The Draft is where you go when you know the line at the Model will be snaking obnoxiously down Cambridge Street and you're not quite drunk enough to settle for TITS or the White Horse (i.e. you're still conscious). It's a grimey catchall, and I find myself here more often than I care to admit. This is one of the more diverse crowds you'll find in Allston/Brighton, and a pretty accurate cross-section of the neighborhood in general: you've got your hipsters, your bros, your BU kids, your hobos, and your sadly misguided folks who expected a respectable bar and/or pleasant evening. I love to hate this place. During the day, or on an off night, the Draft is aiight. You can catch a game on one of the bar TVs, and there are good burger/sandwich/beer specials, plus 25 cent wings on Sundays and Mondays (they're not Soul Fire wings, but they're not bad). I've had a few things on the menu - the quesadillas are nothing special (and kind of small), but the burgers and sandwiches/wraps are totally doable. Good fries. Nights here are another matter entirely. Thursdays are dollar drafts nights - the place gets packed and loud and rowdy and smells and looks like a frat house, but, duh. Fridays and Saturdays get predictably busy, and other nights are hit or miss. The outside patio/deck is pretty nice when the weather's good - it's surprisingly large and doesn't usually get as uncomfortably packed as the bar itself. The dance floor can be a fun option if you're into that sort of thing, though it's usually flanked by creepers, especially later in the night. Oh well. There's a pool table, which is nice during the day or on a slow night, but they really should try to move that thing on busier nights, because it takes up too much floor space and sometimes it's tricky dodging the pool cues when you're a little buzzed. Or a lot buzzed. The bathrooms here are repulsive. Tiny, cramped, never any paper towel to dry your hands, occasionally out of TP, at least one of the ladies' room doors doesn't have a lock on it at all times, and just generally gross. Perfect your hover before you go in there. I'll rip on the Draft til the day I finally grow up and move out of Allston, but I'm still going to end up here because I obviously hate myself. read more

Definitely one of the typical Allston bars, one of the main places I went during college. That being said expect the college crowd, mainly BU/BC. Great place for a laid-back, sports-watching group with access to dancing, pool, shuffleboard, & darts. The back patio is definitely one of the gems of this place, plenty of seating, and variety of high/low tables and full bar. It has great deals on wings and bar food. Overall, if you're looking to bar crawl this is definitely one of the spots to stop by. Staff are super friendly, and it's a fun place to hang out. Great deal if you come on $.35 wing night! read more

The hubs and I just went here for some prime Sunday afternoon patio action. We had just gotten back from our first ever rollerblading venture on the Esplanade, where we teetered along valiantly as little old ladies lapped us. My toes were numb and my husband's arches had disappeared. In short: we needed calorie-laden pub food and a pitcher of beer to recuperate. That is exactly what we got, served by comely young ladies in uniforms of tank tops and just-acceptably short shorts. The patio had a really nice, breezy feel, with a mismatched assortment of tables and an awning-covered bar that reminded me of something you'd see in a resort. We got a 4-glass pitcher of Hoegarten for $15 and both our entrees were only $10. The fish & chips were great, but the steaks tips tasted like they'd been left out at room temperature for a few hours and then re-heated. Still, overall it was pleasant, and I liked the range of patrons - from a gaggle of women who were dressed like teenagers although clearly being at least 40, to the man in head-to-toe Dolce and Gabbana sitting quietly alone and methodically going through a plate of buffalo wings. It's a low-key, non-judgemental place with decent food and great prices. read more

I can only rate The Draft based on delivery... Unfortunately I cannot rate the food because it never arrived. I had placed an order and after waiting for 2 hours and checking on the order several times, I was finally told my order was canceled because the restaurant was "too backed up". I was never notified of the situation in any of the earlier phone calls. This restaurant should not accept online orders if they're not equipped to handle them. Terrible customer service. Will not try again. read more

