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Ames Plow Tavern
Categories: Nightlife Bars Restaurants American (Traditional) Bars, American (Traditional) [Edit]
9 Commercial StBoston, MA 02228
(617) 523-8928
- Nearest Transit:
-
Atlantic Ave @ State St (4)
Atlantic Ave @ State St-marriot Hotel (4)
Aquarium Station - Outbound (Blue Line)
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
41 reviews for Ames Plow Tavern
Review Highlights
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"The people watching is top notch." In 5 reviews -
"The outdoor seating was lovely, but super-crowded." In 4 reviews -
"...is one place to go -go downstairs into the dankest bar in..." In 3 reviews
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41 reviews in English
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Review from Bill L.
Boston, MA
1/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Comfort food in a historic old building, with friendly staff and plenty of TVs. What's not to love?
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Review from Brett S.
Forsyth, IL
5/20/2012
Came for drinks and nachos. Seating was quick but for good reason. Cold nachos and few beer choices! Will not be returning.
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Review from Nick G.
Salem, MA
4/10/2012
If you're like me and sometimes you just want a simple burger at lunch that doesn't cost $12 and doesn't come with the crowd and the stuffed shirts, check this place out. Double burgers for $8, and some chips. How can you go wrong? Why complain that there are no fries? Its a basement bar! Get real, put the ego in neutral, watch some espn, get waited on by a bartender who couldn't be nicer, and order up that double burger. I've been there 3 times and thankfully I haven't worn my dunce cap and ordered a wrap or salad. Its been 3 different double burgers and a home run each time.
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Review from Adam G.
Pembroke, MA
3/19/2012
I am not too crazy about this place. I saw a big sign advertising "$1.50 Coors light draft" when I went inside and ordered it the waitress (who gave good service, no issue there) explained the "$1.50 Coors light draft" was a tiny glass. (About ten ounces, smaller than a can of beer) and pushed me to get the big one because it was a ''much better deal." at $3.00. This was not a big deal but I just felt like it was a bait and switch since the special was the only reason I decided to go in. This is an unremarkable bar, I've had better but I've had worse. I am not cheap or overly critical but some truth in advertising would have made a world of a difference for me. I work hard for my money and i don't like feeling manipulated. With so many bars in the area it would be a shame to come here. Try Bell in Hand, or Zuma for a similar basement dive bar feel and excellent Tex-Mex with a happy hour menu.
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Review from Scott M.
7/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Seriously, over three stars on average from this many reviews is a sad statement on what we are willing to call good food. So if you want a Tombstone pizza served at a restaurant then come on in. The food is not good, in fact I'd rather have the Tombstone pizza. The caesar salad is uninspired as well. It consists of basic iceberg lettuce, croutons and grated cheese with the same commercial bulk salad dressing you get anywhere. Food gets two stars.
The venue is in a great location. You can sit outdoors of Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall. The people watching is top notch. The venue gets four stars for location. The service was good but not great and gets three stars.
So obviously the food is the achilles' heel of this establishment. Perhaps if you just want a drink and sit and people watch then it's rating would be higher. If you want to eat dinner with friends and family I'd move on along. -
Review from Tom G.
Watertown, MA
3/26/2011
I work in Faneuil Hall, and there is obviously no shortage of bars to drink at after work there, but I always find myself at Ames Plow. It's not an accident or a coincidence.
First off, they have the best behind-the-bar staff in the area. They're all attentive, quick with a drink, and will all offer up some good conversation while you drink. Then there's the food. The sliders are a staple. Trust me, order 4. You won't be sad. There's also a chili-cheese hot dog that hits the spot perfectly with a beer. They also have a jukebox that you can find damn near anything on.
As for the clientele, well, it's not the usual Faneuil fare. It's a far more down-to-earth crowd. No blowouts, no GTL, just a bunch or reasonable people having a drink. It's much more comfortable that it's neighbors.
They also have a pretty bangin outdoor bar that I spent a lot of time at last year, and plan on spending a lot of time at this summer. -
Review from Pete J.
1/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
It's not a dive bar, and it's certainly not a sports bar, I'm not sure exactly what this place is.
It's no bigger than some bathrooms I've been in, but smells a bit nicer, in fact it had some kind of peppermint smell to it. It wasn't a nasty smell as such, but not really pleasant either, like it was some kind of peppermint cleaning product.
