Map Room Lounge
Restaurant · Back Bay ·
Cocktails, tea-infused drinks, tartines, and bar bites in library
Cocktails, tea-infused drinks, tartines, and bar bites in library
"A cocktail bar tucked inside the library’s central location in Copley Square that has been piloting a restaurant incubator program where the company that runs the library’s food programming hands the bar’s kitchen over to industry entrepreneurs to try out new dishes and reach a larger audience. The space served as the setting for a ten-day takeover by a Colombian vendor (see below) and hosted an earlier takeover by a dumpling purveyor, with menus and run times promoted via the lounge’s Instagram feed; a vendor application website is forthcoming. The lounge is slated to host three other restaurant takeovers in 2025: an Indian curry-sauce vendor expanding to full dishes in May 2025, a Korean food truck and caterer in August 2025, and a grilled-chicken operator in November 2025." - Erika Adams
"Chances are you haven’t been in a library since you were snorting ritalin to get through freshman year logic. But the main branch of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square is arguably the most beautiful building in the city, a 19th-century Italianate palace that will make you actually want to read instead of just telling people you like to. In a vaulted-ceiling room just off the main courtyard you’ll find one of the most unique cocktail bars in the city, the Map Room Tea Lounge. The tea-infused cocktails sound gimmicky, but they’re actually really good, and there’s a small menu of tartines and other bites that will hold you over as you struggle through the first 10 pages of The Sound And The Fury before giving up for the fourth time in your life." - dan secatore
"The restaurant inside the central library branch in Copley Square is hosting a takeover in collaboration with a well-regarded Chinese dumpling shop; during the takeover patrons can sample authentic Chinese dishes and sip craft cocktails. The pop-up is run by the same operator behind a recently opened downtown venue and is part of a broader Community Table Initiative, running through October 6." - Nathan Tavares
"Who doesn’t love a pairing of literature and lunch? You can drink cocktails and have a bite at the Boston Public Library’s beautiful main branch in Copley Square. The Map Room Tea Lounge is open for tea time reservations on Friday and Saturday afternoons or walk-in bar bites Wednesday through Saturday afternoons, featuring literature-inspired, tea-infused cocktails. The bar bite selection isn’t very extensive, but the ambiance is a must for book lovers, and the perfect mid-day escape for a solo explorer." - Nathan Tavares
"The Map Room Tea Lounge is a beautiful cocktail bar inside of the main branch of the Boston Public Library. The cocktails are generally tea-infused, but they’re not gimmicky, and they’re not watered-down drinks that will disappoint your friend who barrel-ages bourbon in his kitchen. If you’re showing off Boston to an out-of-towner, take them here to grab a drink and a tartine, as it’s one of the most unique places in the city." - Dan Secatore
