The Black Rose. Boston, Massachusetts.

160 State Street

Guinness Pour: $10.00 | Overall Rating: 8.15

Today's Dedicated Pint: Chad Hibbard. A good dart thrower, father, and friend.

Before I go to a new city and venture into as many Pubs as possible, I always ask around to gather opinions on which Pub/Pubs I should target first. If I only have time for a few, then I want to be sure I'm imbibing in the best ones (theoretically).

Majority of the time, the touristy Pubs in the city get talked about the most. I typically end up hating the touristy Pubs, despite them being on everyone's "you gotta go here" list. The Pubs where the industry folks are hanging out in are typically the better ones. You have to take a few things into consideration when it comes to extremely popular Pubs:

1. Many people follow the flock. "If everyone else says it's a great Pub, then if someone tells me otherwise, at least I have a bunch of people who will back me up."

   
   

2. Most touristy Pubs start out amazing, but once word gets out, the general public starts to swarm, resulting in an atmosphere no true Pubgoer actually wants. A room full of obnoxious, curt, entitled, cheap a-holes who ruin the vibe for the real ones. With this, results in bartender turnover, and after a while you get mediocre bartenders rather than the best. No bartender worth a damn wants to serve tourists all day, it's just not worth the time.

   
   

3. Not everyone has gone to every single Pub in the city, including locals. Despite the trendiest Pub being lower on someone's list, they may feel obligated to at least throw the Pub's name into conversation. "I mean, if you're going to the city, then you might as well check it out for yourself. I don't love it, but apparently everyone else seems to."

I'm not going to say that the Black Rose is a tourist trap, but it's certainly touristy. It sits alongside the Faneuil Hall Market, which is a fun place to walk around nonetheless, but it surely attracts every waking tourist walking around downtown Boston. If the Black Rose ever bellies up with the amount of foot traffic it gets, then you know the owners clearly screwed up. At this point, this place would almost have to purposely want to close if they ever shut their doors, because there are simply too many people who need food and a place to sit down in the immediate area.

This place is constantly packed, but is it because of its charm? Or perhaps is it because of the 18 million yearly visitors outside its front door?

I went into the Pub with open arms, as always. It'd be wrong of me to have any form of bias before my first sip inside. The mindset is always, "Alright, let's hope this is the best Pub of all time!"

The first thing you notice with every Pub is its curb appeal, and I loved what I saw here at the Rose. Slight accents of greenery sitting on the corner of State and Commercial, with gold lettering on a black background. It's classic. I love the name itself, too. "The Black Rose" was a form of a "fuck you" to the British Empire back in the day. The patio is a bit of a small covid patio, but it works. When I say, "covid patio," I'm referring to the makeshift patios between the sidewalk and street that bars were forced to develop if they wanted to stay open, that have now just sort have been left permanent. Not every patio of this nature is because of covid of course, but covid certainly gets reminded whenever I see patios like these. What an embarrassing couple of years for America. I wonder if any of those idiots have finally used up the 500+ rolls of toilet paper they mercilessly bought for absolutely no coherent reason at all.

As soon as you walk in, you are introduced to its tall-ceilinged, box-shaped atmosphere, with flags, emblems, and pictures hanging on the panorama. The interior is blissfully abundant with natural lighting, and I'm positive the amber glow from the light fixtures in here look great when it's dark outside. If you know me, then you know I typically bend the elbows inside Pubs while the sun is still shining, although sometimes there are exceptions. A Pub's lighting can totally make or break the overall experience, especially if the owner chooses really bright LEDs.

We couldn't find a barstool, so we opted for a high-top table overlooking the bar. The place poured its first pint in 1976, and today's pour was average at best. As I sat and put my head on a swivel, I noticed fun Guinness decorations, sweaty tourists yelling louder than they need to, and fun floor tiles. The music in here is fun, but a lot of it is the popular stuff everyone knows, such as "Shipping Up to Boston," and "Seven Deadly Sins." It's very safe to play nothing but top songs from popular artists. Both the whiskey and draft beer selections will satisfy your cravings, albeit you're certainly going to be opening your wallet to enjoy them. They have a plethora of merchandise ($30 t-shirts), nice looking ceiling beams, decent furniture, and a functioning bathroom.

