668113 Wed Nov 18 10:35:59 -0800 2009 76 12 Greater Boston Area 0 5191773 I'm doing a photo project and looking for Boston's (or Somerville's or Cambridge's) creepiest restaurants. Maybe it feels like a 70s elk's lodge. Or a creepy hole in the wall chinese place. Where would David Lynch want to shoot a movie in this area? Thanks for any input you have! Wed Nov 18 10:35:59 -0800 2009 55778 ashleylovespizza 1 5191779 The River Gods, a bar in Cambridge, has a pretty creepy occult-like interior :) Especially their bathroom. Wed Nov 18 10:37:41 -0800 2009 5191773 11275 Prav 1 5191797 I have a friend who describes the Dunkin Donuts in Lexington at the corner of Lowell and Woburn streets as Lynchian, but I think that may have more to do with the personnel and clientele than the atmosphere... If you're willing to travel a little, check out the Wursthaus in Methuen, and the Wonder Bar in Worcester. Wed Nov 18 10:43:52 -0800 2009 5191773 55578 Eatin in Woostah 1 5191849 Interesting - I love creepy joints, where you tremulously whisper "is this place for real?" to your DCs. Fontaine's always had that creepy frozen in time feel. I have to say Virgilio's Echo Bridge restaurant struck me similarly, in particular the bar area. Not a restaurant, but that cigar bar in Cafe Vittoria might fit the bill. Wed Nov 18 11:01:52 -0800 2009 5191773 23376 nsenada 1 5191854 I imagine you won't be sharing your criteria with the proprietors... Wed Nov 18 11:03:28 -0800 2009 5191773 23376 nsenada 2 5191910 ha, that is part of why I'm posting here. I'm relatively new to the area and can't call up a place asking if they haven't updated their interior in 40 years, aren't the most "clean" or "nice", etc... Wed Nov 18 11:21:39 -0800 2009 5191854 55778 ashleylovespizza 1 5191957 Forest Cafe, Mass. Ave., Cambridge might qualify as an old place, but you'd better get there soon, as it's due to close if it hasn't already. Wed Nov 18 11:36:32 -0800 2009 5191773 12889 Taralli 1 5192001 Pleasant Cafe in Roslindale. The place hasn't been touched in at least 40 years. I love it. Wed Nov 18 11:48:25 -0800 2009 5191773 177848 purple bot 2 5193676 Agreed- and though it's rich in wood-paneled mid-century vibe, the Pleasant is ultra-clean, not at all creepy, and has excellent food. Hipster restaurants in NY and LA strive for the atmosphere the pleasant achieves. If you want something really Lynchian, check out the Eagles Club in Hyde Park. It may be closed- I haven't been by there in a while- but it was straight out of a David Lynch movie. Thu Nov 19 05:56:35 -0800 2009 5192001 14188 skordalia 1 5192065 Ha ha, I was wondering what was creepy about Barbara Lynch restaurants. The Drinking Fountain close to Doyle's, no food there tho. Wed Nov 18 12:08:32 -0800 2009 5191773 14253 Joanie 2 5192071 I was hoping you'd chime in Joanie. Old man bars! I think Santarpios can feel surreal. Also is that place Griffin's near Forest Hills still open? That place would qualify. Wed Nov 18 12:11:58 -0800 2009 5192065 10232 yumyum 3 5192112 I'm not sure that place is open anymore. It's looked kind of closed last I went by. It's got that glass outside that I love and I always thought it should be taken over. But I never went inside, nor have I been to that Foley's up a block or two. I can't really think of restaurants altho maybe the zero. bright, plastic coverings on the tables atmosphere at some joints around Hyde Park might qualify in the "Chinese hole in the wall" category. Wed Nov 18 12:22:32 -0800 2009 5192071 14253 Joanie 4 5192126 I think the Griffin always looks closed even when it's open. I've never been courageous enough to look inside. For the OP -- maybe any of the remaining VFWs would give you the kind of wood paneled look you are seeking. My advice would be to get out of Boston and Cambridge and go to a place where this kind of thing isn't ironic, it's just what a bar looks like. Like