Holy Christ was the music loud though. But the emo-types at the bar were enjoying rocking out to Taking Back Sunday on the jukebox.
From my vantage point at the bar I could see the kitchen and probably wouldn't order food from here. The only tools they seemed to have were a toaster, a coffee maker and a microwave, it would make for a very interesting quick-fire challenge on Top Chef.
The bartender was attentive, drinks were cold, prices were Faneuil Hall standard. -
Review from Beth B.
Round Rock, TX
5/4/2011
The outdoor seating was lovely, but super-crowded. They just jam-pack you in. The chowder was good and the beer just fine (when is Harpoon NOT fine?), but the service was terrible. It took 15 minutes to get a waiter to come take our order, and then he forgot it. We finally got our beer, but it took another 15 minutes to get the chowder. Fortunately, he realized his error and comp'd us both chowders.
All in all, not a bad place to stop in to crowd watch and grab a drink, but the service was pretty poor early (6-7pm) on a Friday. -
Review from Dennis L.
8/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I only visited Ames for a beer, so I cannot say much about their menu. Their great outdoor seating area is an excellent spot for people watching in the Faneuil Hall area. The prices were good and the service was prompt and friendly.
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Review from Andy H.
Brooklyn, NY
3/25/2009
Ugh. I love dive bars, but this place absolutely sucked. The beer I ordered first was luke warm and when I took it back for a new one, the beer was flat and tasted funny. Gross skunky beer is a very sad thing to an Irishman. It is like seeing one of your children get hurt or seeing your father cry. Just a damn shame.
The bar itself also was awful and apparently a douche bag convention was in town this weekend and all decided to party at Ames Plow Tavern. Think that kid you hated in high school mixed with that guy from Good Will Hunting that tried to make Matt Damon look silly in the bar mixed with ugly.
What I am trying to say is that I really didn't like this place...at all. -
Review from Scott B.
Mid-Cambridge, MA
11/8/2009
I've probably been to Fannueil Hall about 5,692 times... and I've never noticed this little basement bar. I guess the 5,693rd times the charm.
I was slightly skeptical at first to try this place... I find most Fannueil Hall destinations to be tourist traps with overly priced food, and seedy service... but, alas, this is an exception.
The food was... well... cheap. And, that is exactly what I was looking for. With the purchase of a beer, I enjoyed a sausage sub for just $4.95... and that, my friends, is a Boston Bargain.
The service was average, and the ambiance is pretty cool... and this WOULD be a four star review... but.... they... don't... have... french fries! WTF! They would've been perfect with my sub, but i had to settle for potato chips and cole slaw.
So, when dining on a dime in Fannueil Hall... avoid the frenzy of the food court and duck into Ames Plow. Your belly and your wallet are sure to be satisfied. -
Review from Josh W.
Somerville, MA
7/17/2010
Not a dive, but an oasis of awesome in the desert of suck that is Fanuiel hall.
Great service, decent crowd, fair prices and strong drinks. -
Review from Christopher C.
9/13/2008
We sat outside, which from what I can tell looking at the other reviews might mean the drink selection was more limited. So, this is a review for the patio at Ames Plow Tavern.
OK, so I like a nice, casual, little-bit-divey place now and then. But this was so terrible all around. We went there today reluctantly because we were walking through Quincy to get from the Aquarium to the green line and we figured we'd stop somewhere for a beer. Yes, I know everything at Quincy is a tourist trap, but this was a serious disappointment. The place is called a "tavern" but they literally have only 2 beers on tap! And half of them are Coors Light! False advertising! Shenanigans! And they only serve little glasses, not proper pints.
The "loaded nachos" we ordered were covered in slimy cheese sauce -- the kind you get at the movies. Not what I would expect at a restaurant, not even a low end place like this. They weren't really loaded with anything other than way too much of that sauce and a few specks of meat and tomato. Then, as soon as she brought our nachos and beers, the waitress asked us to settle up because her shift was ending, but we shouldn't worry because we could stay as long as we wanted. Well, duh! I hope we can at least stay to finish the food and drinks you just brought! I hate when places allow their staff to do this. The shift scheduling of a restaurant shouldn't be of concern to the patrons.
We went to this place because the nachos were $6 cheaper than at Ned Devine's next door, and I think we probably got what we deserved for being such cheap asses. -
Review from Trish F.
