Boston Area's Best Country Bars
Loretta's Last Call
1 Lansdowne St.
Boston, MA 02115
www.lorettaslastcall.com
Loretta's Last Call is a country bar located right smack dab in the middle of Red Sox country, centered on Landsdowne Street in the Fenway District. This country bar is indicative of the genre's "poppification," if you will, bringing to the table a hip, wide-reaching vibe which welcomes patrons from all walks of life to enjoy the down home country vittles (chicken and waffles, much?), live bluegrass music and, of course, plenty of cold beer. Loretta's Last Call is a must-see spot for both tourists and locals alike.
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Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill
275 Patriot Place
Foxborough, MA 02035
www.countrybarma.com
Taking its name from modern country superstar Toby Keith, this eponymously titled Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill is located at Patriot Place, next to the home of the New England Patriots. The vibe here is southern fried family restaurant style, serving up beer in their trademark mason jars while also serving stick-to-your-ribs sandwiches and dinner plates, such as pulled pork and fried chicken sandwiches. If you're looking for something a little bit country, and a little bit familiar, then this is the place.
738 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
www.cantab-lounge.com
The Cantab Lounge is located in Cambridge, right on Massachusetts Avenue, and combines the aspects of approachable dive bar and bluegrass country swag, particularly on "Bluegrass Tuesdays," where groups of talented musicians kick out some swinging bluegrass jams for all of the Cambridge country crowd. There's a no-nonsense vibe to the Cantab Lounge which welcomes back regulars while ensuring that newcomers will feel at home the minute they walk through the door.
Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen
604 Columbus Ave.
Boston, MA 02118
www.darrylscornerbarboston.com
One of the most integral aspects of what constitutes a "country bar" is that all important southern charm, a feeling which is indicative of that special love one feels when visiting south of the Mason-Dixon. Much of this southern feeling can be attached to the "soul food" style of cooking so popular in the south, and this is something which Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen specializes in here at its Columbus Avenue location in Boston. Located in between Newcastle Street and Northhampton Street, Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen combines traditional bluegrass and southern jazz standards with such southern cuisine staples as shrimps and grits, ensuring that a visit here to Darryl's will be one to remember.
Sweet Cheeks
1381 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02215
www.sweetcheeksq.com
For many, the ideas of true southern-style barbecue and country are nearly inseparable, and this is echoed here by Sweet Cheeks,a Fenway-area spot located on Boylston Street in between Park Drive and Kilmarnock Street. Mac and cheese, fried chicken, biscuits and sweet tea are all on the menu at Sweet Cheeks, bringing home that sweet southern barbecue style to the table, while the country music soundtrack takes every hungry patron who walks through the door down home to that special southern state of mind right here in the Boston area.
George Pacheco has been writing professionally about arts and entertainment for over a decade. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, George currently resides in a humble New England home with his wife, cat and massive music and film collection. His work can be found at Examiner.com.