This was the end of my Southie Dive Bar Tour and a good spot to end. Walking in.... it's rather large with a long bar surrounded by tables, juke box & scratch off machine! The joint was bustling with drunkards & locals that seemed to have been there all day, not a bad thing! What made the place for me was the service, these girls aren't fucking around & know what their doing. Just put your empty bottle out and it's replaced without one word... even for a tourist type! It's clean, cheap and plenty of people to chat with... highly recommend! Talk later// read more

A classic dive bar atmosphere with a beautiful Guinness pour. Highly recommended if you like cheap drinks, pool, darts and good service. They're cash only and have a scratch off machine in vintage dive fashion! read more

Tom English's Cottage - Dive Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

dont ask to charge your phone or you'll get kick out. don't go here. This place is good until you ask a simple question and they kick you out for being sober and want to charge your phone read more

Best bar in southie . Lia and Jordan hold it down. Lia also drives a Kia niro which somehow she gets free tires on . Love this place . 5/5

The drinks were ok. But the owner of the bar was beyond rude. I saw another comment about racism and cannot stress this issue enough. I bout a few beers with my friend, payed for music, and played pool. Next thing I know, the "owner" is kicking us out for no apparent reason. Terrible spot, wouldn't recommend. read more

Good staff, good music, cold beer, pool and darts. Can't ask for much more. Cash only has an ATM inside

Their bartenders are friendly, quick, and just freakin phenomenal. They have a large variety of beers and can make any mixed drink you want.

Class. Any place that has ice in the urinals is class. Check the pics. Good, large bar... easy to get into on the weekends. They have pool tables and plenty of TVs. Pretty happening on a Saturday night. read more

Tom English's Cottage - Dive Bars Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Stopped in to have a few beers & watch the Pats season opener on Sunday. To my surprise the kitchen was open. The menu was small but it had all the dive bar staples (burgers, wings, nachos ext;). The food was not only very reasonably priced but was tremendous. It really was. I ordered buffy wings and a cheeseburger. The wingers were cooked perfectly, well done, nice and crispy (not fatty) with the perfect amount of kick to them. They were the best wings I've had in a real ong time. The cheeseburger I had was also damn good.. From my understanding the kitchen at Tom English's has been closed for a few months. So it was a pleasant surprise to come in and find it back open. What was even better was how good the food was.. Great food, solid service, reasonable prices. What more could you ask for. 5 STARS read more

Tom's just got a brand new outside, how ya doin? They put up a new stone wall out front and some new lettering above the door. Looks solid kid. And they STILL ONLY CHARGE $2.00 for beers. $2.00 for beers $5.00 mixed drink $6.00 pitchers No Lines Bartenders are wicked cool People will tell you that this place is for locals only. Well, last time I checked...the locals in South Boston are mostly 20-35 years old and love crushing beers. That is pretty much what you get when you go to Tom's. The bar is huge, way more room than you would think. 2 pool tables, darts, and a juke box that they turn up wicked loud. People need to step up and stop going to the beer garden down the street where it is twice as expensive and less fun. They don't accept credit cards....but usually I bring $35 and I can drink 15 beers and still leave a good tip. Thats whats up. read more

Friday Fish and Chips ************* I grew up eating fish and chips in Ireland and England and the fish and chips on Friday night is as close as you can get in Boston ,it is the best !!!!.Really large portion of fish cooked just right ,not over cooked like a lot of places you find around Boston ,chips are fresh too all for $10 ,it is the best !!!!!!! Word of caution ,you need to get there before 8 or 7 or it will be sold out ,it is that good . Bartenders are great and drinks are cheap what more can you want ??????,it a great place ! No credit cards but cheap drinks and good people . read more

