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    The Burren

    3.5 (605 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 1 week ago

    Order The Burren Takeout or Delivery

    The Burren Photos

    THE BURREN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Casual
    Live music
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Burren

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    Outside
    Vicki M.

    Cool place to hangout get some food and drinks and if you go all the way to the back room you can also see some cool bands play! We went to see one of our favorite local cover bands "Broken Heels" play there. And it was awesome! The room is not that big and it does get packed on a Friday night, so we had to work our way through all the way to the front. The band was great and after a while we got to work our way to the left side of the stage so we were right next to the lead guitarist and our friend Clinton the rockstar and see him playing and him see us too! It was cool to rock out with them. We left around midnight but apparently they got till after 1 am. For parking we got SpotHero parking in a lot behind one of the residential buildings nearby only a short walk away. There was a $5 cover charge which is not too bad. Overall good experience!

    Rhode Island Calamari
    Monica A.

    Everyone in the Boston/Somerville/Cambridge area needs to visit The Burren at least once in their life. You can't live in or visit the area and not go -- it's a true local staple. The front is a cozy pub with live music and afriendly vibe, while the back turns into a lively dance space that's perfect if you're in the mood for something more energetic (and absolutely chaotic). The food is decent, the bar is standard, but the overall experience is what makes it special. Like I said, everyone should go at least once.

    Sarah E.

    Nice pub for a quick drink or an evening with friends. Live music many nights. The seasonal cranberry mimosa was fantastic! We'll be back now that we've found this little gem.

    From left to right: Samuel Adams Seasonal. Lord Hobo Dbl. IPA!
    Daniel C.

    This probably has no bearing on this review but in the mid 90's I saw a film called, "Next Stop, Wonderland" which is one of my favorite movies. One of my burning memories are The Burren's pub scenes where all the characters socialized via drinking, conversation and ruminating on life's mysteries. From this spawned my lifetime interest in both craft beer and bossa nova jazz. This past summer I had a chance to venture up East and this bar was quickly put on the itinerary. Nostalgia is a very powerful emotion and just seeing the facade made me pine for that time. Massachusetts, at least this part reminded me of Austin, Texas times a hundred. I'm sure if you are a local you already have a plan as how to maneuver through this town. But to the out of towner parking is pretty nonexistent. After circling around the bar for an infinity a parking spot was finally secured. Seeing this place on film then firsthand were two different experiences. Firstly there is an outdoor patio which made it feel like this could be in any town. Secondly once inside it was all the things I imagined. It felt like a rustic Irish pub with a lived in history and lore. Sure we have similar style pubs in my hometown of San Antonio, Texas. It's just for me all the touches: the wooden floors, pictures of The Chieftains and the bar area which reminded me of "Cheers" are all the hallmarks of a New England pub. Since I got here shortly after the bar had opened the place wasn't too busy. The tapmaster, who was working the place alone seated me. This is where I must interject on the service, it was absolutely superb. I say this as he was doing quadruple duty moving from one table to the next. Taking orders. Cleaning tables. Then checking out tickets. When he made his way to my table he was all smiles. Typically before I have even stepped into any establishment I have already surveyed their menu. I knew precisely what I wanted. Instead of ordering a Guinness Stout, which is a customary in an Irish Pub I opted for a pint of Samuel Adams. It reminded me of the ones they had in the film. In addition I settled on the Guinness Beef Stew with accompanying Irish Soda bread. No sooner did I order it did the food come out. The serving was ginormous. The stew itself was really good particularly for pub fare. It was a big bowl with chunks of meat the size of New Hampshire. Was the food good or was I swept up in the moment? The Burren was by far the highlight of my trip to New England. It's an Irish Pub with a storied history alongside awesome service in an unassuming place. As far as bar food is concerned it was really good. Was my experience blurred by the passage of time? By nostalgia? Maybe a smidge. However this pub delivered on all accounts. Next time I come around these parts I'm hitting this place up. And I'm gonna sing "Danny Boy" with the two older Irish gentlemen with a Sammy and Guinness in tow.

    Open music practice on Sundays!
    Eric B.

    The Burren was the first restaurant in Dave Squar back in the 90s. it is still a center of the culture of the square for musicians, families, friends, couples, et al. There is the standard Irish fare and bar food too. I particularly like the daily vegetable specials that intrigue me. Pared with a good beer, cocktail, or mediocre wine, it is a happening place. The staff is always delightful, many Irish, and with the occasional punk thrown in. They have Caddie Night, where people with all manner of music practice Celtic music. (Fun to listen to and watch). The staff is very competent, and often, there is an outstanding bartender. This night our waitress was straight out but did manage to provide the niceties, and when two friends joined us took it in stride. The bag room is a music venue where we went, and it was packed. They were pumping out the cocktails and bees steady for over an hour. I never had to wait too long. The clientele is a metropolitan mix of Americans and Europeans. This place is Pub Culture at its best in the city. The food is good and filling. And the drinks just wash it down nicely as the melodies and conversation fill the room.

