Fancy A Pint at Matt Murphy's?

Believe it or not, I sometimes find it hard to find an honest to goodness Irish bar in Boston.  Sure, there are a mess of Irish bars in Faneuil Hall and I'll admit that my inner geek gets really excited about the history behind some of those old bars.  I mean, Paul Revere's famous ride through the city of Boston war was practically planned out over a couple of beers at the Green Dragon.  But now these historically respectful places are littered with overly drunken masses.  As I am now firmly in my late 20's, I feel that I've graduated from these Irish bars of old and have been looking for a more "grown-up" Irish bar to enjoy a frosty pint.  Enter Matt Murphy's Pub on Harvard Street in Brookline Village.

You literally feel like you stepped out of Boston and somehow ended up in Ireland.  The staff are all Irish too, which provides an even more authentic experience.  At this always crowded hot spot, one can sit and enjoy a pint or specialty cocktail from an impressive list of beers and spirits.  This place is perfectly intimate, with small tables lining dimly lit walls and the center of it all, a giant bar.  Towards the back, you can see the kitchen whipping up traditional Irish fare such as fish and chips (authentically presented in a package of newspaper) along with some other creative concoctions like pulled pork with a balsamic glaze.  After a tough decision, I opted for the Irish Grilled cheese sandwich that was served with a balsamic mustard, tomatoes and caramelized onions.  Served with a heaping serving of hand cut french fries and homemade ketchup (that was on the sweet side with hints of curry), this sandwich was perfect for a chilly Boston evening.  My only complaint is that the onions in my sandwich were not caramelized as advertised and that was a huge bummer.  I'm not particularly a fan of raw onions but caramelized onions are a completely different story.  To me, the two aren't even the same thing and I was surprised to find such a seemingly top-notch place miss a beat like that.  That certainly wouldn't deter me from going there again but I probably wouldn't get that again.

Overall, I love this place and can't wait to go back and try something different on their menu.  I really liked the atmosphere.  It's the type of place that makes you feel as if at any moment, the entire dining room is going to burst out in Irish folk song while swaying their pints, leaving you sitting there grinning, just happy to be a part of it.