I moved to Southie a few weeks ago and was already really feeling the new hood. And then, I discovered that I lived within crawling distance of the Greatest Place On Earth. I mean, this place is so awesome that sometimes I think it must be a figment of my imagination. PBR on tap? Juke box? Darts? Pool? Erotic Photo Hunt? BIG BUCK HUNTER?? In one place??? Did Santa Clause come early this year?! I went in last night (a Wednesday) and the place absolutely reeked of urine. Additionally, there was a 10 year old playing pool. A true family establishment. Please adopt me, Tom, for I am home. read more

This is only one of two places I will go during the day that don't take credit cards, and the other one is the laundromat. The reason I give them a pass on the credit card issue is for the following reasons: 1)The beer is incredibly inexpensive 2) Service is quick 3) The place is pretty clean (especially for a place with beer this cheap) 4) The crowd has been pretty cool 5) Pool Tables 6) Big Buck Hunter 7) I can walk there One of the better dive bars I have been to. read more

Never experienced a ruder bouncer in my life and coming from south Florida that's saying something... starting our night and called my dad (family vacation) to come meet us and while trying to read the sign to tell him the bar the bouncer said he couldn't let us in cause we didn't know the name while letting in kids who were audibly asking if their fake ID will work to get in. Beyond unprofessional and clearly doesn't care about business or customers. If you're visiting, stay clear cause they will rudely not let you in and insult you to nearly the point of crying. read more

Fun spot. Nice crowd on a Saturday. Good cheap brew selection and friendly bartender. Isn't this called 'Tom English's Cottage,' by the way? read more

Whoa - first experience in a Southie bar...it was...revealing. First, I found it entertaining to see a big ass box of goldfish on one patron's table. Apparently TE's didn't have food for a while so they still let folks bring food, or better yet, order delivery to the bar. Amazing. Second, lottery tickets. Nothing like crushing beers and scratching furiously to see if you won more beers. Finally, the crowd - lots of youngsters who tend to keep to themselves. I was a bit nervous after reading about the February decor in 2011, I was wondering what I would face, but it turned out to be a cool crowd there for the cheap beer and low-key atmosphere. read more

A friend of mine, born and raised in Southie, tried to take me to Tom English's last night because she had a blast a few nights before that. My first impression was that it looked just like any other pub, a bit empty. We walked up to the bar to grab a beer and were asked for our IDs. I provided mine first, and the female bartender asked for something else (which happens to me all the time because I have a NY license). She then asked for my friend's, but no back up. "This don't look like either of yous....I'm not gonna take 'em." My friend, who was fuming, said, "umm...I was in here on Tuesday with Rita." And the bartender said, "I never seen you before." Let's note that this was in front of everyone else in the bar since they don't have a bouncer. It was pretty humiliating considering we're both 23 years old and provided legitmate identification. The fact that she didn't ask for my friend's credit card or anything proves that she was exercising AGE DISCRIMINATION. She just didn't want us there. If you decide to go here, make sure Rita's working...or you have gray hair, although you'd better have a good picture on your ID or you might get turned away. read more

Love this place. Honestly, what's not to love? Cheap Beer. Two pool tables. Golden Tee. Big Buck Hunter. Great jukebox. Darts. The ideal Southie bar, IMO. read more

Tom English's Cottage made me think of a nice cozy spot, filled with knick knacks, maybe a fire, and cheerful bartenders with big bellies and stories of lore. Instead I got cracked linoleum, the smell of mold and piss (eau de homeless man), a loud crowd, a game or two of Buck Hunter and a rum and coke that tasted like fire. The best part was when some guy almost punched me in the face when I bumped into him on accident coming around the corner. Thankfully his rage dissipated when he realized I was a girl that only came up to his elbow. And guess what...I loved every minute of it!!! People here are enjoying themselves, chugging some cheap beers, shooting pool...and shooting deer (don't shoot a cow!). Great fun on a Friday night. read more

Interetsing side note though...apparently Tom's boasts two touchscreens - a PG-13 and R-rated version. Intriguing....I was nearly thwarted one night whilst trying to play Erotic PhotoHunt....it was a close call. Regular picture photohunt is way lame - hit up the one against the wall for boobies&hunks. read more

