Coogan's

Came here to celebrate a friend’s birthday and had one of the most uncomfortable bar experiences I’ve had in a long time. We were fully prepared to pay the cover—one person simply asked if there was a birthday discount. That alone set off the bouncer, who immediately got hostile instead of just saying no like a normal professional. When we tried to calmly speak with the manager to smooth things over, we were met with more attitude. Instead of de-escalating, the manager openly said the bouncer “made him so mad,” as if that somehow justified the behavior. Asking a question should never result in aggression or disrespect—especially when we were polite, apologetic, and still willing to pay the full fee. As people of color in an otherwise very white bar, the way we were treated felt targeted and unnecessary. The tone, the hostility, and the refusal to have a basic conversation made it clear we were not welcome. Plenty of bars manage to say “no discounts” without losing their temper or making guests feel uncomfortable. This place clearly isn’t one of them. Take your money somewhere you’ll actually be treated with respect.

John the bartender is truly amazing. The best service I’ve ever had. I come for John and Sky they are truly some of the kindest and friendliest people I’ve met in this city. As a bartender in Boston it takes a lot for me even take the time to leave a review so I genuinely mean that Coogans is worth it because of them.

I walked in and the vibe seemed great at first. But when I tried to order a beer, the bartender refused to serve me while clearly serving others. There was no explanation, she just didn’t want to serve me. I ended up having to leave and go elsewhere for a simple drink. Really disappointing experience. I’ve never encountered something like this at a bar before.

Excellent beer, great food, and great location. $1 bud and bud light so you know they are always fresh because they’re flowing. Best bud light this side of Mississippi. Come for pthe beer and stay for Dusan. Great service would give more than five stars if I could

Hilarious experience. Posted up at the not very busy bar and watched 5 employees walk past me without eye contact. 2 walked by and met at the opposite end of the bar and started talking and sipping on their own drinks. That was my cue to leave lol. Can’t comment on food or drink obviously, but service is clearly a zero.

Every time I come here it is warm and inviting. Dusan is one of the best barkeeps I’ve ever met. The food is cheap, but good. Nothing is overwhelming, and I always suggest coming here when I have friends in town.

Special thanks to Jon, he’s the man! Not only were my wings 10/10 but the beers were cold and fresh. Music was awesome, and security was super kind! I will for sure be back next Wednesday!

Nice place to watch the game. It's a bit away from the touristic area which is nice and calmer. Service was a bit slow, but the food was good. The clam chowder was very good, along with the nachos. The Smokehouse wrap was very good as well. It's a nice place to grab a drink and watch the game.

My last dinner in Boston before moving mid June . I stayed at the Dagny and this was around the corner. It's a typical Irish pub. Plastic cups , cheap , plentiful , greasy food. Loud. Lots of people there - it's a great after work drinks meet up type of place. I just got the onion soup and a quesadilla. Nothing fancy but it was good. The quesadilla lasted was 2 meals for me. Dinner and Bfast the early next morning. It was a fun place to take in the last full day of my 17 years living there. Watching all the friends out for drinks and remembering my days of after work fun before adulting and having a kid cut out of me. A Celtics game was on and they won. Everyone was happy. Boston was a fun place to live and I'm glad I had my greasy historic Irish pub meal and a very watery tequila sunrise to say "cheers to 17 years!" You'll definitely enjoy your meal and you'll definitely enjoy the Boston vibe. Drinks may be hit or miss but they aren't that expensive so there's that! If I wasn't alone I would have gotten a second watery tequila sunrise. :) Miss you Boston!

The rating for this pub should be way higher than it is. We recently stayed in the Financial district for 5 days. The first night we went there and fell in love the place. Went back a second time. The atomosphere is cozy and comfortbale. Trivia was a blast. The staff were all super friendly and fun and provided great service. The food was outstanding! And everything was so reasonably priced! Special shout out to John, Jalen, Daniel, and Cornina for great service and camaraderie. Thanks Guys and gal!!! We'll be back!!

Fish and chips was great. Buffalo chicken Rangoon was good but could have used more filling. Cold drinks, friendly bartender. Understaffed but we sat at bar so we had good service. Bartender running the whole joint.

The service and food here were really good. Food was hot and cooked perfectly. Ambiance for a day lunch spot very good

I'd give six out of five if I could. 1. If you're getting food here you're wrong. 2. Dollar beers, excellent music and a Saturday full of DANCE. Maybe one of the best stream of songs I've heard on a Saturday night in too long. Bartenders were working and strutting with how many humans were at this place on a weekend night. I will be back, and I will wear sneakers next time to avoid the 21 beers on my feet.

