The Boston Eagle

You shouldn’t expect much from this bar. My friend and I came to have a good time because of the good reviews, but the bar is very old school but not in a good way. Also, (i think it was the owner) that KICKED US OUT of the bar because we don’t drink alcohol. Very funky place.

Great place for socializing but be aware not a lot of hiding room. If youre looking for a night on the town this is a great place, nice people (except for Jeff he’s my grouchy cousin) pretty cold drinks too. We went there twice and had a great time almost each time. My birthday is soon I might go back there after my party if I have a party. 4 stars. Bye.
***If your into hide and seek, this might not be the best place. I found Jeff in like 10 seconds everytime because there are no tablecloths on the tables and the other patrons kept asking him to «get out from there».

Time for Jack to retire, he is no longer funny, just a mean grumpy old man.
The men’s bathroom really should be condemned at this point, the smell is atrocious.

It’s not a leather bar. It’s twinks and drunk college kids. No matter when you go, the piss smell is totally overwhelming. It’s pretty much all you can think about while you are there. The bathroom is small, not at all private, and totally filthy. Two urinals and a toilet and the door opens for a clear view from the side to the main room. The place is very dark which is probably a good thing because you don’t want to see what you’re touching. You will need a good bath afterwards. The bottled beers had a weird metallic taste. The bartender was as friendly as a cry for help. You’re on your own for parking.

i love this place. jack is the most incredible human on the planet.
a must visit lovation

I grew up in Boston and remember when it had many exciting bars to hang out in, hot gay men, a gay neighborhood, etc., but that was in the 1980s and 1990s. Ever since then, all the good bars have disappeared and only the dives have remained. It’s as bad as being in Western Massachusetts. For all the liberal attitudes that you expect in Boston, the city seems to be hell bent to prevent gay bars from operating in the downtown area. It’s pathetic that you should have to drive to P-​town or Rhode Island to find gay nightlife. Boston’s gay community seems very lame if you can find it and complacent with the status quo. I don’t even know where you can cruise anymore. Surely not everyone can be married and settled down.
The Boston Eagle is a very small bar. You can’t dance there and my understanding is the owner is more concerned about his pool table being damaged than anyone using it. I saw him drive customers out by not allowing them to use it for some reason. It’s also my understanding that the owner doesn’t care whether he gets a crowd or not. Not sure how the bar stays open with that attitude. Can’t Boston have one amazing place for gay men to spend their time anymore?

I have to be very specific. And the best way to do is to choose specific words. Below is what I would describe my first and absolutely last experience at this bar…
— Smelly
— Cheap
— Old
— Urine
— Uncomfortable
— Neighborhood
— Sad
— Dark
— Depressing
If I have to sum it all in a sentence or two, by what I mean using the words above?
This place is not very well ventilated and makes the smell coming out of the restrooms highly intolerable. The bar has probably been there forever and is maybe the best thing ever for regulars who have friends for life. I doubt that anyone young or visitors will ever feel at home given the vibe is so old, and possibly attracts and caters to those coming here for a million years — probably because there is no way you can get a bottle of Heineken for $ 4 anywhere in metro Boston — leave aside a gay bar… Makes this a place — definitely — not for me!

No receipts, and the bartender treated me like I was stupid for asking a simple question about the drinks, and also, for ASKING FOR A RECEIPT. That ought to say it all.

Horrid! Unfriendly and the worst Eagle I have ever been to!

10 guys in town for the Frozen Four and a rude bartender. We will spend our money else where.

We have only been in here because we have some dear friends who live on their street… and knows the owners well, etc. Jack is wonderful and it is a great place to go for a cheap drink and an enjoyable experience. it is no frills but is a fantastic area and wonderful location… always a fun time.

Stumbled in here off the street… whoops had no clue at first. Jack immediately started chatting with my hubby and called me the bitch he married Totally hilarious! Jack regaled us with stories and cheep booze in plastic cups. It was a blast, Jack invted my hubbie behind the counter for a picture with himself and the other cantankerous old coot. Loving Boston and all its characters.

First off, I have to say that anyone who bitches and complains about the bartenders and their commentary just doesn’t get it. Without Jack and Co., there would never have been a Boston Eagle, and it would be boring without them. Anyone who doesn’t understand this belongs at some ridiculous «craft cocktail» bar where the bartender is 25 and has a laughable handlebar mustache to appear ‘hip’.
For those of you who have some substance and won’t go running to mommy if a few barbs are thrown your way, this is your place. There’s absolutely nothing like it anywhere in Boston or anywhere else in the US. Closest thing I’ve found is Eddy’s, which is in Shanghai. Yes, the Shanghai in China.
At the Boston Eagle, the décor evokes a leather bar of the 1970s. This is because it hasn’t been changed since the Carter administration. The drinks are stiff and cheap, and the crowd is real and unpretentious. Behave with attitude and you will be verbally ridiculed. Order some silly foo foo drink, and you will be told «WE DON“T HAVE THAT HERE!» Behave like an obnoxious débutante and you will probably be thrown out. Behave badly enough to be banned, and Jack WILL remember you and throw you out if you ever try to return.
To sum up, the Eagle is a Boston institution. You either ‘get it’ or you don’t. If you’re lucky enough to ‘get it’, I don’t have to tell you what a great time you can have there. May it continue for many more years.

