Cathedral Station

The response about “cannot” accept out of state IDs is not accurate. Massachusetts Law on Acceptable ID for Alcohol: The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) in Massachusetts does not mandate that bars accept only certain forms of ID. Instead, they give guidance on what IDs protect a bar from liability if the customer turns out to be underage. These are the only forms of ID that give a bar legal protection: 1. A Massachusetts driver’s license 2. A Massachusetts Liquor ID 3. A Massachusetts ID card 4. A driver’s license from another U.S. state 5. A U.S. military ID 6. A valid passport (foreign or domestic) 7. A U.S. passport card 💥 European national ID cards do not count toward this protected list. But! That does not mean it’s illegal for bars to accept them — it just means they’re not protected if the ID is fake and the customer is underage. ⸻ 🧠 So what’s really going on at Cathedral Station? • ✅ They’re not legally required to refuse a European ID. • ✅ They are allowed to refuse it if they want to reduce liability or play it extra safe. • 🚫 But saying “We can’t accept out-of-state licenses” is not true. U.S. out-of-state licenses are on the acceptable list. They’re just confused or misinformed — or making excuses.

Beautiful place for who want to get out of the traffic in the city and relax have a drink and play pool. The management and staff is very friendly and I am glad I come by to check that out. First was okay ops just kidding hahaha, very good turkey melt you need to try for sure. Really the quesadilla need be good too, I thought my fajitas was better… but not the quesadilla is delicious. The joe the bartender is amazing, I will be back. Have Lucky Today, like always still my favorite bar! Now I can go to Brazil

The first gay bar I ever went to! I’ve yet to find somewhere as enjoyable as here, had the most wonderful dates and nights with friends throughout college here and try to revisit whenever I can! Don’t know if he’s still there, but we always loved bartender Rob!

Amazing service ! Tried out the chicken Parmesan and was blown away . . . Food was quite amazing . Good crowd! Why aren’t there more people at this place . Strawberry lemon drop 10/10

I love the spot now. I usually go there for karaoke! Huge space, so doesn't feel like you are on top of each other. Drinks are well made, and the service is friendly. It's definitely my pick now above other crowded locations. 🥂🎉

Shockingly talented singers are karaoke night. A wonderful neighborhood bar

The man at the door was super nice. Told him we were there to eat but the kitchen was closed. He told us to go down the street and feel free to bring food we bought back inside. I’ve never experienced that before. We did as he said and he brought us napkins and picked up our mess when we were done. So kind. We had a great time.

Stupidest place ever! They did not accept my European ID card and asked for a passport. Who carries their passport at the age of 30? Ridiculous!!! P.s i tried other bars in Boston and all of them laughed at me when I said about the passport thing. They accepted my EU id without a problem. Maybe, this establishment should accept the fact that they are racists and hostile against tourists. Such a shame!

A hidden gem bar in the Boston bar community. Beautiful patio in the side, great for food or drinks. Lots of tables and good events throughout the week. It's never too busy to find a table! We ordered a few drinks and they were all solid pours. The bartender made us a surprise drink and it was great. Definitely will be back -- highly recommend this spot!

Everything about this place I love. From the moment I walked in I felt happy, welcome and relaxed. I was walking by on my way to the SoWa market and I thought... why not go in and have a breakfast cocktail? Best decision on my Boston trip thus far. Pistachio Martini is phenomenal. It's a must try!!! Bartender was super, makes a great drink, and was very helpful in offering local/nearby things to see/visit. The atmosphere is friendly and personable. LVE this place

Service was friendly. Food, didn't get to try - maybe it would have bumped up a star. Drinks were not great though - even when ordering two of their seasonal specialty cocktails. Ambience was a bit akin to a dive/sports bar but their patio is nice.

Checked out this bar when there was literally nothing else open in the area at 11:30 on a Thursday night. It's very spacious inside with a cool vibe. The wine menu is limited but I was pleased that the selections were actually decent. Every single staff member I encountered was super nice. I definitely recommend this place.

