Middlesex Lounge

Ok Middlesex, I’m sorry. I requested a Justin Bieber song to be played on a Saturday night. I have the fever, sue me.
The DJ responded by saying «yeah I don’t even have that I only play good music, not kidz bop. I don’t play anything that’s on the radio.» Ok king of the hipsters, you could’ve just said you didn’t have the song! Also he played uptown funk later (??? This song isn’t old enough to be hipster yet).
Overall not great vibes. Might just not be my scene. The DJ definitely was a turn off. Not sure if I will be returning.
Also $ 10 cover and not cheap drinks. Meh.

I am visiting Boston from San Francisco. This is a very nice venue for casual fun dancing.

This place is awful. Definitely won’t go back. The DJ occasionally plays fun songs that people enjoy, but mostly plays random, obscure songs that no one wants to dance to.

So I was visiting my brother for his birthday and we decided to go out for the night. I’d never been to Boston, nor have he and I ever went out together so it was a first for us. The place was great! I went to the same bartender all night, I think he said his name was Bob. Bob… you sir are awesome! Seriously, he makes great drinks. The atmosphere was great. We had an awesome time. I’m definitely going back! Bouncers were cool. There wasn’t much of a line when we got there.

Came here for a friend’s birthday on a Friday night. There was a line out the door, but we probably only waited for 10 – 15 minutes. The ~$ 10 cover is average for the area. It’s also open later than most clubs in the area, and when they close they’re sort of nice about it but slowly turning on the lights and hinting you should leave rather than explicitly telling you…
The bathroom line is impossible. I think I waited like 15 – 20 minutes, but the bathroom is nice and they have people regulating the bathroom line to try to make it faster.
The music was really good (nice selection, nice throwbacks, nice mixing it up) the DJs seem to know how to read the crowd. It’s also super loud, but don’t come here to chat. Everyone came to dance and the vibe was great!

Two words: the. Wave. Honestly, it’s nice to party at a place where there’s a good DJ that’s worth the cover charge. $ 10 usually on a good night, this is a no thrills kinda place. There’s more people of color that I see going here than I see going to a lot of places outside of Good Life and Naga. You’re going there to dance and have a good time. They lose a star because the bathroom process is a pain the the effing ass. You can spend up to 20 minutes waiting in line for the one of 3 bathrooms which are co-​ed. There’s a bouncer for the bathroom, that’s how serious it is. I love going here in the summer as opposed to the winter because the coat storage issue is a pain too. There’s nowhere to safely put your coat. I’ve never had anything stolen, it’s just not idea. You can pay a few bucks for coat check but who wants to deal with that.

Went on my birthday and had a ball. I cut at least 2 or 3 rugs.
The bouncers are some of the firmest-​yet-​nicest bouncers with which I’ve interacted. My friend forgot her ID and they didn’t let her in in the nicest way possible. Respect begets respect.
The music was very danceable and the people there were there to dance. That’s my cup of tea!
Drinks were about as good as any bar. Not bad.
4 stars because of how loud the music was. I was wearing earplugs and my ears were ringing the next day. It’s hard to talk to people and it is REALLY LOUD.

I’m not much a dancer, so Middlesex was a bit out of my range. There was a $ 10 cover, which I was not a fan of, and there is only a small bar and some seating. That being said, the DJ played great music, and the space is open, leaving lots of room for people and dancing. I had an OK time, wish there was more seating that wasn’t just benches against the wall.

This place has been around for a long time, and they get some good music. It’s a funky spot with a well run bar even when it’s packed. The prices are reasonable, it’s a bit more of a club than a lounge, but it depends what time of day/​night you go here.
The door is pretty fast even when it’s packed inside.

This was the trashiest place I have ever been to. The DJ was horrible and an ass hole. Worst music. Worst service. The bar tender wouldn’t take my cash and change. Money is money.
This place is a crap hole.
It’s a waste of money.

Dis place is dooope.
$ 10 cover charge? Psh I’m made of money.
20 minute wait in the blistering cold? Bring it on.
One dance floor to fit in hundreds of sweaty, drunk people? Hell yeah!
Overpriced drinks with a paltry alcohol content? Those are my favorite kind of drinks!
Will be back again… SIKEEEEE

Came here on a Saturday night with some friends who knew to arrive early before there was any line. The place was pretty empty at first, which was nice actually since there were some lounge tables set up, you could get a quick drink and hear your friends.
Right around 9:30/10 the seats get pushed to the perimeter to make room for the dance floor. That seemed to fill up almost immediately. The DJ set was pretty sick, just the right mix of 90s hip-​hop to keep everyone on their feet.
Also the drink list is legit, and the bartenders know what they’re doing so that’s always a huge plus.
Definitely going back!

Great nightlife for Boston but kind of generic for national standards. Feels like an underground spot. Its worth ubering out to here if you are not in Cambridge for lounging and dancing. Clinetele is mostly 20s and early 30s but it doesn’t feel super collegey.
I had amazing margaritas here. This is the first bar in Boston I have been to that actually makes good cocktails and everything off the cocktail list was delicious as well!
No DJ requests… the one there that night was pretty pretentious. Get to the bathroom early or you will be holding it (long line).

