PJ Ryans

Great beer selection and I’ve gotten the nachos which were pretty good – loaded heavy just like I like them. Sometimes it takes a while to find a server and the bar is packed, so be sure you know what you want when you find someone. They started doing flights, so that’s pretty great!

We love love love PJ Ryans but there is one awful waitress we get every once in a while that makes it less enjoyable. She’s so awful, I might start calling ahead to be sure she’s not working. Smile and pay attention… like not forgetting our drink order. Could’ve stayed for hours if we had better service.

What a good, classic Irish pub style bar! Dark, homey interior, big windows, outdoor seating in nice weather, a great tap list, and a classic menu. I brought my parents here when they came to visit (I live about a 10 minute walk away). My mom got the shepherd’s pie which was incredible. My burger was delicious and juicy – if a bit overly charred. We also split the braised brussels sprouts with blue cheese which were fantastic.
The one sour note was my Dad’s pork sandwich, he never got it. The waitress brought him the pork tacos instead. When he said something she told him that was what he’d ordered. She was really polite about it and she seemed confused, but even if that was what he ordered (I heard him, it definitely wasn’t), it’s kind of the standard in restaurants not to tell the customer that they’re wrong. He said they were good tacos, but that it just wasn’t enough food for a dinner for him.
I’d definitely come back, but maybe request that our waiter write down our orders instead of just taking them orally.

PJ Ryans is a solid little pub with a Teele Sq. location just outside of the busier Davis. There are high top tables where you can grab the standard pub fare for dinner in a cozy room adjacent to the drinking area. The staff are friendly and service is pretty quick. They have a solid selection of bottled beers and a handful on draft. The vibe is definitely laid back with a few college kids intermixed with some genuine Irish folk, giving it a nice character.
The food game is a bit weak with fish sandwiches served on grilled bread — interesting. Fries could have been crispier and were much like McDonald’s. My friend was unfortunate enough to order the poutine, which would be better off named melted-​cheese-​soaked-​fries-​in-​a-​pool-​of-​gravy. I’d recommend staying away from that mess.

I like PJ Ryan’s. I live up the street and it’s a nice cozy little spot to hang out in especially if you don’t want to do a full night out in Boston or Cambridge or even go all the way to Davis. Food is good, love the poutine and the beer selection is very decent. I pop in once in a while after work or if I want to meet a buddy close by.

Yay for Tuesday night trivia! It can feel a bit ambitious to be out after midnight on a weeknight, but QuizMaster Bob is worth it. The bartender is great — calm, collected, seems like a solid guy, and everyone is happily «watered» all night.
The trivia is fantastic — as Bob says, we don’t do any of that «corporate mainstream» way-​too-​easy-​for-​you trivia. The trivia is difficult in the best way — for example, «How many countries does the Volga go through?» way. This is not you trying to remember what movie Tom Cruise was in in 1979 (aka you know it or you don’t). This is trivia you can mull over, argue about, and eventually figure out with your friends. I am now a trivia snob thanks to the trivia here.
The ambience is great too, with an eclectic mix of old dudes sitting at the bar, people zoning out and watching the game, and nerdy Tufts kids. There are two gentlemen who often show up, barely say a word to each other, and win the game. Every time. TWO people manage to beat teams of six people. Think about it! Who are they? What do they do? What are their hopes and dreams??? We may never know.

Good place to go grab beers that is outside of the Davis bustle. Usually have a pretty good tap selection. Food is decent, standard Irish pub fare.
My one complaint — last time I was there we had a bartender who was an ass. Just unpleasant to speak with and hastled almost every customer he spoke to. Older guy with facial hair, womp womp.

This review is for trivia night on Tuesdays. I like the vibe here more than Johnny D’s. It’s a more social and interactive atmosphere, compared to Johnny’s where it can get a little awkwardly quiet. The drink selection is good here, and the last place team gets a round of free consolation shots! It’s really watered down alcohol, but still — something to look forward to if you’re sucking real bad.

My boyfriend and I have been here a couple times and I guess I forgot to post the first time. We went back a couple weeks ago specifically for the fireplace– I LOVE fireplaces. It was a chilly walk and it was lovely to walk in and warm up immediately by the fire; so cozy. I guess we were expecting steak or burgers or whatever, so it was nice to see mac and cheese and spinach and seafood.
I believe my boyfriend got steak tips with mac and cheese and a side of sauteed spinach, but I don’t see that exact dish on the menu. He liked and finished the tips/​whatever meat was on his plate, and he enjoyed the mac and cheese to an extent, but that and the spinach was straight up drowning in butter. You can trust me because I LOVE butter. As a child I would swipe some butter, put sugar on it, and eat it straight– don’t repeat that to my mom. I will put 4 of those little wax paper butter pats on one piece of toast and they don’t need to melt fully. And the butter on the spinach was almost too much for me. I just tried to shake some off. I got the Mussels and Fries, which I considered insanely good. Holy S*&%, yum. It was a huge bowl and the garlic aioli on the fries was delicious. The prices were moderate but for the amount of food I got I felt like they were pretty fair. I think they were out of my boyfriend’s first choice of beer but obviously there was plenty else to choose from. Our server was very nice and the atmosphere was good. Pretty much everyone there seemed like a laid back townie type and the barrage of young, overly made up, camera phone snapping, obnoxiously laughing possible Tufts students did not arrive until we were about to leave. I’ll be sure to always go mid week mid evening.
An afterthought: Its a little annoying that the menu is on FB and not on the website.

