The Pickled Onion is less of a restaurant and more of a frat house that never grew up. The floors are sticky enough to pull the shoes off your feet, and the bar looks like it's been rotting away since the early 2000s. You'd think a place with that kind of atmosphere might at least make up for it with decent food or drinks, but no luck there. The menu is uninspired, the food comes out sub-par at best, and nothing feels like it's made with any care. The overall vibe screams rundown college party spot. read more

Ask about specialties policies to get the special pricing. Also confirm your drinks prices before before ordering to ensure you get the correct price. Dirty bathrooms with no way to dry hands and only cold water to wash them. read more

In an area that can boast a list of some of the best pubs in all of New England, the Pickled Onion is one of those pubs that you will instantly consider one of your top spots. The best Service, great food, atmosphere, and a welcoming, regular crowd explains why this place has a strong, loyal following. read more

Tara is the best owner, and all the bartenders remind me of my childhood best friends! Get a beer, get great food, and meet a new friend! Amazing place ! 10/10 read more

Had a good time. Met friends their for drinks. Drinks were reasonably priced. Service was great. All the bartenders were on top of things. Will be back. read more

I can't recommend this place enough. If you want a fantastic mixed drink specifically an aperol spritz you need to see Hannah. She recommended the steak tips there. Perfection read more

Pickled Onion, our go to pub in Beverly. Great place to come in with friends, have a few refreshments, bite to eat, watch the game. Staff is very friendly, you will not go thirsty my friend. Thursday nights they have half price apps and also Trivia. What more could anyone ask for people? Looking forward to Thirsty Thursday at the Onion as always read more

One of my favorite places... the staff, food, drinks, atmosphere... and tonight the music... the owners are on top of things... wings are phenomenal and tonight we had a Buffalo chicken pizza fun place! read more

Service was terrible. Workers were sitting with guests swearing up a storm . Waited for a refill on soda never came around . Got my check was billed for someone else's margarita. Will never return. read more

Just popped in for a night cap after going to the Cabot for a musical show. Just simple drinks Captain and Coke and a jack and coke. They didn't have any vermouth but that was fine. Not the end of the world. read more

Always have a great time here--there's something going on almost every night! I tend to go in on Karaoke nights, and the hosts--J Dubs and Nick-- are awesome! Haven't tried the food yet, but the drinks are great and reasonably priced. But to me, the best thing about The Onion, is their amazing bartenders. Being a bartender myself for many years, I really appreciate the attentiveness and personalities of the staff--especially Tarpey and Mike N. (they're all great, but I know them the best.). They're always right there when I need a fresh drink, and they both have great personalities (...and a shout out to Jimbo--the nicest bouncer on the North Shore!). Tarpey and Mike N. are definite assets to a great establishment--thanks guys, and thanks to The Pickled Onion! ~JT read more

Ok this place sucks. As a senior in college my friends and I wanted to spend our last night on campus together and do something fun. We came to this place with NO line and waited for 30 minutes. As we waited the bouncer let in four men athletes over us when they were waiting behind us. We definitely started to feel insulted as the athletes were juniors. If you want to have a good time PLEASE do not come here. Was so disappointed and the workers were rude. Would give zero stars if I could. read more

We wandered into the pub at 6 pm on a Thursday night with the intention of ordering dinner. Our plan was stifled by an incredibly rude pub staff member who asked my boyfriend in a very awkward way to change his tank top. It was upsetting to be informed after we sat down and ordered a drink. The rude staff member kept informing us of their dress code policy which does not allow tank tops and offered to go to the dusty dirty basement to get a t shirt for him to wear. No thanks. Place looked kind of dirty and gross anyway. We won't go back after that kind of treatment. The staff member continued to mumble that she offered to give him a t shirt like she handled the situation perfectly and we were the problem. Not a friendly place. We have been to much nicer and fancier establishments throughout beverly and never been treated this way. Good luck Pickled onion. read more

I loved everything about this little local bar. From the great glowing outside to the friendly company inside. I met a group of cool ppl. Met a girl that said "wasn't me but whatever you need me to do, I will". I'm not in Beverly often but I might just start going just to visit this spot. A great bar tender can make any place great and hiring John G was prob this managers best decision. Great attitude, quick service and displayed just great bar tending etiquette. There's a pool table, basket ball arcade hoop and juke box with a ton of songs to select from. The songs are played low but you can still hear it over the crowded bar. Its been a while since I've been to a bar where everyone was cool as can be. Everyone getting along talking to each other. Love everything about this lil gem in Beverly. read more

