Matt Murphy’s Pub

Pretty bland food. The fish and chips came in a massive awkward newspaper bundle.
Note. They do not take credit so come with cash.

Best cheese platter ever! Drinks are great too. My only con with this place is that it is cash only, but there is an atm right around the corner!

We have been at Matt Murphy’s four times in the past 3 months for their fish and chips. The first 3 times were quite good, in both food quality and service. But the 4^th time was beyond horrible. This place is declining fast. It took forever (over 30 minutes) for the food to come, and the restaurant was not busy. When we asked the server (supposedly related to the owner) why it was taking so long, she barked at us, «Because that is how long it is taking. If you don’t like it, you can leave.» No apologies at all. When the fish and chips came, the fish was awful; a few soggy, small pieces that tasted like it was frozen, not fresh. We we will not return.

Relaxing pub, great food, great for a date or a meal.
No televisions in this Brookline Village institution. Cash only, with a great pour of Guinness, amazing cocktails, and excellent food coming out of a very small kitchen.
Only a couple servers cover the bar and small number of tables in this dark and relaxing classic pub. There’s often a wait to get a table or even a spot at the bar. The kitchen can be a bit slow, but the food is worth the wait. I particularly love the buffalo fried brussels sprouts. The cheese plate is good and the potato leek soup is fantastic.
I’m on the fence between four or five stars, even though I love this place. The only minuses in my book are that it’s cash only and that there’s no vegetarian main dish on the menu. I’ve gone with five in the end, because, seriously, it’s one of the best things in the neighborhood.

Matt Murphy’s is one of our favorite lunch spots in Boston. A foodie neighbor recommended it when we first moved to the area, and it is one of the few spots that we keep coming back to.
Pros:
— Food: I don’t like tuna and have never ordered it before in my life, but the boyfriend ordered a tuna melt here once and it is so. good. We often go here just to get tuna melts. I want one right now, actually. Other good choices: lamb burger & french toast. I would have probably have more suggestions, but I find it hard to branch out from the tuna melt. The presentation on the food is very nice.
— I really like the décor — it is a cozy place but also has a modern element to it. Equally good for brunch with family or a date (its a cute place to do drinks).
— Things can pick up in the late afternoon, but if you like to do brunch on the early side (11:30) the place is usually pretty quiet, even on the weekends.
— Service can be a little slow when they are busy (it is a laid back, family vibe), but the staff here has always been very welcoming and accommodating (I was *shocked* to see complaints about the service here)
Cons:
— Cash only (there is a BOA ATM across the street). We know to expect this so it doesn’t bother us.
— We like the homemade ketchup, but as others have pointed out it is sweet and I can see how it wouldn’t be for everyone.
— This is the big one, and the one thing I would change about this place: The coffee is terrible. I’ve ordered it twice, and we sent it back the second time (our server was nice about it and did not seem surprised). I’m not very picky about my coffee (I add a lot of sugar and cream, so the actual coffee isn’t as important), but it was literally undrinkable. We have coffee at home when we know we are coming here, but would love it if they decided to make a decent cup so we could have some with lunch!
Don’t let the negative reviews deter you — this is a wonderful little place, and definitely worth checking out!

Worst fish and chips I’ve ever had. Visited Boston last weekend and after lots of research we decided on Matt murphys as our fish and chips spot. Not sure why this place is considered one of the best for fish and chips because the fish was soggy, bland and needed LOTS of salt and vinegar. The chips were ok, not what you would expect with traditional fish and chips. It was so disappointing, my husband and I didn’t even finish our meals.
I give it two stars because the restaurant is pretty, cozy and has nice ambience. Maybe there are better things on the menu.

Totally a local place. Food is delicious, atmosphere is friendly, bar drinks top notch. This is a small place with very reasonable prices (not inflated by credit card fees!). If you don’t have cash or want a different «attitude», don’t bother going here… place is crowded with us locals already.

Good food. Long wait. No credit cards??? Terrible service. 2 young female bartenders bitchy and rude Won’t go back

Decent food — but the staff has a TERRIBLE attitude. Comical… will not be coming back…

3 years ago much fresher and healthier. Three times I have visited in a month and hoped I might catch them on a good day.“Restaurant is filthy and the Poutine was swimming in sauce not gravy. Salted creamed Cod tasted like a salty creamed chowder. Service unfriendly. The only thing I would recommend are the fries and beet salad

I have been to this place a few times in the past and have always thought it was totally underrated. It is owned by the owners of the fabulous «pomodoro» (next door) and the quality of the food appears to be just as excellent!
This is definitely not your typical Irish bar! I wish I could have stayed here all night and sampled every single drink on the drink menu. The two drinks were great, particularly (and the name escapes me) the one with mescal and crushed raspberries. It was very complex and mouthwatering, though definitely on the less sweet side. My steak was very delicious, but whit stood out the absolute most was the most incredible poutine I have ever had.
The ambiance is great and the service is very friendly. Really, the only drawback is the fact that they don’t take cash — and the fact that they didn’t even bother to find a location closer to my house.

