The Bell In Hand

I like this place was here for St Patrick’s day. They have an upstairs. That is all I remember.

Great place to hear live music. Very casual very friendly. Beers were 8 dollars each. I did not try the food. Fun crowd of all ages Zero attitude

This stop was a must! I had a refreshing blueberry beer (with real blueberries in it!) and enjoyed my time.

My friends, husband, and I were just here for lunch on Sunday (June 5^th) and we absolutely loved it! We decided to check it out since it’s the oldest pub in America and we were pretty impressed.
We had the kettle cooked potato chips for our appetizer and they were amazing, exactly what I was hoping they would be like. Then I had the classic lobster roll, my husband had the bistro burger, and my friends had the lobster mac n cheese and lobster grilled cheese. All of our food was remarkably great! The lobster was very fresh and the burger was delicious (I snuck a bite). The fries were thinly cut which made them slightly crispy and delicious! We also ordered beer and ciders and they were great!
The staff was attentive and very friendly! Our serve was very nice and kept our drinks coming.
We had a great time and this place made our trip to Boston that much better!

Bartenders and management claimed someone in my group’s out of state license was fake. Regardless of the fact that this was not true, the staff was rude and condescending in telling us the identification was fake. Update your technology and change your attitude.

I honestly don’t understand the type. It’s a $ 10 cover on weeks and you wait on line to get in. The downstairs dancing area had live music but you couldn’t even hear the girl singer (the guys were great though). The downstairs dance area is pretty small and it fillllled with sloppy biddies.
Then if you want to go upstairs you have to wait on ANOTHER line. Such a waste of time. I didn’t go upstairs for this reason but I hear it’s more like a club atmosphere.
I just don’t really get it. Maybe I needed to be more drunk but I’m not a huge fan of paying a cover for mediocre music and getting beer spilled on me. A decent amount of hot guys were there though, so it has that going for it.

Do you wana see THE WORLDS TALLEST URINALS??? Well come one and come all, step right up folks and try your luck at pissin in these URINALS.
Apart from the terrible Men’s room I found this local pub to be very cool and a great spot for tourists. The bar staff was very friendly and attentive, the place was cool and it felt very Boston.
The reason I bring up the bathroom is because I’m not tall and while I was using the URINALS I was thinking, «hmm if I was a wee bit shorter I could not use these.» And I shit you not when I went again I actually saw a shorter man than me get pissed off because he could not use them. He tried waiting for the stall but decided to just leave…

great for people watching. We had lunch and were served promptly and the food was pretty good. No real specials. Some of our order was wrong, which bothered me since I had clarified a couple times. But everyone seemed busy prepping for the evening crowd. I bet there is more attention paid during dinner/​drinking hours.

Visiting the Bell in Hand was one of the highlights of my visit to Boston. The manager was unbelievably friendly to my fiancé and me, giving us drink recommendations and even making me a fun little drink that wasn’t on their menu. In addition to the great service you simply cannot beat the ambiance of one of Boston’s oldest bars. While it may seem touristy the Bell in Hand is worth a visit.

If there’s one bar you must visit during a trip to Boston, it absolutely hands-​down must be The Bell in Hand. It is the oldest tavern in America, dating back to 1795. Who wouldn’t want to be amongst all that history?
Sits on a quaint brick lined street, the tavern kind of juts out all by itself in the middle. Certainly a unique placement, almost as if the rest of the town was built around it. My party came here for the historical value of the place, but we did have some drinks as well. I had a very delicious Peach Mule. Service was good, even though we weren’t having food.
I did look at the menu and it boasts some typical bar food, fried appetizers and some burgers. I can’t speak for all that — you’ll have to read some of the other Unilocal reviews — but the atmosphere here is top notch and well worth a visit. I will recommend it to everyone.

The alcohol was great.
Service is very good.
Great atmosphere!
Have to go back to taste more beer and food (seems to have big portions)

I see now why this has rather poor reviews overall. Their signature beer, the Bell in Hand Ale, was wonky as hell. Either the lines were dirty or my tongue is dead. I sent it back noting the off flavor and smell. I was met with «no one has complained about it» and «i don’t taste anything off.» This may be true if you actually don’t know what an off flavor is… I actually have a certification in this field and know quite a bit about beer. Mega fail. Also, we were given the large beer without being asked which, of course, comes with the large price of $ 8.50. Obscene. Food looks and smells decent, but didn’t bother because the prices and quality appear to be at odds. Beware of ladies’ bathrooms. I almost took out a woman with the door and someone else did while I was peeing. Good for a touristy joint, but really not worth more than two beers worth.

Awesome place to see and enjoy some history, not to mention the Food and drinks. I had the Lobster Mac and Cheese, it was full of lobster but I could have had better noodles but overall it was tasty. The clam chowder was delicious and served piping hot. The drinks were much better– Martini’s are my thing and I did not go wrong. It was a great place to warm up after some sight seeing on the Freedom Trail.