Boston, MA
9/7/2007
One star for the menu made in Microsoft word (dorkus). Minus a star for the Faneuil Hall "tax" that makes burgers and hot dogs etc. about $2-3 more expensive there. One star for the outsideyness. Minus a star for the waitress that forgot I existed (now Chere and V can attest to my invisibility). One star for the company (Hooray for finally meeting Chere and V). Minus a star for the lack of alcohol in my raspberry margarita that was $8.50. One star for the hot dog that didn't make me feel ill afterwards. Minus a star for the name.. sounds like the store my high school gym teacher worked for part time. Minus a star for the sketchy guys by the bar that said "Why hello kids".. which I decided not to acknowledge.
So that's uh.... negative stars.. well some of the minuses couldn't be helped by the restaurant.. so they're excused.
PS - The lemonade guy that has a stand by Cheers might have spontaneously combusted. Just sayin'. His cigs, lighter, magazine, jacket, and tips were all at his stand and he was no where to be found. -
Review from Mindy L.
8/16/2010
Tried the barbeque burger. It tasted pretty good. It was a double patty burger which I wasn't expecting, but the burgers look (and taste) like they were likely frozen. They are served with Ruffles potato chips and coleslaw. It's a few steps up from fast food, but the location and price make up for anything lacking.
For Faneuil Hall - the cheap menu is refreshing and gets you out of the chaos inside Quincy Marketplace. -
Review from jim I.
Seattle, WA
7/1/2007
I rate this place highly because despite its killer location the Ames Plow has stayed true to itself. It isn't some swanky place, it doesn't try to be... wearing tennis shoes? Big deal... no Barry-Bonds-wannabe is going to rage on you and tell you get lost.
I can't comment on the food. I have never tried it. But in summer months they have a nice patio and the rest of the year they have a cosy little bar downstairs. I won't use the term dive... I prefer the term 'vintage'. -
Review from Mihir S.
Chicago, IL
8/4/2007
As we walked in, the bouncer or doorman (to the outside patio) was very nice. He didn't ID us and found seats for us. To bad the waitress wasn't like him. I've met houseplants with more personality. No smiling, no hellos...nada. The margaritas were good though as was the outdoor space. BUT there were so many fuckin' repugnant smokers there, I started getting sick. Worse than that was the group next to us who acted like they were in high school, singing along to sappy Nickleback songs and crying and hugging and telling each other how much they love one another. They were creating visuals and sounds that made me want to punch babies.*
* yes, I ripped off the line from Dane Cook -
Review from Jeremy K.
8/12/2009
No idea why Andy below referred to this place as a Dive Bar. It's right near State Street and in Faneuil Hall, there's nothing divy about it.
It's located in a basement right in Faneuil Hall, under Ned Devines, is fairly small but their quick service, strong selection of beers and couple of TVs make it a great place if you want to grab a beer and talk to your friends without having to shout over loud music.
There's nothing special or exciting about the place, just beer, a couple of seats, a couple of TVs and that's just fine by me! That's all I need.
They have a terrace in the summer which is also a plus. I have yet to try their food but I'm sure that I will return there sometime in the future. I also like the fact that you can get in without having to wear nice shoes or a button up. So I salute you and thank you for being around, Ames Plow Tavern. Keep it up! -
Review from Kymberly J.
Oak Park, IL
3/3/2008
I have had only two phenomenal burgers in my life. One at Fat Burger in Las Vegas and the other here, at Ames Plow bar. I've lived in the beef town of Chicago my whole 34 year existence and it shames me to say that about another town's burger.
We were the only ones there that Friday afternoon to eat our first real meal in Boston. I think everyone was trying to enjoy the last few days of beautiful fall weather outside. The service was friendly, and the food was great. The give you chips instead of fries (maybe this is a Boston thing because no one seemed to serve fries) and a wonderful pickle with their big juicy burger.
Yummmm! -
Review from Hailey T.
Boston, MA
7/17/2011 6 Check-ins Here
If you're in the area and looking for a cold beer and a cheap snack, by all means this place is a good spot. I like sitting outside, and, wait, oh yes there's outdoor seating and a bartender ready to serve me a couple cold ones. The nachos were pretty good. I mean, it's a standard bar, but it's not dirty and there's great people watching. It's a touristy area, but in my perspective I figure that means there's always something going on.
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Review from Magnus T.
Brookline, MA
7/11/2011
Ames Plow is a bit touristy, but touristy in a nice way. In an overpriced neighborhood with a huge selection of awful food, Ames Plow offers a good menu of tasty dishes at reasonable prices. They have nice outdoor seating and are good with children. Great for a casual occasion when you are in the neighborhood.