The roommates and I spent the night before the blizzard, Juno here. We had to capitalize on the snow day coming up and enjoy our Monday night.
PJ Ryans is a small local dive bar in Teele Square. It is split into two sections, a bar area as you walk in and a dining area to the left. Its a pretty small place though so the overall vibe is consistent throughout. In the back there is a juke box where you can play whatever music you want.
The only issue I have is that the music is not loud enough. This is not a dance bar or club scene by any stretch of the imagination so I am not expecting that, but considering you are paying to select music, you should be able to hear it a bit better. This is the only reason I can think of to give them 4 instead of 5 stars. I am rating them based on what they are, a dive bar and in that regard, they nail it.
I would like to check this place out on a Friday or Saturday night. I am curious to see if the crowd/​vibe changes at all. I also did not eat any food here so my review has no basis on what they serve.
My best comparison in the area would be Joshua Tree which caters to a slightly younger crowd and is more of a sports bar than a dive bar.

Not too crowded, solid beer selection and an open and roaring fire which is awesome in the winter.
My main complaint is that they do a very poor job of listing what beers are available and the price. The menu they gave me at the bar covered maybe 50% of the taps, and many items on the menu were no longer on tap. I had to literally walk down the bar to every tap station and look at what was there, then ask what kinds of beers those I was unfamiliar with were.
It’s not very busy though on a Fri/​Sat night, which is nice for those looking for a less crowded bar scene. The fireplace is a huge plus on cold winter nights too.

decent bar with good beer selection. Food was good too, not very great. service was a bit slow on a regular non busy day.

Had a bad experience here last night. Bad attitude from the bar tender when trying to pay. I was accused of «disappearing» when I sat down at a table to drink a beer from the bar. She even let the back-​in-​forth go on for a while!
Again, very shitty attitude, but I don’t know, is that a normal part of the seedy Irish bar experience? Could be, but she’s still getting the place 1 star. Also, DONT EAT HERE! The food sucks and is way over priced.
Eating? I highly suggest the Turkish restaurant next door. Their Turkish beer is pretty good. Great atmosphere too.

They’re a pretty average pub. The only real pub in the Davis Teele sq area though which is cool. Service is very hit and miss but it’s just a cool place to kick back and have some wings and a beer.

On a recent college visit with my daughter we found ourselves in Somerville, MA on a Sunday afternoon hungry, fighting traffic and disappointed by long restaurant lines. Thanks to Unilocal,we found PJ Ryan’s in Teele Square.
I think the menu offered was a brunch menu as there nearly every dish was offered topped with an egg.
We had the corned beef hash (with an egg) which had large, tender chunks of corned beef as well as the star of the day, the Biscuits and Gravy (topped with an egg). At first we were disappointed that the food took a while to come out. There were few guests and we were in a hurry.
What we learned was that they ran out of biscuits and took the time to make a fresh batch! Needless to say, the dish was amazing. This Yankee version is surprisingly light without giving up on the savory sausage flavor you expect.
Washed down with Guinness and Lemonade and my daughter and I left with smiles.
We would definitely recommend and will likely return when in Boston.

Really miss this place, just moved away and wish I still lived next door.
Food is fantastic, great atmosphere, unique drink choices and a very friendly staff.
Can’t miss in the Davis/​Teele area!

Excellent neighborhood pub! Music is never too loud, so you can always have a conversation with friends.
Bartenders are knowledgable, friendly, and always willing to give recommendations. Food is solid, especially the nachos.
Christine is the best bartender!

#15 of 52 new in 2014.
I’ve been meaning to try this place since I moved to Somerville three years ago.
It’s a solid Irish pub, good for watching sports and drinking delicious beer. The mussels and fries were tasty as was the sandwich I had.
Good place to hang out if you’re in Teele.

Fun little bar if you’re near Tufts!
Great beer selection, and nice leather bench of seats.
The nachos were pretty good, but I could have done without the curry on the curry fries.
Also on a Friday it was kind of dead, but the service was still really slow.
Great neighborhood spot.

I went here with my lady friend in order to prepare for my upcoming trip to Ireland. I need to get used to/​enjoy stout beers.
The décor is pretty typical for a somerville pub. The bar tender wasn’t that friendly but did chat with me a bit about beers and what they had — sort of seemed annoyed the whole time.
They have a few good Irish beers. I got a Black and Blue (Guinness and Blue Moon), which was pretty good — took the bitter edge off the Guinness.
I ate a burger with Irish bacon on it, which was fine. nothing spectacular. The Irish bacon didn’t add anything to the flavor. American bacon you can taste from across the room. This, not so much. HOpefully it’s better in Ireland.
The fries were okay — I asked for extra crispy and they weren’t. But not terrible.
Overall typical place, nothing special. Prices were okay.

Revisiting this place again, I had to write an update because 3 stars really doesn’t give this place justice.
I mean where else can you go during the winter and hang out in a nice bar with a decent beer selection, international staff members which always lead to telling you good stories, and yes, a warm cozy fireplace. That is pretty awesome. And the food is also better here now than it used to be. Yes it still isn’t the cheapest, but where is in Boston, eh? And there is something unique about this place that just makes you feel relaxed and at ease with yourself, your life, your friends, and of course your beer. It does get packed here on game days, so I would avoid this place then, but for some drinks with friends in the Davis Square area, PJ Ryans really is quite nice.