The Black Rose

I loved this place! My boyfriend and I were staying across the street this past Valentine’s Day. We chose The Black Rose because it was right across the street from our hotel and the temperature was below 0. It wasn’t very formal, it was a loud Irish bar, but the atmosphere was cozy and the food was great. I got the seafood combo and my boyfriend got the pot pie, we also ordered a baileys coffee that I can’t remember the name of but it was all fantastic. We ended the night with Boston cream pie. Great place!

I only come up to Boston once in a blue moon, so I’m not sure if this is a Boston thing or a Black Rose thing, but they are extremely disrespectful. I’ve never been «assaulted» by anyone — especially not by someone in the restaurant industry (or any other industry that relies on customers for income). I’m still angry thinking about this. I was not drunk nor am I threatening/​lacking class/​etc. There was no reason for them to treat me like I was trash. Here’s the story.
First off, when my friends went in, two of them had ID’s (Rhode Island) rather than driver’s licenses and the bouncer gave them such a hard time. In the end, they were able to go in, so that was okay. They didn’t let my other friend in because they said he looked drunk, okay fine, alcohol laws and whatnot.
I was in there and having a good time with my friends, left for a moment to say bye to my friend outside. It was around 1:30am at this time, which I guess is when they wouldn’t let new people in, so they locked the door. When I tried to go in, the bouncer told me I wasn’t allowed back in. Since I was just sitting there a few minutes ago and having drinks, I figured he was joking and tried to walk in, telling him that my friends are sitting right at that table and I was with them, at which point he SHOVED ME OUT. And when I was VERBALLY protesting (I was angry that he was pushy with me. I’m a 5’1″ girl who weighs like 120 pounds), he was being aggressive with me and ended up twisting my arm, shutting the door in my face. Keep in mind that it was also below freezing outside. I tried to call the manager about this, but they haven’t returned my calls. I guess the closest I can come to making myself feel better about the situation is a Unilocal review — which by itself doesn’t do much, I know that, but when enough people call them out for being a horrible business, they’ll lose potential customers (who have hundreds of other bars to choose from) reading said reviews.
For an establishment that’s supposed to attract customers, you know, the basis of their income, they sure do like to make it easy to hate them and never want to come back. Maybe the food, drinks, and entertainment are decent. It doesn’t matter. Rude management and aggressiveness doesn’t go so far. I will never come back, I will never recommend them to my friends, I will speak negatively of them every chance I get. I am someone who’s loyal to the businesses that are truly great, and I always make sure to spread the word amongst my friends to bring them more customers. Word of mouth is the skeleton of popularity, smart business owners know this and try their best to keep their customers happy (even sometimes unreasonably so — allowing the greedy to manipulate them, which is not the case here).
Based on how they treat their customers, this will be a trend. Years down the line, their business will likely decline because of their unintelligent style of management. You’re supposed to make your customers satisfied, not frustrated, not threatened by your bouncers who probably feel sooo alpha for pushing around small girls.
All in all, this was a horrible experience. Once again, I’m not sure if this is common in Boston so maybe Bostonians will read my review and find it naïve. Consider this, when you’re in an abusive environment you get used to it and you forget what it means to be respected. This sort of thing is unimaginable to me. This is NOT how you treat paying customers. This is NOT how you treat other people, especially when they don’t give you a reason to think that they’d harm you or your business. At that point it’s just an arrogant power play.
Also, the management won’t respond to my emails or phone calls, so they obviously don’t care much about customer service or how their employees treat people.

I had high hopes for this restaurant! It was lively, filled with a great crowd, and had a very nice staff… however, the food was awful! I ordered the Shepard’s Pie and it was very salty and the carrots were undercooked (hard as rocks). If your looking to have drinks this place is great. If your looking for a good meal, Boston has a lot more to offer.

Everytime I go on my business trip to Boston, this is one of the places I always have to stop by. I am addicted to their steak tips! I always have great service and there are times where a live band is playing, its a fun environment to be at.

They serve fresh lobster with cheap price once I was there.$ 20 2 lobsters. Pretty good deal. In addition, the salmon I ordered is also flavorful.

In all fairness I am unable to rate this place on anything except service due to the fact that we were not served at all. We were sat by a hostess and waited for at least 15 minutes and no one came over so we ended up leaving.

As a visitor to Boston, I happened to the Black Rose on a search for local food. What a find I will be going back, the food is very good and the ambience very well done, if your in Boston check it out

Totally enjoyed the fish and chips dinner. I am in love with the tender, flaky and delicious plate that I was served. The fries were just the right size– so very yummy. Fried to perfection. Cold slaw was perfect. Not runny but just the right amount of kick!
The Irish balladeer was a welcome addition, just a tad too loud. But I was thoroughly enthralled with his songs and naughty ballads! I must find the name of the red ale that can only be found in the Boston area. Sam Adams was also there with a nice tasting selection. A great meal all around!
Must come back!

