11/06/08

At the bottom of the Hill yet going downhill

by jspiker1974

This place used to be a go-to, comfortable dive for me. A couple years ago it was purchased by a corporation and it just gets worse every day. You can still get reasonably cheap beer and the physical improvements have been good without affecting the basice atmosphere. But that's about all there is to recommend this place anymore. The staff has become disinterested. The music has become very loud. And, worst of all, the food--which used to be excellent bar food for the price--has become downright lousy. The menu has been pared way back. The food quality, even moreso. But the prices have gone up. The Hat used to have some of the best Buffalo wings around. I now regard them as some of the worst. Bit by bit, the sauce has got thinner and thinner with less and less flavor. The sauce is now so thin, in fact, that you cannot get any on your wings; it will run off that easily. Ten-cent wings (Monday and Tuesday nights) that you don't want to eat aren't a bargain, even if they are just 10 cents. On top of that, they have begun charging for extra Buffalo sauce (which will run right off the wings anyway so why bother right?). I have stopped going to the Hat altogether now.

04/22/07

a total dive. cheap wings.

by schevaiswood

it's a bit of a walk but this is where i like to go pre-game for garden events. they have cheap beers and free popcorn.

09/10/06

Best drinks in town!

by distanttraveler

I've visited a lot of bars in a lot of towns in a lot of different places. I always come back to the Red Hat for two things...good drinks and good company. Like the "expert" review indicates, I started at this place as a Suffolk student and it's been my go to spot every time I return to Boston. You can't beat the food, you can't beat the prices and the one constant that has been there since my college days....Chris the bartender! The entire place has been completely redone, so you get the ambiance and atmosphere of a "fine dining" eatery upstairs, but you can still hang out and watch the games on the flat screen TV's downstairs. It's a great place to kick back and just be yourself while enjoying drinks and friends.

• Pros: Drinks, food, Chris the Bartender
• Cons: Like all Boston bars, they close at 2 am

08/06/06

Quintessential dive bar provides Suffolk students and downtown workers with a casual spot for watching the game over cheap drinks.

by Contributor

In Short
Cheap bar snacks, cheap pitchers of beer and plenty of TVs combine to yield a solid dive bar experience at the Red Hat. Wildly mixed crowds tend to include a combination of the following: college students, construction workers and State House employees. Only a 10-minute walk to the TD Banknorth Garden, this is one of the cheaper spots for pre-game drinks.

07/17/06

Love the TEN Cent Wings

by shortcakebake

The Red Hat is making a come back. New stools in the bar so you can sit and watch a game all day. The wings are great on Monday and Tuesday. The dining room looks much better after the floors were redone and new chairs.