This place is on its last legs. Don't waste your time. On two recent occasions, I went here for dinner (6:30-7:00PM) with a friend, once on a Wednesday night and then on a Sunday night. Both times we ordered drinks and when we asked for a menu we were suddenly informed that the kitchen was closed. Don't wait until you've served drinks to inform your customers that the reason they stopped in (dinner) isn't available. read more

Come on. Ridiculous. The Pickled Onion fronts the place with a string of Irish greetings and tries to come off as some kind of Irish pub -which would be weird for an Irish pub. It's not. not even a little. It's a generic sort of sports bar with mediocre, boring, sysco food and inconsistent service. The blech interior, food, and service belie the promises of the wonderfully kitschy sign out front. - that's all you need to know. read more

I'm giving this place two stars. Came here tonight with some work buddies and the food wasn't that great. Way over fried. My friend got poutain which was smothered in way too much gravy we asked for another order and even then it just was gross... I did enjoy my drink... we also waited over an hour for food and it wasn't busy so I don't know if the chef was just lazy or they were actually really short staffed... I would probably come again for a drink but definitely not to eat... read more

I went there last night. The place has water downed drinks and their nachos were super skimpy. Also, my friend asked the waiter for a lime and he came back with the slice of lime IN HIS HAND. No container or anything. We then ordered shots and my boyfriend had asked the waiter again for more limes. I was hoping that this time, since he would bring out a couple, it would be in a container. Nope, was I wrong! HE CAME BACK WITH 4 LIMES IN HIS HANDDDD. It was disgusting. I'm only giving this place one star and you definitely will not see me in there again. read more

Went to the Pickled Onion for the first time today. Ordered a vodka lemonade and got a rotten lime in it. Then this awful waitress with black hair and a Louis Vuitton bag came over and literally told my friend to "sit the f**** down" and said "I can't deal with any more of you, IDs now!" Like a drill seargent. This is the worst service I've had in a long time. read more

The Pickled Onion - Rotten... - American Near Me - Beverly, Massachusetts

My girlfriend and i went there on a Tuesday night we sat at a wooden table when i sat down my butt stuck to the chair must have been some spilled beer or who knows we ended up moving to another table....we ordered some drinks and got the 50 cent wings and tenders they weren't bad after awhile i had to use the men's room...wow their was writings over all the wall and trash barrel was all smashed. This is a dive bar for sure you could probably eat in your underwear and no one would blink a eye don't bother getting dressed up for this place lol. read more

If you're over 23 years old don't bother. Definitely a beginners bar. Lots of backwards baseball hats and giggling drunk girls. Chuck E. Cheeses for people who just turned 21. Gets one extra star for some of the cool bands they get in there. read more

What is this trash? Congratulations "Pickled Onion" as my first 1 star joint. You suck so hard. Went there with buncha people for some cheap wings. It was cheap indeed. In price, in quality, in service, in atmosphere, in every possible way, it was cheap sauce. It's too crowded and filled with nub college kids who think they are cool. It's just trashy. The waitress comes to you every 40min and when you order, they come to you 20min later, forgetting what you ordered. That's how busy, loud and whack this place is. And when you finally take a bite of those cheap wings, it just taste bad. I rather pay 10 times more and have good wings. Finally, let me talk about the seating. It's the worst possible seating setup I've ever seen. The owner probably lost a bet with someone and had to arrange seating that seats the least amount of people while taking up the most amount of space. All in all, I will never go to this place though I live 2min away from it. read more

If you're looking at the outside of the O and decide to walk in, you can't be disappointed. How high of expectations can you have by looking at the place, with a name The Pickled Onion? With nightly weekday specials such as Thursday night half off apps AND $1 draft PBRs all the time, it's a great place to eat and drink in Beverly for cheap. They have awesome staff and unique bathrooms (men, you'll know what I'm talking about). Dart board and pool table. Plenty of TVs for a game. I can't believe I'm talking myself into considering this a 5 star establishment.... I just can't; I don't want to steer any moms or visitors that are uncomfortable by Beverly townies in the wrong way. Plus, Beverly townies don't want you there. read more

I outgrew The Picked Onion very quickly. It, Kitty's, and the Sketch-I mean-Pressbox, are some of the only bars or pubs available in the town of Beverly. At least out of the ones my friends wanted to go to. It's rough around the edges in looks and operation. The live music here is never very good. The seating is awkward. Awkwardly placed tables that are difficult to maneuver around while sober, never mind drunk. The crowd here is meh, as well. I've tried to strike up conversation with people at this place and no one ever seems to be having it. That's sad. Most of the chicks seemed to just want to sip on whatever blue curaçao filled beverage they ordered and keep to their cliques. Fine by me! Given that last call is at 12:30 (it IS Beverly) and I always leave wondering why I came, it's just two stars for me. I'd much rather drive the 10 extra minutes into Salem where there are a few classy, fun bars without the pretentiousness. read more

