Cheers — Restaurant in Boston

Our most recent visit to Cheers for lunch was enjoyable, thanks to our server, Mia S., who was attentive and friendly. I’m from Boston originally, so Cheers is a little too touristy for me, but my fiance and I bonded over the TV show when we first met years ago, so it’s kind of sentimental for us to visit there when we visit my family. We got there around 1:30pm and it was packed, especially for a Monday, but there wasn’t a wait for a table. The whole bar/restaurant downstairs is totally cramped, even when empty, but this wasn’t our first time, so we knew what to expect. However, it’s been decades since I’d been there during the day and I definitely didn’t expect it to be so loud! The music was up so high that people were talking louder, making the volume go up overall. I thought, “I must be getting old,” and maybe I am, but honestly, the music was obnoxious. It was too loud and didn’t fit the atmosphere. Tourists come here because of the TV show, and I think it’s safe to assume that the majority of Cheers fans aren’t going to be requesting the type of music they were playing. you certainly aren’t going to catch Sam and Diane jamming to The Weeknd and 2020s Top 40 hits. The playlist just didn’t fit the vibe. We were given a corner table, and a booster seat for our toddler. Our server greeted us almost right away. The baby was getting hangry, so we put in a few drinks and apps right away, which Mia was happy to help with. She was good at answering questions and seemed knowledgeable about the menu and Cheers in general. We ordered a side of fries for the baby, which were really overcooked and under-salted. He seemed to be pleased with them, so all good there. My fiance and I split a chicken/grilled veggie quesadilla and shared some with our toddler - we all enjoyed it. My fiance got a Sam Adams, because he likes drinking out of the Cheers mugs, “when in Rome.” I got a “famous spicy Bloody Mary” which wasn’t bad, but definitely wasn’t spicy. If you live in Boston, skip this place until you have to take out-of-towners somewhere. It’s not bad, but the food and drinks are nothing to write home about. Overpriced & not that great. Definitely not terrible. It’s all about the experience and the cool memorabilia throughout the place. There’s also a (very expensive) gift shop for souvenirs. You’ve gotta go to Cheers...

It is fair to say that, in the eyes of certain people, this is a legendary location. Indeed, if you just stand outside for a little, you will hear a fellow-tourist every few minutes exclaim in amazement, suddenly recognizing this place and coming to the realization that it is real.

The gift shop is splendid, and the atmosphere everywhere here is a mixture of shrine and amusement park. The people who come to visit are happy and enthusiastic. That in itself makes it worth the visit.

The legendary show "Cheers" took inspiration from this bar, and filmed the outside for outside scenes; however, the inside scenes were filmed elsewhere so, while very reminiscent of the show, expect the inside to be somewhat different.

It is crowded and lively, and the staff is friendly, even if they don't (as the opening song goes), "always know your name".

And on that subject, you will be delighted to know, that this place treats itself as the Holy Pilgrimage Site that it is.

As you descend the steps ... and then open the door ...

"You want to go where everybody knows your name!" ... the very theme song itself, in authentic sounds, starts playing. Just like you are there. Because you are there. You're in the real location.

And then you open that legendary door, and it is all there. The vast sweep of the location. Everything, from the high entrance, is visible. A bustling bar, and it all feels full of warmth.

The experience is completely worth whatever you have to do to get here. If only for that first incredible moment.

Regarding everything else, the food is completely unobjectionable. They even have different foods named after different characters. The staff is generally rather friendly and there is nothing objectionable about any of it. I am a somewhat reserved grader, so that is why I expressed such a thing in 3 out of 5 stars. This allows me to emphasize all the more how legendary the location and magic of it all it.

Honestly, you'll probably end up spending more money at the gift shop than at the restaurant -- and enjoy that fact! It is a great location,...

Been to Cheers (Bull & Finch) twice. Let me simplify what visitors to Boston need to know.

The bar from the show is upstairs. It’s a cool photo op and worth a quick stop. Any drink that’s not beer is overpriced and truly awful. I mean truly awful. The food is overpriced. Appetizers are skimpy, especially for what they charge. Half of one appetizer was ice cold. It felt like it had been sitting in a dish bin for 40 minutes. The replacement was clearly old, then deep-fried to mask it. It came out dripping in oil, even though it wasn’t a deep-fried item to begin with. The overpriced panini was actually good. The fish and chips were a joke. Small portion for $30, soggy fries, and fish soaked in oil. Classic sign of low-temp, overused fryer oil. One person ordered flatbread pizza after a 6.5-hour drive from NYC. Ate one piece and stopped. That says it all. Staff was friendly but had very slow follow-up.

Bottom line: I would never recommend eating here or ordering anything beyond a beer at the upstairs bar. This place feels like a poorly run cash grab riding the coattails of a TV show and the bar that was bought from it. That’s it. I'm critical because people are literally being screwed and that makes me motivated to tell the unfiltered truth.

Please do not waste your money beyond a beer. And make it bottled so you know it’s legit.

P.S. C/BF staff, don't bother with a reply or gift card to lure us in. You're so poorly run I wouldn't expect any noticeable difference so it's not worth my time. And stop giving Boston...