I digg this place. i always feel like its going to student central, but each time i go, i am pleasantly surprised. the music selection is surprisingly eclectic, while still fun. The prices aren't outrageous, and the bouncers aren't that bad. The arcade basket ball is a nice touch. as well as the pattio. i have been there for two events where different areas have been rented out, for a few hours, and they do a good job.
(3)
Kerry M.
Nice in the summer.
(3)
John S.
This is mainly for the pool tables (Boston Billiards List) 2 bar-room sized tables in the middle of this joint with plenty room around them to have a comfortable game. The sticks they do have are A-OK (hee-hee). Buck-fitty ($1.50) a game. A lot of quality pool players do come here. It's part of the APA Allston circuit. You will have to lay your quarter down and challenge the winners most likely. Sometimes you can find a free table. I don't drink, but I know people come here due to the sole fact that they serve ice-cold Budweiser in a bottle. May be a boon to you as well, to know this. Oh yeah, has an outdoor patio too.
(3)
S L.
I feel like the White Horse is a place most 20-somethings know about and have been. This place was jam packed on a Saturday night when I went (note: over a year ago) and most of the crowd was college kids. Go figure, it's Allston. Either way, if you're into crowded bars, cool. The server we had was wonderful, but I feel the layout was a little weird upon searching for the bathroom. Hint: Lots of college girls. Probably why I won't go back ... I tend to enjoy a more mature... uh... less screechy... crowd.
(3)
Brittany P.
Got stuck here for a while and couldn't have been happier! My bartender Trevor was very attentive and on top of all the other customers at the bar and lounge. Being a bartender myself, I can appreciate good service. Food was good, but to me, service makes or breaks an establishment. Great job Trevor, your business is lucky to have someone like you!
(5)
Lisa O.
There are a few things about White Horse that are awesome: - Those big open windows - HIDDEN BACK PATIO - Cheap yummy burger - Consistency in mediocrity The White Horse is one of those places that doesn't inspire special trips, but I always end up there because it's convenient and it doesn't totally suck. It's an easy place to hang out during the off hours, and a nice place to sip a beer, especially now that there's that awesome patio. Bonus: There was an awesome creeper here on Friday night who looked like the bastard lovechild of Chris Kattan and Ewan McGregor. And he had a mullet. You can't make that shit up.
(3)
Calvin F.
I went there with a buddy for Trivia on Thursday night. The place is fine inside, nothing great but not bad. We had the $7 steak tips and fries, which were fine but also great since they were $7. DO NOT GO HERE FOR STUPID GEEKS WHO DRINK TRIVIA Tavern in the Square has Stump trivia, which I guess White Horse left in favor of GWD. Go there instead for trivia. It's an incredibly boring format at White Horse, the questions are too fast, and they are all almost the same 8-answer format. Also,it was all 80s and 90s knowledge, even when the crowd was younger. No real sports, barely any science, old pop culture, boring. Stump is so much better and I can't wait until GWD is gone. I'd go back for non-trivia I guess, although it'd probably require many friends asking me to because the food and drink was just average, although I guess the prices were better than average. Whatever.
(3)
Christina Z.
White Horse and I have a tantalizing, maddening, fascinating history that I cannot reveal here. The last time I was there, however, I can reveal that my now boyfriend thought I was imbibing a bit too zealously and poured my blueberry beer (bluebs and all) down the bar drain. "You're no Prince Charming," I scoffed. A bit of fairy tale humor, you dig? I genuinely like this place. I went a lot during college. The amaretto sours I sucked down like candy. Okay, I am a sloppy drunky girl. Something about their Guinness tastes better than the pack. The beer menu bears no surprises. A classic blue moon can go a long way (as can red-headed sluts shots... what?). Never mind. Never mind what you drink here. It's an exceptional people watching mecca, packed to the brim with hipsters, wannabees, and girls clad in frayed minis and uggies alike. It's a catch-all, United Nations kind of joint. There is pool. And big TVs. And fun decorations!!! And excellent trivia! We came in first one time. My shining contribution was recognizing ALL of TV's most famous butlers and maids! Secret special super bonus: the back patio! Even in November, I was toasty right down to my very intoxicated heart. And the bathroom always has someone you know and wish you didn't know/see you. Alas, life is awkward, and White Horse is a very microcosm of this life. PS: They always have someone trying to get you to sign up for something to get a zippo lighter. WOMAN, leave me be!
(5)
Valissa W.
Dear White Horse, I love you. ....There, I said it! So much time has passed since our initial encounter on that hot summer day when you wooed me with your icy cold Magner's. That smooth taste of our first embrace is still fresh in my memory, and we've shared so many great times since. White Horse, I'll confess. I had mixed feelings about you at first. I thought you were a player; the kind of bar that would bring in popped collars and trixies that wouldn't get along with an ornery artsy gal like me. That's when I started to notice your colorful, tattooed, fun-loving staff. And your delish menu certainly doesn't hurt ($4 burgers and fries!). Perhaps you weren't so hoity-toity after all.... Obviously you won me over. What is it about you, White Horse, that just keeps bringing me back for more? Your trivia drives me nuts, but in the same way any lover's quirks might. I still hate half the people that come to see you. And I never did learn how to play pool. Yet there's something about you I can't seem to get enough of! Whatever it is, White Horse, you are my Allston go-to, and I will love you and your Magner's forever and ever. Sincerely yours, V
(4)
Jas L.
this is an adequate, if not overly hyped establishment. The major problem here is the lack of service at the bar; its ultra slow. do not each here, as the food is below par, and thus its just a drinking hole. I really urge you only to drink here. it gets really busy with young college students who get slammed and cant control themselves. at 30 i can relate, but come on... cool it and sober up a bit.
(3)
Katherine D.
This place is a solid 3. I begrudgingly frequented the White Horse in college. Even then I was not into rooms filled with pink polo, backwards hat wearing douches. If you're headed her on T, F, Sa during the school year that is what you're going to find. I returned last Sunday for trivia however, and had a great time. The trivia is "Stump" trivia which rarely fails to please. The patio was open and cute with christmas tree lights strung through the space. The big windows were open and a lovely breeze was coming through. Our server was attentive and friendly (a first for me here at this establishment). Here were the two big perks: 1. minimal amounts of douches since the kiddies are out on summer vacation 2. $5 Well mixed drinks, anything with vodka, rum or gin! Since my go-to mixed drink at a place without a nice refined cocktail list is a vodka soda I really took advantage of that deal. That being said, there was a drawback: We got food and it was pretty bad. Truffle fries came out doused in parmesan and the truffle oil (im guessing the chemical flavor of truffle) was added only to ketchup and im not a ketchup girl. Grilled cheese and tomato bisque was also pretty sad. I will likely be back, but only in the summer, and mostly for the $5 mixed drinks.
(3)
Sue N.
I used to come here on Sunday mornings to watch football games with my friends. It was always laid back, not too crowded. It was really nice when they opened the floor to ceiling window and let in all the warm scrumptious sunlight! Get this: Cooperstown wings. The best wings I've ever had! The waitresses were always friendly and happy.
(4)
Robert H.
First time we has ever been there, Saturday 7/11/09, noon. WAITRESS: Tall, odd build, first drink took too long to arrive since place was mostly empty, second drink took too long also as mug had cobwebs in it before she noticed. SCORE 2 DRAFT BEER SEECTION: Not bad. SCORE 3.5 AMBIENCE: Funky, open window deal, lots of Allston girl eye candy walking by. SCORE 3.5 FOOD: Wife, southwest burger, son, chicken wrap, me, steak tips sandwich. Mine came on french gread, meat was good quality, and plenty of it. SCORE 4
(4)
Cheryl V.
I went back to Boston recently to visit the old alma mater, and had brought my husband along. I had gone to the White Horse before this trip, and thought it could be fun to go again, since I was familiar with the area and it was an easy couple of T-stops away. BAD IDEA! Sure, we went on a night of a Stanley cup final, but it was a Monday night and I've definitely gone when it's been busier. But, service was soooo slow. We got our drinks twenty minutes after sitting down, and our waitress didn't come back until more than an hour after that, even though we kept flagging other waitresses down (who said they would find our waitress). We were so hungry that we just decided to leave cash and head out for food. Luckily, the Bruins were already up 4-0, that we didn't need to watch the game anymore I know it was an exciting night for everyone, but we wanted to order food!!!!! Don't do this, White Horse! I'm not sure if our waitress was new or was distracted (because the whole time, she just stood by the bar talking with another waitress), but I now know better!
(1)
Augustus H.
I've been going to this bar for two years because of the $1.50 pool tables that are always busy at night, good competition for a young aspiring pool player. The food was never good... so I stopped ordering it. The beer, well it's beer, (crappy selection) but it's always served by a bartender who looks like he wishes you didn't exist. And, in spite of the good competition, the pool tables are tiny, and riddled with strange dips and bumps my friends and I have labeled "gravity wells". (Not to mention a support beam next to one table that renders many easy shots impossible, I call it "poley"). But yesterday, yes MARATHON MONDAY, after two years of expensive patronage, they crossed a line. After carding me, and passing the id around to people WHO HAVE SERVED ME BEFORE, told me to "get lost" because "it's a fake id." It was actually a brand new (and had been accepted at this bar upwards of 10 times since I received it), honest to god Maine ID, issued by the Maine Department of Motor Vehicles. I didn't have my phone on me, and they politely declined my request to use their phone to call the police so that I could get my REAL ID back, telling me very nicely that "I would get in a lot of trouble, it's a fake." No, no it's not. I walked an hour back to my house in Brookline, walked an hour back to the bar in Allston, and had the police return me my id so I could go have a much needed beer at Big City. Guess what, White Horse. My friend is a bartender and my uncle is a practicing lawyer in Boston. My friend tells me anyone who's taken a TIPS certification course (from the quality of your service, I'm probably dealing people who don't know any better..) knows it is illegal to confiscate an ID. Especially if it's real. I'll do the math on my end, and if it's feasible for me to go after you, and earn back the time I lost because of your stupidity (I'm a private chef, my time is worth fifty dollars an hour to my current employer) you can bet I'll be knocking on your door in a couple of days, and not for a drink served by an uneducated and unprofessional bar-tender.
(1)
Jenn S.
I used to go to White Horse all the time when I lived around the corner. I hadn't been back in years until we went last night for trivia. Although the Stump website said trivia started at 7, it didn't start until 7:30, so we had some time to kill. The waitress was very attentive and helpful - she gave us an extra table and turned the tables around for the best possible seating. She kept coming by to see if we needed anything. Great service (although she disappeared for a while right when I needed a drink refill). I got a cheeseburger and fries - not the most amazing burger & fries but good. My friends each did the $6 steak tip special and all enjoyed it. The trivia DJ - Will, I think? - was very good, as other people on here have said. You can tell he enjoys what he's doing, although at times it was hard to understand what he was saying. The music was extremely loud, so I think maybe his mic was too and that made it hard to hear him. They turned the music down at one point, but it didn't make much of a difference. They've added a whole extra bar area since I was here last, making it a much bigger location. It's a great place to grab a drink with friends, peruse the college-age eye candy if you want and/or watch a game. The beer and liquor selection is decent and pretty reasonably priced. I would definitely go back for trivia & dinner, but not necessarily just for dinner or drinks.
(3)
Logan J.
some of my friends really like this place, but i just dont see the appeal. im sure that with the right crowd, you can have a good time at this place, but ive been here a few different times and was never really impressed. in general, the place is a typical boston bar--dimly lit, young crowd, decent drinks...but not much else. ive been here a few times with friends for trivia nights though, which can be fun with friends on a random weekday. i think like they really try to promote the trivia, and they actually do a pretty good job--lots of participants, clear rules, etc. for me, the trivia is the only thing that gives this place three stars, otherwise, there are usually other places id rather be. ill come back here for a drink with friends if they suggest it, but its not someplace im eager to return. its never a bad time...just dont expect anything too extraordinary.
(3)
Dara C.
Maybe I'm angry because I'm watching my fantasy team experience a hemorrhage that not even Hugh Laurie's disarming smile could fix. Maybe I'm just feeling indigestion from the twelve pity-wings I consumed since 4 pm. Or maybe I just don't get it. There is zero appeal to the White Horse Tavern, other than the fact that it serves beer. The crowd sucks, a mixture of yah dudes in blue button-downs dipped in Abercrombie Statutory cologne, and 17-year-old Woo Girls in Training. The music can be terrible. When was the last time you heard "Back That Ass Up" in a setting completely devoid of irony? I do suppose that watering holes/humpfests like White Horse Tavern must exist, though. As the great philosopher Barney Stinson said, if there were no Woo Girls, tiny cowboy hats would only be worn by tiny cowboys.
(2)
Christine K.
My friends and I used to really enjoy White Horse. There have been some good trivia nights, other fun, memorable gatherings... But I have to say that the new menu and other new changes have made me change my mind about wanting to come here. Let me just say, right off the bat, that White Horse has good service, cheap pool tables, fairly cheap drinks, trivia, and a photobooth. All good things. But their beer list is very limited... Also, with their steak tips, the entree only comes with mash potatoes now, which weren't very good in the first place. It no longer comes with asparagus. And the absolute deal breaker is that they no longer serve...poutine. It's gone. Poutine is gone from their menu... Why. Why would you do such a thing? Poutine was the best thing you guys had going for you. So I'm sorry, but no poutine, and no vegetables makes me really not want to go there anymore. Plus, I think you guys really need more drinks and seasonal drink menus. Or any kind of drink menu would be nice. I think it's a waste of time for servers to have to list all the beers you have. Just a thought.
(2)
Bronwen Y.
I'm a big fan of White Horse, especially for the Stump trivia that seems to happen every night. The drinks are super reasonable, and the newly revamped menu is delish -- a good step above regular bar fare. The bouncers are super picky about IDs... I went in recently with a friend who left her ID at home, and when she returned with it he made her show a credit card to prove it was really here. I don't think she'd have minded so much... if she wasn't 27 years old.
(5)
Justine B.
My boyfriend and I seriously WANTED to like this place, but alas - service when it was DEAD on a Saturday afternoon was still terrible! Some places have waitstaff with superiority complexes, but the two servers working at 2/3pm on Saturday seemed perfectly pleasant. However, this was not a saving grace for the lack of attention we received from the servers. We set out on a mission to get lunch by some large open windows - White Horse, perfect, right? Not really. We walked through the entrance, hovered near the sandwich board of specials looking for someone to seat us? Acknowledge us? ..Then wandered around in the most awkward and hopefully obvious manner to 3 separate empty tables before we sat at one we liked, next to a high top of other women. It was another 10-15 minutes (mind you, there were 5 other tables of patrons, max, on this Sat. afternoon) before Waitress 1 brought over menus for the two of us. One had a globule of unknown food on it, so she picked it up and pleasantly offered to grab us a fresh menu after we gave her our drink orders for a Wachusett blueberry beer and a Coke. Waitress 2 brought over our drinks and asked if we needed anything else. Thinking (foolishly) we were waiting for Waitress 1 for that second menu, as well as keeping our food order to the same person we gave our drink order to, we told #2 we were all set. Our original waitress never returned, with a clean menu, nor to take our food order. We watched while some other poor sap stood expectantly at the entrance near that same sandwich board, while our Waitress #2 stood clueless at the back of the bar counter, facing in his direct direction. A few minutes later, we saw this guy hit the pavement, departing with his young son, with no acknowledgement of his existence. Debating whether we should start waving our arms in the air S.O.S.-style, or ask for the check, Waitress #2 comes over to our section, but not to ask whether we need anything, but to wipe down the table next to us, placing the flatware/napkin teepees *just* so, arranging the salt shaker *just* so--all the while I'm turned 180 degrees in my chair with a big fake smile on my face. Clueless. I asked her whether we could put a food order in. She took our order for 2 burgers, and the food came out within a reasonable time. I think my boyfriend was so disheartened with the service, he didn't have the heart to finish his burger. They came on challah rolls, which were not very fresh/soft. Everything was hot, but my boyfriend likened the burgers to frozen patties. Not spectacular. 2 stars for getting to sit near the window on a nice day. I don't think we'll be back, even if we wanted to drink our faces off, which seems to be the White Horse's intended purpose, although it would baffle me as to how anyone gets any orders with such a clueless waitstaff.
(2)
Jeff D.
They get a four star for two reasons. First and most important, when our crowd of NC State grads calls ahead and asks to watch a football game on a Saturday afternoon it's usually on when we arrive. If it's not, I simply walk over and ask and they'll put it on the TVs in the corner where we are sitting. This sounds like a little thing, but considering our horrid experiences with this at the Sports Depot, this little thing goes a long way towards happy customers. 2. Good service. Our waitresses have always been good at keeping our beers full. The food can be a bit slow, but so long as the beers are topped off this is not a huge concern. Haven't been to the White Horse for an evening of drinking in a very long time, but I'm sure not much has changed since I have. It's a good solid, college bar.
(4)
Rebecca D.
Really great space, the outdoor patio is beautiful, lots of natural air flow during the spring/summer time and there are lots of pool tables to take advantage of. but the place could do better with its service. Our waiter appeared to know what he was doing at first, but after he failed to bring out 4 waters (as promised when we first sat down) and then brought out our nacho appetizer DURING the main meal, things went south pretty quick. our table decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and agreed that to make so many mindless mistakes, he must be relatively new to the scene. The food was filling and each of us left satisfied. They also have 2/75 miller high life- for the budget monster in me...this was a great find on their beer list. Overall, really liked the space, the food, and the atmosphere. Would definitely come back...!
(3)
Joseph L.
White Horse Tavern is a true gem out here in Allston. Typically I'm more of a Newbury or Boylston street kind of guy, but I have a blast every time I make my way out here. The food was definitely better than your average selection of "pub food," and the prices were very reasonable. Now when it came to the drinks? The prices were very, VERY reasonable. Going back to saying I like to hang out on Newbury street, when I come to White Horse and get the same Ketel One and tonic for only $6, how could I possibly complain? The clientele is generally early to mid-twenties, and I've found them on average to be better looking than some of the "divier bars" in the area. The bouncers were all friendly, as were the bartenders. The management even went out of their way to take care of my friends and I, who were there to celebrate a birthday. All in all, I give White Horse Tavern five stars and recommend it to anyone who wants to party, shoot pool, or even just watch a sports game in Allston!
(5)
Dorise G.
top notch trivia, holy crap they have poutine? call me "regular"
(4)
Josh E.
The bouncers here are a joke. Because of their incredible lameness I am never going back to this below average bar. They are incredibly rude and take forever while looking at an ID. The sad part is that underage people still get into White Horse all the time! Hey bouncers: You are a jerk AND you suck at your job! They have 5 bouncers working the door of a bar that has 15 people in it. Thats probably because the bouncers they have suck at their job so they need 5 people to do the work of 1. Everytime I come here someone in my group gets kicked out with no explanation. This is the only bar I've ever been kicked out of in my life, so what does that say about this place and its bouncers? If the secret service wannabes let you in, you'll find that White Horse has a poor beer selection and it takes them forever to get you a drink. The one upside is pool tables, but if you want that go to Big City because they have way more tables, better beer, and no losers at the door pretending to be tough.
(1)
G G.
I would rather be sodomized by a lion than set foot in this hellhole ever again
(1)
Paul S.
This bar/restaurant is pretty terrible. I tried to go on a Saturday night around 7pm for dinner and drinks. The place wasn't very busy. So, I sat down at the bar with my friend, and we waited 10 minutes to get any acknowledgement from the bartenders to order our drinks. Then we asked for a menu for food and then we didn't get another interaction with any of the staff for 30 minutes. They didn't ask if we wanted more drinks, food, anything. I definitely won't be going there again. There are so many better places around this area of town- you should go somewhere else. Such as the Sunset Grill which is two doors down, which is my favorite, but can get super packed sometimes.
(1)
Ashley B.
I loved around the Allston/Brighton area for a while and after I turned 21, I pretty much fell in love with the White Horse Tavern. I really love the atmosphere and I went quite a few times when the World Cup was on, it was such a fun environment, I could not get enough of it. Whenever my friends and I wanted to chill and have drinks, we would go to the White Horse. I never went to play pool, it seemed the tables were always taken, but it was fun to sit at a table and chat and drink with my friends. We would some times go late and on slow nights and the bartenders were pretty nice. My only complaint about the White Horse is the service. I don't know if they are short on wait staff or what, but it doesn't matter if it's the slowest night in the world or if it's the fullest and craziest night, there seems to be NO ONE THERE! Waiting for a server to come back is scary. I suggest that as soon as you sit down you figure out what you want because Lord knows when that waiter is coming back! Other than that, I love it, good drinks (beer and cocktails) and a fun atmosphere at a reasonable price.
(4)
sharon h.
REVIEW for DRINKS ONLY: Lived in Allston for a while and been here before on a few occasions. Their new Patio is AWESOME!! Great for ambiance and nicely spaced. Having the choice just makes this watering hole THAT much better. On previous occasions I've had a good time even when it's busy it's still a great place to grab a drink. Reasonably priced and great open layout for mobility.
(5)
Jonathan Y.
I really like this bar. I tend to go Friday nights after work to grab a couple of drinks and dinner. Usually it's a pretty chill atmosphere that doesn't get too loud. Lately there has been a guy playing the guitar that has made talking next to impossible and the menu isn't as good as it use to be. The ham sandwich isn't very good at all. But we always go back because the bartenders are cool and the location is perfect for us.
(4)
Ryan M.
Probably my least favorite bar in Allston/Brighton not named the Draft, this place was a lot of fun while TITS was under construction and has been horrific since then. You can play pool here if you are really desperate and forgot that Big City was down the road and the back deck is decent if you like the view of the back of houses (this area also closes early) but there is realistically no reason why you would not go across the street to TITS. Weird people, strange staff do yourself a favor and avoid. Also, go elsewhere for trivia every bar in Boston does it.
(2)
Corinna A.
As bars go, this is great. There are many large TVs, pool tables, trivia, etc. The food is variable: sometimes I've been there and the food's been great (like for Brunch on weekends especially; they seem to always get that right), and at other times, terrible (pizza with not enough cheese, and one olive per slice). The service is also variable, many times they are right on top of things, and often they seemingly forget about you, and it takes a long time to get served. They've also often gotten my order wrong, especially if I ask for substitutions. The bathrooms are fair, again it depends on how busy they are. It's hit or miss. I will say that I've never had a bad brunch experience there, and the TVs are great for watching sports.
(2)
Karlis B.
I'm upping my rating to 4 stars for these reasons: 1. Trivia 2. $6 steak tips on trivia night (Wednesday) 3. Being able to show up and just know that the sports game Iwanna see is on one of the MANY TVs in the place. The food here is par for the bar-food course: burgers, fries, nachos, steak and turkey tips and other entrees. It's all tasty enough, but I never come here with food as my priority. When it comes to drinks, stick with beer. They've just developed a new drink menu and we decided to try a couple. The Passion ($6) promised to be a great mix of tequila and fruit juice, but I wound up with a cup of ice water. A bit of advice: use a shaker and chill the drinks before they hit the glass. If I wanted a cup of ice, I would have walked to McDonald's and gotten one for a $1. My SO got the Brown Sugar Old Fashioned ($7.50), but was greeted with a glass of bourbon completely watered down, again, with ice. Just not worth their effort in making new drinks and not worth my money. I'll see ya for trivia, though!
(4)
Emily F.
I like this bar. I like the summer when the windows are open and all sorts of freaks and geeks come out to play Stump Trivia. I have NOT been on any day other than Thursday, so can't speak for those, but hey! Thursday night is $6 steak tips, and boy do i love steak and fries. Best bar ever? No. But it is by far not the worst in Boston.
(4)
Clara L.
It's alright in here. They have plenty of TVs in here for the football and basketball that goes on, enough to make any person with ADD go crazy. The two pool tables in the middle are usually busy with the local pool sharks, so it's hard to get a game in. The bartender was great about making sure we weren't ever thirsty, but the pitiful little brown wilted lime on my drink was not looking happy. Pretty big bar, makes for some fun people watching.
(3)
Peter R.
ok... pass though good for a bar crawl if there is one happening but not going to make my way there just to do it
(3)
Ileana S.
I came here on a Friday night around 1am. Bad idea. Only cause I was taken there. I wouldn't have chosen this bar to go to. Yes, they do carry one of my favorite beers on tap (Blue Moon) so I will give them that BUT overflowing with undergrads so really not for the over 25 crowd. Many screens to entertain you with...sports. I was able to catch a little bit of golf, basketball, and football. Awesome. Might be another story if they were playing Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and such...but no. Anyway, all this with the background of top 40, which is ok. The bathrooms were gross. Broken glass, toilet paper, paper towels. When was the last time someone peeked in there and cleaned up? bleh.
(1)
Chelsea P.
This is a "college scene" very late Friday and Saturday nights, but any other time it's a great place to go for some pool, hanging out with friends and after work drinks. The food isn't anything special, but pretty good for a quick bite to eat, better than just "bar food". They have good trivia too, but don't come on trivia night if you plan on having a conversation with friends and not participating in trivia. I'm a fan of Whitehorse, the bartenders are very nice :)
(4)
Maria M.
Definitely feels (and smells) like your usual college bar/ hang out. Had some after-dinner beers here with friends last night, and it was pretty empty, but we were there at 9 on a Saturday night- - I'm sure it gets busier later in the evening. Large space, pool tables, flat screen TVs - - nothing to call home about.
(3)
Lauren R.
I'm not a huge fan of this place. It's a bro bar that plays obnoxiously loud music, but some people are into that. But I just discovered they have a delightful little outdoor patio area in the back. I almost don't want anyone else to know about it. It's nice and shady, a perfect place to have a refreshing drink on a hot summer day. I think they restrict how many people can go out there, because it was never crowded on the night I was there. I will definitely be back to have another delicious mojito on the patio!
(3)
Ryan H.
Ahhhh white horse...so many bad memories. this place gets one star before you even get inside. I went here with my old roomate on his 24th birthday and the bouncer looked over his ID and said "this expires today we cant let you in here bro." roommate: uh are you kidding me? im from texas and its saturday i didnt get my id in the mail today. bouncer (with a big smile): sorry bro you could be trying to use a fake id on me. roommate: cmon BRO, im fucking 24 years old and i've been here 25 times before and i know you've checked my id before. Bouncer: sorry bro come back when you get a real id. we went back the next weekend and the same bouncer was at the door. roommate: remember me bro? bouncer: yeah bro you look familiar he took the id and black lighted it and looked at it from every different angle and finally bent it until the corners touched. roommate: why dont you just snap it in half bro so you dont have to let me in. at this point he checked my id and told my roommate he couldn't come in. pricks at the door to a bar full of pricks. stay away!
(1)
Jami K.
This is my review for the one time i came here. My friends and i came here on a Wednesday night because we heard that they do trivia night. We weren't really playing but the questions were challenging and interesting. We mainly came here to catch up. They were having $3 pints of harpoon which was great. We had a great time here cause the beer was cheap and it wasn't too crowded and we were able to play pool. I really like the size of this place as it is huge and has plenty of room. They have several tvs so we were able to watch the red sox game while we were playing and chatting.
(4)
Kevin T.
This bar isn't bad. They serve great beers on tap, I admit that their selection isn't as great as Sunset's, but there aren't too many places that are. The bartenders are pretty friendly, and they made an excellent recommendation for us. One of the bartenders made Mu and I the Allston Iced Tea...it's pretty darn good, can't really taste the alcohol. We came here for the New Year's eve party and we seriously wasn't expecting much because we paid $40 each for our tickets, which included drinks (and champagne), as well as free appetizers. This was a pretty darn good deal and we thought it was going to suck, but it turned out to be great. I loved the wings and the sandwiches were better than your average. They also had free pool tables going on and 2 full on bars. The place was packed (but not to a suffocating level). We had a great time there. Oh yeah, they supplied us with leis and noise makers...AWESOME!
(4)
Matt K.
I am somewhat surprised by the bad reviews this place is getting. This may be the exception and not the rule but when I went this past friday the crowd was ok (a bit frattish, but not bad) our bartender was incredibly nice and the nicer drafts were only $5. Not my favorite place, but nothing horrible either. Maybe I just had great luck?
(3)
Bryan R.
Oh wow, I got wrecked here back in the day. I think it's at least even odds that one of your friends will get kicked out of line for being too drunk by the time you get here.
(2)
Annette A.
It's pretty much and in-and-out stop on a Friday night. It's so crowded and hot that you don't want to stay for long. And there's no reason to either. You can barely get to the bar, let alone the bathroom, without having to cram yourself between a dozen drooling dudebros. There are better places to go. There is nothing special about the White Horse, no ambience, no vibe, nothing special.
(3)
Dave R.
Drinks are great and not watered down. great getting the tables by the open windows to feel the summer breeze. Would get a higher rating if the place wasn't so crowded on weekend nights. Overall a very decent experience.
(3)
Amy S.
I was supposed to be grabbing a drink in Allston recently and the person I was with suggested White Horse's patio. I thought to myself, "patio" is a very generous word for their large open windows, but okay. Well it turns out they have recently opened an actual PATIO which is behind the rest of the bar and it's actually pretty nice! There's even an extra bar out there. Well, White Horse, you have moved up a bit in coolness in my mind (at least for the summer anyway). I've never had food there and don't feel my life has been missing anything b/c of this, the bar itself is a typical college-age bar (although not as sweaty and crowded) which I could take or leave, but the outside patio definitely makes the White Horse Tavern a summer contender in Allston.
(3)
Ken M.
So, what bar cards at 12:30 in the afternoon when it is completely empty? A really shitty bar called White Horse Tavern, that's who. First, when we sat at our table, I unrolled my napkin and the silverware that rolled out was a. dirty, and b. so rusty it stained the napkin and I felt like I needed a teatanus shot after touching it. Second, we'd been helping our friend move, so I wanted to wash my hands before lunch. The bathroom smelled like a truck stop outhouse and one of the sinks was clogged. At 12:30pm. WTF. The food was pretty mediocre too. My "chicken panini" was bland and poorly constructed. The bigger fries were good, but the smaller ones tasted like they took a bath in saline. AND THE PLATE WAS DIRTY TOO! My friend's side of vegetables had way over sugared cranberries in it. Weird. Andy's fries were clearly the better part of the batch, they were all big and golden and well seasoned. Odder still was the really skinny employee who seemed to be all over the place, jumping up on bars and stuff. So weird.
(1)
Jennafir E.
What does one do on a Thursday's night in Allston? Drink? Yes. Eat? Yes. Play trivia? Hell yes. And that's just what you do at the White horse. Is it a good bar? Meh.... but the trivia, the trivia has me coming back week after week, and loving it even more. Now, is the food good? No, not really, but I've had worse and I'll eat it if I'm hungry. The drinks are pretty cheap, 5 dollar for well, which is unheard of in Boston. The beer can be pricey, but unless you want bad beer, pay for the extra. So the moral, get a great group of friends and head over, because I have never had a bad time here, even on a Saturday night.
(3)
Mon R.
your typical college boozer joint. This place is what it says it is, but the bartenders don't mix great drinks so don't expect much there. They have so many tvs, though, so you'll never miss a game.
(3)
Dave B.
I go there mainly for the pool tables. The regulars who play pool there are very cool and its fun to put a quarter on the table and shoot around with random people. The food isnt bad for bar food, the waitresses arent always on top of things...but then again im usually at the pool table so understood, i guess. The bartenders are solid...quick and wont ignore you while pretending to clean a glass. The whitehorse is great for football games on Sundays but for other sports it can be tough because they have each tv on a different channel. Even the NBA finals, i had to look for a tv that was playing the game, wtf?
(4)
casie m.
This review is mainly a review of White Horse's trivia, with some side info on the food. White Horse has Stump! trivia on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. When I lived in Brighton, White Horse is one of the many places I tried looking for a great trivia hang-out. White Horse is the kind of place where teams come every week, probably more than once a week, and have matching t-shirts with their team name - usually some witty, almost inappropriate name based on a current event. I was there during the Spitzer situation, and let's say those names were not family friendly. But it's a bar, so that's not a requirement. Personally, I do not like the Trivia Jockey here. While delivering materials to our table, he entered into a rant about how he would run the company, littered with swears.. Totally unprovoked. Maybe he was just having an off-day.. But I am a strong believer in jockey's with knowledge. If you are going to be a trivia jockey, you should look over the questions BEFORE you get there. Maybe have a general idea about the information. He was having a hard time reading the questions, couldn't pronounce things.. It made it hard to understand and to answer. Sigh. White Horse itself is really nice and they have a lot of cheap specials, which is always a plus. The food is pretty average, but there are a lot of TVs, good beer selection, and pool tables. I would give them less stars, but it's not their fault I didn't like the jockey...
(3)
Brendan M.
Three stars is just right for this place. Nothing great, but a fun summer bar with big open windows to the street that gets pretty packed. This is probably the most "normal" bar in Allston, since hipsters usually stay away and it's not exclusive to college kids. You get a mix of older students and young professionals, all of whom still enjoy getting trashed. I personally don't go here much, since it's a little too square for me. Bright lights and a bunch of TVs always on, this isn't really a spot to pick up birds and the dudes you have to deal with in the bar are douchey. I'd say hit White Horse on a summer night when it'll be poppin. Keep the expectations on a leash and you'll be fine.
(3)
Eric B.
The good: great food specials on certain nights, decent prices on beer and liquor, numerous HDTVs and a staff willing to put your game of choice on (one of the few places to carry the MLB package as well), great layout, nice pool tables, big windows that open up during the summer, a nice crowd of young professionals and graduate students with the occasional tipsy undergrad. The bad: drink service can be a little slow, food quality can be a little uneven (I've had burgers there that ranged from decent to bad). The ugly: most bartenders aren't all that friendly, and don't make that great of an effort to be attentive. I really don't get it, the crowd there doesn't seem like one that would wear a bartender down into an unfriendly stump of pseudo-adequate service.
(3)
Sandra C.
The only thing I tried so far are the $4 special of one pound buffalo wings this Sunday. I'm in love. $4 freaking dollars!! I was left satisfied, and I even took half of the meal home. It was delicious.
(4)
Chrissy H.
I'll have to start a new list for D-Bag bars of Boston... maybe its my fault. I should have known what I was getting myself into. I mean, what did I expect from "move- in day" in Allston? All I needed was a drink, food and a little conversation with my friend. Well, two out of three isn't bad I guess. Perhaps I'm getting old, but I couldn't hear myself think over WAAF blasting music in the corner and rowdy drunk college kids "toasting" every few minutes... oh, AND the game playing on every TV. Made conversation really tough on my vocal cords... not to mention, it was really hard to tear the 3 bartenders' attention away from the TV to get another beer. Plus, they messed up my friends To-Go salad order. It's not that hard, chicken Cesar salad... HOWEVER- I was so pleased to get my UFO drafts for $3 AND a big juicy burger, with all the fixings, on a nice toasted bun, with Fries for only $4. Yeah, apparently its a Monday/Tuesday special. Eat in only with a 1 drink minimum. You can also choose from a pound of wings or a grilled chicken sandwich and fries which was also quite large and my friend enjoyed. Will I be back? Only if I need a drink on a Monday or Tuesday and I am really broke.
(3)
Calli C.
I try to avoid Allston for the exact reason which the White Horse exemplifies - at best its a ho-hum sports bar, at worst it's jam-packed with yah-doods and those omigod girls (you know, the ones who are constantly squealing, "OmiGAWD!"), mediocre drinks and service. I've been here on a few weekend nights where it was packed and impossible to get served. I said I would never go back. Yet, this past weekend I was there during the afternoon to have some beers and catch up with some friends. I was early and sat at the bar and got some attitude from the bartender because I wasn't a drunk fratboy ordering a bud lite pitcher. My friend showed, we had some more beers, I had a burger which was actually pretty good. During the day, when no one else is around and they have the front windows open, you can almost pretend you're not in Allston.
(2)
Christopher T.
There are some good things and some bad things. The food is alright when it comes to bar food. Nachos, burgers, and steak tips all do there job just fine in filling me up. Not the best in the world. I usually order the beer of the month to keep my bill down, but last month the "beer of the month" was vodka? Stupid. I avoid the bar most nights because it's a total bro hang out. The one redeeming saviour of the bar is Will, the trivia guy. He's awesome. I've done Stump Trivia in a couple of bars and Will is the best. His music selection always makes me happy and I love chatting with him before, in between questions and after trivia. God save Will the thrill!
(3)
Kate T.
Good solid burger and beer joint. Also a choice al-fresco find in an area that lacks lots of outside dining venues. Service is a little slow but the beer is fresh and the food is hot. Worth a pop-in if you're in the area. One gripe: While I was in the restaurant was short-staffed and the waitress was complaining about the other servers being lazy. Not sure if that's a one-time thing or not but you might want to be prepared to wait for your food and drink.
(3)
Jeremy K.
The place has little atmosphere and isn't worth going too really. If it weren't for the fact that when I went there, their bar tender was very knowledgeable and mixed me a perfect Manhattan, I don't think that I would have ever returned there... Really. Sure they have televisions with multiple games on them and that's always a plus but honestly, who doesn't have that? The place was expensive and although parking is easy to find, I'd rather much head over the Sunset for a much nicer experience. It's a decent place to grab a quick drink with a buddy and talk since the music isn't too loud and if you want to grab a table with friends and just sit back and relax, but if you want more than that, then your in the wrong place.
(2)
Hana C.
My friends just moved to Boston and this place was right around the corner from them and had a TV. After a long day of flying and running errands we decided to stop by here. My friend and I just wanted food. Her husband wanted to watch the game...those were the requirements. We all got things off the $4 menu. Cheeseburger, chicken burger, & 1 pound of wings. At one point I couldn't tell if it tasted good because it was or because I was starving. I really liked the buffalo wings. The cheeseburger was huge so at least they don't skimp on the serving size. The only thing I didn't like was the almost eternal wait for service......
(3)
Lu W.
Trivia night was terrible. Preppiest crowd EVAR! I ordered a whiskey and coke that tasted like coke, sent it back, and got one that tasted even less alcoholic. The waitress kindly informed me that it was "gonna taste the same", before spilling it on my phone, which needed some airing out time before it functioned again. The people next to us ordered a pizza that the waiter dropped on the ground and never returned to clean up. Nice. Good location, but (not to be elitist) the weak drinks and boring crowd are not not worth the price.
(2)
Matt E.
I've only been here once and didn't stay too long but the place is impressively massive, with two huge bars, a couple pool tables, a ton of LCDs playing sports, and is pretty bright and clean. The people here were young and slightly annoying (mostly college kids from what I hear) and I can't attest to the bar food but I'm sure it's about average. The cocktails weren't that good so I stuck to beer. The White Horse is ok if you're in the area and want a little eye candy or to check out the game but it's nothing special.
(3)
Justin B.
Good place to see some bro's icing bro's. Very young crowd on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights. Question to the bouncers, if you take your job so seriously and need to fold, bend, and swab my ID to prove with out a doubt that I am plenty old enough to get in, then why are half of the people inside 19? You guys better check yourselves before you wreck yourselves. With that said, some of the food deals are pretty good although the quality of the food itself is at times lacking. There are plenty of TVs and when it is not overly crowded it is a semi good place to watch a game.
(2)
Dana W.
Last night was my first experience at White Horse and I don't think I'll be going back. The selection of beer and food was decent, the bar and tables were clean and the prices weren't too outrageous but I was sorely disappointed by the staff. Our server failed to come to the table after 10 minutes so we went to the bar to purchase a drink and almost instantly the server randomly appeared and told us he "didn't want to be crass" but we were taking up his section and if we were just going to order from the bar we needed to leave his table. So we intended to order refills and some food from him... but he never came back! We were then reprimanded for exiting the building even though we had just been told it was ok. Overall I'm sure there are bars out there that have friendlier staff that I would be much more inclined to frequent.
(2)
Matt T.
I've been going to the White Horse for years now, and have gotten to the point where I recognize most of the faces as they haven't changed over the years. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. I would recommend sitting at the bar regardless of whether you're eatting or drinking. The one consistent factor is that the waiting staff is pretty terrible. I've had a wide range of waiters there and no has done a very exceptional job, and the service always seems to be a bit slower than it should. Not the case at the bar, these guys are generally on the ball and have good memories for customers week to week. There are a couple I don't get along with (Red Flag for dudes with forearm band tattoos), but overall they make the place go in my opinion. I really like how they switch up the beer special, even though it's generally high life or Busch Light, but they throw in great wild cards sometimes like UFO or Magic Hat #9. The daily beer specials and the $4 burgers Sun-Tues are the main reasons to head over. I would advise you to avoid trivia which for some reason occurs every Weds, Thurs & Sunday, hosted by the same guy every time who has amongst the worst taste in music I have ever heard. Now, if you're a 17 year old female in high school who hasn't gotten quite comfortable with yourself or a dance machine, then this may better suite your needs, but I'm still more living in the past of the 90s, so I pretty much want to squeeze lime in my eye. Take that as you will. I have no problem with how Trivia is run, I just think they're trying to make me want to wear an Ed Hardy shirt and blow out my hair. Overall, White Horse is your average younger crowed bar. Not geared much towards hipsters, so you'll find mostly BU/BC kids in there, but it's worth your time for the deals.
(3)
Haley T.
I'm convinced that this bar is actually a Worcester bar, and through some accident of nature, is located in Allston. For those who have not had the joy of a night out in Worcester, MA, this is what you'll typically experience: -Top 40's/terrible music -A clientele consisting mostly of college kids, with an interest in polo shirts, bud light and sports -Cheap drinks (Worcester has good points) -Bright, bright lights -Mediocre bar food That said, the bartenders are decent, it's clean, and I assume it's a good place to go watch sports if you're into that sort of thing. Never a line or a cover here. Excellent location. The selection of beer on draft is pretty limited, but it's not a bad place to rock the bud light.
(3)
Matt M.
Dudebro, I asked for the vinaigrette on the side. Yeah you should have written down my order bro. I have a pet peeve about places where the staff habitually does not write your order down. It is far too often wrong, as was the case tonight. Nah dude, it's ok dude. Chillax, let's do a whiteboy pseudo ghetto handshake and make peace. Yeah that's it. Go sox. I appreciate that you fill up my dirt-cheap house cabernet glass past the tangent. It means you are either being generous to me, or don't know the proper way to fill a wine glass. It's ok bro, it makes up for the fact that all your wine tastes like sh*t. Ah, I see you have pool tables. Uh-oh, the dudebro's on the table are unwilling to give it up. Looks like they don't play singles here, only doubles. As an avid pool freak, I must say that irks me quite a bit. Seeing as the billiards is one of your drawing features, it's a shame nobody here actually knows how to play correctly or can even hold a table longer than one game. Well, at least they look good in their popped collars and cargo khakis doing so. Wait... Dude, TWO popped collars? Even when it's 90 degrees out tonight? You da man! Go sox. Well, thanks for the evening bro-dude, but for a good pool game I'll stick to the Silhouette lounge. For good food I'll stick with the Sunset Grill, and for the amazing bro-dude/dude-bro overload I'll see you at your frat party this Saturday on Gardner Street... NOT.
(2)
Matt S.
Having only been here for lunch (a few times), I can't truthfully comment on the douche-nozzle crowd that everyone seems to touch upon in their reviews - by 12 PM they've likely not woken up yet. However, I can definitely say that I grasped a vibe from the staff (not our waitress, but others) that runs in-line with the jerkweed atmosphere I hear about. Food is mediocre, but reasonably priced. The burgers are lackluster but the fish and chips are decent, if a bit heavy on the batter. Portions are of good size, and having gone with my girlfriend our check hasn't exceeded 16 dollars. In that regard the White Horse nails it. I'm not adverse to going to the White Horse again, but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to do so. The atmosphere really isn't my style and the food isn't anything to write home about.
(2)
Lara C.
I've never had a bad experience at White Horse. The table service side is "seat yourself," and I've never had any issue finding a table. A waiter always comes to the table within 2 minutes of sitting down, and they stay attentive all night. Best of all, they let you sit at the tables even if you're not ordering food. But if you do plan on eating, you won't be disappointed. The food is decently priced, generously portioned, and well-made. The food makes White Horse Tavern a great spot for a friday night out, as it's easy to transition from dinner to hanging out and drinking without having to relocate anywhere else. Plus the dozens of gigantic flat screen TV's sprinkled all over the bar mean that no matter what your sports interests, you'll be able to find it at White Horse. However, be aware, the bar gets full of dude-bro's and yeah dude's around 10:30 p.m. While the place itself is big enough that it never gets uncomfortably crowded, you may find yourself inclined to find a new home for the evening after the 5th dude bro screams "BRO TOTALLY" at the top of his lungs right next to your ear. But if you get there early enough, White Horse Tavern is a great all-in-one destination for a night out with your friends.
(4)
Allie T.
I was lucky enough to attend a tasting last night of White Horse's new menu and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. Previously, I had only been there for drinks after 9pm, but I definitely will go back for this (very inexpensive) great food. We had a super crisp, well mixed cobb salad, a deliciously flavored veggie panini and some creative (and really yummy) curry fries... but my favorite by far was the mushroom pizza. I don't remember the name of the cheese on it, but it tasted like something off a Newbury Street menu, not an Allston one! I will definitely coming back to try more of this new menu, and I'd recommend it to anyone in the area (on a budget or not, the low prices don't sacrifice anything by way of quality)!
(5)
Simon L.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of the 'regular' patrons of this bar (no offense!) nor the name; both seem kind of immature. However, there are few places in Boston (believe me, I have done exhaustive research) where you can get a respectable, cheap, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, and this place DELIVERS. On weekends until 2p, you pay $9.99 for a SMORGASBORD. It's delish, and instead of looking like a college bar, it looks like a respectable restaurant. Definitely check it out.
(4)
Bryan K.
Went here for brundh today and was very impressed. The braised hash was excellent and the hash-browns a nice variation on the traditional home fries everyone else does. Everyone at our table was pleased with their breakfast. We had the Nutella french toast for a brunch desert, it was very good. Really sweet, a great desert. The best thing was the price. The good food was really inexpensive compared to most brunch places. Also, I've been here for triva (they do it a lot) it is a great time. The guy who ran it really funny and ran it well.
(4)
Roni E.
So I've been here a few times and it seems that each and every time it's been pretty much the same. I can't recall a time I had a spectacular evening here. Upon entering, I was with my girl Nadya and it seriously took us like 5 minutes to get in because they didn't believe her passport was real. They then took it in to management and brought it back to finally let us in. WTF?!?! What I don't get is that I KNOW this place has let in underage girls before. *grumbles to self* While at the bar, it seriously took me over 10 minutes to get the guys attention and it wasn't until he had placed food down at the bar for Stephanie and Matt was I able to get the attention of someone to place an order of buffalo wings in and order a drink. If it wasn't for Ligaya and the drink she already placed in my hand as soon as I walked in to the bar, I probably would have had an uproar. The wings were decent, but they're wings. What can you expect from a sports bar? At any rate, it seriously took me another 10 minutes trying to get another drink later that evening. The guys avoid eye contact, are more involved with the game, texting on their cellphones, and more interested in walking aimlessly around, but yet not accomplish any tasks such as catering to their clientle. You know buddy, you are working for tips after all! If it was not for the good company of fellow Yelpers, I would have either left or never stepped foot into their bar.
(1)
Robbie R.
This place is right around the corner from me, so I have been on a number or occasions simply due to convenience. Last night may have been the final straw. I went with a few lady-friends visitin from Maine. We all handed the highly-trained bouncer our ID's, 3 of us were deemed of legal age, but not the 4th. "I'ma have to keep this," he informed us. It was a pretty bold statement from the dude, seeing as how it was her real ID and she was 22. We eventually got it back from him and immediately left for the Sunset Grill instead. On another occasion. I saw a nice family of 4 stroll by and get denied because their children were under 21. Really, white horse? Are ya scared Dad may buy a Jack n' Coke and hand it off to Junior under the table? Another time, I was with 2 friends at the bar, and we could see one of the waitresses in one of the back rooms condensing all the ketchup bottles. During the process, if any ketchup spilled and started sliding down the side of the bottle, she would take her finger, wipe up the ketchup, and then PUT IT BACK IN THE BOTTLE. I have a fairly high tolerance for gross and unsanitary situations, but that was a little unsettling. They have a nice special on Sundays. $4 for a burger or chicken sandwich. Nice. One more thing, the shitty music they blast makes me want to break a bottle over someone's dome.
(2)
Alex L.
Can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. Anyways, been here a few times and it is NOT near the top of my list of places to go (when I have the time to go out). Their food is pretty solid, the drinks are moderately priced (but I must say that tequila shot was nice and overflowing, they definitely didn't skimp out on that), and the environment is cool for what it is. The people that come to the place are the ones that kill the mood. Usually 21 or younger crowd (fake ID's ftw) fill this spot up and it just sucks then. Last night was kickass though. Had a bunch of cool Yelp people to make me forget the other craptastic times I've had here.
(3)
Brynna E.
Went here for the first time last night, for Sunday night Stump Trivia, so I'll just be reviewing that. I absolutely loved the ambience - tons of TVs, separate dining/bar/pool sections, cheap food and beer, and very uncluttered set-up. The MC for trivia was great -- super friendly, handed out the pens/paper himself, complimented our team name, was loud enough to hear. As for the bar itself, the service was so-so, but considering the staff was ALSO playing trivia, it could have been much worse! Our server stopped by every 20 minutes or so over the course of 2 hours, so we got a fair amount of face-time. I got the $4 chicken sandwich/fries combo, which was great! The chicken was grilled and had that delicious charring, and they're pretty accommodating on your toppings -- I got blue cheese dressing instead of sliced cheese for no extra charge). All in all, a pretty great experience. I think my friends & I will be moving our weekly trivia night to White Horse from our usual place!!
(4)
Cynthia C.
I usually spend my nights at the clubs and bars of Boston so this was a definitely a change, breath of fresh air or call it whatever you like. It's a definitely a place to chill if you're taking it easy and looking for a good time. I was surprised how inexpensive the drinks were considering I'm used to paying $13 for a basic gin and tonic. BUT it definitely took me a few drinks and a couple of shots to bring myself to a happy state. I came here on a Friday night and this place was still pretty dead around 11PM but it did fill up quickly! There's a lot of seating, plenty of space to move around in, and abundant flat screens for game days. I know where I'll be once basketball season rolls around...!
(4)
Kyle S.
I usually only go to whitehorse on trivia nights, and even then it is swamped with BU/BC students being drunk and annoying... but if you go early or are one of these students (or just plain don't care), its a great place to go, play trivia, and have a decent meal. Their menu has changed recently and has become sort of limited, but their food is still pretty good. Service can be hit or miss.
(3)
Mike T.
White Horse Tavern Wanted: Bouncer Ideal Profile of Job Candidate: Whitehorse is looking for the kind of people that have a tough time deciding between a "tribal" or "barbwire" bicep tattoo, own the movie Roadhouse on both VHS and DVD, prefer watching reruns of the time chuck Liddell "totally beat some ass" in the Ultimate Fighting Championships as opposed to messing around with their girlfriends and have considered careers in the department of corrections but failed to be accepted. Skills: Must be able to say "I'm here to chew bubble gum and kick ass and I'm all out of bubble gum" without stuttering. Must be able to study a valid ID like you should have studied high school text books. some word processing. State Patrol type mustaches a plus. Compensation: Laughable but you can always take that out on the patrons.
(2)
Lauren S.
The White Horse is just ok. -1 star for that fact that there's always more beer on the outside of my glass than the inside. It's like the bartenders dip the glass in a vat of beer after they fill the glass. -1 star for the wait staff who leave piles of dirty food plates and 3 rounds worth of empty beer glasses on your table for way too long. -1 star for the bouncers who scrutinize every single ID like they're specially trained secret agents and hold the front doors open on cold nights. It is always too cold in there. +1 star for their pizza. While all of their other food makes me feel like I have a giant ball of grease/lard in my stomach, their pizza is somehow actually quite good. That being said, White Horse is relatively clean, the food isn't gross (but it's nothing to look forward to either). It's not a bad place, but it's not great either. Trivia on Monday and Wednesday nights starts out fun, but 3 hours in it loses its appeal. Most of the clientele seems to be guys watching sports or groups of people at the bar who don't know each other that well, and weird couples/group dates at the pool tables who get really drunk and are usually skanky.
(3)
Hugh R.
Beer selection and prices are comparable to most other bars that I've been to in Boston - Sam Adams, Harpoon IPA, Guinness, UFO, blah blah blah, all $4.50 or $5. Food prices are pretty decent if you catch a special, but the $4 burgers are often bland and flavorless while the fries are always cold and soggy. HOWEVER, if you're a fan of onion rings and lots of them, you will not be disappointed by the rings at the White Horse. Tasty and plentiful! Far too many times I've spent $4 for 9 or 10 soggy onion rings in other establishments; the White Horse serves up a full basket of large, crispy rings. Delicious! Unfortunately still not enough to bump it up to 4 stars. A good place to grab a beer and watch the game but that's about it.
(3)
Josie G.
This one never got me hooked either. I like the set up now a lot more than before.. and there's usually always a crowd, a lot of regulars. Good beer... I just don't like the crowd that goes there... Doesn't seem to be the friendliest bunch.. I saw some complaints about the staff, but they've always been super nice to me and my friends, might just be because we're girls though.
(3)
whitney m.
The top three reasons why I love the Whitehorse: 1. Cheap drinks 2. Photo Hunt 3. $6.99 Steak Tips (on Wed and Thurs) Now, don't get me wrong, I love getting dressed up and heading downtown on the weekends, but you can't beat the Whitehorse on a Thursday night for a few rounds and some steak tips! And let me tell you, they are amazing steak tips. Like, some of the best I've ever had. Unlike most Allston bars, the Whitehorse is actually crowded (in a good way) during the week. Good for people watching. And you'd think it would be an all-college crowd, but that's not entirely true. There's usually a good mix of all ages -- sporty, trendy, hippy, prep -- they're all here. The only bad thing is the doormen. They literally stare at my ID for 2 minutes every time I go. And once they wouldn't let my friend in because his ID was expired...but I guess they were just doing their jobs. All in all, the "Horse" is my favorite place to chill during the week.
(5)
Stephen H.
I'm a big fan of whitehorse, definitely more of a youner crowd. The drink prices are reasonable, not quite dive-level but again this isnt a dive bar. The food here is pretty standard bar food, but the portions and the price is pretty tough to beat. Get whatever the special is. Also they usually have a beer of the month that is always a good price. Ive had a fun time everytime ive gone here.
(4)
Danny N.
Great place to sit and relax with all the big screens. The open windows are awesome during the summer time. Def. a place to go out to dinner and a quick beer.
(4)
Kimberly P.
Mediocre bar with cheap drinks. The wings that I had were also thoroughly mediocre. I will never get super excited and yell "OMG LETS GO TO WHITE HORSE TONIGHT" but it is an ok bar for a laid back and chill night. It gets two thumbs up for the clientèle: I met a super hot guy there and 2 great girls.
(2)
Voodoo O.
So apparently this place puts a $20.00 charge on your credit card whenever you open a tab, just to "make sure the card works". $20? The worst part of it was that they don't even tell you about it. You just look at your bank statement and find yourself $20 short. The charge allegedly "goes away" in a couple of days, it hasn't yet and even if it does, I still firmly say "WTF, White Horse?" I've NEVER heard of ANY bar (or any establishment, period) doing this. Is that even legal?
(1)
Jacob F.
I can't even begin to explain my distaste for the White Horse Tavern and it's deplorable excuse for Sunday Brunch. There are thousands of college kids who go out, hard, on Saturday and would really like to wake up at noon (or later) and drag their sweatpants and big sunglasses to a decent meal down the street. Instead they are greeted by watery, runny, formely known as hot eggs, dry, pathetic muffins and the sin of all sins: SHIT service. Do yourself a favor. Dont even bother.
(1)
Lauren V.
Any Thursday, Friday or Saturday night during fall and winter semester this place will be crawling with college kids. Since it is within walking distance from my house, I will occasionally stop in for a drink or two before moving on (and up) for the night. A few things worth noting: The food is decent (it's pub grub people!) and very cheap. That being said, service is incredibly slow...After they drop the food, you usually have to hunt the server down in order to get your check. But you are also paying $5 for a huge burger and fries. The doormen are somewhat disbelieving. It could be the demographic that frequents this joint but I routinely have to pull out a second and third form of identification (usually just a bank or credit card). Although annoying at 25, I mollify myself by thinking that it will be awesome if this happens 15 years down the road. I never have had to wait for very long at the bar for a drink. I would say that this is a good place to grab a cheap drink while leaving your plans for the night open (i.e: eventually make plans to hit a better bar).
(2)
Ken M.
Great place to grab a drink and watch a game. Lot's of tv's. Great food specials during the week and weekends. The food itself is pretty good for the price. Love the addition of the patio/outdoor area and look forward to watching the patriots games out there on some nice fall days. Nice/friendly bartenders.
(4)
Katie K.
I've never found anything wrong with the Whitehorse. Cheap beer, short to no lie at all and no cover. It's the perfect place to go with a group of friends, drinks some beers and not worry about what you look like. Anytime I've been here the crowd was good. Granted most guys pick up lines were 'where do you go to school?' so if you're looking for your future husband this is not the place for you. Most nights you can find a tv in there playing some random movie, my favorite was Spiderman night, which is pretty cool if there is no game on. I recommend going on a Friday night there's never really a line, its no packed to the rafters but also not dead. A happy medium.
(3)
Stace M.
Im in between Meh and A-ok. Very large bar. Nice atmosphere. Good set up. I went on a friday night and there was no cover which i was psyched about! But the crowd wasnt that great. Kinda young and a little obnoxious. But if you come with a good group you will be set for a good time!
(3)
Bryanne R.
Not really sure what all the hype about this place is for. Yea it's a big space and they have pool and beer...but nothing terribly exciting. And all the way out in Allston?! Ugh. Then there's usually a line. Not worth it.
(3)
Jasmine P.
I"ll be honest, I'm not a big fan of straight bars. This is a straight up bar with pool and a bar. This is a good place to go if you want to relax, drink, and hang out with friends, but not the best. The couple of times I went here I went with a few strangers and my friends and it was just really hard to talk with the level of noise and crowd. It wasn't the best experience with strangers but maybe with friends. There is not much to do except sit/stand and drink and try to talk over the noise. There's music overall playing but its hard to hear. Its a great place if you are looking for a last resort to hang out somewhere, but its not the best. The one thing I did like were that there was a full bar and the drink were decent. It gets often crowded on the weekends and you get amused by the drunks that stagger around the place after it closes or right before it closes.
(2)
chungo m.
white hat tavern? used to be way better as Geraldo's or whatever. BU morons took it over and now it's a dumb frat boy bar with wanna be hot tramps inside getting drunk. If you like this then you'll be in heaven. if you are like me and don't like these kinds of people then you will be in HELL
(1)
Hiroko S.
Too noisy to talk but good for watching sports. I only spent there few minutes. I prefer Sunset walking few more blocks.
(2)
Jane T.
Really, really good brunch on Sunday mornings from 10-2. Made to order omelettes and eggs benedict if you want. At night, the bar gets pretty crowded and sometimes they get a line, but it usually moves quickly. Pretty cheap beer, but not as much of a dive as the other places around here (don't get me wrong, i LOVE dive bars- but they aren't everyone's scene). The food is pretty cheap and good too. Overall, good bar.
(4)
Dave M.
I have to second the "better b4 10" sentiment of one of the other reviewers. If I just want to go have a few beers with some friends in a chill atmosphere on W or Th night, or to START my night out at, I go to White Horse. After 10 this place def sucks. I'm always shocked when I walk up to it and it's full, mostly of popped collar losers and yes, girls who wear sweatpants that say "naughty" or "sexy" on the ass, even though u can see their cottage cheese ass through them. Overall: start, don't finish here.
(3)
Lalin A.
What a college place, as my description suggests, the backyard of BU kids. It is hard to find the correlation between the number of security ppl at the door and the number of 18-year-old looking kids inside! The W.H. Tavern is like a big ballroom of a college, closed nightly for people to get squeezed and check each other out. Bad drinks, horrible service and childish crowd! Majority of the frequenters are guys, who are there to pick up drunk girls. I can't recall how many guys stopped at our table to tell us bluntly "I like you very much". Yes but no thanks. EDIT : went back for brunch All you can eat buffet for $9.95. Don't be fooled. This "buffet" does not match the dictionary.com definition: "consisting of food, refreshments, etc., laid out on tables or buffets from which guests or customers serve themselves" First of all, the food is not refreshing but boring and heavy. Yes, you can serve yourself but there is not much to pick from. The omelletes are huge but THICK - meaning: no good. Everything tastes mediocre. Nothing to tickle your mouth.
(2)
Stephen S.
People either love or hate White Horse. I'm not sure that I get it. Maybe it's because I'm not a thirty-something who's ears rings at newfangled music and looks down upon the local college kids and their ever-diminishing clothes. I'm only partially kidding. There's no cover and the bar is incredibly unpretentious. Not exactly a pick-up bar, sorry ladies who want-to-be-hit-on-because-your-self-esteem-is-Âincredibly-low-due-to-the surplus-of-twenty-something-stuls-in-Boston, you might want to hit up Sketchy Bar (aka Wonder Bar) or risk a groping at the Kells. White Horse is the kind of place where you can pack your friends in and have a good time...or be bored to death.
(3)
Andrew B.
BU-laden Allston bar, but good enough for some fresh draft beer and large screen plasmas for sports. Although the bar can get crowded, the bartenders are competent and fast-moving, making getting a drink on a busy night not too daunting. They did have an awesome costume party on Halloween '09, so props for that.
(3)
Gina N.
I used to love this place. The food was ok, but super affordable. The service was slow, but Stump trivia and Will were fun. Now they're trying to be fancy (really? You know you're still in Allston, right?), the food is more expensive and has less flavor, the waitresses are more attentive, but the food takes even longer to come out now, and I stared at a wall of plywood all night with no explanation. Trivia is still decent, but I'm going to start trying to find new places. They've lost their loyal customers trying to be something they're not.
(2)
Justin R.
Okay, yeah, it attracts a TON of douchebags when school is in session. But that's not really its fault. It's firmly planted in Allston, is cheap, with rarely a line and never a cover. Know what rocks about this place? The layout. After years of being wedged between dudebros and skankoffs swilling Miller Lite and reciting old Simpsons quotes, this place actually allows you some room to breathe. Service is excellent and the beer prices are fine. Also, if you're looking for cheap, cheap lunch or dinner, do yourself a favor and stop in on Mon, Tues, or Weds where you can get a pound of steak tips or a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries for $4. FOUR DOLLARS! That's like stealing!
(4)
Cheeba H.
