go on a cold night to warm up with some friends. ESPECIALLY when your buddy's roommate has an enormous van you can hop in afterwards and take to Great Scott in Allston. Hilarious scene when we rolled up, piled out of the Dream Machine in a haze of glossy flyers and half-eaten egg rolls. They play great tunes here, and that adds a lot to the atmosphere. Much better than the Milky Way, which we waited in line for, only to find out there was an $8 cover charge - WRETCH!!! - and thus, did not venture inside. read more

My friend and I were out exploring JP, I just moved there. Honestly, its not that happening in JP. We tried Canary Sq. first and that was a little more uppity than we were looking for on that night, so we walked down to Brendan Behan! A little intimidated at first, we were the most "college" looking girls in there, but the door man was really nice. It wasnt crowded at all (it was saturday night). The beer list is great, but I had no idea what I wanted. Even though the bar was full, the bartender (the guy) called us to the end of the bar, seeing our struggle faces. He was so nice and asked us what we like to drink, and got us samples of different beers to try. It was great! We found beers we liked, and the prices were good, compared to bars downtown/backbay, obviously. He made us feel really comfortable. THANK YOU! Its dark and divey in this bar. But we were looking for a laid back place to just chat, it was good! I would have liked to try more beers here, but two sort of creepy guys came and sat with us, so we had to leave asaprocky. The night ended with chinese food from across the street. Successful evening! Id like to come back again! (maybe bring my dog?) read more

I went to Brendan Behan, drank two beers, went home, sat down in front of my computer, and started looking for apartments in JP. Brendan Behan, whoever you are, I would move anywhere for you. read more

This is a great place to grab a beer. It's dog friendly and the bartenders are nice and remember your face (when you go in a lot)... It's yet another reason to love JP's atmosphere. Love this bar! read more

I used to go here all the time in my early twenties when I lived in the neighborhood they had bands playing and it was a fun, chill place, well I recently went back to my old hood and the Behan has changed quite a bit! The place was full of interesting people that were loud and wasted,and looked about 18. It took forever to get a drink, perhaps it was because I didnt smell like patchouli..... read more

Really chill place, great atmosphere. Good to hang around. Nice staff and good prices. The only downside is that they don't have a kitchen, but at least they don't mind if you bring food from elsewhere. Btw: Cash only! read more

Cheap drinks. Extensive beer list. Friendly folks. Dogs. Music everyone knows the words to. Only take cash (as to limit my nightly spending). Atmosphere conducive to meeting new friends and socializing. The Behan is a girl's dream. read more

OK, I know I said in an earlier review that one of the few things I miss about JP since I left was Zon's. But I have to say that the Behan is in that category too. It's exactly what I want in a bar - and I am happy that the Druid (in my new hood) hits all the same keys as the Behan. The place just feels....real. I have never had a bad time here - and I doubt anyone ever could. It also had that very JP way of having an interesting mix of people there - no one can feel left out or uncomfortable here, imho (except someone who doens't want to be in a pub, of course). And like Zon's, you can easily just chat someone up sitting next to you - zero pretention. (Try that somewhere downtown) Day. Night. Sunny, rainy, or snowy - come here for a pint or an evening - you won't be disappointed......unless you want food or to use a credit card read more

This place is great. It's an old-school Irish pub that hasn't been spoiled yet by becoming too trendy with the university crowd. It's a mellow kind of place where the music's not so loud that you can't have a good conversation, (or concentrate on watching the sox game) and once a week they do trivia. The bartenders are extremely friendly, with a great sense of humor and great skill at pulling a proper pint of stout (they have murphy's here in addition to the ubiquitous guinness, something not enough pubs in boston do). As others have mentioned, they don't serve any food here, but within a hundred feet of the bar you can choose between Cuban food, Salvadoran food, pizza (both gourmet and regular) and American-style Chinese food. So get some take-out and grab a pint already! read more

My desert island bar. Arguably the best bar in the known universe. They have: - Awesome beer list - A pro-dog policy - Trivia (gets crowded!) - A solid actual pub feel (books on the walls) - Music played by customers every once in a while They don't have: - Jerks for staff or for customers - TV's (except for sporting events/etc when they pull out the projector). - Food, ergo you can take your own. (pour one out for the pupusa place, but pizza next door is OK and Blue Nile across the street is a winner) I think it's a win/win/win/win read more

I very "different" kind of a place. Olde Irish like pub w/ experienced barstaff. Very diverse clinetele from str8 men and women, gays, dykes, blue & white collars, dogs, babies, etc. They can pour a good pint and lots of non pretentiousness. Good old neighborhood charm. read more

I came here with local friends and really liked the atmosphere as well as the beer selection. It's got just the right amount of light (not too much), and you're not looking at a TV on every corner of the wall like you might at other pubs. It's casual, it's social, and it's friendly - and that goes for the bartenders too. read more

Everything a dive bar should be. It takes a brave publican in todays market to refuse to have a single television. I have dropped in there a few times and every time I have met interesting and weird people. If you want to meet locals in JP this is one of the places. The much hipper Milky Way Bar across the road is full of cool people that are way too cool to talk to strangers; the Behan Behan caters for a very different crowd of cool. The first time I was there I got into a long conversation with a guy sitting next to be about the dialects of Lost and then we got into a three way discussion with the barman (Adam2) about the ontology of consciousness and limitations of neuroscience in developing a better conceptual understanding of the explanatory gap in phenomenonal experience. I have never felt so high on IPA beer before. The second time I had a great conversation with a local artist who had recently lost most of her belongings when her roof collapsed and her room was flooded; it was really cool was how chilled out she was about this. Made me feel completely stupid to get so uptight about things. Later the big screen came down and they started playing Planet Terror. I left around midnight to sounds of girl power shouts to Rose McGowan and her go go dancing machine waving antics. Go Girl! Fridays and Saturday nights are busy and loud. If you want a quiet beer with friends go another time. Recommend combining a Cuban meal down the road for a perfect night or Guatemalan meal from next door (tip: order and then come back in 40 minutes).. read more

Super dark in here. And if it's not packed it smells odd because of all the wood. I love their chalk menu--but put the prices on it! It did help the bartenders tip to tell me that I ordered one of the most expensive beers and if I wanted a different one instead. They let you try shots of beer too, to see if you like it, which is great because they have SO MANY types. read more

We came in town to visit our daughter and she told told us of this pub. Absolutely loved the casual atmosphere!!