This is the "compliment" I received after my review. "Shared with management so you don't have to deal with such terrible service anymore. Or you can keep coming and realize the wait time has nothing to do with the servers and everything to do with the kitchen. Good day!" Notice I never said anything about the servers in my original review, I talked about the kitchen apparently not being able to fry an egg in less than an hour. Either way, no apology for bad service. I have heard from others that they also stopped going because the food got worse and worse. Plys the slow service. No wonder the place is shutting down. You had a great space in a great location, but you just didn't try.

Good vibe. Strong drinks and the fries are delicious. Thursday nights they play old school R&B and funk which I love and the servers are very attentive and friendly.

Delicious food, friendly staff.. a great place to chill and relax. My first time there but will definitely be back... cute guys there too.

Since Covid etc. I love the outdoor patio area, good food, booze & service. A fun vibe that reminds me of 1270 or Ramrod of long ago because it's eclectic w/mixed diverse crowd, plenty of straight girls & guys too which I like as I get homo'd out if there are too many Homosexicals as Shirley would say. I always seem to get the fish tacos, I don't drink much outside my home alone lol. Plus free parking which helps if UR afraid someone will still your Prius's catalytic converter in the South End. Thumbs Up

Went for Sunday brunch. I ordered the Breakfast Burrito which I would not recommend. Friend ordered the Steak Tip Salad which they enjoyed. Service was fine, bathrooms were clean.

These guys are great and I'm so glad they're here! The first room has a good bar vibe, but they need more round bar top tables to the left so all can see the screens. Those low tables to the left when you walk in seem so awkward and everyone wants to sit on one side to watch the games. High tops are much more popular. I think they need a big screen in the other room - it's very cavernous - I do always have a good time and am thankful to have a gay bar in the SE for all people! Thanks

Large comfortable space. Friendliest people and bartenders you'll ever meet. Real drinks - big enough to bathe in - at a very reasonable price. Great music, parking for patrons, pool table and multiple big screen TVs with all of the day's sporting events round everything out. Mostly bar food, but very good as long as you stick to the basics. The type of place that people will talk about for years after it's gone so get out there and enjoy it now!

If I could rate 0 stars I would. As a member of Boston's queer community it makes me sad to do this but I would never patronize this place again. My wife went there after a work event and had drinks with a coworker. A couple days later she noticed there was a charge of OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS on her card in addition to her actual, very small bill. Somehow they charged someone else's massive order to her card and refuse to make it right. The signature for the 1000 dollar charge is for when she was already home in bed (with the Lyft receipt to prove it) but they still refuse to correct their error. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Management was nice about it and wanted to remedy it but owner would not. Take your business elsewhere.

Came here for brunch and this was a fun place. Very friendly crowd and lively atmosphere. There is a large bar on one side and a big dining area on the other. Service was friendly. Coffee was good and my Station Dip (like a French Dip sandwich) was very good. Looking at the calendar of activities on the wall, it looked like there were always a lot of events happening. They were definitely going to have a big crowd for the Super Bowl tonight (I ate there on Super Bowl Sunday). Fun place; I like it!

Did we offend the doorman? On our last night in Boston we opted to return to the Cathedral Station. Upon walking in @ 6:45p the volume inside already seemed excessive, so we asked to be seated outside. But someone was smoking outside (the staff said it must've been over the fence), so we asked to move back inside. The doorman said "just seat them anywhere, someone will serve them" and seated up between the two loudest, rowdiest groups of Millennials in the place.

Good atmosphere , good drinks, bad service. Had brunch here with a friend and as a member of the LGBTQIA community I was really excited. The host was nice and helped us find a table we wanted. The waiter was nice at first and got us our drinks. My friend got a salad and I got the breakfast burrito.When it came half the ingrediants were missing. I asked if I could get them on the side to add them in and what came was some avocado slices instead of the three ingrediants with the waiter ignoring me except to ask for my plate before putting down the check. The place was maybe 25% full so unsure why the issues occurred.

fun place! great cocktails, service and crowd! food wise, i've especially enjoyed their specials!

This place ran my friend's credit card for another party's tab AFTER she had closed out and gone home. The bill was over $1100. When contacted and asked to rectify the mistake, the owner doubled down and refused to admit any fault. Shame on them.