The White Horse is lame. But... If you've been living off dollar menu double cheese burgers, Marlboro 27's and drinking cup after cup of beer that tastes like the ass of good beer all weekend and can scrounge up $9.95 its a good way to kill a Sunday morning. Expensive, I know. But it is all you can eat, and its quality food, and if you show up when it starts (11-ish I think?) you can sit there for a real long time before they close it up. The food consists of a couple steam trays with items such as sausages, Canadian bacon, bacon, chicken teri, rice pilaf, pan cakes and fancy french toast with some kind of berry stuffed in it. They also have some bowls of various fruit out for much needed vitamins and salad for much needed roughage, and some cookies incase you just like cookies. They also have a guy who makes up omelets out of a variety of possible things you have thrown in it, and he also does up eggs benedict. And all the coffee you can drink. They frequently offer you seating near the open store front windows, so you get a nice breeze on a nice day. Just dont get suckered into ordering a bloody mary, they're 7 bucks (not that you can order one before noon anyway..). Outside of that, there is little to redeem this bar. I dont really know what the motif inside is, it looks like an imitation Chicago bar, the kind of place that wishes it was the kind of place that use to be a garage turned bar with the penzoil signs still in tact. It does have alot of space though, yet still gets packed at peak times. They have the game on large tv's everywhere. There are pool tables. The beer prices are not that cheap (cheap for me is 3 dollars or less), I think bush light bottles were the only thing under 3, Bud was 3 and change, and that was the best they could do for me. I can drink Ice House, Pabst, malt anything- but nothing is worse than Bush Light (maybe Red Dog). The table service is fairly efficient. Sometimes breaking through the stool barrier to the bar to order a beer can be a bitch. The crowd is alot of gym going tankard like dudes and their stair master-ed out counter parts, the kind of girls that wear sweat pants with writing across the ass. Sometimes they like to play dress up at night and the place looks like a JC Penny catalog. Theres always a couple 30 something business guys dressed down buying girls drinks in hopes one of them will ride their potbelly to satisfaction. If your the kind of guy who likes to talk big about yourself and watch sports and dress in a manner that reveals your desire to be accepted that you suppress with an attitude- or if your a girl who goes tanning, buys lip gloss by the case, and loves firm men who pluck their eyebrows, or if you want to be any of these people by associating yourself with them- then this is where you can indulge your unrealistic college life fantasy. ***Also- I forgot to mention that Tuesday nights are karaoke night, so if you want to watch a bunch of guys in cargo shorts and fake wooden bead necklaces sing Crash Test Dummies, or maybe a duet where two dudes in Cougar Lacrosse 1987 team-that-never-existed shirts sing Fight for your Right to Party- this is the place to be. I saw a guy I havnt seen in a year that use to bone an ex-girlfriend of mine I havnt seen in two years doing exactly that. Only at the White Horse.
(2)
Anna B.
I have been going here for years and used to give this place 4 stars but it has gone downhill. The good: Lots of TVs. You can dress up or dress like a bum. The staff is nice. On football days they accomodate the lone table that wants the hockey game. The bad: Service is slow. I used to figure they do that on purpose so you have more drinks to compensate for the $4 burger you ordered. Now the burgers are gone and they make mistakes - well done burgers are bleeding, send them back and they come back pink, ask for no tomatoes and you get tomatoes. It used to be "well we paid $4 for it" so somewhat forgivable. The bar is not bad but with so much competition within a few blocks I don't have much reason to go there unless my friends want to. And Harrys (same ownership I think?) is better.
(2)
Diane I.
nothing spectacular here. good drink specials though. actually if its a slow night be prepared to tip well for an awesome hook up. 2 high lifes + 1 cheese quesadilla = $4.20 definitely the highlight of the night was talking to the older gentleman who had been stabbed earlier in the night and was bleeding through his shirt. classy.
(3)
Peter R.
Only recently started going here... But nice place to grab a beer and watch the Sox, plenty of TV viewing, good service, and daily specials on beer and food. Personally i enjoy mon-tues, chicken wings and burgers only 4$. When its nice out they open the windows, 2 pool tables (usually taken) but always a good way to make new friends.
(3)
Misty S.
probably the worst place in allston. The service is really probably about the worst I've had anywhere. The first time I went there, we went for the cheap burgers. Our waitress was a girl. There was hardly anyone there, however, the table next to us was 4 guys. She spent the entire time bent over their table, and not nearly enough time getting us food, water, anything. My beer was empty for so long, I went to the bar to get another one.
(1)
Chase W.
(I know the white horse is a Frat Party. I know I'm too old to still love it. I know the beers are always stale and flat.) But I love the 'Ho. Granted, I'm not into the whole Friday/Saturday night scene, but there's no place better to watch a Saturday day game with the windows open on a nice day. They've got plenty of TV's to catch the sox, the prices are reasonable, and the food is pretty decent. I'm addicted to the Cobb Salad and Turkey tips. I get one of them a week! I really believe that The White Horse is a great bar for meeting up with friend, but a crappy place to call a weekend distination. The bartenders are always attentive, the door staff is always acceptably courteous. For a sports bar type place, it's pretty clean too; they run a tight ship here!
(4)
jim I.
When they open up the windows, this place is a fair bit of fun. Otherwise, I can only say this place is so-so. The bouncer's at this place are really good at their job. Its rare that you see people who get such a kick out of their work and its refreshing to see how much of a rush these guys get out of taking an underage or out of state drivers liscense from someone and relaying it to the police. I wish I took my job as seriously. I would be a much better employee. I am sure my bosses would see my dedication and promote me to a higher position of authority where I could really show off my talent. There is nothing like a little extra authority to show off how talented, sexy, awesome, and powerful you really are. I should note at this point that I have never had my ID taken at the Whitehorse nor do I condone illegal consumption of alcohol, but I have watched a few high-five sessions after these awesome professionals successful confinscated an ID, and thought it a little weird.
(2)
Emily M.
The White Horse is what it is: It is not hip. It is not classy. It is not that easy to get into if under 21 (or over 21 for that matter--bouncers can be ridiculous! My Ohio license sure threw them for a loop). But I do find it to be a chill place where I can dress casually, drink cheaply, talk to maybe a few attractive guys, and leave thinking I at least had a "decent" time. It's convenient and I'll keep coming back as long as I'm in the neighborhood. One gripe (ok, except for the bouncers): you can play photo hunt, but it's the normal one. NUDIE photo hunt is where it's at. It had a cult following back at my college. White Horse (and everywhere else for that matter) needs it! ** UPDATE ** Rumor has it that Harper's Ferry has nudie photo hunt! I haven't confirmed it for myself yet but you best believe I will be checking it out soon!
(4)
Rob T.
Decent place to get together with friends. Went here with some co-workers one evening. I opted for buffalo wings, medium because I was a pansy that night, they were average and medium heat just like I ordered (something to be said for getting what you ordered). It was One Pound Steak Tips night which a few of my friends got and same as with my wings they got what they ordered. Medium Rare was just that, Well Done was well done. Nothing spectacular but a good meal at a decent price with a good beer selection.
(3)
Greg M.
Two stars for the crappy service and lame college kids who frequent the place. Four stars for the brunch. It's not fantastic - I'm really not into fancy expensive brunches. Even the best brunch I've ever had didn't even come close to a decent lunch or dinner. That's just me though. This place gets it right for my tastes. It's less than $10, they have a good selection of all the typical breakfast fare. And they'll cook you a good omlette to order. (Eggs benedict too, but I haven't tried them.)
(3)
Meg B.
Found out this place has FREE WIFI and needed to meet a friend to work on a project for school and this place happened to be in a good location to meet. We obviously didn't go for night life so this review is more on the food/wifi experience. The sunday we went they had some daily specials so I got the $4 wings, my friend got the $4 cheeseburger. I don't know how my friend thought about the cheeseburger but the wings were just ok. There only seems to be outlets against the front windows but those tables are kinda small and wouldn't really work out for two people and their computers. My problem with this place is that sure, it wasn't really busy on that sunday especially because it was around 4 or so but the waitress took forever. She rarely stopped by to refill the drinks and it took awhile to get the bill/finish paying. I think part of the problem was a shift change but someone should have at least swung by a little more often for the drinks after we got our meal. Sure we were sitting there with our laptops but we ordered quite a bit o food too. So the service might not be so great but its nice to have a place to go with free wifi and plenty of seats.
(3)
erica c.
Even in my earlier college days, I avoided this place like the plague. Why settle for mediocre atmosphere and mediocre mixed drinks... The complete package here is mediocre at best. So why three stars and not 1? My bar tender really rocked and well that is worth a lot:)
(3)
Diane D.
I'll stir up some controversy I guess, sometimes it just has to be done.. Here is my thing with Whitehorse - I understand how it is disappointing if you haven't been here before and you're looking for a great pub experience and atmosphere with personality. You won't find it here, on any given night...regardless of choice in food, beverage, who the bouncers are, whether the bartender is snarky, etc. All irrelevant. However, I don't go to the Horse expecting these things. I go there because it is what it is... a place where I can wander in with flip flops and comfy jeans for a casual hang-out with some friends over moderately-priced beers. There is guaranteed to be decent people-watching and a crowd on any night of the week, and I can maybe even play pool or trivia if I feel like it on the right night. So no, I would not recommend Whitehorse for its cool atmosphere or great drinks/food... but if its more about who you're with and less about where you are, I've found Whitehorse to be a convenient, reasonably priced joint for the occasional gathering when somewhere like Sunset is too crowded. The trick may be all in expectations.
(4)
adriana e.
this place is def a popular college hangout, cheap drinks, smelly sports bar, drunken college students, big tvs! I recently went here to watch the Red Sox game, it was so crowded we had to stand. I like this place cuz the drinks r cheap, n they dont water it down! i found the doorstaff very nice. they checked our ID's and let us right in, then when we were leaving, they said "thanks for coming by, have a good night!" and said it to every patron, I mean, that might of been a manager or owner, but who cares? obviously not one of those high class bars where drinks cost over 10 bux and theres very little alcohol overall, great place to chill n watch the game! Will definitely be returning!
(3)
Ethan M.
I'm a local to Brighton and my friends and I go to this place on a regular basis. On Thursdays they have a steak tip special and this is why we go. Their steaks are cooked to perfection and so are the fries that they come with. The atmosphere is loud but fun and definitely a good time. They have trivia night which is also fun to participate in while enjoying a good meal and a drink. Definitely check this place out if you are in the area.
(4)
Alyssa N.
Good nachos. Decent drinks. I'm curious to go back and try the cheap food specials that they offer on weekdays. I don't think that the bouncer was as rude or on a power trip, as the other reviews made the door guys seem, but maybe I just happened upon the one nice guy... The bar/wait staff was efficient and friendly. There was a minor, sort of awkward incident involving the swapping of a ketchup bottle (server came to take our half-empty one, didn't want to leave us a replacement). But overall a good experience, especially on a weekend night. The crowd was a mix of meet/meat market gawkers and just groups of friends hanging out, though at one point I walked through an area reeking of cologne (and I don't have much of a sense of smell because of my allergies- I can only imagine how it smelled to someone with a normal nose). Not sure I'd ever actually wait in line to get in to this bar.
(3)
Omoniyi A.
Im really suprised at the super low reviews for White Horse. Ive come here a few times for trivia. Its a pretty good trivia location, except the questions tend towards sports (so if thats your weaknes...). They DO have chips and salsa, so thats a keeper for me! They also have a great beer selection (according to my friends - i dont like the beer) including local brews. Its also more restaurant than bar, so its not scuzy or divey or someplace you wouldnt want to sit for 3 hrs. Enjoy!
(3)
Mark F.
I love this place! Great drinks and food, and now with an outside patio around back!
(4)
Mike B.
I was surprised to see all of that white horse hate out there. Most of the negative reviews were from people who hated on the bar tenders or bouncers. Jeesh. At least they will stay away now, so I don't have to hear whining about how the guinness is poured incorrectly or how a bouncer bends a license. In a nutshell, the menu specials are tasty and CHEAP. The staff has always been friendly to me. Don't expect the treatment like you'll find at the Ritz. The food isn't going to taste as good as a five star restaurant. It is a BAR in ALLSTON. Jeesh. Again. As for my rating.... It gets four stars for consistency (I've been there many times over many years), and a lack of pretentiousness (the White Horse knows what it is and it strives to be nothing more).
(4)
Bry J.
I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoy this place. I live a few blocks away and for the last couple year's I've come here at least once a week. I prefer the weeknights to the weekend nights because fri and sat nights tend to attract some douchey people. During the week you can't beat the $4 meal deals, burger, chicken sandwich, or 1 lb of wings. Thursday night is $6 steak tip night. Overall a pretty good place to hang out in the window and people watch or watch TV on one of the 20 tv's they have hanging around.
(4)
Nate S.
I hadn't been here in about 8 years, and from what i saw it hasn't changed too much. The only changes I noticed were that the food was a bit better and the service was faster. Since I was here in the winter there weren't the customary drunks spilling drinks while hanging out the windows like I remember in the summer time but that didn't bother me.
(4)
Sam S.
So odd how white horse gets so packed all the time! I'd say it's an average dive bar with a few pool tables. The food is better then most dives...a good place to pick up!
(3)
Amanda G.
Typical sports college bar - BC and BU kids both frequent this place. Wed night trivia is popular and you'lll always find it packed on the weekends. Two thumbs up for the wait staff and bar is big enough that you can find a spot. Pool tables give you something to do but you may have to wait a minute. Get here early on weekends or you'll find yourself waiting outside.
(2)
Allison B.
maybe it's because i lived in packard's corner and was totally lazy, but white horse was my to-go bar during college (aside from tues night karaoke at T's). the food is decent bar food and the drinks are average in price. the weekend brunch buffet is a pretty good deal ($9.95 for your choice of customized omelet or eggs benedict, plus all the typical brunch foods a hungover student could ever want). i also really like the setup of white horse, with two bars, an open floor plan, and floor-to-ceiling windows all along the front that, when open in the summer, let in a pretty delightful breeze. as a side note - i love the kid here who does stump trivia on weds and sun nights (if he's still there). he's super enthusiastic and you can tell he loves doing it. and he loves his throwbacks to snick.
(4)
Dave L.
Ewwww. This is the kind of place where people I grew up with in a little rich Boston suburb go when they are "going into Boston to hang out this weekend". In fact, I've run into old HS classmates there. Not a fan of the crowd at all. Seems a bit out of place in Allston. Very much the "grown up frat member" vibe. Darts, and a good sized space keep this floating above one star. I have not tried the food.
(2)
Amanda S.
Hold the phone. Yes, the service kind of sucks- the bartenders aren't all that attentive (even if it's slow and you are sitting at the bar), yes the doorman sucks (Is he a mute? I hate when you walk in and the 20-year-old door"man" says nothing, but gets up and makes a show-me-your-id motion with his hands.....before scrutinizing your license that looks JUST like you so he can feel some small bit of power in his crappy-ass job), yes it's a young crowd.....BUT, how can you go wrong with a decent chicken sandwich & fries for $4...and $2.50 beers? I like that this place is pretty no frills and you can walk in wearing just about anything. Not my first pick for a night out, or even just grabbing a couple beers, by any means- but also not as bad as many are making it out to be.
(3)
David D.
:( :( :( i'm in my 20s, and i was embarrassed to acknowledge it after i walked into the white horse tavern. college bar or not, GROW UP. seriously, this place is awful. i was half-expecting to see someone getting a bro-job when i walked into the bathroom. :(
(2)
Patrick K.
This place is sweet! The beverages are fairly priced and the food is generously priced. All good quality and crowd control is impeccable. Monster TVs with NFL Sunday Ticket makes this local optimal for a Sunday afternoon of football!
(5)
Mel V.
My experience with White Horse is minimal since I was only there for a bit. Nevertheless, we left quickly because the place freaked us out. If you want to go to a diverse place and see people from various backgrounds, do not go to white horse.
(2)
Doris K.
The only reason why White Horse is receiving two stars is because the food and alcohol was so cheap that it does deserve some recognition. I have been here two separate occasions, once on a Saturday night and the other on a Sunday afternoon. The Sunday afternoon was much better because there weren't crowds of people tipping their drinks on me. The food was mediocre but $4 for a pound of wings - how can you go wrong? I haven't had bad service here yet but I really didn't like the type of crowd on the Saturday night. Either way you should give it a try, just make sure that it's not on a busy night.
(2)
Andrew S.
Did the price in ketchup rise dramatically? Is a bushel of tomatoes more expensive than a barrel of oil? Everytime I go here, the staff hounds people for their ketchup bottle. Do they only have one bottle to go around? Buy another fucking bottle you cheap bastards!
(2)
Aaron G.
I'm kinda hot cold on the Horse. I love going there to catch a few beers and enjoy a ball game. Yes I would say their screens are about second to none. What's not second to none is the beer selection, I'm defaulted to Stella, not a big concern I suppose. the bartenders are also cool as I've often shared laughs and war stories with them. An issue does arise late night on weekends and I don't wanna sound snobby, but it is amateur hour in there. Allow me to elaborate, I've had multiple drinks inadvertently spilled on me by rando chicks. Yes this was made better by the chicks part, but come on now, this isn't high school lock it up! Overall, just time your visit wisely, this is a solid spot when crowds are sparse.
(2)
Julianne M.
I come here for the food specials and Sunday Trivia nights. I always have a great time with my friends without breaking the bank. Plus, trivia rules. You can't beat that!
(4)
Sarah A.
Decent local place. Good prices and decent food. Awesome specials. Burgers are quality. If you are eating there make sure you stay away from the doors. The bouncers are always opening and closing them, even when people are not coming in, so you and your food will get cold easily.
(3)
Sarah F.
I had avoided this place like the plague for almost two years because it always seemed to be overflowing with obnoxious underclassmen, but ended up here on a Friday night when the line at Sunset was too long and I was just too hungry to wait. The doormen and waitstaff were pleasant, we easily found a table for three and the place was pretty mellow. We only had burgers and fries, but they were tasty. Maybe I just got lucky, or my expectations were just that low, but I was pleasantly surprised.
(3)
Terrence H.
Hey, Bro!
(1)
Erik G.
White Horse, your beer selection is OK, and I've had much worse service in Boston (except for bouncers; I haven't met bouncers with bigger complexes than these guys), but never in my life have I seen such a mean trick as having the pool tables located on a floor six inches higher than the rest of the bar, and installing a gently sloping ramp to bridge the gap. Have you the SLIGHTEST IDEA what a gentle incline does to the inebriated? Never have I come so close to face-planting so many times in one night.
(3)
Susan J.
Unlike Leo, I didn't find this place very social, but it's still a nice, low-key place to meet friends for a few drinks. They also have several TVs (usually showing sporting events) and some pool tables, which are a plus. I've always found the service a bit slow, but they have an amazing brunch buffet on the weekend. $10 gets you all the bagels, yogurt, fruit, pancakes, custom omelettes, bacon, and croissants you can eat!
(4)
Jennifer K.
Nice place for a during the week/after work drink - beyond that, stay out. The bouncers are pretty much jackasses - even for those of us who are of legal age. Makes a weekend night experience off to a bad start by having to put up with their attitude. Do they list "be a jackass" as part of the job description? On the other hand: I ended up here one year for St. Patrick's day after some failed attempts to head to the downtown pubs - and I had a really great time.
(3)
Bene K.
Best part about White Horse : cheap drinks and loud 80's music...worst part about White Horse: the one level of space that does not know what to make of itself so, it just becomes a big blob of people floating around and maybe playing pool. I'm not a fan, there isn't too much to it.
(2)
Geoff T.
Want to call me an elitest, be my guess, but due to the huge glass windows in the front, I dubbed this place the "Loser Aquarium" when I lived down the street. Drunken BU and BC students take breaks from the meatmarket inside to harass those who pass on foot. At least, this is Friday and Saturday nights at the White Horse. When empty, another beast entirely. Decent food for cheap, cheap beers and (a plus for me) the ever present Red Sox game. If you are into the packed college hot house, weekends are for you. IF you see few people in there on a weekday and want a beer and something quick to eat, enter, friend!
(2)
sunny n.
Average college town bar...lots of plasmas floatin around..which is neat...the bartenders ..eh a little alternative for my liking but hey its allston...the girls servin have been always sweet....and I enjoy the large window view of the street and peeps passin by...food is nothin to write home about..and really junk food designed to soak up your booze but then again its very cheap...and 5 shots later or 12 cheap beers later...that kinna grub maybe just what u need....too bright though..and not to warm in the winter..! Avg..Avg!
(3)
George K.
Not a big fan of this place. Too many frat-boys out on the prowl at night time. It does have some redeeming qualities during the afternoon, but not enough to get another star out of me.
(1)
Mark S.
This review is for the food and drink experience. So I moved to Allston two months ago and I realized that I never went to this classic bar. Then I went here for lunch with a friend on a weekday, and there were literally about 5 people in this gigantic restaurant/bar/arcade. How on earth does this place stay in business, wondered this newbie. Fortunately my gluten-free palate was satisfied; the burgers are outrageously cheap with tasty beef patties, and gluten-free buns are offered. I wasn't a huge fan of the potatoes in the french fries, but they were salted and peppered perfectly. Overall, one of my favorite Boston burger experiences, with cheap cider on tap to match. Then a week or so later, I walked back home at around 1:30 AM on a weekend and passed the Tavern, which had transformed into the biggest and silliest dance club I'd ever seen. Hundreds of people were in there, with a couple of dozen more in line outside. Oh Allston, you never cease to amaze me.
(4)
Irene J.
3 stars becusee the service was So SLOW we came here at an awkward time yet... NONE Of the MILLIONS OF SERVERS assisted us... Like ugh... Thanks doorman for checking our IDs but is no one planning on helping us when we are clearly seated at the most apparent table... Literally had to chase down a server and as for menus... Then the drinks were all watered down and the food was.... Like you would expect mediocre ... Just Heavy. Heart attack. Diabetes inducing greasy food. Got munchies ? Come here.
(3)
Justin C.
The bartenders were extremely knowledgable here. I was pleasantly surprised. The wait staff was even better. Couldn't have been more attentive and were almost psychic with our wants and needs. The food and beverage selection was also quite impressive. I would highly recommend this establishment to any and all in the area.
(5)
Taylor B.
Your average college dive bar. Fun, friendly staff. . There are fun games like pool, hunting game, ect. Sometimes pool is free that's nice. I love their parmesan garlic wings and quesadillas! The mixed drinks can be weak so I usually stick with beer. Love food
(3)
Jason H.
Friendly staff, depends on who you get. Tons of younger girls here for waitress so you might not get consistent service. I think it's got a great location, good set up because it's got two pool tables so it really makes it a different bar, especially because it's so roomy. Got the basketball machines too so it makes the place like a bar/arcade. In the summer, the shades all open up and it's a good place to just sit and relax. They have a patio/deck outside in the back too but there's no much to look in terms of scenery. But at night it looks really pretty with the Christmas lights and all. It's not a terrible place for drinks, the bartenders have descent skills. However, sometimes the drinks can get sloppy with a less-pleasant presentation, mostly when they're really busy. When the waitresses bring them over, they're overflowing. They have different events like trivia nights, which a lot of people seem to enjoy. The food is descent, but sometimes taste like something's frozen and pre-made, and just been reheated for you. It feels like a typical college/frat bar, it gives you the ambiance with kids who just turn 21 and just want cheap alcohol. Most young professional crowd don't go there so don't expect to meet someone there. At night on a weekend after 12pm, this place's got beer bottles on the floor and turn into a frat party.
(2)
Lisa A.
This is not my favorite place to grab a drink, but it's definitely not my least favorite. It's a fine choice if you live nearby, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go here. Drinks seem reasonably priced and they have decent beers on draft. Food here is relatively cheap and is pretty good. I ordered their truffle fries and my friends ordered burgers (only $4-ish). This place gets really loud as the night goes on, but that's pretty much the same story at every other place in the area.
(3)
Amy B.
Absolutely terrible service. We got there around 5:50 and someone who seemed to be in charge told us that the servers do not get there until 6:00. We thought it would be no big deal to sit at the bar for 10 minutes or so. The lady bartender was very nice and gave us some sodas while we waited. The servers seemed to begin to trickle in around 6:00, but they all just stood at the back of the restaurant chatting and not doing anything. We waited some more, and around 6:30 we asked the guy we had originally talked to if we could get a table. (We had assumed he would let us know when we could sit down, as he had instructed us to wait in the first place). He was like "oh yeah, there's a server outside. you can go sit down." So we go out there, and there is a bartender and some other guy chatting with her. Nobody greeted us or told us what to do. We asked if we could sit down at a table, and the bartender said to sit anywhere we wanted. We sat down, thinking someone would come over to us, but after about 10 minutes, nothing happened. We went back up to the bartender and asked if we could see some menus, and she got us some. Nobody ever came over to take our order, so once again we had to ask the bartender if we could order some food. From that point on, she kind of served us. We had to get up and asked for just about everything we wanted. What an uncomfortable experience. Also, some more people came to sit at the bar outside and got barely any service. One man came and sat down, and after not a single employee came outside for over 10 minutes, he gave up and went to the inside bar.
(1)
Ann J.
BAR Whitehorse is your typical college frat bar. Without fail, the bar is full of BU students who just turned 21 with the hopes of getting really drunk on cheap alcohol. Drinks are pretty cheap and there is usually a special like $3.00 bottles of bud light. FOOD During the day Whitehorse is a great place for food. The menu is full of burgers, sandwhiches, and anything else you would expect at a college bar. On certain days there are specials like steak tips and fries for $8. OVERALL Like I said before Whitehorse is your typical college bar. Don't go there expecting a young professionals crowd, and be prepared to see at least 4 or 5 broken beer bottles on the ground. Whitehorse is perfect for those nights where you end up in your bed the next morning not knowing how you got there.
(3)
Mallory C.
We came here one night for special edition Avengers trivia. I came for the drinks... and my boyfriend went for Avengers trivia. Overall it was a decent night but it is definitely a college bar. The seating is tight once it fills up, but we were seated pretty quickly near the window (at a table that wobbled worse than I've ever experienced... and I ALWAYS get the table that wobbles. Service was mediocre, and although my first margarita was close to perfect, the 2nd was a serious overdose of sour mix. The poutine and spring rolls were decent as appetizers, and I like that you can do the pick two or pick three appetizer combos- that was definitely enough food for 2 of us. The staff was accommodating in terms of finding room for my scooter and when they wanted to move it to make room for more tables, they did it for me, after asking permission and directions on how to move it safely, which I thought was awesome. At 10 p.m. trivia ended, and they put up the "velvet rope" as the undergrad line began to form, and we went home for our senior citizen bed time. An ok place if you're into the college vibe or want trivia, but not one of my top 3 spots in Allston.
(3)
Elizabeth R.
I came here on a Friday night and it was packed. people everywhere so we couldn't get a table or anything so just stood around the bar. They have plenty of pool tables (which were all taken) but it was a nice and lively place.
(4)
Matthew S.
To sum up all the reviews here, and second what everyone else is saying: You're never going to have the time of your life here. But you're almost certainly not going to have a bad time either. It's the 'safe bar', basically when you're not sure if you want to venture downtown, but you're also not sure if you want to jump face first into the dumpster-fire that is the Allston bar scene, then you go to White Horse. You won't meet the girl of your dreams, but you won't get chlamydia from anyone either. I've been coming here for 7 years; the bartenders are friendly, the food is slightly above average, the drinks are strong, the place is spacious, and there are pool tables, those basketball shooting games, and some arcade things in the corner as well. There's also usually a DJ on the weekend, and about 50 people dancing on a cleared out part of the floor. I definitely enjoy this place, and you probably will too.
(3)
Rebecca C.
I came here a few nights ago on a Sunday to have drinks with my friends. The manager farish was very nice and friendly towards us as soon as we walked in. Once we sat down at the bar, we were immediately greeted by our bartender Amanda. She seemed very happy to see us. The lights are kept low and the music was on point. I love that they have two pool tables that are quarter operated in the center. If you walk over towards the second bar which seems to be there to ensure on busy nights that every guest can get a drink quickly, there is a basketball throwing game. It's nice for some light competition to see who can make the most baskets. This bar is kept very clean and I love that the front windows go all the way down. It is always fun to people watch from here on allston. I also appreciate the door staff that is very nice while checking ids. They are not trying to intimidate you however, will be quick to solve an issue if there is one in order to keep all the guests happy and safe. Not sure when I'll make it back there, but I know I'll be there this summer just for the great service and relaxed atmosphere.
(5)
Adam Z.
Honestly, White Horse is the Cheers of the Allston community. It's a safe bet you'll see that Tinder girl who's name you can't (and don't want) to remember, that hipster from the coffee shop that always serves you coffee dripping with disdain, and your friends looking to get hammered in a judgement free zone. The staff is always more friendly than they ought to be given the amount of drunk biddies and ill-fitting button down wearing meatheads they have to deal with. This is a bar lacking bells and whistles and honestly, it's better for it. White Horse is the place you go to play pool, grab some pub food, and have a good time with friends. If you're looking for TV's over the urinals and 75 different places to plug in your iPhone 4 (because you ball on a budget) this isn't going to be your spot. If you're looking for great service, an outdoor patio, and an awesome "go-to" bar, the White Horse will always deliver; in spades.
(5)
Nishitha S.
Definitely a classic -- especially as a student in the area. There is no cover so it's a nice place to go hang out and not spend a lot of money. Drinks aren't too expensive at 5-10$ a pop. It is nice and one of the few bars where you can actually converse with your friends without being drowned out by music. They have a pool table section, a bar section, and a crowded dance floor section.
(4)
Jennifer N.
This place has been one of my regular places for 3 years now & has managed to impress me each time very differently. I had some of my first legal drinks here, watched the super bowl here, started many bar hops here, danced here and shot pool too many times to count but this time I met 'Farish'. He made this time a little better with his attentiveness and care while my group and I were at the bar. 'Farish' mixed up some delicious shots and introduced me to a new favorite beer (Killian's). He had complete control of the bar, was humble and friendly. Different circumstances had brought me in 2 Mondays ago + 2 Saturdays ago, I was hosting a dear friend from Brazil while she was visiting Boston. This place made her stay that much better due to the moods The WhiteHorse sets. (She's back in Rio now, but talks of coming back within the year with intentions of going to The WhiteHorse.) On a different note most of their staff is on their game with a great Guinness pour, which is a win in my book/keeps bringing me back. Cheers!
(5)
Jennifer G.
Perfect for summer nights with the hidden patio in the back. I mean, I guess it's not really hidden, but it's a nice added bonus. Came here with three friends on a Tuesday night and luckily it wasn't packed like a couple other restaurants down the street due to World Cup shenanigans. We got a table on the patio right away and a few minutes later, our waitress came to take our orders. Their drinks are pretty cheap. I ended up getting an Angry Orchard hard cider for $5.50 I believe. Beware: their tables are those kinds with holes in them so if a waitress spills your drink...it will get on you unfortunately. Yes, that happened and our waitress wasn't very friendly. She spilled the drink on my friend when she put the drink down, and not even a sorry. We had to ask her for napkins and she took her time getting those for us. Oh and the tables are wobbly. Anyways, we ended up ordering some food too. Nothing fancy. An order of waffled battered chicken tenders with a jalapeño maple syrup and a blue cheese and bacon grilled cheese. The chicken tenders were okay. I expected the sauce to be a little more savory and spicy maybe, given the name, but all I could taste was maple syrup. I felt like I was eating chicken with maple syrup and it just didn't feel right. Too sweet. The grilled cheese was pretty good. Could've been cheesier and they could've went a little easier on the bread. Too much bread, not enough cheese. But there's bacon and bacon makes everything delicious. Oh, I should more that the food took at least 25 minutes. Food was slow and service wasn't great. The three stars are mostly for patio seating, cheap drinks, and a decent atmosphere.
(3)
Leah C.
Worst service in Boston. Waiters don't care and the drinks are weak. There are much better spots in the are. Try the Ave!
(1)
Daniel S.
I've been coming to the White Horse Tavern regularly for over five years. In that time, the menu may have changed, but the overall vibe hasn't. In my experience, it's a pretty chill place where you can have a good conversation with friends over a few drinks. The staff is friendly and helpful. The food is pretty standard bar food (wings, nachos, burgers), but the portions are generous and the prices reasonable. The food is also consistent in its quality. It may not be the best bar food in the area, but you're not rolling the dice as to whether you'll come out with food poisoning after your meal (you won't). Another highlight of the White Horse Tavern is the trivia nights on Wednesdays and Sundays. They tend to draw a bit of a crowd. Initially a Stump Trivia location, Will (the trivia master) broke with them and is now working with Geeks Who Drink. In any case, trivia is usually a good time and not too intense.
(4)
Ariel Z.
Not a bad option to enjoy a Friday night out in the Allston 'hood. I warn you that it's very divey, however the crowd from what I can tell doesn't look too sleezy...until maybe later on in the night (as expected). This place features a large, airy space with a full bar (non-claustrophobic for once), 2 pool tables, a digital jukebox, and bar food in case you get the drunchies (drunk + munchies). We later found out that it turns into a nightclub later on. I like that if you get bored dancing, you can still enjoy the rest of the bar's amenities to keep you busy. If I'm in the area, I would probably come back.
(3)
Hector D.
I've been to White Horse many times during and post-college, and it's always a good time. It doesn't look different from any Allston bar, but there are plenty of stories here haha. I definitely think it's better than TITS, where they always seem to force you to get a table. For me, I consider this my "closer" bar for me, which means that if I'm in the Allston area, my friend and I always end my night here haha. I'm not really sure why, but every time I go here, it rounds out the night perfectly. It's, by no means, a raging bar where everything and anything happens, but we always go here to get a last call beer. I definitely stay more towards the left side rather than right where there's a pseudo-dance floor (it's more crowded on the right side. I've never tried to do a game of pool (it looks like the wait/games take forever), but it adds to the easygoing vibe the place has. The crowd is obviously full of college/BU kids, but it's one of those bars where you can just unwind and regroup.
(4)
George A.
some of the worst service i've ever experienced at a restaurant. walked in to no greeting, no sign of whether it was seat yourself or not. went to the bartender and asked him, and he said that the waiters would be there in 10 minutes? so we sat at the bar waiting for the servers to show up or for the bartender to let us know they were ready for us, but no one said anything or even noticed us. we ended up having to flag down the bartender after he avoided eye contact after 20 minutes of confusion. he told us to go out back, saying there was a bartender and a server. there was no server, and the bartender was setting up still. we sat down to no greeting again, and again had to ask for assistance. we had to ask the "door guy" (who was just terribly hitting on the bartender outside) for menus which took him like 5 minutes. still no server. after 10 minutes, we went up to the bartender and ordered from her after no service. she did not check up on us at all. had to flag her down to order, for refills, for waters...no server ever showed up. took forever for the check. there was a 10 minute stretch where there were literally no employees out back. literally the WORST service I have ever had at a restaurant. the 1 star is for the food, which was good. the only positive experience with the staff was the door guy (different one, not the scrawny dude with high socks and a shirt 2 sizes too big), who said bye and to have a good day. he had a big old beard. it was pretty nice. there were roughly 6 waiters working, but they were all just dicking around behind the inside bar. do not go here if you don't want to sit and wait around for over an hour.
(1)
Chris R.
Your typical casual post-college crowd food and drink place serving the usual suspects of beers and bar fare (burgers, nachos, wings, etc.). Not my top choice in the area in that genre but really it's not bad. The food I wouldn't say is anything special, but it does have some nice qualities, most notably that when it's nice out they open all the front windows so you get the whole indoor/outdoor vibe. Plus it's huge so if you have a big group it would be a decent choice. Seating is a mix of barstool, high-tops and tables so you've got options. They also have a couple pool tables in decent condition. I'd go for a couple beers if everywhere else was crowded, but if you're hungry just go to Sunset or Common Ground instead.
(3)
Hamdi J.
I actually love white horse! I work down the street from it and always end up here. My coworkers and I usually grab drinks after work and white horse is always our go to. I love the fact that they have an ample amount of space and the drinks are perfect. The bartenders are very helpful and accommodating. Definitely one my go to bars in Allston.
(5)
Liz H.
I came during the evening and it was pretty decent until I left for two seconds to tell a bunch of my friends (who were taking a cigarette break) where I was. The bouncers were the rudest people I have ever met and I will never ever come back after this bad experience. I work in the hospitality industry and it is not okay to be that rude.
(2)
Jack S.
Empty place but won't let someone in who offers to check his satchel with the bar? That's odd, chased away 7 people's worth of business
(1)
Tiff A.
Decent bar...but bartender with neck/face tattoos was totally uncool and charged us for a beer we didn't we didn't drink, and was really rude about it.
(3)
Alena G.
Affectionately referred to as White Ho by the local college crowd, the tavern serves a variety of purposes: - a low-key bar with small but satisfying menu - the teriyaki steak tips are a perfect mix of savory and sweet tenderness; the burgers are delicious and hefty; the apps are numerous - try the wings, the soft pretzel sticks, the Thai rolls, the baked goat cheese dip.. tons of beers to choose from (they always have some specials in place) and the lemonades are delicious as well. If you're adventurous, opt for for Raspberry Midnight White Russian - rasp vodka and Kahlua topped with whipped cream. Indescribable experience, to say the least; - a relaxing neighborhood hangout spot with pool tables and Thursday night trivia; - a sweaty, bumping late-night spot where all hell breaks loose - things HAPPEN here. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
(4)
Marlana Y.
Scene: Friday night 9pm Living Room, Husband and I bored. Me: .... Husband: Wanna go to White Horse? Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and just have a random night out, whether with your other half or just with a few friends. It's like the equivalent of meeting with friends over coffee except this is the nightlife with beer. This place isn't fancy but I really like it for the outdoor patio in the back. I wish more places had them. We try to go before the clubbing crowd at 8-9pm. It was a nice night out drinking a few beers, snacking on the nachos, and watching the game.
(4)
Cashmir D.
I love it here! Josh and Mike at the bar are amazing! They are very personable and friendly! Great customer service! I live in Malden and will definitely be back here because of these guys! Thanks for great service!
(5)
Ifath N. I.
Overall decent bar. The food is okay. They claim to serve brunch but it's a lie.
(3)
Jessica P.
Came in on a Sunday night to a pretty empty bar, the bar service wasn't the best, due to the fact that no one else was sitting at the bar and it took a while to get the bartenders attention. She didn't offer menus or anything, and got annoyed when we asked to break bills to play games.. But, Josh, a door guy turned the whole experience around. He held the door open and was very personable. He came over while we were sitting at the bar and picked up my jacket off the ground and then continued to hang it up for me. While everyone else that was working was standing around talking, he was out front sweeping the side walk. He's such a true gentleman, Boston needs more door staff like him, who make you feel welcome rather than intimidated. - so we came in for round 2- to an empty restaurant and sat ourselves at the back patio. Erinn C was our server, if you can call her that. She came over and threw menus down and walked away. She came back and didn't introduce herself, saying what do you want? And rolled her eyes when I didn't want alcohol and my boyfriend did. She came back 10 minutes later to the empty patio. We ordered two salads, mine was delicious - the steak one, my boyfriends was horrendous. a Caesar salad is pretty simple. I had to go up to the bar to ask for a refill on my soda because she was too busy on her phone in the corner. Thank god we were her only table or she would be in the weeds. She never came back to check on us and when we asked for our check, she walked away and didn't say a word. She came back and dropped our check off and didn't say anything. Not even a smile! We will say- our drinks on the rocks today were plentiful where as last night the amount was as much mouth wash as you would put in a cap in the morning. We really want to like this place, the food and price are decent but the service needs some serious help.. A smile goes a long way.
(3)
Sara M.
Decent place to get a beer and a bite, but not a go-to for me. It hasn't changed a bit since I was in college. If you want a pint and a place to watch the game, this is your go-to. They did add a very nice patio, which has a full bar and TV.
(3)
K. Brooke Z.
If you're in college, or wish like you still were, or even just want to hit on people that are college-aged, you'll love it here! There is a line out the door on some nights of ladies with low self-esteem. The DJ did play some of the old middle-school hits the night I was there, transitioning from the current top 40 (with extra beatz added) to Britney, bitch. He must have gauged the the crowd based on number of girls rubbing their butts along the guard rail of the upper level. The place is oddly arranged, so you'll get the pleasure of meeting new friends in the 3 feet of space between the bar and a barrier.
(2)
Aria D.
The man who served me was really friendly but the food wasn't. I ordered the clam chowder soup bowl which was the size of a regular "cup." Not to mention that it came with bacon and I don't eat pork. I haven't eaten pork for a year and was very shocked when I took a bite....and tasted bacon. The clam chowder soup has no description that it has red meat and I suggest you change that. *Edit* I just learned that most clam chowders are made with bacon. I still think that it should be specified that it's made with pork because this isn't common knowledge.
(1)
Phil C.
Part 2 of the Yelp wing crawl... This bar, by far, had the weakest wings. The only reason why I didn't give this place a 1-star is because the sauce was half-decent and the establishment was beautiful. Otherwise... The server/bartender I had definitely didn't give a crap about this whole event. I did not get a smile or a "thank you" for anything, even when gratuities were given by me. She, along with everyone else, seemed rather snotty and dour. Back to the wings, they were rather small and sickly. I asked for "hot" flavor buffalo wings and the ones I got were a little tempered. Maybe I had a higher tolerance of hot stuff that night but the sauce didn't seem that hot. However, the (probably "mild" that was given to me by mistake) sauce still tasted all right. The pool tables looked inviting and there are a bunch of televisions in this establishment. The bar is spacious and airy. It's clear, however, that this place is for the beautiful people. The servers seemed the most self-conscious of their looks, out of all the servers I encountered that night. So if you're one of the beautiful people, you'll fit in and you'll enjoy this bar. However, if you're one of the beautiful people and like food, you won't enjoy it as much. And if you're not beautiful but like food, well, good luck to ya.
(2)
Brian P.
I love this pace. Great atmosphere. the prices are average. I always get the pretzel sticks. They are really good.
(5)
Paige C.
See week night specials Best put on your drinking caps Trivia with Will There are only two things that keep me coming back to White Horse: Trivia genius/Brutus Will LaTulippe and $7 steak tips on Wednesday nights. There is nothing special about White Horse. I mostly avoid eating food here except for my pile of steak tips. And of all the places that I drink in Boston, White Horse probably has the saddest beer list, but not the saddest prices. It's a sports/bro bar. But even with all the negativity, I still stand by Will and the Tips. White Horse on Wednesday will make anybody's hump day better... or the best. (Seriously, no one does anything on Wednesday night.)
(3)
Abby R.
I have a beef with White Horse. That beef's name is $2 pizza day. You will pay $2 for a cheese pizza, or at least a dollar more for every extra topping. You will receive what seems to be a crunchy tortilla with only the barest hint of sauce flavoring, and a layer of rubbery cheese. They don't even try. Moving on. Their burgers are passable. But why eat a passable burger when you could eat a delicious burger? Words to live by. The atmosphere is blah. It's too open and too awkwardly arranged if it gets at all crowded. There are pool tables between one half of the bar and the other... It's just weird. Also the way it's laid out even if it is busy-ish, it seems like no one is there, which at least to me is a turn-off. I like a place where I feel like I have a crowd of my fellow man to bond with. Where is the camaraderie in this place? Nowhere. Because this is a bar near BU and that gives it license to exist as it does.
(2)
Imran G.
Stop numero deux in Yelp's Wing and Bling Pub Crawl. Less than happy bartender? Check. Decent bar food? Check. The wings were pretty good, my teriyaki were quite tasty, and my wife's thai mango chili were also really good. Great size, comes celery and your choice of ranch or frommage azul (dude, will you stop speaking French, Spanish and English at the same time?). We noted that we got bleu cheese instead of ranch and asked the bartender if it was bleu cheese. She stood and looked at us for like 3 minutes wondering where the problem was, a bit rude if you ask me. Unfortunately, all sorts of averageness combined with a rude waitress average out to a pretty average spot.
(3)
Annie N.
I needed to grab a quick bite with my dear friend prior to a rendezvous and White Horse happened to be in the general vicinity. We decided to give it a shot and were overall pleased! Mind you, it was early on a Friday night so I don't think the place had become "poppin'" yet. There are a lot of youths in that neighborhood that I'm sure frequent the place with its spacious bar area and billiard section. Our waiter was Kyle and he was both friendly and prompt (an excellent combo!). My gentleman friend had a burger that he gave rave reviews and our drinks were up to par. I'd recommend this as a fine establishment to visit during quieter hours.
(4)
Erik G.
This bar took my friends real id and did not give it back until the cops showed up an hour and a half later. The reason it took so long is because the bar said they would call the cops to arrest my friend but ended up just making him wait. Quite funny to me, but he's still pissed. Granted once you do get inside the place is packed with horny coeds. That being said i attribute the hot chicks to the wealth of colleges in the surrounding area and not to the bar itself. In conclusion, not stoner friendly.
(2)
Julie A.
I'm going to keep this short, many people have wrote about the ins and outs of this place and I want to just chime in on my personal experience I waver between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll give 4 because I'll come back to this place. I like the white horse tavern. I like the vibe and food usually. I've been here on quiet days and busy days. And the outside patio in the back has tv's. I've only had one disappointing meal. I'm not usually overly picky about my food, especially regular American fare, but the breakfast omelet was terrible. It was oooozing oil. Like legit, oozing, and then on the flipside the home fries were super dry and hard. But that's not to say the lunch/dinner menu is below par. I've had some great burgers and the steak tips are great. The bartender service supersedes the servers, who I typically find to be inattentive and impersonal. The bartenders usually make me feel "taken care of" so props for that. I've never been here on the weekend, but I usually see a line out the door. If you want to "check it out" take part in one of their daily food or event specials during the week.
(4)
Adam R.
I went here on a Wednesday night with some friends. We knew it was a trivia night, but we got there too late to really participate. The trivia night sounded fun, and the guy Will LaTulippe was pretty cool and still read our incredibly dumb Cuban team name out loud (with the proper Spanish accent and everything!) even though we only played the last round. Unfortunately, if you're not playing trivia, there's really no point in going because you cannot hear anything with their speakers blaring on the inside. Also, once trivia was done about 90% of the bar left, so whatever vibe there was went with them. They had a decent selection of beer at normal Boston prices, and we didn't try the food, but it all seemed like your average bar food. The waitress was also really good and attentive, so there were no problems there. It seems like a nice relaxing place, but I think that's the problem, it's just kind of a bar on a street where every other building is probably a bar. It's clean, I had a good time, and I would never adamantly oppose going here, but I would never suggest it in the first place, you know?
(3)
Chenkai L.
This bar is a good place to come and grab a casual drink. They have pretty standard bar food (burgers, sandwiches, fries) and the drinks are pretty standard. They do trivia night three times a week, Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On friday-sat, they turn part of their floor into a dance floor. On a weekday, its a good place for conversation as it doesn't get too loud.
(3)
Eleni K.
Nice atmosphere but staff wasn't very helpful or friendly at all. Drinks are extremely overpriced. Parking is terrible. Only positive thing I found is that they are open until 2am and have good music most of the time.
(3)
Danielle K.
Sadly, White Horse Tavern has changed it's menu since I moved out of Allston, and the cheese fries with horsy mayo are long gone. (My waistline is thankful but my brain is not, since I was craving them.) They've also changed companies that run their trivia nights to Geeks Who Drink instead of Stump. The awesome trivia jockey Will is still the same so I'm sure trivia nights are still fun, but I haven't been to a GWD event to see how the format is different.
(2)
Laura M.
It's a good bar. Plain and simple. Not great. Not bad. Good. Sometimes there's way too many drunk brahs, but I prefer it over Tavern in the Square. Pool tables. TVs. Nice outdoor seating in the back. Ample open space. Food is typical pub fare. I had a good patty melt. I've been told to never get the parmesan wings (is it wrong that that only makes me want to get them??)
(3)
Michael M.
Delicious steak tips. I had mine with mango Thai sauce, fresh vegetables, mash potatoes, and craft beer. Tasty burgers and seasonal craft beers with variety of selection. Relaxing place to watch the game while playing a game of pool.
(3)
Stephanie L.
This place is a pretty regular haunt for my boyfriend and I on the weekends after his soccer games with the team, mostly because it's a very "boys" place for them to all meet up, but otherwise I'm not a fan. The food is awesome for bar food - nachos, fries, soft pretzels, you name it. Nothing earth-shattering but it's what you'd expect. Definitely the type of place for meeting up to have a few beers and watch a game. The cocktails are generally horrible, so just stick to beer. If you're lucky, whoever is at the tap will actually know how to pour, but don't count on it. The wait staff is getting increasingly terrible, which is a bit frustrating. They don't know how to handle large parties (which are really common due to the nature of the place) and they're not attentive at all. The last time I went the waitress actually looked in the opposite direction and walked away really quickly to avoid taking our order. Multiple times. I just ended up going up to the bar to get my drinks myself while I waited for her to do her job. They're constantly under-staffed, yet the last time I checked they're only hiring door men, rather than the waitresses and bartenders they're in dire need of. If you're here for heavy beer-drinking, like most people are, you'll probably end up having the privilege of experiencing their zoos... I mean, bathrooms. At best they're disgusting, but on special days they're actually some of the worst I've ever seen. Doors duct taped shut, toilet paper and feminine supplies all over the floor even early in the afternoon, non-functioning door locks, un-flushed toilets, swampy overflowing clogged sinks... And I've heard the men's room gets worse. I really wish they'd step up their game with janitorial services and training their wait staff/bartenders, because the convenience of the place will probably keep me coming back regardless.
(2)
Jim B.
The White Horse Tavern is an all-around good spot. The food there is what you would expect from pub food, maybe a bit better than average. To anyone looking for the best thing on the menu, I would go straight for the burgers. Friendly staff and an awesome beer list make for a good experience on the bar side. Pool is expensive, I recall each game costing $1.25.
(4)
Veronique L.
This past Saturday night, I met up with my boyfriend and a few people we knew from school. I am pretty sure they card most people, but once in, I found a huge group of people watching football and loudly cheering. The waitress was really nice and gave me water whenever I asked. I thought she did a great job accommodating the coming and going of the group. The place gets progressively louder later in the evening. They might even designate space for dancing as there appeared to be a DJ. I'm not sure why, but they drew black curtains to separate the football watching people from the rest of the group. As others have noted, there are pool tables and trivia nights here as well.
(2)
Luke T.
A lively college bar and the crowd is trendy and hipster type. Drinks are weak, so stay with your beer.
(3)
James B.
This place is bright red and glossy and in the middle of everything, so I almost feel like it's designed to draw in tourists like myself. It's fairly massive but when I came in on a Friday at 3PM it was virtually empty. I had a burger and it was fine. It was a pretty simple order: well done with mozzarella and goat cheese. Somehow the waitress still had to come back and ask, and she had it wrong (Swiss?) She seemed irritated with me the entire time. Note that she wasn't unkind or rude. She just seemed like she needed a nap. ...and she was either a terrible waitress or REALLY needed a nap. She never took away the other three rolls of silverware that were at my table when I sat down. By and large she just obviously wanted to go home. When the check came it was only $11 and usually I tip large when I linger to mess around on the internet or just in general have a small check, but I was reluctant to even leave her the $1.50 15%. I left her $3, but it would have been $10 if she had just been more pleasant.
(3)
Reptile A.
This place was fun to me while I was in college but not since then. Perhaps its the extremely loud atmosphere that makes it annoying now. The DJ is either deaf or he doesn't know how to keep volume at the right level so you don't have to scream at top of your lungs to order your drink. Out of all the Allston bars, this one seems to attract douchebag-bro crowd the most.
(2)
Elizabeth W.
I've had plenty of enjoyable evenings here. I've come many a time for trivia night, and it's one of my favorite spots to do so. The beer selection is good and the prices decent. The bar food is tasty, I'm a fan of their nachos. I like coming here for a casual drink and to hang out with friends. I've never stuck around for the late night crazy dance parties that I guess go on here. Seems to be the typical, fun-loving college and young professional crowd for the most part. I'm sure I'll be back.
(3)
Sheryl K.
Trekking alllll the way out to Allston for a little bar/grill when on vacation in Boston and staying in Back Bay? Of course! Love White Horse. I lived across the street in college and worked there briefly, I guess I have a soft spot for it and the DELICIOUS wings and fun bar. The wings are fab, and you can also get them with grilled chicken and still delicious! Great beer selection, I love the atmosphere, especially sitting by one of the open windows by the pool tables.
(4)
David L.
Cool atmosphere, great drink specials every month, 2 pool tables and 2 HUGE full bars. Games include Safari Buck hunter, Basketball Game, Golden Tee, and shuffleboard type bowling game. I would consider this a sports bar as they have plenty of jumbo screens. If you're looking for a night of dancing in Allston, then this is your spot on a Saturday night based on drink specials, FREE COVER, and DJ music. Trivia on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursdays @ 8pm.
(4)
Joe V.
Allston's premiere college bar. Some of the highlights. -Has crappy pool tables. -Some of the cheaper drinks in Allston. -O.k. food that is not overpriced. -Picture booth. -Patio Area. -Open until 2. -Located next to a thrift shop where you can pop some tags. The White Horse is like bud light. Its awesome when you first start drinking, and you still come back to it every once in a while, years after you've long outgrown it.
(3)
Frank J.
White Horse is better than average for the typical college bars. Yes, it can get very crowded on weekend nights. Yes, it can get filled with sticky collar wearing people. Yes, it can get filled with people that smell like new jersey. Yes, there can be young and dumb bouncers on a power trip. This is a typical bar in boston and that is the nature of the beast. May favorite experiences here, like most bars I go to, happen earlier in the day. Day drinking is just more fun, for many reasons. There are a few reasons why White Horse has a step up over the others, mostly because of the layout. First, there are now three bars (two inside and one on the patio). Having easy access to a bar when you need a drink is everything, no one wants to hover over people sitting at the bar (except the creepy ones, I guess three bars is a negative for them?) Second, the relatively new patio - patios are great on a nice summer day. Third, they have video games and pool tables. This is key when you're with those close friends who you haven't yet developed the talking relationship with. As far as the beer, they're on the cusp of being barfully responsible (having at least one beer cheap). I think they have $2.75 high lifes and $3 pbr tall boys. I would prefer a cheap draft ($2 or less) of one of the big three. I can't get to upset, they do have cheap beer, I just wish it wasn't high life or pbr. "The champagne of beer" really needs to be renamed "the andre of beer." As far as pbr goes, I have dranken so much reused pbr (that seems a little to thick/sticky and is filled with pubes and dirt) at the bottom of solo cups that I can't even smell the stuff without gagging. As far as the food goes, it is standard bar food for the area. Cheap quality, overpriced for what it is. I will say that White Horse tends to have slightly lower prices than their competition - the prices are fair. However, I have one big complaint, and why they lost a star. They have raised the prices (still fair prices) but have not updated the manu on their website. This is a big pet peeve of mine because people rely on what is on the website, there shouldn't be surprises when you get there. They do have "drink specials." I think it is $5 for any vodka, rum, gin drink with a single mixer. I once had these and was dissappointed, it wasn't very strong. I tend not to order bar drinks for this very reason - the wimb of a bartender doesn't always couincide with my liquor needs. FYI, vodka, rum, gin, etc. drinks with a single mixer are called "speed rail" in Canada. I was once in a loud, crowded bar in montreal and there was a very confusing eye staredown between me and the bartender because the "speed rail" special made no sense to me and everything I ordered was not that. One more thing, they have a late night/patio menue that has small pizzas on it. One of the pizzas is a "pepperoni bomb" (not exact wording, something like that). Anyway, it says there will be crust to crust pepperoni. Not the case at all. There were about 2-3 pepperonis on each slice. I was promised significant amounts of bright orange oil flowing through my arteries and all I got was a few squirts from an eyedropper - not okay. Overall this is a pretty solid place for a college type bar. There will be the same crap that occurs at most bars on weekend nights but this shouldn't be a surprise to you. I recommend this place during the day. The patio addition is nice (if you're with someone who is talkable), and there is always pool (if you're with someone who is not).
(4)
Zulu Q.
I admittedly went on a Tuesday and that's likely the most dead time. This is probably why our service was both spacey and nearly non-existent. (However, they're accommodating to my friend's billiards league). I almost don't care though. They take credit cards and they carry Bulleit bourbon. Also, $8 for a Bulleit drink may sound steep to you, but it's actually not all that steep. Even at that though, it's not a place I'd go out of my way for. (I also try to stay away from Allston though).
(3)
Michael B.
My experience with college bars, like watercolors, and bad haircuts is that the more you try to fix it the worse it gets.
(2)
Melissa B.
I might be in the minority here, but I really like it. Their pretzel sticks with beer cheese is PHENOMENAL, and the late night menu that included them were the perfect addition to the beer I ordered. I got the "adult" (not sure what it's called on the menu) grilled cheese with four different types of cheeses plus garlic and really enjoyed it. My family got burgers and had no complaints as well. Our waitress was engaging and attentive, and even got me the beer cheese recipe from the chef! Definitely will be coming back here.
(4)
Kim V.
I will always have fond memories of this place. Many a birthday and post exam/presentation celebrations took place here. It's great for crowds, the food is decent, and have reasonably priced drinks. They also have a couple of pool tables and trivia nights. 3.5 stars!!
(3)
Jason B.
Popped-collar, Ed-Hardy-trucker-hat douchefest that everyone learns to avoid by about age 22. We used to call it the White Whores. For no other reason that it sounds nasty. If there were actual whores plying their trade there it'd be an improvement. Even Tequila Rain is better than this. Be good to yourself. Avoid this place.
(1)
Jacqueline S.
Four stars each for food and service! Our waitress was very nice and extremely quick and helpful, though she gave us some wrong information concerning their beer menu. My friends and I tried their wings, which were quite good--if you're a fan of spicy food, the death from above wings will get you teary-eyed. Great atmosphere, a wide variety of sports and entertainment playing on several screens... Would stop by again!
(4)
Amie R.
A few days a week, they have $4 chicken sandwiches and burgers, and other good specials throughout the week. There are plenty of large TVs to watch the Sox, and even when it's busy I feel like I've never had a problem getting a table. Not my #1 favorite place to hang out, but it's not a bad place to meet up with friends!
(3)
Nick M.
The bouncers at this place are always tools. It is a great place to air out, drink a beer and watch the red sox game. It's basically an open air bar, and is a great people watching spot as well. Most people come here after work and I'm sure some think the burgers here are best in show.
(3)
yo s.
this place does have lame bouncers on a power trip... but, the food is decent and cheap, they have big tvs, they have pool, and they have free wifi. if you go at night, expect it to be full of the frat boys who got kicked out during pledge. otherwise, 4 stars. for me, better before 10. after 10, kinda lame.
(4)
Adam T.
this is the greatest place ever!!! I hung out there last week and hooked up with some hot ass 15 year old!! I loooooove this bar!!
(5)
Lindsay L.
This bar is basically everyone from BU or BC hanging out....if you don't go there dont even bother going, you'll feel like you are crashing a party where everyone knows everyone, but you. That being said if you are a BU or BC student it seems like a blast. There is a line a lot of the time, which is an obvious deterrent, and it can take forever to get a drink. Also, people are not kidding about the bouncers, they are really annoying about ID's probably because they get so many college age kids, but just be ready to have some back up ID on you. The set up of the bar itself is a little odd and the pool tables always seem to just get in the way, and that big open door can be annoying as hell when it's a cold night, also I have stepped in vomit by the door on 2 occasions. I only end up there after a few drinks at Sunset and I convince myself it might not be too bad, but it always is....my advice skip this and stay at Sunset for another drink.
(1)
Rob R.
I'll be honest... this is a completely biased review. I LOVE the Whitehorse. I probably go there minimum once a week... and have been as many as 4 times in one week. Its my favorite bar in the city. Are there better bars? Probably, but the Whitehorse does everything pretty well. Nothing is especially great, but nothing is bad either. Its great for chill nights having a couple drinks with friends, or going out and getting way too drunk for your own good. Drink prices are slightly below average for the area. Food is decent, and there are specials every weeknight. How can you go wrong with a $4 burger and fries? Great late night grease menu until 1 am too. One last thing, I've read the bouncer complaints on here... but I've never actually seen any bouncer issues unless someone was being a complete ass or had a fake id (and i've only seen that twice maybe). Go to the Whitehorse!
(5)
Kirby M.
So I had a friend in college who LOVED this place. I'm not kidding, she would make this the destination spot for the night and after 3 times we finally only allowed her to drag us there once a month, AT MOST. I never got what she loved so much. We would have fun but only when we went in a large group. I am the person who likes to hit the bar scene to meet new people and White Horse is not the place to do this. And while I mean no offense to my friends, I see them all the time and really transplanting our chat sessions to this bar was less than eventful. We did trivia night here once, and that was fun, aside from the fact I realized I really only know a lot about 1 or 2 subjects. But in general, this place is the worse place to go out with only one or two other friends and is my least favorite people mingling bar.
(2)
Peter B.
I went here twice this last week when I was in Boston with some old friends. It is a complete college bar, the opening of a second bar was MUCH needed since I was last in Boston. The cheap food and the sunday night trivia's are what make it a 4-star from a 3-star. Don't expect a lot except a bar, and you won't be dissapointed.
(4)
Jessica A.
This is my new favorite spot! I really wasn't into bars but the White Horse converted me. The food and drink are great and reasonably priced. Even on their busy nights, you can get a chair at the bar or a table. If you're lucky, you can get a table next to the open windows. Great place to hang out with your friends and just chill.
(4)
Anita C.
Viva la Goose! I'd come here for dinner or a pint. Alway an entertaining time. There's pool table.
(4)
Jesse N.
White Horse is a great place to bring friends and large groups. It can get pretty packed and loud with all of its college students, the majority of which are from BU. Drinks are also cheaper than most other bars, which is an added bonus. This is the place for you if you want to just "get out" and have a good time.
(4)
Meagan F.
Bestest waitresses in the whole damn world... hollah hollah hollah
(5)
Katherine T.
I accidentally ended up here one evening with some friends. It was decent enough at first, but it randomly got PACKED with kids around 11. I couldn't figure out what the draw was--it's just an average bar in Allston. Not particularly well decorated, not a whole lot of beers on tap. Then it got really annoying as we became squished in amongst satin tank topped girls with excessively sparkly make up and the guys in the "boston-guy uniform" of jeans, striped button down shirts and black shiny shoes. So we left. But not before going over to the digital juke box thingy and paying ten dollars to have the entire soundtrack to Miss Saigon come on. BWA HAHAHA!!! Take that, BU kids!
(2)
Leighann F.
Martinis not bad for a local lil bar and the service was outstanding. The waitstaff was extremely accomodating. Food left much to be desired, but overall a fun, exciting atmosphere with good music and cool, chill people.
(3)
Felix L.
Way overated and had enough bad experiences here. The bouncers are all meatheads. Dining here is also pretty bad. Granted the specials are a quite a deal, they arent fantastic, and the beer quality was serious lacking. I ordered a seasonal, and they only had last season's beer. What? aren't you guys a bar? So the beer that I did get was on its way out. ugh.
(1)
Rebecca Y.
Sunday to Wednesday you can get $4 meals when you buy a beer. Plenty of tv's to catch the game. It's great when they open the windows in the summer.
(4)
Kristen G.
