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Category: Pool Halls [Edit]
Neighborhood: FenwayI give it such a high rating mainly because of the free pool Thursday nights with a college ID. They played some great music before 10:30, but then they turned it up to deafening heights and started pumping the latest crap. That's about when we left. Before that, though, it was an awesome night of free pool, classic rock and overpriced drinks. Yes, very overpriced drinks...get your drink on before showing up is my advice (it's within walking distance of my place). They had the audacity to make a glass of Gallo wine $8....wtf?!?!? I'm pretty sure you could get 5 gallons of that crap for that price anywhere else. Besides the absurdity, the pool tables were in good condition and they have a pretty big selection of cues. If you enjoy pool you will enjoy it here!
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Boston Billiards is my main squeeze in the Fenway area - it totally rocks my world and trumps even neighboring greats as Beerworks and Jillians. There have been many different things that Boston Billiards has been there for me on:
A couple hours before a Red Sox game when you just want to get your drink on (and maybe grab food too) so you can not buy as many $7 beers. Many of the bars right outside Fenway are over-crowded. Billiards, located just that extra hundred feet down Brookline Ave, is busy but is large enough that there is space to hang out, sit, and get decent service. And then I get to go to the game happy, well-fed, and feeling good.
I also once organized an event at Boston Billiard Club for a work party of about 30 guests. They have several different size rooms which can be reserved for a reasonable fee for the area. Working with the staff there to plan the event was a breeze - and during the event our dedicated waitress and evening manager absolutely catered to everything we wanted. I got many compliments on this event (group of young professionals) and would highly recommend the venue to others!
And of course who can complain if you like playing pool? Though on a busy night it can be tough to get a table, there's still enough that it usually works out. Honestly I like stopping in to just hang out and grab a few good drinks - ever tried Sex on a Pool Table? ::wink:: Ask one of the bartenders there bout that one.
This is my favorite place to play pool in Boston, and it's mostly for the service. The staff has been nothing but outstanding every time I've come here. The Rack used to have the best service (in my opinion), but it is long since closed and BB has replaced it at the top of my list.
The tables, cues and balls are in decent enough shape. Not mint condition, but no one should be blaming their bad shots on the table.
Rates are competitive with the other pool halls around (Jillians and Kings). I'm surprised it's not cheaper in the afternoons (I think it is $7/hr before 5), but that is probably just me missing free pool Saturday afternoons at The Rack. I know, I need to let go.
They still need to upgrade a lot of their TVs to HD flat panels. I'm really surprised this wasn't part of the renovations they made a few years ago.
It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I actually like that they have DJs spinning tunes on weekend nights. It does get loud, though...
So I'm giving BB four stars. If you don't care about the TVs or the lack of special afternoon rates, bump it up to five.
OK, we play pool a lot. We're not good, but we've probably been playing an average of 2-3 nights per week for the last 1.5 years. We've been to lots of pool halls/bars with pool tables.
As far as BBC goes I'd give them 4 stars if it weren't for the utterly awful service we had the other night. But if I gave them 4 stars then they'll never learn anything. That's the whole point of Yelp, right?
They put us off in the side area where we proceeded to play pool, drink, and eat. Things went well aside from the fact that the drinks were smaller than normal seeing that they were using plastic cups (post Sox opening game rush I guess). About 2 hours in our waitress simply stops serving us. We waited for 30 minutes for her to come by to check on us. When she finally did we ordered more drinks. Another 30+ minutes passed and still no drinks. It's important to note that our waitress was in sight for most of the time chatting with the staff guys... suffice it to say it wasn't because she was busy; she simply neglected us. Or forgot... for more why she may have forgot read on...
Moreover, there were serious shenanigans going on in the women's room with several other female waitresses. The same waitresses went back and forth into the bathroom about 6 times over the course of an hour or so (always along with a second waitress). For a couple of rather sober (by that time) onlookers, one of whom was present in the ladies room while they were too, it was pretty obvious that some sort of illicit substances were involved. So in conclusion it was pretty frustrating that it took an hour to get served simply because the wait staff wasn't doing their job (at least the ones working where we were).
We did complain about the lack of service and the hostess at the front was kind enough to relocate us to a better area (where we still didn't get served, but at least we were close to a bar). We said something at the end of the night too and the hostess did take care of us. She was very apologetic too. She did a great job making us feel as if they actually valued our patronage (ahem Kings). We were very happy with how she handled things.
That said, I've been to BBC a few times now and I really do like the place. The crowd is generally pretty cool. The atmosphere is hip and open and is an overall great pool environment. The sticks are generally straight. The felt is generally in good repair. I'll definitely be back, but will be less forgiving if the same stuff happens again.
