08/11/09

Over billed and beat up

by midoboston

Check your receipt at The Black Rose. While paying for a dinner/date last winter I noticed the tab was [clearly] over charged. Asking for an itemized bill I pointed-out the inaccuracies to the bartender. Even with printed proof he would not take responsibility and quickly escalated the situation by summoning the door bouncers.

Well, I paid the excessive bill (plus tip) and then had their goon bouncer’s attack me into Mass General. Now 9 months of mri’s, x-rays, painkillers, rotator cuff surgery, and physical therapy I am just getting on my feet…Cheers!!

02/26/08

Sadly disappointed

by web628

Having seen other reviews, I wonder what went wrong. We visited on a Saturday evening @ 8:00 pm. We were seated (by the hostess) at one of the high round tables upstairs by the bar. After being ignored for 10 minutes (not crowded at all) I went to the bar to order drinks, only to be ignored there also, three bartenders chatting in a corner. My husband switched places with me and got served. We moved our seats into the other room, sat down and waited again!!! After flagging down a waitress we ordered appetizers and our meal. The breaded mushrooms were dreadfully greasy, like they weren't even drained after the deep fryer. My wrap was good, but my husband's burger was rare - ordered well done, fries were cold. I saw other customers sending back food complaining it was cold also, even soup. All in all it was a disappointing visit to what is supposed to be an authentic Boston Irish Pub.

PROS: nice mixed crowd, comfortable atmosphere

CONS: horrible service, so-so food

12/11/07

Avoid being drunk

by sirkv

A true Irish Pub would not mind having a few drunk customers. ESPECIALLY when a pub crawl is signed up to be rolling through, and the management knows that this is one of the last few stops. Why agree to let a pub crawl crowd in when you're just going to kick over half of them out anyway? If people were falling over drunk that's one thing, but I saw people getting kicked out for accused stumbling, which meant they missed a foot placement in line at one point. I usually come here for my Irish car bomb stop, but I'll be looking elsewhere now. I don't know if it was the bouncer's fault or the management's fault for telling the bouncer to act that way, but this is not the place for a pub crawl stop. Next time don't agree to entertain us drunks if you're not going to let us in.

• Pros: Irish Car Bombs, Magners
• Cons: Bouncer/management issue

12/07/06

Good Irish Bar for chatting it up

by pinkxg1rl

Went there on a Saturday night - it was pretty crowded downstairs. Fairly young crowd with the occasional old folks. Not too loud, but ending up standing up the whole time. Went up to the second floor where there was a really loud karaoke/band thing going on. Overall, good place to stand around and chill and chat it up.

• Pros: good place to just chill and chat
• Cons: $5 cover for a stand up bar

09/15/05

Love the Mixed Crowd

by pineapplegirl

I can't really comment on the food having usually eaten somewhere else before hitting the Black Rose, but their drinks have always been quality. My favorite thing about this place is the mixed crowd. There are young, college-aged people as well as older, middle-aged people. On my last visit my friend and I who are in our mid20s had a great chat with a group of middle aged lawyers sitting across from us. There are always tourists, that's unavoidable, but a great mix of locals as well.

• Pros: mixed crowd, convenient location
• Cons: can get noisy, can get crowded

12/15/04

Boston's most quintessential Irish pub caters to visitors and Guinness-loving locals alike.

by Eric Grossman

The Scene
In a city full of Irish bars, this is perhaps the most famous (and probably the most visited), thanks to its high-profile location a few yards away from Quincy Market. Expect an awesomely varied crowd, which almost always includes a fair amount of tourists, especially during the day. The bar maintains a relaxed, genuinely Irish interior by cramming the place full of county flags, coats of arms and historical memorabilia, as well as many fresh-off-the-boat waitresses and bartenders.

The Draw
Whether it's first thing in the morning or last call, the bar's Guinness taps are in constant motion (countless other libations are served, but when in Rome...). Combat the black stuff's effects by noshing on the menu's mix of traditional Irish fare (hearty bangers and mash) and American favorites (satisfying burgers and fries). In the evening, the crowd gets younger and the action heats up with live music, which is featured nightly.

08/04/04

Not a fan

by andy82

The place is too big to have a good Irish pub feel to it, the bouncers there are obnoxious and the place gets way too hot. The food is actually ok for the price but the rest of it just does not make it worth it. This is Boston, there are much, much better Irish bars to go to.

05/07/04

Not Real Irish

by bach1750

The food here is poor. I had a wilted Cork Country Salad, which is just a poor version of a Cobb salad with chicken fingers on it. I had to ask a busboys to get my waitress who was in full site of my table and not busy. When she came over I was greeted with an indignant smile as I asked for more water. The appetizer tasted like it was out of a Chef-boy-r- Dee" can. This place dose not care if they get repeat customers as they will always get traffic from Quincy Market. The pictures of dead Irishmen behind the bar dose not make this place authentic. Im sure if German bars were in this place would be a German bar. Ill give it another try for a happy hour and the music but I strongly suggest eating elsewhere before you go in for a beer.

07/15/03

Great place!

by kmu

Loved the live Irish music. I thought I was in Ireland! Tables in front are great and the beers didn't stop coming. Didn't have the food but it looked great. I wish we had it in Chicago!

• Pros: Live music, great service
• Cons: bathroom was gross

04/22/03

Great music and crowd

by sb_fido

Ive been to the Black Rose on several different occasions and always have a great time. The live bands are great and very popular with the regulars. The first floor is more traditional Irish setting (traditional Irish folk music) and the crowd tends to be a bit older, the decor is also an interesting collage of Irish paraphernalia. The second floor is full of casual professionals and the younger crowd, the music is also louder and with a modern twist. I spent New Years (only a $10 cover) there and had an absolute BLAST, the free champagne was flowing! I never had to wait long to get a drink and the Guinness is reasonable considering the bars proximity to Quincy Market.

• Pros: Nice crowd, Good music, Good setting