Doyle's Cafe / F.J. Doyle & Co.

commie

Massachusetts

2.71/5  rDev -30.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 1.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | $$

I've only been to this place once. I went last night with my lady friend. After months of hearing people rave about it, we finally went. We were disappointed. We called ahead, but the young lady that answered the phone didn't know how to get there from Boston. The place looks old. The bar is nice and big, but it is integrated into one of the dining rooms. Republicans might not like the JFK stuff decorating the place. We were able to get a seat at the bar on a Friday night; this is a good thing. The place was thick with heavy Boston dialect. There are strange out-of-place pilgrim paintings on the walls. The ceiling is a nice tin-looking job. The beer selection looks like it comes out of the early nineties with Ipswich, Boston Ale and Lager, Smutty, Bass, Guinness, and Tremont; there was nothing on tap that I would order at a better equipped bar, but the selection is a little better than average for the pathetic Boston beer scene. The patrons and the staff seemed nice enough. My Boston ale tasted a little old and a little contaminated. My lady friend got the Smutty IPA; it was obvious that the keg was fresh from the hop aroma and taste, but it was also tasting slightly off-yeasty or tap line contaminated. The contamination was not as bad as the places on Union Street, but detectable none the less. Prices were reasonable, and this is unusual in Boston. The service was prompt and cheerful, but they don't accept credit, and this is very lame, as their machine raped me out of $2.

03-11-2007 00:25:14 | More by commie

Truh

New Hampshire

3.23/5  rDev -17.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 2.5 | $$

Old school joint. Sit at the far end and watch as the barkeep drinks as much as you do, and then surpasses you. I was breathless seeing the number of T employees here on their lunch break doing slammers, why can't I get a job like that? Lots of Sam Adams stuff, no surprise as they are right down the street. This place reminds me of Jabberwocky, a series of rooms with no certain connection, and yet underneath the fabric one might see a very specific wood grain that unites the whole. For history, I like, for beer, not so much.

04-21-2004 21:04:04 | More by Truh

bignick

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $

Lunch 3/3/06

Overall, this is a good place to throw back a pint. It is a large but fairly traditional pub, although it is definitely well-worn. The tap selection is nothing special; it includes very fresh SA, Harpoon, Tremont, and the usual Irish and English beers. They were mostly either 3.75 or 4.25 which is a good value in my book, but the Guinness and Murhphys go for 4.75. They had similar offerings in bottles, plus the Chimay beers for 4.75 a bottle, which is much lower than I have ever seen them elsewhere. I got a nachos to start and a burger, which were both pretty unimpressive. I noticed someone at the bar working on a baked shrimp meal that looked very good.

Doyle's is worth a stop at least one, and I am sure I will return at some point.

03-04-2006 00:36:31 | More by bignick

SMADMS

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Never been to Doyles before but figured I would kill some time before the event at the Sam Adams Brewery on Monday (6/30/2008).. The charm of this place would have to be the history that is all over the walls. The service at the bar was very good (exception.. this is the first bar to sell Sam Adams,which Boston Beer Co strongly promotes, and I ordered one and was handed my Summer Ale in a Coors pint glass while the back shelf was stocked with "perfect pint"glasses) I checked over the menu and was surprised at the overall prices. VERY AFFORDABLE across the board... The Atmosphere has that old townie bar fee and the locals were out in force at 4:30. It is not convienent to the city at all and the parking is horrific but the selection on tap and the cost of all would cause me to stop by again on the way to another Sam Adams event

07-02-2008 19:54:50 | More by SMADMS

gentlebubbles

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3

A little out of the way for me, so I may be discouraging myself from coming by more often. Still, if you're in the Boston area for long, you have to come here at least once. It's a classic, well-worn pub with lots of history, much of which can be seen on the walls, and more can be learned from the flyers near the door.

Very good selection of beers, including the occasional special from Harpoon or Sam Adams. There's an impressive array of taps and bottles, including three (barely used) beer engines. The blackboard appears to need updating. One one visit, two casks were listed, but only one was on. On another, one cask was listed, but nothing was on. A beer on tap gave me a headache. I don't know...

Food is very mixed, even for basics. So far I've disliked the burger, the chili, the fries and even onion rings. The pizza, on the other hand, is the way to go.