Free pool with a college ID on Thursday nights.
Free drinks for us because we have a friend who used to work with the guy who now manages Boston Billiards.
It's a very large, open space where you're free to do your pool thing with your friends without being bothered/bumped in to/in the way. I don't see it being a place to really meet people, but a place to hang out with friends.
Boston Billiard's: not as nice as Jillian's but with some definite pluses.
The Good:
- The waitresses are attentive without being annoying. She would always show up to refresh our drinks just as we were about to swallow the last gulp. Perfect timing.
- The wait at the bar was almost non-existent.
- Able to find a few decent pool cues.
- No wait for a pool table.
- Clean bathrooms.
- Hoop Fever (even though it was hogged all night).
The Not-So-Good:
- We had just stepped away from the bar with a round of drinks when we were told that it was closing time and we had to leave. Basically, just threw $50 away. (Wouldn't have been so bothersome but the guy who told us to leave had seen us go to the bar and then order and then only after we stepped away, told us this information. Thanks, buddy.)
- The air hockey table was out of order and yet when a friend and I stood next to it (there was contact with our legs), we were berated for sitting on the table. Huh?
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No frills, and the crowd was chill. There were a bunch of games to play (basketball, air hockey, etc.).
I think that a good time here depends on the people you go with, which is true with a lot of places (mini golf, gocart, beach, etc.). If you don't have a good time, blame your friends!!!
Otherwise, this place is pretty chill. I went on a friday night, and it wasn't too crowded or anything.
They have food and stuff too, if you feel like it. You can park at the trilogy apartments garage, on weekdays in after 4pm, out before 8am, as well as anytime on weekends, it's $5 a day! take advantage!
Despite the outrageous price for a Miller Lite draught and inefficient check out, I love this place for being a Chuck E. Cheese for adults. I consider myself an "active drinker" and appreciate having a wide array of bar games to choose from: pool, Photo Hunt, foosball, air hockey, Jumpshot, pinball, Buck Hunter, Bags, etc. Last time I went, I heard several songs repeated multiple times on the juke box (pet peeve) before I decided to assume control. However, this could be due to the fact that it was college night, or the fact that I was there for over 6 hours. Their food is decent and it's also a great place to watch Sox games with a bunch of enthusiastic fans as it isn't as crowded as the bars right near Fenway. If only their machines spit out tickets that you could redeem for beer...
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I am going to make this short and sweet, as my head is starting to hurt from last night's work event here.
Stars:
+2 for the overall nicest waitstaff I have seen in a while
+1 for excellent food and spicy salsa
+1 nice, clean bathrooms
+1 for being way nicer/less skeezy than Jillians
+1 for Naked Lady Photohunt, air hockey, fooseball and a mini arcade
-1 for a $5.50 Miller Lite draft
-1 for giving me a number for my tab (seriously, you want me to remember a number??!)
-1 for making me pay my bar tab at the front with everyone and their mother that was paying for pool (because you gave me a number for my tab)
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My favorite thing about pool is all the booty that gets popped out when people are going for the shot, and there was plenty of this at the Boston Billiard Club.
Some friends and I went out on a Saturday night for a little billiard action. It was my first time at this fine establishment, so I was sure to wear my best jeans and tall boots. I am by no means a good pool player. I am proud of myself if I can manage to actually hit the balls, but I was doing my thing on this particular evening. So what if I the cue ball went in the pocket with the eight ball when I was going for the win, my booty was looking fine as I was leaning on that table.
The place was busy, but not overcrowded. We had a 30 minute wait for a pool table, but we sat and had some food first. The "hired guns" (as one of my male friends referred to the lovely waitstaff) were friendly, pleasant and relatively attentive for a busy night.
It was a fun night in a clean joint with some good 80's and 90's music. I enjoyed the atmosphere. ;)
We were disappointed with the service. Several (at least 5) food and drink orders that we never ordered were placed in the room that our group had rented out. This occurred throughout the course of the evening--and apparently the staff didn't notice until we complained. When we returned a few of the items and asked them to be taken off the bill, the waitress told us they were "never on the bill" in the first place. This was before we got the bill. But later we found a few more unordered items, and they were on the bill we got. To the staff's credit, all the unordered items were taken off. But it should have never happened in the first place, and we had to stay a while and sort everything out. We will not be giving them our business in the future.
I hate to be so negative, so here were a few positives: the food was decent (standard bar/pub food). The private room we rented out had a nice ambience, and the pool tables were good. Prices were reasonable in general.
