The Druid

The DruidThe Druid
The DruidThe Druid
Bar, Eatery

1357 Cambridge St
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139-1340
United States

(617) 497-0965 | map
druidpub.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.75
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
19
pDev:
6.67%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of Glider
Reviewed by Glider from Massachusetts

3.96/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Ok, the Druid is not a beer destination, but it’s still a great bar. A top 5 Boston Irish Pub in my book, this cozy bar offers a friendly atmosphere, great pub food, and a true Irish feeling that most pubs in the area only wish they had.

They have a rotating Lamplighter draft among their dozen taps, which is likely a good choice. The food is a good deal for the area, with a lot of homey fare, including great fish and chips.

A lot of Irish accents here. Last time in, my neighbor at the bar bought me a shot of Irish Whiskey simply for being in proximity.
Jul 31, 2018
Photo of smcolw
Reviewed by smcolw from Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3
Once, long ago, I came here to hear an Irish jam session. The place was crowded, hopping, and authentic to the Irish Pub tradition. This time, a Saturday afternoon, I hear plenty of Irish accents blending with the American ones. This is a small, tight place designed to shoot the shit with people you don't know.

The beer list is limited but with only PBR as a distraction, the pick is either craft or Irish. I was disappointed that the only beer I hadn't had on the menu was no longer available because the brewery (Tom Crean's from Ireland) was out of business. But the service was attentive and informal.
Apr 28, 2018
 
Rated: 3.91 by fouderousse from Massachusetts

Jan 10, 2018
Photo of illpass78
Reviewed by illpass78 from Maine

4.4/5  rDev +17.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5
Good neighborhood Irish pub with a terrific veggie burger. Solid taps. Irish staples and some Mass. craft beers. Staff is excellent. A good spot to get the Boston Irish pub experience.
Apr 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.13 by SveNss0N from Massachusetts

Apr 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.6 by Ken_P from Massachusetts

Dec 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by ivyman from Massachusetts

Nov 06, 2014
Photo of asabreed
Reviewed by asabreed from New York

3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 5 | selection: 2.5
A place close to Bukowski's that my wife and I decided to hit after. Only a few blocks down.

By the end of the night, we decided to just stay here. The selection's not that great, but they don't masquerade as a beer bar. It's an Irish pub. Two Irish guys were running the joint, which was great to see, in the sense that they were both friendly but also running around like crazy, and they both maintained good moods.

Wooden booths. A long wooden bar. Cisco Whale's Tail was on tap, but mostly it was your macro and import typical stuff.

Fairly small and dark, which I like, and intimate. A cool pub in that area, but don't look to go there to try microbrews, because this isn't the place for that.
Aug 18, 2010
Photo of yemenmocha
Reviewed by yemenmocha from Arizona

3.79/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3
The Druid is a small Irish beer bar with a lot of character, with a good location on Cambridge St. not far from public transportation. It feels like an older bar than it is, replete with heavy Irish accents from some of the bartenders.

By reputation they have the best fish 'n chips, and I viewed many patrons eating the oysters.

Beer list is around 10 taps, with the usual Irish/British taps in addition to Northeastern U.S. craft beers.

My service was excellent but it was during a quiet part of the day.

Prices were reasonable for the area.
Oct 05, 2009
Photo of jushoppy2beer
Reviewed by jushoppy2beer from Tennessee

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
This one's a bit out of the way unless you're cruising Cambridge Street. Not close to any T stops, so you'll have to walk if you're a mass transit type. But it's a nice place with exceptionally nice people -- both the clientele and the help. Of course, it's greater Boston, so the people are usually nice. The food is typical Irish pub fare, hearty, calorie laden staple stuff. The soda bread is to die for -- some of the best I've had. Nice selection of craft brews, both domestic and the traditional Irish big names like Guinness and Smithwick's, along with some of that nasty cider stuff. Small, a bit cramped, but that's because it's popular. A nice place to feel like you're not alone in this world while you nourish your belly and soften your mood with some barley 'n' hops.
Jul 10, 2009
Photo of ridedammit
Reviewed by ridedammit from New Zealand

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4
This is a small comfy Irish pub, run mostly by Irish tenders and servers. The food is actually rather good, not what I expected. There is even a house made veggie burger that A likes. I really like the sausages beans and mash. Just wait a few minutes before digging in as it usually comes out really hot.

Not a huge beer selection, but its a good selection. I usually get a guiness when I visit but they also have a few regional selections.

Its a small place so it does not take much to get crowded. I have been here on a few occasions where live music is being played. Usually its just an Irish jam session with a few locals that bring in guitars fiddles and flutes.
Apr 13, 2009
Photo of Hibernator
Reviewed by Hibernator from Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
The Druid is a mini Irish-themed bar destination located in the center of Inman Square. The atmosphere is comfortable and intimate with an Irish pub feel décor. You can expect 12 taps with selections that include Cisco Whale’s Tale Pale Ale, Berkshire Brewing Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale, Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier, Harpoon IPA, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Newcastle, Guinness & Stella Artois. The bottle selection was more expensive and less appealing, but I did notice they have the Rapscallion Creation & Blessing.

The food that I tried was really good. Much better than your typical Irish pub food. I would come back just for the food. Beer tasted fresh and quality was solid. Beers are served in nice glassware such a Hefe Weizen glass for the Paulaner and imperial pints for the Guinness. Service was attentive. Overall, an enjoyable experience and worth checking out.
Mar 25, 2007
Photo of bjohnson
Reviewed by bjohnson from Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Went for Trivia night tonight. An Irish style place, small, but quaint. Not a bad place to frequent, especially if you live in Inman, but not the best place in Inman Sq.