While The Draft does have an identity crisis to sort out, the fact remains that the kitchen dishes out some of best bar food at the cheapest prices in Boston. The service is top notch as well. Its a top notch joint for food. While it seems like it aspires to be much more, it really doesn't matter if it reaches those aspirations or not. The food is some of the best in town. I cannot believe we didn't find this place earlier. Super cheap wings, 25 cents a piece, but wait, they're not small, dinky, cold, and meatless. In fact, they are the exact opposite. Our wings came out super hot, big, meaty, and super tasty. It takes all of these of course to be considered good wings. We tried too many flavors for me to even remember. I bet we tried every single one they had on the menu. The only reason I can't remember any of their names is because they were all good. Actually though, I do remember honey hot, garlic parmesan, and cooperstown just to name a few. Seriously, they are all good. When you go for the first time just try them all. When you go, order a side of fries. Some of the best beer battered fries I've ever had. The only problem is that there was just too much for $4. Since there were 3 of us, we cleaned up shop pretty easily, but I'm sure my fiancee and I are going to have a hard time finishing all the food next time we go. Service was pretty top notch, had about 3 different people check up on us the whole time we were there. I'm really afraid to try out another place for wings considering how good the food and service is here. In fact, I really want to come on a Tuesday for their burgers+fries special. read more

The worst bar food I've ever had and the staff was awful to support that. My friend thought the food was awful after spending hours there

Just wanted to get this off my chest - RAJ IS GOOD FOR IT. I won a contest here and they said I couldn't pick up my gift certificate until the next day...everyone told me that Raj was good for it though, and that I shouldn't worry. When I went in the next day, Raj was totally good for it! Snagged my gift certificate and will be returning soon. I also ran into a Magic Hat promo here and snagged some schweet sunglasses/t-shirt/stickers/jimmies etc. And there are some burger deals where you basically get a burger and a beer for the price of a nice beer. Straight up - I associate the Draft with free shit. The freest of shit. The environment and clientele tend to leave something to be desired, but all in all the draft is like that annoying friend in the group - but, you know, he drives you around n stuff, sometimes he makes dinner, and you can make fun of him 24/7 and he never gets pissed? Do you guys know a dude like that? The Draft is that dude. In some weird way, that dude is always sort of a good time. read more

It's definitely a nice bar! Wings Monday is to die for. No one in Boston I think has great wings as this place and affordable! 35 cent wings and large selection of different flavors! who could beat that!? The only downfall is the service is kind of slow. Other than that, everything is great read more

The Draft - Wing for dayssss - Pubs Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

So on a Saturday night, they were pretty dead - maybe all the BC and BU kids are on final exams or something. Well we had the back patio area for ourselves on our pub crawl. And while I had said last night, they earn an extra star just for the food last night, they have amazing fries. The mozzarella sticks though could have used a few more minutes in the deep fryer since the middle was still a lil bit cold. BUT they are still not 4 star worthy. But I just had to mention that they have AMAZING fries! It was the perfect amount of crispiness and salt ratio. And what's with not giving my friend an option for draft vs. bottle? She ended up later finding out that there was a draft and paid $1.75 more just for the friggin' bottle and less beer. And the increase in the cost of a SoCo & Coke - now $2 more?! Really?! Why?! read more

Howwww does this place have such high ratings? Granted, I've only been here twice, the second time being last night and I've never had the food. Came here after Deep Ellum, which had last call at 1 am? Didn't realize they closed so early. But anyway, we came to the Draft solely for the reason that it's open till 2. And WOWWWW this place is ridiculous, and I don't mean in a good way. I saw at least 3 guys almost fall over drunk, got pushed a couple times and also got beer splashed on me. And this was all within 15 minutes of stepping inside. Not to sound superficial or anything, but everyone here was gross. Not one person I would consider talking to. Mostly popped collar jerks and drunker than drunk half dressed skanky girls. Ew. Also, when I got a beer (which was 4.50) the bartender said he couldn't give me change because they didn't have quarters- and this was while he was turning and walking away. You can make 50 cents with other coins besides quarters! Obviously no one ever told this guy that. Never again. On par with the Kells in my opinion. read more