Stopped in for my office holiday party last night. Believe it or not I got parking on the street at a meter at 5pm on a Tuesday!
The back rooms for rent were at a very reasonable price and the rooms themselves are beautiful. The leather couches, the bookshelves, and the lighting all gave it a warm, comfy vibe that is very different than the usual setting for an office holiday party.
Their chicken wings are absolutely wonderful. Trust me, I'm very picky about my wings, and I couldn't get enough of 'em!
The tables were nice, though there was a big stain on one of them, indicating the need to re-felt. The sticks they provided were adequate, as were the balls and chalk. I wish they had hand chalk there, though.
The hostess and the servers were very nice and cordial, and we all had a very pleasant time. Other than me losing four games in a row to the president of the company. I won't hesitate to book my next event there, be it personal or business.
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Seeing as this is one of the few venues where I DON'T go to meet new people, I'm going to rate this place according to service, convenience, ambience, and all the other normal criteria.
The pool tables and cues available are good. IME, the cues are always straight, the felt always cleaned, the tables unpartyfouled. The price per hour (I think it's 7-10$ an hour for weekends?) isn't awful, but appropriate if you need a breather from Lansdowne. Thus, the BBC is in a very convenient location, which is a godsend for me, and merits it an extra star. The extra space in the club gives it a nice anti-claustrophobia effect.
The front receptionist is always either chatting with some douchey coworker, or people waiting for their tables. Getting even remotely polite service out of this girl is impossible short of flirting with her. Flirting just to get decent service is F-ed up, and like I said, this is my "game off" zone, so I'm not down for that. Bad service is my ultimate Pet Peeve. However, they recently hired this asian chick that is much nicer to customers. Yay.
The music is good until the venue transforms into club mode, then they start playing top 40's music and the female staff get onto the dancefloor and start doing glow-in-the-dark hula hoops. Whoops, weirdest thing ever!
One night, they placed strictly Motown music while I was there, like 4 straight James Brown songs! I was doing my Funky President dance while lining up my shots. AWESOME.
It's got a pretty standard billiard hall ambience, but the addition of a large bar and lounge area in the center gives it a more nightclubbish feel.
If you love pool, and need some personal time, I find this venue to be a great shelter.
The nightlife looks allright on the weekends, as well, but I never really explored it.
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Boston Billiards is more fun when you know someone who works there, you get put at the front of the waiting list for a table and no one seems to notice because they are all waiting at the bar for what can be an hour or two just to get in a little bit of pool before you are getting kicked out. Anyway, some of the tables are really close together, and when there is a really big party at a table you are constantly trying to get people to move out of the way. If you are lucky enough to have an office party there you usually get one of the VIP areas that have more room around the tables which is nice, when I worked at Fidelity our Christmas party was at Boston Billiards and it was great not having to deal with all the other people, that and I didn't have to pay for anything which is key because Boston Billiards can get expensive if you lose track of time and the amount of beer you consumed.
Haven't eaten here before, but I've come to play pool and drink. Never had a bad time. They have a dance floor on Saturdays (I think?) but never seen it very populated. My friends danced with a lonely soul one time for kicks.
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Great place for serious players. Nice tables (maybe 50 or so 9-ft Brunswicks), quality equipment and inexpensive compared to the other options. It's a pool hall with some club tendencies, so you'll get your share of loud music and people. There's a small arcade section if you're into that as well as private rooms for parties. Good leagues too, but it's all in-house; no national affiliations. There's leagues or tournaments on most nights of the week.
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What can I say - I've been hitting this place for years. They have the best combination of quality tables, drinks, cute waitresses, and enough room to handle whatever size group you want to bring down.
Some of the tables are warped (sadly showcase table 25 is very, very off right now). The sticks aren't in the greatest condition, but you can always find a useable one if you need one. The tabels are relatively clean and managed. For pool, it's orders of magnitude better than Jillian's. The tables are much more reasonably priced than they used to be - and I'm told is the cheapest place you can find that uses simonis cloth.
The drinks can be hit or miss. It all depends on who's bartending. But if you order simple things like I do, that's not an issue. The food is decent, about what you can expect from a pool hall. The menu is limited, but again, as much as you can expect from a pool hall. The value meal is definitely the fish and chips.
The waitresses can be hit or miss too. Some are better than others. Some are friendlier than others. They all have to wear black dresses, although they used to wear interesting stockings until management squashed that (at which point my quality of pool play inexplicably increased). I always give them big tips because they bring me my drinks back strong and quickly.
