Brendan Behan Pub

Doesn’t answer emails.
Doesn’t answer tweets.
Doesn’t answer wall posts or messages on fb.
Hangs up on me when I call and struggle with my greeting (I Stutter).
Way to be.

Before visiting this bar I went on their website which confirmed they allow dogs. I have a service dog but always reference the establishment to confirm they are service dog tolerant. So I went last night with my service dog and was promptly asked to leave by a intoxicated man. I expressed that my dog is a service dog, it’s illegal to ask me to leave, and their website says they are dog friendly. These statements got me nowhere, I’m not sure if it was his drunken incoherence or just ignorance that forced me to leave. Either way, I will not be back. But I hope they learn that forcing a patron with a service dog to leave is not just against the law but ignorant and insulting. Sober up before you start making illegal judgment calls.

Great pub, very chill vibe! You’ll find your Blue and White collar people in here. Cool place to play some darts and a cold Guinness!

This bar is damn near fucking perfect.
GREAT — No douchey bartenders and no garbage pours
GREAT — chill vibe and generally a laid back crowd.
BAD — Cash only (there’s an ATM that has collected a small fortune in fees from me)
BAD — The beer list always has a few gems in it, but far too many of the options are pretty mediocre (BBC), or even bad (Long Trail Brewing)
BAD — The music can be way too loud some nights, and it usually sucks.
REQUEST — More talent on tap!!! Where’s the Slumbrew, the Wormtown brewing, the Maine Brewing Co., Southern Tier, etc. I’m not seeing any of these on the chalkboard lately.
Sitting on kegs longer than a month?!? Let it go! I’m guessing that several taps have been stuck on kegs that aren’t moving…

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Unilocal has a minimum character limit on reviews — this is a good bar with nice people and cheap drinks.

One of the best bars in the Boston area… great crowd, very friendly… really good music, great bartenders… What more do you need?

Only been here once but I liked the atmosphere. If you’re looking for a small joint to get some good drinks and listen to some good music it’s a good place to go! Plus we got a round of drinks and about 30 minutes later I asked for another round and the bartender was friendly and knew exactly what we got before even though he was waiting on several customers! I’m within walking distance so I may be a regular here now.

Solid selection of beer on tap. Prices are decent and half pints and tasting shots are available. Bar is dark which makes it hard to see and definitely don’t come if you’re looking for conversation since it’s noisy. Also, they only accept cash! There’s an ATM up front but I only had my credit card on me which won’t pull out cash. SOL.
I’ll be back, but during the day and with cash.

Brendan Behan Pub is my go-​to watering hole in Jamaica Plain. I almost hesitate to write this review out of fear that I’ll be inviting more and more people to descend upon it until the place is a bustling madhouse. But somehow, I have a hard time picturing that happening: probably because Behan’s setting is so inherently laid back and resistant to the more insidious aspects of yuppie-​fication. You just sidle on up to the counter, order any of the impressive (and well-​priced) beers they have on tap, and lose track of time in conversation with your mates or simply watching the world glide by outside.

If you are a person of color don’t even think about going here you will be asked to leave. It happened to me. I never thought I would experience something like this in my own hometown in 2015.

Came in several times over the past few years. I liked it but it’s kind of a dive bar. This time my friend was waiting for a table or seat at the bar and was happy and swaying to the music. I was in the bathroom. I came out and although we had not requested any drinks the bouncer had come up to my friend and said they would not serve them. So we were not welcome at this bar. I will not go back to this bar, it’s nothing special and and they are not nice to their customers.

This place pretty much has everything I could ever want in a pub:
–dark cozy ‘real’ pub atmosphere (complete with tables you can actually sit at to drink and not have to worry about waitstaff or ordering food, because they have neither)
–shockingly excellent draft beer offerings
–wicked friendly staff
–no TVs
–live Irish sessiuns (not sure whether it’s planned or spontaneous)
–interesting mix of patrons (but nicely devoid of frat bros)
–within close proximity to the Haven (fish & chips, enough said)
If I were a JPer, this would definitely be my local. As it is, I’m happy to travel here, it’s definitely worth the effort.

Pretty solid bar. Went there the other night for some drinks and found out they have a great Brady beer list! I had no idea, this is a cool low key bar with a good crowd of people. If your in the area and want a laid back bar with a good beer selection hit this place up!