I was there last night for new years. The clientele sucked... it was a lot of sausage, and the girls were anything but cute! That's not anything an open bar can't fix. But honestly, I was just there to celebrate with friends. It was $65 per person for new years and they made any drink you wanted. The lines were never more than 5 minutes for a drink. The buffet set up rocked and the food was good. I have no idea what it is like on a normal night. For new years, they did it up right! read more

Poor selection of bad wine. Not much else to say about food/drink. The USA is playing in World Cup. Last time I came in they instead of showing US women's game they were showing the men's semi finals for college track. They did change a few televisions when I pointed out that the World Cup was more important that college track semifinals. But not tonight. They couldn't spare 1 of their 8+ televisions for USA in the World Cup. There were about 15 patrons in the bar when we were there. At that ratio they could have spared one television for our group. read more

Place probably has the worst service and unfriendliest staff you'll ever meet. I'm giving one star because you can't beat the wing and burger deals. God forbid you don't sit at the bar it'll probably be at least 15 minutes until someone comes over to ask you what you would like to drink. Time and time again i go and give It another try but i think tonight's experience was It for me. 4 employees behind the bar and not one came over within 15 minutes (only 12 people in the bar) so my friend and i left. Place sucks!!! read more

The nice thing about freelancing is that you get to make your own schedule. In this case, we've got weekly meetings on Tuesday nights. Thrice now, we've followed it up by heading out to drink afterwards. Sunset was a long walk, so we tried The Draft instead. Initially, it didn't seem like a great idea, since we were immediately the oldest people there, and the music was rather loud. But we were swayed by the sign that said you could get a burger and a beer for $6.99. Which is true. Any beer, too. Including Left Hand milk stout on nitro and a handful of other solid craft brews. For a college bar, it's a good beer list. And the cheeseburgers are thick and tasty, with good french fries. Don't get me wrong, they're both almost certainly frozen, but it all comes out plenty tasty. Most of all, there've been two straight weeks now where two guys drank four or five (decent) beers a piece and ate a cheeseburger and had the bill come to less than $50. Surely that's illegal in Boston. read more

This is the most legendary bar in Allston. I may even go so far to say the most legendary bar in Boston. It's everything you need and more. Drinks? Strong. Vibes? Electric. Wings? Phenomenal. Music? Loud. Rodrigo. Enough said. read more

What is the hype about? It seems 2 people I know from this area claims this place is their favorite Allston bar. How on earth is this even possible? The place is cramped and dingy and even with their specials I would not feel comfortable eating there. I wouldn't feel comfortable even letting animals into this place, altho it looks like a bunch of barn animals were let loose in here. There is a small stage area where people can dance but a lot of the guys there are creepy...super creepers. This place is not for dancing, ladies night, date night, but for trying to get drunk as quickly as possible so you can actually enjoy yourself here. I gave it two stars because it's not as overpriced as other Allston bars and the bartenders are nice. read more

Hey, lady in your late 30's! That red taffeta prom dress (accented with a bow) you are wearing is not a good look. Also, ditch the white Payless faux satin pumps. All those dudes you are hanging over with popped collars look really uncomfortable. We left after one beer. read more

I love the draft. a bit slow on the service sometimes, but all in all a great bar. The crowd definitely changes night to night. Youngest crowd shows up for dollar drafts on Thursday nights. Get there early since it has been getting more popular. The outdoor patio is great, especially in the summer when they have the bar staffed out there. Also a great place to watch any sport and enjoy your beer. read more

I did not have fun here. But I didn't have a terrible time either. My experience was just totally blah. My problem with the Draft is that it has no personality whatsoever. There is zero ambiance or vibe...it's a totally dead space. It has average beer and average wine and average bar food and is full of people i have nothing in common with. I only came here because for some strange reason my two friends who were moving wanted to have their going away party here? Don't ask me why. But it was their bizarre leaving-Boston wish, so I complied, and attended. I definitely had a slightly better time because we were a large group-- i would NEVER hang out here with my husband or a small group of gals. Boooooring....a loud, annoying kind of neutrality that totally made me zone out at times. And they serve jalapeno poppers. read more

