We stopped in at Durty Nellie's for a drink and a break from the heat. Durty Nellie's is an old police bar and kind of divey, but it was comfortable and we enjoyed our visit. It wasn't particularly busy on a Sunday at 1pm, which was fine with us, and the other patrons were all middle aged (like us) or older; the youngest person was the bartender. The music wasn't blasting, there were hooks under the counter to hang your purse (which was much appreciated), and the gender neutral washroom was clean. The bar catered to beer drinkers, of course, and the only wine they offered was Pinot Grigio for $9 a glass, but it was nice and refreshing on such a hot day, and at least it wasn't something disgusting like Moscato. [Yelp collections: Boston, MA 2025] read more

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Cute little dive bar that is a favorite for locals. I popped in here as a tourist while I was on a pub crawl tour and we were lucky enough to get a spot at the bar. It really is very tiny, so just be aware that seating is sometimes limited. They didn't have too much on draft, thought some of that was due to the Scottish being in town for the World Cup the week before. We went with lemon drop shots, and the bartender was very transparent about the fact that he was out of most of his supplies due to the Scottish. No fault at all to them for that because that was the situation at every bar we went to. Service was friendly, the shot was nice and strong, and it was a nice little spot. Beyond drinking, there isn't really much going on in the bar in terms of activities, but there were TVs. So, watching sports here is definitely an option. I'd definitely say that this spot is worth popping in if you are enjoying a night on the town, but that it probably shouldn't be the only spot you go to. read more

Durty Nelly’s - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I did return to this bar next time I was here! This place is still great almost 10 years later! A lot more law enforcement patches have been added to the bar inside! Keep up the great service Durty Nelly's! read more

Our hotel was right across the street from this bar so we had to give it a go our first night. Now this was a beer and Jack slinging bar. The jams were jamming and the crowd was ever so changing. We sat at the bar for about two hours and saw 3 separate crowds come through. Nice little cozy bar for anyone who wants to pop in to catch the game and have a cold one. read more

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Awesome small quaint watering hole off the busy trail of Fanuel Hall. Perfect on warm summer days where they open the windows for a nice breezy afternoon of drinking with friends. Nothing fancy...but that's what makes it a "don't miss" place to visit and check out. read more

Classic dive bar and I love it! We really wanted to explore and see what we could find for some drinks after dinner and a local bartender at another bar said we should go here and it reminded me so much of other dive bars we have at home. Though they did not have too much variety in terms of drinks and the place itself was really small it was still a good spot to end the evening at! read more

Friendly service, good drinks. Love the police and fire patches all over the bar. We vote yes read more

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Duncan!! Duncan was an amazing bartender and conversationalist. We wish we had a bartender like this back in CA. Whenever I'm back in Boston I will be back to the DN, because of Duncan. He rocks. Duncan reps the neighborhood and Boston well. read more

Bartender refused service in a bar with three people in it and did not say why. Of all the places to go in Boston you can definitely skip this one. Racism, rude bartenders, and cleanliness seems to be the theme of the other low reviews and it hits the nail on the head. Go somewhere else to get a good meal and service, don't even worry about the headache here not knowing what you might get. read more

Late review - we went in 2021 when Boston lifted the COVID restrictions, we LOVED THIS PLACE and think of it often. Great local vibe, fun bartender who had a fun Pandora playlist and was singing along to many songs (include Celine Dion). We had SO MUCH FUN with the locals, a gal just graduated from med school (we celebrated), just a really cool and chill vibe. First time in Boston, best memory ever. Hope this place never changes. read more

This place is such a gem! The atmosphere feels authentic and welcoming from the moment you walk in -- a true local favorite without the tourist chaos. The staff are friendly, quick, and really make you feel like part of the crowd. The music adds to the vibe, perfectly balancing lively and laid-back energy. It's the kind of spot where you can stop in for a casual drink before dinner or settle in for the night and enjoy great conversation with good people. The Guinness here was poured beautifully -- smooth and exactly how it should be. Every visit feels relaxed, genuine, and full of good energy. Definitely one of those rare bars that gets everything right. Can't wait to come back! read more

