The Best Bars in Downtown & around

1. The 50 #86 · North America's 50 Best Bars
2. Eater The Best Bars Around Boston
3. James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service · Oscar Simoza

This is a narrow natural-wine bar near Downtown Crossing, the sort of place that introduced a lot of Boston to tinned fish and has been quietly smug about it since. The list is long and a little nerdy, but the bartenders will talk you through it without making you feel graded. Half bottles of nearly everything let you change your mind twice. It was a James Beard semifinalist for its wine program, and on Wednesdays there are fancy hot dogs.

1. Eater The Best Bars Around Boston
2. The Infatuation The Best Bars In Boston
3. James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

1. Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. East

My Girl is a glamorous cocktail bar tucked beneath Yvonne's, with gold leaf, rosy marble, and passion fruit martinis that clearly expect you to dress for them. The Sox hat stays home. Reservations help at prime time, though the place hits its stride after 10, when Boston finally decides to stay up late and live music takes over Thursday through Saturday. The Infatuation put it on its list of the best bars in the city.

1. The Infatuation The Best Bars In Boston

1. Eater The Best Bars Around Boston

This is a tiny sushi counter downstairs from a Japanese listening bar, where the walls come with a vinyl collection and the rules come with a certain hush. It's the kind of room where nobody talks over the record, and the tuna rolls are taken seriously by people in dark jackets who have strong feelings about turntables. It's small, so plan on cozy, not spread-out. The Infatuation has it on their Best Bars In Boston list.

1. The Infatuation The Best Bars In Boston