I strolled into the Draft last Tuesday for the Celtics game, and walked out a happy man. I sat down and ordered the burger and beer special of the evening. Burger/Beer special you say? Dare I go on?! Burger+any beer on tap for $6. I couldn't believe it. Honestly until the bill arrived I thought I'd been hoodwinked. The burger was sizable and flavorful. The fries were seasoned and succulent. The beer was cool and refreshing. As for the atmosphere it left much to be desired. Draft really doesn't have much character at 8PM on a Tuesday. Maybe later in the evening the scene changes; banners drop from the ceiling, lights emerge from the floor, and the creepy guy in the corner decides it is time to go home. unfortunately none of these awesome things happened, and I left only full of burger and beer. read more

Came here on a tuesday night for the beer pong and I really enjoyed it here. The drinks were awesome and bartenders came to you very fast for it being as busy as it was. The place was trashed I do have to add but there must of been a birthday but it was balloons and streamers. Tip: A lot of drunk trashy girls read more

The Draft is nothing out of this world, but that's what makes it so great. There's nothing flashy (other than the neon beer signs), but you will get your drinks quickly and...$.35 wing night? YUP. If you're in the mood for pool, they've got you covered. There is plenty of seating for a bar, but also abundant standing space. The bartenders were friendly and attentive (when you're 5' 1" you quickly learn who is paying attention. Many times bartenders will totally miss me standing there #thestruggle). This place is dark, not the cleanest, but if you're looking for a no-frills fun place to hang with your #squad, check this place out. read more

The Draft - So many wings. - Pubs Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

This place is great! If you have zero expectations for a sports bar in Allston this is the place to go. The service is awesome...I never wait for a drink. The drinks get their jobs done....no short pours in this place. They have a bunch of beers on draft...I really like the blueberry. I would skip the food, unless you go for the chili cheese fries...those are yummy...but a heart attack on a plate! On any given Friday or Saturday there won't be a line, but the place gets packed! There is a random small dance floor...but it gets a little sketchy at the end of the night. Its a great place to watch any game because there are plenty of t.v.'s and of course drink specials. I was here twice last weekend and it looks like they did some renovations - adding orange leather couch benches and FINALLY fixed the girls bathroom stalls! In short...good people, good bar...you should go. read more

I have start my review by giving some props to the bartenders at this place, they are really fast, efficient, attentive and make good drinks. Its almost like they they pride in their job, something i dont see at alot of bars. This place comes off as a dive and sometimes has shady people floating around..but they dont come around as much anymore it seems. Its not a bad place to stroll in shoot pool and maybe dance around if the mood is right. read more

Stopped in here for a quick soda on my long walk to Harvard square, bartender Ryan? was supper friendly. Big music fan! Wish I had more time to talk to him. Next time I go I want to order the chicken wings with 2 sauces. Yum! read more

Reading the other reviews, most people seem to have a problem with this place during actual drinking hours. I don't know, they could be right. I've only been here for lunch, when the place is basically deserted. But their lunch specials are astounding, considering the price. They advertise a $3 lunch special: burger/sandwich and fries. Now, I looked at that and was skeptical. I figured I'd get a tiny burger and maybe 5 french fries. I was wrong. I ate there yesterday for lunch, and ordered a cuban sandwich. It was actually a pretty big sandwich, and it came with a very respectable side of fries. The sandwich was pretty good, especially considering that it cost me Three. Freaking. Dollars. My friend liked his burger, too: it wasn't amazing, but again, three dollars. The total, for a sizable lunch for two people, came out to six dollars. Service was okay. Our waitress was very friendly. Again, I haven't been here during bar hours, but I highly recommend this place for a cheap lunch. (Note: the lunch special lasts from noon to 4pm, I think, and you have to eat in.) read more

