JP Jitterbugs is an open-air dance venue on the shore of Jamaica Pond (at the Jamaica Pond Boat…read moreHouse). The dances occur on some Saturdays and typically start at 4 or 5PM with an hour and a half beginner lesson, followed by a party, typically to live music. The schedule is available at https://sites.google.com/view/jpjitterbugs/events or https://www.facebook.com/jpjitterbugs Logistics: street parking is free and not very hard to find, but be prepared to walk for 1-2 blocks. The boat house is a small two-storey structure (upper level is an open terrace with a roof) at the end of the lake corner of the Pond street, there is typically a pretty large crowd around it. You need to register for event (at the top of the stairs), vaccination is required, mask is optional. You will be fitted with a color-coded bracelet (there is an elaborate signaling ritual, starting with green "I am OK to dance with anyone, masked or not", all the way to the red "I cannot dance with strangers"). On the day I visited, the dance was technically free, with $5-$15 donation suggested. The venue: The band plays on the terrace. There are two dance surfaces: a small dance floor upstairs for a chosen few and a large asphalt surface downstairs for the unwashed masses like me. The latter has one of the most atrocious surfaces to be used for dancing, comparable only to the Lindy in the Park in San Francisco. Leave your good dance shoes at home and avoid any pivots or spins unless you are very sure of what you (and your partner) are capable of. Multiple park benches are available nearby, so sitting down is not an issue. Limited amount of shade is available. The crowd: more than 100 people of very mixed abilities, from absolute beginners to very advanced. Percentage of beginners is pretty high. On the day I visited there were noticeably, but not catastrophically, more followers than leads. Overall: a very high level of fun for an outdoor venue, in my (limited) experience comparable only to Lindy in the Park in the SF Golden Gate park (JP runs less frequently and has fewer onlookers, but it features live music and a pond to marvel at). Highly recommended. If you are a follower and do not know the community, bringing your own lead might be wise. A water bottle will also come handy.

Friendly and welcoming group of people. Everyone is welcome, and they are really encouraging of…read morebeginners!

A gay country western dance where everyone is welcome, gay and straight…read more I went to the Saturday dance, there is a Sunday one also. The Saturday dance is $10, with a country western two step lesson at 7pm and a line dance lesson at 7:30pm. The dance is 8-11pm. They offer snacks and you pay for drinks. You enter, pay your fee and fill out a name tag that states if you are a leader, follower or can do both roles. A large venue hall, on the side of the church, the Saturday I went, easily over 100 dancers. There is street parking, so can be a little difficult to find parking. Mostly beginner level dancers. The floor is fast in some spots so can be slick. There is a watching gallery on the second floor and it was nice and cool inside. They played music for country two step, west coast swing, east coast swing, cha cha and waltz. I went on a special night, they had their board elections and a country western gay performance team from NY called the Manhattan Prairie Dogs. It was a great night.

What a fun place! I went to a cabaret at dbar this fall and it was such a blast, made all the…read morebetter by the great venue, kind staff, and delicious food. The outside of the restaurant-turned-club does look like its dive bar predecessor, but the inside is dark, classy, and cozy - with a good dose of flashy lights and bling after dark. Since it was a special event as part of the "dbarLIVE" series, we had to make reservations a few weeks in advance on Open Table -- no cover or minimum for the reservation. We had a table of 6 that eventually crammed 8 together in a booth right next to the stage and bar areas. I worried we'd be blasted by the speakers and lights, but the acoustics were robust but well balanced. Our server was great and had good recommendations for drinks and food. Both menus have a ton of options without being too overwhelming. I was especially impressed by how the staff expertly wove in and out of the tables and remained attentive during the performances. I am a slow drinker so I just got The Saint, which I would definitely recommend even though I don't usually get whiskey-based cocktails. (The Tall Man, who does love whiskey, also enjoyed it.) I had already eaten dinner, so I shared the Vietnamese fries and tuna ceviche with a friend. The fries did not quite hit home for me. I enjoy all of those flavors individually, but it ended up being too heavy with the sauces, and the fries got soggy in a way that wasn't that pleasant. (I do like poutine, so go figure.) I really enjoyed the freshness, flavors, and texture combinations of the ceviche, though. The winner of the night was the lemon tart by far -- smoky torched gooey meringue on a perfectly tart lemon filling and biscuit base. Definitely full of gluten and dairy but very worth the indulgence! I'd love to come back for a regular dinner here and would definitely return for a special event too. Parking in the lot is limited, but there's a good amount of street parking.

High Energy and great energy in this great neighborhood Bar!…read moreEasy access and this play has great food and drinks and the staff is very attentive and super friendly! All is welcome and you can meet and make new acquaintances easily! Music and fun go together here! Atmosphere is inviting!

For 10+ years, Kristen Porter's Dyke Night Productions has been presenting an ever-evolving,…read moreever-awesome assortment of recurring club nights that create a safe and fun space for women (+ allies). From Toast Fridays (RIP) back in the day to the current line-up that includes Second Saturdays at Machine, Fourth Fridays at the Milky Way, and the brand-new "Venus Room" (every Friday night at Felt), Dyke Night has become the heart and soul of the Boston-area lesbian & friends community, at least when it comes to nightlife. Dyke Night also regularly teams up with LGBT community groups to host fundraisers, while also giving back to the community in other ways such as through the donation of 25% of its profits to LGBT causes.

