Welcome to Doyle’s…home of the best corned beef and cabbage dinner in Boston, and the largest selection of draft beer in New England. At last count, 21 brands of draft beer were available at the renowned mahogany bar. Over the years, Doyle’s has been known for good food, conversation, and a wide variety of draft beer. The selection changes with the seasons, and brewers of new beers coming on the market strive to have them introduced at Doyle’s.
Doyle’s is regularly recognized as being the best neighborhood bar and restaurant in Boston. Authentic wartime posters hang over the original bar which dates back to 1882. If the walls in this room could talk! During national prohibition not a single day was lost; Doyle’s was a speakeasy, until the glorious day in 1933 after repeal, when none other than “Himself,” Mayor James Michael Curley, personally opened Doyle’s up again “legitimately.”
The main dining room was dedicated by Boston Mayor Raymond L. Flynn on St. Patrick’s Day 1986, to the memory of his ancestor, the Irish Freedom Fighter, General Michael Collins. On the wall hangs an 18 foot mural portraying past and present patrons.
Lovers of Old Boston and her proud Park System are encouraged to visit the John F. Fitzgerald Room. “Honey Fitz,” grandfather of President John F. Kennedy, was a champion of the Boston Park System during his tenure as mayor of Boston. This room was dedicated to his memory on St. Patrick’s Day 1988 by his grandson, United States Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
On July 12, 2003 on the tenth anniversary of his tenure as Mayor of the city of Boston The Thomas M. Menino Room was opened to the public. The Thomas M. Menino Room includes many pictures of Mayor Menino during different stages of his tenure.
Because of its authentic atmosphere Doyle’s is often used as a location for movie scenes, television commercials and book signings. The following list includes a few of the movies and videos filmed here.
- The Brinks Job, starring Peter Falk and Peter Boyle. The Brinks robbery, dubbed “the Heist of the Century”, was planned and executed by Jamaica Plain neighborhood characters and produced much admiration for the way it was carried out.
- The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys - An American Saga, starring Charles Durning.
- Celtic Pride, starring Dan Ackroyd and Daniel Stern.
- Scandalous Mayor: Boston’s own Robin Hood, part of the PBS American Experience Series hosted by David McCullough and featuring local historian Gerard F. Burke.
- The Irish in America: Long Journey Home, a Walt Disney Production directed by Thomas Lennon also featuring Mr. Burke.
- Mystic River, a novel written by Dennis Lehane, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn and Tim Robbins.
- Boston Public, produced by David E. Kelley and featuring Doyle’s as the location where the faculty meet “after class” to discuss matters of the day.
- The Travel Channel often times visits Doyle’s to interview local residents.
For decades Doyle’s sold only those beers that were brewed in Boston. As recently as 1940, there were 27 different breweries in the area. With the closing of the Haffenreffer Brewery in 1967, the curtain came down on the brewery industry in Boston. The old brewery in reopened in 1985 and is now the home of the Boston Beer Company, makers of Samuel Adams products. James Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Company, made a commitment to brewing the best product available and has succeeded. We are proud that upon the introduction of each of his brews to the market, Doyle’s was chosen to be the first outlet for these products.
After more than a century Doyle’s is still one of Boston’s premier watering holes. We hope you enjoy your visit with us, and will tell your friends about the fun you had here.
