The Comedy Studio

This review is long overdue. There’s usually a lineup of 7 – 9 comedians I believe, so you get a lot of variety. Each one is unique and leaves you in stitches! The price really can’t be beat, either. I’ve only gone on Fridays & Saturdays so I can’t comment on the other nights, but I’ve always had a good time. Make sure you get your tix around the beginning of the week for the weekend shows, because those might sell out.

There’s no better place to see comedy in the Boston area. Consistently hilarious 5 nights a week. The Mystery Lounge magic show on Tuesday is also awesome.
Get a scorpian bowl and see comedy the way it should be seen… drunk and in the attic of a Chinese restaurant.

We came for the Friday night show while visiting Boston. It was hilarious! There was about 7 or 8 acts and all for $ 14!
The club is above a Chinese restaurant and looks like a classic old comedy club. You can order Chinese food from downstairs and drinks from the bar.
I think this is a great deal for anyone wanting to check out the comedy scene in Boston. The price is right, the acts are top notch, and the venue is unique!

I really enjoyed every comedian that performed at The Comedy Studio, which is quite an accomplishment. Given the number of comedians that were in the lineup, you’d expect that there would be a few that aren’t that funny or entertaining, but no, they were all a riot. Also, it was such a great, diverse mix of talents, it was really refreshing to see and hear.
When ordering tickets online, there are a couple options — advanced seating (table) and general admission (barstool). Both are the same price. I recommend advanced seating because you’ll be guaranteed sitting with your friends and you’ll also be more comfortable. The barstool seating are along the wall like a horseshoe while the tables are situated in the middle of the room. With the barstool seating, you have to get there early if you want to sit with all your friends (earlier if you have a big group). Also, sitting on a barstool is not that comfortable since you don’t have back support and the show is 2 hours long.
I’ll definitely be recommending The Comedy Studio to friends, and will be back again. It’s definitely worth it!

Great place to catch some local comedy! The Comedy Studio has some really awesome charm and appeal with some very funny local comedians doing about 10 min of stand-​up a piece. We went out for a friend’s birthday and were very happy. Tickets I think were only $ 10, and it’s on top of a Chinese restaurant so we were able to order some decent food and drinks from downstairs as well. Highly recommend it!

Went here with two friends while visiting Boston. Seating was interesting and I couldn’t figure out if people with tables were a part of a party, had paid more or just got there early. Our friend had picked up the tickets and seemed surprised that we didn’t get a table.
Where we ended up sitting gave us a good view of the stage but, inevitably, meant that waitresses would be walking back and forth in front of us. They made the best effort not to stand in front of us for any period of time.
The owner/​main man was funny and did just enough to make sure that you were enjoying yourself but didn’t steal the stage. There were only a few funny acts. The rest were either nasty, resentful or downright offensive. I can laugh at offensive things, but these weren’t funny. I just got angry.
Drinks were fine, no dollar or order minimum that you see in other comedy clubs, but if they can only pick three good acts out of about ten, we won’t be back.

The Comedy Studio is not just a wonderful comedy club. It is an institution and an essential destination in the Boston area.
Be forewarned: I don’t recommend the food. I can’t speak to the alcohol selection, as I barely drink. I’d suggest eating dinner beforehand and then checking out the 8 PM show. Fridays and Saturdays sell out early, so if a comic you like is part of the lineup, snag tickets ASAP. The Studio hosts mostly local comics, but established names like Gary Gulman, Myq Kaplan, and Eugene Mirman are known to drop in. Wednesdays and Sundays tend to showcase newer talent alongside more experienced performers, while every other night features comics doing longer sets. There is no show on Monday and every Tuesday is the magic show.
I recommend Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night shows for dates. Laughter is an aphrodisiac, after all. Chuckle with your date over a famously strong Scorpion Bowl and I guarantee sparks will fly.

Great venue.
The only advice I can give is to eat before coming to the shows.
The Chinese food restaurant downstairs (Hong Kong Garden?) truly sucks.

