My husband and I came upon the Bell in Hand while venturing around Boston. After seeing its historical claim on the exterior, I thought it would be quite fun to eat there for lunch! It was quite warm, so we decides to dine inside where it was cool. The staff was very attentive and friendly. The atmosphere was wonderful! So cool to see that it wasn't just a tourist trap but that people in the community also seemed to gather for a drink with a friend. I was a bit worried that the food quality wouls suffer for the "tourism" aspect, but boy was I wrong! We first ordered the warm bree on crostinis. They were amazing and a sign of great things to come. My husband got the Samuel Adams burger, and I got the chicken pesto. Both came out fresh and delicious. The fries were crispy and seasoned with rosemary. My husband also got a cider on tap and was very pleased. We found the experience to be above our expectations and were so glad we stopped in! I would greatly recommend!
What makes this fun is the history of the place. Just off Quincy square this is a must see when visiting Boston. You may even see Ben Franklin sitting at the bar ?
Had the Bell in the Hand ale and a cider. Plus had oysters that were delicious! Neat experience on the freedom trail. Historical!
Central, historical, casual...what more is a traveller looking for? Beer? Yes, lots! And good food, quick & kind service, and LOTS all around 'Bell in Hand'. Central? How about being
We start every visit to Boston with lunch at Bell in Hand. The service usually has room for improvement (they are nice, just a little scattered), but the food is good (albeit, a little over-priced). But we know these things and don't mind, as an annual visit has become part of our tradition.Alcohol-free options include (in theory) two NA beers: Budweiser Zero and Sam Adams "only the haze" NA IPA. They didn't have either last year and only had one this year. Mildly annoying, but they're trying.
We had a nice outdoor table to enjoy a lobster roll and a couple of beers while the kids had lunch. Great food and service at one of the oldest bars in the country.
We went here for lunch. Had the clam chowder and after having chowder at other places this one is the best. Also had the lobster roll which was very good. The mac and cheese was also good. Ordered it with the chicken but should have ordered it with the lobster. Not the cheapest place but the food was excellent. Definitely recommend!
I was in Boston to work as a vendor for my friends business at Anime Boston May 27-29th. This was my first time ever being in Boston so I was extremely excited to go see some of the history of the town. Right before we left on the 30th we decided to try a new location for lunch; so we decided to check out the Bell in Hand Tavern.This location was kept clean, the staff was friendly, and the food was better than I could have expected! We were seated right away when we came in by the gentleman who greeted us. He also took our order and he had a great sense of humor. I decided to order the Classic Lobster Roll, it was time for me to have my first lobster roll! I also ordered the Warm French Brie & Fig Spread and a Sam Adams Summer Ale on the side.10/10 for the lobster roll!!!! I live in the Midwest so it’s not normal to get fresh fish, so to experience lobster THIS FRESH… just WOW! (and I normally don’t like lobster) The meat wasn’t lathered in Mayo like I see in other locations and it had lemon juice to help add even more to the freshness. The bun was lightly toasted to perfection to not be too crunchy but have stability to hold the mound of lobster with some lettuce. Fries on the side were fried well and had a great crisp to them.10/10 for the French Brie & Fig! Cheese was warm and soft with the sweetness of the fig. Wouldn’t have changed anything. I ate it so quickly I forgot to take a picture!Atmosphere was even for me 10/10 , it was loud but the way I describe it is the noise level made sense for what this tavern represented, it was warm and the wood was beautiful inside of it. Well stocked bar and they even had live music at times; we had finished and left right before but people were very excited for the live music!I will come back to this tavern every time I come into Boston!
America's oldest tavern! Worth it to stop and have a drink! They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We enjoyed many themed cocktails and had the buffalo nachos and the Mac and cheese. Both were very good. Absolutely worth a stop
We came here a couple times, twice for just a beer at the bar which we had excellent service. The last time we stayed for lunch. The food was great, and we ate outside. It started to rain a bit and some of the staff quickly moved us under an umbrella which was super nice. Only drawback on the last visit was our server was not as helpful as most of the other staff. Had to track her down for a 2nd round of drinks and she never checked on us after the food. I did see the other staff engaging with their customers and very friendly.