Buckle up, cocktail lovers—numbers 51-100 of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 has officially dropped, featuring 23 destinations all over the continent. This is the first time we’re seeing the list’s expansion to 100 since the first North America ranking in 2022, and a whopping 29 bars are located within the United States, including the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Albuquerque, Boston, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix.
Boston’s own Equal Measure came in at number 81 on the list.
Touting themselves as a “global cocktail bar with a local twist,” Equal Measure is the extension of Garrett Harker’s Eastern Standard, a beloved Bostonian favorite that had a 16-year run until its closure in 2021. It comes as no surprise that both spaces have been in high demand since their opening at the Bower in Fenway in the fall of 2023.
Led by ES Hospitality beverage director Jackson Cannon and bar principal Eliza Hoar, the swank cocktail bar with art deco details, massive windows bedecked with velvet curtains, a lounge and a private dining room, can be accessed via a long hallway connected to Eastern Standard.
The cocktail list features fun plays on the classics like the Siesta, giving “bubble-less paloma vibes,” with tequila, Campari, grapefruit, lime and angostura bitters, and the Mad Hatter, a clarified milk punch. There’s also culinary-inspired drinks like Golden Girls featuring mezcal, falernum, pineapple and roasted golden beet syrup (“thank you for being a...
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There's nothing better than being able to throw on your sneakers and walk next door to grab a coffee. Or, better yet, head to a bookstore on foot, take a stroll in a park after a long, hard winter. Who needs a car when you have two feet?
Living in a place where you can walk around is good for you. Science even says so. What's more, researchers have found that living in a walkable neighborhood reduces stress and depression—which is why we're so excited to report that Boston, according to a new Time Out survey, Boston is actually the second most walkable city on planet Earth.
We specifically asked 18,500 people all over the world one question: how easy is it to get around your city by foot?
Out of the 20 cities on the list, Abu Dhabi led with 91% of locals loving their pedestrian-friendly capital, Boston came in second with an 89% approval rate, followed by Brighton in the United Kingdom with 88%.
It's easy to see why Boston fared this well. Downtown Boston is approximately 1.5 square miles and the overall area is 48.4 square miles, making the core of the city incredibly walkable. Within an hour, you can get to the heart town Boston and give your legs a rest by sprawling out by Boston Common.
The Freedom Trail (2.5 miles), Charles River Esplanade (3 miles), Beacon Hill (2.5 miles) and South End (1 mile) are walking routes that offer scenic views along the river and through the main local attractions.
For those looking to get their steps in, the 27-mile Walking City...
Innovation combines with timeless, classical consistency at Equal Measure. A cocktail bar attached to Eastern Standard, ES Hospitality Group’s beverage director Jackson Cannon’s name and top-shelf talent is associated with it, but it's principal bartender Liza Hoar who is infusing exciting energy into the place night after night. Her culinary-inspired cocktails with quippy descriptions—like Down the Rabbit Hole (“curiouser and curiouser”), which combines tequila, Aperol, lime, turmeric honey, carrot greens and olive oil; an Oopsie Daisy, (“a little melty ice cream”), with honey-infused cognac, cream, crème de cacao, benedictine and lavender—may sound more intriguing than clearly delicious. But in practice, they prove to be balanced, beautiful and memorable every time. This is mostly a bar, but don't sleep on the menu of snacks—especially the duo of petite lobster rolls on house-made, griddled "baby buns" with butter and mayo.
Whether you want to celebrate Japanese culture through cosplay, learn about wine surrounded by animals at the Stone Zoo, or see the Book of Mormon, there's certainly no shortage of things to do in Boston. We have some ideas for the best things to do this weekend in Boston.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in Boston
Despite its 2am closing times and historical love for blue laws, Boston certainly knows how to drink. Even with the Hub's high expectations when it comes to alcohol access, the city's best bars deliver with stellar ambiance, top-tier cocktails, and fantastically curated beer and wine lists. While Boston might be best known for its Irish pubs and dive bars, it now boasts award-winning cocktail joints and craft beer emporiums that are well worth a visit. We've rounded up our top picks for the best places in town to enjoy a drink, so take a look and raise a glass. Cheers!