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Review from Haley S.
Cambridge, MA
9/3/2008
If you find yourself playing tourist in Faneuil Hall, or your out-voted and stuck there for the night. The Ames Plow is the lesser of all the evils Faneuil has to offer. Ames is a very low key pitcher of beer type of place. No frills and questionably clean bathrooms with a limited beer selection. A group can sit outside and chat with virtually no pressure from the wait staff to hurry up and order another drink.
I've never actually eaten here, but it's a great place for people watching the line for Ned Devine's. Good place for a group who likes to share a pitcher and have a quiet enough space to talk and laugh. -
Review from Jenn T.
Los Angeles, CA
6/30/2007
Picture this: Wednesday night: 11:30pm with two highly inebriated young women not too familiar with Boston decide to hop into a cab and ask (where is the closest area to several dive bars - ones with Foosball tables?) to which the driver responds: Quinn Marketplace (that's what I think I heard in the haze of whatever it was in my head).
We get dropped off and walk the not so familiar cobblestone. I spot something from the corner of my eye: What seems to be an underground pub of sorts. Score!
No. Wrong! Empty. Dead and the bartender was not my favorite of all people (maybe if he had something more interesting to say). I don't ask for much, all I ask for is a good group of happy loud and obnoxious people when I go to place that dare call itself a tavern. Wednesday night or not, hey it's Wednesday! That's why you go to the pub. -
Review from Jessica C.
Philadelphia, PA
7/3/2011
We waited here in the patio for our friends before we entered Ned Devine's. Ames Plow was rather nice. Bland and touristy, but it fit the bill. Drinks were not too expensive either - we had Coronas and Heinekens at $5 each. Good for a warm, breezy summer night of conversation.
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Review from Sara C.
Cambridge, MA
3/22/2011
I went to Ames Plow Tavern with expectations of a average eating and drinking experience, but to my surprise the service was outstanding and the drinks were amazing!
The food was reasonably priced, and did its job.
The real star of this place was a friendly bartender named christian, he was knowledgable, charismatic, friendly, and oh yeah he makes great drinks!
The overall service was great, and that for me makes an experience great. -
Review from Sus M.
Boston, MA
6/17/2010
great
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Review from Brian D.
1/7/2008
If you happen to be shit out of luck and stuck in Faneuil Hall for any reason, Christmas shopping, lost, wife shopping with her scary aunts, lost, drunk already. lost. Do not fret - there is one place to go -go downstairs into the dankest bar in sight, Ames Plow. This is not a terrible spot to kill up to 60 minutes with a few beers and plenty o TV action. The drink prices are not 'gouge your eyes out' bad they are just 'a bit too much if you drink like i do'. This is an old-timey sort of Bostonian's bar, well might have been back in the day. Now, it's sort of like a island oasis in a sea of shit - what can you really expect? That being said, I'd go back any day of the week.
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Review from Jennifer k.
Jamaica Plain, MA
4/7/2011
Ames is my go to spot in Faneuil hall. If you're looking for some good conversation and cheap food and beers, this is the spot. The staff here are always down for good conversation as well as thinking of new drinks that will honest to god blow your mind.
Being female, this is definitely a bar where I can wind down after work and avoid the creep show.
It's not a fancy dance-y club bar but it's an honest place and that's all you need. -
Review from M J.
Plymouth, MA
9/25/2011
What a waste of a great spot. The bar downstairs is pretty cool but the outside patio is the pits. The food is pricey and not worth it. If you want a place to go to get a beer and people watch this is the place other than that keep movin and you wouldn't be disappointed
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Review from Mickey M.
2/4/2009 1 Check-in Here
fits my taste as a bar that isn't like the swanky other bars in the area. You go to drink, that's about it. I wouldn't recommend the food or staying here for a whole night. It's a good stop-over going elsewhere. Drink up!
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Review from Ari H.
Newburyport, MA
2/2/2008
I've never eaten food here and don't know anyone who has. But if you're with a group of people and want to enjoy some beers or mixed drinks without a pretentious crowd, this is your place. It's nothing fancy but for a place under the friggin ground, what do you expect?
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Review from Nathan B.