Good for larger groups. There is lots of bar space and seating. I wouldn't make a trip out to Allston to go, but if you are in the area, it is a good place to check out.
(3)
Anne B.
I love the way this place is set up; it's got all open windows facing Brighton Ave and there are ginormous tv's everywhere, but i have had a couple problems with bouncers there and waitstaff. It's a good place to go watch the game, but I'm not a big fan in it capacity as a bar. Im 21, but if you are not DONT GO HERE. They get money for ids they take and they are wicked strict.
(3)
Katia M.
I'm going to go with a four for the White Horse, but like, an ironic four. Like, an "Hey, this place is kind of cheesy, but it's not bad" kind of four. It's kind of a college crowd and yet kind of a "the 3,000 guys that still live in Brighton after they lived here during college" crowd, too. The brunch I had there was solid -- the omelet station was especially key, and there were lunch-type foods there as well, for a little change of pace -- the hung over palate is a finicky one. You can get High Life, The Champagne of Beer, for $2.50, which ain't too shabby at all. And girls? This place is generally a total sausage fest. And after living in Southie for two years, which was chock full of couples, this fair Allston establishment was a breath of fresh air post exile in coupleville. It was kind of nice to get hit on after two years of very local bars and the horror that is the Beer Garden.
(4)
Kathleen T.
dont really think the white Horse has much to offer that other bars in Boston don't. But, if the time and location are close to you, the White Horse is still a good time to enjoy some tasty drinks and meet up with friends. Beware, however, because due to its location near both BU and BC, the Whie Horse can frequently get overcrowded, resulting in a line out the door.
(3)
Peter P.
Came here because it was on the way to the Sunset, and I couldn't walk those extra 10ft without another drink in me. Wow, what a bad experience! First of all let me just say it was my 21st birthday, and the bouncers gave me shit because my drivers license had expired that same day. Next the bartenders completely ignored us and waited on every single woman that came in the door after us before handing us two not-cold-enough miller lite's. Then to make it even worse when we wanted to leave it literally took him 10 minutes to get us our check, which I would have just walked out on if he hadn't had our credit card. The place was empty when we got there, but in the span of 15 minutes filled up with obnoxious drunken BU students. Sure, there were plenty of girls, but honestly, I wasn't even interested, they were way too into themselves to give anyone else the time of day. Did I mention that the bathroom was filthy, and the atmosphere was well, reminded me of a VFW.
(1)
Dave A.
I'm gonna have to totally disagree with most of the reply's on the doorstaff for more or less the same reason that the other reviewers dislike them. They do take their job very seriously and can come off like dicks sometimes (to people that more or less deserve it), but that's what makes this place great. Unlike a lot of other bars in the area this place has hundreds of young professionals and college kids packed together every weeekend night and manages to maintain order. I've seen guys get booted here several times for severely harassing girls or for bothering other customers. I suspect these are the people writing most of the negative reply's, but I guess you have to inconvenience a few misfits for the better good of the average customer like me who just wants to drink and hang out with my friends without dealing with idiots all the time. In my opinion the quality atmosphere at this place is bouyed by the diligence of the door men. Other than the doorstaff, beer's are reasonably priced - about average for the area, but the liquor selection is a steal. Bartenders are very quick and are good people if you catch them when it's slower and they have time to talk. Food is pretty good and cheaply priced. $6 pound of steak tips and fries every Wed and Thur.
(5)
Leo C.
Doesn't aim for the upper end of upscale; think of it as an upper-middle-class place that makes its money off college seniors, postgraduates and the younger edge of young-professionals. Has the reputation of a "BU meat market". Open wall-windows look onto Brighton Ave and are open in summer; most weeknights it's busy, but quiet enough (the absence of loud music is a definite plus) to hold a conversation. Food is competent and there's a good range of alcohol; unlike some of Allston-Brighton's really upscale places, you can get a fairly decent meal and a couple of drinks for $15. Long lines on weekend nights, because neighborhood activists (long-term residents) refuse to let the place expand into the vacant neighbors. But worth the wait, especially if you're looking for phone numbers.
(5)
Steve S.
Somewhere between the trendy crowd at Wonder Bar and fraternity stink of Our House, White Horse combines the best of both worlds. The open air atmosphere is clean and high class, but without the preppy snobs found at most upscale places in the area. It's a great place to have a few beers while watching a game or while playing pool (though with only two tables, the wait can be long).
(5)
Melissa B.
Same owner as the Last Drop. Pool tables on one side & tables on the other, so you can pick a scene. Great place for people watching & a burger. Long lines on weekend nights, but usually a good time.
(4)
Masahito Marc Y.
A mecca for Downtown commuting urbanites on the weeknights as well as weekends. Although a little too loud for my taste on weekend nights, it features two pool tables, some digital entertainment centers, a four side bar, and a chic open inner terrace. Nice for outing with second to third outers, even bar ladder-ing.
(3)
Artem F.
I find reviews for this place hilarious. I have never seen such a polarized set of reviews for any venue on Yelp. Look: this isn't some swanky bar, with light jazz and hors d'oeuvres served by buttoned down middle aged waiters. This is a sloppy college bar, a test your best pick up line type of place, with an interesting mix of hipsters and popped collar bro crowd. GREAT for people watching, or if you're an extrovert for people meeting. A real "we're doing shots of tequila until some jerk decides to switch to Jager *shudder*, and we all get sloppy drunk" type of place.
(4)
Courtney G.
So, this may be a biased review because when I finally made my way to White Horse it was after an afternoon red sox game and we were substantially bombed by the time we arrived at 10:15. However, from what I remember, I had a great time at White Horse. It was a nice change of pace from TITS across the street. For some reason we always find ourselves drunkenly meandering over to Tavern In the Square, and although I deal with it, it's a little too big for my liking. A few cocktails deep in a large establishment and someone has to put out a bolo on me. Whitehorse, as most of the reviews have indicated, is a typical college bar. I mean you're always going have the athletic guy with a couple bitties trying to buy them drinks behind you. Or the one who is mercilessly preying on a girl getting her own drink at the bar. And then you're going to have hipsters. I mean you are right near BU....what did you expect? In my personal opinion it was a perfect little mix. And the drinks are cheap. Coming from a small undergrad in Rhode Island where vodka soda crans are between $3.50-$5.00, I sincerely appreciate a bar where I can get a vodka soda for $5.00. Not to mention, I left my debit card there and they kept it safe for me until sunday. High fives all around. Will I go back? Yes. Will I dare to go back less drunk than when I went the first time? For enjoyment purposes probably not.
(3)
Kelly O.
White Horse has a back patio?! Where have I been for the past 9 years? I frequented White Horse back when I was a BU undergrad (along with the rest of the student body), it was sort of our default: not someplace that we'd necessarily go out of our way for, but a decent choice for drinks nonetheless. Back then, my major gripe was the line that formed early on in the night (you can totally fit more people in, hello!), but at least there was no cover and it was a chill atmosphere with reasonably priced drinks. The same day I discovered the patio, we ordered some nachos to go along with our beers, which was the first time I'd ever eaten here. Not bad, not good, pretty standard. Our waiter deserved some props though, he was really friendly and attentive and chatty. Granted, this was right after work and the place was pretty empty, and I've experienced having to wait for a beer at the bar for a long time in the past, but it was still nice. My advice is check it out during the summers right after work, but be prepared to be surrounded by undergrads if you're going during the school year on weekends.
(3)
Nicole S.
Simple review- We went in for drinks and food but only got drinks. The appetizer menu looked pretty average for a bar and mos things were priced around $8-10. There was nothing wrong with what they had to offer and looking around things looked good but we not in the mood for nachos and such. I got a diet coke with orange flavored vodka. It tasted more like coke than vodka but oh well, it was relatively cheap so it did not see like a loss. The bouncers were nice as we left telling us to come back since they were setiing up live music. I'll have to give that a chance another time
(3)
Lisa F.
Has a nice patio in the summer with large tv screens outside. Cheap cocktails and the paninis/fries were pretty good. Has a few pool tables. There's a dj during some nights, but this isn't a place to go dancing. Pretty loud, college, bro-ish crowd.
(3)
Rachel L.
I think this is the best bar in the area for atmosphere and bar food. The Poutine is unbelievable (fries with cheese and gravy) and they have good steak tips. Definitely a must go in the summer time when the windows are open to the air and you can go on the back patio. They expanded several years ago lending to it's odd layout, but the second bar is one of its selling points I think - you never have to fight people for a drink, even when people come to dance at midnight on the weekends...it makes for two areas. I moved away from Allston 9 years ago and I still come back here.
(4)
Mark S.
This place is a pretty good bar/billiard room. Beers were cold, servers were nice. The complementary shots on the slower parts of saturday nights is a nice touch. Rarely see that anymore. This bar suffers from a lot of what Boston bars suffer from and that's low turnout when college isn't in session. Which in my mind is a travesty. It's right in the middle of the Allston area, which is great for college kids. But from the times I went here, it wasn't great that right outside had roadside construction.
(3)
A. H.
Went here against my better judgement because the group wanted to for convenience sake. Service was typical. Atmosphere was ok. Nothing special about this place at all. 1 star because they put a hold on my account without telling me and took too long to release it even after they had charged my account with the full and final amount. Really awful way to do business.
(1)
Kelly E.
It sounds like from the reviews below and from my experience that summer is the time to go! Went there on a Thursday night, and the windows were all open, so it was comfortable and breezy. Even though there were a lot of people, it didn't seem too crowded and wasn't over-run with obnoxious college kids. My friends and I went for a Stump trivia night (8pm), it was fun, just like all other Stump trivia, but I really enjoyed that it moved at a good pace, the guy wasn't stalling to keep us in there and drinking on a week night. I didn't eat, but I had a tasty mixed drink for a good price, and there was a good beer selection, also all well-priced. The others at my table ate steak tips and wings and they both said they were excellent. The service was attentive and friendly, couldn't have asked for more! Definitely will be going back with an appetite and a larger crowd next time to trivia!
(4)
Phuong D.
Came here for Sunday Football. Drinks are quite cheap here. $2.5 Miller High Life is what my friend was drinking all night. I stuck to my $5 Shocktop drafts. Service was pretty attentive and $5 wings were amazing! Soo good! Nacho were ehh, but the avocado dip was good! Salsa, not so much. Not unless you like chopped up tomatoes. That's all it really was. Their fries are pretty good too. I mean we only got regular fries, but we kept munching on them! Pretty chill environment, stayed there for the whole duration of the game and played some billiards as well. Apparently this place gets packed during Football Sundays, but when I went there wasn't really anyone.
(4)
Ann L.
December's monthly special = $3 well vodka drinks. Yes, please.
(4)
Laura B.
This is our favorite local drinkin' place! We ended up here by accident when Carlo's across the street took FOREVER to seat us. We've been back multiple times and always have a blast. The $5 wings are some of the best wings I've ever had, and the pretzel thing is SOO tasty. The staff is always very nice, one night the waitress even comped a round of drinks because the DJ kicked us out of our window seat table. This review is making me want to go there tonight!! :)
(5)
Devin C.
Great place to be on football Sundays! Or any big sports event for that matter, Sundays are 1lb of wings for $5, typically have a food special of some sort every day of the week. Service was great! Weekends it Turns into more of a late night spot open till last call which is expected of this neighborhood, usually isn't too packed
(4)
Lisa G.
It was a bittersweet night last night--my last night playing trivia at White Horse (at least as a regular)! I'm moving to NYC this weekend, so won't be coming every Wednesday night to hang with my buddy Danielle and our fave trivia dude, Will. :'( There's a reason this place is so packed on trivia nights. Will's the best trivia dude in town. So if you and some of your pals enjoy Stump Trivia, check this place out. I definitely prefer it to Big City, where I recently had a run-in with one of the waitresses (seriously, has anyone ever taught her anything about customer service, wow!). I like the chicken fingers, but they are grossly overpriced (seriously, for $8 can't you guys give us some fries too?). Love the blueberry beer and the blueberries at the bottom of the glass (yes mom, I will use my spoon to eat every last one of them! Yum!). Thanks for the memories White Horse! P.S. Please wash the tables more frequently, they are so STICKY, OMG!!!
(4)
Gilad S.
Asked for a medium burger. I ordered a medium burger and specifically asked that they make sure it really is medium. The server told me not to worry, they always cook to order. It came very well done. I asked for a new burger. When it finally arrived, it came with a cheese that I did not ask for (I asked for blue cheese, not gouda). But I wasn't going to wait for them to make me a third burger. The burger itself was surprisingly dry for a burger cooked medium and the bun fell apart quickly in my hand. Made me want to become a vegetarian. They have a nice outdoor patio in the back. That is all.
(1)
Ryan M.
I love this bar, but it just doesn't deserve 4 or 5 stars. It was relatively uncrowded when I went with my boyfriend on a Friday night. Very easy to get space at the bar, and the bartender was very friendly. We started off with a couple glasses of Guinness (4.50 each, I think) and, afterwards, I asked for a French 75. The bartender hadn't heard of that, but he got one of his friends with an iPhone, and they looked it up (yeah, I was amused too!). Unfortunately, they didn' t have any champagne, so I had a Dark and Stormy, which was REALLY good (they serve it in smaller glasses, strong ginger beer, with very little ice, so it doesn't get watered down), and the price was right, at $6. I'm glad I went with someone, because I don't think I would have wanted to interact with any of the patrons -- who were mostly the pool-playing, obnoxious college crowd. Complete with popped collars and rugby shirts! Woo! The atmosphere was good, otherwise.
(3)
Matthew U.
$5 lunch specials with Cheeseburger or chicken sandwich Also 1lb of wings for $4 Steak tip lunch $6 Really can't beat the prices but the food is just ok
(3)
Shaina P.
A common line: "you're so beautiful" really doesn't work at 9 PM... seriously? But you are convinced to stick around coz you run into at least two people you went to school with and haven't seen in YEARS (but the real hook is that they buy you a shot). The space around the bar makes for comfortable swaying and picture taking without completely knocking into someone nearby. White Horse is great for spending quality drinking time with your friends and very little dancing, lending itself to a place where you can actually talk (if you can manage to speak, not slur). And did I mention, a place where you can take lots. of. pictures...
(3)
Renee M.
Ok, not gonna lie- I used to come to White Horse all the time when I first turned 21. It was the closest bar to my apartment, has a decent selection of beer and is pretty cheap. It's not too bad if you come with a couple friends, but this place starts to fill up with bros and hos once it hits 11 pm on the weekends. It also has a faint smell of chlorine and the floor is usually sticky. ew. I have discovered much much better bars since those days (ok, it wasn't so long ago..) and therefore don't feel the need to come back here. Definitely a college bar... Also the bouncers think they're really cool for no reason.
(2)
Luke S.
People seem to have really high expectations of this place - $2.50 beer specials and $4-6 meal specials *should* tell you everything you need to know about this place. The beer is cheap and generally decent, and the food is cheap and good, but inconsistent. The service is pretty bad, but what can you expect from such a cheap place?! It is the perfect place to go to watch some sports during the summertime when the windows are open. They have TONS of TVs and will always put a game on for you. However, it surprises me that people flock to White Horse on a Friday or Saturday night when there are no sports games on! They don't have anything going on when there isn't a game on, so expect loud music and lots of people. The crowd is mostly BU/BC students. I used to go there all the time when I went to BU undergrad, but now I mostly stop by to watch a game with some cheap beer and a dirt cheap meal.
(4)
Krista H.
Don't go here for the food. The menu is BORING and the food was pretty boring too. I learned my lesson on that end. Otherwise, I love the White Horse on the weekends. It's huge, has two bars, and two pool tables. The crowd is a little on the younger side, a lot of BU kids, but it's usually an OK time. Sometimes the service is a little slow, and there is always a line after 10:30 on the weekends, but it's definitely one of my top bars in the Harvard Ave/Brighton Ave strip.
(2)
Meghan A.
Ew. I just read a review by Brianna C. saying this joint has rats. That ain't right. I'll drop it down a star for that. Anyway, my review. I've only been to this place once, but I certainly don't feel the need to go back. I didn't really care about the people it attracted, and I certainly didn't care for the food. Everyone once in a while I crave steak (rarely) and this was one of those occasions, so I got steak tips and fries. The entire dish was so salty that I was nauseous just thinking about it for days after. I had to eat steak not too long thereafter just to get the salty taste out of my mouth. It wasn't even something coke could wash away, so I had to get beer which only made it worse. Gross. The fries were pretty bad, too. It takes a lot to ruin fries, but there is no reason why I should be able to pick up my fries and see through them from the amount of grease. Just saying. This isn't my kind of place, so I don't plan on heading over there again any time soon.
(2)
Matt S.
This doesn't get a one star review because after leaving Boston for Chicago I found an ever WORSE place. It looks nice on the outside and even on the inside. It's in a neighborhood I love. But it's soulless. Totally soulless. The burger is invested with no compassion. The Guinness tastes like Robitussin. The gin and tonics were mostly tonic. I spent much more than I would have at the (old) Crossroads or at the People's Republik. Overcharged. Overrated. Would be totally over it, but I have friends who love it, which is the only reason i ever went back more than twice.
(2)
Stephen L.
love this bar.
(4)
Jamie F.
So I'm getting ID'd at the front, and suddenly hear a siren/fire alarm from the inside. I'm thinking, "Oh shoot, there's a fire!" But nope, it's a fight and the bouncer pushes me aside so he can go help break it up. I'm in total shock, "WTFFF just happened?!" The crowd goes wild at the sight of a man with a bleeding nose. And the raving lights/siren don't help alleviate the situation at all. Somehow, White Horse seems to be the new college hotspot - cheap beer, good location. It was ridiculously packed, limited seating, and there's only 2 pool tables?!? Oh yeah, if you step out for a cig/whatever and want to go back in, you have to line up again. LAME.
(2)
Janina T.
I remember when this place was as hyped as Tavern now is (Tavern is the new White Horse, apparently) and you'd have to wait in line for 5-30 minutes, sometimes. It's quieted down A LOT since then, which I kind of like. The bouncers and waitresses are all pretty friendly here. Beers are reasonable (for the area). The only off putting thing, during the summer, that is, is that they close the patio at 11 PM but the entire place stays open till 2. This sucks hard core just because everyone obviously wants to enjoy the outdoors now that it's nice out but you can only do it for so long here. Apparently they had gotten noise complaints from nearby residents. I can understand if they close it that early on weekdays but on a weekend night? Come on people. You live in Allston. Get with the times.
(4)
Angel M.
any night out at the white horse is going to be a good time, dont save your appetite and you will definitely have a good time. grab a drink, find a table or a counter and chat up a storm with your friends, no one will bother you, the night is tight. every night that i come here i am guaranteed a relaxed atmosphere with crowds of people, a varying drink selection, and a table to sit at. what i love the most is the very intense trivia here on wednesday nights. people take it seriously! and not just "eh, serious", but really ferocious seriousity, you will get punched in the face if you get caught cheating, the questions are fun and the music is quite impressive, its very spectral.
(4)
Bryan D.
Incredibly rude "waiter" with glasses on 11/26. This place should get its stuff together. I won't be coming back here.
(2)
Colin B.
Wow, lots of outspoken views on this one. It's not worth arguing over. It's a simple bar to chill at with cheap beer. Nothing special, but def not terrible.
(3)
Marion C.
Took a 30 minute bus ride, like I have done so many times, to come to a place that used to respect it's patrons. Now trying to compete with Tavern in the Sq. across the street, they have decided to cover the pool tables looking like Thanksgiving in the Bromley-Heath Housing Developments. Waitress proceeds to lie about the monthly special, and full price drinks start racking up. You want to order wings? Sorry.... our new chef fresh from a South End wine and cheese emporium wants to class up the joint. Shame on you White Horse. Shame.
(1)
annie o.
My friend had her birthday party here during one of the trivia night! Trivia was sorta fun; however, while service was pretty slow. Nothing was really good or bad. But I do think it is a good place for gathering.
(3)
Damien P.
This is one of my least favorite places to go. I've gone here a handful of times since my undergrad days in Boston and it hasn't gotten any better. The doorstaff is rude and a pain in the ass; it's worse than crossing the border and I don't even look that young. The bartenders are inattentive and rude at times and if you're at a table, you'll see your waiter/waitress probably once an hour. Probably the worst part of this place is the crowd. Be prepared to surrounded by dudes with popped collars and attitudes. Every time I've been in here, the guy to girl ratio is easily 5:1. Do yourself a favor, go next door to Sunset for food or up to Big City for pool. The food is 10 times better for the same price, the service is better, and there are less morons that hang out there. Trust me, you're not missing anything here. You can find better beer, better pool tables, better food, better crowd, and a better staff all within 2 blocks of this place.
(1)
Francesca R.
White Horse Tavern, you fail. Allston is already teeming with pubs that serve average food and cheap beer. I can only assume that hiring overly-aggressive morons was your attempt to distiguish yourself from the pack, but unfortunately things didn't pan out as you'd hoped. The first time we went here was completely uneventful. Even though the steak tips were way too stringy and chewy, we were happy to add you to the rota of occassional casual dining places in the neighborhood. Cheap grub is cheap grub. But then you had to go and ruin it by carding my husband who was at the time a handsome but certainly not youthful 35 years old. When he handed you his work visa as his form of ID, which is in fact a government-issued document that is much harder to get than a MA driver's license, you refused to take it or let us be served. Idiot!!! No, it wasn't issued in MA, it was issued by the super-paranoid federal government. If they believe he's 35, why can't you? And, more importantly, if the cops are going to do a raid at 6:30 pm on a Tuesday...are they really going to card the guy who's losing his hair? Aren't they going to head straight for the popped-collar yah doods in the corner? You might want to start employing people with slightly less testosterone and slightly more of an ability to think for themselves. In the meantime, I'll be next door at Big City.
(1)
Arestia R.
I've been a fan of White Horse Tavern for years, but more importantly, a fan of stump trivia. It's relaxed and the perfect Sunday/Wednesday night mix of fun. Will is the trivia DJ and let me tell you...he LOVES his job. Not going to lie, he was on vacation one week and we missed his enthusiasm and music choices. It can really drag sometimes, though because he talks a lot and hasn't adopted an excel system to quickly add up scores; sorry Will! You know will still love you. Still, my friends and I come week after week. The bouncers and wait staff are friendly (a waiter helped us win a question once!), you can always count on a beer special and cheap eats after a long day at work and it's a great crowd and a good time, Allston or otherwise.
(3)
Carissa D.
Let me say that I haven't been in this spot since college until just recently... and it's better than ever! I surprisingly don't feel old / out of place as the crowd's pretty diverse depending on the night of the week. And you gotta love a place that spins good music, guarantees a good time and doesn't care at all what you are wearing. On the restaurant side of things, it seems that the menu has been revamped - I was in for brunch and they've got a tofu scramble, definitely a more sophisticated version of the White Horse we all know and love. The GM, Will, is usually there, making sure everyone's having a good time, checking up on the food and chatting up the crowd. Nice guy, seems to have a good rapport with staff and customers alike. If it's been awhile since you've checked in on the White Horse, I'd recommend giving it a revisit - food's good, music is awesome (I swear I heard some sweet kickbacks last time I was there, En Vogue, TLC, Blackstreet), pool tables are still there, there's even a patio in the back when the weather's nice (super awesome addition, they had heaters through the end of October or maybe even into November). This is my new go-to, I've fallen back in love with White Horse!
(5)
Amanda J.
This place was really middle of the road for me. I had a good time with friends but was hugely annoyed with how sticky the floor was. Yes, I realize it's Allston and a Friday night, but come on!! They had a good selection on tap but it took forever to get the bar tender's attention, I can't complain too much considering the amount of people in there, but they seemed like maybe they were understaffed that evening. Overall I prefer the atmosphere here to many of the area's other bars. The music was good, it's got a lot of space to move around in, the line to get in was short, and I had a good time. Not my favorite bar, but this is also not my usual scene.
(3)
Kyle P.
If you've already had your 24th birthday, just go somewhere else. Trust me. That said, White Horse is solid if you're a college student in the area (especially BC or BU) looking to have some cheap beers and run into a bunch of people you go to school with. There's usually a line out front, but don't let that fool you. People only wait because they're meeting someone who's already inside. It's not worth the wait otherwise. If you're a year or two out of college, it's still a decent place to pop in to see a few of your friends who still live in the area once in a while. If you're smart, walk to the bar in the back. You'll have a little more elbow room and may actually have a shot at getting a drink in under 10 minutes.
(3)
Esmeralda T.
This place is ok...not a huge fan; if you enjoy being around college students then this is pretty decent. Drinks weren't too pricey, which is plus.
(3)
Daphna R.
I really enjoy trivia here. Will, the trivia jockey is my favorite. He gives you those extra tidbits of Information you know you wanted to learn.
(4)
Serena P.
Definitely too old to hang at White Horse Tavern. Went to watch VT game. More trivia fans than Hokies. Asked for one of my favorite beers. Tasted weird. They poured it twice. It still tasted weird. Food was cheap and mediocre. Waitress was very nice, but our order was wrong. I should have stayed home.
(1)
Kevin L.
This place is ok. The best reason to come here is for trivia. The food is solid pub food, but nothing to write home about. The beer list is acceptable, with something for everyone (although I'm pretty sure they don't have Dogfish Head anymore, but I could be mistaken). The crowd here at night/on weekends is not my thing, but maybe it's yours. Trivia here is great. They have it 3 nights a week, and it's probably the only reason I've been here at all in the past couple of years. Will, the guy who runs trivia, is a lot of fun, and I always enjoy it, even if I'm competing against 30 or so teams. All in all, a so-so pub with great trivia.
(3)
Tenley W.
Trivia Night here is okay. A somewhat preppy crowd. And I know that nobody actually goes to the White Horse for the food, but the nachos I ordered were not very good and the cheese wasn't fully melted.
(3)
EricaLynn J.
I'll meet my friends here if they really want to drink and dine there, but I'll never suggest it on my own. It is devoid of any personality. I don't particularly enjoy feeling like I'm the weird one because I'm actually of legal drinking age and out of college for almost ten years now. It doesn't surprise me at all that my younger friends are the ones who usually want me to join them there. They'll learn soon enough, just like I did, and just like you may have to.
(2)
Darcy P.
Mediocre. The food is deace. The $6 steak tips are worth it but you have to buy a drink, too. That's probably fine for most people, though. I just come for the trivia with the master of Stump! Trivia, Will. While he is one of the most awkward humans on the planet, he is a damn fine trivia jockey and takes it serious. If it weren't for trivia, I would never go here despite the close proximity to my house. This is one of the most bro-bars out there and it's always absurdly loud. Why can't Will trivia jockey elsewhere?
(3)
Nick O.
I read a lot of these reviews of people hating on the White Horse, but I have to say I went with a bunch of friends and we had a great time. The drinks were cheap ($5 stoli/soda), big crowd, plenty of tvs. Overall a good place, No one in our party had a problem with bouncers or bartenders, except one friend tried to order a long island and was told "no drinks with more the 3 liquors", so that is why I can only give 4 stars.
(4)
Alan L.
This place is awesome for summer time. Pool tables, TVs, and live band at times. It does get crowded at times but it is not too bad. You never wait too long to get your drink and the food are decent.
(3)
Joey M.
The White Horse is really an average bar. Beer prices are not too steep and if you go on the right night you can get some pretty decent specials. The food is pretty average in my opinion as well. What I have really enjoyed about white horse is trivia night (wednesday and someone told me thursday but i dont know). The trivia is fun in a relaxed way and they have enough sports on to keep me entertained while I hopelessly shout out the wrong answers because I know nothing at trivia. I have only been there once on the weekends and I really dont think of it as a great bar to frequent but if you want a relaxed couple of drinks in a not too loud atmosphere I would suggest it. Oh and the bouncers are total dicks, they give me the once over glare at my license and let me in. Though i have a friend who now is 0/2 getting into there because she looked too drunk (in White Horses defense, she was way too drunk both times)
(3)
Brooke W.
Go to Sunset next door instead for much better, cheaper food and fun atmosphere. This place really sucked. The food was expensive and truly horrible. The spinach and artichoke dip that was quite flavorless and obviously had been microwaved. My boyfriend paid 10 dollars for a tiny portion of turkey tips and water logged broccoli.Our friends got nachos that were straight up shredded cheese melted onto a pile of chips with olives and a little container of salsa on the side.... I really don't know what kind of vibe this place goes for, but I gurantee it misses the mark in every way. Go to sunset instead!
(1)
David H.
Ok, this place isn't as bad as people make it out to be. I guess what really sucks about the place is that it gets overly crowded with BU kids, so I guess that's not a plus side. Some good things about it: great location, they have a decent selection of liquor (and cheap), and it's full of young kids. I wouldn't say you should come here to catch a game, and I would only consider this a pregame destination. Come before 11:30, because it does draw big lines. And like I said, it's just one of those places to grab a drink or two and head off; not the type of place to stick around at... Oh, and one more thing: the bouncers are roid monkey losers. This is really not the type of place for a bouncer to give you a hard time about your ID. I'd understand if it was in an upscale joint, but this place is only a step up from a dive bar (some might even contest that). The bouncer actually looked at my ID and asked what my zodiac was. Whatta douche.
(3)
Tom E.
White Horse - it's a mother effing Bro-Down dude! Deal with it. Seen from the perspective of the 22 yr old with the BC football hoodie, reverse Sox cap, basketball shorts and flip flops it has everything at hand... 1. Pool table 2. Cheap Coors Light ($2 bottle special) 3. Girls doing all the serving 4. Burgers, fries and wings on specials that are as low as $2 each (!) 5. A plethora of HD LCD TVs showing NFL 6. A door-nazi to prevent any loser freshmen getting in 7. Big windows so everyone can see me drinking BEER. Yeah! 8. Plenty of open space for high-fiving my buddies Seen from my own limey, central square-loving 30 yr old perspective, it isn't so hot. But I've still never had any delays getting served here and the food specials are ridiculously good value. So I'm going to go out on a limb and give this place a good review even though it's really not my thing. Fact is, I know plenty of people who's thing it definitely is. That's right bro, you're my bro!
(4)
Allison S.
Unless you're ordering their cheese fries at 12am on a Saturday, their food is not so great. Decent beer selection, but the place always has a line and is always crowded on the weekends. I'd go again for a beer or two (or 6) with 200 of my closest friends, but I'll stay away from their food, thanks.
(2)
Ligaya T.
I was so ready to give this place five stars just to cause some controversy but I couldn't bear the thought of (mis)leading some poor soul. What's so bad about it you ask? They have lots of tv screens, pour a stiff drink, $4 burgers and have room enough to house some good shenanigans. It's the quality of the experience that's missing here. There's no authentic "wicked pissah yah dood" born and raised in Southie kind, just a whole bunch of college kids looking to use their dorm laminated fake IDs and get as wasted as possible before dragging themselves home to piss in a closet. No wonder the doormen are devoid of senses of humor and the bartenders are irritable. "Look at me" you want to scream, "I'm different!" But then you realize that being there is a choice and you practice rapid ejection technique.
(2)
Charoline D.
If I could remember exactly what was said that made me laugh so hard about White Horse right now, I'd be able to follow through with my plan to include it in my review. But alas. It's escaping me. Sorry, Trace. While I've been here countless times to meet up with my bro-ee-er friends from college/previous jobs etc, it's exactly what I label it as....Not worth yelping. The bouncers always stare at my license for 90 seconds to make sure I am in fact 21+, and on a typical weekend night, expect to wait in line. I suppose it's ok if maybe you live in the area, are friends with a bartender, or enjoy sports but...even so. It's the sort of place where I get asked to meet someone, and I kind of sigh because the night is bound to get ridiculously low key and set my morale on a steady decline to borderline depression. Picture me: doe eyed and bored. The bartenders move at a snails pace and barely look up at you for long enough to take an order, nonetheless actually earn their tips. My experience cocktailing and barbacking is that if you want to make money, you move as fast as you can. These guys....will be pouring a draft beer with 4 people holding money up, orders ready..and not paying any attention. So maybe they can't walk and chew gum at the same time either, but I think you can manage to take my drink order while you concentrate REAL hard on pouring those Coors for Murph and Sully.
(2)
Laura R.
Went to White Horse to catch a Celtics game and was I ever impressed. I had watched games at other bars throughout the playoffs but had a better experience here. I was with a party of 12 and Holly our server was fast and great at multitasking. We ordered food and drinks. Everyone was pleased with both the food and the atmosphere. I will definitely be going back here in the future.
(5)
Kelsey A.
I've seen White Horse go through a lot of ups-and-downs over the past year. As of today, it has drastically improved from where it was during the Fall of 2010. We stopped going for some time after we waited for over 1.5 hours (we were watching a football game) for our food. Trying to get our waitress' attention required a major cardio workout, and she forgot to serve our drinks. We finally said something to our waitress after waiting 1 hour. Thirty minutes later she brought our food. She was unapologetic and completely apathetic. My friend's burger was cold. My wings were cold, undercooked, and smelled "off." I am not one to refuse food, but they were inedible. Then, we tried to find a manager. We looked for anyone who showed any form of authority, and found there was none. For the first time after almost two years of going to White Horse, we left annoyed and irritable and swore it off "forever." One night during March Madness of Spring of 2011 we decided to give it another shot. I don't know why, but we did and it was a good decision. The menu was revamped and the service significantly approved. As an appetizer, the newly added grilled cheese and tomato soup are simple and tasty. Staples on the menu are the hamburger and the chicken sandwich, both of which I highly recommend if you want something reliably filling. Both come with a side of fries. If you're looking for something lighter, you can't go wrong with their caesar salad, which also comes as a side for less than $5. A pleasant surprise on the menu is the newly added pizza. I know what you're thinking and I was hesitant too - bar pizza is always risky. But, for bar pizza, it's pretty good. Not amazing, but good. The beer selection is typical. Nothing fantastic, but they rotate it according to the season which is nice. Their drink specials on the other hand are very fun. Every time we go in, we're interested to see what the new special is - and it's usually a great deal. The TV placement is interesting, but there are a lot of them and they do turn volume on if it's a big game. A new back patio with a servicing bar and TV opened up, and it's a pleasant space. Nothing fantastic, but a nice change of pace. It's was a great investment. The pool tables can be difficult to grab from the regulars, but so it goes. Also the bouncers are very aggressive, so don't be thrown off by that. Remember your ID because it doesn't matter what time you go - if you don't have your ID, you're not getting served. It all comes down to this: White Horse isn't the first place we think of to eat, but it certainly isn't the last. A decent average American bar.
(3)
Kabir H.
Who do I have to fuck to get a drink around here? I probably stood around for a solid 20 minutes before someone attended to me. There's a pretty simple formula for determining when someone in a bar needs a drink: do they currently have one in their hand? No? Then, by all means, ask if they'd like a round. Also, what is that pungent flavor that I taste? Is it..? Could it be..? Do I detect a hint of ass in my beer? YES! If you could take the time to clean your taps every now and then, that would just be fantastic. Sadly, this is probably the bar I would've been a regular at in college, forced to endure repeatedly because it's the only place my friends were willing to go. But since I'm not, it's just another generic bar. The White Horse earns its second star for my bill, which wasn't more than $15, and the fries which were good, if only 'cause I was pretty tanked already.
(2)
Stephanie H.
look, i don't like sports, and i don't like allston. i know, oooooh what am i, SOME KIND OF ALIEN?! nah, i'm just not a yah dood and i've graduated college. i've walked by this place a billion times and never noticed what it was called but certainly did realize there's a reason i've never been in. but hey, i'm a sucker for an after party and tequila shots on someone else's tab. my nerves never cease to totally fry when the sox score a run and the place just freaks the eff out, including the bartenders. sorry, your job isn't to watch the game, now stop screaming like the place is on fire and make me a damn drink. matthew c and i both needed some food in our systems and luckily they actually did have a couple of things on the menu we could eat as part of our mostly vegan diet. but my veggie burger came out way before his salad did, and i ordered after him. strange. it also cost me an extra dollar to sub in some salad greens instead of french fries, which is stupid but typical i guess. the food was fine, nothing to write home about, and i felt like i couldn't have annoyed one of the waiters more by asking for some ketchup. the door guys didn't give me any crap but when i walked back in from smoking for about the fourth time, he stopped me and asked for my id. i just kind of looked at him funny and finally told him he'd already seen it, and he didn't bug me any more. i do however have to give them a star for the drinks - i watched my vodka tonics being poured and they are 95% booze, just the way i like them. i also have to give them a star for the prices. i had had dinner and gotten tanked and by the time we left here my tab was only $20. definitely not bad at all, but i'm still never going to be the type of person who fits in at this place. and thank god for that.
(2)
David E.
I can easily let you know what each one of these stars indicates: Star 1: $4 wings from Sun - Tues nights Star 2: $4 chicken sandwiches from Sun - Tues nights If you eat red meat, there could be a third star since they have the same deal on burgers and $6 steak tips on Wed - Thurs nights. I guess the stump trivia they have isn't bad either. If you get there early enough, it's a chill place to grab some mediocre-to-slightly crappy food and a decently poured Guinness. That said I can let you know just easily what the 3 stars they didn't get represent: Star 1: The "frat bros" and "skanky hos" that hang out there Star 2: The terrible service. When I used to live in Allston, I was here all the time for the cheap food. I don't think I ever saw the same employee twice. Star 3: The horrendous line that you often have to wait in to get there. I mean, come on. Isn't this Allston? Is anything there worth waiting in line for?
(2)
Catie C.
first word: Cheap second word: weak Cheap and weak goes hand in hand. I got here a bit early on a Saturday night so I got to watch the place fill up as the night came along. The first thing I noticed as I came in was the stench. The stench of alcohol dissolved into the floors and not been mopped for months on end. If you like to people watch, this is the place. We noticed a couple guys zipping along the bar targeting one prey to the next. That seemed to be the norm here as we watched the scene. As the night went along, my buddy was getting a buzz. He started talking boobies with me. From one boobie to the next. At times, he'd lean back and ask me to check out the cleavage next to him. Did he forget that he's out drinking with a woman?
(3)
Sarah R.
The best word I can use to describe the White Hat (yes, an intentional error): "bland". If you know anything about me, you know that it's utterly unsurprising that I'm not into the sports-bar scene. Thus, I was mostly unimpressed with what the White Hat had to offer last night during our Nile Lounge afterparty. The game was on, so any attempts at conversation were often punctuated and, at times, utterly blotted out by the zealotry of Red Sawx Nation. The bouncers must be accustomed to underage BU kids trying out their newest out-of-state fake IDs on the weekends (hello, 36 year old organ donor from Boise, Idaho!), because my poor, legal New York State ID was bent, blacklighted, and scrutinized more closely than the latest celebutard upskirt shot on The Superficial. However, since I try to see the silver lining in every cloud (most of the time, anyway), I'll list the positives: -The prices aren't too shabby. Approx. $4 a pop for Magic Hat #9 on tap. If you're not looking for the perfect cheeseburger, you can have a semi-decent one with fries for $4 and effectively fill your booze-soaked tummy. That is, until midnight anyway. Service was pretty quick for both food and drink, but I can imagine that the bar would be a clusterf*ck on the weekends. -Again, this is probably related to going on a week night, but there was plenty of space to move around. As a friend so astutely pointed out, this is a potential caveat as well, since space is directly proportional to choad capacity. That's where the praise for the White Hat ends. The decor is uninspired (unless you're really into sports or flat-screen TVs, I guess). It's nowhere I'd want to go on a date, or to be picked up by some fella with a tribal tat on his bicep and the new Nickelback aural abortion stashed in the CD player of his new pickup.
(2)
Ali K.
Huge bar in Allston, Mass. absolutely awesome when your inside, plenty of places to sit, beautiful set up, decor and ambience, huge tv's def. a nice sports bar and also a nice outdoor area. Can't say I stayed here long because there was no seating room for the World Cup Final so we moved onto the next bar, but ill def be back at this place when I visit my older sister and write up a follow up review. This place def. has to be fun.
(4)
Matthew C.
Imagine my dismay upon walking into the men's room here after having been in the immaculate Nile restroom down the block just a few short hours before. Sure, the color scheme is pleasing to my aesthetic sensibilities, but the urinals! There are two of them, and they are practically on top of each other with no divider! So there I am, tending to my business when I feel something rubbing against my shoulder. Cruel fates, it's another shoulder. But then (here's the part where you know it's Allston) the guy took a step back so he could have more room to spit into the urinal while he peed. Loogie after loogie after loogie floating downstream, whi-puh, whi-puh, whi-puh. I don't think I've peed and run so quickly since I was five and my siblings told me that Jaws lived in the toilet. The size of the men's room reflects the size of the place itself, which makes the close urinal quarters even more perplexing. Plus (here's another part where you know it's Allston) I was definitely the only guy washing his hands. The humanity of it all. Otherwise, the place gets one more star out of me because the house gin is Beefeater and they are generous with it. Then again, that just makes you need to pee more.
(2)
Mike S.
Personally I can't stand the place. I don't think it has any atmosphere, character, vibe, ambiance or any other feeling you should get when you go to a bar. Its too big and open, and poorly laid out. Its full of big tables with no games or anything to play on them. They should strip the place and fill it with more pool tables or make watching TV more comfortable. Anything to give it some style. You can buy liquor anywhere, and I'm not going to wait in a long line on a Saturday night to do it at a place that doesn't interest me for its other qualities. I'm only reviewing it because I'm proud to say I was part of the team that as of last month held the high score on photo hunt. Besides that, don't bother going.
(1)
Liz K.
A much cleaner Allston bar that can have a line later at night. The beer selection is standard. There is Buckhunter here. It's also nice to come here during the day to watch games, they have good TVs.
(3)
Tracee D.
when we walked past this poo factorium i remarked to someone with ears: "I'm sorry that you work here" I can say this bc I once tended bar at an embarrassing place much similar to the white horse tavern. When you enter you are hypnotized by the bathroom mosiac tile that rudely introduces its self to your eyes and feet (except you are not in a bathroom) blech. I guess people go there to watch sports. But the bartenders clearly do not go there to smile. Note to tender's 'unless you are working at Dick's last resort, it is your duty to appear minimally pleasant' The white horse is just as annoying as the myth of some handsome tall stranger coming to rescue you from a tower...or your mundane life on a white horse...it's not going to happen. Please do not hesitate to obtain a life of your own.
(2)
Peench P.
I like sports bar, but you know what I like more? friendly bartenders, yes I know, not of all them are always jumping up and down being super nice but most of them at least try, and I seriously don't remember ever seen a bartender looking so unhappy doing the job. You know what I do when I'm pms-ing? I take midol and suck it up....but something tells me it wasn't the pms factor, there must've been a bunch of turds all over the bar, that's the only explanation to the -I'm -smelling- the- stinkiest -turd ever- looking kinda face. Maybe it was just a bad day, who knows. Oh the bouncers, first time someone holds me at the door, I showed my foreign passport and bouncer #1 was looking at it trying to figure out if it was a fake one... like I'm going to pretend I'm 29...yeah I don't believe it either but I am, so let me in!. Bouncer # 2 took it inside for further inspection, then came back and apologize for the delay. The positive side? the drinks were actually OK and I'm thankful I was there with a fun crew.
(2)
Mark S.
This review is for the food and drink experience. So I moved to Allston two months ago and I realized that I never went to this classic bar. Then I went here for lunch with a friend on a weekday, and there were literally about 5 people in this gigantic restaurant/bar/arcade. How on earth does this place stay in business, wondered this newbie. Fortunately my gluten-free palate was satisfied; the burgers are outrageously cheap with tasty beef patties, and gluten-free buns are offered. I wasn't a huge fan of the potatoes in the french fries, but they were salted and peppered perfectly. Overall, one of my favorite Boston burger experiences, with cheap cider on tap to match. Then a week or so later, I walked back home at around 1:30 AM on a weekend and passed the Tavern, which had transformed into the biggest and silliest dance club I'd ever seen. Hundreds of people were in there, with a couple of dozen more in line outside. Oh Allston, you never cease to amaze me.
(4)
Irene J.
3 stars becusee the service was So SLOW we came here at an awkward time yet... NONE Of the MILLIONS OF SERVERS assisted us... Like ugh... Thanks doorman for checking our IDs but is no one planning on helping us when we are clearly seated at the most apparent table... Literally had to chase down a server and as for menus... Then the drinks were all watered down and the food was.... Like you would expect mediocre ... Just Heavy. Heart attack. Diabetes inducing greasy food. Got munchies ? Come here.
(3)
Jason H.
Friendly staff, depends on who you get. Tons of younger girls here for waitress so you might not get consistent service. I think it's got a great location, good set up because it's got two pool tables so it really makes it a different bar, especially because it's so roomy. Got the basketball machines too so it makes the place like a bar/arcade. In the summer, the shades all open up and it's a good place to just sit and relax. They have a patio/deck outside in the back too but there's no much to look in terms of scenery. But at night it looks really pretty with the Christmas lights and all. It's not a terrible place for drinks, the bartenders have descent skills. However, sometimes the drinks can get sloppy with a less-pleasant presentation, mostly when they're really busy. When the waitresses bring them over, they're overflowing. They have different events like trivia nights, which a lot of people seem to enjoy. The food is descent, but sometimes taste like something's frozen and pre-made, and just been reheated for you. It feels like a typical college/frat bar, it gives you the ambiance with kids who just turn 21 and just want cheap alcohol. Most young professional crowd don't go there so don't expect to meet someone there. At night on a weekend after 12pm, this place's got beer bottles on the floor and turn into a frat party.
(2)
Lisa A.
This is not my favorite place to grab a drink, but it's definitely not my least favorite. It's a fine choice if you live nearby, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go here. Drinks seem reasonably priced and they have decent beers on draft. Food here is relatively cheap and is pretty good. I ordered their truffle fries and my friends ordered burgers (only $4-ish). This place gets really loud as the night goes on, but that's pretty much the same story at every other place in the area.
(3)
Amy B.
Absolutely terrible service. We got there around 5:50 and someone who seemed to be in charge told us that the servers do not get there until 6:00. We thought it would be no big deal to sit at the bar for 10 minutes or so. The lady bartender was very nice and gave us some sodas while we waited. The servers seemed to begin to trickle in around 6:00, but they all just stood at the back of the restaurant chatting and not doing anything. We waited some more, and around 6:30 we asked the guy we had originally talked to if we could get a table. (We had assumed he would let us know when we could sit down, as he had instructed us to wait in the first place). He was like "oh yeah, there's a server outside. you can go sit down." So we go out there, and there is a bartender and some other guy chatting with her. Nobody greeted us or told us what to do. We asked if we could sit down at a table, and the bartender said to sit anywhere we wanted. We sat down, thinking someone would come over to us, but after about 10 minutes, nothing happened. We went back up to the bartender and asked if we could see some menus, and she got us some. Nobody ever came over to take our order, so once again we had to ask the bartender if we could order some food. From that point on, she kind of served us. We had to get up and asked for just about everything we wanted. What an uncomfortable experience. Also, some more people came to sit at the bar outside and got barely any service. One man came and sat down, and after not a single employee came outside for over 10 minutes, he gave up and went to the inside bar.
(1)
Justin C.
The bartenders were extremely knowledgable here. I was pleasantly surprised. The wait staff was even better. Couldn't have been more attentive and were almost psychic with our wants and needs. The food and beverage selection was also quite impressive. I would highly recommend this establishment to any and all in the area.
(5)
Ann J.
BAR Whitehorse is your typical college frat bar. Without fail, the bar is full of BU students who just turned 21 with the hopes of getting really drunk on cheap alcohol. Drinks are pretty cheap and there is usually a special like $3.00 bottles of bud light. FOOD During the day Whitehorse is a great place for food. The menu is full of burgers, sandwhiches, and anything else you would expect at a college bar. On certain days there are specials like steak tips and fries for $8. OVERALL Like I said before Whitehorse is your typical college bar. Don't go there expecting a young professionals crowd, and be prepared to see at least 4 or 5 broken beer bottles on the ground. Whitehorse is perfect for those nights where you end up in your bed the next morning not knowing how you got there.
(3)
Mallory C.
We came here one night for special edition Avengers trivia. I came for the drinks... and my boyfriend went for Avengers trivia. Overall it was a decent night but it is definitely a college bar. The seating is tight once it fills up, but we were seated pretty quickly near the window (at a table that wobbled worse than I've ever experienced... and I ALWAYS get the table that wobbles. Service was mediocre, and although my first margarita was close to perfect, the 2nd was a serious overdose of sour mix. The poutine and spring rolls were decent as appetizers, and I like that you can do the pick two or pick three appetizer combos- that was definitely enough food for 2 of us. The staff was accommodating in terms of finding room for my scooter and when they wanted to move it to make room for more tables, they did it for me, after asking permission and directions on how to move it safely, which I thought was awesome. At 10 p.m. trivia ended, and they put up the "velvet rope" as the undergrad line began to form, and we went home for our senior citizen bed time. An ok place if you're into the college vibe or want trivia, but not one of my top 3 spots in Allston.
(3)
Elizabeth R.
I came here on a Friday night and it was packed. people everywhere so we couldn't get a table or anything so just stood around the bar. They have plenty of pool tables (which were all taken) but it was a nice and lively place.
(4)
Matthew S.
To sum up all the reviews here, and second what everyone else is saying: You're never going to have the time of your life here. But you're almost certainly not going to have a bad time either. It's the 'safe bar', basically when you're not sure if you want to venture downtown, but you're also not sure if you want to jump face first into the dumpster-fire that is the Allston bar scene, then you go to White Horse. You won't meet the girl of your dreams, but you won't get chlamydia from anyone either. I've been coming here for 7 years; the bartenders are friendly, the food is slightly above average, the drinks are strong, the place is spacious, and there are pool tables, those basketball shooting games, and some arcade things in the corner as well. There's also usually a DJ on the weekend, and about 50 people dancing on a cleared out part of the floor. I definitely enjoy this place, and you probably will too.
(3)
Rebecca C.
I came here a few nights ago on a Sunday to have drinks with my friends. The manager farish was very nice and friendly towards us as soon as we walked in. Once we sat down at the bar, we were immediately greeted by our bartender Amanda. She seemed very happy to see us. The lights are kept low and the music was on point. I love that they have two pool tables that are quarter operated in the center. If you walk over towards the second bar which seems to be there to ensure on busy nights that every guest can get a drink quickly, there is a basketball throwing game. It's nice for some light competition to see who can make the most baskets. This bar is kept very clean and I love that the front windows go all the way down. It is always fun to people watch from here on allston. I also appreciate the door staff that is very nice while checking ids. They are not trying to intimidate you however, will be quick to solve an issue if there is one in order to keep all the guests happy and safe. Not sure when I'll make it back there, but I know I'll be there this summer just for the great service and relaxed atmosphere.
(5)
Adam Z.
Honestly, White Horse is the Cheers of the Allston community. It's a safe bet you'll see that Tinder girl who's name you can't (and don't want) to remember, that hipster from the coffee shop that always serves you coffee dripping with disdain, and your friends looking to get hammered in a judgement free zone. The staff is always more friendly than they ought to be given the amount of drunk biddies and ill-fitting button down wearing meatheads they have to deal with. This is a bar lacking bells and whistles and honestly, it's better for it. White Horse is the place you go to play pool, grab some pub food, and have a good time with friends. If you're looking for TV's over the urinals and 75 different places to plug in your iPhone 4 (because you ball on a budget) this isn't going to be your spot. If you're looking for great service, an outdoor patio, and an awesome "go-to" bar, the White Horse will always deliver; in spades.
(5)
Nishitha S.
Definitely a classic -- especially as a student in the area. There is no cover so it's a nice place to go hang out and not spend a lot of money. Drinks aren't too expensive at 5-10$ a pop. It is nice and one of the few bars where you can actually converse with your friends without being drowned out by music. They have a pool table section, a bar section, and a crowded dance floor section.
(4)
Jennifer N.
This place has been one of my regular places for 3 years now & has managed to impress me each time very differently. I had some of my first legal drinks here, watched the super bowl here, started many bar hops here, danced here and shot pool too many times to count but this time I met 'Farish'. He made this time a little better with his attentiveness and care while my group and I were at the bar. 'Farish' mixed up some delicious shots and introduced me to a new favorite beer (Killian's). He had complete control of the bar, was humble and friendly. Different circumstances had brought me in 2 Mondays ago + 2 Saturdays ago, I was hosting a dear friend from Brazil while she was visiting Boston. This place made her stay that much better due to the moods The WhiteHorse sets. (She's back in Rio now, but talks of coming back within the year with intentions of going to The WhiteHorse.) On a different note most of their staff is on their game with a great Guinness pour, which is a win in my book/keeps bringing me back. Cheers!
(5)
Taylor B.
Your average college dive bar. Fun, friendly staff. . There are fun games like pool, hunting game, ect. Sometimes pool is free that's nice. I love their parmesan garlic wings and quesadillas! The mixed drinks can be weak so I usually stick with beer. Love food
(3)
Ariel Z.
Not a bad option to enjoy a Friday night out in the Allston 'hood. I warn you that it's very divey, however the crowd from what I can tell doesn't look too sleezy...until maybe later on in the night (as expected). This place features a large, airy space with a full bar (non-claustrophobic for once), 2 pool tables, a digital jukebox, and bar food in case you get the drunchies (drunk + munchies). We later found out that it turns into a nightclub later on. I like that if you get bored dancing, you can still enjoy the rest of the bar's amenities to keep you busy. If I'm in the area, I would probably come back.
(3)
Jennifer G.
Perfect for summer nights with the hidden patio in the back. I mean, I guess it's not really hidden, but it's a nice added bonus. Came here with three friends on a Tuesday night and luckily it wasn't packed like a couple other restaurants down the street due to World Cup shenanigans. We got a table on the patio right away and a few minutes later, our waitress came to take our orders. Their drinks are pretty cheap. I ended up getting an Angry Orchard hard cider for $5.50 I believe. Beware: their tables are those kinds with holes in them so if a waitress spills your drink...it will get on you unfortunately. Yes, that happened and our waitress wasn't very friendly. She spilled the drink on my friend when she put the drink down, and not even a sorry. We had to ask her for napkins and she took her time getting those for us. Oh and the tables are wobbly. Anyways, we ended up ordering some food too. Nothing fancy. An order of waffled battered chicken tenders with a jalapeño maple syrup and a blue cheese and bacon grilled cheese. The chicken tenders were okay. I expected the sauce to be a little more savory and spicy maybe, given the name, but all I could taste was maple syrup. I felt like I was eating chicken with maple syrup and it just didn't feel right. Too sweet. The grilled cheese was pretty good. Could've been cheesier and they could've went a little easier on the bread. Too much bread, not enough cheese. But there's bacon and bacon makes everything delicious. Oh, I should more that the food took at least 25 minutes. Food was slow and service wasn't great. The three stars are mostly for patio seating, cheap drinks, and a decent atmosphere.
(3)
Leah C.
Worst service in Boston. Waiters don't care and the drinks are weak. There are much better spots in the are. Try the Ave!
(1)
Daniel S.
I've been coming to the White Horse Tavern regularly for over five years. In that time, the menu may have changed, but the overall vibe hasn't. In my experience, it's a pretty chill place where you can have a good conversation with friends over a few drinks. The staff is friendly and helpful. The food is pretty standard bar food (wings, nachos, burgers), but the portions are generous and the prices reasonable. The food is also consistent in its quality. It may not be the best bar food in the area, but you're not rolling the dice as to whether you'll come out with food poisoning after your meal (you won't). Another highlight of the White Horse Tavern is the trivia nights on Wednesdays and Sundays. They tend to draw a bit of a crowd. Initially a Stump Trivia location, Will (the trivia master) broke with them and is now working with Geeks Who Drink. In any case, trivia is usually a good time and not too intense.
(4)
Hamdi J.
I actually love white horse! I work down the street from it and always end up here. My coworkers and I usually grab drinks after work and white horse is always our go to. I love the fact that they have an ample amount of space and the drinks are perfect. The bartenders are very helpful and accommodating. Definitely one my go to bars in Allston.
(5)
Hector D.
I've been to White Horse many times during and post-college, and it's always a good time. It doesn't look different from any Allston bar, but there are plenty of stories here haha. I definitely think it's better than TITS, where they always seem to force you to get a table. For me, I consider this my "closer" bar for me, which means that if I'm in the Allston area, my friend and I always end my night here haha. I'm not really sure why, but every time I go here, it rounds out the night perfectly. It's, by no means, a raging bar where everything and anything happens, but we always go here to get a last call beer. I definitely stay more towards the left side rather than right where there's a pseudo-dance floor (it's more crowded on the right side. I've never tried to do a game of pool (it looks like the wait/games take forever), but it adds to the easygoing vibe the place has. The crowd is obviously full of college/BU kids, but it's one of those bars where you can just unwind and regroup.
(4)
George A.
some of the worst service i've ever experienced at a restaurant. walked in to no greeting, no sign of whether it was seat yourself or not. went to the bartender and asked him, and he said that the waiters would be there in 10 minutes? so we sat at the bar waiting for the servers to show up or for the bartender to let us know they were ready for us, but no one said anything or even noticed us. we ended up having to flag down the bartender after he avoided eye contact after 20 minutes of confusion. he told us to go out back, saying there was a bartender and a server. there was no server, and the bartender was setting up still. we sat down to no greeting again, and again had to ask for assistance. we had to ask the "door guy" (who was just terribly hitting on the bartender outside) for menus which took him like 5 minutes. still no server. after 10 minutes, we went up to the bartender and ordered from her after no service. she did not check up on us at all. had to flag her down to order, for refills, for waters...no server ever showed up. took forever for the check. there was a 10 minute stretch where there were literally no employees out back. literally the WORST service I have ever had at a restaurant. the 1 star is for the food, which was good. the only positive experience with the staff was the door guy (different one, not the scrawny dude with high socks and a shirt 2 sizes too big), who said bye and to have a good day. he had a big old beard. it was pretty nice. there were roughly 6 waiters working, but they were all just dicking around behind the inside bar. do not go here if you don't want to sit and wait around for over an hour.
(1)
Chris R.
Your typical casual post-college crowd food and drink place serving the usual suspects of beers and bar fare (burgers, nachos, wings, etc.). Not my top choice in the area in that genre but really it's not bad. The food I wouldn't say is anything special, but it does have some nice qualities, most notably that when it's nice out they open all the front windows so you get the whole indoor/outdoor vibe. Plus it's huge so if you have a big group it would be a decent choice. Seating is a mix of barstool, high-tops and tables so you've got options. They also have a couple pool tables in decent condition. I'd go for a couple beers if everywhere else was crowded, but if you're hungry just go to Sunset or Common Ground instead.
(3)
Liz H.
I came during the evening and it was pretty decent until I left for two seconds to tell a bunch of my friends (who were taking a cigarette break) where I was. The bouncers were the rudest people I have ever met and I will never ever come back after this bad experience. I work in the hospitality industry and it is not okay to be that rude.
(2)
Jack S.
Empty place but won't let someone in who offers to check his satchel with the bar? That's odd, chased away 7 people's worth of business
(1)
Tiff A.
Decent bar...but bartender with neck/face tattoos was totally uncool and charged us for a beer we didn't we didn't drink, and was really rude about it.
(3)
Alena G.
Affectionately referred to as White Ho by the local college crowd, the tavern serves a variety of purposes: - a low-key bar with small but satisfying menu - the teriyaki steak tips are a perfect mix of savory and sweet tenderness; the burgers are delicious and hefty; the apps are numerous - try the wings, the soft pretzel sticks, the Thai rolls, the baked goat cheese dip.. tons of beers to choose from (they always have some specials in place) and the lemonades are delicious as well. If you're adventurous, opt for for Raspberry Midnight White Russian - rasp vodka and Kahlua topped with whipped cream. Indescribable experience, to say the least; - a relaxing neighborhood hangout spot with pool tables and Thursday night trivia; - a sweaty, bumping late-night spot where all hell breaks loose - things HAPPEN here. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
(4)
Phil C.
Part 2 of the Yelp wing crawl... This bar, by far, had the weakest wings. The only reason why I didn't give this place a 1-star is because the sauce was half-decent and the establishment was beautiful. Otherwise... The server/bartender I had definitely didn't give a crap about this whole event. I did not get a smile or a "thank you" for anything, even when gratuities were given by me. She, along with everyone else, seemed rather snotty and dour. Back to the wings, they were rather small and sickly. I asked for "hot" flavor buffalo wings and the ones I got were a little tempered. Maybe I had a higher tolerance of hot stuff that night but the sauce didn't seem that hot. However, the (probably "mild" that was given to me by mistake) sauce still tasted all right. The pool tables looked inviting and there are a bunch of televisions in this establishment. The bar is spacious and airy. It's clear, however, that this place is for the beautiful people. The servers seemed the most self-conscious of their looks, out of all the servers I encountered that night. So if you're one of the beautiful people, you'll fit in and you'll enjoy this bar. However, if you're one of the beautiful people and like food, you won't enjoy it as much. And if you're not beautiful but like food, well, good luck to ya.
(2)
Brian P.
I love this pace. Great atmosphere. the prices are average. I always get the pretzel sticks. They are really good.
(5)
Jessica P.
Came in on a Sunday night to a pretty empty bar, the bar service wasn't the best, due to the fact that no one else was sitting at the bar and it took a while to get the bartenders attention. She didn't offer menus or anything, and got annoyed when we asked to break bills to play games.. But, Josh, a door guy turned the whole experience around. He held the door open and was very personable. He came over while we were sitting at the bar and picked up my jacket off the ground and then continued to hang it up for me. While everyone else that was working was standing around talking, he was out front sweeping the side walk. He's such a true gentleman, Boston needs more door staff like him, who make you feel welcome rather than intimidated. - so we came in for round 2- to an empty restaurant and sat ourselves at the back patio. Erinn C was our server, if you can call her that. She came over and threw menus down and walked away. She came back and didn't introduce herself, saying what do you want? And rolled her eyes when I didn't want alcohol and my boyfriend did. She came back 10 minutes later to the empty patio. We ordered two salads, mine was delicious - the steak one, my boyfriends was horrendous. a Caesar salad is pretty simple. I had to go up to the bar to ask for a refill on my soda because she was too busy on her phone in the corner. Thank god we were her only table or she would be in the weeds. She never came back to check on us and when we asked for our check, she walked away and didn't say a word. She came back and dropped our check off and didn't say anything. Not even a smile! We will say- our drinks on the rocks today were plentiful where as last night the amount was as much mouth wash as you would put in a cap in the morning. We really want to like this place, the food and price are decent but the service needs some serious help.. A smile goes a long way.
(3)
Sara M.
Decent place to get a beer and a bite, but not a go-to for me. It hasn't changed a bit since I was in college. If you want a pint and a place to watch the game, this is your go-to. They did add a very nice patio, which has a full bar and TV.
(3)
K. Brooke Z.
If you're in college, or wish like you still were, or even just want to hit on people that are college-aged, you'll love it here! There is a line out the door on some nights of ladies with low self-esteem. The DJ did play some of the old middle-school hits the night I was there, transitioning from the current top 40 (with extra beatz added) to Britney, bitch. He must have gauged the the crowd based on number of girls rubbing their butts along the guard rail of the upper level. The place is oddly arranged, so you'll get the pleasure of meeting new friends in the 3 feet of space between the bar and a barrier.