This Pub offers just about everything you want cosmetically, but I'm confident this place isn't supplying you with the best base of regulars. Every good Pub has a group of regulars who support the place, but I will put a nickel on the fact that The Black Rose has a less exciting group of regulars when paired up against any of these Pubs below. Tell me I'm wrong.

1. Hap's Irish Pub, Cincinnati.

2. Dublin's, Chicago.

3. Crowley's Highland House.

4. Mulligan's, Johnson City.

5. O'Shea's Highlands, Louisville.

6. Harrigan's, Kettering.

7. The Kerryman, Chicago.

8. The Old Shillelagh, Detroit.

9. P.J. McIntyre's, Cleveland.

10. The Banshee, Buffalo.

11. O'Conners, Springfield.

12. Dorrian's Red Hand, Jersey City.

13. The Shannon, Hoboken.

14. Monsignor Murphy's, Chicago.

15. Pete's out in the Cold, New Orleans.

16. McGeary's, Albany.

17. Parasol's, New Orleans.

18. Finn's, Ellsworth.

19. McCauley's, Sharonville, Ohio.

20. Foley's, Reading.

21. The Dead Rabbit, NYC.

22. Erin Rose, New Orleans.

23. Ri Ra, both Charlotte and Portland.

24. Irish Rover, Louisville.

25. MacDiggers, Centerville.

26. R.P. McMurphy's, Cincinnati.

27. Nora Mac's, Charlotte.

28. Dublin Village Tavern, Dublin (Ohio).

29. Ryan's, French Quarter.

30. Cork Harbour, Pittsburgh.

31. The Boondock Saint, New Orleans.

32. Murphy's, Virginia Beach.

33. O'Malley's in the Alley, Cincinnati.

34. Four Green Fields, Tampa Bay.

35. Butch McGuire's, Chicago.

36. McCreary's, Franklin.

37. Logan's, Findlay.

38. Galway Arms, Chicago.

39. Full Shilling, NYC.

40. Corcoran's, Chicago.

41. Emmet's, Boston.

42. Mr. Dooley's, Boston.

43. Molly Malone's, both Covington and Louisville.

44. Kelly's Downtown, Lansing.

45. Crow's Nest, Cincinnati.

46. Finn McCool's, NOLA.

47. Lodge Tavern, Chicago.

48. Byrne's Pub, Columbus.

49. Flangan's, Blacklick.

50. Dublin Pub, Dayton.

51. D4, Chicago.

52. Clancy's, Knoxville.

53. Dempsey's, Columbus.

54. Connoly's on Fifth, Charlotte.

55. Celtic Crossing, Chicago.

56. Belfast Mill, Latta Arcade.

57. Leary's Landing, Bar Harbor.

58. Lizzie McNeil's, Chicago.

59. Willie McBride's, Hoboken.

60. Dwyer's, Portsmouth.

I'll stop there, but I have about 30 more in my pocket. Just ask. I don't mean to come off as rude, but facts are facts, and I'm here to deliver the duty, no matter how many feelings I hurt. The Black Rose is owned by the same group of people who run Coogan's down the street, and that place, well, just wait until I tell you about that one in a few weeks (it's pretty bad).

Anyways, The Black Rose isn't a bad Pub. I know I may have just made it seem like it's a bit of a piece of crap, but I do like it. I guess I'm just a little let down. They did a lot of things right, and the cosmetics are better than many. But ... just because everyone else is clearing the shelves of toilet paper, that doesn't mean you have to load up as well. And ... just because everyone says The Black Rose is amazing, that doesn't mean you have to jump on board as well. It's ok to go against the grain, so long as you're right!

Some Pubs don't miss the mark when they get swarmed with huge crowds, take The Dead Rabbit, Erin Rose, or Butch McGuire's for examples; I love those Pubs. I just can't say I'm in love with The Black Rose.

I recommend the place, but I'd probably tell you to go to either Emmet's, Mr. Dooley's, or Biddy Early's if you only have time for one or three Pubs while in town.

Good luck Black Rose, I wish you the best! Slainte.