When summer hits Allston, and the patios open up, and I remember why I frequent this business. Because its nice to lounge on the patio with a cold drink. Also, as would be appropriate, The Draft has a decent draft list. But not as good as other places in the area. Winter is not nearly as pleasant, so I save my trips to the Draft strictly for summer time read more

I'd actually give it a 4.5. If you asked me the first time I went here..I'd probably say I was sketched out because all the bartenders were huge muscle heads. After going back there a number of times in the last year or so, not only do I not mind that the bartenders make me second guess my masculinity every time I go in there, but turns out all the bartenders are super nice, and pretty attentive. The service overall, is quite good! But I usually go to a place for tasty food and cheap food. They probably have the best lunch in the area: $5 for an 8oz burger and fries. The burger is awesome, and you can switch it out with a sandwich too (rueben, rachel, etc). The other great deal is 25c wings on Sun and Mon nights! And, they are MAYBE THE BEST WINGS IN BOSTON! The cooperstown flavor (sweet with a kick) is my fave. The atmosphere is okay, I prefer coming in when it's quieter as apposed to fri/sat night crowd. However, I do find myself here on the patio on many summer Sat nights when I'm too lazy to go into the city. read more

a friend of mine spoke of the draft as a favorite of his. He told me its a bar with an identity crisis. A nice big good looking bar. tons of meat heads. big buck hunter. a pool table (i dont remember seeing this). Hey we got a DJ - lets throw a jukebox in the mix too and hey maybe some live music who knows. Have you seen our sweet back patio. its like someone just throwing out ideas to the owner and he responded "yes" The Draft gets 2 stars for its back patio. seriously the thing is wonderful and once it gets warm out i will definitely be back to the draft and possibly updating my review to be more friendly towards it. Besides that though i have little to say in its defense. its packed with what seems to be the worst type of people, its not particularly cheap, and every time i go the bartenders have given me and my friends attitude. im not too picky about friendly service but come on. frankly the draft is less than nothing special save for a great back patio read more

This used to be a kind of back-up night out for me, but after discovering the patio this summer it's become our go-to place to grab a beer. This place is maybe one step above dive bar, so don't expect too much. The bathroom doors don't lock properly, the waitstaff is polite but not overly friendly, and the crowd can be a little ratchet. These things are sort of "part of the charm." BUT. They offer $9 pitchers of Miller High Life and other very reasonable pitchers. The patio has couches, a fire pit, and corn hole, AND there's a full bar with TVs out there. There's almost never a line (unlike at TITS or occasionally Common Ground), and there's a pool table and darts inside. One time I ordered fries and they were actually really really good. Can't speak for the rest of the food but good fries are a good sign. Definitely a fun place to spend a Friday night. read more

Favorite bar in Allston for sure. The deals on Tuesdays ($1 sliders) and Thursdays ($6 any beer on tap + burger +fries) are really great and the fries are the best I've ever had (besides in Belgium). The bartenders are genuinely kind people who are also very easy to talk to while at the bar. Any time I have company for a weekend I suggest we go to the draft for a few brews. Love it! A fun college town bar for sure. read more

Craziness..I think this place is just misunderstood. First of all, the food is really good...I swear! Turkey tips are my favorite and their fries are crispy. Steak tip salad with Gorgonzola cheese is tasty as well. Wings are pretty good but I'd definitely stay away garlic Parmesan flavor tho. As for the crowd, it's eclectic but typical is boring. Biggest pluses, amazing outdoor patio in the summer, jukebox, pool tables, cheap drinks, cheap wings. Bartenders are super friendly and attentive. read more

Night time review, can't vouch for lunch (But honestly, there are dozens of better and cheaper places to get lunch) Gave this place two chances. Failed the first one after waiting in line 30+ minutes and hearing that dollar draft was tapped before midnight. Great job. Failed the second test after waiting in line of about 20 people almost an hour to meet a few friends. Bouncers generally seem aloof and just let a few people in every ten minutes of so during rush hours. Get in and expect the whole bar to be packed, only to find a total of 5 people occupying the patio area. Service is slow too even for Allston bars, and that's saying something. No thanks, I'd rather chill with the Allston hipsters than go to this place. read more