We’ve been here a few times over the years and have always enjoyed it, even more so now that we’ve traveled to Ireland and can appreciate how authentic it really is (both in terms of the cuisine, the ambiance, and the warmth and friendliness of the staff). You can’t go wrong with the grilled sandwiches, and the traditional dishes are great too. I felt compelled to finally write a review because I was so completely impressed by how above and beyond our server went to address a concern I brought up. She’s always been very attentive and nice in the past yet I especially appreciated how genuinely kind and responsive she was about what happened and wanting to make sure we were still able to have a positive experience. Thank you! Looking forward to coming back soon!

Our favorite cozy winter date-​night spot in Brookline. We love walking to Matt Murphy’s and snuggling in at a table together for great food and drinks. The fish & chips are our favorite — come wrapped in newspaper with homemade ketchup! Food is delicious. Great speciality drinks. Wonderful friendly service. Lovely night-​time ambiance with good music playing and candles on the tables.

Walking into Matt Murphy’s tonight was magical. The candles, antique cocktail glasses, books & pumpkins which decorate the room, as well as the jazz playing on the sound system make one feel as though they have stepped into another time. I had the eerie sense that I was back in the immersive production of Sleep No More, staged in Brookline several years ago. The Guinness was delicious, beet salad lovely, but the best thing was the buffalo Brussels sprouts. We’ll be back, as often as possible to enjoy the ambiance, cocktails and tapas. Oh yes, and there are NO TVs! What a blessing.

This place was just… alright, but also weird with the attitude of the place.
I went last Sunday with my boyfriend to get some Irish Breakfast, and we decided to go here, because the food looked incredible online. So we sat down, and the waiter was nice enough, I guess. We got our food, and the presentation was amazing, but it tasted «bleh». The meat was good, but everything else was uneventful and a waste of room on the plate. They also will refuse to make your eggs «over easy». Why? I don’t know. You get scrambled; no runny yolks for you.
The atmosphere was «we are trendy and better than you». It is the restaurant equivalent of that acquaintance you know who went to Yale, and he’s on the water polo team, and he talks about how he’s going to work for his father’s law firm when he graduates, then when you start talk, he walks away because he needs to go polish his wrist watch he spent 5 figures on. I thought this was all in my head, and this place wasn’t the condescending place I thought it was… until one of the waitresses vigorously wiped off our table, while we were still sitting at it (awaiting our check); getting food particles and whatnot all over our clothes. I get it, you want us out, but we would like to at least pay. We know you are busy with the 8 other people in your restaurant, but it would have been nice if I didn’t leave with food on my shirt.
So we left feeling insulted, weird and regretting that decision.

Very authentic Irish food in a charming, little restaurant. The brunch is out of this world! Try the grilled cheese with a side of their truffle aioli butter– you won’t be disappointed.

Great ambiance and never overcrowded. An excellent selection of drinks (both alcoholic and non alcoholic) and great food. Perfect place to meet with friends.

Bring cash! I love the mussel starter, you don’t really need anything else! But get the fries anyway — they are amazing! Good wine list. Gets crowded fast so go early. So nice on cold winter nights!

You will be hard pressed to find a better cheese plate in Boston. This restaurant is absolutely excellent from the friendly staff to the innovative cocktail list. If you want a cozy place with savory dishes, get to Matt Murph’s.

Ambiance is excellent but the ox tail soup is out of this world. I come often just for that. Great for lunch or dinner — has a high end and blue collar vibe all at once — hard to accomplish !
Important to know — cash only

I really liked the feeling of this place. It reminds me of Washington Square Tavern or the Fireplace. It’s dark, our seat was the window booth so it was cozy and warm. The service was fine but the food was only average. Our table had the mussels, grilled cheese (with very floppy fries) and the chicken pot pie dish. All were fine. I did not find the food to be rich or flavorful but I would come back for drinks or apps because I did like the ambiance.

Let me start by saying I have gone there at least twice before my last visit and before then I would have given at least four stars. Unique and intimate setting. Good food. Interesting cocktail list. Fascinating artwork on the wall. Expensive, but backed up by rich food. Trouble is they fumbled in the end game during my last visit.
In my previous visits I am pretty sure we used plastic, debit card, as this is the kind of place where a tab for a table for four gets near $ 200 pretty quick. Well on our last visit we hand over the debit card. The waitress says and thanks and takes the card. I notice her walk over to the POS station where the card swipe is. She has some interaction with another waitress and walks back and says they are cash only. And then informs us that three doors down there is an ATM. Of course, with no choice, we comply and make the trek there and back.
This bothers me for a few of reasons.
1. No signs, or text on the menu anywhere said there were cash only.
2. I understand that credit card processors charge fees, but it’s a very common cost of doing business. The City of Brookline charged us to park our car in front of the restaurant — You didn’t see us asking Murphy’s to feed our meter.
3. It’s not realistic that people carry $ 200 + in their pocket these days. I understand how using a debit card for a $ 2.50 pack of gum is silly. But a $ 200 tab enters a whole new ballpark and changes the magnitude of the fee in proportion.
4. If they are going to have people get up and go to an ATM the least they could do is have an ATM located inside the restaurant… And if they find that it takes up too much room or looks a bit trashy then … Reactivate the credit swipe and problem solved!
In all this tells me the owner (s) does not respect the customer and is willing to ruin the experience just to save a buck in a restaurant with rather aggressive pricing to begin with.

