COVER STORY
Club Boston
Allston/Brighton
THE KELLS
161 Brighton Ave., Boston. 617-782-9082. (Get directions).
Food Served until 10 p.m.
Music Sun.: traditional Irish music (6-10 p.m.); dance party with DJ (10 p.m.-2 a.m.). Tues.: open mike. Wed.: "Studio 99," '90s disco. Thur.: dance party. Fri.-Sat.: cover band upstairs, DJ downstairs.
Cover Fri. $5; Sat. $7; free other nights
Age 21+ after 10 p.m.
Atmosphere Be prepared to press flesh and work those snazzy pick-up lines.
- A.F.
HARPERS FERRY
158 Brighton Ave., Boston. 617-254-9743. (Get directions).
Food Not at the moment, but may try again.
Music Nightly blues, R&B, rock, and, increasingly, neo-hippie jam bands.
Cover Weeknights $2-4; weekends $6 and up.
Age 21+
Atmosphere An urban roadhouse that just reopened with a new look. The center bar is gone, replaced by two side bars, resulting in a bigger dance floor. The room seems bigger, but may take some getting used to for hardcore Harpers fans who don't like change. Still, the casual vibe remains.
- S.M.
KINVARA
34 Harvard Ave., Boston. 617-783-9400. (Get directions).
Food Solid offering of pub fare. Stick with the classics like the stews, shepherd's pie, fish and chips, sandwiches. Kitchen open until 11 p.m. (Sun. until 10 p.m.)
Music Sun.: Club returns to its roots with Irish band Donegal Chords; club music follows with DJ Tom. Other nights a mix of DJs and bands.
Cover Varies; $2-$4 on weekends.
Age 21+ after 9:30 p.m.
Atmosphere It ranges from a family-friendly neighborhood pub to a clubby feel as the night rolls on. There's some serious dart playing at times and intense conversations most nights. It would be safer to walk through a dart game than a discussion here.
- C.B.
SCULLERS
DoubleTree Guest Suites Hotel, 400 Soldiers Field Rd., Boston. 617-562-4111. (Get directions).
Food Light snacks and sandwiches.
Music Tue.-Sat.: national and local jazz acts, with smooth jazz and Latin mixed with more straight-ahead bands. Note: The room is often reserved for hotel functions.
Cover $12-$35
Age All ages
Atmosphere The city's most elegant jazz room, wood-paneled and overlooking the Charles River, where we're told that "everything from sneakers and jeans to sequins and tuxes" is acceptable. On bus, but not subway line.
- B.B.
WHITE HORSE TAVERN
116 Brighton Ave., Boston. 617-254-6633. (Get directions).
Food Served from 11:30 a.m. to midnight daily. A new menu Oct. 1 will add daily specials and seafood.
Music No bands or DJs, but live music Sun.-Wed. expected in few months.
Cover None
Age 21+
Atmosphere Stylish without being pretentious. Exposed brick walls, high ceilings. Clean, maybe a bit too sanitized, but it's become a success with the mainstream bar crowd and is always packed on weekends.
- S.M.
WONDER BAR
186 Harvard Ave., Boston. 617-351-2665. (Get directions).
Food Full tapas menu until midnight.
Music Live jazz nightly.
Cover None
Age 21+
Atmosphere An enjoyable, civilized nightspot, with candle-lit tables, and a bar where you can sit comfortably and eat or grab a quick beer. You'll find a mix of young professionals stopping in to relax and chat and college students getting ready for a night on the town. Dress varies from those still in their work clothes to college women wearing their little black dresses and sipping cosmopolitans.
- C.M.
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