Cheap drinks outside

[bk80]

Given the great weather, I'm looking for a good place in Boston, Cambridge, or Somerville to get (relatively) cheap drinks and sit outside. Any ideas?

[Bostonbob3]

Ames Plow (Faneuil Hall, center building at the back), has their patio open now. Cheapest drinks in the market.

And, I might add, a pretty decent burger. At least better than you'd expect.

[ScubaSteve]

grab a couple of 40s at your local packy, keep 'em in their bags and hit the Common?

[TomH]

I would probably exclude Tia's just because the OP asked for cheap drinks and a $6+ can of beer isn't my idea of cheap! :)

[yumyum]

Plus Tia's sucks and has no place on a board that focuses on food. Unless you consider a meat market food.

[TomH]

Nice!

[fmcoxe6188]

haha and true!!!!!

[Bob Dobalina]

Ah, you're so right. Mea culpa!

[ghostcat]

It's only recently that outdoor cafes have been allowed to serve drinks outdoors. Places like Shay's and Henrietta's were considered private spaces and you could always get drinks there. Shay's is below the sidewalk level, and somehow that execpted it. I like the Grafton St, Pub. Good drinks and reasonable food and a great spot to people watch. I like the Firefly in the Back Bay. Nothing fancy and the drinks are made with liquours, but it's reasonable and pleasant. You can just drink at Tia's, in the back part. If you can grab a table outside at Durgin Park and love looking tourists, I think you can only order drinks. I also like the Globe in Copley Sq. but sometimes you have to order food. If they're not busy, I'm sure they will appreciate any business.

[kate used to be 50]

The Times on Broad Street has an outdoor patio. Don't know about the food requirement

[phatchris]

Goody Glovers in the North End, $3 Schlitz pounders.

[professor shorthair]

Check out Lingo Bar and Cafe in Cambridge across from the Musuem of Science and next to the new park. Great outdoor patio.

[iamsam]

I love Shay's in Harvard Square. Super low-key, but in a good way. Beer and wine only-- no hard alcohol.

[Zut]

Do these places (Shay's, Thornton's, Jury's, or whatever else arises here) allow you to drink without ordering food? I ask because it seems to me that there is a lack of outdoor space for either eating or drinking round these parts, and to make the most of what they have, many places (I'm thinking of you Red Fez, and you Daedalus) require you to order food too. And sometimes, I just want to consume a nice alcoholic beverage sans food.

[TomH]

There is always Uno's in Porter. I know they let you just sit and drink.

[cambridgeMike]

shay's definitely lets you drink without eating

[jonship]

I have been to the Jury's patio four times and three out of four someone has happend to have ordered food. The fourth we just had drinks, no food. By no means definitive, but promising.

[katielp]

You don't have to have food at Shay's. And if you go to Daedalus after 10 you can sit on the deck without ordering food. In Harvard sq there are actually a lot of options now (due to a change in licensing last year). You can also have drinks outside at Grendel's patio, Charlie's kitchen (not a lot of seating), OM and Upstairs on the Sq (not so cheap, mind), and (most delightfully, imo) upstairs on Algiers deck.

[pollystyrene]

katielp, does Algiers serve alcohol? If so, the hard stuff?

[katielp]

They started serving beer and wine about a year ago--but no hard stuff!

[wontonton]

Shay's is great, but the patio is small and it can be hard to get one of the few tables outside. Because it is low-key and you can just drink, people tend to linger. If it's a sunny weekend afternoon, 9 times out 10 you're pretty much SOL, unless you feel like waiting around for a group to get up and leave.

[fmcoxe6188]

Agreed on Shays- perfect spot- but difficult to score the outside seating

[winstont]

Thortons Fenway- not exactly anything to write home about but they make decent cocktails and have a pretty good beer selection (although all in bottles)--- But the patio area always seems to be in the sun, its really low key, the wait staff is friendly and its simply a great place to hang around and enjoy a few drinks-- and you never feel rushed!

[jonship]

Clink in the Jury's Hotel on Stuart and Berkeley has a pretty nice patio downstairs away from traffic and people. I don't rememebr the drinks being particularly cheap or expensive.

[Bob Dobalina]

That's a little confused. Clink is at the Liberty Hotel. Did you mean Cuffs?

There is a roof deck at Daedalus.

There is always Tia's at the Marriott on the water.

Not just drinks, but boston.com just put up this link which you may find interesting...

http://www.boston.com/ae/restaurants/...

[jonship]

Yes. Cuffs. Sorry....jails, police, all a bit confusing.

[JWR]

I was looking at that article on boston.com regarding outdoor dining the other day. In the picture for Via Matta Mario Batali is sitting on the patio. I don't know if it was intentionally submitted by them or if he just happened to be there on the day they took the picture.