I am not someone who would typically post a bad review, but this is a warranted one. Went here with some friends this weekend. Place was pretty dead, yet still had pretty bad service. Waiter made strange, rude comments about the drinks we got and generally made us feel like we weren't welcome there pretty early on. Friend accidentally broke a glass. Friends and I clean up any visible glass shards, apologetic and wanting to make the mishap easier on our waiter in terms of clean up. He comes over, asked if we cleaned up all the glass (not asking if we were all right/hurt, etc) and lays down the check, walking away as soon as he put it down. Would not recommend this bar, only person who was kind/generally nice was the bouncer/host. He was the only one there that deserved 5 stars. Hate posting this review as someone in the LGBTQIA+ community, but it's shit being made to feel like that in what's supposed to be a inclusive space.

Craig is great. Food is great. Booze is good and nice atmosphere. Our first stop here and enjoying it very much.

The drinks are really really bad. They just taste gross. I've ordered 3 drinks from here, cappuccino martini, amaretto sour, and the last word. It just had a gross weird sweet old taste to each of them. Maybe they used bad simple syrups or old kaluah. The food was alright (I mean you can't really mess up fries). If you do order from here just get a beer and some fries or pretzels because the cocktails aren't good.

Here on a mini vacation. Great bar, food is quick and good. Crowd is awesome. Bartenders are very friendly.

haven't been in awhile, went there the other day for a drink. But Dam. $7.25 for a bud lite bottle..Thats insane. not worth going again

My friends and I love coming to this bar. The bar area inside is spacious, but the real star is the outdoor area! It's cute, welcoming, and great for those days when you just wanna unwind. The staff is always so great and the drinks are always delicious. Most recently went on a Sunday evening where Craig and Jazzul were behind the bar, and they were both so sweet and attentive to every patron there with a flare of playful sass (as every good bartender should have). Would definitely recommend this place to friends.

Went to Cathedral Station around 1-2pm on a Sunday. Wasn't packed at all and there was a couple of people sitting at the bar ordering food, but it did start getting busier later on. The place is nicely setup and has a great atmosphere. We were greeted right away to order drinks and we got Bloody Mary's. My friend didn't like the Mustard Bloody Mary that much though. He wasn't used to that taste in a bloody mary so it was hard for him to adjust. I ordered the Pasta Carbonara and I felt it was cooked great and had the right seasonings to it. It's considered a brunch favorite at cathedral station. My friend got the burger which he felt was cooked good as well. The waiter didn't really check up on us that much and it took awhile for him to come back after getting our drinks to get our food order in.

The worst experience I've ever had at a bar/restaurant and maybe in my life. The second I walked in here, the men behind the bar and the 6 customers sitting near me were talking ridiculously rude to me. I was extremely nice going and and sat down asked for a drink to be told they will not serve me even though I had my ID and that I should leave. I was totally caught off guard with everyone in the bar be-littling me. I did not know this was a gay bar until later on when I told my friend about this experience. I was totally sober, this would have been the first drink of the night. It's clear to me and some others that reviewed this place, this place is racist against women. Not only against women but it seems they are mostly welcoming to older white males. This experience is from a couple months ago.

Came in for brunch after not ring here for months! The brunch was GREAT!! From the burger, to the eggs with a grilled English muffin...everything was delicious. In my opinion, it's hard to find good home fries: crispy on the outside & soft in the middle. They were perfect! And the bacon...delicious! I loved the grilled English muffin. Great place to go for brunch....diner style. And the burger was great too!!

Stopped in for a drink tonight. First time since pre covid. Still a great neighborhood bar. Shawn/Sean our waiter was great. Love that this joint is still around. It's one of the last men standing in the boston gay bar scene.

I travelled to Boston last Sunday to watch the Pats and get together with some new friends at Cathedral Station. Saying that I was impressed is an understatement. The staff is among the friendliest I've ever seen and it is obvious that they were born to be in the hospitality business. The drinks were reasonably priced and the eggs/homefries/sausage/toast that I had for brunch was delicious. (I only wish that I could have gotten onions on the homefries, but like my father always said, "You can't have everything." :-) ) I was also extremely impressed with the décor. The walls are red brick which give a warm and friendly feeling to the room. There were ample large screen TVs which meant you could watch the game from pretty much anywhere without twisting your neck. The crowd was mixed for brunch and there were even one or two families with children there. Everyone was having a good time. I hope to return down the road because it is a very enjoyable place.