Middlesex Lounge has a very distinct vibe and you’ll know as soon as you go if you’ll be a regular or never go again. Here’s my take:
What makes Middlesex different from any «club» is that everyone there, the crowd, is there TO DANCE. Not to sit on their phones with backs against the wall, at pretentious tables with bottles of liquor marked up hundreds of dollars or vaguely flail against your average cologne-​drenched finance bro. So yea, if you want to call it a club, call it a club. But don’t mistake it for every other club you’ve ever been to. I sometimes refer to it as a dance hall.
The venue itself is one room, with one bar and the DJ booth at floor level, tucked in a corner. It gets loud and it gets crowded, so don’t come to chit chat with your friends. The crowd is extremely diverse, with a huge age range (early 20’s — early 40’s), pretty evenly split guy/​girl ratio (probably more guys than girls) and several nationalities represented (you ARE in Cambridge, after all). The one thing (most) everyone there has in common, as I mentioned, is that they want to dance to some amazing music. DJ BREK. ONE is there once or twice a month usually, and that’s the sweet spot — when the best music and the best venue collide. Go then, and it will be the best $ 10 cover you ever spent. Drinks run from $ 8 — $ 12 and the service is speedy towards the beginning of the night, but slows down once it gets jam-​packed. If you are painfully cheap, you can get in for free before 9 p.m. and wait for the crowds, like clockwork, at 11 p.m.

I have been to Middlesex twice now so time for my Unilocal Elite Review.
Line: There is a line but it moves. Get there a
little early and grab a drink. Chill. Bouncers are nice guys. No worries.
Coat Check: There is one. Don’t loose your ticket or you have to wait until place clears @ 2am!
Crowd: Eclectic, Motley… fun group. Ages range from 22 — 45. Everyone mixes well. Some are there strictly to dance. A few drunken idiots now & then but that’s the nightlife. Others are there to pick up people… some a bit of both. Hey, its a lonely world. :)
Music: A little frustrating to me. The DJs are talented but the music changes rhythm so quickly and often its hard sometimes to get a groove going. Depeche Mode, Madonna, Boys to Men, Electronic all back to back last night with hip hop. I would like at least 5 songs back to back in same genre… same tempo… then the next five a different temp or rhythm and so on. Its tricky because you are in the middle of a song really grooving with your other and then its suddenly switched to something with a completely different tempo… it has to happen of course but every other song it seems… I think every 5 songs should be a big change… my opinion.
Restroom: Long line. I haven’t had to go ever but its a long line for one room. Sometimes when going to coat check people think you are cutting restroom line… lol…so they try to block you from getting to your coat thinking you are cutting in front of them for restroom. This happened to me twice… crazy…so make sure you have your coat check ticket. Again. Don’t loose it!
Bar: Bar is cool… but I think they should poor the alcohol into plastic cups because drunken guys constantly leave
glasses and bottles right on the dance floor and I have walked right into these items while dancing. It’s dangerous as heck! Overall… for dancing… having a good time for $ 10 its fine.

I feel like this place was not what I expected and most definitely didn’t live up to the hype.
Pros: drinks were fairly priced, good location
Cons: line, horrible house music, sketchy crowd, no coat check
I ended up leaving after my first drink. Walked to the Phoenix Landing down the street and had an amazing time at half the price.

Jimmy and the other guy. All it takes is to ask them if they play house music. And they will bounce you out. No questions asked.

Really strange vibe here but I was overall pretty content with our night. The inside is like a large warehouse (only one room) with seating around the perimeter.
Cover was $ 10 at 9:30pm on a weekend which I found surprising — since most places don’t start charging cover until 10. The drinks were reasonably priced for Cambridge, beers around $ 5-​$ 7 and cocktails $ 10-​$ 13. I had a «Killer Bee», which was great, a mix of tequila, honey, lemon juice, and sriracha bitters. I was very happy.
My only complaint is the bathrooms — they have two unisex bathrooms so the line took about 30 minutes every time. They only let one person in at a time, I assume in an attempt to speed it up so you don’t have six girls chatting in there instead of using the restroom.
Overall, great atmosphere and drinks. Brings in a very interesting young professional crowd. People dressed both dressy and casual. Very cool!

i’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Boston nightlife is Boston nightlife. You take what you can get and you don’t compare it to anywhere else because… it’s Boston.
Yes, there’s a cover. Yes, like most places there are sometimes ridiculous bouncers and creepy clientele.
But mostly this place is solid. The lines can take forever because it isn’t that big inside. In my experience if you’re waiting with a bunch of girls they’ll let you in sooner.
The music is usually slightly more on the house side than top 40, and it’s quite loud. It’s where I go when I want to dance and not pay too much for cover (mostly I’ve seen $ 5 cover here, the highest I’ve seen was $ 10).

I came here on the 4^th of July with my girlfriend. We arrived at about 11:45pm. Unlike other reviews, we didn’t have to wait in any line, and had no issues with the doormen. They charged us each $ 10 cover, which is pretty standard.
The space was awesome. Huge dance floor, skylights, perimeter seating.
The bartenders were attentive and efficient. Drinks were reasonably priced. The crowd was pretty good and save but a few overly intoxicated, people were generally friendly.
So with all these positive comments, why am I leaving a poor review? The DJ. He played some decent hip-​hop, but he only played like 20s of each song. After 20s, he would abruptly transition into another song with a completely different time signature. He randomly swiped at his turntables as if he needed to remind the crowd that he was there. He cut the volume sporadically during popular songs to let the crowd sing along like he was some sort of world famous performer. And best of all, he added his idea of backup vocals to far too many tracks.
I hope I just caught Middlesex on an off night when the usual DJ was off and they had to bring in a backup. But if this is the case, they really really need a new backup.
I would come back to give them a second chance, but I’d set my expectations low.