Best of Boston

With so many excellent Irish pubs in Boston, it’s tough to stand out. The Pig, however, is where to go when you want to feel both at home and ‘back home.’ Proprietors Sara Cole and Diarmund O’Neal are Irish nationals who honed their barman’s craft at local institutions like J. J. Foley’s, and after 12 years, their Mission Hill establishment retains a homey charm. Save for the Pig’s remarkably good bar food, it’s the closest you’ll get to a Dublin pub without a plane ticket.