As many have noted herein, CS is a much bigger and a much more classier version of Fritz. And Thanks to the management for taking the right decision to do that. Although I somehow wish the location could have stayed the same - but it is what it is. We (or at least the guy who likes to walk - me!) will get used to walking from Broadway station to CS. That CS is so spacious, has so much outdoor seating space for the beautiful Boston summers and hopefully late springs and deep into October (fingers crossed!) - there is absolutely nothing that one would like to change as goes first impressions. The staff is pretty much the same - which is Great! The new bees are friendly and will learn from the original staff. Boston sorely missed a great sports bar for the community and with CS now open, watching the Sox make it to the playoffs this season in late September would be interesting? I don't know... to be seen! Ambiance: 4 stars. there is ample room for everyone. The indoor and outdoor space is just the right size. I like the new bar and the decor is simply put very modern and yet with the rough edges which stands out in a good way. Of all the things, they sure are missing one Big thing - The Juke Box. Given how big the place is, wonder why they don't put one in? They can totally disable it when big games are on. Anyways, just a thought... Juke Box! Food: I am yet to try the food here. So will hopefully come back to update my review when I eat here. I read some negatives about food and service here. But I cannot comment on that yet. Drinks: I hope they add more draft beers. That is one thing that was missing in Fritz and it seems to be the case here at CS as well. Given how spacious the bar is now, they definitely need to have at least 10 if not 16 different kinds of beers on tap. And hopefully keep on rotating with the changing seasons. I am giving it 2 stars for that. At the end of the day (night), the crowd will come here to drink. Food is always a good option but this has to be the quintessential sports bar for the community where we get a good selection of whatever we like to drink. Period! That's about it. I am sure the crowd that was loyal to Fritz must have already made CS home by now. Congrats again to the management. Keep up the good work! Cheers! xx

THE PLACE SMELLS OF VOMIT. I could not wait to leave. Bostonians seem OBLIVIOUS to their surroundings. JUST PLAIN AWFUL. I walked in and could not wait to leave. Wake up Boston, demand more.

Loved Cathedral Station!! Went for the Ru Paul viewing party. It was such a nice smaller bar. Love a good sports bar that is loungy and a little on the low key side of the house and this place was just that and it was perfect! Will definitely be going back for sure.

Very glad I came in. My server James was really nice and attentive (incredibly handsome too oops) and I'm really happy I came here with my friends. Def coming back again soon

This is a decent establishment. The crowd on Saturday night was a bit thin but they did play excellent music throughout the night. I loved their fake candles - extremely realistic and remote controlled. In any case, we just sat down for a beer. It's actually the perfect place to chat with your friends. You can hear them. Most people were standing or sitting at the bar. Slightly middle to older crowd. People were friendly. When we were there there was a belligerent drunk that got kicked out then arrested by the police. That was the adrenaline for the night. The management was very apologetic even though it wasn't their fault.

The best compliment I can give to Cathy's is it's basically a big room that's not Club Cafe or House of Blues. Oh, and the staff is quite nice too. But wow, what a totally missed opportunity for a good gay bar in Boston. Everyone knows that Boston has had a pretty pathetic gay scene for years now, and this just is another mediocre place to add to the list of places to unenthusiastically go to on a Saturday night. It's unfortunately that the owners landed an incredible space with so much potential but basically squandered it. This place has zero character. Basically it has a pool table, a dart board, some TVs and a patio that closes early. The space is oversized for the number of people that go here. Even on nice nights, the patio is surprisingly underutilized most of the time. Perhaps because there's no bar out there. The music...ugh, don't get me started on the music selection. At least the drinks and staff are fine. Beer is beer, and they pour it properly. Seating is plentiful. And if you're in a tight circle with the flag football or softball teams then you'll have fun going here with a bunch of your friends. But Jesus H. Christ you have all this space. Do something with it. Wednesday Trivia night is a start, and that's fun. But how about some other stuff for all the other days of the week. A beer garden during the day outside. A tea dance. Move all the tables to the side and have a line dancing night. Or sexy twister. Drag bingo. 80s night. It can be all of those things or none of those things, but whatever it may be, just do something and see what sticks. Instead, the owners are like Maria von Trapp spinning around in a meadow on a mountaintop singing "Look at all the f's I give." It's like they don't even care. Or perhaps they know they don't have to try hard since expectations are so low in this city anyway. (There is also the unconfirmed rumor that they have a short term lease and are investing as little as possible since the place will be turned into condos in a few years like all the other property surrounding it. I mean, a two story building and a huge parking lot in the middle of the South End? You know that's a year or two from going the way of condos just like Ink Block and the other properties right up the street.) The ironic thing is there's a huge pent up demand in Boston for a good gay bar. Go down to Ptown on a summer weekend and half the people in the bars are from Boston. Those people would love to have a solid place to go in Boston for the other 9 months of the year. Sadly, Cathy's doesn't fill that void. (Any smart investors out there want to launch a gay bar?) BTW this review is for the bar only. I'm not reviewing the food because I don't see a negative star option.

