Pub/bistro/restaurant with Fireplace?

[yumyum]

I searched on this topic but see it hasn't been brought up since 2004 ... so here goes again. Are there good food/drink options in metro-boston or within an afternoon's drive where you can sit in front of the fire? This is a special request from an out of town visitor, and knowing her we'd be more interested in casual fare so the Bristol and Wayside Inn aren't on the short-list this time. Of course food is the priority, but good drinks/hot toddies would round out the experience. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

[yumyum]

Thanks so much for all the ideas ... really appreciate it!

[SallyCapeCodCat]

Try the Fox & Hounds on Sea Street in Quincy. The Tavern area, which also serves a great menu of comfort food has a magnificent fireplace. Great drinks too. Casual, nice spot. Perfect for what you are seeking.
Sally

[a l i c e]

Sounds like a perfect weekend - I'd want a place where I could drink from my brandy snifter, warmed by the fire, reach for the Sunday Book Review, and make it back to my chair before it even gets cold. These two places would probably serve merely as staging areas for your weekend: PJ Ryan's was slated to install a gas fireplace (as of a couple of weekends ago). Good hand-cut fries, a little on the thin side but they make and serve their food/drinks with gusto. We like both John and Allen (talk about a guy you'd want to have watching your back in a street fight, but Allen is as nice and conscientious as can be...he also tends at the Independent) Across the street, Rudy's has a gas fireplace/pit thing. Food, well, you know what the food is like there...not so good.

Farther afield is Dewolf Tavern in Bristol RI. I sense a road trip!

[Food4Thought]

Maybe not exactly what you are looking for but, there's also one upstairs at Tapeo on Newbury surrounded by dining tables, but that might be a little tough, as they don't take reservations.

[MC Slim JB]

A few more: Abe & Louie's, Ashmont Grill, the Black Sheep Cafe at Kendall Hotel, Euno in the North End, Locke-Ober, Olives, Ole in Inman, the Red House in Harvard Square, the Sherborn Inn, Vintage Restaurant in West Roxbury (site of one of the worst expensive meals I've had lately), the Warren Tavern, and West on Centre in West Roxbury.

(I proposed in front of that fireplace at the Bristol.)

[C. Hamster]

Farragut House in Southie

[heathermb]

Monday Club Bar at Upstairs on the Square had a nice fire going yesterday (although we couldn't stay b/c they were setting up for a private event).

We ended up at Grendel's and I *think* they have a fireplace as well.

There are also fireplaces at:
The Fireplace (Washington Square, Brookline)
Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons

[kbw18]

Cuffs in the Jury's Hotel on Berkeley Street in the South End has a large gas fireplace surrounded with a wide bench for seating.

[gini]

Other than those already mentioned, the fireplaces at Rhumba (in the Intercontinental) are quite nice. I haven't eaten or drank there, but the big club chairs and two-walled glass fireplaces look quite welcoming and comfortable.

[chowciao]

I had a drink there with some friends after work. Great wine selection...price is a bit high but the atmosphere and great Pinot Noir was worth it. I'd love to hear what people think of the food there as well.

[itaunas]

The back bar at the Colonial Inn in Concord has a nice corner fire place and is the one room there that I enjoy. Their food gets panned here and they have strayed a bit from straight new england food, but if you order wisely I have always done ok. They definately do toddies too, but not so great guinness. I think the Union Oyster House has a fireplace, but not at the raw bar :-(

McGann's has a gas fireplace tucked into a corner and has served as a nice refuge from windy North Station on a few occasions, but seems out of the way. A fair number of Irish pubs do have some kind of fireplace.

I think Oleana has a fireplace, but its not that casual. Sitting near the grill at East Coast is pretty warming. I think Stephanie's has a fireplace, but not so casual.

[Joanie]

Doesn't James Gate have one? And the Fireplace in Brookline? Finz in Salem has one. I feel like I was just in a place with one but I'm spacing.

[MichaelB]

There's definitely one on the pub side at James Gate. I haven't loved the food I've had there, but I haven't been in ages so it may have improved -- I know lots of people like it.

The Common Ground in Dorchester has a really nice fireplace but it's SO not what you're looking for -- no alcohol, hence no toddies. and VERY casual fare and no weekend/ late evening hours. But it might fit the bill for someone looking for a winter lunch in front of the fire.

[hiddenboston]

I'm always looking for a good, casual restaurant with a fireplace, too. Here are a few places that I know of (some better than others):

Clery's, South End
Horse N' Carriage, Norfolk
Christopher's, Cambridge
Ristorante Romanza, Providence (probably my favorite of the bunch)
British Beer Company, Pembroke
Mezzo Mare, Hull (excellent Italian cuisine)
Barker Tavern, Scituate

[magsnbean]

Metro Nine (the old Desmond O'Malley) on Route 9 in Framingham has a great fireplace in the bar- lovely place, great food.