RECOMMENDED: Guide to Boston's best restaurants
APRIL 2025: This season, we're overhauling our list of the best bars in Boston so you'll have updated information at your disposal when looking for stellar spots to drink around town. In April, we revisited watering holes far and wide to verify that our recommendations are still on point. For the most part, they still are! Some changes: We've crowned a new number one for offering a bar experience quite unlike any other in the city of Boston. We've also fact-checked to offer you the latest updates on menus, can't-miss offerings, price expectations, and some insider tips to help you get the most out of your experience. Happy spring drinking, everyone.
It’s that time of year again. On April 21st, the streets of Boston will be taken over by more than 30,000 Boston Marathon runners gathering together for a good cause. As more than 1 million excited spectators line the streets from Hopkinton to Back Bay, there’s an array of happenings around the city to attend, celebrate, and show your support. From post-running merriment at local bars to experiencing the scream tunnel, check out how you can join in the fun at this year's Boston Marathon below, and for specific info about the route and where to watch, check out our guide to the Boston Marathon.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in Boston
What can we say about the North End that hasn’t been said before? Quaint streets made for wandering are packed with seemingly unlimited options for Italian American cuisine and seafood fresh from the docks. Once home to Paul Revere, Prince pasta and more history, the neighborhood remains a gem—but not every dining option is. To make your decision a little easier, we’ve rounded up choices for the best restaurants in the North End. For even more top picks, check out our on-the-ground guides to the best Italian restaurants around, seafood destinations and the best pizzerias in Boston.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in Boston
Where should I eat in Boston? is a question the editor and writers at Time Out Boston get a lot. The best answers take into account the occasion, vibe and even time of year for what you’re looking for—maybe it’s a cozy fireplace or wine bar to snuggle up at as we wait out spring.
RECOMMENDED: Boston’s best bars
Choosing where you should eat right now is the way we like to look at it, as we compile our list of Boston’s best restaurants each season. From casual choices for seafood, pizza and wine-friendly small plates to occasion-worthy celebrations of seasonal cuisine, each of these places is a draw for its own reason. To compare them is literally apples to oranges sometimes, but we rank it anyway. Comprising restaurants we want to return to again and again, here are 30 best restaurants to book in Boston right now.
March 2025: Another trip to Comfort Kitchen this season reaffirms its status atop our list of best Boston restaurants. The Dorchester gem continues to deliver exciting plates inspired by the spice trade through the African diaspora, all with one of the most friendly and engaging waitstaffs in the city. I was particularly thrilled to explore its new cocktail menu, which pays homage to beloved '90s R&B singers with drinks like Kelly Price Sang the Hook, One in a Million, and Put That On Everything. Meanwhile, in the wider Boston food scene, locals are mourning the closure of Allston's Twin Donuts after an incredible 70 years. RIP!
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Spring is one of the best times of the year in Boston. The city absolutely comes alive with locals who are so excited to get outside without having to bundle under three layers of coats. And what an outside we have here! Soon, our gorgeous parks will be bursting with pink and white blooms, restaurants and bars will begin pulling tables onto sidewalks, and rooftop bar season will be in glorious full swing.
Below, your ultimate guide to the best things to do in Boston right now for tourists and locals alike. We've got your must-see sites, suggestions on where to grab a great lunch or dinner, a look at events around town, and tons more.
Even to our fellow New Englanders, Bostonians can sometimes sound like we are speaking a different language. Whether you’re a college student with four years ahead of you, you just married a local or are simply here for a vacation, everyone new to Boston could use a crash course on our local lingo. From our colorful terms of endearment to the nicknames we’ve bestowed upon our favorite neighborhoods, there’s so much more to Boston slang than dropping your “Rs.” So, when you ask for directions to the Freedom Trail or to the best Irish pub in town, listen carefully and you may be able to translate a few of our favorite Boston sayings.
Bang a uey (v.): to make a U-turn, likely an illegal one because that’s just how we do.
Bubbler (n.): a drinking fountain.
B’daydas (n.): a term of endearment for potatoes.
The Cape (n.): Cape Cod, where tourists and preppies flock during the summer months, causing hours of traffic delays south of the city.
Carriage (n.): a shopping cart that you use to get your groceries, most likely at Market Basket.
Cellar (n.): the basement; pronounced “cell-ah.”
The Charles (n.): The Charles River, which is no longer flowing with its infamous “dirty water”... but you should still probably close your mouth ASAP, if you ever fall in.
Clicker (n.): the remote control; pronounced “click-ah.”
Coogans (n.): where you get dollar drafts.
Comm Ave (n.): no one has time to say Commonwealth Avenue.
Dollar Drafts (n.): see Coogans.
Dungarees (n.): jeans...