College Nightlife Gems

by Sasha Parodi

Photography by Deni Yacoobian

Every college features that one sweet spot of cheap(er) drinks, mouthwatering (often fried) food and a familiar atmosphere. The Greater Boston area, with over a hundred colleges, is punctuated with favorite college bars, filled with post-midterm celebrations, (sometimes) awkward acquaintance encounters and memories that many of us may (not always) remember.

Each college bar comes with fierce loyalty and adoration. No matter how run-down or dive-y the bar, its collegiate occupants defend it without hesitation.

BU students know that a reference to Tavern in the Square on a Friday night generally means a beer or two and the possibility of running to anyone you’ve ever met over the course of your college career. Located in love-to-hate Allston, Tavern in the Square (or its more charming shorthand “TITS”) on Brighton Avenue is as much a BU staple as Rhett the Terrier.

Our House East, located right in front of Northeastern campus, represents a common theme in their nightlife. Whether it’s a light mid-week drink with friends or a weekend night on the town, the pub is favored for its casual nature, school spirit, karaoke fun and trivia extravaganzas.

“We have made it kind of our own,” said Brenda Gonzales, a student at Northeastern University. “The staff already know us…I really like it because of the familial atmosphere.”

For those in search of more musical adventures, the Middle East acts as a hub for Harvard, MIT and other Bostonian students alike. Encompassing an eclectic atmosphere, delicious food made from family recipes and a nightly celebration of Boston’s musical community, the club & bar showcases the thriving, ever-curious, yet also familial spirit of Cambridge.

If you’re looking for the charm of old-time grunge, MaryAnn’s Bar is the place to be. It’s affectionately known, as stated by multiple online reviewers, as the “American dive bar.” MaryAnn’s, located near the Boston College campus, is a common choice of the Chestnut Hill Eagles. Complex Popculture’s Jack Erwin defined this cash-only, cheap-drinks and sport screens institution as a “dive bar straight out of central casting.”

Boston is such a college town that the college bar is a necessary aspect of the culture. So wherever you are, or wherever you go to school, you know you have some solid places to relax, recharge, indulge and enrich your college experience.