(2)
Paige C.
See week night specials Best put on your drinking caps Trivia with Will There are only two things that keep me coming back to White Horse: Trivia genius/Brutus Will LaTulippe and $7 steak tips on Wednesday nights. There is nothing special about White Horse. I mostly avoid eating food here except for my pile of steak tips. And of all the places that I drink in Boston, White Horse probably has the saddest beer list, but not the saddest prices. It's a sports/bro bar. But even with all the negativity, I still stand by Will and the Tips. White Horse on Wednesday will make anybody's hump day better... or the best. (Seriously, no one does anything on Wednesday night.)
(3)
Abby R.
I have a beef with White Horse. That beef's name is $2 pizza day. You will pay $2 for a cheese pizza, or at least a dollar more for every extra topping. You will receive what seems to be a crunchy tortilla with only the barest hint of sauce flavoring, and a layer of rubbery cheese. They don't even try. Moving on. Their burgers are passable. But why eat a passable burger when you could eat a delicious burger? Words to live by. The atmosphere is blah. It's too open and too awkwardly arranged if it gets at all crowded. There are pool tables between one half of the bar and the other... It's just weird. Also the way it's laid out even if it is busy-ish, it seems like no one is there, which at least to me is a turn-off. I like a place where I feel like I have a crowd of my fellow man to bond with. Where is the camaraderie in this place? Nowhere. Because this is a bar near BU and that gives it license to exist as it does.
(2)
Aria D.
The man who served me was really friendly but the food wasn't. I ordered the clam chowder soup bowl which was the size of a regular "cup." Not to mention that it came with bacon and I don't eat pork. I haven't eaten pork for a year and was very shocked when I took a bite....and tasted bacon. The clam chowder soup has no description that it has red meat and I suggest you change that. *Edit* I just learned that most clam chowders are made with bacon. I still think that it should be specified that it's made with pork because this isn't common knowledge.
(1)
Marlana Y.
Scene: Friday night 9pm Living Room, Husband and I bored. Me: .... Husband: Wanna go to White Horse? Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and just have a random night out, whether with your other half or just with a few friends. It's like the equivalent of meeting with friends over coffee except this is the nightlife with beer. This place isn't fancy but I really like it for the outdoor patio in the back. I wish more places had them. We try to go before the clubbing crowd at 8-9pm. It was a nice night out drinking a few beers, snacking on the nachos, and watching the game.
(4)
Cashmir D.
I love it here! Josh and Mike at the bar are amazing! They are very personable and friendly! Great customer service! I live in Malden and will definitely be back here because of these guys! Thanks for great service!
(5)
Ifath N. I.
Overall decent bar. The food is okay. They claim to serve brunch but it's a lie.
(3)
Imran G.
Stop numero deux in Yelp's Wing and Bling Pub Crawl. Less than happy bartender? Check. Decent bar food? Check. The wings were pretty good, my teriyaki were quite tasty, and my wife's thai mango chili were also really good. Great size, comes celery and your choice of ranch or frommage azul (dude, will you stop speaking French, Spanish and English at the same time?). We noted that we got bleu cheese instead of ranch and asked the bartender if it was bleu cheese. She stood and looked at us for like 3 minutes wondering where the problem was, a bit rude if you ask me. Unfortunately, all sorts of averageness combined with a rude waitress average out to a pretty average spot.
(3)
Annie N.
I needed to grab a quick bite with my dear friend prior to a rendezvous and White Horse happened to be in the general vicinity. We decided to give it a shot and were overall pleased! Mind you, it was early on a Friday night so I don't think the place had become "poppin'" yet. There are a lot of youths in that neighborhood that I'm sure frequent the place with its spacious bar area and billiard section. Our waiter was Kyle and he was both friendly and prompt (an excellent combo!). My gentleman friend had a burger that he gave rave reviews and our drinks were up to par. I'd recommend this as a fine establishment to visit during quieter hours.
(4)
Erik G.
This bar took my friends real id and did not give it back until the cops showed up an hour and a half later. The reason it took so long is because the bar said they would call the cops to arrest my friend but ended up just making him wait. Quite funny to me, but he's still pissed. Granted once you do get inside the place is packed with horny coeds. That being said i attribute the hot chicks to the wealth of colleges in the surrounding area and not to the bar itself. In conclusion, not stoner friendly.
(2)
Julie A.
I'm going to keep this short, many people have wrote about the ins and outs of this place and I want to just chime in on my personal experience I waver between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll give 4 because I'll come back to this place. I like the white horse tavern. I like the vibe and food usually. I've been here on quiet days and busy days. And the outside patio in the back has tv's. I've only had one disappointing meal. I'm not usually overly picky about my food, especially regular American fare, but the breakfast omelet was terrible. It was oooozing oil. Like legit, oozing, and then on the flipside the home fries were super dry and hard. But that's not to say the lunch/dinner menu is below par. I've had some great burgers and the steak tips are great. The bartender service supersedes the servers, who I typically find to be inattentive and impersonal. The bartenders usually make me feel "taken care of" so props for that. I've never been here on the weekend, but I usually see a line out the door. If you want to "check it out" take part in one of their daily food or event specials during the week.
(4)
Adam R.
I went here on a Wednesday night with some friends. We knew it was a trivia night, but we got there too late to really participate. The trivia night sounded fun, and the guy Will LaTulippe was pretty cool and still read our incredibly dumb Cuban team name out loud (with the proper Spanish accent and everything!) even though we only played the last round. Unfortunately, if you're not playing trivia, there's really no point in going because you cannot hear anything with their speakers blaring on the inside. Also, once trivia was done about 90% of the bar left, so whatever vibe there was went with them. They had a decent selection of beer at normal Boston prices, and we didn't try the food, but it all seemed like your average bar food. The waitress was also really good and attentive, so there were no problems there. It seems like a nice relaxing place, but I think that's the problem, it's just kind of a bar on a street where every other building is probably a bar. It's clean, I had a good time, and I would never adamantly oppose going here, but I would never suggest it in the first place, you know?
(3)
Chenkai L.
This bar is a good place to come and grab a casual drink. They have pretty standard bar food (burgers, sandwiches, fries) and the drinks are pretty standard. They do trivia night three times a week, Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On friday-sat, they turn part of their floor into a dance floor. On a weekday, its a good place for conversation as it doesn't get too loud.
(3)
Eleni K.
Nice atmosphere but staff wasn't very helpful or friendly at all. Drinks are extremely overpriced. Parking is terrible. Only positive thing I found is that they are open until 2am and have good music most of the time.
(3)
Danielle K.
Sadly, White Horse Tavern has changed it's menu since I moved out of Allston, and the cheese fries with horsy mayo are long gone. (My waistline is thankful but my brain is not, since I was craving them.) They've also changed companies that run their trivia nights to Geeks Who Drink instead of Stump. The awesome trivia jockey Will is still the same so I'm sure trivia nights are still fun, but I haven't been to a GWD event to see how the format is different.
(2)
Stephanie L.
This place is a pretty regular haunt for my boyfriend and I on the weekends after his soccer games with the team, mostly because it's a very "boys" place for them to all meet up, but otherwise I'm not a fan. The food is awesome for bar food - nachos, fries, soft pretzels, you name it. Nothing earth-shattering but it's what you'd expect. Definitely the type of place for meeting up to have a few beers and watch a game. The cocktails are generally horrible, so just stick to beer. If you're lucky, whoever is at the tap will actually know how to pour, but don't count on it. The wait staff is getting increasingly terrible, which is a bit frustrating. They don't know how to handle large parties (which are really common due to the nature of the place) and they're not attentive at all. The last time I went the waitress actually looked in the opposite direction and walked away really quickly to avoid taking our order. Multiple times. I just ended up going up to the bar to get my drinks myself while I waited for her to do her job. They're constantly under-staffed, yet the last time I checked they're only hiring door men, rather than the waitresses and bartenders they're in dire need of. If you're here for heavy beer-drinking, like most people are, you'll probably end up having the privilege of experiencing their zoos... I mean, bathrooms. At best they're disgusting, but on special days they're actually some of the worst I've ever seen. Doors duct taped shut, toilet paper and feminine supplies all over the floor even early in the afternoon, non-functioning door locks, un-flushed toilets, swampy overflowing clogged sinks... And I've heard the men's room gets worse. I really wish they'd step up their game with janitorial services and training their wait staff/bartenders, because the convenience of the place will probably keep me coming back regardless.
(2)
Jim B.
The White Horse Tavern is an all-around good spot. The food there is what you would expect from pub food, maybe a bit better than average. To anyone looking for the best thing on the menu, I would go straight for the burgers. Friendly staff and an awesome beer list make for a good experience on the bar side. Pool is expensive, I recall each game costing $1.25.
(4)
Veronique L.
This past Saturday night, I met up with my boyfriend and a few people we knew from school. I am pretty sure they card most people, but once in, I found a huge group of people watching football and loudly cheering. The waitress was really nice and gave me water whenever I asked. I thought she did a great job accommodating the coming and going of the group. The place gets progressively louder later in the evening. They might even designate space for dancing as there appeared to be a DJ. I'm not sure why, but they drew black curtains to separate the football watching people from the rest of the group. As others have noted, there are pool tables and trivia nights here as well.
(2)
Luke T.
A lively college bar and the crowd is trendy and hipster type. Drinks are weak, so stay with your beer.
(3)
Laura M.
It's a good bar. Plain and simple. Not great. Not bad. Good. Sometimes there's way too many drunk brahs, but I prefer it over Tavern in the Square. Pool tables. TVs. Nice outdoor seating in the back. Ample open space. Food is typical pub fare. I had a good patty melt. I've been told to never get the parmesan wings (is it wrong that that only makes me want to get them??)
(3)
Michael M.
Delicious steak tips. I had mine with mango Thai sauce, fresh vegetables, mash potatoes, and craft beer. Tasty burgers and seasonal craft beers with variety of selection. Relaxing place to watch the game while playing a game of pool.
(3)
James B.
This place is bright red and glossy and in the middle of everything, so I almost feel like it's designed to draw in tourists like myself. It's fairly massive but when I came in on a Friday at 3PM it was virtually empty. I had a burger and it was fine. It was a pretty simple order: well done with mozzarella and goat cheese. Somehow the waitress still had to come back and ask, and she had it wrong (Swiss?) She seemed irritated with me the entire time. Note that she wasn't unkind or rude. She just seemed like she needed a nap. ...and she was either a terrible waitress or REALLY needed a nap. She never took away the other three rolls of silverware that were at my table when I sat down. By and large she just obviously wanted to go home. When the check came it was only $11 and usually I tip large when I linger to mess around on the internet or just in general have a small check, but I was reluctant to even leave her the $1.50 15%. I left her $3, but it would have been $10 if she had just been more pleasant.
(3)
Reptile A.
This place was fun to me while I was in college but not since then. Perhaps its the extremely loud atmosphere that makes it annoying now. The DJ is either deaf or he doesn't know how to keep volume at the right level so you don't have to scream at top of your lungs to order your drink. Out of all the Allston bars, this one seems to attract douchebag-bro crowd the most.
(2)
Elizabeth W.
I've had plenty of enjoyable evenings here. I've come many a time for trivia night, and it's one of my favorite spots to do so. The beer selection is good and the prices decent. The bar food is tasty, I'm a fan of their nachos. I like coming here for a casual drink and to hang out with friends. I've never stuck around for the late night crazy dance parties that I guess go on here. Seems to be the typical, fun-loving college and young professional crowd for the most part. I'm sure I'll be back.
(3)
Sheryl K.
Trekking alllll the way out to Allston for a little bar/grill when on vacation in Boston and staying in Back Bay? Of course! Love White Horse. I lived across the street in college and worked there briefly, I guess I have a soft spot for it and the DELICIOUS wings and fun bar. The wings are fab, and you can also get them with grilled chicken and still delicious! Great beer selection, I love the atmosphere, especially sitting by one of the open windows by the pool tables.
(4)
David L.
Cool atmosphere, great drink specials every month, 2 pool tables and 2 HUGE full bars. Games include Safari Buck hunter, Basketball Game, Golden Tee, and shuffleboard type bowling game. I would consider this a sports bar as they have plenty of jumbo screens. If you're looking for a night of dancing in Allston, then this is your spot on a Saturday night based on drink specials, FREE COVER, and DJ music. Trivia on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursdays @ 8pm.
(4)
Joe V.
Allston's premiere college bar. Some of the highlights. -Has crappy pool tables. -Some of the cheaper drinks in Allston. -O.k. food that is not overpriced. -Picture booth. -Patio Area. -Open until 2. -Located next to a thrift shop where you can pop some tags. The White Horse is like bud light. Its awesome when you first start drinking, and you still come back to it every once in a while, years after you've long outgrown it.
(3)
Artem F.
I find reviews for this place hilarious. I have never seen such a polarized set of reviews for any venue on Yelp. Look: this isn't some swanky bar, with light jazz and hors d'oeuvres served by buttoned down middle aged waiters. This is a sloppy college bar, a test your best pick up line type of place, with an interesting mix of hipsters and popped collar bro crowd. GREAT for people watching, or if you're an extrovert for people meeting. A real "we're doing shots of tequila until some jerk decides to switch to Jager *shudder*, and we all get sloppy drunk" type of place.
(4)
Rachel L.
I think this is the best bar in the area for atmosphere and bar food. The Poutine is unbelievable (fries with cheese and gravy) and they have good steak tips. Definitely a must go in the summer time when the windows are open to the air and you can go on the back patio. They expanded several years ago lending to it's odd layout, but the second bar is one of its selling points I think - you never have to fight people for a drink, even when people come to dance at midnight on the weekends...it makes for two areas. I moved away from Allston 9 years ago and I still come back here.
(4)
Courtney G.
So, this may be a biased review because when I finally made my way to White Horse it was after an afternoon red sox game and we were substantially bombed by the time we arrived at 10:15. However, from what I remember, I had a great time at White Horse. It was a nice change of pace from TITS across the street. For some reason we always find ourselves drunkenly meandering over to Tavern In the Square, and although I deal with it, it's a little too big for my liking. A few cocktails deep in a large establishment and someone has to put out a bolo on me. Whitehorse, as most of the reviews have indicated, is a typical college bar. I mean you're always going have the athletic guy with a couple bitties trying to buy them drinks behind you. Or the one who is mercilessly preying on a girl getting her own drink at the bar. And then you're going to have hipsters. I mean you are right near BU....what did you expect? In my personal opinion it was a perfect little mix. And the drinks are cheap. Coming from a small undergrad in Rhode Island where vodka soda crans are between $3.50-$5.00, I sincerely appreciate a bar where I can get a vodka soda for $5.00. Not to mention, I left my debit card there and they kept it safe for me until sunday. High fives all around. Will I go back? Yes. Will I dare to go back less drunk than when I went the first time? For enjoyment purposes probably not.
(3)
Kelly O.
White Horse has a back patio?! Where have I been for the past 9 years? I frequented White Horse back when I was a BU undergrad (along with the rest of the student body), it was sort of our default: not someplace that we'd necessarily go out of our way for, but a decent choice for drinks nonetheless. Back then, my major gripe was the line that formed early on in the night (you can totally fit more people in, hello!), but at least there was no cover and it was a chill atmosphere with reasonably priced drinks. The same day I discovered the patio, we ordered some nachos to go along with our beers, which was the first time I'd ever eaten here. Not bad, not good, pretty standard. Our waiter deserved some props though, he was really friendly and attentive and chatty. Granted, this was right after work and the place was pretty empty, and I've experienced having to wait for a beer at the bar for a long time in the past, but it was still nice. My advice is check it out during the summers right after work, but be prepared to be surrounded by undergrads if you're going during the school year on weekends.
(3)
Nicole S.
Simple review- We went in for drinks and food but only got drinks. The appetizer menu looked pretty average for a bar and mos things were priced around $8-10. There was nothing wrong with what they had to offer and looking around things looked good but we not in the mood for nachos and such. I got a diet coke with orange flavored vodka. It tasted more like coke than vodka but oh well, it was relatively cheap so it did not see like a loss. The bouncers were nice as we left telling us to come back since they were setiing up live music. I'll have to give that a chance another time
(3)
Lisa F.
Has a nice patio in the summer with large tv screens outside. Cheap cocktails and the paninis/fries were pretty good. Has a few pool tables. There's a dj during some nights, but this isn't a place to go dancing. Pretty loud, college, bro-ish crowd.
(3)
Mark S.
This place is a pretty good bar/billiard room. Beers were cold, servers were nice. The complementary shots on the slower parts of saturday nights is a nice touch. Rarely see that anymore. This bar suffers from a lot of what Boston bars suffer from and that's low turnout when college isn't in session. Which in my mind is a travesty. It's right in the middle of the Allston area, which is great for college kids. But from the times I went here, it wasn't great that right outside had roadside construction.
(3)
A. H.
Went here against my better judgement because the group wanted to for convenience sake. Service was typical. Atmosphere was ok. Nothing special about this place at all. 1 star because they put a hold on my account without telling me and took too long to release it even after they had charged my account with the full and final amount. Really awful way to do business.
(1)
Kelly E.
It sounds like from the reviews below and from my experience that summer is the time to go! Went there on a Thursday night, and the windows were all open, so it was comfortable and breezy. Even though there were a lot of people, it didn't seem too crowded and wasn't over-run with obnoxious college kids. My friends and I went for a Stump trivia night (8pm), it was fun, just like all other Stump trivia, but I really enjoyed that it moved at a good pace, the guy wasn't stalling to keep us in there and drinking on a week night. I didn't eat, but I had a tasty mixed drink for a good price, and there was a good beer selection, also all well-priced. The others at my table ate steak tips and wings and they both said they were excellent. The service was attentive and friendly, couldn't have asked for more! Definitely will be going back with an appetite and a larger crowd next time to trivia!
(4)
Phuong D.
Came here for Sunday Football. Drinks are quite cheap here. $2.5 Miller High Life is what my friend was drinking all night. I stuck to my $5 Shocktop drafts. Service was pretty attentive and $5 wings were amazing! Soo good! Nacho were ehh, but the avocado dip was good! Salsa, not so much. Not unless you like chopped up tomatoes. That's all it really was. Their fries are pretty good too. I mean we only got regular fries, but we kept munching on them! Pretty chill environment, stayed there for the whole duration of the game and played some billiards as well. Apparently this place gets packed during Football Sundays, but when I went there wasn't really anyone.
(4)
Ann L.
December's monthly special = $3 well vodka drinks. Yes, please.
(4)
Laura B.
This is our favorite local drinkin' place! We ended up here by accident when Carlo's across the street took FOREVER to seat us. We've been back multiple times and always have a blast. The $5 wings are some of the best wings I've ever had, and the pretzel thing is SOO tasty. The staff is always very nice, one night the waitress even comped a round of drinks because the DJ kicked us out of our window seat table. This review is making me want to go there tonight!! :)
(5)
Frank J.
White Horse is better than average for the typical college bars. Yes, it can get very crowded on weekend nights. Yes, it can get filled with sticky collar wearing people. Yes, it can get filled with people that smell like new jersey. Yes, there can be young and dumb bouncers on a power trip. This is a typical bar in boston and that is the nature of the beast. May favorite experiences here, like most bars I go to, happen earlier in the day. Day drinking is just more fun, for many reasons. There are a few reasons why White Horse has a step up over the others, mostly because of the layout. First, there are now three bars (two inside and one on the patio). Having easy access to a bar when you need a drink is everything, no one wants to hover over people sitting at the bar (except the creepy ones, I guess three bars is a negative for them?) Second, the relatively new patio - patios are great on a nice summer day. Third, they have video games and pool tables. This is key when you're with those close friends who you haven't yet developed the talking relationship with. As far as the beer, they're on the cusp of being barfully responsible (having at least one beer cheap). I think they have $2.75 high lifes and $3 pbr tall boys. I would prefer a cheap draft ($2 or less) of one of the big three. I can't get to upset, they do have cheap beer, I just wish it wasn't high life or pbr. "The champagne of beer" really needs to be renamed "the andre of beer." As far as pbr goes, I have dranken so much reused pbr (that seems a little to thick/sticky and is filled with pubes and dirt) at the bottom of solo cups that I can't even smell the stuff without gagging. As far as the food goes, it is standard bar food for the area. Cheap quality, overpriced for what it is. I will say that White Horse tends to have slightly lower prices than their competition - the prices are fair. However, I have one big complaint, and why they lost a star. They have raised the prices (still fair prices) but have not updated the manu on their website. This is a big pet peeve of mine because people rely on what is on the website, there shouldn't be surprises when you get there. They do have "drink specials." I think it is $5 for any vodka, rum, gin drink with a single mixer. I once had these and was dissappointed, it wasn't very strong. I tend not to order bar drinks for this very reason - the wimb of a bartender doesn't always couincide with my liquor needs. FYI, vodka, rum, gin, etc. drinks with a single mixer are called "speed rail" in Canada. I was once in a loud, crowded bar in montreal and there was a very confusing eye staredown between me and the bartender because the "speed rail" special made no sense to me and everything I ordered was not that. One more thing, they have a late night/patio menue that has small pizzas on it. One of the pizzas is a "pepperoni bomb" (not exact wording, something like that). Anyway, it says there will be crust to crust pepperoni. Not the case at all. There were about 2-3 pepperonis on each slice. I was promised significant amounts of bright orange oil flowing through my arteries and all I got was a few squirts from an eyedropper - not okay. Overall this is a pretty solid place for a college type bar. There will be the same crap that occurs at most bars on weekend nights but this shouldn't be a surprise to you. I recommend this place during the day. The patio addition is nice (if you're with someone who is talkable), and there is always pool (if you're with someone who is not).
(4)
Devin C.
Great place to be on football Sundays! Or any big sports event for that matter, Sundays are 1lb of wings for $5, typically have a food special of some sort every day of the week. Service was great! Weekends it Turns into more of a late night spot open till last call which is expected of this neighborhood, usually isn't too packed
(4)
Lisa G.
It was a bittersweet night last night--my last night playing trivia at White Horse (at least as a regular)! I'm moving to NYC this weekend, so won't be coming every Wednesday night to hang with my buddy Danielle and our fave trivia dude, Will. :'( There's a reason this place is so packed on trivia nights. Will's the best trivia dude in town. So if you and some of your pals enjoy Stump Trivia, check this place out. I definitely prefer it to Big City, where I recently had a run-in with one of the waitresses (seriously, has anyone ever taught her anything about customer service, wow!). I like the chicken fingers, but they are grossly overpriced (seriously, for $8 can't you guys give us some fries too?). Love the blueberry beer and the blueberries at the bottom of the glass (yes mom, I will use my spoon to eat every last one of them! Yum!). Thanks for the memories White Horse! P.S. Please wash the tables more frequently, they are so STICKY, OMG!!!
(4)
Gilad S.
Asked for a medium burger. I ordered a medium burger and specifically asked that they make sure it really is medium. The server told me not to worry, they always cook to order. It came very well done. I asked for a new burger. When it finally arrived, it came with a cheese that I did not ask for (I asked for blue cheese, not gouda). But I wasn't going to wait for them to make me a third burger. The burger itself was surprisingly dry for a burger cooked medium and the bun fell apart quickly in my hand. Made me want to become a vegetarian. They have a nice outdoor patio in the back. That is all.
(1)
Zulu Q.
I admittedly went on a Tuesday and that's likely the most dead time. This is probably why our service was both spacey and nearly non-existent. (However, they're accommodating to my friend's billiards league). I almost don't care though. They take credit cards and they carry Bulleit bourbon. Also, $8 for a Bulleit drink may sound steep to you, but it's actually not all that steep. Even at that though, it's not a place I'd go out of my way for. (I also try to stay away from Allston though).
(3)
Michael B.
My experience with college bars, like watercolors, and bad haircuts is that the more you try to fix it the worse it gets.
(2)
Melissa B.
I might be in the minority here, but I really like it. Their pretzel sticks with beer cheese is PHENOMENAL, and the late night menu that included them were the perfect addition to the beer I ordered. I got the "adult" (not sure what it's called on the menu) grilled cheese with four different types of cheeses plus garlic and really enjoyed it. My family got burgers and had no complaints as well. Our waitress was engaging and attentive, and even got me the beer cheese recipe from the chef! Definitely will be coming back here.
(4)
Kim V.
I will always have fond memories of this place. Many a birthday and post exam/presentation celebrations took place here. It's great for crowds, the food is decent, and have reasonably priced drinks. They also have a couple of pool tables and trivia nights. 3.5 stars!!
(3)
Jason B.
Popped-collar, Ed-Hardy-trucker-hat douchefest that everyone learns to avoid by about age 22. We used to call it the White Whores. For no other reason that it sounds nasty. If there were actual whores plying their trade there it'd be an improvement. Even Tequila Rain is better than this. Be good to yourself. Avoid this place.
(1)
Jacqueline S.
Four stars each for food and service! Our waitress was very nice and extremely quick and helpful, though she gave us some wrong information concerning their beer menu. My friends and I tried their wings, which were quite good--if you're a fan of spicy food, the death from above wings will get you teary-eyed. Great atmosphere, a wide variety of sports and entertainment playing on several screens... Would stop by again!
(4)
Brittany P.
Got stuck here for a while and couldn't have been happier! My bartender Trevor was very attentive and on top of all the other customers at the bar and lounge. Being a bartender myself, I can appreciate good service. Food was good, but to me, service makes or breaks an establishment. Great job Trevor, your business is lucky to have someone like you!
(5)
Lisa O.
There are a few things about White Horse that are awesome: - Those big open windows - HIDDEN BACK PATIO - Cheap yummy burger - Consistency in mediocrity The White Horse is one of those places that doesn't inspire special trips, but I always end up there because it's convenient and it doesn't totally suck. It's an easy place to hang out during the off hours, and a nice place to sip a beer, especially now that there's that awesome patio. Bonus: There was an awesome creeper here on Friday night who looked like the bastard lovechild of Chris Kattan and Ewan McGregor. And he had a mullet. You can't make that shit up.
(3)
Calvin F.
I went there with a buddy for Trivia on Thursday night. The place is fine inside, nothing great but not bad. We had the $7 steak tips and fries, which were fine but also great since they were $7. DO NOT GO HERE FOR STUPID GEEKS WHO DRINK TRIVIA Tavern in the Square has Stump trivia, which I guess White Horse left in favor of GWD. Go there instead for trivia. It's an incredibly boring format at White Horse, the questions are too fast, and they are all almost the same 8-answer format. Also,it was all 80s and 90s knowledge, even when the crowd was younger. No real sports, barely any science, old pop culture, boring. Stump is so much better and I can't wait until GWD is gone. I'd go back for non-trivia I guess, although it'd probably require many friends asking me to because the food and drink was just average, although I guess the prices were better than average. Whatever.
(3)
Christina Z.
White Horse and I have a tantalizing, maddening, fascinating history that I cannot reveal here. The last time I was there, however, I can reveal that my now boyfriend thought I was imbibing a bit too zealously and poured my blueberry beer (bluebs and all) down the bar drain. "You're no Prince Charming," I scoffed. A bit of fairy tale humor, you dig? I genuinely like this place. I went a lot during college. The amaretto sours I sucked down like candy. Okay, I am a sloppy drunky girl. Something about their Guinness tastes better than the pack. The beer menu bears no surprises. A classic blue moon can go a long way (as can red-headed sluts shots... what?). Never mind. Never mind what you drink here. It's an exceptional people watching mecca, packed to the brim with hipsters, wannabees, and girls clad in frayed minis and uggies alike. It's a catch-all, United Nations kind of joint. There is pool. And big TVs. And fun decorations!!! And excellent trivia! We came in first one time. My shining contribution was recognizing ALL of TV's most famous butlers and maids! Secret special super bonus: the back patio! Even in November, I was toasty right down to my very intoxicated heart. And the bathroom always has someone you know and wish you didn't know/see you. Alas, life is awkward, and White Horse is a very microcosm of this life. PS: They always have someone trying to get you to sign up for something to get a zippo lighter. WOMAN, leave me be!
(5)
Valissa W.
Dear White Horse, I love you. ....There, I said it! So much time has passed since our initial encounter on that hot summer day when you wooed me with your icy cold Magner's. That smooth taste of our first embrace is still fresh in my memory, and we've shared so many great times since. White Horse, I'll confess. I had mixed feelings about you at first. I thought you were a player; the kind of bar that would bring in popped collars and trixies that wouldn't get along with an ornery artsy gal like me. That's when I started to notice your colorful, tattooed, fun-loving staff. And your delish menu certainly doesn't hurt ($4 burgers and fries!). Perhaps you weren't so hoity-toity after all.... Obviously you won me over. What is it about you, White Horse, that just keeps bringing me back for more? Your trivia drives me nuts, but in the same way any lover's quirks might. I still hate half the people that come to see you. And I never did learn how to play pool. Yet there's something about you I can't seem to get enough of! Whatever it is, White Horse, you are my Allston go-to, and I will love you and your Magner's forever and ever. Sincerely yours, V
(4)
Krista H.
Don't go here for the food. The menu is BORING and the food was pretty boring too. I learned my lesson on that end. Otherwise, I love the White Horse on the weekends. It's huge, has two bars, and two pool tables. The crowd is a little on the younger side, a lot of BU kids, but it's usually an OK time. Sometimes the service is a little slow, and there is always a line after 10:30 on the weekends, but it's definitely one of my top bars in the Harvard Ave/Brighton Ave strip.
(2)
Katherine D.
This place is a solid 3. I begrudgingly frequented the White Horse in college. Even then I was not into rooms filled with pink polo, backwards hat wearing douches. If you're headed her on T, F, Sa during the school year that is what you're going to find. I returned last Sunday for trivia however, and had a great time. The trivia is "Stump" trivia which rarely fails to please. The patio was open and cute with christmas tree lights strung through the space. The big windows were open and a lovely breeze was coming through. Our server was attentive and friendly (a first for me here at this establishment). Here were the two big perks: 1. minimal amounts of douches since the kiddies are out on summer vacation 2. $5 Well mixed drinks, anything with vodka, rum or gin! Since my go-to mixed drink at a place without a nice refined cocktail list is a vodka soda I really took advantage of that deal. That being said, there was a drawback: We got food and it was pretty bad. Truffle fries came out doused in parmesan and the truffle oil (im guessing the chemical flavor of truffle) was added only to ketchup and im not a ketchup girl. Grilled cheese and tomato bisque was also pretty sad. I will likely be back, but only in the summer, and mostly for the $5 mixed drinks.
(3)
Sue N.
I used to come here on Sunday mornings to watch football games with my friends. It was always laid back, not too crowded. It was really nice when they opened the floor to ceiling window and let in all the warm scrumptious sunlight! Get this: Cooperstown wings. The best wings I've ever had! The waitresses were always friendly and happy.
(4)
Robert H.
First time we has ever been there, Saturday 7/11/09, noon. WAITRESS: Tall, odd build, first drink took too long to arrive since place was mostly empty, second drink took too long also as mug had cobwebs in it before she noticed. SCORE 2 DRAFT BEER SEECTION: Not bad. SCORE 3.5 AMBIENCE: Funky, open window deal, lots of Allston girl eye candy walking by. SCORE 3.5 FOOD: Wife, southwest burger, son, chicken wrap, me, steak tips sandwich. Mine came on french gread, meat was good quality, and plenty of it. SCORE 4
(4)
Haley T.
I'm convinced that this bar is actually a Worcester bar, and through some accident of nature, is located in Allston. For those who have not had the joy of a night out in Worcester, MA, this is what you'll typically experience: -Top 40's/terrible music -A clientele consisting mostly of college kids, with an interest in polo shirts, bud light and sports -Cheap drinks (Worcester has good points) -Bright, bright lights -Mediocre bar food That said, the bartenders are decent, it's clean, and I assume it's a good place to go watch sports if you're into that sort of thing. Never a line or a cover here. Excellent location. The selection of beer on draft is pretty limited, but it's not a bad place to rock the bud light.
(3)
Ryan M.
I love this bar, but it just doesn't deserve 4 or 5 stars. It was relatively uncrowded when I went with my boyfriend on a Friday night. Very easy to get space at the bar, and the bartender was very friendly. We started off with a couple glasses of Guinness (4.50 each, I think) and, afterwards, I asked for a French 75. The bartender hadn't heard of that, but he got one of his friends with an iPhone, and they looked it up (yeah, I was amused too!). Unfortunately, they didn' t have any champagne, so I had a Dark and Stormy, which was REALLY good (they serve it in smaller glasses, strong ginger beer, with very little ice, so it doesn't get watered down), and the price was right, at $6. I'm glad I went with someone, because I don't think I would have wanted to interact with any of the patrons -- who were mostly the pool-playing, obnoxious college crowd. Complete with popped collars and rugby shirts! Woo! The atmosphere was good, otherwise.
(3)
Matthew U.
$5 lunch specials with Cheeseburger or chicken sandwich Also 1lb of wings for $4 Steak tip lunch $6 Really can't beat the prices but the food is just ok
(3)
Shaina P.
A common line: "you're so beautiful" really doesn't work at 9 PM... seriously? But you are convinced to stick around coz you run into at least two people you went to school with and haven't seen in YEARS (but the real hook is that they buy you a shot). The space around the bar makes for comfortable swaying and picture taking without completely knocking into someone nearby. White Horse is great for spending quality drinking time with your friends and very little dancing, lending itself to a place where you can actually talk (if you can manage to speak, not slur). And did I mention, a place where you can take lots. of. pictures...
(3)
Renee M.
Ok, not gonna lie- I used to come to White Horse all the time when I first turned 21. It was the closest bar to my apartment, has a decent selection of beer and is pretty cheap. It's not too bad if you come with a couple friends, but this place starts to fill up with bros and hos once it hits 11 pm on the weekends. It also has a faint smell of chlorine and the floor is usually sticky. ew. I have discovered much much better bars since those days (ok, it wasn't so long ago..) and therefore don't feel the need to come back here. Definitely a college bar... Also the bouncers think they're really cool for no reason.
(2)
Luke S.
People seem to have really high expectations of this place - $2.50 beer specials and $4-6 meal specials *should* tell you everything you need to know about this place. The beer is cheap and generally decent, and the food is cheap and good, but inconsistent. The service is pretty bad, but what can you expect from such a cheap place?! It is the perfect place to go to watch some sports during the summertime when the windows are open. They have TONS of TVs and will always put a game on for you. However, it surprises me that people flock to White Horse on a Friday or Saturday night when there are no sports games on! They don't have anything going on when there isn't a game on, so expect loud music and lots of people. The crowd is mostly BU/BC students. I used to go there all the time when I went to BU undergrad, but now I mostly stop by to watch a game with some cheap beer and a dirt cheap meal.
(4)
Meghan A.
Ew. I just read a review by Brianna C. saying this joint has rats. That ain't right. I'll drop it down a star for that. Anyway, my review. I've only been to this place once, but I certainly don't feel the need to go back. I didn't really care about the people it attracted, and I certainly didn't care for the food. Everyone once in a while I crave steak (rarely) and this was one of those occasions, so I got steak tips and fries. The entire dish was so salty that I was nauseous just thinking about it for days after. I had to eat steak not too long thereafter just to get the salty taste out of my mouth. It wasn't even something coke could wash away, so I had to get beer which only made it worse. Gross. The fries were pretty bad, too. It takes a lot to ruin fries, but there is no reason why I should be able to pick up my fries and see through them from the amount of grease. Just saying. This isn't my kind of place, so I don't plan on heading over there again any time soon.
(2)
Matt S.
This doesn't get a one star review because after leaving Boston for Chicago I found an ever WORSE place. It looks nice on the outside and even on the inside. It's in a neighborhood I love. But it's soulless. Totally soulless. The burger is invested with no compassion. The Guinness tastes like Robitussin. The gin and tonics were mostly tonic. I spent much more than I would have at the (old) Crossroads or at the People's Republik. Overcharged. Overrated. Would be totally over it, but I have friends who love it, which is the only reason i ever went back more than twice.
(2)
Stephen L.
love this bar.
(4)
Jamie F.
So I'm getting ID'd at the front, and suddenly hear a siren/fire alarm from the inside. I'm thinking, "Oh shoot, there's a fire!" But nope, it's a fight and the bouncer pushes me aside so he can go help break it up. I'm in total shock, "WTFFF just happened?!" The crowd goes wild at the sight of a man with a bleeding nose. And the raving lights/siren don't help alleviate the situation at all. Somehow, White Horse seems to be the new college hotspot - cheap beer, good location. It was ridiculously packed, limited seating, and there's only 2 pool tables?!? Oh yeah, if you step out for a cig/whatever and want to go back in, you have to line up again. LAME.
(2)
Janina T.
I remember when this place was as hyped as Tavern now is (Tavern is the new White Horse, apparently) and you'd have to wait in line for 5-30 minutes, sometimes. It's quieted down A LOT since then, which I kind of like. The bouncers and waitresses are all pretty friendly here. Beers are reasonable (for the area). The only off putting thing, during the summer, that is, is that they close the patio at 11 PM but the entire place stays open till 2. This sucks hard core just because everyone obviously wants to enjoy the outdoors now that it's nice out but you can only do it for so long here. Apparently they had gotten noise complaints from nearby residents. I can understand if they close it that early on weekdays but on a weekend night? Come on people. You live in Allston. Get with the times.
(4)
Angel M.
any night out at the white horse is going to be a good time, dont save your appetite and you will definitely have a good time. grab a drink, find a table or a counter and chat up a storm with your friends, no one will bother you, the night is tight. every night that i come here i am guaranteed a relaxed atmosphere with crowds of people, a varying drink selection, and a table to sit at. what i love the most is the very intense trivia here on wednesday nights. people take it seriously! and not just "eh, serious", but really ferocious seriousity, you will get punched in the face if you get caught cheating, the questions are fun and the music is quite impressive, its very spectral.
(4)
Bryan D.
Incredibly rude "waiter" with glasses on 11/26. This place should get its stuff together. I won't be coming back here.
(2)
Colin B.
Wow, lots of outspoken views on this one. It's not worth arguing over. It's a simple bar to chill at with cheap beer. Nothing special, but def not terrible.
(3)
Marion C.
Took a 30 minute bus ride, like I have done so many times, to come to a place that used to respect it's patrons. Now trying to compete with Tavern in the Sq. across the street, they have decided to cover the pool tables looking like Thanksgiving in the Bromley-Heath Housing Developments. Waitress proceeds to lie about the monthly special, and full price drinks start racking up. You want to order wings? Sorry.... our new chef fresh from a South End wine and cheese emporium wants to class up the joint. Shame on you White Horse. Shame.
(1)
Damien P.
This is one of my least favorite places to go. I've gone here a handful of times since my undergrad days in Boston and it hasn't gotten any better. The doorstaff is rude and a pain in the ass; it's worse than crossing the border and I don't even look that young. The bartenders are inattentive and rude at times and if you're at a table, you'll see your waiter/waitress probably once an hour. Probably the worst part of this place is the crowd. Be prepared to surrounded by dudes with popped collars and attitudes. Every time I've been in here, the guy to girl ratio is easily 5:1. Do yourself a favor, go next door to Sunset for food or up to Big City for pool. The food is 10 times better for the same price, the service is better, and there are less morons that hang out there. Trust me, you're not missing anything here. You can find better beer, better pool tables, better food, better crowd, and a better staff all within 2 blocks of this place.
(1)
Amanda J.
This place was really middle of the road for me. I had a good time with friends but was hugely annoyed with how sticky the floor was. Yes, I realize it's Allston and a Friday night, but come on!! They had a good selection on tap but it took forever to get the bar tender's attention, I can't complain too much considering the amount of people in there, but they seemed like maybe they were understaffed that evening. Overall I prefer the atmosphere here to many of the area's other bars. The music was good, it's got a lot of space to move around in, the line to get in was short, and I had a good time. Not my favorite bar, but this is also not my usual scene.
(3)
Francesca R.
White Horse Tavern, you fail. Allston is already teeming with pubs that serve average food and cheap beer. I can only assume that hiring overly-aggressive morons was your attempt to distiguish yourself from the pack, but unfortunately things didn't pan out as you'd hoped. The first time we went here was completely uneventful. Even though the steak tips were way too stringy and chewy, we were happy to add you to the rota of occassional casual dining places in the neighborhood. Cheap grub is cheap grub. But then you had to go and ruin it by carding my husband who was at the time a handsome but certainly not youthful 35 years old. When he handed you his work visa as his form of ID, which is in fact a government-issued document that is much harder to get than a MA driver's license, you refused to take it or let us be served. Idiot!!! No, it wasn't issued in MA, it was issued by the super-paranoid federal government. If they believe he's 35, why can't you? And, more importantly, if the cops are going to do a raid at 6:30 pm on a Tuesday...are they really going to card the guy who's losing his hair? Aren't they going to head straight for the popped-collar yah doods in the corner? You might want to start employing people with slightly less testosterone and slightly more of an ability to think for themselves. In the meantime, I'll be next door at Big City.
(1)
Arestia R.
I've been a fan of White Horse Tavern for years, but more importantly, a fan of stump trivia. It's relaxed and the perfect Sunday/Wednesday night mix of fun. Will is the trivia DJ and let me tell you...he LOVES his job. Not going to lie, he was on vacation one week and we missed his enthusiasm and music choices. It can really drag sometimes, though because he talks a lot and hasn't adopted an excel system to quickly add up scores; sorry Will! You know will still love you. Still, my friends and I come week after week. The bouncers and wait staff are friendly (a waiter helped us win a question once!), you can always count on a beer special and cheap eats after a long day at work and it's a great crowd and a good time, Allston or otherwise.
(3)
Carissa D.
Let me say that I haven't been in this spot since college until just recently... and it's better than ever! I surprisingly don't feel old / out of place as the crowd's pretty diverse depending on the night of the week. And you gotta love a place that spins good music, guarantees a good time and doesn't care at all what you are wearing. On the restaurant side of things, it seems that the menu has been revamped - I was in for brunch and they've got a tofu scramble, definitely a more sophisticated version of the White Horse we all know and love. The GM, Will, is usually there, making sure everyone's having a good time, checking up on the food and chatting up the crowd. Nice guy, seems to have a good rapport with staff and customers alike. If it's been awhile since you've checked in on the White Horse, I'd recommend giving it a revisit - food's good, music is awesome (I swear I heard some sweet kickbacks last time I was there, En Vogue, TLC, Blackstreet), pool tables are still there, there's even a patio in the back when the weather's nice (super awesome addition, they had heaters through the end of October or maybe even into November). This is my new go-to, I've fallen back in love with White Horse!
(5)
Kyle P.
If you've already had your 24th birthday, just go somewhere else. Trust me. That said, White Horse is solid if you're a college student in the area (especially BC or BU) looking to have some cheap beers and run into a bunch of people you go to school with. There's usually a line out front, but don't let that fool you. People only wait because they're meeting someone who's already inside. It's not worth the wait otherwise. If you're a year or two out of college, it's still a decent place to pop in to see a few of your friends who still live in the area once in a while. If you're smart, walk to the bar in the back. You'll have a little more elbow room and may actually have a shot at getting a drink in under 10 minutes.
(3)
Esmeralda T.
This place is ok...not a huge fan; if you enjoy being around college students then this is pretty decent. Drinks weren't too pricey, which is plus.
(3)
Daphna R.
I really enjoy trivia here. Will, the trivia jockey is my favorite. He gives you those extra tidbits of Information you know you wanted to learn.
(4)
Serena P.
Definitely too old to hang at White Horse Tavern. Went to watch VT game. More trivia fans than Hokies. Asked for one of my favorite beers. Tasted weird. They poured it twice. It still tasted weird. Food was cheap and mediocre. Waitress was very nice, but our order was wrong. I should have stayed home.
(1)
annie o.
My friend had her birthday party here during one of the trivia night! Trivia was sorta fun; however, while service was pretty slow. Nothing was really good or bad. But I do think it is a good place for gathering.
(3)
Kevin L.
This place is ok. The best reason to come here is for trivia. The food is solid pub food, but nothing to write home about. The beer list is acceptable, with something for everyone (although I'm pretty sure they don't have Dogfish Head anymore, but I could be mistaken). The crowd here at night/on weekends is not my thing, but maybe it's yours. Trivia here is great. They have it 3 nights a week, and it's probably the only reason I've been here at all in the past couple of years. Will, the guy who runs trivia, is a lot of fun, and I always enjoy it, even if I'm competing against 30 or so teams. All in all, a so-so pub with great trivia.
(3)
Tenley W.
Trivia Night here is okay. A somewhat preppy crowd. And I know that nobody actually goes to the White Horse for the food, but the nachos I ordered were not very good and the cheese wasn't fully melted.
(3)
EricaLynn J.
I'll meet my friends here if they really want to drink and dine there, but I'll never suggest it on my own. It is devoid of any personality. I don't particularly enjoy feeling like I'm the weird one because I'm actually of legal drinking age and out of college for almost ten years now. It doesn't surprise me at all that my younger friends are the ones who usually want me to join them there. They'll learn soon enough, just like I did, and just like you may have to.
(2)
Darcy P.
Mediocre. The food is deace. The $6 steak tips are worth it but you have to buy a drink, too. That's probably fine for most people, though. I just come for the trivia with the master of Stump! Trivia, Will. While he is one of the most awkward humans on the planet, he is a damn fine trivia jockey and takes it serious. If it weren't for trivia, I would never go here despite the close proximity to my house. This is one of the most bro-bars out there and it's always absurdly loud. Why can't Will trivia jockey elsewhere?
(3)
Nick O.
I read a lot of these reviews of people hating on the White Horse, but I have to say I went with a bunch of friends and we had a great time. The drinks were cheap ($5 stoli/soda), big crowd, plenty of tvs. Overall a good place, No one in our party had a problem with bouncers or bartenders, except one friend tried to order a long island and was told "no drinks with more the 3 liquors", so that is why I can only give 4 stars.
(4)
Alan L.
This place is awesome for summer time. Pool tables, TVs, and live band at times. It does get crowded at times but it is not too bad. You never wait too long to get your drink and the food are decent.
(3)
Joey M.
The White Horse is really an average bar. Beer prices are not too steep and if you go on the right night you can get some pretty decent specials. The food is pretty average in my opinion as well. What I have really enjoyed about white horse is trivia night (wednesday and someone told me thursday but i dont know). The trivia is fun in a relaxed way and they have enough sports on to keep me entertained while I hopelessly shout out the wrong answers because I know nothing at trivia. I have only been there once on the weekends and I really dont think of it as a great bar to frequent but if you want a relaxed couple of drinks in a not too loud atmosphere I would suggest it. Oh and the bouncers are total dicks, they give me the once over glare at my license and let me in. Though i have a friend who now is 0/2 getting into there because she looked too drunk (in White Horses defense, she was way too drunk both times)
(3)
Brooke W.
Go to Sunset next door instead for much better, cheaper food and fun atmosphere. This place really sucked. The food was expensive and truly horrible. The spinach and artichoke dip that was quite flavorless and obviously had been microwaved. My boyfriend paid 10 dollars for a tiny portion of turkey tips and water logged broccoli.Our friends got nachos that were straight up shredded cheese melted onto a pile of chips with olives and a little container of salsa on the side.... I really don't know what kind of vibe this place goes for, but I gurantee it misses the mark in every way. Go to sunset instead!
(1)
David H.
Ok, this place isn't as bad as people make it out to be. I guess what really sucks about the place is that it gets overly crowded with BU kids, so I guess that's not a plus side. Some good things about it: great location, they have a decent selection of liquor (and cheap), and it's full of young kids. I wouldn't say you should come here to catch a game, and I would only consider this a pregame destination. Come before 11:30, because it does draw big lines. And like I said, it's just one of those places to grab a drink or two and head off; not the type of place to stick around at... Oh, and one more thing: the bouncers are roid monkey losers. This is really not the type of place for a bouncer to give you a hard time about your ID. I'd understand if it was in an upscale joint, but this place is only a step up from a dive bar (some might even contest that). The bouncer actually looked at my ID and asked what my zodiac was. Whatta douche.
(3)
Tom E.
White Horse - it's a mother effing Bro-Down dude! Deal with it. Seen from the perspective of the 22 yr old with the BC football hoodie, reverse Sox cap, basketball shorts and flip flops it has everything at hand... 1. Pool table 2. Cheap Coors Light ($2 bottle special) 3. Girls doing all the serving 4. Burgers, fries and wings on specials that are as low as $2 each (!) 5. A plethora of HD LCD TVs showing NFL 6. A door-nazi to prevent any loser freshmen getting in 7. Big windows so everyone can see me drinking BEER. Yeah! 8. Plenty of open space for high-fiving my buddies Seen from my own limey, central square-loving 30 yr old perspective, it isn't so hot. But I've still never had any delays getting served here and the food specials are ridiculously good value. So I'm going to go out on a limb and give this place a good review even though it's really not my thing. Fact is, I know plenty of people who's thing it definitely is. That's right bro, you're my bro!
(4)
Allison S.
Unless you're ordering their cheese fries at 12am on a Saturday, their food is not so great. Decent beer selection, but the place always has a line and is always crowded on the weekends. I'd go again for a beer or two (or 6) with 200 of my closest friends, but I'll stay away from their food, thanks.
(2)
Ligaya T.
I was so ready to give this place five stars just to cause some controversy but I couldn't bear the thought of (mis)leading some poor soul. What's so bad about it you ask? They have lots of tv screens, pour a stiff drink, $4 burgers and have room enough to house some good shenanigans. It's the quality of the experience that's missing here. There's no authentic "wicked pissah yah dood" born and raised in Southie kind, just a whole bunch of college kids looking to use their dorm laminated fake IDs and get as wasted as possible before dragging themselves home to piss in a closet. No wonder the doormen are devoid of senses of humor and the bartenders are irritable. "Look at me" you want to scream, "I'm different!" But then you realize that being there is a choice and you practice rapid ejection technique.
(2)
Kelsey A.
I've seen White Horse go through a lot of ups-and-downs over the past year. As of today, it has drastically improved from where it was during the Fall of 2010. We stopped going for some time after we waited for over 1.5 hours (we were watching a football game) for our food. Trying to get our waitress' attention required a major cardio workout, and she forgot to serve our drinks. We finally said something to our waitress after waiting 1 hour. Thirty minutes later she brought our food. She was unapologetic and completely apathetic. My friend's burger was cold. My wings were cold, undercooked, and smelled "off." I am not one to refuse food, but they were inedible. Then, we tried to find a manager. We looked for anyone who showed any form of authority, and found there was none. For the first time after almost two years of going to White Horse, we left annoyed and irritable and swore it off "forever." One night during March Madness of Spring of 2011 we decided to give it another shot. I don't know why, but we did and it was a good decision. The menu was revamped and the service significantly approved. As an appetizer, the newly added grilled cheese and tomato soup are simple and tasty. Staples on the menu are the hamburger and the chicken sandwich, both of which I highly recommend if you want something reliably filling. Both come with a side of fries. If you're looking for something lighter, you can't go wrong with their caesar salad, which also comes as a side for less than $5. A pleasant surprise on the menu is the newly added pizza. I know what you're thinking and I was hesitant too - bar pizza is always risky. But, for bar pizza, it's pretty good. Not amazing, but good. The beer selection is typical. Nothing fantastic, but they rotate it according to the season which is nice. Their drink specials on the other hand are very fun. Every time we go in, we're interested to see what the new special is - and it's usually a great deal. The TV placement is interesting, but there are a lot of them and they do turn volume on if it's a big game. A new back patio with a servicing bar and TV opened up, and it's a pleasant space. Nothing fantastic, but a nice change of pace. It's was a great investment. The pool tables can be difficult to grab from the regulars, but so it goes. Also the bouncers are very aggressive, so don't be thrown off by that. Remember your ID because it doesn't matter what time you go - if you don't have your ID, you're not getting served. It all comes down to this: White Horse isn't the first place we think of to eat, but it certainly isn't the last. A decent average American bar.
(3)
Kabir H.
Who do I have to fuck to get a drink around here? I probably stood around for a solid 20 minutes before someone attended to me. There's a pretty simple formula for determining when someone in a bar needs a drink: do they currently have one in their hand? No? Then, by all means, ask if they'd like a round. Also, what is that pungent flavor that I taste? Is it..? Could it be..? Do I detect a hint of ass in my beer? YES! If you could take the time to clean your taps every now and then, that would just be fantastic. Sadly, this is probably the bar I would've been a regular at in college, forced to endure repeatedly because it's the only place my friends were willing to go. But since I'm not, it's just another generic bar. The White Horse earns its second star for my bill, which wasn't more than $15, and the fries which were good, if only 'cause I was pretty tanked already.
(2)
Charoline D.
If I could remember exactly what was said that made me laugh so hard about White Horse right now, I'd be able to follow through with my plan to include it in my review. But alas. It's escaping me. Sorry, Trace. While I've been here countless times to meet up with my bro-ee-er friends from college/previous jobs etc, it's exactly what I label it as....Not worth yelping. The bouncers always stare at my license for 90 seconds to make sure I am in fact 21+, and on a typical weekend night, expect to wait in line. I suppose it's ok if maybe you live in the area, are friends with a bartender, or enjoy sports but...even so. It's the sort of place where I get asked to meet someone, and I kind of sigh because the night is bound to get ridiculously low key and set my morale on a steady decline to borderline depression. Picture me: doe eyed and bored. The bartenders move at a snails pace and barely look up at you for long enough to take an order, nonetheless actually earn their tips. My experience cocktailing and barbacking is that if you want to make money, you move as fast as you can. These guys....will be pouring a draft beer with 4 people holding money up, orders ready..and not paying any attention. So maybe they can't walk and chew gum at the same time either, but I think you can manage to take my drink order while you concentrate REAL hard on pouring those Coors for Murph and Sully.
(2)
Stephanie H.
look, i don't like sports, and i don't like allston. i know, oooooh what am i, SOME KIND OF ALIEN?! nah, i'm just not a yah dood and i've graduated college. i've walked by this place a billion times and never noticed what it was called but certainly did realize there's a reason i've never been in. but hey, i'm a sucker for an after party and tequila shots on someone else's tab. my nerves never cease to totally fry when the sox score a run and the place just freaks the eff out, including the bartenders. sorry, your job isn't to watch the game, now stop screaming like the place is on fire and make me a damn drink. matthew c and i both needed some food in our systems and luckily they actually did have a couple of things on the menu we could eat as part of our mostly vegan diet. but my veggie burger came out way before his salad did, and i ordered after him. strange. it also cost me an extra dollar to sub in some salad greens instead of french fries, which is stupid but typical i guess. the food was fine, nothing to write home about, and i felt like i couldn't have annoyed one of the waiters more by asking for some ketchup. the door guys didn't give me any crap but when i walked back in from smoking for about the fourth time, he stopped me and asked for my id. i just kind of looked at him funny and finally told him he'd already seen it, and he didn't bug me any more. i do however have to give them a star for the drinks - i watched my vodka tonics being poured and they are 95% booze, just the way i like them. i also have to give them a star for the prices. i had had dinner and gotten tanked and by the time we left here my tab was only $20. definitely not bad at all, but i'm still never going to be the type of person who fits in at this place. and thank god for that.
(2)
David E.
I can easily let you know what each one of these stars indicates: Star 1: $4 wings from Sun - Tues nights Star 2: $4 chicken sandwiches from Sun - Tues nights If you eat red meat, there could be a third star since they have the same deal on burgers and $6 steak tips on Wed - Thurs nights. I guess the stump trivia they have isn't bad either. If you get there early enough, it's a chill place to grab some mediocre-to-slightly crappy food and a decently poured Guinness. That said I can let you know just easily what the 3 stars they didn't get represent: Star 1: The "frat bros" and "skanky hos" that hang out there Star 2: The terrible service. When I used to live in Allston, I was here all the time for the cheap food. I don't think I ever saw the same employee twice. Star 3: The horrendous line that you often have to wait in to get there. I mean, come on. Isn't this Allston? Is anything there worth waiting in line for?
(2)
Catie C.
first word: Cheap second word: weak Cheap and weak goes hand in hand. I got here a bit early on a Saturday night so I got to watch the place fill up as the night came along. The first thing I noticed as I came in was the stench. The stench of alcohol dissolved into the floors and not been mopped for months on end. If you like to people watch, this is the place. We noticed a couple guys zipping along the bar targeting one prey to the next. That seemed to be the norm here as we watched the scene. As the night went along, my buddy was getting a buzz. He started talking boobies with me. From one boobie to the next. At times, he'd lean back and ask me to check out the cleavage next to him. Did he forget that he's out drinking with a woman?
(3)
Sarah R.
The best word I can use to describe the White Hat (yes, an intentional error): "bland". If you know anything about me, you know that it's utterly unsurprising that I'm not into the sports-bar scene. Thus, I was mostly unimpressed with what the White Hat had to offer last night during our Nile Lounge afterparty. The game was on, so any attempts at conversation were often punctuated and, at times, utterly blotted out by the zealotry of Red Sawx Nation. The bouncers must be accustomed to underage BU kids trying out their newest out-of-state fake IDs on the weekends (hello, 36 year old organ donor from Boise, Idaho!), because my poor, legal New York State ID was bent, blacklighted, and scrutinized more closely than the latest celebutard upskirt shot on The Superficial. However, since I try to see the silver lining in every cloud (most of the time, anyway), I'll list the positives: -The prices aren't too shabby. Approx. $4 a pop for Magic Hat #9 on tap. If you're not looking for the perfect cheeseburger, you can have a semi-decent one with fries for $4 and effectively fill your booze-soaked tummy. That is, until midnight anyway. Service was pretty quick for both food and drink, but I can imagine that the bar would be a clusterf*ck on the weekends. -Again, this is probably related to going on a week night, but there was plenty of space to move around. As a friend so astutely pointed out, this is a potential caveat as well, since space is directly proportional to choad capacity. That's where the praise for the White Hat ends. The decor is uninspired (unless you're really into sports or flat-screen TVs, I guess). It's nowhere I'd want to go on a date, or to be picked up by some fella with a tribal tat on his bicep and the new Nickelback aural abortion stashed in the CD player of his new pickup.
(2)
Ali K.
Huge bar in Allston, Mass. absolutely awesome when your inside, plenty of places to sit, beautiful set up, decor and ambience, huge tv's def. a nice sports bar and also a nice outdoor area. Can't say I stayed here long because there was no seating room for the World Cup Final so we moved onto the next bar, but ill def be back at this place when I visit my older sister and write up a follow up review. This place def. has to be fun.
(4)
Matthew C.
Imagine my dismay upon walking into the men's room here after having been in the immaculate Nile restroom down the block just a few short hours before. Sure, the color scheme is pleasing to my aesthetic sensibilities, but the urinals! There are two of them, and they are practically on top of each other with no divider! So there I am, tending to my business when I feel something rubbing against my shoulder. Cruel fates, it's another shoulder. But then (here's the part where you know it's Allston) the guy took a step back so he could have more room to spit into the urinal while he peed. Loogie after loogie after loogie floating downstream, whi-puh, whi-puh, whi-puh. I don't think I've peed and run so quickly since I was five and my siblings told me that Jaws lived in the toilet. The size of the men's room reflects the size of the place itself, which makes the close urinal quarters even more perplexing. Plus (here's another part where you know it's Allston) I was definitely the only guy washing his hands. The humanity of it all. Otherwise, the place gets one more star out of me because the house gin is Beefeater and they are generous with it. Then again, that just makes you need to pee more.
(2)
Mike S.
Personally I can't stand the place. I don't think it has any atmosphere, character, vibe, ambiance or any other feeling you should get when you go to a bar. Its too big and open, and poorly laid out. Its full of big tables with no games or anything to play on them. They should strip the place and fill it with more pool tables or make watching TV more comfortable. Anything to give it some style. You can buy liquor anywhere, and I'm not going to wait in a long line on a Saturday night to do it at a place that doesn't interest me for its other qualities. I'm only reviewing it because I'm proud to say I was part of the team that as of last month held the high score on photo hunt. Besides that, don't bother going.
(1)
Liz K.
A much cleaner Allston bar that can have a line later at night. The beer selection is standard. There is Buckhunter here. It's also nice to come here during the day to watch games, they have good TVs.
(3)
Tracee D.
when we walked past this poo factorium i remarked to someone with ears: "I'm sorry that you work here" I can say this bc I once tended bar at an embarrassing place much similar to the white horse tavern. When you enter you are hypnotized by the bathroom mosiac tile that rudely introduces its self to your eyes and feet (except you are not in a bathroom) blech. I guess people go there to watch sports. But the bartenders clearly do not go there to smile. Note to tender's 'unless you are working at Dick's last resort, it is your duty to appear minimally pleasant' The white horse is just as annoying as the myth of some handsome tall stranger coming to rescue you from a tower...or your mundane life on a white horse...it's not going to happen. Please do not hesitate to obtain a life of your own.
(2)
Peench P.
I like sports bar, but you know what I like more? friendly bartenders, yes I know, not of all them are always jumping up and down being super nice but most of them at least try, and I seriously don't remember ever seen a bartender looking so unhappy doing the job. You know what I do when I'm pms-ing? I take midol and suck it up....but something tells me it wasn't the pms factor, there must've been a bunch of turds all over the bar, that's the only explanation to the -I'm -smelling- the- stinkiest -turd ever- looking kinda face. Maybe it was just a bad day, who knows. Oh the bouncers, first time someone holds me at the door, I showed my foreign passport and bouncer #1 was looking at it trying to figure out if it was a fake one... like I'm going to pretend I'm 29...yeah I don't believe it either but I am, so let me in!. Bouncer # 2 took it inside for further inspection, then came back and apologize for the delay. The positive side? the drinks were actually OK and I'm thankful I was there with a fun crew.
(2)
Matt M.
Dudebro, I asked for the vinaigrette on the side. Yeah you should have written down my order bro. I have a pet peeve about places where the staff habitually does not write your order down. It is far too often wrong, as was the case tonight. Nah dude, it's ok dude. Chillax, let's do a whiteboy pseudo ghetto handshake and make peace. Yeah that's it. Go sox. I appreciate that you fill up my dirt-cheap house cabernet glass past the tangent. It means you are either being generous to me, or don't know the proper way to fill a wine glass. It's ok bro, it makes up for the fact that all your wine tastes like sh*t. Ah, I see you have pool tables. Uh-oh, the dudebro's on the table are unwilling to give it up. Looks like they don't play singles here, only doubles. As an avid pool freak, I must say that irks me quite a bit. Seeing as the billiards is one of your drawing features, it's a shame nobody here actually knows how to play correctly or can even hold a table longer than one game. Well, at least they look good in their popped collars and cargo khakis doing so. Wait... Dude, TWO popped collars? Even when it's 90 degrees out tonight? You da man! Go sox. Well, thanks for the evening bro-dude, but for a good pool game I'll stick to the Silhouette lounge. For good food I'll stick with the Sunset Grill, and for the amazing bro-dude/dude-bro overload I'll see you at your frat party this Saturday on Gardner Street... NOT.