The crowd totally depends on the night. The one universal constant is that on red sox home game nights the place is packed with sox fans pregame (and postgame if they win). But if you're there for the pool, the crowd doesn't really matter does it?
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It's a giant pool hall with a bar and half naked waitresses.
I used to work next door at The Boston Phoenix and occasionally stop by when I got out and we also had our Holiday party there every year. The bartenders and waitresses are all really nice. I've only eaten there a couple times but the food is pretty good.
Usually the crowd is decent but sometimes you'll go on a night full of 'Yah Doods' that just have to ruin everyones good time.
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Oddly enough, my first time at Boston Billiards was yesterday for a work function. As far as pool halls go, I don't think it's as good as Jillians. It's your basic pool hall; no better, no worse. We did however get a really sweet private room in the back with two pool tables and a buffet counter. The room was a decent size, although it was a little tight with 30 people. Even tougher to play a game of pool without knockin' someone out. However, it's a great choice for a private party whether you play pool or not. Most people were too busy drinking anyway.
The tables were Brunswick's and of high quality, but looked like they needed to be cleaned a little. Some of the cues were also warped, but no big deal. There's really not much to say about the food and drinks. They have your basic bar selection (burgers, pizza, etc.), but everything is reasonably priced.
If anything, I have to say that the service is excellent. All the waitresses and hosts were super attentive and friendly. Granted everyone was tipping like no tomorrow, but when you don't have to wait long for beer and food, it's a good thing. I got to say though, the waitresses must share the same skimpy, black outfits with the girls at Jillians cause they're all about the size of a wrist band.
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Go here to play pool and have a few drinks and unwind. Not a destination if you don't like pool. That's why it's called Boston Billiard Club. Go figure...
Very professionally run and great staff at all of there locations.
Went to a few of them, always had fun. I am not sure which one in Western Mass I used to go to. But that was in college and like so long ago.
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Loved this place. Huge plus that Boston banned smoking in bars....now you can go to a pool hall and not come home smelling like a 10-day old ashtray. Lots of good people watching, enough space to play your game, and very attentive waitstaff. Such good service, the waitress/waiter will come by often enough that you're never left high and dry without a drink...I'd also recommend the nachos. Tasty. Great place to go out, drink, play some pool and have a chill and fun Saturday night.
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A large place with pool tables as far as the eye can see in the dark. I'm not sure why you would come here for anything else, though of course, pool is best accompanied by food and beer.
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Fun time, reasonably priced drinks. Get there early - especially on Ladies' Night. Just be careful of the skeevy "midlife crisis" guys cruising for sorority girls. I saw a pair of guys who looked like they'd raided the wardrobe for Miami Vice. Members Only and 8-Ball jackets after 1985? Puh-lez.
I don't play pool, but I was in the area, for the DMB concert, and I was hungry. My first choice was BeerWorks, but of course that wasn't to be.
So the boy and I stumble into here and are quickly greeted by a hostess asking if we want a pool table. No thanks, we came for food. Ok, just pick any table then. We did, it was empty at the time and easy to find one. A scantily clad server (Attn: Males, the women here all wear short black dresses and high heals, it's a fun place to friendly ogle women!) greeted us within a few minutes and took our drink orders ($2 Coors Light drafts, I think the special is running for the rest of the summer.). Beer was cold, that's really all you can say about it.
Food? The menu is titled "The Real Stuff" but consists of maybe 8-10 quickly fried appetizers. We tried the potato skins (which were horrible, no taste at all to them), chicken fingers (ok, but not overly impressive) and the fries (which were pretty good). The plates were a good size and easily sharable, but nothing to write home (or Yelp!) about.
It was getting very crowded by the end of our meal and the service really suffered because of it. Of course, you can't blame the servers, it was hard to even move around. My advice would be don't go to eat (or drink, the bar was packed too) on a busy night.
I'd come back here in a pinch, but honestly, there are a lot of places to try around Fenway, although not all serve food. Maybe I'll come back after I make the rounds, but definitely on a less crowded night.
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As a billiards junkie I have to respect what Boston billiards is trying to do. Although i gravitate toward the seedier pool halls, having a nice place like BB to go to is great. They need to upgrade their felt, and i have experienced some dead rails on occasion. However, in general the tables here are of superior quality.
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Good bar with pretty good service and plenty of pool tables. Fun place to go with friends and great place to go during baseball season and watch the game.