I too went here to see a band. Seems to be a very hot spot for the college crowds of the area. We got there early because we knew the band, so we wanted to say "hi" before they started playing around 9pm and the bar was not too crowded. But by 10 or 11pm the place was jam-packed to the point that moving around was a bit difficult. Bar service was rather good considering the number of people lined up trying to order their libations. 'Tenders were good about making eye contact and coming over just with a nod. I liked that. Prices were pretty good for beer too - a large pint of Guinness was only 4 bucks. In terms of the bathroom, the major downside is that it is *right next* to where the band sets up so when the line forms you are standing nearly on top of the band. Still it was rather clean and fully stocked with paper supplies, so that was another plus for the place. read more

So I've lived within walking distance from this place for 6 years and never set foot inside. Come to think of it, I don't even know why. Was I intimidated by the crazy neon sign? Was I confused by the Gaelic writing? Was I put off by some of the late night after-hours college kid shenanigans that occur outside of this place on some weekends? Not sure...but whatever it was, I'm glad I'm over it. Every once in a while, (like last night) when the wind blows just right, the smell of delicious fried food from this place wafts into my window and makes me crave french fries...So this morning I had a massive craving for a burger and fries. ....Which is why I went here for lunch. And I'm so glad I did. I sat at the bar where a very nice server introduced herself and showed me the beer menu, which, by the way is much more extensive than what is listed on the web site. I chose a Hefeweizen (I forget which one, but it was delicious). I also ordered a burger with my own chosen toppings: cheese, bacon, mushrooms, pickles cooked "pink in the middle". (You never know how a person will interpret words like, "medium" or "medium rare" these days, so I just describe the color). The burger (which was massive, by the way) came out perfectly-cooked (they even added lettuce, tomatoes, and onions). The fries were just as wonderful as I imagined they'd be - crisp, slightly salted, and not shoestring or encrusted in some weird batter. The server also told me that they have $2 burger nights and that on those nights, they serve burgers of the same size. I can't imagine how packed this place must get on those nights. The other very cool thing is that the people there are really nice. The server was very nice and apologetic when the gentleman to my left told her that his burger was supposed to have bacon but didn't. She immediately went to the kitchen and got him a plate with extra bacon on it. My server did not make me feel bad for paying with a credit card even though I had not spent the $15 minimum. Which is surprising because I had a pint of fancy beer, a huge burger, and side of fries for just over $12. Everyone in the place must have been just as happy with their food as I was - Every plate that I saw the servers bring back were empty or near empty. Bottom line - I will be back soon and often. I need to make up for lost time. read more

The Pickled Onion is every pub I ever went into in college. Cheap greasy eats, loads of cold brews on tap, and loud music many nights. If I were 21 this would be my watering hole. I'm a little too old to frequent this place without being that creepy person at the bar but I noticed a lot of those creepy people at the bar that were there watering their thirst. The good thing is that if you are here to drown your sorrows no one is going to judge you but, eww, who's that old dude at the bar looking at my boobs? This place gets loud several nights a week and on weekends with music and rowdy college students. Some nights I fall asleep to some drunk college age girl attempting to sing. It's not pretty. read more

If you're in college and looking to drink a beer, but only have about $5 to your name, go to the Pickled Onion. You will be in good company there. However, if you're looking to go out with some friends for a few beers and pub food and can afford to go literally anywhere else, you'd be better off finding a different watering hole. The food is thoroughly mediocre. It won't kill you, but it's nothing to write home about. The PBRs are cheap, but they taste like PBR. They do have dance / music nights, which are great if you enjoy being packed into a poorly-ventilated, dark room surrounded by sweaty men hitting on trashy college girls. Some people love that stuff. Some people don't. Minimum charge on a credit card is $15, which can be difficult to accrue given the low prices, especially on Wing Night or half-off appetizer nights. If you're only looking to down a few PBRs and watch the game, bring some cash. read more

Not an Irish bar, more of an incredibly dirty, tacky and generic sleazy bar. Lots of roughnecks in the crowd and people smarting off to each other. Did not feel safe and felt like a fight was ready to break out. Worst bar I have been to in Mass and one of the top three worst bars I have been to in my life. I finished my beer and left quickly. I like a good dive bar but this place was gross and dangerous. read more