Living close by but not having checked this place out yet, I decided to look them up online and order for takeout. Lamb burger looked promising – I phoned ahead and went to pick up.
Upon arrival, I was informed that the burger is $ 15 (pre-​tax), not $ 13 as indicated online. I said «I guess the online prices are outdated,» and the staff serving me replied without missing a beat, «Yeah, they are.» Ah, so the restaurant is aware – but hasn’t bothered to update the website with the new prices? In a literal sense, it’s false advertising, and a pet peeve of mine, as it also speaks to the establishment’s integrity, trustworthiness, and attention to detail. This does not bode well. Let it be a warning to all those who are ordering or dining here for the first time: prices not as advertised online. And yes, they are cash only, as others have pointed out.
And the food itself? Fries were average, homemade ketchup could have been good but was sickly sweet, and the burger was good but sort of low on meat. Definitely not $ 15-​good. (I dreadfully miss the divine lamb burger that was served at the now-​defunct Cognac Bistro in Brookline.) Even $ 13 would’ve been seriously pushing it.
Given all the above, I won’t be coming back. Sorry Murphy’s, I guess this relationship wasn’t meant to be.

IRISH BREAKFAST.
OH.MY.GOD.YES.
Oh and the servers were all extremely attentive and friendly.

Had a pretty good meal here tonight with some of my family! We had never heard of it, but came because it was close to Parson’s Field.
Atmosphere: We were happily surprised by the quaint, cozy and warm atmosphere. Great photos on the wall, dim and overall a nice place to stumble upon.
Service: Waitress was friendly enough… didn’t try to interact any more than she needed to, and it took her maybe 10 minutes to come over and ask for drinks and food, but we didn’t care.
Food: Everything sounded so good! It was hard to choose what to get. We ordered their Brussels sprouts that came I think fried and rolled in buffalo sauce. I would have preferred plain Brussels sprouts, healthier and I’m not a huge buffalo fan, but everyone else loved them!
For dinner, I got their roasted chicken sandwich. I honestly forget what else was on the sandwich, and the menu online isn’t updated… but I know there was an apple and cranberry (??) chutney. I ordered it thinking it was going to be one of the healthier sandwich options, but it was wicked oily, saucy and greasy… so that was kind of disappointing.
My aunt, uncle and cousin all ordered the lamb burger and loved them! ²⁄₃ didn’t finish the whole thing… big portions!
There were so many awesome sounding items on the menu, both food and drink… I would definitely want to come back and try some of the other things!

Seriously just get the lamb burger. You’ll have a foodgasm. Definitely my favorite burger in Boston. Mondays 5−7pm = free oysters. So so good.
Took one star off because I’ve been there multiple times and the waitstaff can be mercurial. But it’s a pub! What do I expect?

Mediocre Food but at least the Service is… HORRIBLE
Matt Murphy’s is located in the heart of Brookline Village. It’s easily accessible on the D line and has plenty of on-​street parking. The bar extremely crowded at night and you can expect to smell like the person standing next to you within several minutes of being there! Having grabbed a beer at Matt Murphy’s a few times, I can warn you that you will be bumped and jostled repeatedly as you try not to spill your beer on yourself and your friends. On multiple occasions, I have been rudely elbowed or pushed out of the way by a server trying to get food to one of the tables. It was hard to get mad at them because they are totally overworked. It’s also worth noting that the «vibrant bar» area makes it hard to hold much of a conversation!
I have dined at Matt Murphy’s not by choice but more under duress because a date really wanted to try it. Offering some traditional Irish pub fare with other North American bar-​food staples, the food at Matt Murphy’s is just average. The kitchen was slow the night we dined there. Our server was rushed and seemingly uninterested in us. We tried the mussels and found them to be very tough to chew and greasy/​oily. I had the half chicken which was just ok. The chicken was cooked reasonably well, perhaps a touch dry, but was overly salty. The mashed potatoes were good though. We did not try the desserts because nothing about the starter or main meals indicated that it would be worth staying longer to try them.
Overall, Matt Murphy’s is kind on uninspired pub food that neither excels over other local eateries nor does it overcome the hasty and impersonal service. I haven’t been back and don’t plan on doing so.