These days we are flush with awesome bars in the Hyde Square/Canary area. But you know what? Nothing beats the cozy familiarity of the Behan. Here's the pluses: Dogs are allowed. Though I'm not sure the dogs are always psyched to be tagging along, they are psyched to be pet by you. Take out allowed. DIY Irish music allowed on the weekend. All that and excellent tap list. Just wish there were a few more seats or stools. This place gets crowded on blustery winter nights! read more

Loved this bar. There's nothing too remarkable to say about it, besides the fact that it's douche-free. But it's also cash-only. Step into the modern century Behan and take my credit card!! read more

What can I say about the Behan that hasn't already been said? It's seriously a great place. It was the first bar I went into after moving to JP and haven't bothered to look further. The beer selection is incredible, there's something great at every price range. You can bring in your own food, bring your dog, bring your Mom if you want. The crowd is good, the music is always interesting. My friends and I are there every Tuesday for Stump! Trivia, look out for the Red Jaguars. Things non-regulars may want to know in advance: 1. The air conditioning is always pumping, so bring a sweater. 2. They are cash only (but the ATM in the bar only has a .99 fee!!). 3. It's pretty dark inside, so if you're coming for trivia, make sure your cell phone has a good light ;) read more

A great place to grab a beer and take the edge off. They have a great selection of beers on tap (about 25-30) and the bartender is very friendly. You can even bring your dog if you so choose! The only negative is the bathrooms are pretty dirty. The bar is cash only, but the beers are pretty cheap (about $5.25) If you are looking for a great place to grab a beer with friends or a date, this is a great place to go in JP. read more

Okay the pub will never be the same sans Bernie. However, the MANASS smell is gone and the pub is so clean and nice. The bar manager is undeniably weird, but seems to be making an effort to mix up the tunes and keep the place clean and comfortable. Can wait for football season to start! Holla! read more

One year ago I moved from Jamaica Plain to Old Town Alexandria VA, and I still fantasize about hanging at the Behan. I miss the Behan more than anything else in Boston. I would venture most nights after dinner and hang out, my conversations would range from politics to tattoos to restaurants to celebrity goings ons to............whatever. I truly miss the Behan, I miss Bernie and the whole gang. The Behan offers something that I have never found anywhere else and that is comfort and the best pint of Guinness that anyone can ever have. read more

This place pretty much has everything I could ever want in a pub: -dark cozy 'real' pub atmosphere (complete with tables you can actually sit at to drink and not have to worry about waitstaff or ordering food, because they have neither) -shockingly excellent draft beer offerings -wicked friendly staff -no TVs -live Irish sessiuns (not sure whether it's planned or spontaneous) -interesting mix of patrons (but nicely devoid of frat bros) -within close proximity to the Haven (fish & chips, enough said) If I were a JPer, this would definitely be my local. As it is, I'm happy to travel here, it's definitely worth the effort. read more

I really have nothing negative to say about the Brendan Behan Pub. I was here once (for the first time) this past weekend and what the hell I'm going to give this place 5 stars... Sadly, there were no dogs there when we came, but like everyone else has said, AWESOME beer selection, unpretentious staff and clientele and just a cool place to hang out and chat. Which is exactly what we did. I really wish this place was closer to me, because I would be there every day. Or maybe I don't wish this place was closer to me, because like I said, I'd be there every day... read more

ok... I re-visted multiple times. My stars clearly need to go up. Great beer selection, friendly patrons. I also enjoy their trivia night & the fact they let you bring in outside eats. 1) my allergies are now under control, yay allergy shots. So I no longer have issues with the adorable dogs that are often here. 2) That weird chemical smell in the air has never been there when I've revisited. It has smelled totally normal every other visit except that one time, maybe they had to clean up a particularly nasty mess or something. read more

I love no place in JP quite as much as I love the Behan. Great atmosphere, [usually] great music, friendly barkeeps, you can bring your dinner, you can play with neighborhood dogs - what more could you want? And perhaps most importantly, they have the best beer-list in JP. Over 20 taps and a decent bottle list to boot! I'm in the process of apartment shopping right now, and proximity to the Behan is definitely factor in my decision-making process. That's how much I love this place! read more

Many months ago I was introduced to a particular place. It was a time that I was meeting up with a friend and we needed to grab a pint. I can't remember the details of what was said but I recall references to a place that had beer, was dark in the way that makes you wonder, and was in possession of a rather particular odor. To my delight my friend was correct. There really are very few times that one would just walk on by behan's. Instead you stop in for a quick one and make it a night. If your corner of choice is taken you can just find something to lean against and all will be fine. The best thing about the place is the people. They are laid back and easy going and I can't think of the last time that I was sent an offensive glance, or perhaps it's always been so dark that I could never see the offended looks on their eyes. read more

This place is solid. No frills, but a great selection of craft brews. No food/kitchen but you can bring your own and it's dog-friendly! It's very dark but this is only a problem if you want to read every keg handle. Great seating for small or large groups. CASH ONLY! Our beers were $5.25 each. read more