(2)
Matt S.
Having only been here for lunch (a few times), I can't truthfully comment on the douche-nozzle crowd that everyone seems to touch upon in their reviews - by 12 PM they've likely not woken up yet. However, I can definitely say that I grasped a vibe from the staff (not our waitress, but others) that runs in-line with the jerkweed atmosphere I hear about. Food is mediocre, but reasonably priced. The burgers are lackluster but the fish and chips are decent, if a bit heavy on the batter. Portions are of good size, and having gone with my girlfriend our check hasn't exceeded 16 dollars. In that regard the White Horse nails it. I'm not adverse to going to the White Horse again, but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to do so. The atmosphere really isn't my style and the food isn't anything to write home about.
(2)
Lara C.
I've never had a bad experience at White Horse. The table service side is "seat yourself," and I've never had any issue finding a table. A waiter always comes to the table within 2 minutes of sitting down, and they stay attentive all night. Best of all, they let you sit at the tables even if you're not ordering food. But if you do plan on eating, you won't be disappointed. The food is decently priced, generously portioned, and well-made. The food makes White Horse Tavern a great spot for a friday night out, as it's easy to transition from dinner to hanging out and drinking without having to relocate anywhere else. Plus the dozens of gigantic flat screen TV's sprinkled all over the bar mean that no matter what your sports interests, you'll be able to find it at White Horse. However, be aware, the bar gets full of dude-bro's and yeah dude's around 10:30 p.m. While the place itself is big enough that it never gets uncomfortably crowded, you may find yourself inclined to find a new home for the evening after the 5th dude bro screams "BRO TOTALLY" at the top of his lungs right next to your ear. But if you get there early enough, White Horse Tavern is a great all-in-one destination for a night out with your friends.
(4)
Allie T.
I was lucky enough to attend a tasting last night of White Horse's new menu and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. Previously, I had only been there for drinks after 9pm, but I definitely will go back for this (very inexpensive) great food. We had a super crisp, well mixed cobb salad, a deliciously flavored veggie panini and some creative (and really yummy) curry fries... but my favorite by far was the mushroom pizza. I don't remember the name of the cheese on it, but it tasted like something off a Newbury Street menu, not an Allston one! I will definitely coming back to try more of this new menu, and I'd recommend it to anyone in the area (on a budget or not, the low prices don't sacrifice anything by way of quality)!
(5)
Simon L.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of the 'regular' patrons of this bar (no offense!) nor the name; both seem kind of immature. However, there are few places in Boston (believe me, I have done exhaustive research) where you can get a respectable, cheap, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, and this place DELIVERS. On weekends until 2p, you pay $9.99 for a SMORGASBORD. It's delish, and instead of looking like a college bar, it looks like a respectable restaurant. Definitely check it out.
(4)
Bryan K.
Went here for brundh today and was very impressed. The braised hash was excellent and the hash-browns a nice variation on the traditional home fries everyone else does. Everyone at our table was pleased with their breakfast. We had the Nutella french toast for a brunch desert, it was very good. Really sweet, a great desert. The best thing was the price. The good food was really inexpensive compared to most brunch places. Also, I've been here for triva (they do it a lot) it is a great time. The guy who ran it really funny and ran it well.
(4)
Roni E.
So I've been here a few times and it seems that each and every time it's been pretty much the same. I can't recall a time I had a spectacular evening here. Upon entering, I was with my girl Nadya and it seriously took us like 5 minutes to get in because they didn't believe her passport was real. They then took it in to management and brought it back to finally let us in. WTF?!?! What I don't get is that I KNOW this place has let in underage girls before. *grumbles to self* While at the bar, it seriously took me over 10 minutes to get the guys attention and it wasn't until he had placed food down at the bar for Stephanie and Matt was I able to get the attention of someone to place an order of buffalo wings in and order a drink. If it wasn't for Ligaya and the drink she already placed in my hand as soon as I walked in to the bar, I probably would have had an uproar. The wings were decent, but they're wings. What can you expect from a sports bar? At any rate, it seriously took me another 10 minutes trying to get another drink later that evening. The guys avoid eye contact, are more involved with the game, texting on their cellphones, and more interested in walking aimlessly around, but yet not accomplish any tasks such as catering to their clientle. You know buddy, you are working for tips after all! If it was not for the good company of fellow Yelpers, I would have either left or never stepped foot into their bar.
(1)
Robbie R.
This place is right around the corner from me, so I have been on a number or occasions simply due to convenience. Last night may have been the final straw. I went with a few lady-friends visitin from Maine. We all handed the highly-trained bouncer our ID's, 3 of us were deemed of legal age, but not the 4th. "I'ma have to keep this," he informed us. It was a pretty bold statement from the dude, seeing as how it was her real ID and she was 22. We eventually got it back from him and immediately left for the Sunset Grill instead. On another occasion. I saw a nice family of 4 stroll by and get denied because their children were under 21. Really, white horse? Are ya scared Dad may buy a Jack n' Coke and hand it off to Junior under the table? Another time, I was with 2 friends at the bar, and we could see one of the waitresses in one of the back rooms condensing all the ketchup bottles. During the process, if any ketchup spilled and started sliding down the side of the bottle, she would take her finger, wipe up the ketchup, and then PUT IT BACK IN THE BOTTLE. I have a fairly high tolerance for gross and unsanitary situations, but that was a little unsettling. They have a nice special on Sundays. $4 for a burger or chicken sandwich. Nice. One more thing, the shitty music they blast makes me want to break a bottle over someone's dome.
(2)
Alex L.
Can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. Anyways, been here a few times and it is NOT near the top of my list of places to go (when I have the time to go out). Their food is pretty solid, the drinks are moderately priced (but I must say that tequila shot was nice and overflowing, they definitely didn't skimp out on that), and the environment is cool for what it is. The people that come to the place are the ones that kill the mood. Usually 21 or younger crowd (fake ID's ftw) fill this spot up and it just sucks then. Last night was kickass though. Had a bunch of cool Yelp people to make me forget the other craptastic times I've had here.
(3)
Brynna E.
Went here for the first time last night, for Sunday night Stump Trivia, so I'll just be reviewing that. I absolutely loved the ambience - tons of TVs, separate dining/bar/pool sections, cheap food and beer, and very uncluttered set-up. The MC for trivia was great -- super friendly, handed out the pens/paper himself, complimented our team name, was loud enough to hear. As for the bar itself, the service was so-so, but considering the staff was ALSO playing trivia, it could have been much worse! Our server stopped by every 20 minutes or so over the course of 2 hours, so we got a fair amount of face-time. I got the $4 chicken sandwich/fries combo, which was great! The chicken was grilled and had that delicious charring, and they're pretty accommodating on your toppings -- I got blue cheese dressing instead of sliced cheese for no extra charge). All in all, a pretty great experience. I think my friends & I will be moving our weekly trivia night to White Horse from our usual place!!
(4)
Cynthia C.
I usually spend my nights at the clubs and bars of Boston so this was a definitely a change, breath of fresh air or call it whatever you like. It's a definitely a place to chill if you're taking it easy and looking for a good time. I was surprised how inexpensive the drinks were considering I'm used to paying $13 for a basic gin and tonic. BUT it definitely took me a few drinks and a couple of shots to bring myself to a happy state. I came here on a Friday night and this place was still pretty dead around 11PM but it did fill up quickly! There's a lot of seating, plenty of space to move around in, and abundant flat screens for game days. I know where I'll be once basketball season rolls around...!
(4)
Kyle S.
I usually only go to whitehorse on trivia nights, and even then it is swamped with BU/BC students being drunk and annoying... but if you go early or are one of these students (or just plain don't care), its a great place to go, play trivia, and have a decent meal. Their menu has changed recently and has become sort of limited, but their food is still pretty good. Service can be hit or miss.
(3)
Mike T.
White Horse Tavern Wanted: Bouncer Ideal Profile of Job Candidate: Whitehorse is looking for the kind of people that have a tough time deciding between a "tribal" or "barbwire" bicep tattoo, own the movie Roadhouse on both VHS and DVD, prefer watching reruns of the time chuck Liddell "totally beat some ass" in the Ultimate Fighting Championships as opposed to messing around with their girlfriends and have considered careers in the department of corrections but failed to be accepted. Skills: Must be able to say "I'm here to chew bubble gum and kick ass and I'm all out of bubble gum" without stuttering. Must be able to study a valid ID like you should have studied high school text books. some word processing. State Patrol type mustaches a plus. Compensation: Laughable but you can always take that out on the patrons.
(2)
Lauren S.
The White Horse is just ok. -1 star for that fact that there's always more beer on the outside of my glass than the inside. It's like the bartenders dip the glass in a vat of beer after they fill the glass. -1 star for the wait staff who leave piles of dirty food plates and 3 rounds worth of empty beer glasses on your table for way too long. -1 star for the bouncers who scrutinize every single ID like they're specially trained secret agents and hold the front doors open on cold nights. It is always too cold in there. +1 star for their pizza. While all of their other food makes me feel like I have a giant ball of grease/lard in my stomach, their pizza is somehow actually quite good. That being said, White Horse is relatively clean, the food isn't gross (but it's nothing to look forward to either). It's not a bad place, but it's not great either. Trivia on Monday and Wednesday nights starts out fun, but 3 hours in it loses its appeal. Most of the clientele seems to be guys watching sports or groups of people at the bar who don't know each other that well, and weird couples/group dates at the pool tables who get really drunk and are usually skanky.
(3)
Laura R.
Went to White Horse to catch a Celtics game and was I ever impressed. I had watched games at other bars throughout the playoffs but had a better experience here. I was with a party of 12 and Holly our server was fast and great at multitasking. We ordered food and drinks. Everyone was pleased with both the food and the atmosphere. I will definitely be going back here in the future.
(5)
Hugh R.
Beer selection and prices are comparable to most other bars that I've been to in Boston - Sam Adams, Harpoon IPA, Guinness, UFO, blah blah blah, all $4.50 or $5. Food prices are pretty decent if you catch a special, but the $4 burgers are often bland and flavorless while the fries are always cold and soggy. HOWEVER, if you're a fan of onion rings and lots of them, you will not be disappointed by the rings at the White Horse. Tasty and plentiful! Far too many times I've spent $4 for 9 or 10 soggy onion rings in other establishments; the White Horse serves up a full basket of large, crispy rings. Delicious! Unfortunately still not enough to bump it up to 4 stars. A good place to grab a beer and watch the game but that's about it.
(3)
Josie G.
This one never got me hooked either. I like the set up now a lot more than before.. and there's usually always a crowd, a lot of regulars. Good beer... I just don't like the crowd that goes there... Doesn't seem to be the friendliest bunch.. I saw some complaints about the staff, but they've always been super nice to me and my friends, might just be because we're girls though.
(3)
David D.
:( :( :( i'm in my 20s, and i was embarrassed to acknowledge it after i walked into the white horse tavern. college bar or not, GROW UP. seriously, this place is awful. i was half-expecting to see someone getting a bro-job when i walked into the bathroom. :(
(2)
Patrick K.
This place is sweet! The beverages are fairly priced and the food is generously priced. All good quality and crowd control is impeccable. Monster TVs with NFL Sunday Ticket makes this local optimal for a Sunday afternoon of football!
(5)
whitney m.
The top three reasons why I love the Whitehorse: 1. Cheap drinks 2. Photo Hunt 3. $6.99 Steak Tips (on Wed and Thurs) Now, don't get me wrong, I love getting dressed up and heading downtown on the weekends, but you can't beat the Whitehorse on a Thursday night for a few rounds and some steak tips! And let me tell you, they are amazing steak tips. Like, some of the best I've ever had. Unlike most Allston bars, the Whitehorse is actually crowded (in a good way) during the week. Good for people watching. And you'd think it would be an all-college crowd, but that's not entirely true. There's usually a good mix of all ages -- sporty, trendy, hippy, prep -- they're all here. The only bad thing is the doormen. They literally stare at my ID for 2 minutes every time I go. And once they wouldn't let my friend in because his ID was expired...but I guess they were just doing their jobs. All in all, the "Horse" is my favorite place to chill during the week.
(5)
Stephen H.
I'm a big fan of whitehorse, definitely more of a youner crowd. The drink prices are reasonable, not quite dive-level but again this isnt a dive bar. The food here is pretty standard bar food, but the portions and the price is pretty tough to beat. Get whatever the special is. Also they usually have a beer of the month that is always a good price. Ive had a fun time everytime ive gone here.
(4)
Danny N.
Great place to sit and relax with all the big screens. The open windows are awesome during the summer time. Def. a place to go out to dinner and a quick beer.
(4)
Kimberly P.
Mediocre bar with cheap drinks. The wings that I had were also thoroughly mediocre. I will never get super excited and yell "OMG LETS GO TO WHITE HORSE TONIGHT" but it is an ok bar for a laid back and chill night. It gets two thumbs up for the clientèle: I met a super hot guy there and 2 great girls.
(2)
Voodoo O.
So apparently this place puts a $20.00 charge on your credit card whenever you open a tab, just to "make sure the card works". $20? The worst part of it was that they don't even tell you about it. You just look at your bank statement and find yourself $20 short. The charge allegedly "goes away" in a couple of days, it hasn't yet and even if it does, I still firmly say "WTF, White Horse?" I've NEVER heard of ANY bar (or any establishment, period) doing this. Is that even legal?
(1)
Jacob F.
I can't even begin to explain my distaste for the White Horse Tavern and it's deplorable excuse for Sunday Brunch. There are thousands of college kids who go out, hard, on Saturday and would really like to wake up at noon (or later) and drag their sweatpants and big sunglasses to a decent meal down the street. Instead they are greeted by watery, runny, formely known as hot eggs, dry, pathetic muffins and the sin of all sins: SHIT service. Do yourself a favor. Dont even bother.
(1)
Lauren V.
Any Thursday, Friday or Saturday night during fall and winter semester this place will be crawling with college kids. Since it is within walking distance from my house, I will occasionally stop in for a drink or two before moving on (and up) for the night. A few things worth noting: The food is decent (it's pub grub people!) and very cheap. That being said, service is incredibly slow...After they drop the food, you usually have to hunt the server down in order to get your check. But you are also paying $5 for a huge burger and fries. The doormen are somewhat disbelieving. It could be the demographic that frequents this joint but I routinely have to pull out a second and third form of identification (usually just a bank or credit card). Although annoying at 25, I mollify myself by thinking that it will be awesome if this happens 15 years down the road. I never have had to wait for very long at the bar for a drink. I would say that this is a good place to grab a cheap drink while leaving your plans for the night open (i.e: eventually make plans to hit a better bar).
(2)
Ken M.
Great place to grab a drink and watch a game. Lot's of tv's. Great food specials during the week and weekends. The food itself is pretty good for the price. Love the addition of the patio/outdoor area and look forward to watching the patriots games out there on some nice fall days. Nice/friendly bartenders.
(4)
Katie K.
I've never found anything wrong with the Whitehorse. Cheap beer, short to no lie at all and no cover. It's the perfect place to go with a group of friends, drinks some beers and not worry about what you look like. Anytime I've been here the crowd was good. Granted most guys pick up lines were 'where do you go to school?' so if you're looking for your future husband this is not the place for you. Most nights you can find a tv in there playing some random movie, my favorite was Spiderman night, which is pretty cool if there is no game on. I recommend going on a Friday night there's never really a line, its no packed to the rafters but also not dead. A happy medium.
(3)
Stace M.
Im in between Meh and A-ok. Very large bar. Nice atmosphere. Good set up. I went on a friday night and there was no cover which i was psyched about! But the crowd wasnt that great. Kinda young and a little obnoxious. But if you come with a good group you will be set for a good time!
(3)
Bryanne R.
Not really sure what all the hype about this place is for. Yea it's a big space and they have pool and beer...but nothing terribly exciting. And all the way out in Allston?! Ugh. Then there's usually a line. Not worth it.
(3)
Jasmine P.
I"ll be honest, I'm not a big fan of straight bars. This is a straight up bar with pool and a bar. This is a good place to go if you want to relax, drink, and hang out with friends, but not the best. The couple of times I went here I went with a few strangers and my friends and it was just really hard to talk with the level of noise and crowd. It wasn't the best experience with strangers but maybe with friends. There is not much to do except sit/stand and drink and try to talk over the noise. There's music overall playing but its hard to hear. Its a great place if you are looking for a last resort to hang out somewhere, but its not the best. The one thing I did like were that there was a full bar and the drink were decent. It gets often crowded on the weekends and you get amused by the drunks that stagger around the place after it closes or right before it closes.
(2)
chungo m.
white hat tavern? used to be way better as Geraldo's or whatever. BU morons took it over and now it's a dumb frat boy bar with wanna be hot tramps inside getting drunk. If you like this then you'll be in heaven. if you are like me and don't like these kinds of people then you will be in HELL
(1)
Hiroko S.
Too noisy to talk but good for watching sports. I only spent there few minutes. I prefer Sunset walking few more blocks.
(2)
Jane T.
Really, really good brunch on Sunday mornings from 10-2. Made to order omelettes and eggs benedict if you want. At night, the bar gets pretty crowded and sometimes they get a line, but it usually moves quickly. Pretty cheap beer, but not as much of a dive as the other places around here (don't get me wrong, i LOVE dive bars- but they aren't everyone's scene). The food is pretty cheap and good too. Overall, good bar.
(4)
Dave M.
I have to second the "better b4 10" sentiment of one of the other reviewers. If I just want to go have a few beers with some friends in a chill atmosphere on W or Th night, or to START my night out at, I go to White Horse. After 10 this place def sucks. I'm always shocked when I walk up to it and it's full, mostly of popped collar losers and yes, girls who wear sweatpants that say "naughty" or "sexy" on the ass, even though u can see their cottage cheese ass through them. Overall: start, don't finish here.
(3)
Gina N.
I used to love this place. The food was ok, but super affordable. The service was slow, but Stump trivia and Will were fun. Now they're trying to be fancy (really? You know you're still in Allston, right?), the food is more expensive and has less flavor, the waitresses are more attentive, but the food takes even longer to come out now, and I stared at a wall of plywood all night with no explanation. Trivia is still decent, but I'm going to start trying to find new places. They've lost their loyal customers trying to be something they're not.
(2)
Lalin A.
What a college place, as my description suggests, the backyard of BU kids. It is hard to find the correlation between the number of security ppl at the door and the number of 18-year-old looking kids inside! The W.H. Tavern is like a big ballroom of a college, closed nightly for people to get squeezed and check each other out. Bad drinks, horrible service and childish crowd! Majority of the frequenters are guys, who are there to pick up drunk girls. I can't recall how many guys stopped at our table to tell us bluntly "I like you very much". Yes but no thanks. EDIT : went back for brunch All you can eat buffet for $9.95. Don't be fooled. This "buffet" does not match the dictionary.com definition: "consisting of food, refreshments, etc., laid out on tables or buffets from which guests or customers serve themselves" First of all, the food is not refreshing but boring and heavy. Yes, you can serve yourself but there is not much to pick from. The omelletes are huge but THICK - meaning: no good. Everything tastes mediocre. Nothing to tickle your mouth.
(2)
Stephen S.
People either love or hate White Horse. I'm not sure that I get it. Maybe it's because I'm not a thirty-something who's ears rings at newfangled music and looks down upon the local college kids and their ever-diminishing clothes. I'm only partially kidding. There's no cover and the bar is incredibly unpretentious. Not exactly a pick-up bar, sorry ladies who want-to-be-hit-on-because-your-self-esteem-is-Âincredibly-low-due-to-the surplus-of-twenty-something-stuls-in-Boston, you might want to hit up Sketchy Bar (aka Wonder Bar) or risk a groping at the Kells. White Horse is the kind of place where you can pack your friends in and have a good time...or be bored to death.
(3)
Andrew B.
BU-laden Allston bar, but good enough for some fresh draft beer and large screen plasmas for sports. Although the bar can get crowded, the bartenders are competent and fast-moving, making getting a drink on a busy night not too daunting. They did have an awesome costume party on Halloween '09, so props for that.
(3)
Dave L.
Ewwww. This is the kind of place where people I grew up with in a little rich Boston suburb go when they are "going into Boston to hang out this weekend". In fact, I've run into old HS classmates there. Not a fan of the crowd at all. Seems a bit out of place in Allston. Very much the "grown up frat member" vibe. Darts, and a good sized space keep this floating above one star. I have not tried the food.
(2)
Amanda S.
Hold the phone. Yes, the service kind of sucks- the bartenders aren't all that attentive (even if it's slow and you are sitting at the bar), yes the doorman sucks (Is he a mute? I hate when you walk in and the 20-year-old door"man" says nothing, but gets up and makes a show-me-your-id motion with his hands.....before scrutinizing your license that looks JUST like you so he can feel some small bit of power in his crappy-ass job), yes it's a young crowd.....BUT, how can you go wrong with a decent chicken sandwich & fries for $4...and $2.50 beers? I like that this place is pretty no frills and you can walk in wearing just about anything. Not my first pick for a night out, or even just grabbing a couple beers, by any means- but also not as bad as many are making it out to be.
(3)
Cheeba H.
The White Horse is lame. But... If you've been living off dollar menu double cheese burgers, Marlboro 27's and drinking cup after cup of beer that tastes like the ass of good beer all weekend and can scrounge up $9.95 its a good way to kill a Sunday morning. Expensive, I know. But it is all you can eat, and its quality food, and if you show up when it starts (11-ish I think?) you can sit there for a real long time before they close it up. The food consists of a couple steam trays with items such as sausages, Canadian bacon, bacon, chicken teri, rice pilaf, pan cakes and fancy french toast with some kind of berry stuffed in it. They also have some bowls of various fruit out for much needed vitamins and salad for much needed roughage, and some cookies incase you just like cookies. They also have a guy who makes up omelets out of a variety of possible things you have thrown in it, and he also does up eggs benedict. And all the coffee you can drink. They frequently offer you seating near the open store front windows, so you get a nice breeze on a nice day. Just dont get suckered into ordering a bloody mary, they're 7 bucks (not that you can order one before noon anyway..). Outside of that, there is little to redeem this bar. I dont really know what the motif inside is, it looks like an imitation Chicago bar, the kind of place that wishes it was the kind of place that use to be a garage turned bar with the penzoil signs still in tact. It does have alot of space though, yet still gets packed at peak times. They have the game on large tv's everywhere. There are pool tables. The beer prices are not that cheap (cheap for me is 3 dollars or less), I think bush light bottles were the only thing under 3, Bud was 3 and change, and that was the best they could do for me. I can drink Ice House, Pabst, malt anything- but nothing is worse than Bush Light (maybe Red Dog). The table service is fairly efficient. Sometimes breaking through the stool barrier to the bar to order a beer can be a bitch. The crowd is alot of gym going tankard like dudes and their stair master-ed out counter parts, the kind of girls that wear sweat pants with writing across the ass. Sometimes they like to play dress up at night and the place looks like a JC Penny catalog. Theres always a couple 30 something business guys dressed down buying girls drinks in hopes one of them will ride their potbelly to satisfaction. If your the kind of guy who likes to talk big about yourself and watch sports and dress in a manner that reveals your desire to be accepted that you suppress with an attitude- or if your a girl who goes tanning, buys lip gloss by the case, and loves firm men who pluck their eyebrows, or if you want to be any of these people by associating yourself with them- then this is where you can indulge your unrealistic college life fantasy. ***Also- I forgot to mention that Tuesday nights are karaoke night, so if you want to watch a bunch of guys in cargo shorts and fake wooden bead necklaces sing Crash Test Dummies, or maybe a duet where two dudes in Cougar Lacrosse 1987 team-that-never-existed shirts sing Fight for your Right to Party- this is the place to be. I saw a guy I havnt seen in a year that use to bone an ex-girlfriend of mine I havnt seen in two years doing exactly that. Only at the White Horse.
(2)
Anna B.
I have been going here for years and used to give this place 4 stars but it has gone downhill. The good: Lots of TVs. You can dress up or dress like a bum. The staff is nice. On football days they accomodate the lone table that wants the hockey game. The bad: Service is slow. I used to figure they do that on purpose so you have more drinks to compensate for the $4 burger you ordered. Now the burgers are gone and they make mistakes - well done burgers are bleeding, send them back and they come back pink, ask for no tomatoes and you get tomatoes. It used to be "well we paid $4 for it" so somewhat forgivable. The bar is not bad but with so much competition within a few blocks I don't have much reason to go there unless my friends want to. And Harrys (same ownership I think?) is better.
(2)
Diane I.
nothing spectacular here. good drink specials though. actually if its a slow night be prepared to tip well for an awesome hook up. 2 high lifes + 1 cheese quesadilla = $4.20 definitely the highlight of the night was talking to the older gentleman who had been stabbed earlier in the night and was bleeding through his shirt. classy.
(3)
Peter R.
Only recently started going here... But nice place to grab a beer and watch the Sox, plenty of TV viewing, good service, and daily specials on beer and food. Personally i enjoy mon-tues, chicken wings and burgers only 4$. When its nice out they open the windows, 2 pool tables (usually taken) but always a good way to make new friends.
(3)
Misty S.
probably the worst place in allston. The service is really probably about the worst I've had anywhere. The first time I went there, we went for the cheap burgers. Our waitress was a girl. There was hardly anyone there, however, the table next to us was 4 guys. She spent the entire time bent over their table, and not nearly enough time getting us food, water, anything. My beer was empty for so long, I went to the bar to get another one.
(1)
Chase W.
(I know the white horse is a Frat Party. I know I'm too old to still love it. I know the beers are always stale and flat.) But I love the 'Ho. Granted, I'm not into the whole Friday/Saturday night scene, but there's no place better to watch a Saturday day game with the windows open on a nice day. They've got plenty of TV's to catch the sox, the prices are reasonable, and the food is pretty decent. I'm addicted to the Cobb Salad and Turkey tips. I get one of them a week! I really believe that The White Horse is a great bar for meeting up with friend, but a crappy place to call a weekend distination. The bartenders are always attentive, the door staff is always acceptably courteous. For a sports bar type place, it's pretty clean too; they run a tight ship here!
(4)
jim I.
When they open up the windows, this place is a fair bit of fun. Otherwise, I can only say this place is so-so. The bouncer's at this place are really good at their job. Its rare that you see people who get such a kick out of their work and its refreshing to see how much of a rush these guys get out of taking an underage or out of state drivers liscense from someone and relaying it to the police. I wish I took my job as seriously. I would be a much better employee. I am sure my bosses would see my dedication and promote me to a higher position of authority where I could really show off my talent. There is nothing like a little extra authority to show off how talented, sexy, awesome, and powerful you really are. I should note at this point that I have never had my ID taken at the Whitehorse nor do I condone illegal consumption of alcohol, but I have watched a few high-five sessions after these awesome professionals successful confinscated an ID, and thought it a little weird.
(2)
Emily M.
The White Horse is what it is: It is not hip. It is not classy. It is not that easy to get into if under 21 (or over 21 for that matter--bouncers can be ridiculous! My Ohio license sure threw them for a loop). But I do find it to be a chill place where I can dress casually, drink cheaply, talk to maybe a few attractive guys, and leave thinking I at least had a "decent" time. It's convenient and I'll keep coming back as long as I'm in the neighborhood. One gripe (ok, except for the bouncers): you can play photo hunt, but it's the normal one. NUDIE photo hunt is where it's at. It had a cult following back at my college. White Horse (and everywhere else for that matter) needs it! ** UPDATE ** Rumor has it that Harper's Ferry has nudie photo hunt! I haven't confirmed it for myself yet but you best believe I will be checking it out soon!
(4)
Rob T.
Decent place to get together with friends. Went here with some co-workers one evening. I opted for buffalo wings, medium because I was a pansy that night, they were average and medium heat just like I ordered (something to be said for getting what you ordered). It was One Pound Steak Tips night which a few of my friends got and same as with my wings they got what they ordered. Medium Rare was just that, Well Done was well done. Nothing spectacular but a good meal at a decent price with a good beer selection.
(3)
Greg M.
Two stars for the crappy service and lame college kids who frequent the place. Four stars for the brunch. It's not fantastic - I'm really not into fancy expensive brunches. Even the best brunch I've ever had didn't even come close to a decent lunch or dinner. That's just me though. This place gets it right for my tastes. It's less than $10, they have a good selection of all the typical breakfast fare. And they'll cook you a good omlette to order. (Eggs benedict too, but I haven't tried them.)
(3)
Meg B.
Found out this place has FREE WIFI and needed to meet a friend to work on a project for school and this place happened to be in a good location to meet. We obviously didn't go for night life so this review is more on the food/wifi experience. The sunday we went they had some daily specials so I got the $4 wings, my friend got the $4 cheeseburger. I don't know how my friend thought about the cheeseburger but the wings were just ok. There only seems to be outlets against the front windows but those tables are kinda small and wouldn't really work out for two people and their computers. My problem with this place is that sure, it wasn't really busy on that sunday especially because it was around 4 or so but the waitress took forever. She rarely stopped by to refill the drinks and it took awhile to get the bill/finish paying. I think part of the problem was a shift change but someone should have at least swung by a little more often for the drinks after we got our meal. Sure we were sitting there with our laptops but we ordered quite a bit o food too. So the service might not be so great but its nice to have a place to go with free wifi and plenty of seats.
(3)
erica c.
Even in my earlier college days, I avoided this place like the plague. Why settle for mediocre atmosphere and mediocre mixed drinks... The complete package here is mediocre at best. So why three stars and not 1? My bar tender really rocked and well that is worth a lot:)
(3)
Diane D.
I'll stir up some controversy I guess, sometimes it just has to be done.. Here is my thing with Whitehorse - I understand how it is disappointing if you haven't been here before and you're looking for a great pub experience and atmosphere with personality. You won't find it here, on any given night...regardless of choice in food, beverage, who the bouncers are, whether the bartender is snarky, etc. All irrelevant. However, I don't go to the Horse expecting these things. I go there because it is what it is... a place where I can wander in with flip flops and comfy jeans for a casual hang-out with some friends over moderately-priced beers. There is guaranteed to be decent people-watching and a crowd on any night of the week, and I can maybe even play pool or trivia if I feel like it on the right night. So no, I would not recommend Whitehorse for its cool atmosphere or great drinks/food... but if its more about who you're with and less about where you are, I've found Whitehorse to be a convenient, reasonably priced joint for the occasional gathering when somewhere like Sunset is too crowded. The trick may be all in expectations.
(4)
adriana e.
this place is def a popular college hangout, cheap drinks, smelly sports bar, drunken college students, big tvs! I recently went here to watch the Red Sox game, it was so crowded we had to stand. I like this place cuz the drinks r cheap, n they dont water it down! i found the doorstaff very nice. they checked our ID's and let us right in, then when we were leaving, they said "thanks for coming by, have a good night!" and said it to every patron, I mean, that might of been a manager or owner, but who cares? obviously not one of those high class bars where drinks cost over 10 bux and theres very little alcohol overall, great place to chill n watch the game! Will definitely be returning!
(3)
Justin R.
Okay, yeah, it attracts a TON of douchebags when school is in session. But that's not really its fault. It's firmly planted in Allston, is cheap, with rarely a line and never a cover. Know what rocks about this place? The layout. After years of being wedged between dudebros and skankoffs swilling Miller Lite and reciting old Simpsons quotes, this place actually allows you some room to breathe. Service is excellent and the beer prices are fine. Also, if you're looking for cheap, cheap lunch or dinner, do yourself a favor and stop in on Mon, Tues, or Weds where you can get a pound of steak tips or a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries for $4. FOUR DOLLARS! That's like stealing!
(4)
Ethan M.
I'm a local to Brighton and my friends and I go to this place on a regular basis. On Thursdays they have a steak tip special and this is why we go. Their steaks are cooked to perfection and so are the fries that they come with. The atmosphere is loud but fun and definitely a good time. They have trivia night which is also fun to participate in while enjoying a good meal and a drink. Definitely check this place out if you are in the area.
(4)
Alyssa N.
Good nachos. Decent drinks. I'm curious to go back and try the cheap food specials that they offer on weekdays. I don't think that the bouncer was as rude or on a power trip, as the other reviews made the door guys seem, but maybe I just happened upon the one nice guy... The bar/wait staff was efficient and friendly. There was a minor, sort of awkward incident involving the swapping of a ketchup bottle (server came to take our half-empty one, didn't want to leave us a replacement). But overall a good experience, especially on a weekend night. The crowd was a mix of meet/meat market gawkers and just groups of friends hanging out, though at one point I walked through an area reeking of cologne (and I don't have much of a sense of smell because of my allergies- I can only imagine how it smelled to someone with a normal nose). Not sure I'd ever actually wait in line to get in to this bar.
(3)
Omoniyi A.
Im really suprised at the super low reviews for White Horse. Ive come here a few times for trivia. Its a pretty good trivia location, except the questions tend towards sports (so if thats your weaknes...). They DO have chips and salsa, so thats a keeper for me! They also have a great beer selection (according to my friends - i dont like the beer) including local brews. Its also more restaurant than bar, so its not scuzy or divey or someplace you wouldnt want to sit for 3 hrs. Enjoy!
(3)
Mark F.
I love this place! Great drinks and food, and now with an outside patio around back!
(4)
Mike B.
I was surprised to see all of that white horse hate out there. Most of the negative reviews were from people who hated on the bar tenders or bouncers. Jeesh. At least they will stay away now, so I don't have to hear whining about how the guinness is poured incorrectly or how a bouncer bends a license. In a nutshell, the menu specials are tasty and CHEAP. The staff has always been friendly to me. Don't expect the treatment like you'll find at the Ritz. The food isn't going to taste as good as a five star restaurant. It is a BAR in ALLSTON. Jeesh. Again. As for my rating.... It gets four stars for consistency (I've been there many times over many years), and a lack of pretentiousness (the White Horse knows what it is and it strives to be nothing more).
(4)
Bry J.
I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoy this place. I live a few blocks away and for the last couple year's I've come here at least once a week. I prefer the weeknights to the weekend nights because fri and sat nights tend to attract some douchey people. During the week you can't beat the $4 meal deals, burger, chicken sandwich, or 1 lb of wings. Thursday night is $6 steak tip night. Overall a pretty good place to hang out in the window and people watch or watch TV on one of the 20 tv's they have hanging around.
(4)
Nate S.
I hadn't been here in about 8 years, and from what i saw it hasn't changed too much. The only changes I noticed were that the food was a bit better and the service was faster. Since I was here in the winter there weren't the customary drunks spilling drinks while hanging out the windows like I remember in the summer time but that didn't bother me.
(4)
Sam S.
So odd how white horse gets so packed all the time! I'd say it's an average dive bar with a few pool tables. The food is better then most dives...a good place to pick up!
(3)
Amanda G.
Typical sports college bar - BC and BU kids both frequent this place. Wed night trivia is popular and you'lll always find it packed on the weekends. Two thumbs up for the wait staff and bar is big enough that you can find a spot. Pool tables give you something to do but you may have to wait a minute. Get here early on weekends or you'll find yourself waiting outside.
(2)
Allison B.
maybe it's because i lived in packard's corner and was totally lazy, but white horse was my to-go bar during college (aside from tues night karaoke at T's). the food is decent bar food and the drinks are average in price. the weekend brunch buffet is a pretty good deal ($9.95 for your choice of customized omelet or eggs benedict, plus all the typical brunch foods a hungover student could ever want). i also really like the setup of white horse, with two bars, an open floor plan, and floor-to-ceiling windows all along the front that, when open in the summer, let in a pretty delightful breeze. as a side note - i love the kid here who does stump trivia on weds and sun nights (if he's still there). he's super enthusiastic and you can tell he loves doing it. and he loves his throwbacks to snick.
(4)
Mel V.
My experience with White Horse is minimal since I was only there for a bit. Nevertheless, we left quickly because the place freaked us out. If you want to go to a diverse place and see people from various backgrounds, do not go to white horse.
(2)
Doris K.
The only reason why White Horse is receiving two stars is because the food and alcohol was so cheap that it does deserve some recognition. I have been here two separate occasions, once on a Saturday night and the other on a Sunday afternoon. The Sunday afternoon was much better because there weren't crowds of people tipping their drinks on me. The food was mediocre but $4 for a pound of wings - how can you go wrong? I haven't had bad service here yet but I really didn't like the type of crowd on the Saturday night. Either way you should give it a try, just make sure that it's not on a busy night.
(2)
Andrew S.
Did the price in ketchup rise dramatically? Is a bushel of tomatoes more expensive than a barrel of oil? Everytime I go here, the staff hounds people for their ketchup bottle. Do they only have one bottle to go around? Buy another fucking bottle you cheap bastards!
(2)
Aaron G.
I'm kinda hot cold on the Horse. I love going there to catch a few beers and enjoy a ball game. Yes I would say their screens are about second to none. What's not second to none is the beer selection, I'm defaulted to Stella, not a big concern I suppose. the bartenders are also cool as I've often shared laughs and war stories with them. An issue does arise late night on weekends and I don't wanna sound snobby, but it is amateur hour in there. Allow me to elaborate, I've had multiple drinks inadvertently spilled on me by rando chicks. Yes this was made better by the chicks part, but come on now, this isn't high school lock it up! Overall, just time your visit wisely, this is a solid spot when crowds are sparse.
(2)
Julianne M.
I come here for the food specials and Sunday Trivia nights. I always have a great time with my friends without breaking the bank. Plus, trivia rules. You can't beat that!
(4)
Sarah A.
Decent local place. Good prices and decent food. Awesome specials. Burgers are quality. If you are eating there make sure you stay away from the doors. The bouncers are always opening and closing them, even when people are not coming in, so you and your food will get cold easily.
(3)
Sarah F.
I had avoided this place like the plague for almost two years because it always seemed to be overflowing with obnoxious underclassmen, but ended up here on a Friday night when the line at Sunset was too long and I was just too hungry to wait. The doormen and waitstaff were pleasant, we easily found a table for three and the place was pretty mellow. We only had burgers and fries, but they were tasty. Maybe I just got lucky, or my expectations were just that low, but I was pleasantly surprised.
(3)
Terrence H.
Hey, Bro!
(1)
Erik G.
White Horse, your beer selection is OK, and I've had much worse service in Boston (except for bouncers; I haven't met bouncers with bigger complexes than these guys), but never in my life have I seen such a mean trick as having the pool tables located on a floor six inches higher than the rest of the bar, and installing a gently sloping ramp to bridge the gap. Have you the SLIGHTEST IDEA what a gentle incline does to the inebriated? Never have I come so close to face-planting so many times in one night.
(3)
Susan J.
Unlike Leo, I didn't find this place very social, but it's still a nice, low-key place to meet friends for a few drinks. They also have several TVs (usually showing sporting events) and some pool tables, which are a plus. I've always found the service a bit slow, but they have an amazing brunch buffet on the weekend. $10 gets you all the bagels, yogurt, fruit, pancakes, custom omelettes, bacon, and croissants you can eat!
(4)
Jennifer K.
Nice place for a during the week/after work drink - beyond that, stay out. The bouncers are pretty much jackasses - even for those of us who are of legal age. Makes a weekend night experience off to a bad start by having to put up with their attitude. Do they list "be a jackass" as part of the job description? On the other hand: I ended up here one year for St. Patrick's day after some failed attempts to head to the downtown pubs - and I had a really great time.
(3)
Bene K.
Best part about White Horse : cheap drinks and loud 80's music...worst part about White Horse: the one level of space that does not know what to make of itself so, it just becomes a big blob of people floating around and maybe playing pool. I'm not a fan, there isn't too much to it.
(2)
Geoff T.
Want to call me an elitest, be my guess, but due to the huge glass windows in the front, I dubbed this place the "Loser Aquarium" when I lived down the street. Drunken BU and BC students take breaks from the meatmarket inside to harass those who pass on foot. At least, this is Friday and Saturday nights at the White Horse. When empty, another beast entirely. Decent food for cheap, cheap beers and (a plus for me) the ever present Red Sox game. If you are into the packed college hot house, weekends are for you. IF you see few people in there on a weekday and want a beer and something quick to eat, enter, friend!
(2)
sunny n.
Average college town bar...lots of plasmas floatin around..which is neat...the bartenders ..eh a little alternative for my liking but hey its allston...the girls servin have been always sweet....and I enjoy the large window view of the street and peeps passin by...food is nothin to write home about..and really junk food designed to soak up your booze but then again its very cheap...and 5 shots later or 12 cheap beers later...that kinna grub maybe just what u need....too bright though..and not to warm in the winter..! Avg..Avg!
(3)
George K.
Not a big fan of this place. Too many frat-boys out on the prowl at night time. It does have some redeeming qualities during the afternoon, but not enough to get another star out of me.
(1)
Amie R.
A few days a week, they have $4 chicken sandwiches and burgers, and other good specials throughout the week. There are plenty of large TVs to watch the Sox, and even when it's busy I feel like I've never had a problem getting a table. Not my #1 favorite place to hang out, but it's not a bad place to meet up with friends!
(3)
Nick M.
The bouncers at this place are always tools. It is a great place to air out, drink a beer and watch the red sox game. It's basically an open air bar, and is a great people watching spot as well. Most people come here after work and I'm sure some think the burgers here are best in show.
(3)
yo s.
this place does have lame bouncers on a power trip... but, the food is decent and cheap, they have big tvs, they have pool, and they have free wifi. if you go at night, expect it to be full of the frat boys who got kicked out during pledge. otherwise, 4 stars. for me, better before 10. after 10, kinda lame.
(4)
Adam T.
this is the greatest place ever!!! I hung out there last week and hooked up with some hot ass 15 year old!! I loooooove this bar!!
(5)
Lindsay L.
This bar is basically everyone from BU or BC hanging out....if you don't go there dont even bother going, you'll feel like you are crashing a party where everyone knows everyone, but you. That being said if you are a BU or BC student it seems like a blast. There is a line a lot of the time, which is an obvious deterrent, and it can take forever to get a drink. Also, people are not kidding about the bouncers, they are really annoying about ID's probably because they get so many college age kids, but just be ready to have some back up ID on you. The set up of the bar itself is a little odd and the pool tables always seem to just get in the way, and that big open door can be annoying as hell when it's a cold night, also I have stepped in vomit by the door on 2 occasions. I only end up there after a few drinks at Sunset and I convince myself it might not be too bad, but it always is....my advice skip this and stay at Sunset for another drink.
(1)
Rob R.
I'll be honest... this is a completely biased review. I LOVE the Whitehorse. I probably go there minimum once a week... and have been as many as 4 times in one week. Its my favorite bar in the city. Are there better bars? Probably, but the Whitehorse does everything pretty well. Nothing is especially great, but nothing is bad either. Its great for chill nights having a couple drinks with friends, or going out and getting way too drunk for your own good. Drink prices are slightly below average for the area. Food is decent, and there are specials every weeknight. How can you go wrong with a $4 burger and fries? Great late night grease menu until 1 am too. One last thing, I've read the bouncer complaints on here... but I've never actually seen any bouncer issues unless someone was being a complete ass or had a fake id (and i've only seen that twice maybe). Go to the Whitehorse!
(5)
Kirby M.
So I had a friend in college who LOVED this place. I'm not kidding, she would make this the destination spot for the night and after 3 times we finally only allowed her to drag us there once a month, AT MOST. I never got what she loved so much. We would have fun but only when we went in a large group. I am the person who likes to hit the bar scene to meet new people and White Horse is not the place to do this. And while I mean no offense to my friends, I see them all the time and really transplanting our chat sessions to this bar was less than eventful. We did trivia night here once, and that was fun, aside from the fact I realized I really only know a lot about 1 or 2 subjects. But in general, this place is the worse place to go out with only one or two other friends and is my least favorite people mingling bar.
(2)
Peter B.
I went here twice this last week when I was in Boston with some old friends. It is a complete college bar, the opening of a second bar was MUCH needed since I was last in Boston. The cheap food and the sunday night trivia's are what make it a 4-star from a 3-star. Don't expect a lot except a bar, and you won't be dissapointed.
(4)
Jessica A.
This is my new favorite spot! I really wasn't into bars but the White Horse converted me. The food and drink are great and reasonably priced. Even on their busy nights, you can get a chair at the bar or a table. If you're lucky, you can get a table next to the open windows. Great place to hang out with your friends and just chill.
(4)
Anita C.
Viva la Goose! I'd come here for dinner or a pint. Alway an entertaining time. There's pool table.
(4)
Jesse N.
White Horse is a great place to bring friends and large groups. It can get pretty packed and loud with all of its college students, the majority of which are from BU. Drinks are also cheaper than most other bars, which is an added bonus. This is the place for you if you want to just "get out" and have a good time.
(4)
Meagan F.
Bestest waitresses in the whole damn world... hollah hollah hollah
(5)
Katherine T.
I accidentally ended up here one evening with some friends. It was decent enough at first, but it randomly got PACKED with kids around 11. I couldn't figure out what the draw was--it's just an average bar in Allston. Not particularly well decorated, not a whole lot of beers on tap. Then it got really annoying as we became squished in amongst satin tank topped girls with excessively sparkly make up and the guys in the "boston-guy uniform" of jeans, striped button down shirts and black shiny shoes. So we left. But not before going over to the digital juke box thingy and paying ten dollars to have the entire soundtrack to Miss Saigon come on. BWA HAHAHA!!! Take that, BU kids!
(2)
Leighann F.
Martinis not bad for a local lil bar and the service was outstanding. The waitstaff was extremely accomodating. Food left much to be desired, but overall a fun, exciting atmosphere with good music and cool, chill people.
(3)
Felix L.
Way overated and had enough bad experiences here. The bouncers are all meatheads. Dining here is also pretty bad. Granted the specials are a quite a deal, they arent fantastic, and the beer quality was serious lacking. I ordered a seasonal, and they only had last season's beer. What? aren't you guys a bar? So the beer that I did get was on its way out. ugh.
(1)
Rebecca Y.
Sunday to Wednesday you can get $4 meals when you buy a beer. Plenty of tv's to catch the game. It's great when they open the windows in the summer.
(4)
Kristen G.
Good for larger groups. There is lots of bar space and seating. I wouldn't make a trip out to Allston to go, but if you are in the area, it is a good place to check out.
(3)
Anne B.
I love the way this place is set up; it's got all open windows facing Brighton Ave and there are ginormous tv's everywhere, but i have had a couple problems with bouncers there and waitstaff. It's a good place to go watch the game, but I'm not a big fan in it capacity as a bar. Im 21, but if you are not DONT GO HERE. They get money for ids they take and they are wicked strict.
(3)
Katia M.
I'm going to go with a four for the White Horse, but like, an ironic four. Like, an "Hey, this place is kind of cheesy, but it's not bad" kind of four. It's kind of a college crowd and yet kind of a "the 3,000 guys that still live in Brighton after they lived here during college" crowd, too. The brunch I had there was solid -- the omelet station was especially key, and there were lunch-type foods there as well, for a little change of pace -- the hung over palate is a finicky one. You can get High Life, The Champagne of Beer, for $2.50, which ain't too shabby at all. And girls? This place is generally a total sausage fest. And after living in Southie for two years, which was chock full of couples, this fair Allston establishment was a breath of fresh air post exile in coupleville. It was kind of nice to get hit on after two years of very local bars and the horror that is the Beer Garden.
(4)
Kathleen T.
dont really think the white Horse has much to offer that other bars in Boston don't. But, if the time and location are close to you, the White Horse is still a good time to enjoy some tasty drinks and meet up with friends. Beware, however, because due to its location near both BU and BC, the Whie Horse can frequently get overcrowded, resulting in a line out the door.
(3)
Melissa B.
Same owner as the Last Drop. Pool tables on one side & tables on the other, so you can pick a scene. Great place for people watching & a burger. Long lines on weekend nights, but usually a good time.
(4)
Masahito Marc Y.
A mecca for Downtown commuting urbanites on the weeknights as well as weekends. Although a little too loud for my taste on weekend nights, it features two pool tables, some digital entertainment centers, a four side bar, and a chic open inner terrace. Nice for outing with second to third outers, even bar ladder-ing.
(3)
Peter P.
Came here because it was on the way to the Sunset, and I couldn't walk those extra 10ft without another drink in me. Wow, what a bad experience! First of all let me just say it was my 21st birthday, and the bouncers gave me shit because my drivers license had expired that same day. Next the bartenders completely ignored us and waited on every single woman that came in the door after us before handing us two not-cold-enough miller lite's. Then to make it even worse when we wanted to leave it literally took him 10 minutes to get us our check, which I would have just walked out on if he hadn't had our credit card. The place was empty when we got there, but in the span of 15 minutes filled up with obnoxious drunken BU students. Sure, there were plenty of girls, but honestly, I wasn't even interested, they were way too into themselves to give anyone else the time of day. Did I mention that the bathroom was filthy, and the atmosphere was well, reminded me of a VFW.
(1)
Dave A.
I'm gonna have to totally disagree with most of the reply's on the doorstaff for more or less the same reason that the other reviewers dislike them. They do take their job very seriously and can come off like dicks sometimes (to people that more or less deserve it), but that's what makes this place great. Unlike a lot of other bars in the area this place has hundreds of young professionals and college kids packed together every weeekend night and manages to maintain order. I've seen guys get booted here several times for severely harassing girls or for bothering other customers. I suspect these are the people writing most of the negative reply's, but I guess you have to inconvenience a few misfits for the better good of the average customer like me who just wants to drink and hang out with my friends without dealing with idiots all the time. In my opinion the quality atmosphere at this place is bouyed by the diligence of the door men. Other than the doorstaff, beer's are reasonably priced - about average for the area, but the liquor selection is a steal. Bartenders are very quick and are good people if you catch them when it's slower and they have time to talk. Food is pretty good and cheaply priced. $6 pound of steak tips and fries every Wed and Thur.
(5)
Leo C.
Doesn't aim for the upper end of upscale; think of it as an upper-middle-class place that makes its money off college seniors, postgraduates and the younger edge of young-professionals. Has the reputation of a "BU meat market". Open wall-windows look onto Brighton Ave and are open in summer; most weeknights it's busy, but quiet enough (the absence of loud music is a definite plus) to hold a conversation. Food is competent and there's a good range of alcohol; unlike some of Allston-Brighton's really upscale places, you can get a fairly decent meal and a couple of drinks for $15. Long lines on weekend nights, because neighborhood activists (long-term residents) refuse to let the place expand into the vacant neighbors. But worth the wait, especially if you're looking for phone numbers.
(5)
Steve S.
Somewhere between the trendy crowd at Wonder Bar and fraternity stink of Our House, White Horse combines the best of both worlds. The open air atmosphere is clean and high class, but without the preppy snobs found at most upscale places in the area. It's a great place to have a few beers while watching a game or while playing pool (though with only two tables, the wait can be long).
(5)
Cheryl V.
I went back to Boston recently to visit the old alma mater, and had brought my husband along. I had gone to the White Horse before this trip, and thought it could be fun to go again, since I was familiar with the area and it was an easy couple of T-stops away. BAD IDEA! Sure, we went on a night of a Stanley cup final, but it was a Monday night and I've definitely gone when it's been busier. But, service was soooo slow. We got our drinks twenty minutes after sitting down, and our waitress didn't come back until more than an hour after that, even though we kept flagging other waitresses down (who said they would find our waitress). We were so hungry that we just decided to leave cash and head out for food. Luckily, the Bruins were already up 4-0, that we didn't need to watch the game anymore I know it was an exciting night for everyone, but we wanted to order food!!!!! Don't do this, White Horse! I'm not sure if our waitress was new or was distracted (because the whole time, she just stood by the bar talking with another waitress), but I now know better!
(1)
Augustus H.
I've been going to this bar for two years because of the $1.50 pool tables that are always busy at night, good competition for a young aspiring pool player. The food was never good... so I stopped ordering it. The beer, well it's beer, (crappy selection) but it's always served by a bartender who looks like he wishes you didn't exist. And, in spite of the good competition, the pool tables are tiny, and riddled with strange dips and bumps my friends and I have labeled "gravity wells". (Not to mention a support beam next to one table that renders many easy shots impossible, I call it "poley"). But yesterday, yes MARATHON MONDAY, after two years of expensive patronage, they crossed a line. After carding me, and passing the id around to people WHO HAVE SERVED ME BEFORE, told me to "get lost" because "it's a fake id." It was actually a brand new (and had been accepted at this bar upwards of 10 times since I received it), honest to god Maine ID, issued by the Maine Department of Motor Vehicles. I didn't have my phone on me, and they politely declined my request to use their phone to call the police so that I could get my REAL ID back, telling me very nicely that "I would get in a lot of trouble, it's a fake." No, no it's not. I walked an hour back to my house in Brookline, walked an hour back to the bar in Allston, and had the police return me my id so I could go have a much needed beer at Big City. Guess what, White Horse. My friend is a bartender and my uncle is a practicing lawyer in Boston. My friend tells me anyone who's taken a TIPS certification course (from the quality of your service, I'm probably dealing people who don't know any better..) knows it is illegal to confiscate an ID. Especially if it's real. I'll do the math on my end, and if it's feasible for me to go after you, and earn back the time I lost because of your stupidity (I'm a private chef, my time is worth fifty dollars an hour to my current employer) you can bet I'll be knocking on your door in a couple of days, and not for a drink served by an uneducated and unprofessional bar-tender.
(1)
Jenn S.
I used to go to White Horse all the time when I lived around the corner. I hadn't been back in years until we went last night for trivia. Although the Stump website said trivia started at 7, it didn't start until 7:30, so we had some time to kill. The waitress was very attentive and helpful - she gave us an extra table and turned the tables around for the best possible seating. She kept coming by to see if we needed anything. Great service (although she disappeared for a while right when I needed a drink refill). I got a cheeseburger and fries - not the most amazing burger & fries but good. My friends each did the $6 steak tip special and all enjoyed it. The trivia DJ - Will, I think? - was very good, as other people on here have said. You can tell he enjoys what he's doing, although at times it was hard to understand what he was saying. The music was extremely loud, so I think maybe his mic was too and that made it hard to hear him. They turned the music down at one point, but it didn't make much of a difference. They've added a whole extra bar area since I was here last, making it a much bigger location. It's a great place to grab a drink with friends, peruse the college-age eye candy if you want and/or watch a game. The beer and liquor selection is decent and pretty reasonably priced. I would definitely go back for trivia & dinner, but not necessarily just for dinner or drinks.
(3)
Logan J.
some of my friends really like this place, but i just dont see the appeal. im sure that with the right crowd, you can have a good time at this place, but ive been here a few different times and was never really impressed. in general, the place is a typical boston bar--dimly lit, young crowd, decent drinks...but not much else. ive been here a few times with friends for trivia nights though, which can be fun with friends on a random weekday. i think like they really try to promote the trivia, and they actually do a pretty good job--lots of participants, clear rules, etc. for me, the trivia is the only thing that gives this place three stars, otherwise, there are usually other places id rather be. ill come back here for a drink with friends if they suggest it, but its not someplace im eager to return. its never a bad time...just dont expect anything too extraordinary.
(3)
Dara C.
Maybe I'm angry because I'm watching my fantasy team experience a hemorrhage that not even Hugh Laurie's disarming smile could fix. Maybe I'm just feeling indigestion from the twelve pity-wings I consumed since 4 pm. Or maybe I just don't get it. There is zero appeal to the White Horse Tavern, other than the fact that it serves beer. The crowd sucks, a mixture of yah dudes in blue button-downs dipped in Abercrombie Statutory cologne, and 17-year-old Woo Girls in Training. The music can be terrible. When was the last time you heard "Back That Ass Up" in a setting completely devoid of irony? I do suppose that watering holes/humpfests like White Horse Tavern must exist, though. As the great philosopher Barney Stinson said, if there were no Woo Girls, tiny cowboy hats would only be worn by tiny cowboys.
(2)
Justine B.
My boyfriend and I seriously WANTED to like this place, but alas - service when it was DEAD on a Saturday afternoon was still terrible! Some places have waitstaff with superiority complexes, but the two servers working at 2/3pm on Saturday seemed perfectly pleasant. However, this was not a saving grace for the lack of attention we received from the servers. We set out on a mission to get lunch by some large open windows - White Horse, perfect, right? Not really. We walked through the entrance, hovered near the sandwich board of specials looking for someone to seat us? Acknowledge us? ..Then wandered around in the most awkward and hopefully obvious manner to 3 separate empty tables before we sat at one we liked, next to a high top of other women. It was another 10-15 minutes (mind you, there were 5 other tables of patrons, max, on this Sat. afternoon) before Waitress 1 brought over menus for the two of us. One had a globule of unknown food on it, so she picked it up and pleasantly offered to grab us a fresh menu after we gave her our drink orders for a Wachusett blueberry beer and a Coke. Waitress 2 brought over our drinks and asked if we needed anything else. Thinking (foolishly) we were waiting for Waitress 1 for that second menu, as well as keeping our food order to the same person we gave our drink order to, we told #2 we were all set. Our original waitress never returned, with a clean menu, nor to take our food order. We watched while some other poor sap stood expectantly at the entrance near that same sandwich board, while our Waitress #2 stood clueless at the back of the bar counter, facing in his direct direction. A few minutes later, we saw this guy hit the pavement, departing with his young son, with no acknowledgement of his existence. Debating whether we should start waving our arms in the air S.O.S.-style, or ask for the check, Waitress #2 comes over to our section, but not to ask whether we need anything, but to wipe down the table next to us, placing the flatware/napkin teepees *just* so, arranging the salt shaker *just* so--all the while I'm turned 180 degrees in my chair with a big fake smile on my face. Clueless. I asked her whether we could put a food order in. She took our order for 2 burgers, and the food came out within a reasonable time. I think my boyfriend was so disheartened with the service, he didn't have the heart to finish his burger. They came on challah rolls, which were not very fresh/soft. Everything was hot, but my boyfriend likened the burgers to frozen patties. Not spectacular. 2 stars for getting to sit near the window on a nice day. I don't think we'll be back, even if we wanted to drink our faces off, which seems to be the White Horse's intended purpose, although it would baffle me as to how anyone gets any orders with such a clueless waitstaff.
(2)
Jeff D.
They get a four star for two reasons. First and most important, when our crowd of NC State grads calls ahead and asks to watch a football game on a Saturday afternoon it's usually on when we arrive. If it's not, I simply walk over and ask and they'll put it on the TVs in the corner where we are sitting. This sounds like a little thing, but considering our horrid experiences with this at the Sports Depot, this little thing goes a long way towards happy customers. 2. Good service. Our waitresses have always been good at keeping our beers full. The food can be a bit slow, but so long as the beers are topped off this is not a huge concern. Haven't been to the White Horse for an evening of drinking in a very long time, but I'm sure not much has changed since I have. It's a good solid, college bar.
(4)
Christine K.
My friends and I used to really enjoy White Horse. There have been some good trivia nights, other fun, memorable gatherings... But I have to say that the new menu and other new changes have made me change my mind about wanting to come here. Let me just say, right off the bat, that White Horse has good service, cheap pool tables, fairly cheap drinks, trivia, and a photobooth. All good things. But their beer list is very limited... Also, with their steak tips, the entree only comes with mash potatoes now, which weren't very good in the first place. It no longer comes with asparagus. And the absolute deal breaker is that they no longer serve...poutine. It's gone. Poutine is gone from their menu... Why. Why would you do such a thing? Poutine was the best thing you guys had going for you. So I'm sorry, but no poutine, and no vegetables makes me really not want to go there anymore. Plus, I think you guys really need more drinks and seasonal drink menus. Or any kind of drink menu would be nice. I think it's a waste of time for servers to have to list all the beers you have. Just a thought.
(2)
Rebecca D.
Really great space, the outdoor patio is beautiful, lots of natural air flow during the spring/summer time and there are lots of pool tables to take advantage of. but the place could do better with its service. Our waiter appeared to know what he was doing at first, but after he failed to bring out 4 waters (as promised when we first sat down) and then brought out our nacho appetizer DURING the main meal, things went south pretty quick. our table decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and agreed that to make so many mindless mistakes, he must be relatively new to the scene. The food was filling and each of us left satisfied. They also have 2/75 miller high life- for the budget monster in me...this was a great find on their beer list. Overall, really liked the space, the food, and the atmosphere. Would definitely come back...!
(3)
Joseph L.
White Horse Tavern is a true gem out here in Allston. Typically I'm more of a Newbury or Boylston street kind of guy, but I have a blast every time I make my way out here. The food was definitely better than your average selection of "pub food," and the prices were very reasonable. Now when it came to the drinks? The prices were very, VERY reasonable. Going back to saying I like to hang out on Newbury street, when I come to White Horse and get the same Ketel One and tonic for only $6, how could I possibly complain? The clientele is generally early to mid-twenties, and I've found them on average to be better looking than some of the "divier bars" in the area. The bouncers were all friendly, as were the bartenders. The management even went out of their way to take care of my friends and I, who were there to celebrate a birthday. All in all, I give White Horse Tavern five stars and recommend it to anyone who wants to party, shoot pool, or even just watch a sports game in Allston!
(5)
Dorise G.
top notch trivia, holy crap they have poutine? call me "regular"
(4)
Josh E.
The bouncers here are a joke. Because of their incredible lameness I am never going back to this below average bar. They are incredibly rude and take forever while looking at an ID. The sad part is that underage people still get into White Horse all the time! Hey bouncers: You are a jerk AND you suck at your job! They have 5 bouncers working the door of a bar that has 15 people in it. Thats probably because the bouncers they have suck at their job so they need 5 people to do the work of 1. Everytime I come here someone in my group gets kicked out with no explanation. This is the only bar I've ever been kicked out of in my life, so what does that say about this place and its bouncers? If the secret service wannabes let you in, you'll find that White Horse has a poor beer selection and it takes them forever to get you a drink. The one upside is pool tables, but if you want that go to Big City because they have way more tables, better beer, and no losers at the door pretending to be tough.
(1)
G G.
I would rather be sodomized by a lion than set foot in this hellhole ever again
(1)
Jas L.
this is an adequate, if not overly hyped establishment. The major problem here is the lack of service at the bar; its ultra slow. do not each here, as the food is below par, and thus its just a drinking hole. I really urge you only to drink here. it gets really busy with young college students who get slammed and cant control themselves. at 30 i can relate, but come on... cool it and sober up a bit.
(3)
Paul S.
This bar/restaurant is pretty terrible. I tried to go on a Saturday night around 7pm for dinner and drinks. The place wasn't very busy. So, I sat down at the bar with my friend, and we waited 10 minutes to get any acknowledgement from the bartenders to order our drinks. Then we asked for a menu for food and then we didn't get another interaction with any of the staff for 30 minutes. They didn't ask if we wanted more drinks, food, anything. I definitely won't be going there again. There are so many better places around this area of town- you should go somewhere else. Such as the Sunset Grill which is two doors down, which is my favorite, but can get super packed sometimes.
(1)
Ashley B.