My hubs and I decided to do the Freedom Trail a few weeks ago, and this is as far as we got before decided to warm up with some lunch. The dining room is beautifully decorated, and the service was great!
I really liked the menu here! It’s new American with fresh ingredients, so I could get a kale salad and a sampler of fries (sweet potato, cross cut and shoe string– the best thing ever) along with a not-​too-​sweet cider, as well as an amazing appetizer that was essentially just a crusty french bread, brie and fig jam.
Everything we ate and drank was fantastic, and luckily for me, the building is also steeped in history, as there’s another spot a few doors down that’s historic and cool, with a menu that’s greasy old American! Originally my spouse wanted to eat there, since it’s been open since the dawn of time, but after watching me read the menu (fried, fried, fried, fried with a side of mayo) he agreed to move on, and try to find a better spot. The Bell in Hand is that better spot, and if you’re too hungry to wait for the North End on the Freedom Trail, I would recommend it highly, even if you just pop in for a french fry sampler and some beer!

The Bell in Hand is the holdest bar in America. I was a little disapointed to see that it looked very modern inside, but it was really nice looking. It is located right next door to Union Oyster House in a really cool triangle shaped building on the corner. It has a large bell in a hand signifying the name. They serve good drinks and have a limited food menu. I enjoyed a Boston Cream Pie martini and my husband got the Bostonian drink.

This is a nationally famous bar/​tavern/​pub. Drinking/​eating here and you’re sharing a piece of genuine history.
To be honest, I dropped-​in for several beers, did not eat. The menu has a long list of comfy favorites to choose from. The beer was cold and the staff was attentive. The atmosphere was fantastic.
This is a great place to visit and imbibe. Come in and have a drink.

Oh, so great! I recently had a fundraiser here for the Boston Marathon and everyone was so insanely helpful, kind, and fun throughout the whole night. Debbie was absolutely fun and flawless with everything we needed for a successful night, and I appreciate everyone making the night a big success. You all rock, thanks again!

Usually only pop in here for a quick pint while friends are in town. Lots of history, good service and good beer selection.

0 stars if I could. Charged us $ 15 (outrageous) to get in then kicked me and a friend out 5 minutes later when we weren’t with our girls. Don’t waste your time and money

Historic and busy place and fun to have a brew.
We didn’t try anything off of the menu though.
Staff was friendly and helpful.

So, I dragged my 31yo self out on a Saturday night because my best friend was in town and dammit we were going out!
Honestly, in the beginning it wasn’t so bad. Line looked long but moved quite quickly; we waited maybe 5 minutes. 10 $ cover was absurd but on par for the area so can’t really complain about that. Odd system of checking your ID, marking your hand, giving you a ticket, then sending you inside to just pull out your ID again. Maybe tell us to keep it out, have the scanner at the door (they do make handheld ones ya know?). Just a very weird practice. Coat check was amazing and only 2 $! Don’t forget to tip!
Drinks were fairly priced, 11 $ for a titos and redbull which is pretty on par for the city.
What really got me was their lack of security. The 2^nd door guy who scanned the IDs once you were inside had disappeared. I think he was just outside hanging with his bouncer buddies. Well, unfortunately, there was a pretty serious issue right by the door. This poor girl was alone, HAMMERED to the point she was falling over asleep while attempting to stand, and not one single staff member went to help her and make sure she was ok. I had to go to the lady bartender on the first floor and have her get help for this young lady. It was absolutely ridiculous. First, how can you let someone in that is THAT drunk. Her money is NOT worth it. Second, if she wasn’t like that when she got there, how can you serve someone to that point and NOT KNOW IT!!!
Come to find out, they tried to put her in a cab but she refused. They have no idea what happened to her. Good job guys, real good job. I know they think everyone that crosses their threshold must be some raged out college kid, but that is simply not the case. Can’t say I’ll be back.

The worst security in that place. A incident escalated and when I say they don’t know how to solve an issue, they don’t. If you see two chicks fighting, you should escort them out before another issue starts. Security let them go their separate ways… Then I see somebody getting dragged on the ground like a dog! Jesus. Step up your security with common sense! Then you see security hitting everybody at the bar… Thought it was a classy bar but it’s another dump.

My friend and I went in here for a quick drink. It was pretty crowded for the afternoon but we wanted to go here because it is the oldest bar in America?
The food looked tasty so we would definitely return for that but the mulr was strong and did the trick!

What can you really say about the oldest Tavern in the country? It was cool just being in a place that feels kinda historic (even though that is not uncommon in Boston). The drinks were reasonably priced, cocktails were good, beer selection good, waitress super nice and we were there on a night when Corona promoters were there so we also got a couple free Corona’s. There are two rooms, one with a bar that is good for conversation, and another where they had a band playing (it was a Friday night). I would definitely go back. Also, get the fries. Seriously. Do it. They are shoestring perfection.

Nice, casual pub not far from the water. Fresh oyster, nice beer list, delicious clam chowder.