My husband and I went to Cathedral Station this past Friday evening. My husband has a medical disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. We were denied entry to the establishment despite the fact that we explained to the manager, Robert Simmons, that our service animal is a licensed service animal who provides medical alert service to my husband. Our service animal has a service vest and badge. Despite our plea to the manager on several attemps, he did not allow my husband with a disability to enter the establisment. We even went back to our car and provided the manager with a copy of the federal law (Department of Justice) stating that a service animal can not be discriminated against and he still refused us. We were discriminated against because we are a gay, handicapped couple. We plan to pursue legal action based on discrimination of an an individual with disabilities. The manager insisted that under no circumstance we would be aLowe's in the establishment. Very disappointing and handled very poorly by the manager.

Terrible service at the bar. We decided to stop by for the first time to have a drink and check the place out. Two of us stood at the bar, which wasn't terribly crowded, for a full 10 minutes while three bartenders ignored us and stayed in deep conversations with some patrons seated at the bar. We walked out without ever being served and won't try the place again.

the Fish and Chips. The Haddock retained the freshness of the local sea. All tempered in a simple crust. Crusted fries, a New England staple, slam the ketchup! This summer plate in the dead of winter

I have been there twice with 2 different experiences. The first time it was very crowded with poor service and some rude people . The second time it was less crowded with a nice older bear crowd and had good service . Also met and spent some quality time with a wonderful man

I have seen decent reviews for this place do decided to drive in from the burbs and try it for dinner with friends. I honestly don't know how anyone can say that the food here is mediocre at best. The wait staff is friendly, but seem overwhelmed. I was there a couple of weeks ago and it took about an hour for the last person to get their meal. Everyone was eating at different times. It didn't seem like they were that busy, but apparently the kitchen is slow and they can't handle a lot coming in at the same time. But seriously, you can't cue them up by tables? We were do annoyed and complained and asked that it and a few other items be removed and the waiter said that there was nothing he could do because the manager was not there to approve. Seriously? What kind of manager would not empower his/her employee not to be able to take care of that. What kind of server would not be apologetic and offer that up in the first place. This place is a missed opportunity at best.

I have never experienced more terrible service by an establishment. All started well as we were promptly sat outside and after a few short minutes were given a menu and placed drink orders which we received after an understandably average wait time. From here was where things took an offensively terrible turn. We proceeded to wait for 20 minutes before needing to flag down a waiter and ask to place a food order. We were told that the menu had changed and we would be brought a dinner menu. After an additional 10 minutes of waiting a correct menu was finally given to us. An additional 20 minutes later and there we sat with no service nor acknowledgement of any kind until finally getting the waiters attention requesting the bill. Ironically enough, the bill was brought promptly with no apology. Service at Cathedral Station was horrendous and we will definitely not be returning. While so many businesses are struggling for business during the pandemic it is understandable service times may take longer however there is no excuse for being blatantly ignored while sitting in the very center of the patio where each and every waiter needed to pass our table. Disgusting service.

Friendly gay sports bar with surprisingly decent food. The steak tips are among the best i've had in Boston, and the patio's really nice.