It's definately DURTY! Smells like a urine pit and the bar tops are disgustingly sticky. The beer was cold and clean tho. Find another place to enjoy drink. read more

Fun little hole in the wall. Bring your police patch to add to the decor! Townie bar with a friendly atmosphere. read more

Durty Nelly’s - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Guy at the door takes himself too seriously. Ridiculous and rude behavior to patrons . read more

I've been to Durty Nelly's a few times, day and night, and love it every time I go. No frills, but a solid spot that's relatively tourist free. I've found the bartenders to be efficient and fun to be around and the place to have a great atmosphere with AWESOME music playing. No food here, but a great spot for pre or post dinner drinks - and the Guinness was PERFECT, one of the best pours I've ever had. A place I'll continue to go whenever I'm in Boston/the North End. read more

Nice cozy dive bar in Boston's North End. Friendly staff, very relaxed atmosphere. Great place to get a reasonably priced drink and relax after a long day of tourist activity! read more

Walked in to the bar and were asked to leave after 5 minutes for no reason except for being a person of color. Racist bar. Asked no other white people to leave after us. read more

What a welcome sight for tourists who tend to be annoyed by other tourists. It was a relief to find a cool dark place to escape the heat while waiting for a dinner rez at the 200 year old Union Oyster House. At the small bar there were 3 other guys besides us who, to set the scene, I've decided were retired homicide detectives. All over the bar, police patches from literally everywhere. A couple TVs, I think. The bartender, per my imagination and right out of central casting, was a former outlaw biker who decided to leave the life and take a day job. I really don't know because he didn't say much, but he was there when our glasses were empty. 5 stars for doing what other people are complaining about. read more

Durty Nelly’s - a bar filled with alcohol - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Proper pint. Served in a Guinness glass. Hard to believe you have to say that, but I've had bubbly topped Guinness in an unbranded short pint glass before. Close to Canopy if you're staying there. Loved the windows that opened up too. Just a good dive bar. Good for drinking. Their well Chardonnay was LaCrema too. That's a nice score for my gal. read more

Durty Nelly’s - Just a good looking pint. - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Local police bar/dive bar. Not recommended for tourists. Staff probably won't be nice to ya unless you're a familiar face. I've been a few times and still don't get the red carpet haha Only been in a few times for a quick blast, not the spot to hang all night. Go find a different bar to watch your non-NE sports at. Had a nice bartender last time I was in. Keep your convos brief and drink orders simple and you'll be alright, if you insist on going in. If you're LE or FD or military, you'll like this spot. If you're a tourist from california, this might not be the bar for you. read more

Durty Nelly’s - the outside of a restaurant - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This place was super cool. They love first responders and the service was amazing! Bring a patch and they will display it on their wall. read more

Durty Nelly’s - Outside - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I got a drink spilled in my face by someone I didn't know, the Irish bartender refused to give us napkins then wouldn't serve me a drink because he thought I was drunk but I just had vodka in my eyes. Refusing a napkin to a customer in need is crazy idk read more

Last time I was there had a great time. This time the little short bouncer thought he was bigger than the game. What a jerk haha don't go there when he's working. He's the little umpalumpa at the door. The bar tender is amazing haha but the bouncer is the type of guy that will end up alone and unhappy haha. Poor little Bastard read more

Such a fun spot! We visited from California and had a good time every visit. A local spot and worth it if you want a Guinness/police dive bar experience! No food but solid place for a drink if you have the time! Thanks guys! read more

Beer, open windows, Boston. Great little spot. Service was spot on. I ordered beer, got beer with a smile.