Awesome place for lunch. We stop by just about every weekday for lunch and a quick game of darts. We hardly even have to order anymore, and the food comes out quickly. We usually are just finishing up our game when the food arrives which makes it a perfect lunch stop. $5 for a burger. You really can't go wrong with the Draft for lunch. read more

Taking a star away since one of the 2 stalls in the ladies bathroom was missing the toilet paper holder.

Caveat: We left after waiting 50 minutes for a burger and salad, so this review relates to service and ambiance. Stopped in for the first time on a Tuesday night and it happened to be some sort of 'special' night for burgers here. Discounted burger/fries/beer kind of thing. I ordered a burger deal with a Harpoon, the lovely lady ordered a dinner salad and Sprite. Drinks came......and we waited for the food......and waited.....you get the idea. After 50 minutes of waiting I asked to pay for the two drinks and to cancel our food order. Turns out that the 'special' burger night is rather popular and there was a beer garden full of hipsters (neon is back) that had ordered the deal too. Our waiter explained that this made for a decent wait time for the burgers. Wow, 50 minutes worth of a wait? And you couldn't tell us that up front? I even slipped in a "Hey, it's our first time here" when we ordered. Needless to say, not really impressed. We did get the two drinks for free, which helped ease the sting a bit. Some additional factors worth noting: 1. The Men's bathroom could use some work. I was afraid of getting Tetanus from all the rusty. jagged edges and funky grime everywhere. 2. A ceiling pipe randomly started dripping (then drooling) water onto the floor over the exit/food pick-up area of the kitchen. The wait staff didn't seem to mind while walking underneath it with food, drinks, etc. Pretty gnarly if you ask me. Also, a couple guys thought it would be a good idea to precariously climb a ladder and create a "sack" from a garbage bag in order to catch the water coming from the pipe. Heard of water balloons? Geez, eight year-olds solve bigger mysteries after watching Mr. Wizard. 3. Like moths drawn to the eternal flame of Allstondom, many another customer here is a hipster. The fan of The Killers - "I sold my Interpol sweatshirt that I bought after I sold my Modest Mouse t-shirt after I traded my RHCP Californication beanie and got these tight pants-still figuring out if I should study Audio Engineering or Spanish Government at BU" type of crowd. If you're into that type of thing then it's cool. You'll dig the place. read more

Let's see: good beer, reasonable rates, patio and Buck Hunter. Anything else? Oh yeah, Raj doing his Cocktail thing is always a crowd pleaser! Toss in it's UMass-alum owned, I'm casting my vote for this place. I'm a man of simple pleasures. read more

Does it surprise me that people have had bad experiences at The Draft? Of course not. The Draft isn't spectacular. But I've never had a bad time there. And they have daily food specials that justify me coming back. This is the kind of place that's either filled with college kids, or filled with people in their 20s and early 30s that wish they still were in college. But, 25 cent wings on Sundays and Mondays, a burger, beer and fries for $6 dollars on Tuesdays, $1 half-drafts on Thursdays. This place is cheap, and service is generally pretty good. Thursday at The Draft is kind of a mad house, but going on an off-night it's much more of a low-key experience. In the summer time the scene is bizarre, but very Allston. The inside is blasting Top 40 Hip-Hop and filled with the bros, but The Draft has a back patio, with a separate bar, hanging patio lights, and much more of a plaided, hipster, conversation-driven atmosphere. At The Draft, these two iconic Allston populations are joined together under one establishment. read more

Went there last night with my friends. It was kinda crowded and noisy especially in the roofless room. We only drank beer and I have to say that it was a very tasteless one. The location itself is good, but the beer they serve is not that good. read more

Good wings average beer selection the Draft is your typical bar but I have never had a bad experience.