Seattle, WA
12/31/2009 2 Check-ins Here
This was the second stop of my trip to Boston. After walking through Faneuil Hall and viewing the historic structures, we headed down the back stairs into the Ames Plow. It is small, but quite fun. We didn't stay very long, but long enough to enjoy a couple beers. The bartender (blonde girl) was nice enough and I'm sure helps attract some repeat customers.....
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Review from Jen R.
Boston, MA
8/27/2005 2 photos
Favorite aspect of this restaurant is that you can sit outside in the heart of Fanueil Hall. They are connected/affiliated/the same place as Ned Divines. The salads are good and oversized.
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Review from Steve U.
Lynn, MA
9/28/2009
Luckily for this place, I've been to some awful bars in my life. So just the main points, as I'd much rather write an extensive review on a deserving establishment.
Their beer selection, from the tap and bottle, is abysmal. It's sad when an alcoholic like myself can't even find something to whet his palate. I was reduced to drinking Harpoon IPAs...with a lemon. I'm not sure why I got the lemon, but knowing that I had to get the Harpoon IPA as my beer choice just made me want to furthur ruin my drinking experience by adding a lemon to it.
The other diners/drinkers I was with ordered a pepperoni pizza. The pizza was "gay," according to the other diners/drinkers. I wasn't hungry, but the pizza didn't look appetizing enough to make me scarf a piece.
This place is constantly barren, a feat in itself given its location outside of Faneuil Hall. The drinks are a bit pricey, perhaps, and the food is about average. Then again, one would expect bar food, and more importantly, bar-grade food, to be cheap. Oh yes, and the decor is like a homeless man's version of Cheers. It attempts to go for the "everything is made of wood" look, and succeeds, but in a bad, bad way. And Cheers is a lot funnier, too. -
Review from Andy J.
Big Lake, MN
7/18/2010
I just wanted a cold beer and maybe a snack, and that's what I got. I wouldn't come here for a meal, since it's bar food but the Guinness is good. The place was pretty dead but I think it has potential. For a place to drop in and have a beer I'd give the place a 3. Plus basement bars are cool.
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Review from K D.
West Newton, MA
4/24/2007
Fun atmoshpere, great people watching. It is what it is, a landmark outdoor watering hole in Faneuil Hall. This is not fine dining, but a place to park it and grab some cold drinks, gossip and have a salad.
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Review from Donal C.
East Watertown, MA
12/4/2009
Faneuil Hall is crawling with places to eat, and this places gives you a plastic knife and fork?
Burger was bad, and was accompanied by broken up chips. -
Review from Andrew B.
Boston, MA
2/1/2010
Faneuil Hall: a haven for preppy douche-bags and "Jersey Shore"-look-a-likes. If you end up here and don't want to wait in line with the floozies for Ned Devine's, walk next door to the Plow, sporting the friendliest summer-time patio and the warmest winter basement bar in Boston. Generous pours, a solid beer selection, and competent bartenders equals the best that Faneuil Hall has to offer. Lastly, be on the look-out for Doug--the man is not only a bartender but an entertainer.
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Review from Julie B.
Chicago, IL
7/3/2011
This place is lame. They were advertising $1 PBR, but when I ordered one, the girl said she couldn't serve it to me, but couldn't really explain why. While I was complaining, my friends were trying to ask her a question and she just walked away mid-sentence. She came back with the manager and he said the $1 PBR is just a hook to get people to go inside since everyone wants to sit on the patio during the summer. Stupid. Then the girl asks to see our IDs and has to bring them over to the manager for him to check them. Then we make the stupid mistake of trying to ask her some questions about beer, which she can't answer since she's barely 18 and doesn't know squat about alcohol. She delivers one ice creamy drink with no straw, which we have to ask for, then proceeds to bring the second, similar drink, also with no straw, which we again have to ask for. Then she throws attitude, leaves her tray on our table, and never comes back to check on us. Needless to say, we did not tip.
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Review from Paul D.
Boston, MA
12/26/2009
listen let me start by saying that ames plow is a BAR... all you yelpers reviewing their food have got to realize that their kitchen is literally a toaster, a microwave and a george forman grill....so yeah, no shit they dont have french fries, they dont even have a kichen...that being said, it is what it is, its a bar with fair to low prices friendly staff and a totally non-corporate chill neighborhood bar in faneuil hall... it is one of my top spots in Faneuil Hall... if in the summer you are looking for some outdoor beers, this is your place, if you are looking for great food and drinks outside i would hit up the Salty Dog down the other end!