Probably the funniest comedy show I’ve seen, though I do mostly go to improv shows, so maybe I need to check out more stand-​up. Even the guy who announced the host was full of energy. I have nothing bad to say, really. Hilarious and pretty cheap. Seats are assigned, and you sit at long tables (or at the seats lined up against the walls) and order drinks or food if you want. Would definitely come back.

Neat set-​up of comedy most nights and magic show other nights. A friend invited me to check it out, and we ended up going to the magic show on accident.
Located on the third floor of Hong Kong, this hip studio offers intimate seating, a limited lounge menu including Scorpian bowls and scallion pancakes, and decent nightly entertainment. Seating is assigned, but every seat on the floor had a clear shot at the stage. One of the magicians pulled my friend up to help out with his trick, so know that audience participation is definitely fair game!
Overall the magicians were pretty good. Around 4 – 6 magicians and one guest comedian went on stage, making the entire show 2 – 3 hours long. I hadn’t been to a magic show since I was a small child, so perhaps I am just easily amused, but I had a great time. My main critique would be the lack of program since the piece of paper on the table only listed some of the magicians.

The first time I ever performed comedy in front of a paying audience was in 2005 at The Comedy Studio. It was a new comedian showcase. I had just ‘graduated’ from comedy class – yeah, it does kinda sound like clown college – and the instructor knew Rick Jenkins.
I am indebted to Rick Jenkins for being a mentor during my two years as a weekend, part-​time, $ 68-​earned-​during-​my-​career comic.
I have been to other places and nothing compares to The Comedy Studio. Last night I spent a shirtload of dough attending a show in the theater district. My girlfriend turned to me and said «That place in Harvard Square had way better comedians.»
You cannot be a true fan of comedy and NOT have been upstairs at the Hong Kong restaurant. I double-​dog dare you to buy tickets NOW and NOT enjoy the show.
You’ll thank me. Besides, I’m Joe Isuzu. You have my word on it.

Went with a group of 4 friends. We bought our tickets online ahead of time and good thing because it was sold out and there was still quite a long line who had to be turned away. This was my first comedy show and it was pretty good. Maybe about 3 – 4 comics of the ~10 who performed were drop dead hilarious. The host was pretty good too and I took home a 2013 calendar as a gift lol. The chinese food was uhm not very good though — in my opinion. The wait staff was courteous and navigated the tight room well. I would definitely go again and next time skip the $ 30 bill for bad chinese food :).

AMAZING! Pretty much any show you go to here is $ 12 or LESS!, and lasts about 2 hours. You will get to see a good mix of comedians of all ages/​races/​types of comedy, they all go on for about 7 – 10 minutes, and the time goes quickly. We have been a number of times here and have even seen special celebrity guests (from comedy central, hbo etc) surprisingly show up to close the shows. The owner Rick hosts a lot of the time and is hillarious. He interacts with the audience and comedians and makes for a great show! They offer a full bar & limited menu, though the food is not my favorit, the scorpion bowls are! They even do a Magic show on Tuesdays that I have been to and left amazed at how good the show was. Defiantly worth checking out!

Sometimes I come here with mascara on, and I leave looking completely mental. Whenever I’m in the mood to laugh till I cry, I come to the comedy studio. I can drink scorpion bowls as well??? AWESOME! Hosts are always wicked funny, and bouncers and waitresses have always been super nice and efficient.

This is one of my favorite spots in all of Boston. You can get two hours of excellent standup comedy for $ 10. The Comedy Studio is known for breeding young talent, so don’t come here looking for big names. But you might come here and see someone performing for their first time, then see them on Comedy Central one year later. They have comedy most nights of the week, and it’s always good. Rick Jenkins is a great host, though when you’ve been there around 20 times, like I have, you can finish all of his jokes.
You can also order food to your table from the Hong Kong downstairs. It’s nothing special, but it’s not too pricy and really convenient. The Comedy Studio is known for its scorpion bowls which are essentially big bowls of pink alcohol. This is a great way to go out on a Saturday night, grab food and have fun at the same time, and get a little buzz on before going out to the bars or clubs!