My 1st time in a pub in the gaelic promised land :) and great escape from Busy Town.TOM English's is not to be confused though with TODD English- local chi-chi chef! The only other time I was here in Southie was for the infamous St. Patty's Day Parade. But going to an actual bar on St. Patricks's in Southie seems a bit like going to Times Square on New Years... A bunch of us came from The Distillery on East 2nd ave, apparently not the only art gallery in Southie. Everyone else in the bar looked normal, vaguely Irish and was intermittently rowdy and chill. Male to Female ratio on a Saturday night at Tom's: 5 to 1 There is loud surround sound stereo of a new jukebox playing funny mix of classic rock and reggaetone. There is a small pool table, darts, dancing?, spacious wooden rooms and a fixed Soprano's pinball machine. The friendly bartender lined up the regular pre-beer shots, poured beeer into spoltchy clean? glasses. I was gonna get the Guinness but the PBR pitcher goes oh so well with brand-new Pro Buck Hunt, the Wii of virtual hunting!!! You have got to try it! It was my first time playing and I am so bad and it is so fun. I turned the shotgun on my friends who were braggy from practice at T.C.'s Lounge in Boston! read more

Don't go go here unless you're completely sober. They assume everyone is trouble. The bouncer is nice and cool, but the manager is a real hardo. He lets very few people in and is extremely rude and disrespectful. They're missing out on a ton of business! It's nothing special inside anyway though...not worth it at all. read more

Came here at the end of the bar crawl. Its not that there is anything wrong with it its just that there isn't anything right with it. Pool tables, mostly empty bar at midnight on a friday. Its a fine bar if you are looking for something low key and a bit on the divey side. read more

Darts, buck hunter, keno, miller high lifes. What more do you want?

Our favorite neighborhood haunt. Tom's is the perfect low-key bar; super casual, rarely too crowded, but always great for some serious people watching. They have darts, a juke box, Big Buck Hunter, pool, and (our personal favorite) erotic photo hunt. I've never gone there and not been able to get on a pool table. The management and the bartenders are all friendly and laid back. Loses one star because it's cash only, but almost makes up for it with the $3 beers and $4.50 mixed drinks. There is no downside to Tom's. read more

Good only for old people. Place is nice. I'll give it that. Cheap bear, working pool table, but the average guy there is like 40-50 years old. Drunk and weird as fuck. If that's not you, they'll stare at u till you leave. read more

Besides being practically next door this place has it all: Cool down-to earth staff, divey enough, cheap drinks, pool tables and Big Buck Hunter. For those who have not played BBH, you need to before you die. You also don't feel like you are in a college bar which is what mostly every other place in Southie has become. It is one of the last true institutions in Southie, double parking out front and all! read more

Great neighborhood spot with a verrrry funny, attractive owner. Great spot to catch the St. Patrick's Day parade. That is... if you're paying attention and not just downing drinks inside the bar. read more

Easily my favorite bar in Boston. It's a great little hole in the wall with cheap beer, a great vibe, cool people of all ages, pool tables, darts, dancing (if you really want to) and it's just a nice stumbly walk from my front door. Gotta love it. read more

This is one of the local bars that my roommate and I like to pop in to when we just need to get out and have a drink. There are a lot of locals here and it is a great place to people watch. The drinks are cheap and they give a healthy pour. With Buck Hunter, pool tables, and many other diversions, you and your friends are certain to be entertained. read more

Best bar I've been to in Southie by far for all of the reasons everyone has listed before... - Cheap beer ($2.50 pints of PBR, $3 bottles of other domestics) - Friendly bartender (not crazy friendly, very low key and cool) - Some of the best people watching around, especially on a weeknight - Pool tables (I don't play pool but the entertainment value of the drunk guy at the bar ordering gin and juice asked you over and over to play makes it awesome) - A scratch-off ticket machine, Keno, Buck Hunter, Photo Search and other entertaining games I am clearly not a Southie native so yes, I got a look or two walking in here but honestly, it was well worth it. The coherent clientelle that was not pretty much passing out drunk was very friendly and the place wasn't overly crowded. Oh, and the proximity to my apartment just tops off the perks to this place. I have a new favorite local bar! (Thank goodness...I was getting worried about Southie there for a bit!) read more