My friend and I went here for her birthday. We each ordered one drink and one shot. I paid in cash, she started a tab. When we were getting ready to leave, (about 9:45pm, the bar was not yet busy) the bartender came back and very politely told us the card was declined. This is when the manager (I'm assuming, she never told us who she was) came to the end of the bar and told the bartender "walk away I'll deal with this". She was younger, maybe late 20's early 30's with long dark hair again, she never told us who she was. She immediately started shaming us for trying to skip out on a tab, and saying that we "need to act like grown-ups" and that "you need money if you want to go out". I explained to her that I also had money on me that we could pay with, we just wanted to figure out why the card got declined, because we could see on the bank app that there was enough money in the account. With this, she shrugged us off and started telling other customers sitting at the bar what was going on with our tab, saying "I should teach an economics class to these kids". This really got me frustrated. I work as a waitress and understand that having a card get declined is not uncommon. She was so unprofessional about the whole situation, and was never willing to help us figure it out, but rather ran her mouth to other customers at the bar, who did not know what was going on until she told them. In the end, my friend's card did work, but this manager was still just as rude to us. Neither of us will ever be going back, and I tell all my friends to not go there either. This completely ruined my friend's birthday. We felt attacked when in fact we were never causing a scene. We both wished we could have dealt with the original bartender, it would have been a lot smoother. read more

The food is okay, the waitstaff is average, and they have a full bar. It's loud and can get cramped at times, but it's not unbearable. Two points of dissatisfaction: -There's a charge minimum of $15, so if you just get a burger and a beer, you have to use cash. There is an ATM in the restaurant, but it's annoying to me to accept cards but set a minimum charge (which, by the way, is not LEGALLY permitted to be above $10 and is not allowed to be imposed at all if it's a debit transaction or a card linked to a debit account). -If you go while they're running a special, like 1/2 price appetizers or $2 burgers, you cannot take a doggy bag once you're done with dinner. Why? I don't know, and I found it to be unfair. It's food you paid for, right? I got a cheeseburger and fries (which was extra because I added cheese and fries, so it wasn't just a $2 plate). I ate half of it and wanted to take the rest home but was told they don't allow you to take food if it was a special. Overall, I'd rather go somewhere else. read more

Oh the Onion. Half dive bar, half family restaurant. Strangest place in Beverly. First off, my friends and I keep returning for the $1 PBR's and wing night (20 cent wings). It's really the deals that are worth coming in for. Like half price appetizer night, and my personal favorite $2 burgers on Monday nights. These are not some skimpy burger either. They have every fixing imaginable (cheese is just an additional quarter). The staff can be a little forgetful, I've had to wait quite a while before for things as simple a ketchup. It isn't the cleanest, nicest establishment but the deals are pretty great if you're on a budget. read more

I've been to the Pickled Onion before and liked so I'm not happy to be leaving this negative review. I actually never leave negative reviews but I had an experience that I just can't ignore. I went in for a drink with my husband and inlaws. So it was family time and I was wearing a cute high necked t shirt with a watermelon print on it. The t shirt I was wearing is important because when our male server came up to our table he looked at my chest and said "nice watermelons" and laughed at me. I felt embarrassed and objectified, in front of my family no less. It's no way to treat a paying customer or really to treat anyone under any circumstances. I like the Pickled Onion but I don't feel comfortable going there anymore and I felt like it was the right thing to share my experience. read more

Great place all around. Good food, good drinks and a variety of draft beers! Whether your going with friends to eat and drink or with your family to watch sporting events i highly recommend this place. Dart board, pool table and a basketball machine as well! Bartenders and management are top notch and know how to make it a good time for people of all sorts! read more