I agree with A B., Machine seems to only play a techno-style music genre. Every song, gets spun…read moreinto the same techno-beat. There are other types of music out there! The influx of people from all different backgrounds and cultures should be a sign to also add variety to the music being played. How about some hip hop, R&B, Reggae, Reggaeton, Salsa, top 40 hits, etc!!! The DJ at Milkyway spins some really good music. Everyone seems to be having fun and enjoying the music :)

Community! Slade's a local hotspot for good vibes, great drinks, and amazing music -- especially on…read moreTuesday's for Open Mic Night. During a recent trip to Beantown, a coworker took me here for an evening out on the town. Slade's was very chill and you could tell was full of usuals who frequent the spot. The menu has plenty of options, service was great especially being a first timer I didn't feel out of place. Known for their chicken wings and other items, the menu has variety and almost feels more soul foodish. Music wise, the jazz band who played that night kept the spot going. Also offering impromptu musicians to join. A great night out in Boston, Slade's is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. Don't let anyone tell you different.

I'm writing to share feedback about my recent Uber Eats order from Slade's. I dine in regularly and…read moretypically order wings, steak, and fries with no issues, which is why this experience was especially disappointing. I understood that delivery food may need reheating and was fully prepared to air fry the wings and fries. That was not the issue. The problem was the quality and accuracy of the sides and entrées. The collard greens were so salty they were inedible and honestly concerning from a health standpoint. One plate that was supposed to include chicken, mac and cheese, and yams arrived with double yams and no mac and cheese at all. The other plate with catfish, potato salad, and collards was also disappointing. The catfish was overcooked, the potato salad was watery, and again, the collards could not be eaten. Additionally, the yams were gummy and seemed undercooked, as if they needed more time in the oven. Aside from the wings and fries, the rest of the order was a complete letdown. I have no issue paying for food I enjoy and love, but unfortunately this order was neither enjoyable nor acceptable based on the quality I usually expect from Slade's.

I've been to this venue a few times for various celebrations, including my high school prom…read more(throwback!) and I absolutely love it. The venue is set up perfectly for dances, spacious, and comfortable. There are plenty of tables, a dance floor, a DJ area, spots for serving and catering food, a bar, and a mezzanine. There is also a balcony which overlooks Fenway park, which is cool. The staff is also super friendly and does a great job hosting all events! Bartenders really hook you up with the good stuff, loved my west coast style shirley. The security is also great and they do an efficient job with coat storage (you enter your phone number and take an ID photo that helps them verify you).

Came here for a Dijon concert and had one of the worst experiences ever. Got there with my partner…read moreat 6:30 and waited in line for one hour in the freezing cold. We had tickets for the mezzanine second floor. We got spots right in front of the railing so we had a clear view of the stage. After an hour of hanging and waiting for Dijon to come on, someone from the venue very rudely told us to move from our spots and basically pushed us out to put two seats there for two ADA folks. My thing is if you have people who are differently abled and need seats they should have placed them there much earlier and reserved that space. It seemed incredibly irresponsible and inconsiderate to everyone involved. The folks who needed those seats felt bad and it was quite uncomfortable. The person who worked for the venue was extremely rude to me and my partner. No please no thank you no nothing. We arrived early to get good spots and at that point we could've just strolled in at 8:30 and gotten the same spots we ended up with. Absolutely disappointed and dissatisfied. I will not be back. House of Blues please work on your service and mannerism when talking with people who paid to be there!! Shoutout to the bartender though working alone but he killed it!

Myles was so wonderful- we had a great meal and there was Lush Life jazz singing afterward. Wow!…read moreAmazing service, delicious food, brilliant performances.

I turned 22 yesterday and was very excited to spend the end of my night with friends at club cafe,…read morewhich I heard great things about. After waiting 30+ minutes in line, the bouncer saw I had 2 EMPTY shooters in my bag. I held up the shooters so he could see they were empty, and they were emptied over an hour before. The bouncer told me I should empty the bottles in a trashcan at the end of the street so that the police (who were near the entrance) didn't see me. Totally fine with me- I disposed of the bottles and returned tn the bouncer and the rest of my friends. The bouncer informed me that the policewoman saw me throwing out the bottles and I couldn't come into the club. This is complete bullsh*t on so many levels: 1. If it is illegal to go into an establishment with an outside beverage, my outside beverages were empty. This could be verified by bouncer 2. I am of legal drinking age. Not sure where in the Massachusetts state legislature it says that I cannot get into a bar after having some empty shooters in my bag at the shocking age of 22 3. This bouncer gave me his (albeit untrustworthy) advice to then completely disregard it and prevent me from getting into this club. On my birthday. Why on earth would you tell me to go to this trashcan and then not let me in. 4. Not really sure why you can't get into a club after disposing of a shooter. Does the city of Boston and/or state of Massachusetts ban individuals who had previously carried liquor in their bags (from hours before) entry into bars? Didn't think so. In summary, this was an extremely disappointing way to end what was otherwise a very fun night to celebrate my birthday. I wish I could've seen the club cafe vibes but unfortunately I was wrongfully denied with no legal basis. Wish I stayed at Clery's.

The food was great the ambiance was amazing the service was amazing and the food runner Juan was…read moregreat super nice and super friendly when coming to give us the food

I would hate place if it weren't for emma amd her fantastic gin and tonics! She is an amazing…read morebartender