Nice little dive bar near a lot of different places to shop and eat. Stop in for a drink and head to another spot. Bartender was right over and small enough for you n out to be forgotten! Would stop by again. read more

For the best Green tea shots go see Owen. We spent 5 days in Boston and wanted to find a dive bar where locals would go. This is by far the best. Good people, good drinks & just a down to earth atmosphere. Thank you Owen for taking care of us. read more

Durty Nelly’s - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Disgusting Guinness. I don't think they clean the pipes. True hole in the wall, not in a good way. Dirty, bugs everywhere. Rude staff. read more

Durty Nelly’s - Guinness that tasted like a mix of Coca Cola and day old coffee - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We needed a place to watch the rest of the Pats game and have a couple beers and Durty Nelly's was there for us. I wouldn't necessarily recomend watching games here because the TVs are tiny by no means plentiful... which is fine. It was what we needed in a pinch. Makes sense too because the place is pretty tiny inside. We came in from cold and took the area in the back. Only a few other patrons in there and seemed like a go to spot for locals. Drinks were cheap and service efficient. I hear they pack it out in the summertime with outdoor space too. read more

Durty Nelly’s - Pats game - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Drinks and the old world vibe was genuine. At the end of a cobblestoned alley. Just what I was looking for

My favorite place in Boston! Great hometown pub where they actually know you. They play great music also. The bartender great guy and he knows how to pull a beer and mix a drink. Definitely a local bar so if your from out of town don't show it here by asking the bartender to change a Boston Bruins game to some random Wisconsin game. Yes that actually happened. Props to the bartender who handled it well. read more

Great local atmosphere with excellent vibes for all that attend. Particularly enjoy all of the patches on the wall!

In Boston for a couple days and wanted to grab drinks somewhere laid back rather than fancy. Found this place on Yelp and got confirmation from a buddy going to school out here that this was a good spot. It's small.. but had an Irishman playing guitar and singing (boom). But it was the owner who made the night for us. I'm not even going to try to spell her name but she was great! Had a group of women with me and she made sure the male patrons were all respectful at all times while still being the life of the party. What was supposed to be a drink to end the night turned into several drinks and a memorable evening. We'll be back the next time in Boston for sure. read more

Durty Nelly’s - Owner served our group - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Back alley bar with lots of local characters and cheap drinks. No food here fyi. I will be back every trip. read more

Durty Nelly’s - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Great ambience, drinks, food and service. Fun place to go on a trip to Boston. Right on the waterfront. read more

Friendly, welcoming and I love how they honor the first responders. Thank you!! America needs more establishments like here. Tom is an awesome bartenders. read more

Durty Nelly’s - a bar with beer taps - Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Service was terrible. Bartender seemed to hate people and his job. Not sure why he even still works there. Very rude to my aunt who wanted to go in there for a drink after a long day. Felt very unsafe and unwanted in an establishment where I was spending my hard earned money. read more

More like Shitty Nelly's. We came in just after 1pm and there 2 bartenders. It was quiet so I strolled I'm with a loud "hello!" No one responded. So I said the person that walked over to help us. What happen it's too early? Should we come back? He responded, I've been here since 9am, where have you been. I laughed and thought we "broke the ice." We ordered and the person fetching our beer went back to his group conversation and the other end of the bar. I then asked about the police department patches on the wall. I was given no explanation, not even a good story to tell my yelpers. The other bartender answered, "those are the places we got arrested in" and that was the end of the story. He went back to his conversation at the other end of the bar. That was my que to ask for the check and leave. A bar with no personality is not for me. Should of went to Dicks Last Resort. Still left a 18 percent tip. I know it won't buy class or customer service, but can't put a price on my piece of mind. read more

TLDR: homely little bar Two floors each with its own bar. Not much space but the people are nice. Heard some live music on floor 2 with one guy singing and playing acoustic guitar. Very divey and a place you go to talk and hang with friends over some drinks. Love it. read more

A fun place for sure. Great place to just hang out, relax, have a drink, good conversation and watch some Seinfeld.