Fall River. Wed Nov 18 12:28:22 -0800 2009 5192112 10232 yumyum 5 5192158 yeah, that's exactly what I'm looking for. Not ironic-old, just...old. I will heck out Fall River for sure! How do VFW places work? Can you just show up? Wed Nov 18 12:43:06 -0800 2009 5192126 55778 ashleylovespizza 6 5192313 Along those lines, check out the Marsh Post. It's across the street from BB&N in Cambridge. Wed Nov 18 13:39:51 -0800 2009 5192158 10214 beetlebug 6 5193291 I think so. A friend of mine had a function in one of the VFW halls once (Davis Sq area), and some of us ended up stumbling into the bar, which was of course filled with some folks who looked, in fact, to be veterans of foreign wars. No one gave us any trouble and we drank a couple of Buds with them. Surreal experience. I would not recommend breaking out a camera, though. Folks might not take too kindly to it. Wed Nov 18 21:55:48 -0800 2009 5192158 18100 elbev 1 5192130 Oh- the restaurant behind the Rosebud Diner in Davis Square, Somerville. It was La Spina for a while then the Rosebud took it over. Dim, dirty, dank. You must check it out! While you're in the area, the VFW bar right down the street on Summer Street is pretty creepy too. Wed Nov 18 12:31:26 -0800 2009 5191773 219666 Parsnipity 2 5192135 That's exactly what I was going to suggest - very weird dark space, but I haven't been there in years, so I assumed they had changed it. Wed Nov 18 12:33:57 -0800 2009 5192130 23376 nsenada 3 5200996 We checked out Rosebud sometime early this summer and I was surprised to find an interesting space, though the lack of windows was a turn-off. I remember lots of mirrors and a really nice bartender. I can't explain it, but it struck me as a good place to have a rendezvous. Sun Nov 22 17:53:35 -0800 2009 5192135 121319 digga 1 5192187 I would check out the alchemist in JP Wed Nov 18 12:54:10 -0800 2009 5191773 1125618 skasi 2 5192245 Really? Wed Nov 18 13:12:18 -0800 2009 5192187 14253 Joanie 1 5192197 For 70's Elks Lodge, the password is.....the Paddock! Incidentally, not creepy in my book...but there is some old stuff going on in there. Also, the Sligo in Davis...woo... Wed Nov 18 12:56:19 -0800 2009 5191773 11172 Bob Dobalina 2 5192225 You might want to keep close tabs on the camera equipment while in the Sligo, depending on the "ironic hipster"/terrifying barfly mix. Wed Nov 18 13:05:46 -0800 2009 5192197 23376 nsenada 2 5192248 Sligo redid the interior about 2 years ago. It's not nearly as bad. The hole in the wall into the ladies' room has been closed up. Wed Nov 18 13:12:50 -0800 2009 5192197 219666 Parsnipity 3 5192260 There goes the traditional entertainment. This reminds me of the following exchange: Moe: Oh, everybody is going to family restaurants these days, tsk. Seems nobody wants to hang out in a dank pit no more. Carl: You ain’t thinking of getting rid of the dank, are you, Moe? Moe: Ehh, maybe I am. Carl: Oh, but Moe: the dank. The dank! Wed Nov 18 13:18:43 -0800 2009 5192248 23376 nsenada 4 5192353 Chortle! Wed Nov 18 13:52:47 -0800 2009 5192260 84693 mtm7654 2 5192283 Oh for shame. I didn't think of the Paddock. Yep. Also see: Mt. Vernon on Broadway. Wed Nov 18 13:28:01 -0800 2009 5192197 10232 yumyum 3 5192309 Do you know Mt. Vernon took over the weird restaurant in a fake ship next to the Christmastree shop on Route One southbound? I have been dying to stop in. They had cheap twin lobstas this summer but I just never made it. Wed Nov 18 13:38:38 -0800 2009 5192283 10169 StriperGuy 1 5192321 The Stockyard is kind of in that vein, though large. What about those terrifying bars in Magoun Square in Somerville? There was one I remember that had a big Shamrock on the outside (perhaps that doesn't sufficiently distinguish it) that I remember as being immediately nightmare-inducing in all respects. Wed Nov 18 13:41:52 -0800 2009 5191773 23376 nsenada 2 5192377 Sadly there are