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    I like this place a lot, no complaints. I had the vegetarian shepherds pie and it was so hearty! They also have live music

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    Page 4 of 16

    Ask the Community - The Burren

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    McCarthy’s

    McCarthy’s

    3.8(33 reviews)
    0.4 miPorter Square

    If you're looking for a family run Irish pub with pub fare and live music in not one but two…read moresections and complete with an Irish bartender/server named Harry - look no further! First of all this place is huge!! Second of all they have lights in the entire place making it look festive and bright!! Third we walked inside the restaurant part (McCarthy's) and there was a live band playing right there. Nice! There is a whole second upstairs section with a bar plus seating plus a small stage for open mic etc. Finally there is another section downstairs called Toad - cozy space which also has a bar and a stage for a live band. Our first time here as our friend was hosting a Runners Comedy, Open mic and Trivia night - hot off the heels of the Boston Marathon obviously! So glad we came and experienced the cool fun night but also enjoyed this new place! Trivia was hosted by Ben and wa as fun! Some questions were easy but some were hard esp if you're not a runner! Some people got up and shared jokes and stories of running or other stories. Harry the server was great - very friendly! We even took photos with him at the very end! The menu had traditional pub favorites like shepherds pie beef stew etc But they also had a lot of plant-based options which is great to see! Among the specials they had salmon tacos and chicken curry- which I got. It was flavorful and tasty although I was expecting it all to be in a sauce but it was more like a stirfry almost with the pieces of chicken and veggies on top of the rice. Still tasty. Huge portion so I had leftovers for lunch which is always a good thing. The hubs got the spicy lamb burger which came with fries which were great and he liked the burger. We were in the upstairs section and after the event as we were heading out decided to check out the Toad where there was another live cover band playing. So we watched them play a couple songs and then finally headed out. Parking was easy in the nearby shopping center lot. Overall a great time!

    If it was based on atmosphere this place would get 5 stars!…read more Was here for dinner on Monday night and there was a group playing the fiddle, banjo and guitar! Was such a nice surprise! Order the beef stew and it comes with a side of brown bread. The bread was delicious, tasted like brown bread I get when I'm home in Ireland but the stew was a little bland. Lots of potatoes in it, could have done with some more beef, there was maybe three pieces in the whole stew

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    McGonagle’s - Steak Sandwich

    McGonagle’s

    3.8(72 reviews)
    8.5 miDorchester

    Came to McGonagles on a Friday evening before we had to attend a wedding. We wanted to grab a bite…read moreto eat and a drink as we weren't sure what the spread was at the wedding. We were advised light snacks so figured we should probably get a base before heading that way. We walked in to the coolest Irish pub that opened up in the back. It was way bigger than I expected. We quickly ordered drinks and I ordered a Moscow mule (my go to). It was in a copper mug and absolutely delicious. My husband ordered a beer, which he enjoyed too. We ordered some oysters and corn ribs for an appetizer. I had never had corn ribs before and was pleasantly surprised. My husband and I split the fish and chips and I'm really glad we did. The fish was extremely large and almost filled the plate. It was crispy and delicious. It was definitely well made. The sauce on the side was even better, too. Highly recommend this place for a quick bite and a pint.

    I'm not in this neighborhood often at all. McGonagle's is located in the Port Norfolk area on…read moreNeponset Avenue in Dorchester. This is a great spot to have a drink and a bite to eat. Super relaxed atmosphere and tv's, so it would be a great place to watch a game. Friendly bartender and the fish and chips was good. They also have pizzas that looked great. My friend had a pesto with burrata and she said it was awesome. They also have gluten-free pizza, whihc is good to know. Our table neighbor had the pork chop, which also looked great. They have a small parking lot, which would fill up quickly. We went on a very "off" time, so we were able to park in that lot. Otherwise, you'd need to find street parking.

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    The James - Picked Vegetables

    The James

    4.3(130 reviews)
    9.9 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Live music

    Charming, wonderful. I've been the many times. Great food and staff. You really feel like you're…read morein ireland.

    You know how in some restaurants you see the customers and they put salt on their food before they…read moreeven taste it? I think the chef is one of those people, because I had the muscles today and it was so salt forward. I mean it was dangerously full salt, but I was so hungry that I ate it anyway and then I told the waitress I said I should not even complain because I ate the dish however they should watch out for the salt. She said it's one of the most popular dishes and people like it that way . The restaurant decided to be gracious enough and swap that off of my order and let me get something else instead, but I was already full, so I took home a salad. Hours later, I figured it would be nice to have something refreshing after all that salt. I'm eating the salad and something crunchy and it's not the normal crunch. So I decide to like look into the lettuce and I see dirt. Especially now with everything going on around lettuce I am beyond shocked. I tried to call the restaurant granted it was dinner time but no answer so I called the sister company in another city and they said they would have the manager reach out to me which never happened . What surprised me as well as the manager from the sister location said he finds this surprising because the lettuce comes in triple washed, and they wash it themselves. All I could say to that is maybe open up the lettuce leaves and rinse them or open your eyes. So I'm putting it out there, I would like my money back, but since you can't answer the phone or own up to any responsibility, I'm leaving this message for you because I get a lot of hits on my reviews and I'm gonna tell people do not eat at this place unless your taste buds are completely dead and you just need salt and dirt survive. PS the ambience is so dark. It's decorated nicely, but they definitely need more light can barely read the menu..

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    The James - The best mussels I've ever had - the broth I could drink on it own

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    The best mussels I've ever had - the broth I could drink on it own

    The Burren - tradamerican - Updated September 2026

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