02-15-2004 02:35:51 | More by gentlebubbles

MarkD

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4

After many years of having heard about this place ( ...You haven't been to Doyle's? Oh, you gotta go..) I finally made the trek. It is sort of out of the way, unless you live in J.P., but it's worth the trip. It's an old Boston institution, and the bar reflects that with lots of old breweriana dating back to WWll. I guess this place used to sell a lot of Picwick ale ( and maybe still does? I saw a Picwick tap, but I'm not sure if it was on.) They had about 2 dozen taps, with a good selection of local beers and English ales, but what brings me back is the cask ales. They have 3 beer engines, and have had 2 cask ales on each time I've been there. Harpoon IPA, a Sam Adams cask, Concord IPA, even a cask ale from Paper City, which I've never seen in any other bar in Boston. Only one TV, so not much of a place to watch a game, but more a place to have a good conversation over a few pints. The crowd is a wide mix of locals from this diverse neighborhood. I havn't tried the food, only a bowl of chili which was fresh made, not canned. It's worth the trip, if for the cask ales alone. And they have free parking!

01-01-2004 23:03:32 | More by MarkD

dbalsock

Vermont

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

atmosphere: very comfortable, spacious, lively, quite an easy place to sit and relax in, every time i've gone i've wish i could have stayed longer, everybody seems to be in such a good mood. the newspaper clippings and war propoganda are wonderful to see

service: i've found the service to be very hit or miss. if sitting in the bar area, which i vastly prefer, the service has always been wonderful. but everytime i've decided for the quieter, more isolated restaurant area, the service has been quite lacking... i don't know why i keep doing it.

selection: i was rather impressed by the beer menu, i enjoyed seeing a number of samuel smith's noted, but for most of the beers on tap i think i could find them elsewhere... but why would i? two notable standouts were the boston 375, which i thought had disappeared forever... i'm glad i got to try it one more time, and boston beer co. Koggen, which i had never heard of but knew i needed to try.

food: i really love fatty bar food, and i think doyle's hits the spot with their pizzas and their chicken tenders.

overall: great place for a beer and a meal or to sit around with friends

edit: after going back to doyle's a few more times I have found the service to be fantastic

01-15-2006 08:12:03 | More by dbalsock

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Stopped by here on Sunday for lunch with friends and to watch the Pats game. Very old school look inside, no frill kinda atmosphere. Old bar, old wood, old decoration. Charming in an antique kind of way. Service was excellent, our waitress was always checking in, and went the extra mile for my friend when he asked a favor. Beer selection was slightly above average. They have most of the macros represented, along with the typical Irish pub beer. But they also had Smutty IPA and Wachusett Winter, so some craft represented. There were five different Sams on tap, including the Brick Red, and Doyle's has a light & amber house brew for $2 a pint, not bad. People liked their food mostly. Four people liked their brunch and lunch, while I thought my chili was just average. Prices were decent, $4.50 for pints, $4-7 for bottles. Food was priced well. All considered, Doyle's is an original and worth a visit again.

12-21-2009 06:36:02 | More by morebeergood

Jesstyr

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Came here after a round of golf at Franklin Park. Great place to grab a quick pint and a bite, but not really an ideal beer bar from a food and beer selection perspective.

Atmosphere is classes 19th century updated bar, heavy wood, old pictures, etc. Crowd is a mix of local/regulars and tourists, particularly on a weekend. Quality is pretty good considering the historic nature of the place - fairly clean, good menu. Service was pretty typical, though the waitress didn't recognize Franziskaner when I ordered it - suggesting it was "well-aged".

Beer selection is better than your average pub, particularly with the Sam (Smith & Adams) selection and house brew. I like the randomly strong collection of Sam Smith, tried the Taddy porter, which was pretty good. Food is fine, typical pub fare. Burger is probably the best bet, but dont expect a gourmet meal. Price is better than expected for Boston.

04-11-2010 18:06:38 | More by Jesstyr

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5 | $

Doyle's Cafe is first and foremost a local bar with a ton of atmosphere. The inside takes you back in time with its quaint charm. If you are looking for a wide variety of beer besides Sam Adams, Harpoon, Sam Smith, and macro, this is probably not the place for you. It should be noted that Doyle's does have two house beers which are tasty. While the beer is fresh, Doyle's sticks to the tried and true. The service is friendly and helpful. The prices are inexpensive. $3 for house brew, and most beers are less than $5. The food is very good. The veggie burgers here are some of the tastiest I have had at a bar. That alone has kept me coming back thinking this place is a treat. Overall, Doyle's is an excellent local Boston bar...just do not expect to be bowled over by the draft list.

12-06-2010 13:42:07 | More by tigg924