no longer any terrifying bars in Magoun Square. Olde Magoun's saloon appears to have been cleaned up. The sports bar across the street terrifies ME but that's because of all the baseball caps and testosterone. Wed Nov 18 14:01:20 -0800 2009 5192321 10232 yumyum 3 5192438 the testosterone fueled crowd at Cask n' Flagon and its similar flavored bars is truly creepy in its own special way, but not quite right for the feel I'm looking for :) Wed Nov 18 14:21:05 -0800 2009 5192377 55778 ashleylovespizza 3 5192449 That's a darned shame. All those baseball caps and testosterone - sounds as bad as the chef's table at L'Espalier. OK - I'm finally letting go of the formal dining attire thread, awesome as it was. Did the layout of this website just totally change, or am I imagining things? Wed Nov 18 14:25:39 -0800 2009 5192377 23376 nsenada 4 5193145 Actually, please don't stop with the L'Espalier attire references. Whenever I see one on a random thread I laugh. To keep this post relevant, I will suggest the bar that is somewhat east of Tacos Lupita on Somerville Ave. (near the Catholic church). I don't know the name but it looks like it would definitely fit the bill (though you may want to keep the camera under your baseball cap). Wed Nov 18 20:03:22 -0800 2009 5192449 184951 hckybg 2 5197434 Do you remember Canty's, the sketchy dive that was replaced by Olde Magoun's Saloon? Pics of that hovel would certainly be perfect for the OP's catalogue. Stopped in there for a bud mid-afternoon 'bout ten years ago and immediately got shot many stink-eyes and several, "whey-uh you phrrrum, kid?" I then ordered a shot of Jameson, drained it and my bud, ordered another round and proceeded to share part of my story with some of the regulars, who were quickly enamored and bought me the next couple rounds. Scary at first, but ultimately kind, if slightly degenerate locals; fine folk in my opinion. Being 21 and crazy was awesome!!! Fri Nov 20 18:20:24 -0800 2009 5192321 206267 Reuniteonice 3 5200730 aka Tom Davenport's. yeah, that place was scary. Try Razzy's on Somerville Ave. Sun Nov 22 15:42:12 -0800 2009 5197434 19370 jajjguy 1 5192343 The Chateau in Waltham comes to mind, although I haven't been there in awhile to know if they've renovated. It may be more John Waters than David Lynch though. Wed Nov 18 13:49:17 -0800 2009 5191773 123329 ChocolateMilkshake 1 5192345 Also Paddy's in Cambridge (Walden Street) may be worth checking out. Wed Nov 18 13:50:19 -0800 2009 5191773 10214 beetlebug 2 5192425 Paddy's is a great suggestion. It's what the Sligo once was. Sigh. Wed Nov 18 14:15:44 -0800 2009 5192345 10232 yumyum 2 5195336 Paddy's, without a doubt. Also Socrates' Newtowne Grill in Porter Square. There''s an old-style hunting and fishing shop next door, so you can have a two-fer. Thu Nov 19 18:56:56 -0800 2009 5192345 16794 newhound 1 5192355 Anthony's Pier 4! Wed Nov 18 13:53:37 -0800 2009 5191773 84693 mtm7654 2 5192702 Anthony's, or Hill Top Wed Nov 18 16:16:18 -0800 2009 5192355 57215 junior coyote 1 5192510 I haven't been in the Hacienda in E. Cambridge in years, but would be astounded if it had changed. Maybe the basement at Bocelli's in Medford? Wed Nov 18 14:54:23 -0800 2009 5191773 10400 Aromatherapy 1 5192552 What about Greg's Restaurant on Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown? Admittedly I've never been inside but just going by the outside decor it seems to be a candidate. I particularly love the "Cocktails" sign below the "Greg's" sign. The place just intrigues me in exactly the way the OP describes. Wed Nov 18 15:10:59 -0800 2009 5191773 186524 Dea 2 5192842 Old school for sure, but Greg's is just an old school local joint, not at all creepy. Wed Nov 18 17:29:22 -0800 2009 5192552 10169 StriperGuy 1 5192644 As an aspiring photographer, I'm really curious about this photo project of yours! :) Wed Nov 18 15:49:14 -0800 