I don't understand the bad reviews- $1 beer is amazing, the bar tender was friendly and the environment was nice for happy hour. I was only in Boston for a day and was recommended to stop by and it didn't disappoint!

At 2pm there was a kids menu displayed outside. The music was in appropriate with swears, sex etc. Staff sitting at the tables while there was there were sticky tables, dirt foot prints on the bench, and water spilt on the floor. No one even bothered to clean the obvious messes. Waitress was not friendly. We left.

Hard to judge overall, because we were there on an exceptionally busy day and we are probably not the demographic that they serve, but I want to compliment our server ( and apparently the only waitress scheduled for 5pm on a Saturday) Brittney, who while serving an entire very busy 2 rooms with what appeared to be hundreds of beers & meals, kept her composure and sense of humor. A very hard job, well done. my question is, why 2 bouncers and one waitress? The food was great and the prices were reasonable for the area. I would go back again but would hoped that I didn't have to spend my time feeling sorry for the server.

Despite the reviews, I had a nice trivia night here. It is definitely loud, so be ready to yell to your friends, but other than that it's a nice vibe, beers are only $1 and I was pleasantly surprised with how quick service was. I ordered the Nashville hot chicken sandwich and let me tell you, it was so fresh and so well seasoned, it tasted like something I would have gotten at a higher end spot or fried chicken- specialized restaurant. Would definitely come back for it

It pays to ask locals where the best deals are. We came her after hearing about their 20 lobster dinner. It did NOT disappoint. We had a lovely and skilled Irish waiter who served us warmly and fast. Our meals were done quickly and the lobster was perfect as was the serving size of the French fries and coleslaw. Sadly the bartender wasn't up to cranking out any cocktails so we settled for a coca cola. But everything else was great. I did want to buy one of their t shirts but was told the person with the keys wasn't present. Oh well. Will we go back. Yes. Will we recommend people. Yes. Will we tell them to order cocktails?No. But the beer menu did look great.

Great for the cheap drinks, but if you don't play the music the bartenders/bouncers like on touchtunes, they will override and play their own music. Doesn't matter the crowd, it's their way or the highway.

Great spot for post work drinks. Lots of space and plenty of beer and seltzer options for everyone's needs.

I saw some mixed reviews of this place. I'd say give it a try because the beer was inexpensive (cheap) and my wife and I both thought the food was great.

$1 beers. Food is meh. Come here is your trying to fill your table with empty cups but not break the bank. The atmosphere is rowdy .

My rating is based solely on drinking beer at the bar.. Seemed like a pretty friendly neighbourhood bar. I had read somewhere that they had a happy hour but also read that state law doesn't allow that. To the best of my knowledge our beers were regular priced (though they do have $1 Bud Light). Lively atmsophere, local pours and reasonable pricing. Bartender was super friendly.

Thank god this place survived the pandemic. I haven't been here in years but it's reassuring to know this place is still selling bud light for less than the cost of a bottle of water. If you're looking to get hammered on a budget in an unwelcoming environment, look no further than Coogan's.

Bar is great. On Thursdays aka trivia night, it is filled with cheaters. If the trivia girl can walk around and call them out like the trivia guy, that would be ideal. Having two groups answer the tie breakers correct twice in a row, CHEATERS CALL THEM OUT

Came for the $1 beer. Cheap and friendly pub. Music is a bit loud but they place good music so it whatever. If you're in Boston come check this place out.

My 2 cents. So I went on Halloween and got denied entry because of my "costume". I mean as adults I would think that we can freely express ourselves and not have this whole dress code thing. I mean I know damn well there ain't no kids there cause y'all be IDing people anyways. What I find odd is the bouncer looked at our IDs for a very long time and even asked if we are aware of the admission cost. Like if my costume was the "issue" why even ID me? Why even take the time to make us aware of the admission fee? Literally just looked at our IDs for a long time, told us that he can't let us in. He wasn't even planning to tell me a reason so I asked, "why?" And he just says your costume. So it's lame.