Long bar with about 10 two person tables and 2 larger both like tables on either side of the door. About 8 beers on tap, nothing that special however. Berkshire Steel Rail, Anchor, Paulaner, magic #9, harpoon summer, and sea dog ipa. They did have Otter Creek and Rapscallion blessing in bottles (had with a rapscallion glass). A funny thing about the Rapscallion was the 7% right next to it, as if they were trying to get rid of it by advertising its abv--i found that interesting.

Food was very good. Burgers are fantastic and I've heard the fish and chips is also pretty good. Server was pretty good, but could have been better. She was nice and all, just a tad slow for me. Prices were decent for both food and beer and the quality of both was very good. I would recommend the Druid if you're looking for a good burger, some good trivia, or a pint of guinness, especially if you're in Inman.
Jun 15, 2006
Photo of taez555
Reviewed by taez555 from Vermont

3.39/5  rDev -9.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3
Located in Inman Square Cambridge, The Druid is a classic Boston Irish pub.
Atmosphere is small and cozy. A small bar on one side of the room with a half dozen small table against the opposite wall. Very worn rustic Irish bar atmosphere with lots of traditional old Irish knick knacks all over the wall. A single flat screen TV above the bar was showing the Red Sox game. The clock above the bar permanently stopped at 5:20 confused me though. :-)

Beer selection is limited but not too bad. A dozen taps with all the typical culprits; Guinness, Harpoon, Sam Seasonal Anchor, Berkshire Steal Rail, Bodingtons, they had a wheat beer but I forget which one. Franziskaner maybe? Bottles were about the same Heineken, Amstel, etc, although I was surprised and excited to see bottles of Rapscallion Blessing served in the proper glassware. A very nice touch. All beers were tasty and very fresh.

Although I didn't try any of the food it at all looked good with your typical pub grub favorites as well as a lean towards Irish/Enlgish pub favorites. (I might have to go back to try the Irish breakfast)

Service was sort of odd, I was there on a medium to slow Saturday night and couldn't quite make out if they had true table service or not. Half the people at the tables would just go to the bar and order rounds while some would be waited on. This made it a little uncomfortable.

Overall a nice little Irish bar. Nothing to go out of you way for, but definitely makes a nice stop on a pub crawl through Inman square.
May 07, 2006
Photo of MuddyFeet
Reviewed by MuddyFeet from North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Nice little Irish bar. Forgot about this place from back when I used to work in Inman Square. Long and narrow there with the bar on the left side of the room. Ten or so tables on the right. Various Irish music festival posters around the room. I swung by in the afternoon after walking from the North End. The bartender was a younger girl who was very friendly and great to chat with. Did not know much about the beer though. As for the beer they had 12 taps, with the usual culprits: Guiness, Smithwicks, Bass, Magic Hat, Stella, Harpoon, Anchor, etc... However, they did have Berkshire Steel Rail on tap. Bartender said the brewery gave them a great deal because they are trying to break more into the area. Maybe another 20 bottles as well, but nothing special. A nice Irish pub to chill in with friends, I will definitely go back if I am in the area.
Sep 11, 2005
Photo of NJbeerman
Reviewed by NJbeerman from New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
so this was the 5th place of a a night of drinking. It is a small little bar with a long bar on the left and about 8 small tables on the right. The bar fits 12/14 people and it gets pretty crowded. That is the one draw back I found because the place was full of locals and young college students. There was a dj playing - a nice mix of new stuff and some classic rock/jam bands.

The beer selection was good for a irish bar but not exactly a beer bar. I grabbed a franzsikaner but the others were nothing special. The bartender was a great guy and the rest of the staff seemed very helpful.

Worth a stop if you are in the area but not a destination.
Aug 05, 2005
Photo of rousee
Reviewed by rousee from Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
I like this place. In a decent neighborhood that is up and coming. The people who work here are very attentive and pretty cool. Their beer selection is considerably better than the average Irish bar. They always have a few on-tap that you don't see elsewhere very often. Paulaner was what we had when I was last there. The decor is very bohemian ;poetry readings would work well here. They have this snake mobile hanging from the ceiling that is made entirely from Guinness cans or some Guinness leftover. I like this place especially because it is such a great escape from the rest of Boston. Thats why its in Cambridge.
Sep 16, 2004
Photo of Jason
Reviewed by Jason from Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3
They serve a mean pint here, they must take care of their tap lines here as well as serve a good amount of beer … it always tastes fresh. This is your typical Irish Pub in the Boston area with a dark wood bar, the usual run of the mill beers on tap and of course friendly service.

Never had the food here but the crowd is a decent pack of drinkers during the weekend … worth a visit if you are in the immediate area. A pub like this can do you no harm.
Jun 24, 2003
Photo of BillyBrew
Reviewed by BillyBrew from Maine

3.26/5  rDev -13.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5
A seemingly interesting place, but I did not really get it. A small place that is really dark with a seemingly imcomplete pagan decor, the tall, wooden curved boothes in the window were pretty cool. There were only a few brews on tap and a small bottled-brew offering. The service was pretty quick.

The locals, Inman Square folk, seemed to really enjoy it, but it was kinda lost on me.
Jul 18, 2002
The Druid in Cambridge, MA
Place rating: 3.75 out of 5 with 19 ratings