2009 5191773 11275 Prav 1 5192709 Anthony's Pier 4 Kowloon, Saugus Hill Top, Saugus La Stanza Diva, Woburn Wed Nov 18 16:19:19 -0800 2009 5191773 57215 junior coyote 1 5192797 Galway House in JP reminds me of the places my grandfather would take me too in small town Ohio as a kid. The lights are blaring though, if you could get them to kick it down a notch you may be in luck. Very "Trees Lounge" at the bar. Paddy's in Cambridge is more a bar but still very creepy. Deluxe is kind of irony-laden but could work. Also may be worth checking out Lucky's Lounge in fort point. You're just a couple years too late for the Good Life, that would have been perfect. Wed Nov 18 17:03:56 -0800 2009 5191773 108021 pierce 1 5192894 If "Frank" from Blue Velvet would fit in, taking a snort of nitrous, and asking the bartender to pour the f'n PBR, it would count, right? Wed Nov 18 17:57:28 -0800 2009 5191773 23376 nsenada 1 5192898 Whitney's in Harvard Square is a bar, but it fits the bill. Wed Nov 18 17:58:33 -0800 2009 5191773 1114601 K8109 1 5193037 (Of course, Joanie beat me to The Drinking Fountain.) Downstairs at The Cantab, maybe. Jacques, which even has the cast of characters. Sorellina on a night when the old rich folks who live in the condos upstairs and have tons of obvious plastic surgery are all dining there, which they seem to do periodically: very creepy, gargoylish. I imagine the end of service at Medieval Manor to be a kind of lower circle of Hell. Aces High in Southie just before closing on a Saturday. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Wed Nov 18 19:11:49 -0800 2009 5191773 10143 MC Slim JB 2 5193149 How about upstairs at Cantab? I love that place but it has a good six inches of patina. Wed Nov 18 20:05:08 -0800 2009 5193037 184951 hckybg 3 5200737 Jacques, for sure. Bay Village/Theater District. Sun Nov 22 15:44:55 -0800 2009 5193149 19370 jajjguy 1 5193306 La Hacienda near the Cambridge-Somerville line is a possibility. There was a bar in Chinatown on Harrison at Beach - Bernie's I think - that would have fit the bill, but I think it is closed now (also no food). For better or worse many such places seem to have closed in the last several years. Wed Nov 18 22:05:49 -0800 2009 5191773 18100 elbev 1 5193882 Maybe too far out, but the Tahiti Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge in Dedham (http://tahitirestaurant.com/) gave me the willies. Thu Nov 19 07:18:00 -0800 2009 5191773 10127 Kip McSkipster 1 5193906 The Chat in Wayland. In an old building on the edge of a pond. Interior untouched for years and the kind of place the cops knew well. Recently it has been bought and is trying to become more of a restaurant, but it definitely has that old-timey feel. Thu Nov 19 07:26:00 -0800 2009 5191773 10917 Kat 1 5194174 wai wai restaurant on oxford street in chinatown Thu Nov 19 09:18:41 -0800 2009 5191773 47608 galangatron 2 5194326 Yes - very creepy. While not dark and creepy, the Emperor's Garden in chinatown's ridiculous ornateness and vast size (being an ex-theater) gives me the willies, for some reason. Thu Nov 19 10:33:30 -0800 2009 5194174 23376 nsenada 1 5194524 Well if you're looking for old man bars, it's really too bad Canty's on Winter Hill isn't around anymore. That place was so gross that when they put up the Magoun Saloon in it's place, despite the fact that the new building has almost the same layout, they bulldozed it anyway. They didn't sell PBR though, and they did sell Heineken as one of the 3 beers that they stocked, the other 2 being Bud and Bud Light. Even as recently as the early-mid 2000's when they closed, you could get a double shot of Old Thompson there for $2. O'Mally's in Allston (now deep ellum) was great too. Every time you'd walk in it would be a the same open shirted, hairy chested septuagenarian bartender who was absolutely glued to the WWII documentaries playing on the TV, as were the similarly aged and attired customers. They were always happy to see new customers though. