Friendly and attentive bar service and solid bourbon burger. Burger was huge (bigger than a 1/4 lb), hot, juicy and pretty tasty - would have loved more of the bacon bourbon glaze. The prices for drinks were higher than expected and my fries were a bit stale / almost cold, which was a bummer. Best part of the visit was the bartender, she was lovely and I'd return for drinks. read more

First House Pub - Bourbon burger - Pubs Near Me - Winchester, Massachusetts

I've really wanted to like this place! There is a great amount of seating inside and the bar/bar menu are great, but the service was unfortunately not all that friendly the last couple of times we went in here. Maybe it was because we were a big group and we wanted food, but were hoping for better, more friendly service than what we got. Black Horse Tavern is around the corner and when comparing the two, BHT was much nicer and more welcoming to us. read more

A friend and I had lunch during the week at First House. It had been some time since I went there with my wife. It was not crowded. So we could converse at a normal decibel level. The Haddock sandwich was absolutely great. The fish is fresh and seasonings were well chosen. The side potato salad was also tasty and well seasoned. I highly recommend the place for lunch. read more

This is a really nice little local pub with a solid, well-curated beer selection. The vibe is relaxed and welcoming, and my server was friendly and attentive throughout. The first time I visited, they happened to be hosting a sports team (looked like high school age) with a buffet set up at the end of the bar. The group was very noisy and a bit disruptive, which made the atmosphere less enjoyable. That said, my server handled it like a pro -- even though she was clearly stretched thin, she still managed to provide good service, so big shout-out to her. Food was very good. I ordered the chili and loved it -- hearty, a little spicy (just the way I like it), and served with nacho chips around the edge. Great comfort food. Overall, this spot has a lot going for it, and I'll definitely be back -- hopefully on a quieter night to enjoy the atmosphere even more. read more

Town pub with fine food, ok beer selection, slow service. Prefer the sister pub in Arlington for their wings.

Met some retired teacher colleagues for dinner. I enjoyed an Apples to Apples cocktail and joked it should be served hot! We enjoyed loaded tater tots, pretzel with mustards and nachos platter. Everything was great, but the pretzel was a bit too crispy. A softer bite would have been better. We were famished, so no pics! Heather was an awesome server who filled many roles at this pub. The popular favorite entree of the group was the chicken pot pie & Shepherd's Pie. My Gloucester Reuben (think fish version of a corned beef Rachel) was okay--It needed a bit more Thousand Island dressing. If I'm being honest, order from the appetizer side. I would go back to try the burgers, but this is a better bar than restaurant. read more

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Good burgers! I ordered the avocado burger with fries and it hit the spot. Not a ton of space inside and they don't take reservations less than 6 as a FYI. We came on a Friday night and walked around Downtown after putting our names on the wait list. Friendly staff and overall good experience! read more

First House Pub - Avocado Burger - Pubs Near Me - Winchester, Massachusetts

My parents love going here for the cheap burger night on Mondays. As far as I'm aware, that's the best part about this establishment. The wait staff was friendly and helpful but the burgers were all overdone (I guess there's a new grill cook?) My mom is the only one who cares enough to send it back and have it done right. After finally getting a refired burger, it was cooked to her liking but a bit too late to enjoy with everyone else. Good beer selection, decent dive bar setting. Definitely popular amongst the locals but maybe not for me. read more

So I was craving a turkey burger. And I don't think that the chef/cooks take a whole lot of thought in this. Not a shot. But it was an extra ingredient in that that I did not expect. I don't normally write reviews. Good or bad. Maybe I should but I don't. I just want the Chef to understand that that was terrible. I'm not one to deem an entire restaurant over one stupid little turkey burger. But I will try it again with something else. That was just probably the worst flavor I've ever consumed, but I did consume it because I was hungry so it was edible. We all have bad nights. I will try this restaurant again because everybody can have a bad night. read more

Clam chowder was A+ along with their flatbread cheese pizza. Place always has great service and awesome food read more

First House Pub - Pubs Near Me - Winchester, Massachusetts

This spot id pretty solid with awesome food and pretty stellar service. My friend and I needed burgers and she needed a martini - because she's a mom and that would also drive me to drink.... I needed a burger and avocado. They had a burger with caramelized onions, avocado and bacon - it was freaking delicious and came with TOTS!!! Like any bar - later at night you get the annoying loudmouth or too and the service starts going downhill... read more

First House Pub - 9/24/2019 - My burger I added caramelized onions, avocado + bacon and tots. - Pubs Near Me - Winchester, Massachusetts

Great place for hungry folk. Nice beer list. Sit outside if it's warm and people watch.