First time at Cathedral Station to finally check it out. Won't be going back. Sat there for almost 20 minutes at a very sticky table and nobody ever came over to ask what we wanted or even bring a menu. Walked out. They didn't seem to care. Neither do I. Maybe we were too old.

How is it that you can be seated at a bar during brunch and not be offered a menu? I spent a bit of time at SOWA Market, and decided to check out Cathedral Station. I checked in at host station for a table for one, and then a seat came open at the bar. Not wanting to tie up a table, I seated myself , as I was told the bar would take care of food orders, too. Didnt happen... I ordered a drink, and the response was, "that'll be 5 bucks"...no offer of menu, or inquiry as to whether I was hungry. It was 1230pm. I watched a bit of golf, finished my beer, and made my way to another location...

Large friendly neighborhood bar with many of the old Fritz staff Happy hour is the best time from what I gather Great prices and a decent food menu too Be sure to check out the outdoor seating area!

"The Gay Cheers" is what we used to call Fritz and Cathedral station has lived up to that name. I must start by commenting on the reviewer that claims that the "shorter dark haired bartender" refused him service without cause. The bartender mentioned was Johnny whom I've know for at least 15 years, starting back when he was a cocktail waiter at Fritz. He is one of the friendliest and most professional bartenders I've ever come across! Having been a bartender, I know that if Johnny refused to serve him, there was MORE than good reason. Not only is Johnny great, the entire staff has always made me, my BF and our group of friends feel at home Jimmy, Joey, Gary, Robert, Hugo....just to name a few. Good drinks at a decent price, friendly staff, good pub food, great brunch, and an attitude free atmosphere...what else could you ask for? BTW they have a parking lot and a great patio in the summer!

No food during Sunday Night Football? We were told to get food from the pizza place next door. Amazing. Table service was nonexistent, had to go to the bar to get drinks. Even had to ask for sound instead of disco. During a Patriots game. Decor - well you might be able to tell it's a sports bar from the handful of small sports-related photos on the wall, but frankly unless you go right up to them you can't even see them. All 4 TVs in the bar were turned to the same game, despite playoff baseball also going on. So no variety in what you get to watch. Really, they couldn't have put in less effort to run a functioning, much less welcoming sports bar. At least the bartender was attentive and friendly.

This review is for the food. Have been here many, many times as it is a popular meeting spot for our crew. As far as bar atmosphere goes, it really can't be beat, especially on a weekend night. The food has always been decent, but nothing that blows you out of the water. I most recently ordered the fish and chips, which were a pretty large portion, but still just your average restaurant quality food. The wait staff here has always been pleasant and the food/drinks are always brought out in a timely manner. Overall, this place is a nice neighborhood spot, but much better for grabbing a drink, than sitting down for a meal.

Came in for Saturday brunch - very excited to have a new sports bar in the neighborhood. They have a beautiful space and nice outdoor seating. My GF and I were the only couple there sitting having brunch, rest of the guys were chilling at the bar. We have gone to Club Cafe and Trophy room and its always been very accepting and open with us there (not so much at the eagle). The entire staff treated us like royalty. Our main waiter was so welcoming and friendly and he was supported by the other waitstaff and host...the executive chef even came out to ask us if we liked his house made basil mayo..she did. He told us that the menu was brand new so if we had any suggestions he would really appreciate it.(breakfast tacos needed a spicy meat of some kind). Overall the food was really good for a good value. While we were there I forgot it was not Sunday as that's usual brunch day. So I did not feed meter and got a ticket parked out front. Our waiter saw it happen and felt so bad for me her insisted on buying us a round. He says nonchalantly "That ticket cost you 5 Bloody Mary's" ----wait $5 for a bloody? ----that's unheard of in the S. End you cant even find a beer for that cheap. Great staff service and food - I will be back

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I went in last night and the manager/ bartender Gary was extremely rude to myself and my friend. The sad fact is that as manager his lack of interpersonal skills reflects on his entire staff who tend to treat most customers with the utter most disrespect. This place will be out of business soon enough. I hear that the manhunt guy pulled out and that their rent is now 9k a month. Nasty staff all around. Shame as others have said such a nice spot. Oh and their bar food sucks too !