I’m a homer.
I live in JP, so I’m biased.
But anyone I’ve brought to the Behan has been equally impressed. Their beer list is excellent, liquor selection good, and prices that are way cheaper than most Boston bars.
I enjoy the fact that the crowd changes on a nightly basis, and you never quite know what you’re going to get. Because they don’t serve food, you’re allowed to bring food in from the outside. We typically pick up a pizza from Rizzo’s and bring it in. They usually have a playlist filled with solid tunes.
It’s super dark. You typically can’t make out the face of the person you’re talking to, but I see that as a plus, not a minus.
My one gripe is the fish-​tank. My conscience tells me that catfish (I think?) deserves a bigger home.
Cash only, ATM at the front of the bar.

The first time I came here it was right after work on a Friday and was dead at first but picked up and got decently busy. The second time was around the same time and there was a baby in the bar, which was whatever but it was weird.
It’s super dark inside so bring a flashlight if you plan on dropping something small on the floor. The bartenders were really nice and knowledgeable and recommended fantastic IPAs for me.
Overall, it’s a small but cozy place and offers your standard pub fare. The neighborhood is cute, and I feel like it would be a great place to make your regular spot if you live in the area.

Super dark in here. And if it’s not packed it smells odd because of all the wood.
I love their chalk menu – but put the prices on it! It did help the bartenders tip to tell me that I ordered one of the most expensive beers and if I wanted a different one instead.
They let you try shots of beer too, to see if you like it, which is great because they have SO MANY types.

«JFK Hands» is a great bartender. We felt well taken care of– he spent a lot of time talking through the wide selection of beers on tap. My hubs and I opted for the All-​Day-​IPA by Stone. Always enjoy a good Stone on tap. When we heard they didnt serve food, they recommended the sandwich shop next door and told us we were welcome to eat at the bar. Score! A+ Service, A+ beer selection, and the prices were very decent!

I LOVE this pub! Very laid-​back vibe, great beer list, friendly bartender and cool ambience.
I had been wanting to try The Behan for quite some time, as I had heard such great things about it, but the only things I remember hearing were that it was a great Irish pub that allowed dogs. Apparently, the dogs got the kibosh recently, according to the bartender, but it’s still on my list of top 3 Irish pubs in the area.
You can drink good beer at a lot of places nowadays, but the service at many of the establishments serving delicious beer is not always up to par. Also, I’ve found places with awesome beer are usually packed, overexposed, and overrated. The Behan will offer quite the opposite with its unassuming charm.
And I have to address the reviewers that wrote about getting kicked out for inappropriate comments and/​or behavior. I did witness a patron being asked to leave due to inappropriate behavior, which I thought was very cool of the bartender because this particular patron was disrespectful to a female patron. I say good for the Behan watching out for the customers and fighting the good fight!
Cash only!

Spent a few hours in here with some friends. It wasn’t too crowded and they have a good selection of beer and liquor. I got the feeling they get a lot of local and regular costumers.
But the guys behind the bar were cool and the place has a good vibe to it. Worth trying if you live in the area!

A little taste of Brooklyn in Boston. This bar is full of hipsters, but they welcome everyone. I only came back for the Tank 7 saison. Delicious, and reasonably priced.
The bar staff is always attentive. I’ve never had to wait too long to be helped. There’s seating at the bar, along the window, and a few tables along the wall. It’s been packed the couple of times I’ve been.
They are a cash only establishment.

When I first learned that I’d be moving to Boston, my only reservation was that every bar seemed to be an Irish pub. I hate English beers, with their vaguely mildewy taste and smell, their weird texture, and their stupid unpronounceable names.
Thank god I was wrong. Another Irish-​named pub, this place is a small dive with a pretty nice beer list. Bartender was nice, and there was trivia happening, which we unofficially almost won. There was a phone plugged into an outlet near where we were sitting, and in my stupor I unplugged it and stole some juice for mine. Sorry.
This was the last stop of the night, so I don’t remember much else. I would certainly return.

My friend and I were out exploring JP, I just moved there. Honestly, its not that happening in JP. We tried Canary Sq. first and that was a little more uppity than we were looking for on that night, so we walked down to Brendan Behan! A little intimidated at first, we were the most «college» looking girls in there, but the door man was really nice. It wasnt crowded at all (it was saturday night). The beer list is great, but I had no idea what I wanted.
Even though the bar was full, the bartender (the guy) called us to the end of the bar, seeing our struggle faces. He was so nice and asked us what we like to drink, and got us samples of different beers to try. It was great! We found beers we liked, and the prices were good, compared to bars downtown/​backbay, obviously. He made us feel really comfortable. THANK YOU!
Its dark and divey in this bar. But we were looking for a laid back place to just chat, it was good! I would have liked to try more beers here, but two sort of creepy guys came and sat with us, so we had to leave asaprocky.
The night ended with chinese food from across the street. Successful evening! Id like to come back again! (maybe bring my dog?)