I loved around the Allston/Brighton area for a while and after I turned 21, I pretty much fell in love with the White Horse Tavern. I really love the atmosphere and I went quite a few times when the World Cup was on, it was such a fun environment, I could not get enough of it. Whenever my friends and I wanted to chill and have drinks, we would go to the White Horse. I never went to play pool, it seemed the tables were always taken, but it was fun to sit at a table and chat and drink with my friends. We would some times go late and on slow nights and the bartenders were pretty nice. My only complaint about the White Horse is the service. I don't know if they are short on wait staff or what, but it doesn't matter if it's the slowest night in the world or if it's the fullest and craziest night, there seems to be NO ONE THERE! Waiting for a server to come back is scary. I suggest that as soon as you sit down you figure out what you want because Lord knows when that waiter is coming back! Other than that, I love it, good drinks (beer and cocktails) and a fun atmosphere at a reasonable price.
(4)
sharon h.
REVIEW for DRINKS ONLY: Lived in Allston for a while and been here before on a few occasions. Their new Patio is AWESOME!! Great for ambiance and nicely spaced. Having the choice just makes this watering hole THAT much better. On previous occasions I've had a good time even when it's busy it's still a great place to grab a drink. Reasonably priced and great open layout for mobility.
(5)
Jonathan Y.
I really like this bar. I tend to go Friday nights after work to grab a couple of drinks and dinner. Usually it's a pretty chill atmosphere that doesn't get too loud. Lately there has been a guy playing the guitar that has made talking next to impossible and the menu isn't as good as it use to be. The ham sandwich isn't very good at all. But we always go back because the bartenders are cool and the location is perfect for us.
(4)
Ryan M.
Probably my least favorite bar in Allston/Brighton not named the Draft, this place was a lot of fun while TITS was under construction and has been horrific since then. You can play pool here if you are really desperate and forgot that Big City was down the road and the back deck is decent if you like the view of the back of houses (this area also closes early) but there is realistically no reason why you would not go across the street to TITS. Weird people, strange staff do yourself a favor and avoid. Also, go elsewhere for trivia every bar in Boston does it.
(2)
Erik O.
I digg this place. i always feel like its going to student central, but each time i go, i am pleasantly surprised. the music selection is surprisingly eclectic, while still fun. The prices aren't outrageous, and the bouncers aren't that bad. The arcade basket ball is a nice touch. as well as the pattio. i have been there for two events where different areas have been rented out, for a few hours, and they do a good job.
(3)
Kerry M.
Nice in the summer.
(3)
Bronwen Y.
I'm a big fan of White Horse, especially for the Stump trivia that seems to happen every night. The drinks are super reasonable, and the newly revamped menu is delish -- a good step above regular bar fare. The bouncers are super picky about IDs... I went in recently with a friend who left her ID at home, and when she returned with it he made her show a credit card to prove it was really here. I don't think she'd have minded so much... if she wasn't 27 years old.
(5)
John S.
This is mainly for the pool tables (Boston Billiards List) 2 bar-room sized tables in the middle of this joint with plenty room around them to have a comfortable game. The sticks they do have are A-OK (hee-hee). Buck-fitty ($1.50) a game. A lot of quality pool players do come here. It's part of the APA Allston circuit. You will have to lay your quarter down and challenge the winners most likely. Sometimes you can find a free table. I don't drink, but I know people come here due to the sole fact that they serve ice-cold Budweiser in a bottle. May be a boon to you as well, to know this. Oh yeah, has an outdoor patio too.
(3)
S L.
I feel like the White Horse is a place most 20-somethings know about and have been. This place was jam packed on a Saturday night when I went (note: over a year ago) and most of the crowd was college kids. Go figure, it's Allston. Either way, if you're into crowded bars, cool. The server we had was wonderful, but I feel the layout was a little weird upon searching for the bathroom. Hint: Lots of college girls. Probably why I won't go back ... I tend to enjoy a more mature... uh... less screechy... crowd.
(3)
Corinna A.
As bars go, this is great. There are many large TVs, pool tables, trivia, etc. The food is variable: sometimes I've been there and the food's been great (like for Brunch on weekends especially; they seem to always get that right), and at other times, terrible (pizza with not enough cheese, and one olive per slice). The service is also variable, many times they are right on top of things, and often they seemingly forget about you, and it takes a long time to get served. They've also often gotten my order wrong, especially if I ask for substitutions. The bathrooms are fair, again it depends on how busy they are. It's hit or miss. I will say that I've never had a bad brunch experience there, and the TVs are great for watching sports.
(2)
Karlis B.
I'm upping my rating to 4 stars for these reasons: 1. Trivia 2. $6 steak tips on trivia night (Wednesday) 3. Being able to show up and just know that the sports game Iwanna see is on one of the MANY TVs in the place. The food here is par for the bar-food course: burgers, fries, nachos, steak and turkey tips and other entrees. It's all tasty enough, but I never come here with food as my priority. When it comes to drinks, stick with beer. They've just developed a new drink menu and we decided to try a couple. The Passion ($6) promised to be a great mix of tequila and fruit juice, but I wound up with a cup of ice water. A bit of advice: use a shaker and chill the drinks before they hit the glass. If I wanted a cup of ice, I would have walked to McDonald's and gotten one for a $1. My SO got the Brown Sugar Old Fashioned ($7.50), but was greeted with a glass of bourbon completely watered down, again, with ice. Just not worth their effort in making new drinks and not worth my money. I'll see ya for trivia, though!
(4)
Emily F.
I like this bar. I like the summer when the windows are open and all sorts of freaks and geeks come out to play Stump Trivia. I have NOT been on any day other than Thursday, so can't speak for those, but hey! Thursday night is $6 steak tips, and boy do i love steak and fries. Best bar ever? No. But it is by far not the worst in Boston.
(4)
Clara L.
It's alright in here. They have plenty of TVs in here for the football and basketball that goes on, enough to make any person with ADD go crazy. The two pool tables in the middle are usually busy with the local pool sharks, so it's hard to get a game in. The bartender was great about making sure we weren't ever thirsty, but the pitiful little brown wilted lime on my drink was not looking happy. Pretty big bar, makes for some fun people watching.
(3)
Peter R.
ok... pass though good for a bar crawl if there is one happening but not going to make my way there just to do it
(3)
Ileana S.
I came here on a Friday night around 1am. Bad idea. Only cause I was taken there. I wouldn't have chosen this bar to go to. Yes, they do carry one of my favorite beers on tap (Blue Moon) so I will give them that BUT overflowing with undergrads so really not for the over 25 crowd. Many screens to entertain you with...sports. I was able to catch a little bit of golf, basketball, and football. Awesome. Might be another story if they were playing Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and such...but no. Anyway, all this with the background of top 40, which is ok. The bathrooms were gross. Broken glass, toilet paper, paper towels. When was the last time someone peeked in there and cleaned up? bleh.
(1)
Chelsea P.
This is a "college scene" very late Friday and Saturday nights, but any other time it's a great place to go for some pool, hanging out with friends and after work drinks. The food isn't anything special, but pretty good for a quick bite to eat, better than just "bar food". They have good trivia too, but don't come on trivia night if you plan on having a conversation with friends and not participating in trivia. I'm a fan of Whitehorse, the bartenders are very nice :)
(4)
Maria M.
Definitely feels (and smells) like your usual college bar/ hang out. Had some after-dinner beers here with friends last night, and it was pretty empty, but we were there at 9 on a Saturday night- - I'm sure it gets busier later in the evening. Large space, pool tables, flat screen TVs - - nothing to call home about.
(3)
Lauren R.
I'm not a huge fan of this place. It's a bro bar that plays obnoxiously loud music, but some people are into that. But I just discovered they have a delightful little outdoor patio area in the back. I almost don't want anyone else to know about it. It's nice and shady, a perfect place to have a refreshing drink on a hot summer day. I think they restrict how many people can go out there, because it was never crowded on the night I was there. I will definitely be back to have another delicious mojito on the patio!
(3)
Ryan H.
Ahhhh white horse...so many bad memories. this place gets one star before you even get inside. I went here with my old roomate on his 24th birthday and the bouncer looked over his ID and said "this expires today we cant let you in here bro." roommate: uh are you kidding me? im from texas and its saturday i didnt get my id in the mail today. bouncer (with a big smile): sorry bro you could be trying to use a fake id on me. roommate: cmon BRO, im fucking 24 years old and i've been here 25 times before and i know you've checked my id before. Bouncer: sorry bro come back when you get a real id. we went back the next weekend and the same bouncer was at the door. roommate: remember me bro? bouncer: yeah bro you look familiar he took the id and black lighted it and looked at it from every different angle and finally bent it until the corners touched. roommate: why dont you just snap it in half bro so you dont have to let me in. at this point he checked my id and told my roommate he couldn't come in. pricks at the door to a bar full of pricks. stay away!
(1)
Jami K.
This is my review for the one time i came here. My friends and i came here on a Wednesday night because we heard that they do trivia night. We weren't really playing but the questions were challenging and interesting. We mainly came here to catch up. They were having $3 pints of harpoon which was great. We had a great time here cause the beer was cheap and it wasn't too crowded and we were able to play pool. I really like the size of this place as it is huge and has plenty of room. They have several tvs so we were able to watch the red sox game while we were playing and chatting.
(4)
Kevin T.
This bar isn't bad. They serve great beers on tap, I admit that their selection isn't as great as Sunset's, but there aren't too many places that are. The bartenders are pretty friendly, and they made an excellent recommendation for us. One of the bartenders made Mu and I the Allston Iced Tea...it's pretty darn good, can't really taste the alcohol. We came here for the New Year's eve party and we seriously wasn't expecting much because we paid $40 each for our tickets, which included drinks (and champagne), as well as free appetizers. This was a pretty darn good deal and we thought it was going to suck, but it turned out to be great. I loved the wings and the sandwiches were better than your average. They also had free pool tables going on and 2 full on bars. The place was packed (but not to a suffocating level). We had a great time there. Oh yeah, they supplied us with leis and noise makers...AWESOME!
(4)
Matt K.
I am somewhat surprised by the bad reviews this place is getting. This may be the exception and not the rule but when I went this past friday the crowd was ok (a bit frattish, but not bad) our bartender was incredibly nice and the nicer drafts were only $5. Not my favorite place, but nothing horrible either. Maybe I just had great luck?
(3)
Bryan R.
Oh wow, I got wrecked here back in the day. I think it's at least even odds that one of your friends will get kicked out of line for being too drunk by the time you get here.
(2)
Annette A.
It's pretty much and in-and-out stop on a Friday night. It's so crowded and hot that you don't want to stay for long. And there's no reason to either. You can barely get to the bar, let alone the bathroom, without having to cram yourself between a dozen drooling dudebros. There are better places to go. There is nothing special about the White Horse, no ambience, no vibe, nothing special.
(3)
Dave R.
Drinks are great and not watered down. great getting the tables by the open windows to feel the summer breeze. Would get a higher rating if the place wasn't so crowded on weekend nights. Overall a very decent experience.
(3)
Amy S.
I was supposed to be grabbing a drink in Allston recently and the person I was with suggested White Horse's patio. I thought to myself, "patio" is a very generous word for their large open windows, but okay. Well it turns out they have recently opened an actual PATIO which is behind the rest of the bar and it's actually pretty nice! There's even an extra bar out there. Well, White Horse, you have moved up a bit in coolness in my mind (at least for the summer anyway). I've never had food there and don't feel my life has been missing anything b/c of this, the bar itself is a typical college-age bar (although not as sweaty and crowded) which I could take or leave, but the outside patio definitely makes the White Horse Tavern a summer contender in Allston.
(3)
Ken M.
So, what bar cards at 12:30 in the afternoon when it is completely empty? A really shitty bar called White Horse Tavern, that's who. First, when we sat at our table, I unrolled my napkin and the silverware that rolled out was a. dirty, and b. so rusty it stained the napkin and I felt like I needed a teatanus shot after touching it. Second, we'd been helping our friend move, so I wanted to wash my hands before lunch. The bathroom smelled like a truck stop outhouse and one of the sinks was clogged. At 12:30pm. WTF. The food was pretty mediocre too. My "chicken panini" was bland and poorly constructed. The bigger fries were good, but the smaller ones tasted like they took a bath in saline. AND THE PLATE WAS DIRTY TOO! My friend's side of vegetables had way over sugared cranberries in it. Weird. Andy's fries were clearly the better part of the batch, they were all big and golden and well seasoned. Odder still was the really skinny employee who seemed to be all over the place, jumping up on bars and stuff. So weird.
(1)
Jennafir E.
What does one do on a Thursday's night in Allston? Drink? Yes. Eat? Yes. Play trivia? Hell yes. And that's just what you do at the White horse. Is it a good bar? Meh.... but the trivia, the trivia has me coming back week after week, and loving it even more. Now, is the food good? No, not really, but I've had worse and I'll eat it if I'm hungry. The drinks are pretty cheap, 5 dollar for well, which is unheard of in Boston. The beer can be pricey, but unless you want bad beer, pay for the extra. So the moral, get a great group of friends and head over, because I have never had a bad time here, even on a Saturday night.
(3)
Mon R.
your typical college boozer joint. This place is what it says it is, but the bartenders don't mix great drinks so don't expect much there. They have so many tvs, though, so you'll never miss a game.
(3)
Dave B.
I go there mainly for the pool tables. The regulars who play pool there are very cool and its fun to put a quarter on the table and shoot around with random people. The food isnt bad for bar food, the waitresses arent always on top of things...but then again im usually at the pool table so understood, i guess. The bartenders are solid...quick and wont ignore you while pretending to clean a glass. The whitehorse is great for football games on Sundays but for other sports it can be tough because they have each tv on a different channel. Even the NBA finals, i had to look for a tv that was playing the game, wtf?
(4)
casie m.
This review is mainly a review of White Horse's trivia, with some side info on the food. White Horse has Stump! trivia on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. When I lived in Brighton, White Horse is one of the many places I tried looking for a great trivia hang-out. White Horse is the kind of place where teams come every week, probably more than once a week, and have matching t-shirts with their team name - usually some witty, almost inappropriate name based on a current event. I was there during the Spitzer situation, and let's say those names were not family friendly. But it's a bar, so that's not a requirement. Personally, I do not like the Trivia Jockey here. While delivering materials to our table, he entered into a rant about how he would run the company, littered with swears.. Totally unprovoked. Maybe he was just having an off-day.. But I am a strong believer in jockey's with knowledge. If you are going to be a trivia jockey, you should look over the questions BEFORE you get there. Maybe have a general idea about the information. He was having a hard time reading the questions, couldn't pronounce things.. It made it hard to understand and to answer. Sigh. White Horse itself is really nice and they have a lot of cheap specials, which is always a plus. The food is pretty average, but there are a lot of TVs, good beer selection, and pool tables. I would give them less stars, but it's not their fault I didn't like the jockey...
(3)
Brendan M.
Three stars is just right for this place. Nothing great, but a fun summer bar with big open windows to the street that gets pretty packed. This is probably the most "normal" bar in Allston, since hipsters usually stay away and it's not exclusive to college kids. You get a mix of older students and young professionals, all of whom still enjoy getting trashed. I personally don't go here much, since it's a little too square for me. Bright lights and a bunch of TVs always on, this isn't really a spot to pick up birds and the dudes you have to deal with in the bar are douchey. I'd say hit White Horse on a summer night when it'll be poppin. Keep the expectations on a leash and you'll be fine.
(3)
Eric B.
The good: great food specials on certain nights, decent prices on beer and liquor, numerous HDTVs and a staff willing to put your game of choice on (one of the few places to carry the MLB package as well), great layout, nice pool tables, big windows that open up during the summer, a nice crowd of young professionals and graduate students with the occasional tipsy undergrad. The bad: drink service can be a little slow, food quality can be a little uneven (I've had burgers there that ranged from decent to bad). The ugly: most bartenders aren't all that friendly, and don't make that great of an effort to be attentive. I really don't get it, the crowd there doesn't seem like one that would wear a bartender down into an unfriendly stump of pseudo-adequate service.
(3)
Sandra C.
The only thing I tried so far are the $4 special of one pound buffalo wings this Sunday. I'm in love. $4 freaking dollars!! I was left satisfied, and I even took half of the meal home. It was delicious.
(4)
Chrissy H.
I'll have to start a new list for D-Bag bars of Boston... maybe its my fault. I should have known what I was getting myself into. I mean, what did I expect from "move- in day" in Allston? All I needed was a drink, food and a little conversation with my friend. Well, two out of three isn't bad I guess. Perhaps I'm getting old, but I couldn't hear myself think over WAAF blasting music in the corner and rowdy drunk college kids "toasting" every few minutes... oh, AND the game playing on every TV. Made conversation really tough on my vocal cords... not to mention, it was really hard to tear the 3 bartenders' attention away from the TV to get another beer. Plus, they messed up my friends To-Go salad order. It's not that hard, chicken Cesar salad... HOWEVER- I was so pleased to get my UFO drafts for $3 AND a big juicy burger, with all the fixings, on a nice toasted bun, with Fries for only $4. Yeah, apparently its a Monday/Tuesday special. Eat in only with a 1 drink minimum. You can also choose from a pound of wings or a grilled chicken sandwich and fries which was also quite large and my friend enjoyed. Will I be back? Only if I need a drink on a Monday or Tuesday and I am really broke.
(3)
Calli C.
I try to avoid Allston for the exact reason which the White Horse exemplifies - at best its a ho-hum sports bar, at worst it's jam-packed with yah-doods and those omigod girls (you know, the ones who are constantly squealing, "OmiGAWD!"), mediocre drinks and service. I've been here on a few weekend nights where it was packed and impossible to get served. I said I would never go back. Yet, this past weekend I was there during the afternoon to have some beers and catch up with some friends. I was early and sat at the bar and got some attitude from the bartender because I wasn't a drunk fratboy ordering a bud lite pitcher. My friend showed, we had some more beers, I had a burger which was actually pretty good. During the day, when no one else is around and they have the front windows open, you can almost pretend you're not in Allston.
(2)
Christopher T.
There are some good things and some bad things. The food is alright when it comes to bar food. Nachos, burgers, and steak tips all do there job just fine in filling me up. Not the best in the world. I usually order the beer of the month to keep my bill down, but last month the "beer of the month" was vodka? Stupid. I avoid the bar most nights because it's a total bro hang out. The one redeeming saviour of the bar is Will, the trivia guy. He's awesome. I've done Stump Trivia in a couple of bars and Will is the best. His music selection always makes me happy and I love chatting with him before, in between questions and after trivia. God save Will the thrill!
(3)
Kate T.
Good solid burger and beer joint. Also a choice al-fresco find in an area that lacks lots of outside dining venues. Service is a little slow but the beer is fresh and the food is hot. Worth a pop-in if you're in the area. One gripe: While I was in the restaurant was short-staffed and the waitress was complaining about the other servers being lazy. Not sure if that's a one-time thing or not but you might want to be prepared to wait for your food and drink.
(3)
Jeremy K.
The place has little atmosphere and isn't worth going too really. If it weren't for the fact that when I went there, their bar tender was very knowledgeable and mixed me a perfect Manhattan, I don't think that I would have ever returned there... Really. Sure they have televisions with multiple games on them and that's always a plus but honestly, who doesn't have that? The place was expensive and although parking is easy to find, I'd rather much head over the Sunset for a much nicer experience. It's a decent place to grab a quick drink with a buddy and talk since the music isn't too loud and if you want to grab a table with friends and just sit back and relax, but if you want more than that, then your in the wrong place.
(2)
Hana C.
My friends just moved to Boston and this place was right around the corner from them and had a TV. After a long day of flying and running errands we decided to stop by here. My friend and I just wanted food. Her husband wanted to watch the game...those were the requirements. We all got things off the $4 menu. Cheeseburger, chicken burger, & 1 pound of wings. At one point I couldn't tell if it tasted good because it was or because I was starving. I really liked the buffalo wings. The cheeseburger was huge so at least they don't skimp on the serving size. The only thing I didn't like was the almost eternal wait for service......
(3)
Lu W.
Trivia night was terrible. Preppiest crowd EVAR! I ordered a whiskey and coke that tasted like coke, sent it back, and got one that tasted even less alcoholic. The waitress kindly informed me that it was "gonna taste the same", before spilling it on my phone, which needed some airing out time before it functioned again. The people next to us ordered a pizza that the waiter dropped on the ground and never returned to clean up. Nice. Good location, but (not to be elitist) the weak drinks and boring crowd are not not worth the price.
(2)
Matt E.
I've only been here once and didn't stay too long but the place is impressively massive, with two huge bars, a couple pool tables, a ton of LCDs playing sports, and is pretty bright and clean. The people here were young and slightly annoying (mostly college kids from what I hear) and I can't attest to the bar food but I'm sure it's about average. The cocktails weren't that good so I stuck to beer. The White Horse is ok if you're in the area and want a little eye candy or to check out the game but it's nothing special.
(3)
Justin B.
Good place to see some bro's icing bro's. Very young crowd on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights. Question to the bouncers, if you take your job so seriously and need to fold, bend, and swab my ID to prove with out a doubt that I am plenty old enough to get in, then why are half of the people inside 19? You guys better check yourselves before you wreck yourselves. With that said, some of the food deals are pretty good although the quality of the food itself is at times lacking. There are plenty of TVs and when it is not overly crowded it is a semi good place to watch a game.
(2)
Dana W.
Last night was my first experience at White Horse and I don't think I'll be going back. The selection of beer and food was decent, the bar and tables were clean and the prices weren't too outrageous but I was sorely disappointed by the staff. Our server failed to come to the table after 10 minutes so we went to the bar to purchase a drink and almost instantly the server randomly appeared and told us he "didn't want to be crass" but we were taking up his section and if we were just going to order from the bar we needed to leave his table. So we intended to order refills and some food from him... but he never came back! We were then reprimanded for exiting the building even though we had just been told it was ok. Overall I'm sure there are bars out there that have friendlier staff that I would be much more inclined to frequent.
(2)
Matt T.
I've been going to the White Horse for years now, and have gotten to the point where I recognize most of the faces as they haven't changed over the years. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. I would recommend sitting at the bar regardless of whether you're eatting or drinking. The one consistent factor is that the waiting staff is pretty terrible. I've had a wide range of waiters there and no has done a very exceptional job, and the service always seems to be a bit slower than it should. Not the case at the bar, these guys are generally on the ball and have good memories for customers week to week. There are a couple I don't get along with (Red Flag for dudes with forearm band tattoos), but overall they make the place go in my opinion. I really like how they switch up the beer special, even though it's generally high life or Busch Light, but they throw in great wild cards sometimes like UFO or Magic Hat #9. The daily beer specials and the $4 burgers Sun-Tues are the main reasons to head over. I would advise you to avoid trivia which for some reason occurs every Weds, Thurs & Sunday, hosted by the same guy every time who has amongst the worst taste in music I have ever heard. Now, if you're a 17 year old female in high school who hasn't gotten quite comfortable with yourself or a dance machine, then this may better suite your needs, but I'm still more living in the past of the 90s, so I pretty much want to squeeze lime in my eye. Take that as you will. I have no problem with how Trivia is run, I just think they're trying to make me want to wear an Ed Hardy shirt and blow out my hair. Overall, White Horse is your average younger crowed bar. Not geared much towards hipsters, so you'll find mostly BU/BC kids in there, but it's worth your time for the deals.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Late Night Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Music : Juke Box Good For Dancing : Yes Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : No Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat Coat Check : No Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Erik O.
I digg this place. i always feel like its going to student central, but each time i go, i am pleasantly surprised. the music selection is surprisingly eclectic, while still fun. The prices aren't outrageous, and the bouncers aren't that bad. The arcade basket ball is a nice touch. as well as the pattio. i have been there for two events where different areas have been rented out, for a few hours, and they do a good job.
(3)Kerry M.
Nice in the summer.
(3)John S.
This is mainly for the pool tables (Boston Billiards List) 2 bar-room sized tables in the middle of this joint with plenty room around them to have a comfortable game. The sticks they do have are A-OK (hee-hee). Buck-fitty ($1.50) a game. A lot of quality pool players do come here. It's part of the APA Allston circuit. You will have to lay your quarter down and challenge the winners most likely. Sometimes you can find a free table. I don't drink, but I know people come here due to the sole fact that they serve ice-cold Budweiser in a bottle. May be a boon to you as well, to know this. Oh yeah, has an outdoor patio too.
(3)S L.
I feel like the White Horse is a place most 20-somethings know about and have been. This place was jam packed on a Saturday night when I went (note: over a year ago) and most of the crowd was college kids. Go figure, it's Allston. Either way, if you're into crowded bars, cool. The server we had was wonderful, but I feel the layout was a little weird upon searching for the bathroom. Hint: Lots of college girls. Probably why I won't go back ... I tend to enjoy a more mature... uh... less screechy... crowd.
(3)Brittany P.
Got stuck here for a while and couldn't have been happier! My bartender Trevor was very attentive and on top of all the other customers at the bar and lounge. Being a bartender myself, I can appreciate good service. Food was good, but to me, service makes or breaks an establishment. Great job Trevor, your business is lucky to have someone like you!
(5)Lisa O.
There are a few things about White Horse that are awesome: - Those big open windows - HIDDEN BACK PATIO - Cheap yummy burger - Consistency in mediocrity The White Horse is one of those places that doesn't inspire special trips, but I always end up there because it's convenient and it doesn't totally suck. It's an easy place to hang out during the off hours, and a nice place to sip a beer, especially now that there's that awesome patio. Bonus: There was an awesome creeper here on Friday night who looked like the bastard lovechild of Chris Kattan and Ewan McGregor. And he had a mullet. You can't make that shit up.
(3)Calvin F.
I went there with a buddy for Trivia on Thursday night. The place is fine inside, nothing great but not bad. We had the $7 steak tips and fries, which were fine but also great since they were $7. DO NOT GO HERE FOR STUPID GEEKS WHO DRINK TRIVIA Tavern in the Square has Stump trivia, which I guess White Horse left in favor of GWD. Go there instead for trivia. It's an incredibly boring format at White Horse, the questions are too fast, and they are all almost the same 8-answer format. Also,it was all 80s and 90s knowledge, even when the crowd was younger. No real sports, barely any science, old pop culture, boring. Stump is so much better and I can't wait until GWD is gone. I'd go back for non-trivia I guess, although it'd probably require many friends asking me to because the food and drink was just average, although I guess the prices were better than average. Whatever.
(3)Christina Z.
White Horse and I have a tantalizing, maddening, fascinating history that I cannot reveal here. The last time I was there, however, I can reveal that my now boyfriend thought I was imbibing a bit too zealously and poured my blueberry beer (bluebs and all) down the bar drain. "You're no Prince Charming," I scoffed. A bit of fairy tale humor, you dig? I genuinely like this place. I went a lot during college. The amaretto sours I sucked down like candy. Okay, I am a sloppy drunky girl. Something about their Guinness tastes better than the pack. The beer menu bears no surprises. A classic blue moon can go a long way (as can red-headed sluts shots... what?). Never mind. Never mind what you drink here. It's an exceptional people watching mecca, packed to the brim with hipsters, wannabees, and girls clad in frayed minis and uggies alike. It's a catch-all, United Nations kind of joint. There is pool. And big TVs. And fun decorations!!! And excellent trivia! We came in first one time. My shining contribution was recognizing ALL of TV's most famous butlers and maids! Secret special super bonus: the back patio! Even in November, I was toasty right down to my very intoxicated heart. And the bathroom always has someone you know and wish you didn't know/see you. Alas, life is awkward, and White Horse is a very microcosm of this life. PS: They always have someone trying to get you to sign up for something to get a zippo lighter. WOMAN, leave me be!
(5)Valissa W.
Dear White Horse, I love you. ....There, I said it! So much time has passed since our initial encounter on that hot summer day when you wooed me with your icy cold Magner's. That smooth taste of our first embrace is still fresh in my memory, and we've shared so many great times since. White Horse, I'll confess. I had mixed feelings about you at first. I thought you were a player; the kind of bar that would bring in popped collars and trixies that wouldn't get along with an ornery artsy gal like me. That's when I started to notice your colorful, tattooed, fun-loving staff. And your delish menu certainly doesn't hurt ($4 burgers and fries!). Perhaps you weren't so hoity-toity after all.... Obviously you won me over. What is it about you, White Horse, that just keeps bringing me back for more? Your trivia drives me nuts, but in the same way any lover's quirks might. I still hate half the people that come to see you. And I never did learn how to play pool. Yet there's something about you I can't seem to get enough of! Whatever it is, White Horse, you are my Allston go-to, and I will love you and your Magner's forever and ever. Sincerely yours, V
(4)Jas L.
this is an adequate, if not overly hyped establishment. The major problem here is the lack of service at the bar; its ultra slow. do not each here, as the food is below par, and thus its just a drinking hole. I really urge you only to drink here. it gets really busy with young college students who get slammed and cant control themselves. at 30 i can relate, but come on... cool it and sober up a bit.
(3)Katherine D.
This place is a solid 3. I begrudgingly frequented the White Horse in college. Even then I was not into rooms filled with pink polo, backwards hat wearing douches. If you're headed her on T, F, Sa during the school year that is what you're going to find. I returned last Sunday for trivia however, and had a great time. The trivia is "Stump" trivia which rarely fails to please. The patio was open and cute with christmas tree lights strung through the space. The big windows were open and a lovely breeze was coming through. Our server was attentive and friendly (a first for me here at this establishment). Here were the two big perks: 1. minimal amounts of douches since the kiddies are out on summer vacation 2. $5 Well mixed drinks, anything with vodka, rum or gin! Since my go-to mixed drink at a place without a nice refined cocktail list is a vodka soda I really took advantage of that deal. That being said, there was a drawback: We got food and it was pretty bad. Truffle fries came out doused in parmesan and the truffle oil (im guessing the chemical flavor of truffle) was added only to ketchup and im not a ketchup girl. Grilled cheese and tomato bisque was also pretty sad. I will likely be back, but only in the summer, and mostly for the $5 mixed drinks.
(3)Sue N.
I used to come here on Sunday mornings to watch football games with my friends. It was always laid back, not too crowded. It was really nice when they opened the floor to ceiling window and let in all the warm scrumptious sunlight! Get this: Cooperstown wings. The best wings I've ever had! The waitresses were always friendly and happy.
(4)Robert H.
First time we has ever been there, Saturday 7/11/09, noon. WAITRESS: Tall, odd build, first drink took too long to arrive since place was mostly empty, second drink took too long also as mug had cobwebs in it before she noticed. SCORE 2 DRAFT BEER SEECTION: Not bad. SCORE 3.5 AMBIENCE: Funky, open window deal, lots of Allston girl eye candy walking by. SCORE 3.5 FOOD: Wife, southwest burger, son, chicken wrap, me, steak tips sandwich. Mine came on french gread, meat was good quality, and plenty of it. SCORE 4
(4)Cheryl V.
I went back to Boston recently to visit the old alma mater, and had brought my husband along. I had gone to the White Horse before this trip, and thought it could be fun to go again, since I was familiar with the area and it was an easy couple of T-stops away. BAD IDEA! Sure, we went on a night of a Stanley cup final, but it was a Monday night and I've definitely gone when it's been busier. But, service was soooo slow. We got our drinks twenty minutes after sitting down, and our waitress didn't come back until more than an hour after that, even though we kept flagging other waitresses down (who said they would find our waitress). We were so hungry that we just decided to leave cash and head out for food. Luckily, the Bruins were already up 4-0, that we didn't need to watch the game anymore I know it was an exciting night for everyone, but we wanted to order food!!!!! Don't do this, White Horse! I'm not sure if our waitress was new or was distracted (because the whole time, she just stood by the bar talking with another waitress), but I now know better!
(1)Augustus H.
I've been going to this bar for two years because of the $1.50 pool tables that are always busy at night, good competition for a young aspiring pool player. The food was never good... so I stopped ordering it. The beer, well it's beer, (crappy selection) but it's always served by a bartender who looks like he wishes you didn't exist. And, in spite of the good competition, the pool tables are tiny, and riddled with strange dips and bumps my friends and I have labeled "gravity wells". (Not to mention a support beam next to one table that renders many easy shots impossible, I call it "poley"). But yesterday, yes MARATHON MONDAY, after two years of expensive patronage, they crossed a line. After carding me, and passing the id around to people WHO HAVE SERVED ME BEFORE, told me to "get lost" because "it's a fake id." It was actually a brand new (and had been accepted at this bar upwards of 10 times since I received it), honest to god Maine ID, issued by the Maine Department of Motor Vehicles. I didn't have my phone on me, and they politely declined my request to use their phone to call the police so that I could get my REAL ID back, telling me very nicely that "I would get in a lot of trouble, it's a fake." No, no it's not. I walked an hour back to my house in Brookline, walked an hour back to the bar in Allston, and had the police return me my id so I could go have a much needed beer at Big City. Guess what, White Horse. My friend is a bartender and my uncle is a practicing lawyer in Boston. My friend tells me anyone who's taken a TIPS certification course (from the quality of your service, I'm probably dealing people who don't know any better..) knows it is illegal to confiscate an ID. Especially if it's real. I'll do the math on my end, and if it's feasible for me to go after you, and earn back the time I lost because of your stupidity (I'm a private chef, my time is worth fifty dollars an hour to my current employer) you can bet I'll be knocking on your door in a couple of days, and not for a drink served by an uneducated and unprofessional bar-tender.
(1)Jenn S.
I used to go to White Horse all the time when I lived around the corner. I hadn't been back in years until we went last night for trivia. Although the Stump website said trivia started at 7, it didn't start until 7:30, so we had some time to kill. The waitress was very attentive and helpful - she gave us an extra table and turned the tables around for the best possible seating. She kept coming by to see if we needed anything. Great service (although she disappeared for a while right when I needed a drink refill). I got a cheeseburger and fries - not the most amazing burger & fries but good. My friends each did the $6 steak tip special and all enjoyed it. The trivia DJ - Will, I think? - was very good, as other people on here have said. You can tell he enjoys what he's doing, although at times it was hard to understand what he was saying. The music was extremely loud, so I think maybe his mic was too and that made it hard to hear him. They turned the music down at one point, but it didn't make much of a difference. They've added a whole extra bar area since I was here last, making it a much bigger location. It's a great place to grab a drink with friends, peruse the college-age eye candy if you want and/or watch a game. The beer and liquor selection is decent and pretty reasonably priced. I would definitely go back for trivia & dinner, but not necessarily just for dinner or drinks.
(3)Logan J.
some of my friends really like this place, but i just dont see the appeal. im sure that with the right crowd, you can have a good time at this place, but ive been here a few different times and was never really impressed. in general, the place is a typical boston bar--dimly lit, young crowd, decent drinks...but not much else. ive been here a few times with friends for trivia nights though, which can be fun with friends on a random weekday. i think like they really try to promote the trivia, and they actually do a pretty good job--lots of participants, clear rules, etc. for me, the trivia is the only thing that gives this place three stars, otherwise, there are usually other places id rather be. ill come back here for a drink with friends if they suggest it, but its not someplace im eager to return. its never a bad time...just dont expect anything too extraordinary.
(3)Dara C.
Maybe I'm angry because I'm watching my fantasy team experience a hemorrhage that not even Hugh Laurie's disarming smile could fix. Maybe I'm just feeling indigestion from the twelve pity-wings I consumed since 4 pm. Or maybe I just don't get it. There is zero appeal to the White Horse Tavern, other than the fact that it serves beer. The crowd sucks, a mixture of yah dudes in blue button-downs dipped in Abercrombie Statutory cologne, and 17-year-old Woo Girls in Training. The music can be terrible. When was the last time you heard "Back That Ass Up" in a setting completely devoid of irony? I do suppose that watering holes/humpfests like White Horse Tavern must exist, though. As the great philosopher Barney Stinson said, if there were no Woo Girls, tiny cowboy hats would only be worn by tiny cowboys.
(2)Christine K.
My friends and I used to really enjoy White Horse. There have been some good trivia nights, other fun, memorable gatherings... But I have to say that the new menu and other new changes have made me change my mind about wanting to come here. Let me just say, right off the bat, that White Horse has good service, cheap pool tables, fairly cheap drinks, trivia, and a photobooth. All good things. But their beer list is very limited... Also, with their steak tips, the entree only comes with mash potatoes now, which weren't very good in the first place. It no longer comes with asparagus. And the absolute deal breaker is that they no longer serve...poutine. It's gone. Poutine is gone from their menu... Why. Why would you do such a thing? Poutine was the best thing you guys had going for you. So I'm sorry, but no poutine, and no vegetables makes me really not want to go there anymore. Plus, I think you guys really need more drinks and seasonal drink menus. Or any kind of drink menu would be nice. I think it's a waste of time for servers to have to list all the beers you have. Just a thought.
(2)Bronwen Y.
I'm a big fan of White Horse, especially for the Stump trivia that seems to happen every night. The drinks are super reasonable, and the newly revamped menu is delish -- a good step above regular bar fare. The bouncers are super picky about IDs... I went in recently with a friend who left her ID at home, and when she returned with it he made her show a credit card to prove it was really here. I don't think she'd have minded so much... if she wasn't 27 years old.
(5)Justine B.
My boyfriend and I seriously WANTED to like this place, but alas - service when it was DEAD on a Saturday afternoon was still terrible! Some places have waitstaff with superiority complexes, but the two servers working at 2/3pm on Saturday seemed perfectly pleasant. However, this was not a saving grace for the lack of attention we received from the servers. We set out on a mission to get lunch by some large open windows - White Horse, perfect, right? Not really. We walked through the entrance, hovered near the sandwich board of specials looking for someone to seat us? Acknowledge us? ..Then wandered around in the most awkward and hopefully obvious manner to 3 separate empty tables before we sat at one we liked, next to a high top of other women. It was another 10-15 minutes (mind you, there were 5 other tables of patrons, max, on this Sat. afternoon) before Waitress 1 brought over menus for the two of us. One had a globule of unknown food on it, so she picked it up and pleasantly offered to grab us a fresh menu after we gave her our drink orders for a Wachusett blueberry beer and a Coke. Waitress 2 brought over our drinks and asked if we needed anything else. Thinking (foolishly) we were waiting for Waitress 1 for that second menu, as well as keeping our food order to the same person we gave our drink order to, we told #2 we were all set. Our original waitress never returned, with a clean menu, nor to take our food order. We watched while some other poor sap stood expectantly at the entrance near that same sandwich board, while our Waitress #2 stood clueless at the back of the bar counter, facing in his direct direction. A few minutes later, we saw this guy hit the pavement, departing with his young son, with no acknowledgement of his existence. Debating whether we should start waving our arms in the air S.O.S.-style, or ask for the check, Waitress #2 comes over to our section, but not to ask whether we need anything, but to wipe down the table next to us, placing the flatware/napkin teepees *just* so, arranging the salt shaker *just* so--all the while I'm turned 180 degrees in my chair with a big fake smile on my face. Clueless. I asked her whether we could put a food order in. She took our order for 2 burgers, and the food came out within a reasonable time. I think my boyfriend was so disheartened with the service, he didn't have the heart to finish his burger. They came on challah rolls, which were not very fresh/soft. Everything was hot, but my boyfriend likened the burgers to frozen patties. Not spectacular. 2 stars for getting to sit near the window on a nice day. I don't think we'll be back, even if we wanted to drink our faces off, which seems to be the White Horse's intended purpose, although it would baffle me as to how anyone gets any orders with such a clueless waitstaff.
(2)Jeff D.
They get a four star for two reasons. First and most important, when our crowd of NC State grads calls ahead and asks to watch a football game on a Saturday afternoon it's usually on when we arrive. If it's not, I simply walk over and ask and they'll put it on the TVs in the corner where we are sitting. This sounds like a little thing, but considering our horrid experiences with this at the Sports Depot, this little thing goes a long way towards happy customers. 2. Good service. Our waitresses have always been good at keeping our beers full. The food can be a bit slow, but so long as the beers are topped off this is not a huge concern. Haven't been to the White Horse for an evening of drinking in a very long time, but I'm sure not much has changed since I have. It's a good solid, college bar.
(4)Rebecca D.
Really great space, the outdoor patio is beautiful, lots of natural air flow during the spring/summer time and there are lots of pool tables to take advantage of. but the place could do better with its service. Our waiter appeared to know what he was doing at first, but after he failed to bring out 4 waters (as promised when we first sat down) and then brought out our nacho appetizer DURING the main meal, things went south pretty quick. our table decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and agreed that to make so many mindless mistakes, he must be relatively new to the scene. The food was filling and each of us left satisfied. They also have 2/75 miller high life- for the budget monster in me...this was a great find on their beer list. Overall, really liked the space, the food, and the atmosphere. Would definitely come back...!
(3)Joseph L.
White Horse Tavern is a true gem out here in Allston. Typically I'm more of a Newbury or Boylston street kind of guy, but I have a blast every time I make my way out here. The food was definitely better than your average selection of "pub food," and the prices were very reasonable. Now when it came to the drinks? The prices were very, VERY reasonable. Going back to saying I like to hang out on Newbury street, when I come to White Horse and get the same Ketel One and tonic for only $6, how could I possibly complain? The clientele is generally early to mid-twenties, and I've found them on average to be better looking than some of the "divier bars" in the area. The bouncers were all friendly, as were the bartenders. The management even went out of their way to take care of my friends and I, who were there to celebrate a birthday. All in all, I give White Horse Tavern five stars and recommend it to anyone who wants to party, shoot pool, or even just watch a sports game in Allston!
(5)Dorise G.
top notch trivia, holy crap they have poutine? call me "regular"
(4)Josh E.
The bouncers here are a joke. Because of their incredible lameness I am never going back to this below average bar. They are incredibly rude and take forever while looking at an ID. The sad part is that underage people still get into White Horse all the time! Hey bouncers: You are a jerk AND you suck at your job! They have 5 bouncers working the door of a bar that has 15 people in it. Thats probably because the bouncers they have suck at their job so they need 5 people to do the work of 1. Everytime I come here someone in my group gets kicked out with no explanation. This is the only bar I've ever been kicked out of in my life, so what does that say about this place and its bouncers? If the secret service wannabes let you in, you'll find that White Horse has a poor beer selection and it takes them forever to get you a drink. The one upside is pool tables, but if you want that go to Big City because they have way more tables, better beer, and no losers at the door pretending to be tough.
(1)G G.
I would rather be sodomized by a lion than set foot in this hellhole ever again
(1)Paul S.
This bar/restaurant is pretty terrible. I tried to go on a Saturday night around 7pm for dinner and drinks. The place wasn't very busy. So, I sat down at the bar with my friend, and we waited 10 minutes to get any acknowledgement from the bartenders to order our drinks. Then we asked for a menu for food and then we didn't get another interaction with any of the staff for 30 minutes. They didn't ask if we wanted more drinks, food, anything. I definitely won't be going there again. There are so many better places around this area of town- you should go somewhere else. Such as the Sunset Grill which is two doors down, which is my favorite, but can get super packed sometimes.
(1)Ashley B.
I loved around the Allston/Brighton area for a while and after I turned 21, I pretty much fell in love with the White Horse Tavern. I really love the atmosphere and I went quite a few times when the World Cup was on, it was such a fun environment, I could not get enough of it. Whenever my friends and I wanted to chill and have drinks, we would go to the White Horse. I never went to play pool, it seemed the tables were always taken, but it was fun to sit at a table and chat and drink with my friends. We would some times go late and on slow nights and the bartenders were pretty nice. My only complaint about the White Horse is the service. I don't know if they are short on wait staff or what, but it doesn't matter if it's the slowest night in the world or if it's the fullest and craziest night, there seems to be NO ONE THERE! Waiting for a server to come back is scary. I suggest that as soon as you sit down you figure out what you want because Lord knows when that waiter is coming back! Other than that, I love it, good drinks (beer and cocktails) and a fun atmosphere at a reasonable price.
(4)sharon h.
REVIEW for DRINKS ONLY: Lived in Allston for a while and been here before on a few occasions. Their new Patio is AWESOME!! Great for ambiance and nicely spaced. Having the choice just makes this watering hole THAT much better. On previous occasions I've had a good time even when it's busy it's still a great place to grab a drink. Reasonably priced and great open layout for mobility.
(5)Jonathan Y.
I really like this bar. I tend to go Friday nights after work to grab a couple of drinks and dinner. Usually it's a pretty chill atmosphere that doesn't get too loud. Lately there has been a guy playing the guitar that has made talking next to impossible and the menu isn't as good as it use to be. The ham sandwich isn't very good at all. But we always go back because the bartenders are cool and the location is perfect for us.
(4)Ryan M.
Probably my least favorite bar in Allston/Brighton not named the Draft, this place was a lot of fun while TITS was under construction and has been horrific since then. You can play pool here if you are really desperate and forgot that Big City was down the road and the back deck is decent if you like the view of the back of houses (this area also closes early) but there is realistically no reason why you would not go across the street to TITS. Weird people, strange staff do yourself a favor and avoid. Also, go elsewhere for trivia every bar in Boston does it.
(2)Corinna A.
As bars go, this is great. There are many large TVs, pool tables, trivia, etc. The food is variable: sometimes I've been there and the food's been great (like for Brunch on weekends especially; they seem to always get that right), and at other times, terrible (pizza with not enough cheese, and one olive per slice). The service is also variable, many times they are right on top of things, and often they seemingly forget about you, and it takes a long time to get served. They've also often gotten my order wrong, especially if I ask for substitutions. The bathrooms are fair, again it depends on how busy they are. It's hit or miss. I will say that I've never had a bad brunch experience there, and the TVs are great for watching sports.
(2)Karlis B.
I'm upping my rating to 4 stars for these reasons: 1. Trivia 2. $6 steak tips on trivia night (Wednesday) 3. Being able to show up and just know that the sports game Iwanna see is on one of the MANY TVs in the place. The food here is par for the bar-food course: burgers, fries, nachos, steak and turkey tips and other entrees. It's all tasty enough, but I never come here with food as my priority. When it comes to drinks, stick with beer. They've just developed a new drink menu and we decided to try a couple. The Passion ($6) promised to be a great mix of tequila and fruit juice, but I wound up with a cup of ice water. A bit of advice: use a shaker and chill the drinks before they hit the glass. If I wanted a cup of ice, I would have walked to McDonald's and gotten one for a $1. My SO got the Brown Sugar Old Fashioned ($7.50), but was greeted with a glass of bourbon completely watered down, again, with ice. Just not worth their effort in making new drinks and not worth my money. I'll see ya for trivia, though!
(4)Emily F.
I like this bar. I like the summer when the windows are open and all sorts of freaks and geeks come out to play Stump Trivia. I have NOT been on any day other than Thursday, so can't speak for those, but hey! Thursday night is $6 steak tips, and boy do i love steak and fries. Best bar ever? No. But it is by far not the worst in Boston.
(4)Clara L.
It's alright in here. They have plenty of TVs in here for the football and basketball that goes on, enough to make any person with ADD go crazy. The two pool tables in the middle are usually busy with the local pool sharks, so it's hard to get a game in. The bartender was great about making sure we weren't ever thirsty, but the pitiful little brown wilted lime on my drink was not looking happy. Pretty big bar, makes for some fun people watching.
(3)Peter R.
ok... pass though good for a bar crawl if there is one happening but not going to make my way there just to do it
(3)Ileana S.
I came here on a Friday night around 1am. Bad idea. Only cause I was taken there. I wouldn't have chosen this bar to go to. Yes, they do carry one of my favorite beers on tap (Blue Moon) so I will give them that BUT overflowing with undergrads so really not for the over 25 crowd. Many screens to entertain you with...sports. I was able to catch a little bit of golf, basketball, and football. Awesome. Might be another story if they were playing Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and such...but no. Anyway, all this with the background of top 40, which is ok. The bathrooms were gross. Broken glass, toilet paper, paper towels. When was the last time someone peeked in there and cleaned up? bleh.
(1)Chelsea P.
This is a "college scene" very late Friday and Saturday nights, but any other time it's a great place to go for some pool, hanging out with friends and after work drinks. The food isn't anything special, but pretty good for a quick bite to eat, better than just "bar food". They have good trivia too, but don't come on trivia night if you plan on having a conversation with friends and not participating in trivia. I'm a fan of Whitehorse, the bartenders are very nice :)
(4)Maria M.
Definitely feels (and smells) like your usual college bar/ hang out. Had some after-dinner beers here with friends last night, and it was pretty empty, but we were there at 9 on a Saturday night- - I'm sure it gets busier later in the evening. Large space, pool tables, flat screen TVs - - nothing to call home about.
(3)Lauren R.
I'm not a huge fan of this place. It's a bro bar that plays obnoxiously loud music, but some people are into that. But I just discovered they have a delightful little outdoor patio area in the back. I almost don't want anyone else to know about it. It's nice and shady, a perfect place to have a refreshing drink on a hot summer day. I think they restrict how many people can go out there, because it was never crowded on the night I was there. I will definitely be back to have another delicious mojito on the patio!
(3)Ryan H.
Ahhhh white horse...so many bad memories. this place gets one star before you even get inside. I went here with my old roomate on his 24th birthday and the bouncer looked over his ID and said "this expires today we cant let you in here bro." roommate: uh are you kidding me? im from texas and its saturday i didnt get my id in the mail today. bouncer (with a big smile): sorry bro you could be trying to use a fake id on me. roommate: cmon BRO, im fucking 24 years old and i've been here 25 times before and i know you've checked my id before. Bouncer: sorry bro come back when you get a real id. we went back the next weekend and the same bouncer was at the door. roommate: remember me bro? bouncer: yeah bro you look familiar he took the id and black lighted it and looked at it from every different angle and finally bent it until the corners touched. roommate: why dont you just snap it in half bro so you dont have to let me in. at this point he checked my id and told my roommate he couldn't come in. pricks at the door to a bar full of pricks. stay away!
(1)Jami K.
This is my review for the one time i came here. My friends and i came here on a Wednesday night because we heard that they do trivia night. We weren't really playing but the questions were challenging and interesting. We mainly came here to catch up. They were having $3 pints of harpoon which was great. We had a great time here cause the beer was cheap and it wasn't too crowded and we were able to play pool. I really like the size of this place as it is huge and has plenty of room. They have several tvs so we were able to watch the red sox game while we were playing and chatting.
(4)Kevin T.
This bar isn't bad. They serve great beers on tap, I admit that their selection isn't as great as Sunset's, but there aren't too many places that are. The bartenders are pretty friendly, and they made an excellent recommendation for us. One of the bartenders made Mu and I the Allston Iced Tea...it's pretty darn good, can't really taste the alcohol. We came here for the New Year's eve party and we seriously wasn't expecting much because we paid $40 each for our tickets, which included drinks (and champagne), as well as free appetizers. This was a pretty darn good deal and we thought it was going to suck, but it turned out to be great. I loved the wings and the sandwiches were better than your average. They also had free pool tables going on and 2 full on bars. The place was packed (but not to a suffocating level). We had a great time there. Oh yeah, they supplied us with leis and noise makers...AWESOME!
(4)Matt K.
I am somewhat surprised by the bad reviews this place is getting. This may be the exception and not the rule but when I went this past friday the crowd was ok (a bit frattish, but not bad) our bartender was incredibly nice and the nicer drafts were only $5. Not my favorite place, but nothing horrible either. Maybe I just had great luck?
(3)Bryan R.
Oh wow, I got wrecked here back in the day. I think it's at least even odds that one of your friends will get kicked out of line for being too drunk by the time you get here.
(2)Annette A.
It's pretty much and in-and-out stop on a Friday night. It's so crowded and hot that you don't want to stay for long. And there's no reason to either. You can barely get to the bar, let alone the bathroom, without having to cram yourself between a dozen drooling dudebros. There are better places to go. There is nothing special about the White Horse, no ambience, no vibe, nothing special.
(3)Dave R.
Drinks are great and not watered down. great getting the tables by the open windows to feel the summer breeze. Would get a higher rating if the place wasn't so crowded on weekend nights. Overall a very decent experience.
(3)Amy S.
I was supposed to be grabbing a drink in Allston recently and the person I was with suggested White Horse's patio. I thought to myself, "patio" is a very generous word for their large open windows, but okay. Well it turns out they have recently opened an actual PATIO which is behind the rest of the bar and it's actually pretty nice! There's even an extra bar out there. Well, White Horse, you have moved up a bit in coolness in my mind (at least for the summer anyway). I've never had food there and don't feel my life has been missing anything b/c of this, the bar itself is a typical college-age bar (although not as sweaty and crowded) which I could take or leave, but the outside patio definitely makes the White Horse Tavern a summer contender in Allston.
(3)Ken M.
So, what bar cards at 12:30 in the afternoon when it is completely empty? A really shitty bar called White Horse Tavern, that's who. First, when we sat at our table, I unrolled my napkin and the silverware that rolled out was a. dirty, and b. so rusty it stained the napkin and I felt like I needed a teatanus shot after touching it. Second, we'd been helping our friend move, so I wanted to wash my hands before lunch. The bathroom smelled like a truck stop outhouse and one of the sinks was clogged. At 12:30pm. WTF. The food was pretty mediocre too. My "chicken panini" was bland and poorly constructed. The bigger fries were good, but the smaller ones tasted like they took a bath in saline. AND THE PLATE WAS DIRTY TOO! My friend's side of vegetables had way over sugared cranberries in it. Weird. Andy's fries were clearly the better part of the batch, they were all big and golden and well seasoned. Odder still was the really skinny employee who seemed to be all over the place, jumping up on bars and stuff. So weird.
(1)Jennafir E.
What does one do on a Thursday's night in Allston? Drink? Yes. Eat? Yes. Play trivia? Hell yes. And that's just what you do at the White horse. Is it a good bar? Meh.... but the trivia, the trivia has me coming back week after week, and loving it even more. Now, is the food good? No, not really, but I've had worse and I'll eat it if I'm hungry. The drinks are pretty cheap, 5 dollar for well, which is unheard of in Boston. The beer can be pricey, but unless you want bad beer, pay for the extra. So the moral, get a great group of friends and head over, because I have never had a bad time here, even on a Saturday night.
(3)Mon R.
your typical college boozer joint. This place is what it says it is, but the bartenders don't mix great drinks so don't expect much there. They have so many tvs, though, so you'll never miss a game.
(3)Dave B.
I go there mainly for the pool tables. The regulars who play pool there are very cool and its fun to put a quarter on the table and shoot around with random people. The food isnt bad for bar food, the waitresses arent always on top of things...but then again im usually at the pool table so understood, i guess. The bartenders are solid...quick and wont ignore you while pretending to clean a glass. The whitehorse is great for football games on Sundays but for other sports it can be tough because they have each tv on a different channel. Even the NBA finals, i had to look for a tv that was playing the game, wtf?
(4)casie m.
This review is mainly a review of White Horse's trivia, with some side info on the food. White Horse has Stump! trivia on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. When I lived in Brighton, White Horse is one of the many places I tried looking for a great trivia hang-out. White Horse is the kind of place where teams come every week, probably more than once a week, and have matching t-shirts with their team name - usually some witty, almost inappropriate name based on a current event. I was there during the Spitzer situation, and let's say those names were not family friendly. But it's a bar, so that's not a requirement. Personally, I do not like the Trivia Jockey here. While delivering materials to our table, he entered into a rant about how he would run the company, littered with swears.. Totally unprovoked. Maybe he was just having an off-day.. But I am a strong believer in jockey's with knowledge. If you are going to be a trivia jockey, you should look over the questions BEFORE you get there. Maybe have a general idea about the information. He was having a hard time reading the questions, couldn't pronounce things.. It made it hard to understand and to answer. Sigh. White Horse itself is really nice and they have a lot of cheap specials, which is always a plus. The food is pretty average, but there are a lot of TVs, good beer selection, and pool tables. I would give them less stars, but it's not their fault I didn't like the jockey...
(3)Brendan M.
Three stars is just right for this place. Nothing great, but a fun summer bar with big open windows to the street that gets pretty packed. This is probably the most "normal" bar in Allston, since hipsters usually stay away and it's not exclusive to college kids. You get a mix of older students and young professionals, all of whom still enjoy getting trashed. I personally don't go here much, since it's a little too square for me. Bright lights and a bunch of TVs always on, this isn't really a spot to pick up birds and the dudes you have to deal with in the bar are douchey. I'd say hit White Horse on a summer night when it'll be poppin. Keep the expectations on a leash and you'll be fine.
(3)Eric B.
The good: great food specials on certain nights, decent prices on beer and liquor, numerous HDTVs and a staff willing to put your game of choice on (one of the few places to carry the MLB package as well), great layout, nice pool tables, big windows that open up during the summer, a nice crowd of young professionals and graduate students with the occasional tipsy undergrad. The bad: drink service can be a little slow, food quality can be a little uneven (I've had burgers there that ranged from decent to bad). The ugly: most bartenders aren't all that friendly, and don't make that great of an effort to be attentive. I really don't get it, the crowd there doesn't seem like one that would wear a bartender down into an unfriendly stump of pseudo-adequate service.
(3)Sandra C.
The only thing I tried so far are the $4 special of one pound buffalo wings this Sunday. I'm in love. $4 freaking dollars!! I was left satisfied, and I even took half of the meal home. It was delicious.
(4)Chrissy H.
I'll have to start a new list for D-Bag bars of Boston... maybe its my fault. I should have known what I was getting myself into. I mean, what did I expect from "move- in day" in Allston? All I needed was a drink, food and a little conversation with my friend. Well, two out of three isn't bad I guess. Perhaps I'm getting old, but I couldn't hear myself think over WAAF blasting music in the corner and rowdy drunk college kids "toasting" every few minutes... oh, AND the game playing on every TV. Made conversation really tough on my vocal cords... not to mention, it was really hard to tear the 3 bartenders' attention away from the TV to get another beer. Plus, they messed up my friends To-Go salad order. It's not that hard, chicken Cesar salad... HOWEVER- I was so pleased to get my UFO drafts for $3 AND a big juicy burger, with all the fixings, on a nice toasted bun, with Fries for only $4. Yeah, apparently its a Monday/Tuesday special. Eat in only with a 1 drink minimum. You can also choose from a pound of wings or a grilled chicken sandwich and fries which was also quite large and my friend enjoyed. Will I be back? Only if I need a drink on a Monday or Tuesday and I am really broke.
(3)Calli C.
I try to avoid Allston for the exact reason which the White Horse exemplifies - at best its a ho-hum sports bar, at worst it's jam-packed with yah-doods and those omigod girls (you know, the ones who are constantly squealing, "OmiGAWD!"), mediocre drinks and service. I've been here on a few weekend nights where it was packed and impossible to get served. I said I would never go back. Yet, this past weekend I was there during the afternoon to have some beers and catch up with some friends. I was early and sat at the bar and got some attitude from the bartender because I wasn't a drunk fratboy ordering a bud lite pitcher. My friend showed, we had some more beers, I had a burger which was actually pretty good. During the day, when no one else is around and they have the front windows open, you can almost pretend you're not in Allston.
(2)Christopher T.
There are some good things and some bad things. The food is alright when it comes to bar food. Nachos, burgers, and steak tips all do there job just fine in filling me up. Not the best in the world. I usually order the beer of the month to keep my bill down, but last month the "beer of the month" was vodka? Stupid. I avoid the bar most nights because it's a total bro hang out. The one redeeming saviour of the bar is Will, the trivia guy. He's awesome. I've done Stump Trivia in a couple of bars and Will is the best. His music selection always makes me happy and I love chatting with him before, in between questions and after trivia. God save Will the thrill!
(3)Kate T.
Good solid burger and beer joint. Also a choice al-fresco find in an area that lacks lots of outside dining venues. Service is a little slow but the beer is fresh and the food is hot. Worth a pop-in if you're in the area. One gripe: While I was in the restaurant was short-staffed and the waitress was complaining about the other servers being lazy. Not sure if that's a one-time thing or not but you might want to be prepared to wait for your food and drink.
(3)Jeremy K.
The place has little atmosphere and isn't worth going too really. If it weren't for the fact that when I went there, their bar tender was very knowledgeable and mixed me a perfect Manhattan, I don't think that I would have ever returned there... Really. Sure they have televisions with multiple games on them and that's always a plus but honestly, who doesn't have that? The place was expensive and although parking is easy to find, I'd rather much head over the Sunset for a much nicer experience. It's a decent place to grab a quick drink with a buddy and talk since the music isn't too loud and if you want to grab a table with friends and just sit back and relax, but if you want more than that, then your in the wrong place.
(2)Hana C.
My friends just moved to Boston and this place was right around the corner from them and had a TV. After a long day of flying and running errands we decided to stop by here. My friend and I just wanted food. Her husband wanted to watch the game...those were the requirements. We all got things off the $4 menu. Cheeseburger, chicken burger, & 1 pound of wings. At one point I couldn't tell if it tasted good because it was or because I was starving. I really liked the buffalo wings. The cheeseburger was huge so at least they don't skimp on the serving size. The only thing I didn't like was the almost eternal wait for service......
(3)Lu W.
Trivia night was terrible. Preppiest crowd EVAR! I ordered a whiskey and coke that tasted like coke, sent it back, and got one that tasted even less alcoholic. The waitress kindly informed me that it was "gonna taste the same", before spilling it on my phone, which needed some airing out time before it functioned again. The people next to us ordered a pizza that the waiter dropped on the ground and never returned to clean up. Nice. Good location, but (not to be elitist) the weak drinks and boring crowd are not not worth the price.
(2)Matt E.
I've only been here once and didn't stay too long but the place is impressively massive, with two huge bars, a couple pool tables, a ton of LCDs playing sports, and is pretty bright and clean. The people here were young and slightly annoying (mostly college kids from what I hear) and I can't attest to the bar food but I'm sure it's about average. The cocktails weren't that good so I stuck to beer. The White Horse is ok if you're in the area and want a little eye candy or to check out the game but it's nothing special.
(3)Justin B.
Good place to see some bro's icing bro's. Very young crowd on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights. Question to the bouncers, if you take your job so seriously and need to fold, bend, and swab my ID to prove with out a doubt that I am plenty old enough to get in, then why are half of the people inside 19? You guys better check yourselves before you wreck yourselves. With that said, some of the food deals are pretty good although the quality of the food itself is at times lacking. There are plenty of TVs and when it is not overly crowded it is a semi good place to watch a game.
(2)Dana W.
Last night was my first experience at White Horse and I don't think I'll be going back. The selection of beer and food was decent, the bar and tables were clean and the prices weren't too outrageous but I was sorely disappointed by the staff. Our server failed to come to the table after 10 minutes so we went to the bar to purchase a drink and almost instantly the server randomly appeared and told us he "didn't want to be crass" but we were taking up his section and if we were just going to order from the bar we needed to leave his table. So we intended to order refills and some food from him... but he never came back! We were then reprimanded for exiting the building even though we had just been told it was ok. Overall I'm sure there are bars out there that have friendlier staff that I would be much more inclined to frequent.
(2)Matt T.