I am extremely disappointed at the way I was treated at this bar yesterday evening after only three beers. it was my first bar since moving to the city and it all started with a ridiculous 12$ cover charge at the door for a DJ that was decent and a women's bathroom, with only two stalls, was not up-kept at all throughout the night leaving the majority of the bars customers, females with one stall supplied with toilet paper and not covered in vomit. After 20 min of waiting in the bathroom with 5 other girls, for the one stall, one of my friends had bled through her tampon and I was about to pee my pants. there was a single gender neutral bathroom that also was being occupied as far as we could tell. we approached the men's restroom and asked the two men in there if we could use the stall since no one was and they happily said they would make sure no other men would bother us while we quickly went pee with toliet paper. As I was trying to close and lock the stall door a bouncer slammed into the door and at first I didn't know who it was so I slammed back but as a small female, when he hit it again it opened. He demanded us out of the bathroom and was being very aggressive and rude. luckily the gender neutral bathroom opened and we went in and used the bathroom. On our way out, my friend went to go grab another beer and I approached the bouncer, who's name I'm pretty sure was Sal, and attempted to apologize for anything that seemed wrong, but we simply just needed to pee very badly and the women's restroom was absolutely destroyed. he proceeded to tell me that he didn't care, don't do it again, now get out of the bar now. I expressed my card was on tab, I had just gotten my third beer and I don't understand why this is such a huge deal. he proceeded to shove me towards the door and when I tried to get my card he got closer to me and tried shoving me again. I backed up and told him what I just had said, I need my card. I expressed my situation to a bartender yet they both said talk to the manager outside. he tried getting me to throw away my whole beer because the manager was outside and he told me I couldn't bring it outside, and I said I just bought this I am not throwing it away so he proceeded to tell me to chug it and hurry up. once I was outside the manager, who I believe was named Chris, was even more disrespectful and disgustingly rude. I calmly tried to tell my story and he said oh so you got caught and the other girl didn't? and I simply was like caught doing what peeing? we need toliet paper to wipe ourselves.... and he said I should have asked someone for toliet paper and it is the same as a man walking into a women's restroom. overall, I stood outside and he simply made me feel like I had committed a crime and I was treated as though I was a terrible person. As a women, and as a person who has been to plenty of bars without any issues at all, I think the behavior illustrated by these men is disgusting and I highly do not recommend this bar. not only were the staff terrible, but the older men they had in the bar hitting on 23 year olds and trying to get handsy and in our business after we had told them no was also in front of these bouncers, made this bar the worst I have ever been in. I hope no one else has to deal with men like this.

Grabbed takeout when we stayed nearby. Pizza, wings, fries and pub pretzel were all very good. Tennessee Fire wings were very tasty. Bar service was quick and friendly. Several beers on tap. Worth stopping in for a drink or bite to eat.

After our boat party since it was cut short we needed a place to chill for a bit & came across this place. We sat by the bar area & got some Sam Adams's Summer ale Beer , great beer nice & cold. Decent size place , big bar area & some room for dancing. Decent music playing, place was not crowded but it had a decent amount of people, we enjoyed our drinks.

Came here for a quick drink and some atmosphere after our party boat. Place was pretty crowded, especially it being 4th of July night, but my first and only time so not sure if that's unusual, but compared to other spots in Boston fairly packed. We ordered some Sam Adams summer ale's from the draft, nice crisp and cold. Didnt get food but they had your basic bar menu. They have a bunch of tv's surrounding the bar which is in the middle of the floor. They have a separate area for dancing but nobody was really utilizing it. Bartenders here seemed pretty responsive for the most part. Also, they do check I.D. at the door in case anyone is wondering.

Sounds like the bouncer need to be fired for the amount of business he has turned away and the bad name he is giving this bar. I tried to go to Coogan's with 4 friends for the first time (Saturday 3/19/22) but was turned away because I had an empty, lidded tumbler. He tried to tell me it was an "open container" which it was not because it was empty. I bring it to bars when it's busy as a safety precaution against getting roofied/covid germs. I have never had a problem with this before and had gone to 4 other bars that night with no problem. He not only didn't let me in but was very rude about it and basically berated me even though no one was arguing with him. We all left and can easily say we will never try to go back.

I can't tell you much about Coogan's in the early evening but we made this our last stop of the night arriving at 11:00pm. Just follow the noise and look for the crowd of smokers outside. Thursday night cover of $5 is reasonable and the bouncers at the door were very thorough checking IDs. Inside, it was super loud but the DJ was spinning and everyone was enjoying the beat. Sticky floor, sticky tables, cheap bear and mixed drinks in plastic cups.

On a budget, but still want to go out on the weekend and drink? Don't worry I got you, Coogans is where you want to go. I remember thinking to myself, if I wasn't from here and I wanted to find a cheap bar, what would come up on google if I typed "cheapest bars in Boston." Boy, are they lying to these tourists because this place wasn't one of them. Who made this blog and how can I edit it? 1$ draft beers all day, everyday. You could go in with 10$ and be all set for the night, 20 if you want to be safe. If I'm going for a cocktail, long islands are the best, strong and cheap. The food here is surprisingly really good. The menu of a typical bar, but I'd still eat here if I had to. Many people refer to this place as a "bro bar" only because 9 times out of 10 you'll see a lot more guys than girls. Which to some, isn't necessarily a bad thing. They play good music and have a small dance floor. It gets absolutely packed Friday and Saturday, the majority being in the 20's age range. Bathrooms are disgusting and usually overflowed, so if you get grossed out easily, avoid the bathrooms. Would I come here every weekend? Definitely not. Its not my first choice, ever. But, if I want to go out, not dress up, and save some money, no one ever turns this place down as an option. I mean, we all can enjoy being cheap every once in a while right?