Ode To The Garlic Steak Sandwich Sometimes it's good to give a place another try before writing a critical review. Impressions from the first visit were: loud, crowded and the food was not memorable. Almost didn't come back but I'm glad I did. This time it was loud and crowded but it felt like a warm and friendly local pub. At the time of our arrival the place was mobbed and boisterous again but on this with Friday night it made for a fun evening. While it looked like we'd have a long wait, a table was available quickly and we continued to enjoy the bar area. My meal was an incredible surprise. The garlic steak sandwich was phenomenal- literally the best steak sandwich I've ever had. Not shaved steak but succulent and tender steak tips- that were just delicious and melted in my mouth. I don't know if I'll ever be able to order something else at this place. The grilled chicken sandwich also was well received (but not an ATF like the garlic steak sandwich). FHP has a quality selection of draft beers featuring many of the outstanding local micro-brews. I enjoyed a 4-5oz pour sampler for $9 that included some great local IPA's. Service was friendly and prompt an accomplishment given how busy the place was. A little sound deadening would be a welcome addition here, but please don't change that garlic steak sandwich! read more

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Food was all pre frozen items that were microwaved at best. Place needs a good cleaning. We got a pretzel for $9 which was a frozen small Pretzel you get at the markets frozen snack section no dipping sauces - same for the chicken tenders- maybe they are Tyson brand chicken fingers- yuck. Staff is friendly. read more

First time I was here, I was ignored by the bartenders, meanwhile all the white people were served. Even my white roommate had a few beers before I even got one. There was a sports game on, but I felt a little racism when the bartenders would see me and immediately go to the white peoples next to me. Second time I came, barely anyone was there, so they can't ignore me now. They said that they can make me a mojito, but it was 90% sour mix with a splash of vodka. This is not how mojitos are made. I had to return it and ordered a bottle beer instead. I then ordered a clam chowder which tasted like dishwater and weeks old chowder. It was sour. I returned it and ordered wings instead. The manager was getting upset with me, due to his tonality. He told me that I can't exchange food just because I do t like it. I replied that I refuse to buy food that taste like sh*t. I then ordered Cajun rub wings. They gave me plain and bland wings, and tried to pass it off as a "dry Cajun rub". After a bite, I could taste the lie. The manager gave me attitude again when I had to return it. The manager managed to comp my one beer. Overall: Staff: 1/10 (because my beer was comped) Ambience: 2/10 (looks like your average bar. Nothing specia) Service: 0/10 Food: 0/10 Drink: 0/10 I will not eat here again. And if you're a person of color, I wouldn't eat here either. read more

First House Pub - Here's what they consider Cajun rub. They're actually plain wings! - Pubs Near Me - Winchester, Massachusetts

I just love their version of the 99's gold fever wings. I get them boneless and more often than not to-go. The staff is always friendly and fast, usually can have them ready in less than 10 minutes. The food is pretty standard bar food in terms of offerings, plenty of tv's too for watching sports. What else could you ask for in the center of town. read more

A local favorite of ours. Staff is friendly and they remember your drinks and favorite orders. Burger night on Monday $6, Wing night on Wednesday, $6 for 10, good clean wings, not those gross fatty ones, tons of flavor options too! Including plain if you want! Mixed crowd of people getting off the train, local Winchester folk, people popping in before or after a local high school events, ranging from older couples eating and drinking at the bar to young kids with their parents. Averaged size bar, and high tops inside plus a large outdoor area when the weather is nice. Typical pub food but its always good, fresh and they let you customize things if needed. All time favorites: Burgers, wings, baked haddock, haddock sandwich (baked, not fried! Which is awesome!) and quesadillas. Personally, I do not like the steak tips here, they always seem chewy and fatty. Menu stays the same but they always have new specials. read more

If you do nothing else, GET THE SWORDFISH TIPS. OMG. There's something magical about it. They are flavored and cooked perfectly every time. I like to pair it with their baked potato and a side salad with Parmesan peppercorn dressing. You won't be disappointed. I'm salivating now just thinking about it. read more