On Broadway in Southie after a drunkie romp through the Back Bay Boylston Street bars..... Me to my friend: "How much cash do you have?" Friend: "8 bucks. You?" Me: "Crap. A dollar." 21-year-old bro waking in front of us: "You guys going to Tom English's?" Me: "Think so. What can we get for 9 dollars?" Bro: "A whole pitcha of PBAhhhhhh!" Done and done; me and Tessie were on our way to Tom's house. Within a minute we were served our beastly beer by an uber friendly waitress and found barstools overlooking the pair of busy pool tables; one was occupied by athletic-looking just home from their junior year at college types and the other by 50+ year-olds who looked like they were straight out of Titanic's steerage in Levis and Sox hoodies. One of them comes over, notices my friend's elbow is hyperextended and begins raving about it to anyone within a 60-foot radius. Love it! I decided to check out the tunes on the jukebox after enduring 6 Chili Pepper tracks in a row when a young man playing darts begged me to play something else; anything. On my way out of the bar my track, Fat Bottomed Girls, sounded through the dimly lit and slightly smoky bar. The dart player left his game, gave me a high five and said, "Thank you! Good tune." Well, they didn't have PBR but the next time I want a $3 Guinness, a blend of fun-loving young folk and superbly friendly locals and bonding over cheesy Queen songs I'm totally rallying the troops. See you there tomorrow and the day after ;) read more

Best dive bar ever. Love the crowd, the pool tables, the decorations at Christmas, the cheap prices...best dive ever!

I love the cottage!!! Cheap drinks and Buck Hunter, Trophy Animal Edition!!! This bar is exactly what a shouthie bar should be, cheap drinks, bar games, old grumpy Irish guys, nothing fancy and the worst bathrooms in boston..... read more

After reading reviews on this place I made my friends go here. WHat a disappointment. First, they don't accept credit cards. Second, it smelled like stale beer and third, the crowd consisted of 5 people who all knew eachother. Had one drink and left. read more

Hands down best dive bar! Cheap beers, pool, darts, crazy locals...what else is there! The only reason I'm taking down a star is because the bathroom is kinda icky. But I do suppose that goes with the territory. read more

The last reviewer was correct - It's called Tom's English Cottage. I give Tom's English five stars because it executes as a local bar to perfection. TVs on "Deal or No Deal" or the other reality/contest show flavor of the year and the lottto playing crowd spillover from just across I street makes this a true to life Southie bar. The beers are inexpensive, the darts are free, the TVs are abundant for those football sundays, and the staff and patrons are the good natured salt-of-the-earth people you'd expect at a place like this. read more

It's a Tuesday night and I'm bored. I'm in the mood for some cheap beers and darts/pool. mmmm....where to go? Tom's English Cottage of course! Definitely my type of dive bar. Seems like everytime I go there the pool tables are for free (so not sure exactly what night it is). Overall, great place to get out of the house and kick back. Also, always have a good time striking up random conversations with people and staff in there too. Always friendly and as the other posted said "good natured salt-of-the-earth people". read more

Cheap beer, pool, darts, tv's, jukebox, big buck hunter. Don't waste your money going to places like the Playwright or Beer Garden when you can enjoy a non crowded, friendlier atmosphere at Tom's. read more

Went to a few other southie bars until we finally decided to hit this place. So glad we did. Threw darts while drinking ice cold beers and listened to our favorite songs on the jukebox. The staff made us feel right at home and very welcoming. Next time I'm in Boston I'm going right to this place. read more