I've been going to the White Horse for years now, and have gotten to the point where I recognize most of the faces as they haven't changed over the years. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. I would recommend sitting at the bar regardless of whether you're eatting or drinking. The one consistent factor is that the waiting staff is pretty terrible. I've had a wide range of waiters there and no has done a very exceptional job, and the service always seems to be a bit slower than it should. Not the case at the bar, these guys are generally on the ball and have good memories for customers week to week. There are a couple I don't get along with (Red Flag for dudes with forearm band tattoos), but overall they make the place go in my opinion. I really like how they switch up the beer special, even though it's generally high life or Busch Light, but they throw in great wild cards sometimes like UFO or Magic Hat #9. The daily beer specials and the $4 burgers Sun-Tues are the main reasons to head over. I would advise you to avoid trivia which for some reason occurs every Weds, Thurs & Sunday, hosted by the same guy every time who has amongst the worst taste in music I have ever heard. Now, if you're a 17 year old female in high school who hasn't gotten quite comfortable with yourself or a dance machine, then this may better suite your needs, but I'm still more living in the past of the 90s, so I pretty much want to squeeze lime in my eye. Take that as you will. I have no problem with how Trivia is run, I just think they're trying to make me want to wear an Ed Hardy shirt and blow out my hair. Overall, White Horse is your average younger crowed bar. Not geared much towards hipsters, so you'll find mostly BU/BC kids in there, but it's worth your time for the deals.
(3)Haley T.
I'm convinced that this bar is actually a Worcester bar, and through some accident of nature, is located in Allston. For those who have not had the joy of a night out in Worcester, MA, this is what you'll typically experience: -Top 40's/terrible music -A clientele consisting mostly of college kids, with an interest in polo shirts, bud light and sports -Cheap drinks (Worcester has good points) -Bright, bright lights -Mediocre bar food That said, the bartenders are decent, it's clean, and I assume it's a good place to go watch sports if you're into that sort of thing. Never a line or a cover here. Excellent location. The selection of beer on draft is pretty limited, but it's not a bad place to rock the bud light.
(3)Matt M.
Dudebro, I asked for the vinaigrette on the side. Yeah you should have written down my order bro. I have a pet peeve about places where the staff habitually does not write your order down. It is far too often wrong, as was the case tonight. Nah dude, it's ok dude. Chillax, let's do a whiteboy pseudo ghetto handshake and make peace. Yeah that's it. Go sox. I appreciate that you fill up my dirt-cheap house cabernet glass past the tangent. It means you are either being generous to me, or don't know the proper way to fill a wine glass. It's ok bro, it makes up for the fact that all your wine tastes like sh*t. Ah, I see you have pool tables. Uh-oh, the dudebro's on the table are unwilling to give it up. Looks like they don't play singles here, only doubles. As an avid pool freak, I must say that irks me quite a bit. Seeing as the billiards is one of your drawing features, it's a shame nobody here actually knows how to play correctly or can even hold a table longer than one game. Well, at least they look good in their popped collars and cargo khakis doing so. Wait... Dude, TWO popped collars? Even when it's 90 degrees out tonight? You da man! Go sox. Well, thanks for the evening bro-dude, but for a good pool game I'll stick to the Silhouette lounge. For good food I'll stick with the Sunset Grill, and for the amazing bro-dude/dude-bro overload I'll see you at your frat party this Saturday on Gardner Street... NOT.
(2)Matt S.
Having only been here for lunch (a few times), I can't truthfully comment on the douche-nozzle crowd that everyone seems to touch upon in their reviews - by 12 PM they've likely not woken up yet. However, I can definitely say that I grasped a vibe from the staff (not our waitress, but others) that runs in-line with the jerkweed atmosphere I hear about. Food is mediocre, but reasonably priced. The burgers are lackluster but the fish and chips are decent, if a bit heavy on the batter. Portions are of good size, and having gone with my girlfriend our check hasn't exceeded 16 dollars. In that regard the White Horse nails it. I'm not adverse to going to the White Horse again, but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to do so. The atmosphere really isn't my style and the food isn't anything to write home about.
(2)Lara C.
I've never had a bad experience at White Horse. The table service side is "seat yourself," and I've never had any issue finding a table. A waiter always comes to the table within 2 minutes of sitting down, and they stay attentive all night. Best of all, they let you sit at the tables even if you're not ordering food. But if you do plan on eating, you won't be disappointed. The food is decently priced, generously portioned, and well-made. The food makes White Horse Tavern a great spot for a friday night out, as it's easy to transition from dinner to hanging out and drinking without having to relocate anywhere else. Plus the dozens of gigantic flat screen TV's sprinkled all over the bar mean that no matter what your sports interests, you'll be able to find it at White Horse. However, be aware, the bar gets full of dude-bro's and yeah dude's around 10:30 p.m. While the place itself is big enough that it never gets uncomfortably crowded, you may find yourself inclined to find a new home for the evening after the 5th dude bro screams "BRO TOTALLY" at the top of his lungs right next to your ear. But if you get there early enough, White Horse Tavern is a great all-in-one destination for a night out with your friends.
(4)Allie T.
I was lucky enough to attend a tasting last night of White Horse's new menu and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. Previously, I had only been there for drinks after 9pm, but I definitely will go back for this (very inexpensive) great food. We had a super crisp, well mixed cobb salad, a deliciously flavored veggie panini and some creative (and really yummy) curry fries... but my favorite by far was the mushroom pizza. I don't remember the name of the cheese on it, but it tasted like something off a Newbury Street menu, not an Allston one! I will definitely coming back to try more of this new menu, and I'd recommend it to anyone in the area (on a budget or not, the low prices don't sacrifice anything by way of quality)!
(5)Simon L.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of the 'regular' patrons of this bar (no offense!) nor the name; both seem kind of immature. However, there are few places in Boston (believe me, I have done exhaustive research) where you can get a respectable, cheap, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, and this place DELIVERS. On weekends until 2p, you pay $9.99 for a SMORGASBORD. It's delish, and instead of looking like a college bar, it looks like a respectable restaurant. Definitely check it out.
(4)Bryan K.
Went here for brundh today and was very impressed. The braised hash was excellent and the hash-browns a nice variation on the traditional home fries everyone else does. Everyone at our table was pleased with their breakfast. We had the Nutella french toast for a brunch desert, it was very good. Really sweet, a great desert. The best thing was the price. The good food was really inexpensive compared to most brunch places. Also, I've been here for triva (they do it a lot) it is a great time. The guy who ran it really funny and ran it well.
(4)Roni E.
So I've been here a few times and it seems that each and every time it's been pretty much the same. I can't recall a time I had a spectacular evening here. Upon entering, I was with my girl Nadya and it seriously took us like 5 minutes to get in because they didn't believe her passport was real. They then took it in to management and brought it back to finally let us in. WTF?!?! What I don't get is that I KNOW this place has let in underage girls before. *grumbles to self* While at the bar, it seriously took me over 10 minutes to get the guys attention and it wasn't until he had placed food down at the bar for Stephanie and Matt was I able to get the attention of someone to place an order of buffalo wings in and order a drink. If it wasn't for Ligaya and the drink she already placed in my hand as soon as I walked in to the bar, I probably would have had an uproar. The wings were decent, but they're wings. What can you expect from a sports bar? At any rate, it seriously took me another 10 minutes trying to get another drink later that evening. The guys avoid eye contact, are more involved with the game, texting on their cellphones, and more interested in walking aimlessly around, but yet not accomplish any tasks such as catering to their clientle. You know buddy, you are working for tips after all! If it was not for the good company of fellow Yelpers, I would have either left or never stepped foot into their bar.
(1)Robbie R.
This place is right around the corner from me, so I have been on a number or occasions simply due to convenience. Last night may have been the final straw. I went with a few lady-friends visitin from Maine. We all handed the highly-trained bouncer our ID's, 3 of us were deemed of legal age, but not the 4th. "I'ma have to keep this," he informed us. It was a pretty bold statement from the dude, seeing as how it was her real ID and she was 22. We eventually got it back from him and immediately left for the Sunset Grill instead. On another occasion. I saw a nice family of 4 stroll by and get denied because their children were under 21. Really, white horse? Are ya scared Dad may buy a Jack n' Coke and hand it off to Junior under the table? Another time, I was with 2 friends at the bar, and we could see one of the waitresses in one of the back rooms condensing all the ketchup bottles. During the process, if any ketchup spilled and started sliding down the side of the bottle, she would take her finger, wipe up the ketchup, and then PUT IT BACK IN THE BOTTLE. I have a fairly high tolerance for gross and unsanitary situations, but that was a little unsettling. They have a nice special on Sundays. $4 for a burger or chicken sandwich. Nice. One more thing, the shitty music they blast makes me want to break a bottle over someone's dome.
(2)Alex L.
Can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. Anyways, been here a few times and it is NOT near the top of my list of places to go (when I have the time to go out). Their food is pretty solid, the drinks are moderately priced (but I must say that tequila shot was nice and overflowing, they definitely didn't skimp out on that), and the environment is cool for what it is. The people that come to the place are the ones that kill the mood. Usually 21 or younger crowd (fake ID's ftw) fill this spot up and it just sucks then. Last night was kickass though. Had a bunch of cool Yelp people to make me forget the other craptastic times I've had here.
(3)Brynna E.
Went here for the first time last night, for Sunday night Stump Trivia, so I'll just be reviewing that. I absolutely loved the ambience - tons of TVs, separate dining/bar/pool sections, cheap food and beer, and very uncluttered set-up. The MC for trivia was great -- super friendly, handed out the pens/paper himself, complimented our team name, was loud enough to hear. As for the bar itself, the service was so-so, but considering the staff was ALSO playing trivia, it could have been much worse! Our server stopped by every 20 minutes or so over the course of 2 hours, so we got a fair amount of face-time. I got the $4 chicken sandwich/fries combo, which was great! The chicken was grilled and had that delicious charring, and they're pretty accommodating on your toppings -- I got blue cheese dressing instead of sliced cheese for no extra charge). All in all, a pretty great experience. I think my friends & I will be moving our weekly trivia night to White Horse from our usual place!!
(4)Cynthia C.
I usually spend my nights at the clubs and bars of Boston so this was a definitely a change, breath of fresh air or call it whatever you like. It's a definitely a place to chill if you're taking it easy and looking for a good time. I was surprised how inexpensive the drinks were considering I'm used to paying $13 for a basic gin and tonic. BUT it definitely took me a few drinks and a couple of shots to bring myself to a happy state. I came here on a Friday night and this place was still pretty dead around 11PM but it did fill up quickly! There's a lot of seating, plenty of space to move around in, and abundant flat screens for game days. I know where I'll be once basketball season rolls around...!
(4)Kyle S.
I usually only go to whitehorse on trivia nights, and even then it is swamped with BU/BC students being drunk and annoying... but if you go early or are one of these students (or just plain don't care), its a great place to go, play trivia, and have a decent meal. Their menu has changed recently and has become sort of limited, but their food is still pretty good. Service can be hit or miss.
(3)Mike T.
White Horse Tavern Wanted: Bouncer Ideal Profile of Job Candidate: Whitehorse is looking for the kind of people that have a tough time deciding between a "tribal" or "barbwire" bicep tattoo, own the movie Roadhouse on both VHS and DVD, prefer watching reruns of the time chuck Liddell "totally beat some ass" in the Ultimate Fighting Championships as opposed to messing around with their girlfriends and have considered careers in the department of corrections but failed to be accepted. Skills: Must be able to say "I'm here to chew bubble gum and kick ass and I'm all out of bubble gum" without stuttering. Must be able to study a valid ID like you should have studied high school text books. some word processing. State Patrol type mustaches a plus. Compensation: Laughable but you can always take that out on the patrons.
(2)Lauren S.
The White Horse is just ok. -1 star for that fact that there's always more beer on the outside of my glass than the inside. It's like the bartenders dip the glass in a vat of beer after they fill the glass. -1 star for the wait staff who leave piles of dirty food plates and 3 rounds worth of empty beer glasses on your table for way too long. -1 star for the bouncers who scrutinize every single ID like they're specially trained secret agents and hold the front doors open on cold nights. It is always too cold in there. +1 star for their pizza. While all of their other food makes me feel like I have a giant ball of grease/lard in my stomach, their pizza is somehow actually quite good. That being said, White Horse is relatively clean, the food isn't gross (but it's nothing to look forward to either). It's not a bad place, but it's not great either. Trivia on Monday and Wednesday nights starts out fun, but 3 hours in it loses its appeal. Most of the clientele seems to be guys watching sports or groups of people at the bar who don't know each other that well, and weird couples/group dates at the pool tables who get really drunk and are usually skanky.
(3)Hugh R.
Beer selection and prices are comparable to most other bars that I've been to in Boston - Sam Adams, Harpoon IPA, Guinness, UFO, blah blah blah, all $4.50 or $5. Food prices are pretty decent if you catch a special, but the $4 burgers are often bland and flavorless while the fries are always cold and soggy. HOWEVER, if you're a fan of onion rings and lots of them, you will not be disappointed by the rings at the White Horse. Tasty and plentiful! Far too many times I've spent $4 for 9 or 10 soggy onion rings in other establishments; the White Horse serves up a full basket of large, crispy rings. Delicious! Unfortunately still not enough to bump it up to 4 stars. A good place to grab a beer and watch the game but that's about it.
(3)Josie G.
This one never got me hooked either. I like the set up now a lot more than before.. and there's usually always a crowd, a lot of regulars. Good beer... I just don't like the crowd that goes there... Doesn't seem to be the friendliest bunch.. I saw some complaints about the staff, but they've always been super nice to me and my friends, might just be because we're girls though.
(3)whitney m.
The top three reasons why I love the Whitehorse: 1. Cheap drinks 2. Photo Hunt 3. $6.99 Steak Tips (on Wed and Thurs) Now, don't get me wrong, I love getting dressed up and heading downtown on the weekends, but you can't beat the Whitehorse on a Thursday night for a few rounds and some steak tips! And let me tell you, they are amazing steak tips. Like, some of the best I've ever had. Unlike most Allston bars, the Whitehorse is actually crowded (in a good way) during the week. Good for people watching. And you'd think it would be an all-college crowd, but that's not entirely true. There's usually a good mix of all ages -- sporty, trendy, hippy, prep -- they're all here. The only bad thing is the doormen. They literally stare at my ID for 2 minutes every time I go. And once they wouldn't let my friend in because his ID was expired...but I guess they were just doing their jobs. All in all, the "Horse" is my favorite place to chill during the week.
(5)Stephen H.
I'm a big fan of whitehorse, definitely more of a youner crowd. The drink prices are reasonable, not quite dive-level but again this isnt a dive bar. The food here is pretty standard bar food, but the portions and the price is pretty tough to beat. Get whatever the special is. Also they usually have a beer of the month that is always a good price. Ive had a fun time everytime ive gone here.
(4)Danny N.
Great place to sit and relax with all the big screens. The open windows are awesome during the summer time. Def. a place to go out to dinner and a quick beer.
(4)Kimberly P.
Mediocre bar with cheap drinks. The wings that I had were also thoroughly mediocre. I will never get super excited and yell "OMG LETS GO TO WHITE HORSE TONIGHT" but it is an ok bar for a laid back and chill night. It gets two thumbs up for the clientèle: I met a super hot guy there and 2 great girls.
(2)Voodoo O.
So apparently this place puts a $20.00 charge on your credit card whenever you open a tab, just to "make sure the card works". $20? The worst part of it was that they don't even tell you about it. You just look at your bank statement and find yourself $20 short. The charge allegedly "goes away" in a couple of days, it hasn't yet and even if it does, I still firmly say "WTF, White Horse?" I've NEVER heard of ANY bar (or any establishment, period) doing this. Is that even legal?
(1)Jacob F.
I can't even begin to explain my distaste for the White Horse Tavern and it's deplorable excuse for Sunday Brunch. There are thousands of college kids who go out, hard, on Saturday and would really like to wake up at noon (or later) and drag their sweatpants and big sunglasses to a decent meal down the street. Instead they are greeted by watery, runny, formely known as hot eggs, dry, pathetic muffins and the sin of all sins: SHIT service. Do yourself a favor. Dont even bother.
(1)Lauren V.
Any Thursday, Friday or Saturday night during fall and winter semester this place will be crawling with college kids. Since it is within walking distance from my house, I will occasionally stop in for a drink or two before moving on (and up) for the night. A few things worth noting: The food is decent (it's pub grub people!) and very cheap. That being said, service is incredibly slow...After they drop the food, you usually have to hunt the server down in order to get your check. But you are also paying $5 for a huge burger and fries. The doormen are somewhat disbelieving. It could be the demographic that frequents this joint but I routinely have to pull out a second and third form of identification (usually just a bank or credit card). Although annoying at 25, I mollify myself by thinking that it will be awesome if this happens 15 years down the road. I never have had to wait for very long at the bar for a drink. I would say that this is a good place to grab a cheap drink while leaving your plans for the night open (i.e: eventually make plans to hit a better bar).
(2)Ken M.
Great place to grab a drink and watch a game. Lot's of tv's. Great food specials during the week and weekends. The food itself is pretty good for the price. Love the addition of the patio/outdoor area and look forward to watching the patriots games out there on some nice fall days. Nice/friendly bartenders.
(4)Katie K.
I've never found anything wrong with the Whitehorse. Cheap beer, short to no lie at all and no cover. It's the perfect place to go with a group of friends, drinks some beers and not worry about what you look like. Anytime I've been here the crowd was good. Granted most guys pick up lines were 'where do you go to school?' so if you're looking for your future husband this is not the place for you. Most nights you can find a tv in there playing some random movie, my favorite was Spiderman night, which is pretty cool if there is no game on. I recommend going on a Friday night there's never really a line, its no packed to the rafters but also not dead. A happy medium.
(3)Stace M.
Im in between Meh and A-ok. Very large bar. Nice atmosphere. Good set up. I went on a friday night and there was no cover which i was psyched about! But the crowd wasnt that great. Kinda young and a little obnoxious. But if you come with a good group you will be set for a good time!
(3)Bryanne R.
Not really sure what all the hype about this place is for. Yea it's a big space and they have pool and beer...but nothing terribly exciting. And all the way out in Allston?! Ugh. Then there's usually a line. Not worth it.
(3)Jasmine P.
I"ll be honest, I'm not a big fan of straight bars. This is a straight up bar with pool and a bar. This is a good place to go if you want to relax, drink, and hang out with friends, but not the best. The couple of times I went here I went with a few strangers and my friends and it was just really hard to talk with the level of noise and crowd. It wasn't the best experience with strangers but maybe with friends. There is not much to do except sit/stand and drink and try to talk over the noise. There's music overall playing but its hard to hear. Its a great place if you are looking for a last resort to hang out somewhere, but its not the best. The one thing I did like were that there was a full bar and the drink were decent. It gets often crowded on the weekends and you get amused by the drunks that stagger around the place after it closes or right before it closes.
(2)chungo m.
white hat tavern? used to be way better as Geraldo's or whatever. BU morons took it over and now it's a dumb frat boy bar with wanna be hot tramps inside getting drunk. If you like this then you'll be in heaven. if you are like me and don't like these kinds of people then you will be in HELL
(1)Hiroko S.
Too noisy to talk but good for watching sports. I only spent there few minutes. I prefer Sunset walking few more blocks.
(2)Jane T.
Really, really good brunch on Sunday mornings from 10-2. Made to order omelettes and eggs benedict if you want. At night, the bar gets pretty crowded and sometimes they get a line, but it usually moves quickly. Pretty cheap beer, but not as much of a dive as the other places around here (don't get me wrong, i LOVE dive bars- but they aren't everyone's scene). The food is pretty cheap and good too. Overall, good bar.
(4)Dave M.
I have to second the "better b4 10" sentiment of one of the other reviewers. If I just want to go have a few beers with some friends in a chill atmosphere on W or Th night, or to START my night out at, I go to White Horse. After 10 this place def sucks. I'm always shocked when I walk up to it and it's full, mostly of popped collar losers and yes, girls who wear sweatpants that say "naughty" or "sexy" on the ass, even though u can see their cottage cheese ass through them. Overall: start, don't finish here.
(3)Lalin A.
What a college place, as my description suggests, the backyard of BU kids. It is hard to find the correlation between the number of security ppl at the door and the number of 18-year-old looking kids inside! The W.H. Tavern is like a big ballroom of a college, closed nightly for people to get squeezed and check each other out. Bad drinks, horrible service and childish crowd! Majority of the frequenters are guys, who are there to pick up drunk girls. I can't recall how many guys stopped at our table to tell us bluntly "I like you very much". Yes but no thanks. EDIT : went back for brunch All you can eat buffet for $9.95. Don't be fooled. This "buffet" does not match the dictionary.com definition: "consisting of food, refreshments, etc., laid out on tables or buffets from which guests or customers serve themselves" First of all, the food is not refreshing but boring and heavy. Yes, you can serve yourself but there is not much to pick from. The omelletes are huge but THICK - meaning: no good. Everything tastes mediocre. Nothing to tickle your mouth.
(2)Stephen S.
People either love or hate White Horse. I'm not sure that I get it. Maybe it's because I'm not a thirty-something who's ears rings at newfangled music and looks down upon the local college kids and their ever-diminishing clothes. I'm only partially kidding. There's no cover and the bar is incredibly unpretentious. Not exactly a pick-up bar, sorry ladies who want-to-be-hit-on-because-your-self-esteem-is-Âincredibly-low-due-to-the surplus-of-twenty-something-stuls-in-Boston, you might want to hit up Sketchy Bar (aka Wonder Bar) or risk a groping at the Kells. White Horse is the kind of place where you can pack your friends in and have a good time...or be bored to death.
(3)Andrew B.
BU-laden Allston bar, but good enough for some fresh draft beer and large screen plasmas for sports. Although the bar can get crowded, the bartenders are competent and fast-moving, making getting a drink on a busy night not too daunting. They did have an awesome costume party on Halloween '09, so props for that.
(3)Gina N.
I used to love this place. The food was ok, but super affordable. The service was slow, but Stump trivia and Will were fun. Now they're trying to be fancy (really? You know you're still in Allston, right?), the food is more expensive and has less flavor, the waitresses are more attentive, but the food takes even longer to come out now, and I stared at a wall of plywood all night with no explanation. Trivia is still decent, but I'm going to start trying to find new places. They've lost their loyal customers trying to be something they're not.
(2)Justin R.
Okay, yeah, it attracts a TON of douchebags when school is in session. But that's not really its fault. It's firmly planted in Allston, is cheap, with rarely a line and never a cover. Know what rocks about this place? The layout. After years of being wedged between dudebros and skankoffs swilling Miller Lite and reciting old Simpsons quotes, this place actually allows you some room to breathe. Service is excellent and the beer prices are fine. Also, if you're looking for cheap, cheap lunch or dinner, do yourself a favor and stop in on Mon, Tues, or Weds where you can get a pound of steak tips or a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries for $4. FOUR DOLLARS! That's like stealing!
(4)Cheeba H.
The White Horse is lame. But... If you've been living off dollar menu double cheese burgers, Marlboro 27's and drinking cup after cup of beer that tastes like the ass of good beer all weekend and can scrounge up $9.95 its a good way to kill a Sunday morning. Expensive, I know. But it is all you can eat, and its quality food, and if you show up when it starts (11-ish I think?) you can sit there for a real long time before they close it up. The food consists of a couple steam trays with items such as sausages, Canadian bacon, bacon, chicken teri, rice pilaf, pan cakes and fancy french toast with some kind of berry stuffed in it. They also have some bowls of various fruit out for much needed vitamins and salad for much needed roughage, and some cookies incase you just like cookies. They also have a guy who makes up omelets out of a variety of possible things you have thrown in it, and he also does up eggs benedict. And all the coffee you can drink. They frequently offer you seating near the open store front windows, so you get a nice breeze on a nice day. Just dont get suckered into ordering a bloody mary, they're 7 bucks (not that you can order one before noon anyway..). Outside of that, there is little to redeem this bar. I dont really know what the motif inside is, it looks like an imitation Chicago bar, the kind of place that wishes it was the kind of place that use to be a garage turned bar with the penzoil signs still in tact. It does have alot of space though, yet still gets packed at peak times. They have the game on large tv's everywhere. There are pool tables. The beer prices are not that cheap (cheap for me is 3 dollars or less), I think bush light bottles were the only thing under 3, Bud was 3 and change, and that was the best they could do for me. I can drink Ice House, Pabst, malt anything- but nothing is worse than Bush Light (maybe Red Dog). The table service is fairly efficient. Sometimes breaking through the stool barrier to the bar to order a beer can be a bitch. The crowd is alot of gym going tankard like dudes and their stair master-ed out counter parts, the kind of girls that wear sweat pants with writing across the ass. Sometimes they like to play dress up at night and the place looks like a JC Penny catalog. Theres always a couple 30 something business guys dressed down buying girls drinks in hopes one of them will ride their potbelly to satisfaction. If your the kind of guy who likes to talk big about yourself and watch sports and dress in a manner that reveals your desire to be accepted that you suppress with an attitude- or if your a girl who goes tanning, buys lip gloss by the case, and loves firm men who pluck their eyebrows, or if you want to be any of these people by associating yourself with them- then this is where you can indulge your unrealistic college life fantasy. ***Also- I forgot to mention that Tuesday nights are karaoke night, so if you want to watch a bunch of guys in cargo shorts and fake wooden bead necklaces sing Crash Test Dummies, or maybe a duet where two dudes in Cougar Lacrosse 1987 team-that-never-existed shirts sing Fight for your Right to Party- this is the place to be. I saw a guy I havnt seen in a year that use to bone an ex-girlfriend of mine I havnt seen in two years doing exactly that. Only at the White Horse.
(2)Anna B.
I have been going here for years and used to give this place 4 stars but it has gone downhill. The good: Lots of TVs. You can dress up or dress like a bum. The staff is nice. On football days they accomodate the lone table that wants the hockey game. The bad: Service is slow. I used to figure they do that on purpose so you have more drinks to compensate for the $4 burger you ordered. Now the burgers are gone and they make mistakes - well done burgers are bleeding, send them back and they come back pink, ask for no tomatoes and you get tomatoes. It used to be "well we paid $4 for it" so somewhat forgivable. The bar is not bad but with so much competition within a few blocks I don't have much reason to go there unless my friends want to. And Harrys (same ownership I think?) is better.
(2)Diane I.
nothing spectacular here. good drink specials though. actually if its a slow night be prepared to tip well for an awesome hook up. 2 high lifes + 1 cheese quesadilla = $4.20 definitely the highlight of the night was talking to the older gentleman who had been stabbed earlier in the night and was bleeding through his shirt. classy.
(3)Peter R.
Only recently started going here... But nice place to grab a beer and watch the Sox, plenty of TV viewing, good service, and daily specials on beer and food. Personally i enjoy mon-tues, chicken wings and burgers only 4$. When its nice out they open the windows, 2 pool tables (usually taken) but always a good way to make new friends.
(3)Misty S.
probably the worst place in allston. The service is really probably about the worst I've had anywhere. The first time I went there, we went for the cheap burgers. Our waitress was a girl. There was hardly anyone there, however, the table next to us was 4 guys. She spent the entire time bent over their table, and not nearly enough time getting us food, water, anything. My beer was empty for so long, I went to the bar to get another one.
(1)Chase W.
(I know the white horse is a Frat Party. I know I'm too old to still love it. I know the beers are always stale and flat.) But I love the 'Ho. Granted, I'm not into the whole Friday/Saturday night scene, but there's no place better to watch a Saturday day game with the windows open on a nice day. They've got plenty of TV's to catch the sox, the prices are reasonable, and the food is pretty decent. I'm addicted to the Cobb Salad and Turkey tips. I get one of them a week! I really believe that The White Horse is a great bar for meeting up with friend, but a crappy place to call a weekend distination. The bartenders are always attentive, the door staff is always acceptably courteous. For a sports bar type place, it's pretty clean too; they run a tight ship here!
(4)jim I.
When they open up the windows, this place is a fair bit of fun. Otherwise, I can only say this place is so-so. The bouncer's at this place are really good at their job. Its rare that you see people who get such a kick out of their work and its refreshing to see how much of a rush these guys get out of taking an underage or out of state drivers liscense from someone and relaying it to the police. I wish I took my job as seriously. I would be a much better employee. I am sure my bosses would see my dedication and promote me to a higher position of authority where I could really show off my talent. There is nothing like a little extra authority to show off how talented, sexy, awesome, and powerful you really are. I should note at this point that I have never had my ID taken at the Whitehorse nor do I condone illegal consumption of alcohol, but I have watched a few high-five sessions after these awesome professionals successful confinscated an ID, and thought it a little weird.
(2)Emily M.
The White Horse is what it is: It is not hip. It is not classy. It is not that easy to get into if under 21 (or over 21 for that matter--bouncers can be ridiculous! My Ohio license sure threw them for a loop). But I do find it to be a chill place where I can dress casually, drink cheaply, talk to maybe a few attractive guys, and leave thinking I at least had a "decent" time. It's convenient and I'll keep coming back as long as I'm in the neighborhood. One gripe (ok, except for the bouncers): you can play photo hunt, but it's the normal one. NUDIE photo hunt is where it's at. It had a cult following back at my college. White Horse (and everywhere else for that matter) needs it! ** UPDATE ** Rumor has it that Harper's Ferry has nudie photo hunt! I haven't confirmed it for myself yet but you best believe I will be checking it out soon!
(4)Rob T.
Decent place to get together with friends. Went here with some co-workers one evening. I opted for buffalo wings, medium because I was a pansy that night, they were average and medium heat just like I ordered (something to be said for getting what you ordered). It was One Pound Steak Tips night which a few of my friends got and same as with my wings they got what they ordered. Medium Rare was just that, Well Done was well done. Nothing spectacular but a good meal at a decent price with a good beer selection.
(3)Greg M.
Two stars for the crappy service and lame college kids who frequent the place. Four stars for the brunch. It's not fantastic - I'm really not into fancy expensive brunches. Even the best brunch I've ever had didn't even come close to a decent lunch or dinner. That's just me though. This place gets it right for my tastes. It's less than $10, they have a good selection of all the typical breakfast fare. And they'll cook you a good omlette to order. (Eggs benedict too, but I haven't tried them.)
(3)Meg B.
Found out this place has FREE WIFI and needed to meet a friend to work on a project for school and this place happened to be in a good location to meet. We obviously didn't go for night life so this review is more on the food/wifi experience. The sunday we went they had some daily specials so I got the $4 wings, my friend got the $4 cheeseburger. I don't know how my friend thought about the cheeseburger but the wings were just ok. There only seems to be outlets against the front windows but those tables are kinda small and wouldn't really work out for two people and their computers. My problem with this place is that sure, it wasn't really busy on that sunday especially because it was around 4 or so but the waitress took forever. She rarely stopped by to refill the drinks and it took awhile to get the bill/finish paying. I think part of the problem was a shift change but someone should have at least swung by a little more often for the drinks after we got our meal. Sure we were sitting there with our laptops but we ordered quite a bit o food too. So the service might not be so great but its nice to have a place to go with free wifi and plenty of seats.
(3)erica c.
Even in my earlier college days, I avoided this place like the plague. Why settle for mediocre atmosphere and mediocre mixed drinks... The complete package here is mediocre at best. So why three stars and not 1? My bar tender really rocked and well that is worth a lot:)
(3)Diane D.
I'll stir up some controversy I guess, sometimes it just has to be done.. Here is my thing with Whitehorse - I understand how it is disappointing if you haven't been here before and you're looking for a great pub experience and atmosphere with personality. You won't find it here, on any given night...regardless of choice in food, beverage, who the bouncers are, whether the bartender is snarky, etc. All irrelevant. However, I don't go to the Horse expecting these things. I go there because it is what it is... a place where I can wander in with flip flops and comfy jeans for a casual hang-out with some friends over moderately-priced beers. There is guaranteed to be decent people-watching and a crowd on any night of the week, and I can maybe even play pool or trivia if I feel like it on the right night. So no, I would not recommend Whitehorse for its cool atmosphere or great drinks/food... but if its more about who you're with and less about where you are, I've found Whitehorse to be a convenient, reasonably priced joint for the occasional gathering when somewhere like Sunset is too crowded. The trick may be all in expectations.
(4)adriana e.
this place is def a popular college hangout, cheap drinks, smelly sports bar, drunken college students, big tvs! I recently went here to watch the Red Sox game, it was so crowded we had to stand. I like this place cuz the drinks r cheap, n they dont water it down! i found the doorstaff very nice. they checked our ID's and let us right in, then when we were leaving, they said "thanks for coming by, have a good night!" and said it to every patron, I mean, that might of been a manager or owner, but who cares? obviously not one of those high class bars where drinks cost over 10 bux and theres very little alcohol overall, great place to chill n watch the game! Will definitely be returning!
(3)Ethan M.
I'm a local to Brighton and my friends and I go to this place on a regular basis. On Thursdays they have a steak tip special and this is why we go. Their steaks are cooked to perfection and so are the fries that they come with. The atmosphere is loud but fun and definitely a good time. They have trivia night which is also fun to participate in while enjoying a good meal and a drink. Definitely check this place out if you are in the area.
(4)Alyssa N.
Good nachos. Decent drinks. I'm curious to go back and try the cheap food specials that they offer on weekdays. I don't think that the bouncer was as rude or on a power trip, as the other reviews made the door guys seem, but maybe I just happened upon the one nice guy... The bar/wait staff was efficient and friendly. There was a minor, sort of awkward incident involving the swapping of a ketchup bottle (server came to take our half-empty one, didn't want to leave us a replacement). But overall a good experience, especially on a weekend night. The crowd was a mix of meet/meat market gawkers and just groups of friends hanging out, though at one point I walked through an area reeking of cologne (and I don't have much of a sense of smell because of my allergies- I can only imagine how it smelled to someone with a normal nose). Not sure I'd ever actually wait in line to get in to this bar.
(3)Omoniyi A.
Im really suprised at the super low reviews for White Horse. Ive come here a few times for trivia. Its a pretty good trivia location, except the questions tend towards sports (so if thats your weaknes...). They DO have chips and salsa, so thats a keeper for me! They also have a great beer selection (according to my friends - i dont like the beer) including local brews. Its also more restaurant than bar, so its not scuzy or divey or someplace you wouldnt want to sit for 3 hrs. Enjoy!
(3)Mark F.
I love this place! Great drinks and food, and now with an outside patio around back!
(4)Mike B.
I was surprised to see all of that white horse hate out there. Most of the negative reviews were from people who hated on the bar tenders or bouncers. Jeesh. At least they will stay away now, so I don't have to hear whining about how the guinness is poured incorrectly or how a bouncer bends a license. In a nutshell, the menu specials are tasty and CHEAP. The staff has always been friendly to me. Don't expect the treatment like you'll find at the Ritz. The food isn't going to taste as good as a five star restaurant. It is a BAR in ALLSTON. Jeesh. Again. As for my rating.... It gets four stars for consistency (I've been there many times over many years), and a lack of pretentiousness (the White Horse knows what it is and it strives to be nothing more).
(4)Bry J.
I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoy this place. I live a few blocks away and for the last couple year's I've come here at least once a week. I prefer the weeknights to the weekend nights because fri and sat nights tend to attract some douchey people. During the week you can't beat the $4 meal deals, burger, chicken sandwich, or 1 lb of wings. Thursday night is $6 steak tip night. Overall a pretty good place to hang out in the window and people watch or watch TV on one of the 20 tv's they have hanging around.
(4)Nate S.
I hadn't been here in about 8 years, and from what i saw it hasn't changed too much. The only changes I noticed were that the food was a bit better and the service was faster. Since I was here in the winter there weren't the customary drunks spilling drinks while hanging out the windows like I remember in the summer time but that didn't bother me.
(4)Sam S.
So odd how white horse gets so packed all the time! I'd say it's an average dive bar with a few pool tables. The food is better then most dives...a good place to pick up!
(3)Amanda G.
Typical sports college bar - BC and BU kids both frequent this place. Wed night trivia is popular and you'lll always find it packed on the weekends. Two thumbs up for the wait staff and bar is big enough that you can find a spot. Pool tables give you something to do but you may have to wait a minute. Get here early on weekends or you'll find yourself waiting outside.
(2)Allison B.
maybe it's because i lived in packard's corner and was totally lazy, but white horse was my to-go bar during college (aside from tues night karaoke at T's). the food is decent bar food and the drinks are average in price. the weekend brunch buffet is a pretty good deal ($9.95 for your choice of customized omelet or eggs benedict, plus all the typical brunch foods a hungover student could ever want). i also really like the setup of white horse, with two bars, an open floor plan, and floor-to-ceiling windows all along the front that, when open in the summer, let in a pretty delightful breeze. as a side note - i love the kid here who does stump trivia on weds and sun nights (if he's still there). he's super enthusiastic and you can tell he loves doing it. and he loves his throwbacks to snick.
(4)Dave L.
Ewwww. This is the kind of place where people I grew up with in a little rich Boston suburb go when they are "going into Boston to hang out this weekend". In fact, I've run into old HS classmates there. Not a fan of the crowd at all. Seems a bit out of place in Allston. Very much the "grown up frat member" vibe. Darts, and a good sized space keep this floating above one star. I have not tried the food.
(2)Amanda S.
Hold the phone. Yes, the service kind of sucks- the bartenders aren't all that attentive (even if it's slow and you are sitting at the bar), yes the doorman sucks (Is he a mute? I hate when you walk in and the 20-year-old door"man" says nothing, but gets up and makes a show-me-your-id motion with his hands.....before scrutinizing your license that looks JUST like you so he can feel some small bit of power in his crappy-ass job), yes it's a young crowd.....BUT, how can you go wrong with a decent chicken sandwich & fries for $4...and $2.50 beers? I like that this place is pretty no frills and you can walk in wearing just about anything. Not my first pick for a night out, or even just grabbing a couple beers, by any means- but also not as bad as many are making it out to be.
(3)David D.
:( :( :( i'm in my 20s, and i was embarrassed to acknowledge it after i walked into the white horse tavern. college bar or not, GROW UP. seriously, this place is awful. i was half-expecting to see someone getting a bro-job when i walked into the bathroom. :(
(2)Patrick K.
This place is sweet! The beverages are fairly priced and the food is generously priced. All good quality and crowd control is impeccable. Monster TVs with NFL Sunday Ticket makes this local optimal for a Sunday afternoon of football!
(5)Mel V.
My experience with White Horse is minimal since I was only there for a bit. Nevertheless, we left quickly because the place freaked us out. If you want to go to a diverse place and see people from various backgrounds, do not go to white horse.
(2)Doris K.
The only reason why White Horse is receiving two stars is because the food and alcohol was so cheap that it does deserve some recognition. I have been here two separate occasions, once on a Saturday night and the other on a Sunday afternoon. The Sunday afternoon was much better because there weren't crowds of people tipping their drinks on me. The food was mediocre but $4 for a pound of wings - how can you go wrong? I haven't had bad service here yet but I really didn't like the type of crowd on the Saturday night. Either way you should give it a try, just make sure that it's not on a busy night.
(2)Andrew S.
Did the price in ketchup rise dramatically? Is a bushel of tomatoes more expensive than a barrel of oil? Everytime I go here, the staff hounds people for their ketchup bottle. Do they only have one bottle to go around? Buy another fucking bottle you cheap bastards!
(2)Aaron G.
I'm kinda hot cold on the Horse. I love going there to catch a few beers and enjoy a ball game. Yes I would say their screens are about second to none. What's not second to none is the beer selection, I'm defaulted to Stella, not a big concern I suppose. the bartenders are also cool as I've often shared laughs and war stories with them. An issue does arise late night on weekends and I don't wanna sound snobby, but it is amateur hour in there. Allow me to elaborate, I've had multiple drinks inadvertently spilled on me by rando chicks. Yes this was made better by the chicks part, but come on now, this isn't high school lock it up! Overall, just time your visit wisely, this is a solid spot when crowds are sparse.
(2)Julianne M.
I come here for the food specials and Sunday Trivia nights. I always have a great time with my friends without breaking the bank. Plus, trivia rules. You can't beat that!
(4)Sarah A.
Decent local place. Good prices and decent food. Awesome specials. Burgers are quality. If you are eating there make sure you stay away from the doors. The bouncers are always opening and closing them, even when people are not coming in, so you and your food will get cold easily.
(3)Sarah F.
I had avoided this place like the plague for almost two years because it always seemed to be overflowing with obnoxious underclassmen, but ended up here on a Friday night when the line at Sunset was too long and I was just too hungry to wait. The doormen and waitstaff were pleasant, we easily found a table for three and the place was pretty mellow. We only had burgers and fries, but they were tasty. Maybe I just got lucky, or my expectations were just that low, but I was pleasantly surprised.
(3)Terrence H.
Hey, Bro!
(1)Erik G.
White Horse, your beer selection is OK, and I've had much worse service in Boston (except for bouncers; I haven't met bouncers with bigger complexes than these guys), but never in my life have I seen such a mean trick as having the pool tables located on a floor six inches higher than the rest of the bar, and installing a gently sloping ramp to bridge the gap. Have you the SLIGHTEST IDEA what a gentle incline does to the inebriated? Never have I come so close to face-planting so many times in one night.
(3)Susan J.
Unlike Leo, I didn't find this place very social, but it's still a nice, low-key place to meet friends for a few drinks. They also have several TVs (usually showing sporting events) and some pool tables, which are a plus. I've always found the service a bit slow, but they have an amazing brunch buffet on the weekend. $10 gets you all the bagels, yogurt, fruit, pancakes, custom omelettes, bacon, and croissants you can eat!
(4)Jennifer K.
Nice place for a during the week/after work drink - beyond that, stay out. The bouncers are pretty much jackasses - even for those of us who are of legal age. Makes a weekend night experience off to a bad start by having to put up with their attitude. Do they list "be a jackass" as part of the job description? On the other hand: I ended up here one year for St. Patrick's day after some failed attempts to head to the downtown pubs - and I had a really great time.
(3)Bene K.
Best part about White Horse : cheap drinks and loud 80's music...worst part about White Horse: the one level of space that does not know what to make of itself so, it just becomes a big blob of people floating around and maybe playing pool. I'm not a fan, there isn't too much to it.
(2)Geoff T.
Want to call me an elitest, be my guess, but due to the huge glass windows in the front, I dubbed this place the "Loser Aquarium" when I lived down the street. Drunken BU and BC students take breaks from the meatmarket inside to harass those who pass on foot. At least, this is Friday and Saturday nights at the White Horse. When empty, another beast entirely. Decent food for cheap, cheap beers and (a plus for me) the ever present Red Sox game. If you are into the packed college hot house, weekends are for you. IF you see few people in there on a weekday and want a beer and something quick to eat, enter, friend!
(2)sunny n.
Average college town bar...lots of plasmas floatin around..which is neat...the bartenders ..eh a little alternative for my liking but hey its allston...the girls servin have been always sweet....and I enjoy the large window view of the street and peeps passin by...food is nothin to write home about..and really junk food designed to soak up your booze but then again its very cheap...and 5 shots later or 12 cheap beers later...that kinna grub maybe just what u need....too bright though..and not to warm in the winter..! Avg..Avg!
(3)George K.
Not a big fan of this place. Too many frat-boys out on the prowl at night time. It does have some redeeming qualities during the afternoon, but not enough to get another star out of me.
(1)Mark S.
This review is for the food and drink experience. So I moved to Allston two months ago and I realized that I never went to this classic bar. Then I went here for lunch with a friend on a weekday, and there were literally about 5 people in this gigantic restaurant/bar/arcade. How on earth does this place stay in business, wondered this newbie. Fortunately my gluten-free palate was satisfied; the burgers are outrageously cheap with tasty beef patties, and gluten-free buns are offered. I wasn't a huge fan of the potatoes in the french fries, but they were salted and peppered perfectly. Overall, one of my favorite Boston burger experiences, with cheap cider on tap to match. Then a week or so later, I walked back home at around 1:30 AM on a weekend and passed the Tavern, which had transformed into the biggest and silliest dance club I'd ever seen. Hundreds of people were in there, with a couple of dozen more in line outside. Oh Allston, you never cease to amaze me.
(4)Irene J.
3 stars becusee the service was So SLOW we came here at an awkward time yet... NONE Of the MILLIONS OF SERVERS assisted us... Like ugh... Thanks doorman for checking our IDs but is no one planning on helping us when we are clearly seated at the most apparent table... Literally had to chase down a server and as for menus... Then the drinks were all watered down and the food was.... Like you would expect mediocre ... Just Heavy. Heart attack. Diabetes inducing greasy food. Got munchies ? Come here.
(3)Justin C.
The bartenders were extremely knowledgable here. I was pleasantly surprised. The wait staff was even better. Couldn't have been more attentive and were almost psychic with our wants and needs. The food and beverage selection was also quite impressive. I would highly recommend this establishment to any and all in the area.
(5)Taylor B.
Your average college dive bar. Fun, friendly staff. . There are fun games like pool, hunting game, ect. Sometimes pool is free that's nice. I love their parmesan garlic wings and quesadillas! The mixed drinks can be weak so I usually stick with beer. Love food
(3)Jason H.
Friendly staff, depends on who you get. Tons of younger girls here for waitress so you might not get consistent service. I think it's got a great location, good set up because it's got two pool tables so it really makes it a different bar, especially because it's so roomy. Got the basketball machines too so it makes the place like a bar/arcade. In the summer, the shades all open up and it's a good place to just sit and relax. They have a patio/deck outside in the back too but there's no much to look in terms of scenery. But at night it looks really pretty with the Christmas lights and all. It's not a terrible place for drinks, the bartenders have descent skills. However, sometimes the drinks can get sloppy with a less-pleasant presentation, mostly when they're really busy. When the waitresses bring them over, they're overflowing. They have different events like trivia nights, which a lot of people seem to enjoy. The food is descent, but sometimes taste like something's frozen and pre-made, and just been reheated for you. It feels like a typical college/frat bar, it gives you the ambiance with kids who just turn 21 and just want cheap alcohol. Most young professional crowd don't go there so don't expect to meet someone there. At night on a weekend after 12pm, this place's got beer bottles on the floor and turn into a frat party.
(2)Lisa A.
This is not my favorite place to grab a drink, but it's definitely not my least favorite. It's a fine choice if you live nearby, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go here. Drinks seem reasonably priced and they have decent beers on draft. Food here is relatively cheap and is pretty good. I ordered their truffle fries and my friends ordered burgers (only $4-ish). This place gets really loud as the night goes on, but that's pretty much the same story at every other place in the area.
(3)Amy B.
Absolutely terrible service. We got there around 5:50 and someone who seemed to be in charge told us that the servers do not get there until 6:00. We thought it would be no big deal to sit at the bar for 10 minutes or so. The lady bartender was very nice and gave us some sodas while we waited. The servers seemed to begin to trickle in around 6:00, but they all just stood at the back of the restaurant chatting and not doing anything. We waited some more, and around 6:30 we asked the guy we had originally talked to if we could get a table. (We had assumed he would let us know when we could sit down, as he had instructed us to wait in the first place). He was like "oh yeah, there's a server outside. you can go sit down." So we go out there, and there is a bartender and some other guy chatting with her. Nobody greeted us or told us what to do. We asked if we could sit down at a table, and the bartender said to sit anywhere we wanted. We sat down, thinking someone would come over to us, but after about 10 minutes, nothing happened. We went back up to the bartender and asked if we could see some menus, and she got us some. Nobody ever came over to take our order, so once again we had to ask the bartender if we could order some food. From that point on, she kind of served us. We had to get up and asked for just about everything we wanted. What an uncomfortable experience. Also, some more people came to sit at the bar outside and got barely any service. One man came and sat down, and after not a single employee came outside for over 10 minutes, he gave up and went to the inside bar.
(1)Ann J.
BAR Whitehorse is your typical college frat bar. Without fail, the bar is full of BU students who just turned 21 with the hopes of getting really drunk on cheap alcohol. Drinks are pretty cheap and there is usually a special like $3.00 bottles of bud light. FOOD During the day Whitehorse is a great place for food. The menu is full of burgers, sandwhiches, and anything else you would expect at a college bar. On certain days there are specials like steak tips and fries for $8. OVERALL Like I said before Whitehorse is your typical college bar. Don't go there expecting a young professionals crowd, and be prepared to see at least 4 or 5 broken beer bottles on the ground. Whitehorse is perfect for those nights where you end up in your bed the next morning not knowing how you got there.
(3)Mallory C.
We came here one night for special edition Avengers trivia. I came for the drinks... and my boyfriend went for Avengers trivia. Overall it was a decent night but it is definitely a college bar. The seating is tight once it fills up, but we were seated pretty quickly near the window (at a table that wobbled worse than I've ever experienced... and I ALWAYS get the table that wobbles. Service was mediocre, and although my first margarita was close to perfect, the 2nd was a serious overdose of sour mix. The poutine and spring rolls were decent as appetizers, and I like that you can do the pick two or pick three appetizer combos- that was definitely enough food for 2 of us. The staff was accommodating in terms of finding room for my scooter and when they wanted to move it to make room for more tables, they did it for me, after asking permission and directions on how to move it safely, which I thought was awesome. At 10 p.m. trivia ended, and they put up the "velvet rope" as the undergrad line began to form, and we went home for our senior citizen bed time. An ok place if you're into the college vibe or want trivia, but not one of my top 3 spots in Allston.
(3)Elizabeth R.
I came here on a Friday night and it was packed. people everywhere so we couldn't get a table or anything so just stood around the bar. They have plenty of pool tables (which were all taken) but it was a nice and lively place.
(4)Matthew S.
To sum up all the reviews here, and second what everyone else is saying: You're never going to have the time of your life here. But you're almost certainly not going to have a bad time either. It's the 'safe bar', basically when you're not sure if you want to venture downtown, but you're also not sure if you want to jump face first into the dumpster-fire that is the Allston bar scene, then you go to White Horse. You won't meet the girl of your dreams, but you won't get chlamydia from anyone either. I've been coming here for 7 years; the bartenders are friendly, the food is slightly above average, the drinks are strong, the place is spacious, and there are pool tables, those basketball shooting games, and some arcade things in the corner as well. There's also usually a DJ on the weekend, and about 50 people dancing on a cleared out part of the floor. I definitely enjoy this place, and you probably will too.
(3)Rebecca C.
I came here a few nights ago on a Sunday to have drinks with my friends. The manager farish was very nice and friendly towards us as soon as we walked in. Once we sat down at the bar, we were immediately greeted by our bartender Amanda. She seemed very happy to see us. The lights are kept low and the music was on point. I love that they have two pool tables that are quarter operated in the center. If you walk over towards the second bar which seems to be there to ensure on busy nights that every guest can get a drink quickly, there is a basketball throwing game. It's nice for some light competition to see who can make the most baskets. This bar is kept very clean and I love that the front windows go all the way down. It is always fun to people watch from here on allston. I also appreciate the door staff that is very nice while checking ids. They are not trying to intimidate you however, will be quick to solve an issue if there is one in order to keep all the guests happy and safe. Not sure when I'll make it back there, but I know I'll be there this summer just for the great service and relaxed atmosphere.
(5)Adam Z.
Honestly, White Horse is the Cheers of the Allston community. It's a safe bet you'll see that Tinder girl who's name you can't (and don't want) to remember, that hipster from the coffee shop that always serves you coffee dripping with disdain, and your friends looking to get hammered in a judgement free zone. The staff is always more friendly than they ought to be given the amount of drunk biddies and ill-fitting button down wearing meatheads they have to deal with. This is a bar lacking bells and whistles and honestly, it's better for it. White Horse is the place you go to play pool, grab some pub food, and have a good time with friends. If you're looking for TV's over the urinals and 75 different places to plug in your iPhone 4 (because you ball on a budget) this isn't going to be your spot. If you're looking for great service, an outdoor patio, and an awesome "go-to" bar, the White Horse will always deliver; in spades.
(5)Nishitha S.
Definitely a classic -- especially as a student in the area. There is no cover so it's a nice place to go hang out and not spend a lot of money. Drinks aren't too expensive at 5-10$ a pop. It is nice and one of the few bars where you can actually converse with your friends without being drowned out by music. They have a pool table section, a bar section, and a crowded dance floor section.
(4)Jennifer N.
This place has been one of my regular places for 3 years now & has managed to impress me each time very differently. I had some of my first legal drinks here, watched the super bowl here, started many bar hops here, danced here and shot pool too many times to count but this time I met 'Farish'. He made this time a little better with his attentiveness and care while my group and I were at the bar. 'Farish' mixed up some delicious shots and introduced me to a new favorite beer (Killian's). He had complete control of the bar, was humble and friendly. Different circumstances had brought me in 2 Mondays ago + 2 Saturdays ago, I was hosting a dear friend from Brazil while she was visiting Boston. This place made her stay that much better due to the moods The WhiteHorse sets. (She's back in Rio now, but talks of coming back within the year with intentions of going to The WhiteHorse.) On a different note most of their staff is on their game with a great Guinness pour, which is a win in my book/keeps bringing me back. Cheers!
(5)Jennifer G.
Perfect for summer nights with the hidden patio in the back. I mean, I guess it's not really hidden, but it's a nice added bonus. Came here with three friends on a Tuesday night and luckily it wasn't packed like a couple other restaurants down the street due to World Cup shenanigans. We got a table on the patio right away and a few minutes later, our waitress came to take our orders. Their drinks are pretty cheap. I ended up getting an Angry Orchard hard cider for $5.50 I believe. Beware: their tables are those kinds with holes in them so if a waitress spills your drink...it will get on you unfortunately. Yes, that happened and our waitress wasn't very friendly. She spilled the drink on my friend when she put the drink down, and not even a sorry. We had to ask her for napkins and she took her time getting those for us. Oh and the tables are wobbly. Anyways, we ended up ordering some food too. Nothing fancy. An order of waffled battered chicken tenders with a jalapeño maple syrup and a blue cheese and bacon grilled cheese. The chicken tenders were okay. I expected the sauce to be a little more savory and spicy maybe, given the name, but all I could taste was maple syrup. I felt like I was eating chicken with maple syrup and it just didn't feel right. Too sweet. The grilled cheese was pretty good. Could've been cheesier and they could've went a little easier on the bread. Too much bread, not enough cheese. But there's bacon and bacon makes everything delicious. Oh, I should more that the food took at least 25 minutes. Food was slow and service wasn't great. The three stars are mostly for patio seating, cheap drinks, and a decent atmosphere.
(3)Leah C.
Worst service in Boston. Waiters don't care and the drinks are weak. There are much better spots in the are. Try the Ave!
(1)Daniel S.
I've been coming to the White Horse Tavern regularly for over five years. In that time, the menu may have changed, but the overall vibe hasn't. In my experience, it's a pretty chill place where you can have a good conversation with friends over a few drinks. The staff is friendly and helpful. The food is pretty standard bar food (wings, nachos, burgers), but the portions are generous and the prices reasonable. The food is also consistent in its quality. It may not be the best bar food in the area, but you're not rolling the dice as to whether you'll come out with food poisoning after your meal (you won't). Another highlight of the White Horse Tavern is the trivia nights on Wednesdays and Sundays. They tend to draw a bit of a crowd. Initially a Stump Trivia location, Will (the trivia master) broke with them and is now working with Geeks Who Drink. In any case, trivia is usually a good time and not too intense.
(4)Ariel Z.
Not a bad option to enjoy a Friday night out in the Allston 'hood. I warn you that it's very divey, however the crowd from what I can tell doesn't look too sleezy...until maybe later on in the night (as expected). This place features a large, airy space with a full bar (non-claustrophobic for once), 2 pool tables, a digital jukebox, and bar food in case you get the drunchies (drunk + munchies). We later found out that it turns into a nightclub later on. I like that if you get bored dancing, you can still enjoy the rest of the bar's amenities to keep you busy. If I'm in the area, I would probably come back.
(3)Hector D.
I've been to White Horse many times during and post-college, and it's always a good time. It doesn't look different from any Allston bar, but there are plenty of stories here haha. I definitely think it's better than TITS, where they always seem to force you to get a table. For me, I consider this my "closer" bar for me, which means that if I'm in the Allston area, my friend and I always end my night here haha. I'm not really sure why, but every time I go here, it rounds out the night perfectly. It's, by no means, a raging bar where everything and anything happens, but we always go here to get a last call beer. I definitely stay more towards the left side rather than right where there's a pseudo-dance floor (it's more crowded on the right side. I've never tried to do a game of pool (it looks like the wait/games take forever), but it adds to the easygoing vibe the place has. The crowd is obviously full of college/BU kids, but it's one of those bars where you can just unwind and regroup.
(4)George A.
some of the worst service i've ever experienced at a restaurant. walked in to no greeting, no sign of whether it was seat yourself or not. went to the bartender and asked him, and he said that the waiters would be there in 10 minutes? so we sat at the bar waiting for the servers to show up or for the bartender to let us know they were ready for us, but no one said anything or even noticed us. we ended up having to flag down the bartender after he avoided eye contact after 20 minutes of confusion. he told us to go out back, saying there was a bartender and a server. there was no server, and the bartender was setting up still. we sat down to no greeting again, and again had to ask for assistance. we had to ask the "door guy" (who was just terribly hitting on the bartender outside) for menus which took him like 5 minutes. still no server. after 10 minutes, we went up to the bartender and ordered from her after no service. she did not check up on us at all. had to flag her down to order, for refills, for waters...no server ever showed up. took forever for the check. there was a 10 minute stretch where there were literally no employees out back. literally the WORST service I have ever had at a restaurant. the 1 star is for the food, which was good. the only positive experience with the staff was the door guy (different one, not the scrawny dude with high socks and a shirt 2 sizes too big), who said bye and to have a good day. he had a big old beard. it was pretty nice. there were roughly 6 waiters working, but they were all just dicking around behind the inside bar. do not go here if you don't want to sit and wait around for over an hour.
(1)Chris R.
Your typical casual post-college crowd food and drink place serving the usual suspects of beers and bar fare (burgers, nachos, wings, etc.). Not my top choice in the area in that genre but really it's not bad. The food I wouldn't say is anything special, but it does have some nice qualities, most notably that when it's nice out they open all the front windows so you get the whole indoor/outdoor vibe. Plus it's huge so if you have a big group it would be a decent choice. Seating is a mix of barstool, high-tops and tables so you've got options. They also have a couple pool tables in decent condition. I'd go for a couple beers if everywhere else was crowded, but if you're hungry just go to Sunset or Common Ground instead.
(3)Hamdi J.
I actually love white horse! I work down the street from it and always end up here. My coworkers and I usually grab drinks after work and white horse is always our go to. I love the fact that they have an ample amount of space and the drinks are perfect. The bartenders are very helpful and accommodating. Definitely one my go to bars in Allston.
(5)Liz H.
I came during the evening and it was pretty decent until I left for two seconds to tell a bunch of my friends (who were taking a cigarette break) where I was. The bouncers were the rudest people I have ever met and I will never ever come back after this bad experience. I work in the hospitality industry and it is not okay to be that rude.
(2)Jack S.
Empty place but won't let someone in who offers to check his satchel with the bar? That's odd, chased away 7 people's worth of business
(1)Tiff A.
Decent bar...but bartender with neck/face tattoos was totally uncool and charged us for a beer we didn't we didn't drink, and was really rude about it.
(3)Alena G.
Affectionately referred to as White Ho by the local college crowd, the tavern serves a variety of purposes: - a low-key bar with small but satisfying menu - the teriyaki steak tips are a perfect mix of savory and sweet tenderness; the burgers are delicious and hefty; the apps are numerous - try the wings, the soft pretzel sticks, the Thai rolls, the baked goat cheese dip.. tons of beers to choose from (they always have some specials in place) and the lemonades are delicious as well. If you're adventurous, opt for for Raspberry Midnight White Russian - rasp vodka and Kahlua topped with whipped cream. Indescribable experience, to say the least; - a relaxing neighborhood hangout spot with pool tables and Thursday night trivia; - a sweaty, bumping late-night spot where all hell breaks loose - things HAPPEN here. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
(4)Marlana Y.
Scene: Friday night 9pm Living Room, Husband and I bored. Me: .... Husband: Wanna go to White Horse? Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and just have a random night out, whether with your other half or just with a few friends. It's like the equivalent of meeting with friends over coffee except this is the nightlife with beer. This place isn't fancy but I really like it for the outdoor patio in the back. I wish more places had them. We try to go before the clubbing crowd at 8-9pm. It was a nice night out drinking a few beers, snacking on the nachos, and watching the game.
(4)Cashmir D.
I love it here! Josh and Mike at the bar are amazing! They are very personable and friendly! Great customer service! I live in Malden and will definitely be back here because of these guys! Thanks for great service!
(5)Ifath N. I.
Overall decent bar. The food is okay. They claim to serve brunch but it's a lie.
(3)Jessica P.
Came in on a Sunday night to a pretty empty bar, the bar service wasn't the best, due to the fact that no one else was sitting at the bar and it took a while to get the bartenders attention. She didn't offer menus or anything, and got annoyed when we asked to break bills to play games.. But, Josh, a door guy turned the whole experience around. He held the door open and was very personable. He came over while we were sitting at the bar and picked up my jacket off the ground and then continued to hang it up for me. While everyone else that was working was standing around talking, he was out front sweeping the side walk. He's such a true gentleman, Boston needs more door staff like him, who make you feel welcome rather than intimidated. - so we came in for round 2- to an empty restaurant and sat ourselves at the back patio. Erinn C was our server, if you can call her that. She came over and threw menus down and walked away. She came back and didn't introduce herself, saying what do you want? And rolled her eyes when I didn't want alcohol and my boyfriend did. She came back 10 minutes later to the empty patio. We ordered two salads, mine was delicious - the steak one, my boyfriends was horrendous. a Caesar salad is pretty simple. I had to go up to the bar to ask for a refill on my soda because she was too busy on her phone in the corner. Thank god we were her only table or she would be in the weeds. She never came back to check on us and when we asked for our check, she walked away and didn't say a word. She came back and dropped our check off and didn't say anything. Not even a smile! We will say- our drinks on the rocks today were plentiful where as last night the amount was as much mouth wash as you would put in a cap in the morning. We really want to like this place, the food and price are decent but the service needs some serious help.. A smile goes a long way.
(3)Sara M.
Decent place to get a beer and a bite, but not a go-to for me. It hasn't changed a bit since I was in college. If you want a pint and a place to watch the game, this is your go-to. They did add a very nice patio, which has a full bar and TV.
(3)K. Brooke Z.
If you're in college, or wish like you still were, or even just want to hit on people that are college-aged, you'll love it here! There is a line out the door on some nights of ladies with low self-esteem. The DJ did play some of the old middle-school hits the night I was there, transitioning from the current top 40 (with extra beatz added) to Britney, bitch. He must have gauged the the crowd based on number of girls rubbing their butts along the guard rail of the upper level. The place is oddly arranged, so you'll get the pleasure of meeting new friends in the 3 feet of space between the bar and a barrier.
(2)Aria D.
The man who served me was really friendly but the food wasn't. I ordered the clam chowder soup bowl which was the size of a regular "cup." Not to mention that it came with bacon and I don't eat pork. I haven't eaten pork for a year and was very shocked when I took a bite....and tasted bacon. The clam chowder soup has no description that it has red meat and I suggest you change that. *Edit* I just learned that most clam chowders are made with bacon. I still think that it should be specified that it's made with pork because this isn't common knowledge.