Wish I never left… Was packed downstairs — we went upstairs. Bartender was perfect. Not a lotta talkin and attentive. I had the lobster roll (I’d rate it a 6, but also was informed by my friend in Boston that I’m a fool for ordering it out of season) — my sandwich bread around the lobster was cold (sadness!) and the sausage wrapped in pastry crust– tasty but needed a dipping gravy. Oh well! Still liked it a lot compared to other places we went… I also overheard an enthusiastic foody (drunk dude in bathroom) that they had the best shepherds pie he’d ever tasted. If the indication of the perfect pastry crust around my Irish bangers was any indication, I believe you man! (Also it’s classy and nice establishment ambience wise)

Location is one of the best in Boston.
Service is great
I had very nice shrimp and Lobster plate, and the Smithwick beer. pretty good. Also tried Irish Coffee which had more scotch than I expected.
All in all: the place is very nice I would strongly recommend it.

I gave 4 stars to Black Rose because my pork chops were pretty bland, thank god for the veggies and potato. The guy performing was awesome, so that took my attention from the meal. The clam chowda and wedge salad were great!

We ordered the two favourites on the menu; Fish & Chips, and Shepherd’s Pie. Unbelievable! The Fish & Chips were fresh, not too fried and tartar sauce complimented the fish greatly. The Shepherd’s Pie was moist, meaty, and spiced perfectly! What could make this experience better? The live 3-​man band.

Nice spot plenty of drinks to choose from staff friendly but Boston in general is like that

Stopped into the pub yesterday for lunch after typical tourist meandering in Boston. Our group ordered various entrees — a beet salad, fish and chips, and lobster rolls. All were good! I was a little skeptical about the potential quality of the lobster roll since the restaurant caters to the tourist crowd, but it was pretty solid and not over priced!
My only criticism is that the bathroom did not have any soap (in the men’s or women’s restrooms). A bartender was quick to hand me an individual cup of soap when I pointed it out, but given that all the servers and patrons may be using the bathroom the lack of public access to soap was a little disconcerting.
Overall, good food and fine prices, but to the managers/​owners, please make sure that the bathrooms are adequately stocked for hygienic purposes!

Excellent food, lively pub atmosphere. A excellent choice, for a casual night out. We have recommended the Black Rose to several friends of ours when ever they go into Boston.

Absolutely the worst chicken sandwich I have ever seen I would prefer four sandwiches from McDonald’s to this fodder

My husband and I came in after a rainy morning of visiting The Faneuil Hall area. We wanted an Irish pub and we found it. The place looks even better inside. We were seated immediately and our waitress (Aileen) was prompt to take our order. She told us about the specials, we each tried one of them. I ordered the fish and chips and my husband ordered the lobster sandwich and clam chowder. We also both got a couple of beers. Everything was amazing from the freshness of the fries and coleslaw to the friendly and attentive service. The fish was perfectly fried and my husband loved the fresh clams in his chowder. Great job The Black Rose!

The breakfast is so inexpensive given the location of this place! All breakfast items were $ 8 to $ 10 and the breakfast cocktails were super good! The best deal is probably the breakfast bowl. It is about 3 – 4 eggs scrambled with bacon, home fries, peppers, onions, and cheese. It is also served with white toast. Definitely get it. Went around 9:00 am and the place was totally empty! Go early and you’ll have no problem getting a seat.

My husband and I were walking around Boston and stumbled across this gem. We only had a drink each (I had a glass of the Malbec and my husband a Boston Lager) and shared onion rings as an appetizer.
There was a live band playing and they were pretty good. Not too loud but enough to keep a lively vibe.
The Black Rose has a nice vibe to it and we thought it was the perfect spot to stop in for a quick drink and have an appetizer. The onion rings were well made (homemade) and I loved the dipping sauce.

I understand that all places in Boston have to close at 2 AM. What I don’t understand, is why this means last call is before 1 AM and you start kicking customers out at 1:15 AM, all while glaring while they finish their beer. There are many Irish pubs in Boston, go anywhere else and get better service.

My hubby and I went to dine in the Black Rose yesterday. We both ordered the steak, median rare. It didn’t take too long to get our food and I tried the steak, it was good, tender and soft. Very tasty. A very good restaurant for steak with reasonable price. The restaurant was very crowded when we got there. The decoration was good as well. Overall, we were very satisfied with our food!

I love this authentic irish pub! Being an out of towner, and just out of a Red Sox game, it was time to celebrate with a good local brew and some great irish music. Considering this is a true authenic pub, with those who work here actual irishmen and women, and a band that plays that is from Ireland, it was like going back to hang with my ancestors. Bartnders were very friendly and the vibe was good. Great place to hang with friends or coworkers for happy hour, but the best time is truly after a game! Everyone was super friendly in the pub and the atmosphere was ideal. These guys know how to party, and they should. Right off the waterfront, they have one of the best spots in the city to party. Why go to a club when this pub has all you need?

Bo-​ring! Came for a drink and the singer put me to sleep. Feels like a typical tourist bar. Nothing special!

I went here for St. Patrick’s day by myself. I get it. I am old, and unhip, but wanted to go hang someplace Irish.
after I stood outside in freezing wind for 25 minutes, and paid a $ 20 cover, it was impossible to order any food or find a place to sit. The doormen were rude and made comments about guests.
To be fair, this was probably not the best night to judge them on as it was total chaos, but I won’t be going back.

Excellent pub Irlandais. Rapport qualité-​prix justifié!!! À essayer! Musique à tous les soirs. Bön service! Ambiance agréable.