The Pickled Onion is different things to different people, and since I remember when this spot was "Freddie's", I have experienced most of what The Onion has to offer. When I was in my early 20's, this was a nice place to go if you're ok with 22094723957239857 people crammed inside with blaringly loud music playing/being performed. As eeeeeveryone in Beverly says, going here feels like a BHS reunion. Luckily (I guess) for me, I'm now 30 and the reunion going on here is for the kids who were in sixth grade while my class was graduating. So, instead of coming here for drinks and trying to pretend it's not weird to be 8 years older than everyone else in there, I come by here for an occasional dinner or a drink or two before the tables disappear and the kids start dry-humping. The food here is fine. Pub food with a mini-twist. The greasy nachos/wings/skins that you'd expect to be solid at a pub are not so great. A sizeable portion that comes out fast, it's just not very flavorful and some of it is way too greasy, even for greasy pub food. What is good are some of the entrees. The steak tips here are very good. Judging from the taste of them, I'm pretty sure they're marinated in Coke. A bit of sweetness to them, but nothing too strong. I've ordered them cooked to two different degrees, and I've been with people who have ordered them to every doneness possible, and they've been cooked perfectly every time. I've seen the same cook here for years (he looks like a white ninja darting around there) and I'm confident that he's doing everything he can with what he has to work with. The fish and chips and the Reuben toastie are also both very good. The fish and chips come as a huge portion of fried goodness. The Reuben is what you'd expect and the "toastie" modifier modifies nothing. This is just a normal Reuben. Sauerkraut and corned beef and dressing and rye. Both of these come with fries and I urge you to choose "seasoned" when asked which kind of fries you want. They're cooking with mediocre, frozen fries here and the unseasoned variety is bland. The seasoned version is once again a scenario where I feel the cook is doing his best with what he has. The drink situation here is just ok. A full bar and a staff that can usually prepare most any cocktail you like. If you come here often, pick out the bartenders you recognize and stick with them. The full-timers here are professionals who know what they're doing. The fly-by-night people on the staff can be poor. The beer selection is very meh. 10 taps or so, but it's mostly the stuff you can find anywhere. $1 PBRs are a great bargain. They recently started serving pitchers here, but when I tried to get a pitcher of PBR, I was told that only Coors Light was avaiable in a pitcher and all of the pitchers were in use. Umm, huh? Since the best use for a pitcher of Coors Light is to put out a fire, I passed. read more

Don't waste your time going here. First of all the staff are rude, sketchy, assholes. Some friends an I got a couple drinks last night at this establishment. A young woman with dark long hair tried to charge us multiple times for the same drink. When we asked her to take it off the bill she said the only way she would be willing to do that is if we pay in cash because 'we look like the type to dispute the charge'. When I went to see if my friends had cash she ran my card, luckily I have notifications on my phone from my card otherwise she probably would have pocketed the cash.. Never been treated so rude at a bar/restaurant in my life. In addition, the drink tasted like water. 9 bucks for a glass of water. No thanks.. read more

We're probably a bit elderly to be at the Pickled Onion on a Saturday Night, but we went last night anyway, because the Chad Hollister Band was playing. I've known Chad for a few years, having met him playing solo at Cappy's in Camden, Maine. We arrived at about 9:30 (about the time we usually GET HOME for the evening) and got the last two seats at the bar. We ordered a gin and tonic (it was heavy on the tonic) and a Stella draft (nice and cold). The place is loud, even before it gets crowded--people seem to need to yell everything they say, but all in good fun. No food is available this late. The bar had filled up behind us by 10:00, and the two young ladies behind the bar were scrambling to keep up. When the music started, we took our second drinks over to the band area to watch. One young woman, who REALLY seemed to want to see the band, was already falling-down drunk and was coaxed off the floor. Chad had to come off the stage during a song to help persuade her to get a taxi. Meanwhile, two young male customers had staked out the area in front of the band, each performing a solo, awkward jig that occasionally coincided with the rhythms on stage. I have to say that the younger customers were unfailingly polite and engaged me in conversation about the band despite my graying locks. Everyone at the Onion seemed to be having a great time. I went over to say hello to Chad's mother, down from Vermont to see her son's band. The band was in fine fettle, especially the lead guitarist, who really understood how to invigorate Chad's subtle melodies and lyrics. read more

Bathrooms are gross. Tends to get really hot and overcrowded. Any time there's an event at Endicott, they start charging a cover (to get into one of the crappiest bars in Beverly). There's usually a line. The live bands tend to suck. But the PBR is $1, so I keep going back. Oh, Pickled Onion. I don't know how to quit you. read more

The Pickled Onion Inc? "eh Onion." This place was shown to me last year, and I think it's positively great. If you understand what it is, and go there for that reason, you will have a fantastic time and be pleased. The bartenders are extremely friendly, and they make the drinks very tasty. The drinks are pretty cheap too, and they have a decent selection of beer. The place gets packed on the weekends, and there is usually a band playing there to boot, so be prepared to be slightly jostled. Even so, bar service is quick. If nothing else here, the crowd in the place is typically ripe for people watching like few other places I have been to. I can't really talk about it on here because they have quite a crew of regulars, but trust me. Fun place! read more

Love it. Only complaint is it is getting TOO GOOD! It is starting to get hard to sit down for a proper meal! Especially on wing night and trivia night. Overall -Fair priced -Pretty cool mixed crowd (depending when you arrive) -Live music (open on Mondays and FUN) -cool specials (wings so cheap! different themes nightly) -Friendly staff -tasty food By far this is my fav bar on the north shore. Right in between dive and hipster hope it keeps it that way! read more