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Union+Square+Somerville,+MA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.368578,78.837891&ie=UTF8&hq=Union+Square&hnear=Union+Square&ll=42.378773,-71.089611&spn=0,359.92301&z=14&layer=c&cbll=42.378704,-71.089558&panoid=DtgFTRAyx1ZclAptweWwOQ&cbp=12,236.72,,0,8.61 There's an old sports bar on the side access road of the McGrath in between Washington St and Somerville Ave which would probably have the atmosphere you were looking for, if for no other reason than it's sitting practically underneath the rotting McGrath. I also recommend P.A.'s Lounge. (disclaimer: I'm affiliated, but the recommendation is earnest) I could easily see a Lynch film being shot in there... Thu Nov 19 12:13:01 -0800 2009 5191773 110293 muscles_marinara 1 5195003 Anyone remember The Willow Pond Tavern in Concord? Gone, so of little use to the OP, but ,oh, the atmosphere! Thu Nov 19 15:50:44 -0800 2009 5191773 19684 burny carbo 2 5195155 The dives are all disappearing - I hadn't realized Weggie's was now a "local ironic watering hole." By the way, can someone explain the "ironic" aspect of these rehabbed places? Is it "ironic" that young well-to-do hipsters are now impinging upon each other in places where in olden days their necks would have been casually snapped like a chicken wing? Thu Nov 19 17:06:13 -0800 2009 5195003 23376 nsenada 3 5195526 Ah, crap. I was just hoping that they changed the sign. Poor Weggies. I agree with a post that "MC Slim JB" made on another site discussing dive bars. "In my mind a real dive bar has to be on the filthy side and have an implied threat of violence." Gentrification is just pushing this sort of element out... though we'll see if that changes with the economy. Cambridgeport Saloon is another loss. If you could deal with the threat of violence (often not simply implied), Plexiglas barriers and the ultra bright "the city made us deal with the drug problem" lights over the pool tables it was a great place to go. Cheap beer, outstanding jukebox. That was before the biotech crowd inhabited the place, and then they closed up shop. It's the only place that I know of in Cambridge that as a condition of their liquor license, they had to have an additional bouncer posted outside to keep their patrons from rolling MIT students... suppose it's probably not a big loss if you're a young MIT student. Haven't been there in a while, but Hogan's Run in Brighton seems like it's as divey as ever when I've ridden by it on the bus. Every time I've driven by Rendezvous in Waltham it seems like there's a couple of crusty old drunks fighting outside. Never actually been in the place though. What I've noticed is that the crowd that used to inhabit dive bars now go to places that are dive bars at heart but look nicer than their counterparts of old. A great example of this phenomenon is Sally O'Briens in Union Square, Somerville. Even Sally's these days seems to attracting a small number of people from the turtleneck crowd though. Thu Nov 19 20:39:09 -0800 2009 5195155 110293 muscles_marinara 4 5195820 I'll always remember Cambridgeport Saloon's distinct odor of urine. Felt like I walked into a kidney. Fri Nov 20 03:42:17 -0800 2009 5195526 11275 Prav 4 5196069 "It's the only place that I know of in Cambridge that as a condition of their liquor license, they had to have an additional bouncer posted outside to keep their patrons from rolling MIT students..." That's awesome. How did I miss this place? Fri Nov 20 06:51:56 -0800 2009 5195526 10169 StriperGuy 5 5196138 It was pretty sweet. I was there the night that they closed - supposedly they were going to close on that Monday (this was a Friday), but then the bartender pulled a knife on one of the customers so they closed up a few days