Suprisingly, their menu offerings are good based on the type of hangout it is. The Chicken Pesto Pizza is delicious and my favorite :-)
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what more can a guy ask for... i practically used to live there. 3 night/week habit. good tables in pretty good condition. have to be a regular to know which ones are best for location so minimum of idiots bump into you when you shoot. waitresses' outfits are a bonus, and you don't have to leave the table to get a drink. last two visits spanning 3 years, the 'vibe' has seemed to disappear, or lessen, from what it was in the past, but i'm only there for the tables anyway. for pool, it's the best place in boston.
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This place is fun but it can be hard to get a table on weekend nights when the wait can be over an hour. It is also pretty pricey and drinks are not made that well. Do you really want your cosmo to taste like a blowpop? They did a good new years party though, with a tasty food bar (lobster ravioli was the best) and champagne at your table...but then again I do not remember most of it and would have probably enjoyed anything at that point of stumbling.
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I had the worst service of my life here. It took 45 minutes for the waitress to bring us our beers and an additional 45 for us to get our food. She was also wearing the highest heels I've ever seen in my life, impressive but daunting. We left her a 10 percent tip and she got pissed. So, I never went back but that's my wealth of knowledge on the place.
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Sorry-- bending over to show me your clevage and laughing at my un-funny jokes is not going to get you a bigger tip or make your food any better. It's not terrible, but not great either. This establishment hires women who will dress in tight clothing and try to flirt their way into your wallet.
Dollar Drafts are a thing of beauty, however. Maybe it's just the vibe that I can't get used to though-- I'd rather be playing pool in a dive...
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In case you are the last person in Boston to know - they offer $1 drafts & hot dogs on game days. You can't beat it! As with all the area bars - get there early.
Now we're not big pool players to begin with, so don't expect a high review. We went here after dinner at the Boston Beer Works with a group of friends. as pool is, there's only 4 to a table if you actually want to get to play. There were a lot of tables though, so if you're in a bigger crowd it's easy to get tables next to each other. The prices weren't too bad (and it looked like more fun if you go on special nights) but the service was a little slow, and the waitresses do look a little "slutty" (which can be good or bad depending)
all in all, probably pretty fun if you love pool, but if you're not into it this doesn't seem like the place to start liking it
Cheap drinks and lots of pool. I've enjoyed this massive bar on game nights. It is pretty calm and so close to so many other bars so you can stop in and play some pool, then go try something else.
Great place to play pool!! You can always get a table here and the service is really good. They also have private rooms you can rent for parties. Great place to go on game day...$1 drafts and hot dogs!! Who can beat that!
Lots of seats, lots of pool tables, and typically no line. I like going here for the bar food, which is pretty reasonably priced, and the occasional draft beer deals they have(which I think they should have more since they are a pool hall not a club).
When it's busy, I've seen it be hard to get to the bar for a drink, but given all the servers and many pool tables and plentiful seating, it's acceptable. Definitely a mixed crowd of college kids/red sox fans/pool enthusiasts.
Perfect spot for a drink or snack if you want to get away from the typical packed bars in the area.
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A little dark and the waitresses are a little bit slutty but they have $2 drafts (Miller light). as an atmosphere, I prefer Jillians, but they have a full bar and a food selection as well. Small tvs and there are pool tables but you can barely see your hand in front of your face. I give it 2 stars. one for each dollar it costs to get a draft beer.
The crowd can be 'sketchy' in here at times. I hate coming in after 10:30 when the play top 40 and hip hop WAY too loud - one can only hear the Pussycat Dolls so many times before they go crazy. A plus, however, is the friendly waitstaff - all cute girls, and yes as someone said before - they are dressed in sexy outfits. The convenience factor to be able to get service to your table is def. a good thing. Look for the $2 Coor's Light draft specials during Sox season. Also, check out the full menu available till close - their apps are really good, try the jalapaeno poppers.
I haven't played billiards for a while. The semi-noisy but relaxing atmosphere made the event a good place to just hangout. Prices are good but be sure to come early, as the club tends to crowd up later in the night.
I'll never forget standing in the Boston Billairds club, watching the Red Sox win the World Series while right outside the windows, dozens of riot police were bused into Kenmore Square to quell the celebration. They may not have the best service (both slow and somewhat rude), and they may not have the best menu (small and expensive), but this is still a great place to watch a baseball game. The crowds are large and despite the myriad pool tables, most people will crowd the front room and bar area to watch the big screen TVs. Get there early and don't expect to get a great meal and you're all set.
Boston Billiards is a sweet bar in Boston right near fenway park. The beer is cheap (look for the 2 dollar draft specials) and the food is tasty. Theres plenty of seating available, and lots of pool tables and other games to play. The service isn' the best, even sitting at the bar I had to wait a good 5 minutes before being served, but I blame it on the popularity of the place and it being very crowded.
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