Best of Boston

For drinkers, there’s no finer place to pass an afternoon than the Behan. The dark wood décor lends a warm, worn-in feel, heightened by the live Irish trad played regularly (which in turn is enhanced by several rounds from the well-selected beer menu). And though many other bars compete to see who can cram the most TVs on their walls, the Behan goes without, forcing customers to devote their attention to actual conversation, the volume of which invariably climbs as the daylight begins to wane. That alone makes this spot quintessentially Irish.