I have gone to the Comedy Studio for years and miss being close by! I love how there is a variety of different comedy styles, and the show is a good two hours long. For $ 10-​$ 12, it is a great deal for a night out. The food options aren’t the greatest, but it’s a comedy show first and foremost. I suggest making reservations online. Yes, you’ll pay a convenience fee BUT you can arrive closer to 8 and have a guaranteed, reserved seat. The studio usually books up when school’s in session, so if you know you’ll be in town, reserve well in advance.

Great evening. Intimate setting. Causal. Host is equally has entertaining as the comedians. there was a nice variety of comedians the night I went, some were better than others, but the variety left something for everyone’s sense of humor I think. Inexpensive tickets & inexpensive drinks. And if you feel like hanging around, you can go downstairs to Hong Kong & have drinks with the comedians afterwords. The establishment isn’t the fanciest of places, so don’t expect white table cloths or fancy things such as that. It’s pretty much a hidden Boston gem.

Great value! Highly recommend checking this place out at least once.
Show: There about 8 – 10 comedians who perform each night. Some are funny and some are not. Each performer only has about 5 – 10 minutes of show time so its not big deal if you don’t like them.
Location/​Ambiance: Easily accessible, convenient location in Harvard Sq. You can take the train or park at garage ($ 10 discounted rate at ProPark). The comedy club is located on the top floor of Hong Kong Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant. The first floor is the actual restaurant, the second floor is a bar and the third floor is a dance club, which turns into a comedy club in the evenings.
Food: You can order Chinese food from the restaurant during the show. The food is not very good so if you have time to grab a bite in Harvard Sq before the show go for it. They also do not have proper utensils (aka no butter knifes). Therefore if you order chicken, you cannot cut it with a knife into small pieces. You have to rudely bite into large chunks of meat… certainly not ideal first date etiquette! When I asked for a knife, the staff told me that they don’t have them. I find it odd, mainly because there is a Chinese restaurant right downstairs. Even when you order take out Chinese food, they usually provide you with both a fork and knife. I mean these are plastic utensils, which probably cost a couple of cents.
Drinks: pretty reasonably priced beverages. I suggest getting bottled beers instead of draught beers. Shock top is what they have on tap for extremely cheap… however it tastes rather funny. It doesn’t taste like normal Shock top… tastes more like a carbonated juice.
Service: One thing that bothered me was that during the show a keg malfunctioned and made an extremely loud sound. It took them at least 10 minutes to fix it. I couldn’t hear the comedians or focus for those 10 minutes. I am not sure if that is a common occurence as I have only been to this place once.
Value: The price of the show is a flat $ 12 rate per person (no drink minimum required). The price makes sense to me. I think that if the show was anymore expensive, it wouldn’t be as great value. This is because the not all of the comedians are funny so you’re never sure what you’re going to get. When you’re only paying $ 12, you have low expectations… therefore it always ends up being a good time!
Overall, I had a great experience at the Comedy Studio. I would recommend checking it out as it is something different to do in Boston /​Cambridge. If you plan on attending on a Friday or Saturday, you may want to get you’re tickets ahead of time because the show does sell out.

This is my absolute favorite comedy studio that I have ever been to ever, (and that including NYC, San Fransisco, Philly and more)
You get mixed bag of comedians (about 8 – 12 performers) and not all of them are funny but I would say about 80% of them are. I have had many a riotous night at the comedy studio.
The price is super reasonable, you can order Chinese apps, and the drinks are generous.
I went once a week when I lived in Boston, and now whenever I visit I go while I am in town.
Too funny to pass up!

We went on a Thursday night, had a great time, and will definitely be back! Scorpion bowls, per usual at Hong Kong, are great. I always love supporting local comedians (I can’t imagine getting on stage like that) and while some were awesome and some were not great, the overall experience was awesome.
Everyone there was super nice, the owner was great and super accomodating and I’d definitely recommend it for anyone who wants to do a birthday party or some other event that isn’t just the usual «dinner and drinks» (nothing wrong with that but it can easily get sort of repetitive).