Stopped in on a Thursday night. Place was 99% dudes. Nary a woman in sight. Immediately left and went to Mr. Dooley's. 100% better.

Want a real American bar, with great food, cheap beers, and a lot of fun? Coogans! (if you are searching for fancy beers and fancy stuff, go somewhere else). Rany and all the staff are great. Best pub in the city, period.

Here we go: The service was awful. The bouncer who looked confused as to why he was standing in a doorway wouldn't let us in because of our out of state ID's, and said we were too intoxicated to come in. He had the personality of the dumpster on the corner. This other guy who I assume is a manager, he looked like he got caught by Chris Hanson on To Catch a Predator, was also a peach and rude. I will never come back here, not like it matters because they won't let people in anyway.

This place is good for quick drinks or lunch. Love their Nashville burger. Service is quick and good. Food taste is good. Fries is great!

A Boston staple! Dollar bud lights brings an eclectic mix of the finance crowd, freshly 21, and tourists. Good food even though I've been going for years until I tried the food. Best value bar in Boston. You won't be disappointed!

You can't beat $1 beers! This was a nice, casual atmosphere that's perfect for drinking with friends or watching the game. We had the clam chowder, Mac and cheese balls, and a pub pretzel.... all were delicious! Some of the best clam chowder I've ever had.

I don't think I would come here again on the weekend. $10 cover was a little steep for this type of bar - the DJ was not very good on a Saturday night with the music he was playing. The $1 beers are where they try to get you to keep drinking. I'll probably go to another bar around here next time.

All I can say to anyone thinking about going to this place - just do it. Decide for yourself whether it's your style or not. Here are the highlights: 1. During the day, this place is a chill, pub-style, joint where you can get a cheap beer, relax, and get a good buzz on before you explore downtown. At night, this is where you go when you wanna get FREAKY. You've been warned. 2. $1, $2, $3, and $4 beer specials. The $1 is just bud light, $3 includes shock top (my go-to), and the selection goes from there. This is what draws the crowd - the affordable beers. 3. A place like this attracts a wide selection of people (young and old) during the day, but all youngsters (I mean realllllll young) at night. Again, you've been warned. 4. The location couldn't be better. Right next to Faneuil and other bars in the area. You can get a good buzz on here for cheap and head to a different spot to spend the rest of your night if you'd like. 5. The staff aren't the friendliest. Sorry guys, but you're not. The bouncers TOTALLY play into the half naked girls in line and favor them and let them skip the line. The bartenders aren't friendly and will ignore you until you get in their face. I finally have a girl who recognizes me so she will come up to me right away. I guess you gotta pay your dues. 6. Don't try and make this place something it's not. Do you want a delicious mixed drink from a master mixologist? Or a huge selection of craft beer? Or a classy joint? Yeah....don't come here. You want to not break the bank and enjoy a chill joint amongst friends? This is it! Overall, this place was my spot in college when I was single and looking to get drunk and dance my ass off, and it's still my spot 6 years later during the day on a Saturday when I wanna have a few beers, listen to some great music, and get a good buzz on. Oh - and I LOVE the dark wood and look of the bar. I didn't notice this until a few years ago when I started going here in the daytime haha

Poor service but good food. Waitress was unfriendly and did not give us water, silverware or napkins. Waited 5 minutes to be told beer we ordered was out. Then waited quite awhile again for our alternate beer order to arrive. We were not offered suggestions. I asked her wells drink price and waitress didn't know exactly for gin and tonic. We were not told about drink or food specials. She didn't ask if we needed anything when food was delivered or throughout meal. Fish and chips was great, tarter sauce is house made, but I would not return bc of the service.

Not exactly sure why this place has low ratings, but was pleasantly surprised by my experience. Was visiting Boston for the day on a rainy and chilly day, my friend and I originally chose a higher rated place to grab lunch but stumbled upon this place first. The idea of heat and food sooner won over so we stopped here and we ended up not regretting it. We both had burgers, each one was cooked the way we ordered it and we both were satisfied. We also ordered some mozzarella sticks and they were really good with cheese that melted in your mouth, not chewy like some places tend to make them. I had the guac burger and it was great alongside some truffle fries with a garlic aioli. The only issue I ran into here was I was too full to finish the entire burger. The waitress was very polite and checked on us a good amount of times, which really makes a difference. I'm not sure how this place is at other times, but I would recommend it for a quick bite during lunch time. The vibe was really chill and mellow, perfect for a quiet lunch with some good people.