Please read! I had checked out the menu of this place and I thought it may be good to bring my kids over for a bite, I am not doing that again for sure! My idea of a local pub was actually right all along, as a person of color, simply put, I don't fit in, and the waitress made sure I know that! Let's also talk about the food, if you are looking to get the chips, salsa and guac, don't do it! the guac tasted terrible, we could not eat it, the chips and salsa are from a bag and a container, no question about that! The whole experience was really poor, the waitress was not inviting, she did say she was alone and so I tried to be more understanding, but the fact that she was barely attentive to our table, and you could clearly see and hear her being extra attentive to the other tables made me feel really bad. When another customer asked her about bread for his salad, I heard her saying to him that usually that is not something that comes with the salad, but she said to him, "let me see what I can do for you," it was very different for us when we told her about the guacamole, it was not eatable period, and she did not even offer to bring something else or to no charge for that, so that was very disappointing! Our table was the only one with no napkins, while the waitress did bring extra napkins to the table behind us as we heard her tell the customers. As we were about to leave, I asked my 12-year-old son to take a good look around us, all through the pub, I told him we'll talk about his observations later. When we left, I asked him what his thoughts were, he told me that he saw very little diversity inside the pub, I told him "You are right, that is what I saw too", unfortunately for him and my younger son, this is no new for me, but it was really disappointing that on our first visit to this place turned out to be so uncomfortable. For those of you who may think I am exaggerating, or that I am not right about this review, I want you to know that I usually don't write reviews, but this time I am doing this with the intention of reflecting about this situation, it is necessary to look into issues like this where you clearly can see that we still face so much implicit/unconscious bias and it may go unnoticed for those who don't experience this, but when you are the one affected, it can impact you deeply. I hope the manager and the waitress of this establishment take the time to read carefully this review and to reflect upon it. At the very least I think they need to review the service they provide to some customers; it was definitely differentiated, and it should not be like this, everyone should be able to be treated well and to have a good experience inside this pub. Menu-wise, there is a need to check on the guac, chips and salsa for sure! read more

Food here is good. It's small inside so it's hard to say what will happen when outdoor dining can't continue. I got the garlic steak sandwich and was impressed. They didn't offer temp preference so was scared it would be overdone but it wasn't. Cooked to about medium (normally I order medium rare) but was still tender. One thing I would say is the cheese was a little to overpowering. The buffalo wings were really really good and the m service was food too. Prices waaaay cheaper than black horse, we spent about half of what we would have there ordering two meals, an app and a kid meal. Lots of beers on tap as well, I don't drink but If you do looks like a good place to go read more

Delicious!!! Everything was great Our family had an early St. Patrick's Day lunch today 3/13/21, the corned beef and vegetable entree was tender and full of flavor, reminded me of our homemade boiled dinners. A few had the haddock sandwich with fries, also delicious! Our server Dee was friendly, fast and made sure we all were happy Excited for The Arlington Heights Pub to open! read more

The place is never open when it says it is... opens up late and closes early... not customer friendly

We went to the First House Pub after a soccer game for some drinks. The atmosphere outside is cute and comfortable, especially on a summer night. The staff was fantastic- shoutout to Dee and Mike as our servers. We were having such a good time that the bartender, Mike, stayed open late to let us finish up. They were incredibly kind, quick to check on us, and excellent servers. Can't wait to go back ~ highly recommend! read more

Great food from the steak tips, to fish. The appetizers are great and the atmosphere is nice. If you looking for good food and a few cold beers in a clean establishment this is your local stop read more

I have found the food here to be average-to-good. The zucchini spaghetti is very good. The hamburgers are somewhat tasteless, no matter what temperature I have it cooked (usually medium-rare). I had it with a side of green beans once, in an effort to be more health-conscious, but the green beans were so tasteless, I have opted for the sweet potato fries from then on. The drinks are usually very good, and priced fairly reasonably, which is why my friends and I keep coming back. Recently, we have been a little hesitant to come back, even for the drinks, as the current bar manager has exhibited unsanitary habits. We have observed him wiping his brow with his bare hand, and then grabbing ice, with the same bare hand, for our drinks. We also observed him touching food with his bare hands. I'd expect that an establishment such as FHP would want to adhere to food service guidelines, or at the very least not be seen wiping your brow with the same hand that you grab ice with. Ugh. read more

We went to the First House Pub for lunch on a weekday. The place was pretty full so three of us had to squeeze into a two person table. We were content with the table, but our waitress was nice enough to suggest we move to a more spacious table. The service was really friendly at FHB! I ordered the Garlic Steak Sandwich and it was delicious! The steak was juicy and full of garlic flavor. The melted cheese really complemented the steak well. I was also impressed with the bun as it was lightly toasted and buttered. Overall I loved everything about my experience. The food, service and atmosphere were all great! read more

First House Pub - Garlic Steak Sandwich - Pubs Near Me - Winchester, Massachusetts

I really have to scratch my head on the management of the First House to fire their best bartender. To say I've been coming to the First House on a regular basis is an understatement. I can only hope other regulars speak their minds on the firing of Paul. Good luck Paul, I'll follow you to your next endeavor. read more

