L Street Tavern — Restaurant in Boston

Im from Arizona and a huge Patriots fan! I went to Massachusetts to see the Patriots play the Ravens this last year in Dec 2016. I went all over Boston my first day off the plane and my last stop was at the L Street Tavern. My friends, who were locals, told me I'd love it and explained it's history to me. That was all cool and enjoyed myself however something more magical happened to me there that night... I literally met the love of my life Patrick Breen. I went up to the bar for my last Jameson before I left. I just so happened to grab a dollar out of my wallet instead of a $20 and I hear this voice from the side say.. " What kinda deal do you got going on to get a Jameson for a dollar?" I looked over and thought I was gonna choke on my own voice so I just smiled at this extremely handsome Irish guy. Later in the evening he headed out the door after exchanging only a few flirty smiles with me. I looked at my friends and was like.. "should I go pull a hallmark movie scene and kiss this guy?" My friends just laughed and said " It's your vacation!" So I follow him out and he was gone!! I looked down all the streets but couldn't see him anywhere. I came back into the bar and my friend asked what happened and I told them. My girlfriend just says " maybe he's not the one." I kid you not a few moments later he comes walking back in with the amazing crooked smile. At that point I had to go up to him. I tapped on his shoulder, asked if he'd come talk to me outside he said "Absolutely!" I took him right out from under the shamrock and explained why I was in Massachusetts and finally just said.."I really just wanna do this" and I kissed him. We kissed for a what felt like forever and then smiled at eachother and went back inside. He told me he was probably never gonna see me again considering I live in Arizona, but I gave him my number anyways and said "You never know." Only because I knew I had to come back every year to see this amazing city I fell in love with. Well we talked for 2 and a half weeks every night for 7 hours and right after Christmas he got a one way ticket to Arizona and he's been with me ever since. I've never been happier in my life. I love your bar and everything about it. But there is a magic there for sure that I will forever believe in. Thank you for bringing me to the love of my...

TLDR: If you’re a Good Will Hunting fan, it’s worth a visit, but try to go earlier in the day if possible. If you’re in the neighborhood and want to watch some games, they’ve got plenty of TVs. They had both the Red Sox and US Open (tennis) on while we were there. We saw a family with kids grab a quick drink at the Good Will Hunting table, so it’s not a bad place for kids—just maybe don’t go too late.

Plenty of TVs to watch games, and we were served quickly at the bar, though a smile from the bartender would’ve been nice (maybe he was tired or had a rough day). This is one of the three bars featured in Good Will Hunting, and the only one still standing/open. The layout hasn’t changed much—except they swapped out the low seating tables for high seating, but it’s not a big deal. The rest of the bar looks mostly like it did in the movie. We only had beer, but the pictures and quotes on the tables are a nice touch.

We walked over 35 minutes to get to this tavern, and as a Good Will Hunting fan, I’m glad we did. There was only one bartender when we went, and you had to walk up to get your drinks, which isn’t a big deal—it’s a tavern, after all. He was really quick and got me a beer within 5 seconds of walking up, even though the bar was nearly full.

The restrooms were surprisingly renovated and very clean. There was a bit of a strong detergent smell, but I didn’t mind since it’s a small bathroom (probably helps mask any odors). Two urinals in the men’s washroom—a good call.

If you want it quieter and more kid-friendly, I’d recommend going earlier in the day. It’s a small local tavern, so it’s probably less busy then.

One thing that is odd, as others have mentioned, is that the receipt wasn’t itemized. I had 1 Harpoon, 1 Sam Adams Light, and two soda waters, and the total was $21. Is that good? Is that bad? I don’t know—maybe the bartender didn’t charge me for the soda water? I’ll never know. Not a big deal since we didn’t drink much, but it’s weird that they don’t itemize receipts like every other bar. It’s the kind of thing you don’t want to make a fuss about, but it’s definitely an...

This was on my bucket list of places to go when I visited Boston in September 2012. I am a super huge fan of Good Will Hunting so this was a must! And I must say, I was not disappointed in the least. Driving through Southie was amazing, I felt like I was in the movie and I was actually quite surprised when I saw the outside of the L Street Tavern, having had a facelift since the movie was made. I was almost scared it was not the same place but when i walked inside, I was estatic. It looked exactly how it did in the movie! Also I loved the movie memorablia that adorned the tables. My boyfriend and I sat at the table behind where Matt and Ben made their famous scene. We had a few pints of Samuel Adams and enjoyed listening to the crowd, especially a group of several guys from Ireland who were standing behind us at the bar! The bartender was excellent, so nice and friendly! There is nothing bad I can say about this place... it's a great little neighbourhood bar, nothing fancy but a real nice local. Thank you for making my Boston trip complete! I love your city and your L...