My husband and I were visiting Boston this week, and decided to check out afew local bars, so stopped into the Eagle for a beer. A very pleasant crowd was there, drinking and playing pool. After a pool game hgad ended, a ball feel on the floor, and bounced toward a back stair… in an effort to stop the ball, one of the patron accidentally dropped his cue stick… not a big deal, no harm, no foul. However, a man who appeared to be either a bartender or manager… around 60 yo, white goatee, 6’2″…proceeded to berate the crowd gathered near the pool tables, without even listening to their ex[planation for why the cue had fallen.
But then the piece de resistance, when he told them to «get the eff out, and go back to Jamaica Plains.» Note, the patrons in this group were largely Hispanic/​Latino. My suspicion of his racism was confirmed when I learned that JP is predominantly a non-​Caucasian neighborhood, and that roughly 33% of its residents are Latino/​Hispanic (from Puerto Rico, Dominican REepublic & Cuba).
I distressed us so much that we left our full beers on the table, and left (with the 6+ in the group who he «expelled.» I hope that these gentlemen realize that hey have suffered a civil rights violation, and that they sue this disgusting proprietor for every cent he has. If you read this, contact me… I’m a professional from the west coast who would happily fly back on my own dime to see this bigot get his due.
In more than 2 weeks in Ptown and Boston, I had not seen any display of racism and bigotry until tonight… how sad that it was put forth by one of our own, against our own.

I have tried to like this place, but unfortunately cannot. It attracts plenty of bitter old queens who blend together into one gigantic hot mess. Which brings me to the bartenders: TOTAL POMPOUS A – HOLES!!! In addition to being the two nastiest hot messes in the place, They never fail to give the worst customer service found in any bar in Boston. And that’s saying something. I know plenty of reviewers have pointed the bartenders’ assholiness, but it’s my review and I am being brutally honest.
Not only that, but their wine and beer selections are pitiful. Their mixed drinks are so weak they defeat the purpose of going to a bar. Yeah, they’re cheap, but it’s a case of getting what you pay for.
It’s a dive, sure, but all of the shit they have dangling from the ceiling is so tacky and stupid. And they could at least trying to keep the restrooms healthy and clean.
Not that this place is all bad. The man who takes coats is very classy and always has a smile on his face. Very kind and nice to talk to.
For a gay bar in Boston, one can do PLENTY better.

Dive bar with bartender named Jack who is rude. Went there with my recently married husband and instead of Jack congratulating us, he asked why we got married in a very judging bitchy tone and express a lot of his racist options. He clearly does not support gay marriage. I would AVOID this place and go to an establishment where you feel welcome and not judged!

As one person said, this is a dive, but not a bad dive. It is unlike any Eagle you will visit in any other city. We went on a Saturday night and the place was empty. The bartenders are super friendly and make stiff drinks at reasonable (for Boston) prices. It’s an older crowd and there isn’t any Gayattitude.

This place is what it is… dark, dank, cheap, great «last call».
Enough people have written about the rudeness of the bartender (s), there’s not much to say. Is it the same 1 guy we are all complaining about… or are they all rude?
I want to think that the rude bartender is the owner, because he doesn’t seem to be worried about any repercussions.
I was drinking a beer chatting with some friends, and he leans over and says: «Don’t stand in front of the bar!» Excuse me?
The sad part is he’s probably making a ton of dough in spite of his in-​hospitality.

One word: Dead. This place is small, dark, and gross. And not even ‘dark’ in the fun way as in cruisy. It was just dead. The beer selection sucked. Why can’t there be full service quality gay bars in bos?
The old fart behind the counter seems liked a disenchanted old gay man. Boring.

Having been to the Eagle in New York, I was kind of expecting it to be similar. How wrong I was.
I first stopped in around 11 or so, and the joint was practically empty. I had a beer and chatted with the bartender a little so I could try to figure out what the deal was for the evening. He says to try again around 1am, so I head to The Alley and have a few beers there first.
I come back (after trying to find a parking spot for 20 minutes, but that’s just how the neighborhood is), and it seemed like I was in for a treat. Calling this joint a dive would be a compliment.
Most of the patrons were friendly, the beers were cheap, and I ended up meeting some new people from all walks of life.
I made it back to my hotel on the other side of town, so that’s a plus.