early. Fri Nov 20 07:20:05 -0800 2009 5196069 111910 jgg13 3 5196062 "Is it "ironic" that young well-to-do hipsters are now impinging upon each other in places where in olden days their necks would have been casually snapped like a chicken wing?" Yes. Fri Nov 20 06:51:02 -0800 2009 5195155 10169 StriperGuy 4 5196153 Ah - so it's this definition then: "a manner of organizing a work so as to give full expression to contradictory or complementary impulses, attitudes, etc., esp. as a means of indicating detachment from a subject, theme, or emotion." As one's ironic-pickled-egg-filled neck is being snapped, such explanation may be some consolation during the drift towards the light, or elsewhere. Fri Nov 20 07:27:01 -0800 2009 5196062 23376 nsenada 5 5196265 "Pickled-egg-filled neck" you've really missed your calling, move over Charles Bukowski a new barfly poet is born. I will say seeing some dufus 25 year old in a faux old school hoody, embroidered jeans, and green Chuck Taylors hanging out in a place that used to be a genuine dive makes me wish for the old days and the sound of necks snapping like chicken wings ;-). Fri Nov 20 08:12:12 -0800 2009 5196153 10169 StriperGuy 6 5196316 As I think about it, the egg might serve as an acoustic dampener, lessening the impressiveness of the "snap." Fri Nov 20 08:33:15 -0800 2009 5196265 23376 nsenada 3 5196132 I'm not sure I would call the Corner Pub of Chinatown, nee Weggie's, a purely Model-esque hipster faux-dive. The daytime crowd there is exactly what it was in the Weggie's days: contractors, city employees, utility workers all knocking back a few for lunch. It's been cleaned up a bit, and has added some (rather marginal) food, but the hipster set must not accumulate there until evenings. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Fri Nov 20 07:16:44 -0800 2009 5195155 10143 MC Slim JB 4 5196137 It was in the evening that I poked my head in, and saw the post-hip blackboard, and noted the lack of Keno. Fri Nov 20 07:19:04 -0800 2009 5196132 23376 nsenada 5 5196158 Corner Pub still has Naked Lady Photohunt, at least. The couple of weeknight evenings I've been in, it has felt like more of a youngish townie crowd than the dreaded hipster brigade. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Fri Nov 20 07:28:32 -0800 2009 5196137 10143 MC Slim JB 1 5195859 Tiki Island in Medford? I love the place, they have some of the best peking ravioli ever, but the place looks like it stepped out of 1960. http://www.tikiislandrestaurant.com/ Fri Nov 20 04:20:41 -0800 2009 5191773 145513 theredmenace 1 5196902 Hidden Boston must be out of town otherwise he'd have a couple spots for you. Where are you HB? Fri Nov 20 13:08:54 -0800 2009 5191773 84693 mtm7654 2 5197157 Many of the places you guys have been suggesting are on his excellent website! Totally rad :) Thanks everyone so much! Fri Nov 20 15:11:09 -0800 2009 5196902 55778 ashleylovespizza 1 5201125 I've always thought the ladies bathroom area at TC's Lounge was straight out of a David Lynch movie. It's been a while since I've been there but I doubt it's changed. Sun Nov 22 19:13:43 -0800 2009 5191773 1099015 bartenderfoodlover 1 5201158 Tiki in Medford works...as does the Caravan in Revere "near" the beach....ship-esque decor that was painted over with lilac paint...mirrored walls....silver tassel dividers....oh, and free jazz on Saturday afternoons where the clientele has been coming there for over 30 years...sweet little bartender who also has been there for 30 years....at night it's a "club" but Saturday afternoons would be a great time for a photo shoot! Sun Nov 22 19:26:16 -0800 2009 5191773 248203 winecafe95 2 5201182 This thread is quickly becoming my new list of places to visit (and revisit). The Caravan sounds great. I love mirrored walls and tassel dividers. Thanks for posting. Sun Nov 22 19:36:27 -0800 2009 5201158 10232 yumyum