My friends and I tried to catch drinks for my weekend home in MA and got turned away because my 23 year old friend looked "too drunk" to get in.. likely due to her one drink after a night shift as a nurse. Was a great start to our reunion night

$1 Bud Light all day, every day This is the best place in Boston to go to watch sports. On top of the $1 Bud Light drafts and the wide selection of bar foods, there's usually an enthusiastic crowd here that makes the viewing fun. They usually don't have a cover but at nights on weekends they can sometimes charge $10 or $20. I came here during the day over St. Patrick's day weekend and they charged $20 at the door - ridiculous!

No apple juice. How am I supposed to properly cralibrate?? I didn't even get to the hennessey part of the question.

My work team and I head on over to Coogan's every quarter to take advantage of their $1 bud light and to have a good time. Although it can get quite loud, Coogan is extremely casual, so if you're looking for a craft beer or some fancy cocktail, maybe look elsewhere. Coogan's is great and I don't think there's can ever be a place like Coogan's!

The bartenders are slow. The drinks taste bad. They kicked out my friend for grabbing a lime (she's a nurse she was careful) after she waited 15 minutes for a drink. The manager walked away mid conversation while we were trying to explain our situation.

Burgers were very good and cooked perfectly. Fries were well cooked and came out hot. Ratings not that great but I rated it a little higher. Deducted for waitress who was new and broke my rule....write down what I ordered and get it right. She tried the memory thing and missed all 3 things we requested. Cold day and about as cold inside, guess they have no heater. Tables old, worn and nasty looking. This place has good food but everything else could be better.

This is my husband's favorite bar in Boston because it's casual, low key and everyone here is friendly. It started as a convenient place to go after work and it has become the "family is in town? let's take them to Coogan's!" I've had their food here too and I am a fan on the fries, pizza and chicken wings. Drinks are not high priced and they've got TV's for all the sports you want to watch. Back room becomes a dance area at night too. It's a great spot for a casual night out and fun time!

This place is kind of odd. It's a dive and it isn't that great. On the other hand, it's hard to find a decent dive in this part of town and if you're in the mood to just have a few with no pretension this place fits the bill.

My friend and I purchased two $50 tickets for the New Years Eve event at this bar. Upon arrival, we did not want to leave our empty plastic cups in the uber that dropped us off. Before entering the line, we placed our cups on the ground because there was not a garbage nearby. We stood in line and when meeting the bouncer were told, "you two can't come in. You were seen approaching with two cups. We smelt them and smelt alcohol in them". When asking to speak with a manager, I was spoken to by several rude men who were also working the door. While I will certainly admit that I was upset, I was attempting to reason with the managers because I'm well-aware that throwing a fit was not going to get me in. When approaching the manager he proceeded to state, "let me have my cigarette before you have a mental breakdown" and walked away from my friend and me. At that point, I had no interest in entering the bar. I will not return to Coogans simply because of the negative interactions I had with the staff.

Dollar beers are so nice in Boston. Food isn't bad either. Great spot for post work fridays.

Literally just tried to go to the bar and the short bouncer with a pony tail who "has been doing this for 10 years" just turned down my friend who is 23 years old, almost 24 because her ID is from South Carolina and claims that her 5 year old ID (not expired) is "missing something". Wouldn't take credit cards or a picture of her PASSPORT as second form either. And then they made us get out from under the awning while waiting for an Uber into the pouring rain. Went from favorite bar to never going back. Absolutely the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen to reject a legitimate adult with a legitimate ID.

Ordered the wings, the portions were either very small or very large. The food was good though and our waitress was very nice. The atmosphere seemed a little aggressive from the bar area though we sat in the corner by the window. The major problem I had with this place was the men's bathroom. It was very disgusting and definitely not maintained at all, the stall made it to where you might just want to wait until you leave the restaurant to say the least. Other than that it was ..aight..

It's a bar. It's in the Financial District, and it's cheap. Last night I was there with my husband and friend, and ordered a few beers. We clearly ordered Harpoon Summer, but the bartender gave us Bud Light. We asked the bartender what that was in the pint glass because it wasn't Harpoon, and he vehemently said it was Harpoon. Like eff it whatever...it's beer, and I need one. Then later, he asked us if we wanted another Bud Light... Bartender man...get your facts straight. Harpoon is Harpoon. Bud Light is Bud Light. We're not stupid.