I've only come in for lunch, but it's been good both times. The chicken Caesar salad is huge with shaved parmesan and a piece of pita. The fish sandwich was also solid, although hard to eat. Good beer selection. Kids' chicken fingers and fries are always a hit with my daughter. read more

Absolutely disgusting! I type this as my husband drives us to another restaurant! We walked in and there were two empty "dirty" tables. The waitress told us we needed to wait a few minutes as she headed to cash out other customers. When she went to clean the dirty table she brushed everything onto the chairs and the floor. Then as we sat down she proceeded to get us water. She returned with two plastic cups for my kids with god knows what floating in it. It appeared to be lemon seeds (we did not order lemonade) and tons of black floaties! Pepper flakes? Mold? Dirt? Regardless...gross! We had seen enough! We walked out and will NEVER go back! read more

I've been coming to first house pub for several years. Tonight I was dinning out doors and was told it was fine to leave with a plastic cup with a 1/4 full beer. Upon leaving the owner chased me out of the bar and assaulted me by kicking me with his foot. It was very scary and my hand still hurts - I fear there is permanent damage. I'm worried there is gang of mob affiliation and I will not return. read more

I quite enjoy this little local place, I've been twice and had good experiences both times. Better than the other "pubs"/ taverns in the nearby area, more casual than some of the nicer sit down spots. I enjoy the menu and atmosphere, which always seems to be comprised of locals. Cons: Slow service. Loud live music depending on where you are seated. Pros: Good food and variety of options. Great tap list and variety of options. Location is convenient . Never had to wait long for a table. read more

I just finished the most delicious garlic steak and cheese sandwich with a caesar salad side. The steak was tender and perfectly seasoned. The cheese was melted to perfection. The side salad was just enough Even during this self imposed quarantine, first house pub went out of their way to make this an excellent inhouse meal. I would recommend them to anyone read more

First house pub was the first restaurant we went to when we moved here two years ago, and it's still our favorite! The staff is quite friendly and super accommodating to our toddler, they have plenty of high chairs and always offer him toys to play with while he's there. They have a great draft list with reasonably priced local rotating beers, and a solid pub menu. Get the tots as a side and ask for tot sauce, it's delicious! read more

Your chili is good. But not good enough to make up for the absolute most boring and ignored time I've ever experienced at a bar. The bar staff was too busy gossiping and talking to each other that they failed to interact with me, a paying customer. They spent just as much time sitting around playing on their phones as they did making me wait for another beer. I stayed for about 2 hours. Although I tried multiple times to interact, I still yielded about 12 whole words from the 6 various staff members hovered around the area I was sitting. Absolutely dreadful hospitality. At one point I was in the middle of a sentence and the bartender completely ignored me while texting on their phone. I went out of my way to try your establishment and I can promise you I will never come back even if it's not out of my way. Horrible experience and you should be embarrassed and ashamed that this is your standard. read more

The absolutely rudest, sexist and most unprofessional restaurant I've ever picked up an order from in my life. I consistently have poor experiences with the snobby, self righteous host staff. The older woman is completely rude and complacent lacking any kind of moral or conscientious filter. There is never anywhere to park in the food is never made on time! Stay away from this dive! HORRIBLE. I won't be back! read more

OMG....the service here is horrible...the ambiance is conflicted but the food is half way decent. When you come to a Restaurant you want to be waited on...you dont want to ask repeatedly for a beer, for the check and, in my case, I asked what a certain beer was in terms of style. ....its like a summer beer with mango....ummm ok I guess I'll try that...not even a "hey here is a taste first". My first day in Boston and I'll never come back here...but by the looks of things neither does anyone else after they try this place...what a shame read more

Great menu...the chicken wings were amazing. The baked seafood casserole was so good.. Great staff and service

Chicken fingers were spongy and frozen, lettuce in the salad was nearly rotten (and the vegetables were rubbery- definitely NOT fresh), the french onion soup tasted like beef bullion cubes. Just not food I want to spend my money on. I wonder what the kitchen looks like here (it's probably like kitchen nightmares). Spend your money on places that value food quality instead. Also I ordered through Uber Eats and they refused to give me a refund. read more

Excellent food, awesome bar! Went for dinner and the food was amazing-had the Gloucester Reuben with fries and husband had the baked haddock! Delicious! read more

FHP is a neighborhood bar with a beer list that would satisfy a mustachioed hipster. The Bourbon burger is probably my favorite, with caramelized onions and bacon. I get it with swiss. The pub moved in when I was living in California and was a happy surprise to come home to. If you grew up in Winchester be prepared to run into your t-ball coach or your prom date. read more