The Bell In Hand is one of the oldest bars in America, a la Paul Revere and Sam Adams chatted away discussing Revolution plans from this bar. However, unlike the Green Dragon (right nextdoor, which has done an excellent job of preserving its history), this bar has become a simple sports bar, and one would never know that it was such a historical bar. As a sports bar it is satisfactory, but it is a shame that this bar is just a sports bar.

One million stars.
I am the organizer for my high school class reunions. I needed to find the perfect venue. I read all of the glowing reviews on Unilocal and decided to get in touch with Bell.
I have been organizing last night’s event for the past year. Because of Bell in Hand, it was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. From top to bottom.
First of all, the staff is incredible. I have been working with Debbie for months, and her expertise and kindness (and PATIENCE) is unmatched. Julie, Lee, Paulina, Mark… the entire staff last night was just so helpful and amazing.
The venue is excellent. I love the vibe. We had the reunion on the second floor — it’s a great size. Two bars, a dance floor, a few tables, great views. I absolutely recommend having functions here. Also, the food was DELICIOUS.
I looked around the room last night at all of my classmates enjoying themselves and having a blast, and it brought me such joy. Thank you, Bell in Hand, for making our reunion so memorable. I can’t wait to come back.

Don’t watch the Pats here. The servers were more interested in sitting at the bar, blocking an empty stool with their feet, looking at their phones, chatting with each other than helping a customer get a beer or get out of the way of the bar counter so that we could pay the tab. I felt like I was intruding on their private party.
Only thing positive for them is it is old. They are lucky, I’m guessing the management wasn’t always this bad to stay open this long.

This gem of a bar is on the Freedom Trail making it a perfect stop while touring the city. A bar that has been open since 1725 must be doing something right!
This is the perfect spot to take a break when taking in all the sites of the Freedom Trail. They are a full bar serving up both drinks and food with smile. For a small bar they have lots of TVs showing the games and they make use of every corner of this nook of a bar. We enjoyed a round here and charged up our phones ½ way through the trail and glad that we did. While the wine selection is not great they did have one that I do like, but people come here more for the beer. If history and beer is your thing then this is a must stop in Boston.
Tip: Across the street facing the corner of the bar with the large open window makes for an awesome photo opportunity.

I came here to watch a Patriots game. Lots of TV screens everywhere and they even have a large projector screen too.
Good selection of beer. There is a special beer brewed by Sam Adams just for the bar. I had the Shipyard Pumpkin beer. The bartender made it extra girly by serving my beer with a cinnamon sugar rim. The beer almost tastes like candy with the sugar, yummy. There are 2 sizes for the beer, tall and short. Most people drank tall beers.
Didn’t try any of the food here. Toilets are clean.

It’s big. There are lots of people. There’s live music. And they’re open late (which apparently is not so easy to come by in that provincial city of Boston!).
For an old fogey like Bell in Hand, he sure knows how to get down with the youngins. Being so old has never looked so darn good.
Hopefully I can still party like this when I turn 220.

I’m a sucker for all things historic and what’s more historic than the oldest continuously running tavern in America?! I was really excited to grab a beer here during my short weekend trip to Boston. However, if it weren’t for the fact that this place is historic, I most likely wouldn’t have stopped in to be completely honest.
The good: The tavern itself is really cool! It’s one of the stops along the freedom trail and it makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you walk in the door. Anyone who loves history will geek out over this place. I went in the middle of the day on a Sunday and there was a small crowd, but it was by no means crowded. I know a lot of reviews said there was quite a wait, so I would recommend going during the day like we did!
The meh: The waitstaff is average, most likely a bunch of college girls who are just trying to make a few extra bucks during their free time. The beer selection really isn’t that great. It was cool that they have their own Sam Adams brew specifically for The Bell in Hand, but most of the other beer selections really weren’t that impressive. The food was pretty good, my guy and I ordered the sliders to share. Like I said, good food but definitely not the best I’ve had.
The Bell in Hand is definitely a tourist trap, but it’s definitely one of the better ones. It’s also one of the least pricey touristy places in the city, which was nice too. Higher prices still, but nothing that will break the bank :)

So this place is the oldest tavern in the country which was kinda cool. I had a fun time here, but there were some odd moments that just left a bad taste in my mouth. So I came here with my boyfriend and we met up with a lot of his buddies from college to have a few drinks.
In order to get into this place, we had to
1) wait in a line outside the door
2) show our ID’s
3) get an «X» on our hand with black marker
4) pay a $ 10 cover fee
Everyone has their own preferences, but this was just off putting to me. I wanted to have a nice time and hang out with friends at a casual bar. I was not ready for this trashy clubby type of experience.
There was a live band here which played adult rock type music, and they were pretty good. Maybe that explains why there was a cover. There was also some dancing which was fun.
The crowd here seemed like a mix of college/​graduate students and young professionals. Mostly mid-​20s in age. However, there were some creepy old dudes mixed into the crowd, some of whom made me feel uncomfortable with the attention they were giving the other young women and myself. I guess the bar can’t really control stuff like that, but it would definitely factor into my decision to return here.
They had the standard drinks and some draft beers. Nothing special. It was also pretty expensive.