A Glimpse of Ireland

Brighton Center is located in the center of the Brighton neighborhood, which is not too far from Allston and is just a bit farther up on the Green Line. The 57 bus, which runs up Comm. Ave., also takes you right to the doorstep of many delightful Irish Pubs in Brighton Center. I didn't explore this lovely part of town until I lived in Brighton myself. The Brighton crowd is not quite as young as the Allston crowd. Instead, it is made up of a blend of college students and young professionals and most of the pubs and bars in the area close at 1AM. Some nights when I couldn't decide which of the Irish pubs to venture to, I made a night of it and went to a few of them throughout the night because they are all minutes away from one another.

Devlin's Bistro and Bar on Washington Street is the best place to start, especially on a cool summer evening because they have an outdoor patio in the back. The decor is more upscale and doesn't have the "living room comfort" feel to it, but the food is quite tasty. For an authentic Irish pub outing, right next door to Devlin's is Porter Belly's Pub which often has live Irish music at nights. A few minutes away are two other great pubs on Market Street, Corrib Pub and The Irish Village. Either of these pubs will make you feel like you are in Ireland because many of the employees are Irish men and women. If you ask for a Magner's cider, you will be asked if you want that with ice, just as they serve Magner's over in Ireland. Not only are the bartender's Irish, but so are many of the patrons and you will most definitely strike up an interesting conversation with the regulars.