(1)Phil C.
Part 2 of the Yelp wing crawl... This bar, by far, had the weakest wings. The only reason why I didn't give this place a 1-star is because the sauce was half-decent and the establishment was beautiful. Otherwise... The server/bartender I had definitely didn't give a crap about this whole event. I did not get a smile or a "thank you" for anything, even when gratuities were given by me. She, along with everyone else, seemed rather snotty and dour. Back to the wings, they were rather small and sickly. I asked for "hot" flavor buffalo wings and the ones I got were a little tempered. Maybe I had a higher tolerance of hot stuff that night but the sauce didn't seem that hot. However, the (probably "mild" that was given to me by mistake) sauce still tasted all right. The pool tables looked inviting and there are a bunch of televisions in this establishment. The bar is spacious and airy. It's clear, however, that this place is for the beautiful people. The servers seemed the most self-conscious of their looks, out of all the servers I encountered that night. So if you're one of the beautiful people, you'll fit in and you'll enjoy this bar. However, if you're one of the beautiful people and like food, you won't enjoy it as much. And if you're not beautiful but like food, well, good luck to ya.
(2)Brian P.
I love this pace. Great atmosphere. the prices are average. I always get the pretzel sticks. They are really good.
(5)Paige C.
See week night specials Best put on your drinking caps Trivia with Will There are only two things that keep me coming back to White Horse: Trivia genius/Brutus Will LaTulippe and $7 steak tips on Wednesday nights. There is nothing special about White Horse. I mostly avoid eating food here except for my pile of steak tips. And of all the places that I drink in Boston, White Horse probably has the saddest beer list, but not the saddest prices. It's a sports/bro bar. But even with all the negativity, I still stand by Will and the Tips. White Horse on Wednesday will make anybody's hump day better... or the best. (Seriously, no one does anything on Wednesday night.)
(3)Abby R.
I have a beef with White Horse. That beef's name is $2 pizza day. You will pay $2 for a cheese pizza, or at least a dollar more for every extra topping. You will receive what seems to be a crunchy tortilla with only the barest hint of sauce flavoring, and a layer of rubbery cheese. They don't even try. Moving on. Their burgers are passable. But why eat a passable burger when you could eat a delicious burger? Words to live by. The atmosphere is blah. It's too open and too awkwardly arranged if it gets at all crowded. There are pool tables between one half of the bar and the other... It's just weird. Also the way it's laid out even if it is busy-ish, it seems like no one is there, which at least to me is a turn-off. I like a place where I feel like I have a crowd of my fellow man to bond with. Where is the camaraderie in this place? Nowhere. Because this is a bar near BU and that gives it license to exist as it does.
(2)Imran G.
Stop numero deux in Yelp's Wing and Bling Pub Crawl. Less than happy bartender? Check. Decent bar food? Check. The wings were pretty good, my teriyaki were quite tasty, and my wife's thai mango chili were also really good. Great size, comes celery and your choice of ranch or frommage azul (dude, will you stop speaking French, Spanish and English at the same time?). We noted that we got bleu cheese instead of ranch and asked the bartender if it was bleu cheese. She stood and looked at us for like 3 minutes wondering where the problem was, a bit rude if you ask me. Unfortunately, all sorts of averageness combined with a rude waitress average out to a pretty average spot.
(3)Annie N.
I needed to grab a quick bite with my dear friend prior to a rendezvous and White Horse happened to be in the general vicinity. We decided to give it a shot and were overall pleased! Mind you, it was early on a Friday night so I don't think the place had become "poppin'" yet. There are a lot of youths in that neighborhood that I'm sure frequent the place with its spacious bar area and billiard section. Our waiter was Kyle and he was both friendly and prompt (an excellent combo!). My gentleman friend had a burger that he gave rave reviews and our drinks were up to par. I'd recommend this as a fine establishment to visit during quieter hours.
(4)Erik G.
This bar took my friends real id and did not give it back until the cops showed up an hour and a half later. The reason it took so long is because the bar said they would call the cops to arrest my friend but ended up just making him wait. Quite funny to me, but he's still pissed. Granted once you do get inside the place is packed with horny coeds. That being said i attribute the hot chicks to the wealth of colleges in the surrounding area and not to the bar itself. In conclusion, not stoner friendly.
(2)Julie A.
I'm going to keep this short, many people have wrote about the ins and outs of this place and I want to just chime in on my personal experience I waver between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll give 4 because I'll come back to this place. I like the white horse tavern. I like the vibe and food usually. I've been here on quiet days and busy days. And the outside patio in the back has tv's. I've only had one disappointing meal. I'm not usually overly picky about my food, especially regular American fare, but the breakfast omelet was terrible. It was oooozing oil. Like legit, oozing, and then on the flipside the home fries were super dry and hard. But that's not to say the lunch/dinner menu is below par. I've had some great burgers and the steak tips are great. The bartender service supersedes the servers, who I typically find to be inattentive and impersonal. The bartenders usually make me feel "taken care of" so props for that. I've never been here on the weekend, but I usually see a line out the door. If you want to "check it out" take part in one of their daily food or event specials during the week.
(4)Adam R.
I went here on a Wednesday night with some friends. We knew it was a trivia night, but we got there too late to really participate. The trivia night sounded fun, and the guy Will LaTulippe was pretty cool and still read our incredibly dumb Cuban team name out loud (with the proper Spanish accent and everything!) even though we only played the last round. Unfortunately, if you're not playing trivia, there's really no point in going because you cannot hear anything with their speakers blaring on the inside. Also, once trivia was done about 90% of the bar left, so whatever vibe there was went with them. They had a decent selection of beer at normal Boston prices, and we didn't try the food, but it all seemed like your average bar food. The waitress was also really good and attentive, so there were no problems there. It seems like a nice relaxing place, but I think that's the problem, it's just kind of a bar on a street where every other building is probably a bar. It's clean, I had a good time, and I would never adamantly oppose going here, but I would never suggest it in the first place, you know?
(3)Chenkai L.
This bar is a good place to come and grab a casual drink. They have pretty standard bar food (burgers, sandwiches, fries) and the drinks are pretty standard. They do trivia night three times a week, Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On friday-sat, they turn part of their floor into a dance floor. On a weekday, its a good place for conversation as it doesn't get too loud.
(3)Eleni K.
Nice atmosphere but staff wasn't very helpful or friendly at all. Drinks are extremely overpriced. Parking is terrible. Only positive thing I found is that they are open until 2am and have good music most of the time.
(3)Danielle K.
Sadly, White Horse Tavern has changed it's menu since I moved out of Allston, and the cheese fries with horsy mayo are long gone. (My waistline is thankful but my brain is not, since I was craving them.) They've also changed companies that run their trivia nights to Geeks Who Drink instead of Stump. The awesome trivia jockey Will is still the same so I'm sure trivia nights are still fun, but I haven't been to a GWD event to see how the format is different.
(2)Laura M.
It's a good bar. Plain and simple. Not great. Not bad. Good. Sometimes there's way too many drunk brahs, but I prefer it over Tavern in the Square. Pool tables. TVs. Nice outdoor seating in the back. Ample open space. Food is typical pub fare. I had a good patty melt. I've been told to never get the parmesan wings (is it wrong that that only makes me want to get them??)
(3)Michael M.
Delicious steak tips. I had mine with mango Thai sauce, fresh vegetables, mash potatoes, and craft beer. Tasty burgers and seasonal craft beers with variety of selection. Relaxing place to watch the game while playing a game of pool.
(3)Stephanie L.
This place is a pretty regular haunt for my boyfriend and I on the weekends after his soccer games with the team, mostly because it's a very "boys" place for them to all meet up, but otherwise I'm not a fan. The food is awesome for bar food - nachos, fries, soft pretzels, you name it. Nothing earth-shattering but it's what you'd expect. Definitely the type of place for meeting up to have a few beers and watch a game. The cocktails are generally horrible, so just stick to beer. If you're lucky, whoever is at the tap will actually know how to pour, but don't count on it. The wait staff is getting increasingly terrible, which is a bit frustrating. They don't know how to handle large parties (which are really common due to the nature of the place) and they're not attentive at all. The last time I went the waitress actually looked in the opposite direction and walked away really quickly to avoid taking our order. Multiple times. I just ended up going up to the bar to get my drinks myself while I waited for her to do her job. They're constantly under-staffed, yet the last time I checked they're only hiring door men, rather than the waitresses and bartenders they're in dire need of. If you're here for heavy beer-drinking, like most people are, you'll probably end up having the privilege of experiencing their zoos... I mean, bathrooms. At best they're disgusting, but on special days they're actually some of the worst I've ever seen. Doors duct taped shut, toilet paper and feminine supplies all over the floor even early in the afternoon, non-functioning door locks, un-flushed toilets, swampy overflowing clogged sinks... And I've heard the men's room gets worse. I really wish they'd step up their game with janitorial services and training their wait staff/bartenders, because the convenience of the place will probably keep me coming back regardless.
(2)Jim B.
The White Horse Tavern is an all-around good spot. The food there is what you would expect from pub food, maybe a bit better than average. To anyone looking for the best thing on the menu, I would go straight for the burgers. Friendly staff and an awesome beer list make for a good experience on the bar side. Pool is expensive, I recall each game costing $1.25.
(4)Veronique L.
This past Saturday night, I met up with my boyfriend and a few people we knew from school. I am pretty sure they card most people, but once in, I found a huge group of people watching football and loudly cheering. The waitress was really nice and gave me water whenever I asked. I thought she did a great job accommodating the coming and going of the group. The place gets progressively louder later in the evening. They might even designate space for dancing as there appeared to be a DJ. I'm not sure why, but they drew black curtains to separate the football watching people from the rest of the group. As others have noted, there are pool tables and trivia nights here as well.
(2)Luke T.
A lively college bar and the crowd is trendy and hipster type. Drinks are weak, so stay with your beer.
(3)James B.
This place is bright red and glossy and in the middle of everything, so I almost feel like it's designed to draw in tourists like myself. It's fairly massive but when I came in on a Friday at 3PM it was virtually empty. I had a burger and it was fine. It was a pretty simple order: well done with mozzarella and goat cheese. Somehow the waitress still had to come back and ask, and she had it wrong (Swiss?) She seemed irritated with me the entire time. Note that she wasn't unkind or rude. She just seemed like she needed a nap. ...and she was either a terrible waitress or REALLY needed a nap. She never took away the other three rolls of silverware that were at my table when I sat down. By and large she just obviously wanted to go home. When the check came it was only $11 and usually I tip large when I linger to mess around on the internet or just in general have a small check, but I was reluctant to even leave her the $1.50 15%. I left her $3, but it would have been $10 if she had just been more pleasant.
(3)Reptile A.
This place was fun to me while I was in college but not since then. Perhaps its the extremely loud atmosphere that makes it annoying now. The DJ is either deaf or he doesn't know how to keep volume at the right level so you don't have to scream at top of your lungs to order your drink. Out of all the Allston bars, this one seems to attract douchebag-bro crowd the most.
(2)Elizabeth W.
I've had plenty of enjoyable evenings here. I've come many a time for trivia night, and it's one of my favorite spots to do so. The beer selection is good and the prices decent. The bar food is tasty, I'm a fan of their nachos. I like coming here for a casual drink and to hang out with friends. I've never stuck around for the late night crazy dance parties that I guess go on here. Seems to be the typical, fun-loving college and young professional crowd for the most part. I'm sure I'll be back.
(3)Sheryl K.
Trekking alllll the way out to Allston for a little bar/grill when on vacation in Boston and staying in Back Bay? Of course! Love White Horse. I lived across the street in college and worked there briefly, I guess I have a soft spot for it and the DELICIOUS wings and fun bar. The wings are fab, and you can also get them with grilled chicken and still delicious! Great beer selection, I love the atmosphere, especially sitting by one of the open windows by the pool tables.
(4)David L.
Cool atmosphere, great drink specials every month, 2 pool tables and 2 HUGE full bars. Games include Safari Buck hunter, Basketball Game, Golden Tee, and shuffleboard type bowling game. I would consider this a sports bar as they have plenty of jumbo screens. If you're looking for a night of dancing in Allston, then this is your spot on a Saturday night based on drink specials, FREE COVER, and DJ music. Trivia on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursdays @ 8pm.
(4)Joe V.
Allston's premiere college bar. Some of the highlights. -Has crappy pool tables. -Some of the cheaper drinks in Allston. -O.k. food that is not overpriced. -Picture booth. -Patio Area. -Open until 2. -Located next to a thrift shop where you can pop some tags. The White Horse is like bud light. Its awesome when you first start drinking, and you still come back to it every once in a while, years after you've long outgrown it.
(3)Frank J.
White Horse is better than average for the typical college bars. Yes, it can get very crowded on weekend nights. Yes, it can get filled with sticky collar wearing people. Yes, it can get filled with people that smell like new jersey. Yes, there can be young and dumb bouncers on a power trip. This is a typical bar in boston and that is the nature of the beast. May favorite experiences here, like most bars I go to, happen earlier in the day. Day drinking is just more fun, for many reasons. There are a few reasons why White Horse has a step up over the others, mostly because of the layout. First, there are now three bars (two inside and one on the patio). Having easy access to a bar when you need a drink is everything, no one wants to hover over people sitting at the bar (except the creepy ones, I guess three bars is a negative for them?) Second, the relatively new patio - patios are great on a nice summer day. Third, they have video games and pool tables. This is key when you're with those close friends who you haven't yet developed the talking relationship with. As far as the beer, they're on the cusp of being barfully responsible (having at least one beer cheap). I think they have $2.75 high lifes and $3 pbr tall boys. I would prefer a cheap draft ($2 or less) of one of the big three. I can't get to upset, they do have cheap beer, I just wish it wasn't high life or pbr. "The champagne of beer" really needs to be renamed "the andre of beer." As far as pbr goes, I have dranken so much reused pbr (that seems a little to thick/sticky and is filled with pubes and dirt) at the bottom of solo cups that I can't even smell the stuff without gagging. As far as the food goes, it is standard bar food for the area. Cheap quality, overpriced for what it is. I will say that White Horse tends to have slightly lower prices than their competition - the prices are fair. However, I have one big complaint, and why they lost a star. They have raised the prices (still fair prices) but have not updated the manu on their website. This is a big pet peeve of mine because people rely on what is on the website, there shouldn't be surprises when you get there. They do have "drink specials." I think it is $5 for any vodka, rum, gin drink with a single mixer. I once had these and was dissappointed, it wasn't very strong. I tend not to order bar drinks for this very reason - the wimb of a bartender doesn't always couincide with my liquor needs. FYI, vodka, rum, gin, etc. drinks with a single mixer are called "speed rail" in Canada. I was once in a loud, crowded bar in montreal and there was a very confusing eye staredown between me and the bartender because the "speed rail" special made no sense to me and everything I ordered was not that. One more thing, they have a late night/patio menue that has small pizzas on it. One of the pizzas is a "pepperoni bomb" (not exact wording, something like that). Anyway, it says there will be crust to crust pepperoni. Not the case at all. There were about 2-3 pepperonis on each slice. I was promised significant amounts of bright orange oil flowing through my arteries and all I got was a few squirts from an eyedropper - not okay. Overall this is a pretty solid place for a college type bar. There will be the same crap that occurs at most bars on weekend nights but this shouldn't be a surprise to you. I recommend this place during the day. The patio addition is nice (if you're with someone who is talkable), and there is always pool (if you're with someone who is not).
(4)Zulu Q.
I admittedly went on a Tuesday and that's likely the most dead time. This is probably why our service was both spacey and nearly non-existent. (However, they're accommodating to my friend's billiards league). I almost don't care though. They take credit cards and they carry Bulleit bourbon. Also, $8 for a Bulleit drink may sound steep to you, but it's actually not all that steep. Even at that though, it's not a place I'd go out of my way for. (I also try to stay away from Allston though).
(3)Michael B.
My experience with college bars, like watercolors, and bad haircuts is that the more you try to fix it the worse it gets.
(2)Melissa B.
I might be in the minority here, but I really like it. Their pretzel sticks with beer cheese is PHENOMENAL, and the late night menu that included them were the perfect addition to the beer I ordered. I got the "adult" (not sure what it's called on the menu) grilled cheese with four different types of cheeses plus garlic and really enjoyed it. My family got burgers and had no complaints as well. Our waitress was engaging and attentive, and even got me the beer cheese recipe from the chef! Definitely will be coming back here.
(4)Kim V.
I will always have fond memories of this place. Many a birthday and post exam/presentation celebrations took place here. It's great for crowds, the food is decent, and have reasonably priced drinks. They also have a couple of pool tables and trivia nights. 3.5 stars!!
(3)Jason B.
Popped-collar, Ed-Hardy-trucker-hat douchefest that everyone learns to avoid by about age 22. We used to call it the White Whores. For no other reason that it sounds nasty. If there were actual whores plying their trade there it'd be an improvement. Even Tequila Rain is better than this. Be good to yourself. Avoid this place.
(1)Jacqueline S.
Four stars each for food and service! Our waitress was very nice and extremely quick and helpful, though she gave us some wrong information concerning their beer menu. My friends and I tried their wings, which were quite good--if you're a fan of spicy food, the death from above wings will get you teary-eyed. Great atmosphere, a wide variety of sports and entertainment playing on several screens... Would stop by again!
(4)Amie R.
A few days a week, they have $4 chicken sandwiches and burgers, and other good specials throughout the week. There are plenty of large TVs to watch the Sox, and even when it's busy I feel like I've never had a problem getting a table. Not my #1 favorite place to hang out, but it's not a bad place to meet up with friends!
(3)Nick M.
The bouncers at this place are always tools. It is a great place to air out, drink a beer and watch the red sox game. It's basically an open air bar, and is a great people watching spot as well. Most people come here after work and I'm sure some think the burgers here are best in show.
(3)yo s.
this place does have lame bouncers on a power trip... but, the food is decent and cheap, they have big tvs, they have pool, and they have free wifi. if you go at night, expect it to be full of the frat boys who got kicked out during pledge. otherwise, 4 stars. for me, better before 10. after 10, kinda lame.
(4)Adam T.
this is the greatest place ever!!! I hung out there last week and hooked up with some hot ass 15 year old!! I loooooove this bar!!
(5)Lindsay L.
This bar is basically everyone from BU or BC hanging out....if you don't go there dont even bother going, you'll feel like you are crashing a party where everyone knows everyone, but you. That being said if you are a BU or BC student it seems like a blast. There is a line a lot of the time, which is an obvious deterrent, and it can take forever to get a drink. Also, people are not kidding about the bouncers, they are really annoying about ID's probably because they get so many college age kids, but just be ready to have some back up ID on you. The set up of the bar itself is a little odd and the pool tables always seem to just get in the way, and that big open door can be annoying as hell when it's a cold night, also I have stepped in vomit by the door on 2 occasions. I only end up there after a few drinks at Sunset and I convince myself it might not be too bad, but it always is....my advice skip this and stay at Sunset for another drink.
(1)Rob R.
I'll be honest... this is a completely biased review. I LOVE the Whitehorse. I probably go there minimum once a week... and have been as many as 4 times in one week. Its my favorite bar in the city. Are there better bars? Probably, but the Whitehorse does everything pretty well. Nothing is especially great, but nothing is bad either. Its great for chill nights having a couple drinks with friends, or going out and getting way too drunk for your own good. Drink prices are slightly below average for the area. Food is decent, and there are specials every weeknight. How can you go wrong with a $4 burger and fries? Great late night grease menu until 1 am too. One last thing, I've read the bouncer complaints on here... but I've never actually seen any bouncer issues unless someone was being a complete ass or had a fake id (and i've only seen that twice maybe). Go to the Whitehorse!
(5)Kirby M.
So I had a friend in college who LOVED this place. I'm not kidding, she would make this the destination spot for the night and after 3 times we finally only allowed her to drag us there once a month, AT MOST. I never got what she loved so much. We would have fun but only when we went in a large group. I am the person who likes to hit the bar scene to meet new people and White Horse is not the place to do this. And while I mean no offense to my friends, I see them all the time and really transplanting our chat sessions to this bar was less than eventful. We did trivia night here once, and that was fun, aside from the fact I realized I really only know a lot about 1 or 2 subjects. But in general, this place is the worse place to go out with only one or two other friends and is my least favorite people mingling bar.
(2)Peter B.
I went here twice this last week when I was in Boston with some old friends. It is a complete college bar, the opening of a second bar was MUCH needed since I was last in Boston. The cheap food and the sunday night trivia's are what make it a 4-star from a 3-star. Don't expect a lot except a bar, and you won't be dissapointed.
(4)Jessica A.
This is my new favorite spot! I really wasn't into bars but the White Horse converted me. The food and drink are great and reasonably priced. Even on their busy nights, you can get a chair at the bar or a table. If you're lucky, you can get a table next to the open windows. Great place to hang out with your friends and just chill.
(4)Anita C.
Viva la Goose! I'd come here for dinner or a pint. Alway an entertaining time. There's pool table.
(4)Jesse N.
White Horse is a great place to bring friends and large groups. It can get pretty packed and loud with all of its college students, the majority of which are from BU. Drinks are also cheaper than most other bars, which is an added bonus. This is the place for you if you want to just "get out" and have a good time.
(4)Meagan F.
Bestest waitresses in the whole damn world... hollah hollah hollah
(5)Katherine T.
I accidentally ended up here one evening with some friends. It was decent enough at first, but it randomly got PACKED with kids around 11. I couldn't figure out what the draw was--it's just an average bar in Allston. Not particularly well decorated, not a whole lot of beers on tap. Then it got really annoying as we became squished in amongst satin tank topped girls with excessively sparkly make up and the guys in the "boston-guy uniform" of jeans, striped button down shirts and black shiny shoes. So we left. But not before going over to the digital juke box thingy and paying ten dollars to have the entire soundtrack to Miss Saigon come on. BWA HAHAHA!!! Take that, BU kids!
(2)Leighann F.
Martinis not bad for a local lil bar and the service was outstanding. The waitstaff was extremely accomodating. Food left much to be desired, but overall a fun, exciting atmosphere with good music and cool, chill people.
(3)Felix L.
Way overated and had enough bad experiences here. The bouncers are all meatheads. Dining here is also pretty bad. Granted the specials are a quite a deal, they arent fantastic, and the beer quality was serious lacking. I ordered a seasonal, and they only had last season's beer. What? aren't you guys a bar? So the beer that I did get was on its way out. ugh.
(1)Rebecca Y.
Sunday to Wednesday you can get $4 meals when you buy a beer. Plenty of tv's to catch the game. It's great when they open the windows in the summer.
(4)Kristen G.
Good for larger groups. There is lots of bar space and seating. I wouldn't make a trip out to Allston to go, but if you are in the area, it is a good place to check out.
(3)Anne B.
I love the way this place is set up; it's got all open windows facing Brighton Ave and there are ginormous tv's everywhere, but i have had a couple problems with bouncers there and waitstaff. It's a good place to go watch the game, but I'm not a big fan in it capacity as a bar. Im 21, but if you are not DONT GO HERE. They get money for ids they take and they are wicked strict.
(3)Katia M.
I'm going to go with a four for the White Horse, but like, an ironic four. Like, an "Hey, this place is kind of cheesy, but it's not bad" kind of four. It's kind of a college crowd and yet kind of a "the 3,000 guys that still live in Brighton after they lived here during college" crowd, too. The brunch I had there was solid -- the omelet station was especially key, and there were lunch-type foods there as well, for a little change of pace -- the hung over palate is a finicky one. You can get High Life, The Champagne of Beer, for $2.50, which ain't too shabby at all. And girls? This place is generally a total sausage fest. And after living in Southie for two years, which was chock full of couples, this fair Allston establishment was a breath of fresh air post exile in coupleville. It was kind of nice to get hit on after two years of very local bars and the horror that is the Beer Garden.
(4)Kathleen T.
dont really think the white Horse has much to offer that other bars in Boston don't. But, if the time and location are close to you, the White Horse is still a good time to enjoy some tasty drinks and meet up with friends. Beware, however, because due to its location near both BU and BC, the Whie Horse can frequently get overcrowded, resulting in a line out the door.
(3)Peter P.
Came here because it was on the way to the Sunset, and I couldn't walk those extra 10ft without another drink in me. Wow, what a bad experience! First of all let me just say it was my 21st birthday, and the bouncers gave me shit because my drivers license had expired that same day. Next the bartenders completely ignored us and waited on every single woman that came in the door after us before handing us two not-cold-enough miller lite's. Then to make it even worse when we wanted to leave it literally took him 10 minutes to get us our check, which I would have just walked out on if he hadn't had our credit card. The place was empty when we got there, but in the span of 15 minutes filled up with obnoxious drunken BU students. Sure, there were plenty of girls, but honestly, I wasn't even interested, they were way too into themselves to give anyone else the time of day. Did I mention that the bathroom was filthy, and the atmosphere was well, reminded me of a VFW.
(1)Dave A.
I'm gonna have to totally disagree with most of the reply's on the doorstaff for more or less the same reason that the other reviewers dislike them. They do take their job very seriously and can come off like dicks sometimes (to people that more or less deserve it), but that's what makes this place great. Unlike a lot of other bars in the area this place has hundreds of young professionals and college kids packed together every weeekend night and manages to maintain order. I've seen guys get booted here several times for severely harassing girls or for bothering other customers. I suspect these are the people writing most of the negative reply's, but I guess you have to inconvenience a few misfits for the better good of the average customer like me who just wants to drink and hang out with my friends without dealing with idiots all the time. In my opinion the quality atmosphere at this place is bouyed by the diligence of the door men. Other than the doorstaff, beer's are reasonably priced - about average for the area, but the liquor selection is a steal. Bartenders are very quick and are good people if you catch them when it's slower and they have time to talk. Food is pretty good and cheaply priced. $6 pound of steak tips and fries every Wed and Thur.
(5)Leo C.
Doesn't aim for the upper end of upscale; think of it as an upper-middle-class place that makes its money off college seniors, postgraduates and the younger edge of young-professionals. Has the reputation of a "BU meat market". Open wall-windows look onto Brighton Ave and are open in summer; most weeknights it's busy, but quiet enough (the absence of loud music is a definite plus) to hold a conversation. Food is competent and there's a good range of alcohol; unlike some of Allston-Brighton's really upscale places, you can get a fairly decent meal and a couple of drinks for $15. Long lines on weekend nights, because neighborhood activists (long-term residents) refuse to let the place expand into the vacant neighbors. But worth the wait, especially if you're looking for phone numbers.
(5)Steve S.
Somewhere between the trendy crowd at Wonder Bar and fraternity stink of Our House, White Horse combines the best of both worlds. The open air atmosphere is clean and high class, but without the preppy snobs found at most upscale places in the area. It's a great place to have a few beers while watching a game or while playing pool (though with only two tables, the wait can be long).
(5)Melissa B.
Same owner as the Last Drop. Pool tables on one side & tables on the other, so you can pick a scene. Great place for people watching & a burger. Long lines on weekend nights, but usually a good time.
(4)Masahito Marc Y.
A mecca for Downtown commuting urbanites on the weeknights as well as weekends. Although a little too loud for my taste on weekend nights, it features two pool tables, some digital entertainment centers, a four side bar, and a chic open inner terrace. Nice for outing with second to third outers, even bar ladder-ing.
(3)Artem F.
I find reviews for this place hilarious. I have never seen such a polarized set of reviews for any venue on Yelp. Look: this isn't some swanky bar, with light jazz and hors d'oeuvres served by buttoned down middle aged waiters. This is a sloppy college bar, a test your best pick up line type of place, with an interesting mix of hipsters and popped collar bro crowd. GREAT for people watching, or if you're an extrovert for people meeting. A real "we're doing shots of tequila until some jerk decides to switch to Jager *shudder*, and we all get sloppy drunk" type of place.
(4)Courtney G.
So, this may be a biased review because when I finally made my way to White Horse it was after an afternoon red sox game and we were substantially bombed by the time we arrived at 10:15. However, from what I remember, I had a great time at White Horse. It was a nice change of pace from TITS across the street. For some reason we always find ourselves drunkenly meandering over to Tavern In the Square, and although I deal with it, it's a little too big for my liking. A few cocktails deep in a large establishment and someone has to put out a bolo on me. Whitehorse, as most of the reviews have indicated, is a typical college bar. I mean you're always going have the athletic guy with a couple bitties trying to buy them drinks behind you. Or the one who is mercilessly preying on a girl getting her own drink at the bar. And then you're going to have hipsters. I mean you are right near BU....what did you expect? In my personal opinion it was a perfect little mix. And the drinks are cheap. Coming from a small undergrad in Rhode Island where vodka soda crans are between $3.50-$5.00, I sincerely appreciate a bar where I can get a vodka soda for $5.00. Not to mention, I left my debit card there and they kept it safe for me until sunday. High fives all around. Will I go back? Yes. Will I dare to go back less drunk than when I went the first time? For enjoyment purposes probably not.
(3)Kelly O.
White Horse has a back patio?! Where have I been for the past 9 years? I frequented White Horse back when I was a BU undergrad (along with the rest of the student body), it was sort of our default: not someplace that we'd necessarily go out of our way for, but a decent choice for drinks nonetheless. Back then, my major gripe was the line that formed early on in the night (you can totally fit more people in, hello!), but at least there was no cover and it was a chill atmosphere with reasonably priced drinks. The same day I discovered the patio, we ordered some nachos to go along with our beers, which was the first time I'd ever eaten here. Not bad, not good, pretty standard. Our waiter deserved some props though, he was really friendly and attentive and chatty. Granted, this was right after work and the place was pretty empty, and I've experienced having to wait for a beer at the bar for a long time in the past, but it was still nice. My advice is check it out during the summers right after work, but be prepared to be surrounded by undergrads if you're going during the school year on weekends.
(3)Nicole S.
Simple review- We went in for drinks and food but only got drinks. The appetizer menu looked pretty average for a bar and mos things were priced around $8-10. There was nothing wrong with what they had to offer and looking around things looked good but we not in the mood for nachos and such. I got a diet coke with orange flavored vodka. It tasted more like coke than vodka but oh well, it was relatively cheap so it did not see like a loss. The bouncers were nice as we left telling us to come back since they were setiing up live music. I'll have to give that a chance another time
(3)Lisa F.
Has a nice patio in the summer with large tv screens outside. Cheap cocktails and the paninis/fries were pretty good. Has a few pool tables. There's a dj during some nights, but this isn't a place to go dancing. Pretty loud, college, bro-ish crowd.
(3)Rachel L.
I think this is the best bar in the area for atmosphere and bar food. The Poutine is unbelievable (fries with cheese and gravy) and they have good steak tips. Definitely a must go in the summer time when the windows are open to the air and you can go on the back patio. They expanded several years ago lending to it's odd layout, but the second bar is one of its selling points I think - you never have to fight people for a drink, even when people come to dance at midnight on the weekends...it makes for two areas. I moved away from Allston 9 years ago and I still come back here.
(4)Mark S.
This place is a pretty good bar/billiard room. Beers were cold, servers were nice. The complementary shots on the slower parts of saturday nights is a nice touch. Rarely see that anymore. This bar suffers from a lot of what Boston bars suffer from and that's low turnout when college isn't in session. Which in my mind is a travesty. It's right in the middle of the Allston area, which is great for college kids. But from the times I went here, it wasn't great that right outside had roadside construction.
(3)A. H.
Went here against my better judgement because the group wanted to for convenience sake. Service was typical. Atmosphere was ok. Nothing special about this place at all. 1 star because they put a hold on my account without telling me and took too long to release it even after they had charged my account with the full and final amount. Really awful way to do business.
(1)Kelly E.
It sounds like from the reviews below and from my experience that summer is the time to go! Went there on a Thursday night, and the windows were all open, so it was comfortable and breezy. Even though there were a lot of people, it didn't seem too crowded and wasn't over-run with obnoxious college kids. My friends and I went for a Stump trivia night (8pm), it was fun, just like all other Stump trivia, but I really enjoyed that it moved at a good pace, the guy wasn't stalling to keep us in there and drinking on a week night. I didn't eat, but I had a tasty mixed drink for a good price, and there was a good beer selection, also all well-priced. The others at my table ate steak tips and wings and they both said they were excellent. The service was attentive and friendly, couldn't have asked for more! Definitely will be going back with an appetite and a larger crowd next time to trivia!
(4)Phuong D.
Came here for Sunday Football. Drinks are quite cheap here. $2.5 Miller High Life is what my friend was drinking all night. I stuck to my $5 Shocktop drafts. Service was pretty attentive and $5 wings were amazing! Soo good! Nacho were ehh, but the avocado dip was good! Salsa, not so much. Not unless you like chopped up tomatoes. That's all it really was. Their fries are pretty good too. I mean we only got regular fries, but we kept munching on them! Pretty chill environment, stayed there for the whole duration of the game and played some billiards as well. Apparently this place gets packed during Football Sundays, but when I went there wasn't really anyone.
(4)Ann L.
December's monthly special = $3 well vodka drinks. Yes, please.
(4)Laura B.
This is our favorite local drinkin' place! We ended up here by accident when Carlo's across the street took FOREVER to seat us. We've been back multiple times and always have a blast. The $5 wings are some of the best wings I've ever had, and the pretzel thing is SOO tasty. The staff is always very nice, one night the waitress even comped a round of drinks because the DJ kicked us out of our window seat table. This review is making me want to go there tonight!! :)
(5)Devin C.
Great place to be on football Sundays! Or any big sports event for that matter, Sundays are 1lb of wings for $5, typically have a food special of some sort every day of the week. Service was great! Weekends it Turns into more of a late night spot open till last call which is expected of this neighborhood, usually isn't too packed
(4)Lisa G.
It was a bittersweet night last night--my last night playing trivia at White Horse (at least as a regular)! I'm moving to NYC this weekend, so won't be coming every Wednesday night to hang with my buddy Danielle and our fave trivia dude, Will. :'( There's a reason this place is so packed on trivia nights. Will's the best trivia dude in town. So if you and some of your pals enjoy Stump Trivia, check this place out. I definitely prefer it to Big City, where I recently had a run-in with one of the waitresses (seriously, has anyone ever taught her anything about customer service, wow!). I like the chicken fingers, but they are grossly overpriced (seriously, for $8 can't you guys give us some fries too?). Love the blueberry beer and the blueberries at the bottom of the glass (yes mom, I will use my spoon to eat every last one of them! Yum!). Thanks for the memories White Horse! P.S. Please wash the tables more frequently, they are so STICKY, OMG!!!
(4)Gilad S.
Asked for a medium burger. I ordered a medium burger and specifically asked that they make sure it really is medium. The server told me not to worry, they always cook to order. It came very well done. I asked for a new burger. When it finally arrived, it came with a cheese that I did not ask for (I asked for blue cheese, not gouda). But I wasn't going to wait for them to make me a third burger. The burger itself was surprisingly dry for a burger cooked medium and the bun fell apart quickly in my hand. Made me want to become a vegetarian. They have a nice outdoor patio in the back. That is all.
(1)Ryan M.
I love this bar, but it just doesn't deserve 4 or 5 stars. It was relatively uncrowded when I went with my boyfriend on a Friday night. Very easy to get space at the bar, and the bartender was very friendly. We started off with a couple glasses of Guinness (4.50 each, I think) and, afterwards, I asked for a French 75. The bartender hadn't heard of that, but he got one of his friends with an iPhone, and they looked it up (yeah, I was amused too!). Unfortunately, they didn' t have any champagne, so I had a Dark and Stormy, which was REALLY good (they serve it in smaller glasses, strong ginger beer, with very little ice, so it doesn't get watered down), and the price was right, at $6. I'm glad I went with someone, because I don't think I would have wanted to interact with any of the patrons -- who were mostly the pool-playing, obnoxious college crowd. Complete with popped collars and rugby shirts! Woo! The atmosphere was good, otherwise.
(3)Matthew U.
$5 lunch specials with Cheeseburger or chicken sandwich Also 1lb of wings for $4 Steak tip lunch $6 Really can't beat the prices but the food is just ok
(3)Shaina P.
A common line: "you're so beautiful" really doesn't work at 9 PM... seriously? But you are convinced to stick around coz you run into at least two people you went to school with and haven't seen in YEARS (but the real hook is that they buy you a shot). The space around the bar makes for comfortable swaying and picture taking without completely knocking into someone nearby. White Horse is great for spending quality drinking time with your friends and very little dancing, lending itself to a place where you can actually talk (if you can manage to speak, not slur). And did I mention, a place where you can take lots. of. pictures...
(3)Renee M.
Ok, not gonna lie- I used to come to White Horse all the time when I first turned 21. It was the closest bar to my apartment, has a decent selection of beer and is pretty cheap. It's not too bad if you come with a couple friends, but this place starts to fill up with bros and hos once it hits 11 pm on the weekends. It also has a faint smell of chlorine and the floor is usually sticky. ew. I have discovered much much better bars since those days (ok, it wasn't so long ago..) and therefore don't feel the need to come back here. Definitely a college bar... Also the bouncers think they're really cool for no reason.
(2)Luke S.
People seem to have really high expectations of this place - $2.50 beer specials and $4-6 meal specials *should* tell you everything you need to know about this place. The beer is cheap and generally decent, and the food is cheap and good, but inconsistent. The service is pretty bad, but what can you expect from such a cheap place?! It is the perfect place to go to watch some sports during the summertime when the windows are open. They have TONS of TVs and will always put a game on for you. However, it surprises me that people flock to White Horse on a Friday or Saturday night when there are no sports games on! They don't have anything going on when there isn't a game on, so expect loud music and lots of people. The crowd is mostly BU/BC students. I used to go there all the time when I went to BU undergrad, but now I mostly stop by to watch a game with some cheap beer and a dirt cheap meal.
(4)Krista H.
Don't go here for the food. The menu is BORING and the food was pretty boring too. I learned my lesson on that end. Otherwise, I love the White Horse on the weekends. It's huge, has two bars, and two pool tables. The crowd is a little on the younger side, a lot of BU kids, but it's usually an OK time. Sometimes the service is a little slow, and there is always a line after 10:30 on the weekends, but it's definitely one of my top bars in the Harvard Ave/Brighton Ave strip.
(2)Meghan A.
Ew. I just read a review by Brianna C. saying this joint has rats. That ain't right. I'll drop it down a star for that. Anyway, my review. I've only been to this place once, but I certainly don't feel the need to go back. I didn't really care about the people it attracted, and I certainly didn't care for the food. Everyone once in a while I crave steak (rarely) and this was one of those occasions, so I got steak tips and fries. The entire dish was so salty that I was nauseous just thinking about it for days after. I had to eat steak not too long thereafter just to get the salty taste out of my mouth. It wasn't even something coke could wash away, so I had to get beer which only made it worse. Gross. The fries were pretty bad, too. It takes a lot to ruin fries, but there is no reason why I should be able to pick up my fries and see through them from the amount of grease. Just saying. This isn't my kind of place, so I don't plan on heading over there again any time soon.
(2)Matt S.
This doesn't get a one star review because after leaving Boston for Chicago I found an ever WORSE place. It looks nice on the outside and even on the inside. It's in a neighborhood I love. But it's soulless. Totally soulless. The burger is invested with no compassion. The Guinness tastes like Robitussin. The gin and tonics were mostly tonic. I spent much more than I would have at the (old) Crossroads or at the People's Republik. Overcharged. Overrated. Would be totally over it, but I have friends who love it, which is the only reason i ever went back more than twice.
(2)Stephen L.
love this bar.
(4)Jamie F.
So I'm getting ID'd at the front, and suddenly hear a siren/fire alarm from the inside. I'm thinking, "Oh shoot, there's a fire!" But nope, it's a fight and the bouncer pushes me aside so he can go help break it up. I'm in total shock, "WTFFF just happened?!" The crowd goes wild at the sight of a man with a bleeding nose. And the raving lights/siren don't help alleviate the situation at all. Somehow, White Horse seems to be the new college hotspot - cheap beer, good location. It was ridiculously packed, limited seating, and there's only 2 pool tables?!? Oh yeah, if you step out for a cig/whatever and want to go back in, you have to line up again. LAME.
(2)Janina T.
I remember when this place was as hyped as Tavern now is (Tavern is the new White Horse, apparently) and you'd have to wait in line for 5-30 minutes, sometimes. It's quieted down A LOT since then, which I kind of like. The bouncers and waitresses are all pretty friendly here. Beers are reasonable (for the area). The only off putting thing, during the summer, that is, is that they close the patio at 11 PM but the entire place stays open till 2. This sucks hard core just because everyone obviously wants to enjoy the outdoors now that it's nice out but you can only do it for so long here. Apparently they had gotten noise complaints from nearby residents. I can understand if they close it that early on weekdays but on a weekend night? Come on people. You live in Allston. Get with the times.
(4)Angel M.
any night out at the white horse is going to be a good time, dont save your appetite and you will definitely have a good time. grab a drink, find a table or a counter and chat up a storm with your friends, no one will bother you, the night is tight. every night that i come here i am guaranteed a relaxed atmosphere with crowds of people, a varying drink selection, and a table to sit at. what i love the most is the very intense trivia here on wednesday nights. people take it seriously! and not just "eh, serious", but really ferocious seriousity, you will get punched in the face if you get caught cheating, the questions are fun and the music is quite impressive, its very spectral.
(4)Bryan D.
Incredibly rude "waiter" with glasses on 11/26. This place should get its stuff together. I won't be coming back here.
(2)Colin B.
Wow, lots of outspoken views on this one. It's not worth arguing over. It's a simple bar to chill at with cheap beer. Nothing special, but def not terrible.
(3)Marion C.
Took a 30 minute bus ride, like I have done so many times, to come to a place that used to respect it's patrons. Now trying to compete with Tavern in the Sq. across the street, they have decided to cover the pool tables looking like Thanksgiving in the Bromley-Heath Housing Developments. Waitress proceeds to lie about the monthly special, and full price drinks start racking up. You want to order wings? Sorry.... our new chef fresh from a South End wine and cheese emporium wants to class up the joint. Shame on you White Horse. Shame.
(1)annie o.
My friend had her birthday party here during one of the trivia night! Trivia was sorta fun; however, while service was pretty slow. Nothing was really good or bad. But I do think it is a good place for gathering.
(3)Damien P.
This is one of my least favorite places to go. I've gone here a handful of times since my undergrad days in Boston and it hasn't gotten any better. The doorstaff is rude and a pain in the ass; it's worse than crossing the border and I don't even look that young. The bartenders are inattentive and rude at times and if you're at a table, you'll see your waiter/waitress probably once an hour. Probably the worst part of this place is the crowd. Be prepared to surrounded by dudes with popped collars and attitudes. Every time I've been in here, the guy to girl ratio is easily 5:1. Do yourself a favor, go next door to Sunset for food or up to Big City for pool. The food is 10 times better for the same price, the service is better, and there are less morons that hang out there. Trust me, you're not missing anything here. You can find better beer, better pool tables, better food, better crowd, and a better staff all within 2 blocks of this place.
(1)Francesca R.
White Horse Tavern, you fail. Allston is already teeming with pubs that serve average food and cheap beer. I can only assume that hiring overly-aggressive morons was your attempt to distiguish yourself from the pack, but unfortunately things didn't pan out as you'd hoped. The first time we went here was completely uneventful. Even though the steak tips were way too stringy and chewy, we were happy to add you to the rota of occassional casual dining places in the neighborhood. Cheap grub is cheap grub. But then you had to go and ruin it by carding my husband who was at the time a handsome but certainly not youthful 35 years old. When he handed you his work visa as his form of ID, which is in fact a government-issued document that is much harder to get than a MA driver's license, you refused to take it or let us be served. Idiot!!! No, it wasn't issued in MA, it was issued by the super-paranoid federal government. If they believe he's 35, why can't you? And, more importantly, if the cops are going to do a raid at 6:30 pm on a Tuesday...are they really going to card the guy who's losing his hair? Aren't they going to head straight for the popped-collar yah doods in the corner? You might want to start employing people with slightly less testosterone and slightly more of an ability to think for themselves. In the meantime, I'll be next door at Big City.
(1)Arestia R.
I've been a fan of White Horse Tavern for years, but more importantly, a fan of stump trivia. It's relaxed and the perfect Sunday/Wednesday night mix of fun. Will is the trivia DJ and let me tell you...he LOVES his job. Not going to lie, he was on vacation one week and we missed his enthusiasm and music choices. It can really drag sometimes, though because he talks a lot and hasn't adopted an excel system to quickly add up scores; sorry Will! You know will still love you. Still, my friends and I come week after week. The bouncers and wait staff are friendly (a waiter helped us win a question once!), you can always count on a beer special and cheap eats after a long day at work and it's a great crowd and a good time, Allston or otherwise.
(3)Carissa D.
Let me say that I haven't been in this spot since college until just recently... and it's better than ever! I surprisingly don't feel old / out of place as the crowd's pretty diverse depending on the night of the week. And you gotta love a place that spins good music, guarantees a good time and doesn't care at all what you are wearing. On the restaurant side of things, it seems that the menu has been revamped - I was in for brunch and they've got a tofu scramble, definitely a more sophisticated version of the White Horse we all know and love. The GM, Will, is usually there, making sure everyone's having a good time, checking up on the food and chatting up the crowd. Nice guy, seems to have a good rapport with staff and customers alike. If it's been awhile since you've checked in on the White Horse, I'd recommend giving it a revisit - food's good, music is awesome (I swear I heard some sweet kickbacks last time I was there, En Vogue, TLC, Blackstreet), pool tables are still there, there's even a patio in the back when the weather's nice (super awesome addition, they had heaters through the end of October or maybe even into November). This is my new go-to, I've fallen back in love with White Horse!
(5)Amanda J.
This place was really middle of the road for me. I had a good time with friends but was hugely annoyed with how sticky the floor was. Yes, I realize it's Allston and a Friday night, but come on!! They had a good selection on tap but it took forever to get the bar tender's attention, I can't complain too much considering the amount of people in there, but they seemed like maybe they were understaffed that evening. Overall I prefer the atmosphere here to many of the area's other bars. The music was good, it's got a lot of space to move around in, the line to get in was short, and I had a good time. Not my favorite bar, but this is also not my usual scene.
(3)Kyle P.
If you've already had your 24th birthday, just go somewhere else. Trust me. That said, White Horse is solid if you're a college student in the area (especially BC or BU) looking to have some cheap beers and run into a bunch of people you go to school with. There's usually a line out front, but don't let that fool you. People only wait because they're meeting someone who's already inside. It's not worth the wait otherwise. If you're a year or two out of college, it's still a decent place to pop in to see a few of your friends who still live in the area once in a while. If you're smart, walk to the bar in the back. You'll have a little more elbow room and may actually have a shot at getting a drink in under 10 minutes.
(3)Esmeralda T.
This place is ok...not a huge fan; if you enjoy being around college students then this is pretty decent. Drinks weren't too pricey, which is plus.
(3)Daphna R.
I really enjoy trivia here. Will, the trivia jockey is my favorite. He gives you those extra tidbits of Information you know you wanted to learn.
(4)Serena P.
Definitely too old to hang at White Horse Tavern. Went to watch VT game. More trivia fans than Hokies. Asked for one of my favorite beers. Tasted weird. They poured it twice. It still tasted weird. Food was cheap and mediocre. Waitress was very nice, but our order was wrong. I should have stayed home.
(1)Kevin L.
This place is ok. The best reason to come here is for trivia. The food is solid pub food, but nothing to write home about. The beer list is acceptable, with something for everyone (although I'm pretty sure they don't have Dogfish Head anymore, but I could be mistaken). The crowd here at night/on weekends is not my thing, but maybe it's yours. Trivia here is great. They have it 3 nights a week, and it's probably the only reason I've been here at all in the past couple of years. Will, the guy who runs trivia, is a lot of fun, and I always enjoy it, even if I'm competing against 30 or so teams. All in all, a so-so pub with great trivia.
(3)Tenley W.
Trivia Night here is okay. A somewhat preppy crowd. And I know that nobody actually goes to the White Horse for the food, but the nachos I ordered were not very good and the cheese wasn't fully melted.
(3)EricaLynn J.
I'll meet my friends here if they really want to drink and dine there, but I'll never suggest it on my own. It is devoid of any personality. I don't particularly enjoy feeling like I'm the weird one because I'm actually of legal drinking age and out of college for almost ten years now. It doesn't surprise me at all that my younger friends are the ones who usually want me to join them there. They'll learn soon enough, just like I did, and just like you may have to.
(2)Darcy P.
Mediocre. The food is deace. The $6 steak tips are worth it but you have to buy a drink, too. That's probably fine for most people, though. I just come for the trivia with the master of Stump! Trivia, Will. While he is one of the most awkward humans on the planet, he is a damn fine trivia jockey and takes it serious. If it weren't for trivia, I would never go here despite the close proximity to my house. This is one of the most bro-bars out there and it's always absurdly loud. Why can't Will trivia jockey elsewhere?
(3)Nick O.
I read a lot of these reviews of people hating on the White Horse, but I have to say I went with a bunch of friends and we had a great time. The drinks were cheap ($5 stoli/soda), big crowd, plenty of tvs. Overall a good place, No one in our party had a problem with bouncers or bartenders, except one friend tried to order a long island and was told "no drinks with more the 3 liquors", so that is why I can only give 4 stars.
(4)Alan L.
This place is awesome for summer time. Pool tables, TVs, and live band at times. It does get crowded at times but it is not too bad. You never wait too long to get your drink and the food are decent.
(3)Joey M.
The White Horse is really an average bar. Beer prices are not too steep and if you go on the right night you can get some pretty decent specials. The food is pretty average in my opinion as well. What I have really enjoyed about white horse is trivia night (wednesday and someone told me thursday but i dont know). The trivia is fun in a relaxed way and they have enough sports on to keep me entertained while I hopelessly shout out the wrong answers because I know nothing at trivia. I have only been there once on the weekends and I really dont think of it as a great bar to frequent but if you want a relaxed couple of drinks in a not too loud atmosphere I would suggest it. Oh and the bouncers are total dicks, they give me the once over glare at my license and let me in. Though i have a friend who now is 0/2 getting into there because she looked too drunk (in White Horses defense, she was way too drunk both times)
(3)Brooke W.
Go to Sunset next door instead for much better, cheaper food and fun atmosphere. This place really sucked. The food was expensive and truly horrible. The spinach and artichoke dip that was quite flavorless and obviously had been microwaved. My boyfriend paid 10 dollars for a tiny portion of turkey tips and water logged broccoli.Our friends got nachos that were straight up shredded cheese melted onto a pile of chips with olives and a little container of salsa on the side.... I really don't know what kind of vibe this place goes for, but I gurantee it misses the mark in every way. Go to sunset instead!
(1)David H.
Ok, this place isn't as bad as people make it out to be. I guess what really sucks about the place is that it gets overly crowded with BU kids, so I guess that's not a plus side. Some good things about it: great location, they have a decent selection of liquor (and cheap), and it's full of young kids. I wouldn't say you should come here to catch a game, and I would only consider this a pregame destination. Come before 11:30, because it does draw big lines. And like I said, it's just one of those places to grab a drink or two and head off; not the type of place to stick around at... Oh, and one more thing: the bouncers are roid monkey losers. This is really not the type of place for a bouncer to give you a hard time about your ID. I'd understand if it was in an upscale joint, but this place is only a step up from a dive bar (some might even contest that). The bouncer actually looked at my ID and asked what my zodiac was. Whatta douche.
(3)Tom E.
White Horse - it's a mother effing Bro-Down dude! Deal with it. Seen from the perspective of the 22 yr old with the BC football hoodie, reverse Sox cap, basketball shorts and flip flops it has everything at hand... 1. Pool table 2. Cheap Coors Light ($2 bottle special) 3. Girls doing all the serving 4. Burgers, fries and wings on specials that are as low as $2 each (!) 5. A plethora of HD LCD TVs showing NFL 6. A door-nazi to prevent any loser freshmen getting in 7. Big windows so everyone can see me drinking BEER. Yeah! 8. Plenty of open space for high-fiving my buddies Seen from my own limey, central square-loving 30 yr old perspective, it isn't so hot. But I've still never had any delays getting served here and the food specials are ridiculously good value. So I'm going to go out on a limb and give this place a good review even though it's really not my thing. Fact is, I know plenty of people who's thing it definitely is. That's right bro, you're my bro!
(4)Allison S.
Unless you're ordering their cheese fries at 12am on a Saturday, their food is not so great. Decent beer selection, but the place always has a line and is always crowded on the weekends. I'd go again for a beer or two (or 6) with 200 of my closest friends, but I'll stay away from their food, thanks.
(2)Ligaya T.
I was so ready to give this place five stars just to cause some controversy but I couldn't bear the thought of (mis)leading some poor soul. What's so bad about it you ask? They have lots of tv screens, pour a stiff drink, $4 burgers and have room enough to house some good shenanigans. It's the quality of the experience that's missing here. There's no authentic "wicked pissah yah dood" born and raised in Southie kind, just a whole bunch of college kids looking to use their dorm laminated fake IDs and get as wasted as possible before dragging themselves home to piss in a closet. No wonder the doormen are devoid of senses of humor and the bartenders are irritable. "Look at me" you want to scream, "I'm different!" But then you realize that being there is a choice and you practice rapid ejection technique.
(2)Charoline D.
If I could remember exactly what was said that made me laugh so hard about White Horse right now, I'd be able to follow through with my plan to include it in my review. But alas. It's escaping me. Sorry, Trace. While I've been here countless times to meet up with my bro-ee-er friends from college/previous jobs etc, it's exactly what I label it as....Not worth yelping. The bouncers always stare at my license for 90 seconds to make sure I am in fact 21+, and on a typical weekend night, expect to wait in line. I suppose it's ok if maybe you live in the area, are friends with a bartender, or enjoy sports but...even so. It's the sort of place where I get asked to meet someone, and I kind of sigh because the night is bound to get ridiculously low key and set my morale on a steady decline to borderline depression. Picture me: doe eyed and bored. The bartenders move at a snails pace and barely look up at you for long enough to take an order, nonetheless actually earn their tips. My experience cocktailing and barbacking is that if you want to make money, you move as fast as you can. These guys....will be pouring a draft beer with 4 people holding money up, orders ready..and not paying any attention. So maybe they can't walk and chew gum at the same time either, but I think you can manage to take my drink order while you concentrate REAL hard on pouring those Coors for Murph and Sully.
(2)Laura R.
Went to White Horse to catch a Celtics game and was I ever impressed. I had watched games at other bars throughout the playoffs but had a better experience here. I was with a party of 12 and Holly our server was fast and great at multitasking. We ordered food and drinks. Everyone was pleased with both the food and the atmosphere. I will definitely be going back here in the future.
(5)Kelsey A.
I've seen White Horse go through a lot of ups-and-downs over the past year. As of today, it has drastically improved from where it was during the Fall of 2010. We stopped going for some time after we waited for over 1.5 hours (we were watching a football game) for our food. Trying to get our waitress' attention required a major cardio workout, and she forgot to serve our drinks. We finally said something to our waitress after waiting 1 hour. Thirty minutes later she brought our food. She was unapologetic and completely apathetic. My friend's burger was cold. My wings were cold, undercooked, and smelled "off." I am not one to refuse food, but they were inedible. Then, we tried to find a manager. We looked for anyone who showed any form of authority, and found there was none. For the first time after almost two years of going to White Horse, we left annoyed and irritable and swore it off "forever." One night during March Madness of Spring of 2011 we decided to give it another shot. I don't know why, but we did and it was a good decision. The menu was revamped and the service significantly approved. As an appetizer, the newly added grilled cheese and tomato soup are simple and tasty. Staples on the menu are the hamburger and the chicken sandwich, both of which I highly recommend if you want something reliably filling. Both come with a side of fries. If you're looking for something lighter, you can't go wrong with their caesar salad, which also comes as a side for less than $5. A pleasant surprise on the menu is the newly added pizza. I know what you're thinking and I was hesitant too - bar pizza is always risky. But, for bar pizza, it's pretty good. Not amazing, but good. The beer selection is typical. Nothing fantastic, but they rotate it according to the season which is nice. Their drink specials on the other hand are very fun. Every time we go in, we're interested to see what the new special is - and it's usually a great deal. The TV placement is interesting, but there are a lot of them and they do turn volume on if it's a big game. A new back patio with a servicing bar and TV opened up, and it's a pleasant space. Nothing fantastic, but a nice change of pace. It's was a great investment. The pool tables can be difficult to grab from the regulars, but so it goes. Also the bouncers are very aggressive, so don't be thrown off by that. Remember your ID because it doesn't matter what time you go - if you don't have your ID, you're not getting served. It all comes down to this: White Horse isn't the first place we think of to eat, but it certainly isn't the last. A decent average American bar.
(3)Kabir H.
Who do I have to fuck to get a drink around here? I probably stood around for a solid 20 minutes before someone attended to me. There's a pretty simple formula for determining when someone in a bar needs a drink: do they currently have one in their hand? No? Then, by all means, ask if they'd like a round. Also, what is that pungent flavor that I taste? Is it..? Could it be..? Do I detect a hint of ass in my beer? YES! If you could take the time to clean your taps every now and then, that would just be fantastic. Sadly, this is probably the bar I would've been a regular at in college, forced to endure repeatedly because it's the only place my friends were willing to go. But since I'm not, it's just another generic bar. The White Horse earns its second star for my bill, which wasn't more than $15, and the fries which were good, if only 'cause I was pretty tanked already.
(2)Stephanie H.
look, i don't like sports, and i don't like allston. i know, oooooh what am i, SOME KIND OF ALIEN?! nah, i'm just not a yah dood and i've graduated college. i've walked by this place a billion times and never noticed what it was called but certainly did realize there's a reason i've never been in. but hey, i'm a sucker for an after party and tequila shots on someone else's tab. my nerves never cease to totally fry when the sox score a run and the place just freaks the eff out, including the bartenders. sorry, your job isn't to watch the game, now stop screaming like the place is on fire and make me a damn drink. matthew c and i both needed some food in our systems and luckily they actually did have a couple of things on the menu we could eat as part of our mostly vegan diet. but my veggie burger came out way before his salad did, and i ordered after him. strange. it also cost me an extra dollar to sub in some salad greens instead of french fries, which is stupid but typical i guess. the food was fine, nothing to write home about, and i felt like i couldn't have annoyed one of the waiters more by asking for some ketchup. the door guys didn't give me any crap but when i walked back in from smoking for about the fourth time, he stopped me and asked for my id. i just kind of looked at him funny and finally told him he'd already seen it, and he didn't bug me any more. i do however have to give them a star for the drinks - i watched my vodka tonics being poured and they are 95% booze, just the way i like them. i also have to give them a star for the prices. i had had dinner and gotten tanked and by the time we left here my tab was only $20. definitely not bad at all, but i'm still never going to be the type of person who fits in at this place. and thank god for that.
(2)David E.
I can easily let you know what each one of these stars indicates: Star 1: $4 wings from Sun - Tues nights Star 2: $4 chicken sandwiches from Sun - Tues nights If you eat red meat, there could be a third star since they have the same deal on burgers and $6 steak tips on Wed - Thurs nights. I guess the stump trivia they have isn't bad either. If you get there early enough, it's a chill place to grab some mediocre-to-slightly crappy food and a decently poured Guinness. That said I can let you know just easily what the 3 stars they didn't get represent: Star 1: The "frat bros" and "skanky hos" that hang out there Star 2: The terrible service. When I used to live in Allston, I was here all the time for the cheap food. I don't think I ever saw the same employee twice. Star 3: The horrendous line that you often have to wait in to get there. I mean, come on. Isn't this Allston? Is anything there worth waiting in line for?
(2)Catie C.
first word: Cheap second word: weak Cheap and weak goes hand in hand. I got here a bit early on a Saturday night so I got to watch the place fill up as the night came along. The first thing I noticed as I came in was the stench. The stench of alcohol dissolved into the floors and not been mopped for months on end. If you like to people watch, this is the place. We noticed a couple guys zipping along the bar targeting one prey to the next. That seemed to be the norm here as we watched the scene. As the night went along, my buddy was getting a buzz. He started talking boobies with me. From one boobie to the next. At times, he'd lean back and ask me to check out the cleavage next to him. Did he forget that he's out drinking with a woman?
(3)Sarah R.
The best word I can use to describe the White Hat (yes, an intentional error): "bland". If you know anything about me, you know that it's utterly unsurprising that I'm not into the sports-bar scene. Thus, I was mostly unimpressed with what the White Hat had to offer last night during our Nile Lounge afterparty. The game was on, so any attempts at conversation were often punctuated and, at times, utterly blotted out by the zealotry of Red Sawx Nation. The bouncers must be accustomed to underage BU kids trying out their newest out-of-state fake IDs on the weekends (hello, 36 year old organ donor from Boise, Idaho!), because my poor, legal New York State ID was bent, blacklighted, and scrutinized more closely than the latest celebutard upskirt shot on The Superficial. However, since I try to see the silver lining in every cloud (most of the time, anyway), I'll list the positives: -The prices aren't too shabby. Approx. $4 a pop for Magic Hat #9 on tap. If you're not looking for the perfect cheeseburger, you can have a semi-decent one with fries for $4 and effectively fill your booze-soaked tummy. That is, until midnight anyway. Service was pretty quick for both food and drink, but I can imagine that the bar would be a clusterf*ck on the weekends. -Again, this is probably related to going on a week night, but there was plenty of space to move around. As a friend so astutely pointed out, this is a potential caveat as well, since space is directly proportional to choad capacity. That's where the praise for the White Hat ends. The decor is uninspired (unless you're really into sports or flat-screen TVs, I guess). It's nowhere I'd want to go on a date, or to be picked up by some fella with a tribal tat on his bicep and the new Nickelback aural abortion stashed in the CD player of his new pickup.
(2)Ali K.
Huge bar in Allston, Mass. absolutely awesome when your inside, plenty of places to sit, beautiful set up, decor and ambience, huge tv's def. a nice sports bar and also a nice outdoor area. Can't say I stayed here long because there was no seating room for the World Cup Final so we moved onto the next bar, but ill def be back at this place when I visit my older sister and write up a follow up review. This place def. has to be fun.
(4)Matthew C.
Imagine my dismay upon walking into the men's room here after having been in the immaculate Nile restroom down the block just a few short hours before. Sure, the color scheme is pleasing to my aesthetic sensibilities, but the urinals! There are two of them, and they are practically on top of each other with no divider! So there I am, tending to my business when I feel something rubbing against my shoulder. Cruel fates, it's another shoulder. But then (here's the part where you know it's Allston) the guy took a step back so he could have more room to spit into the urinal while he peed. Loogie after loogie after loogie floating downstream, whi-puh, whi-puh, whi-puh. I don't think I've peed and run so quickly since I was five and my siblings told me that Jaws lived in the toilet. The size of the men's room reflects the size of the place itself, which makes the close urinal quarters even more perplexing. Plus (here's another part where you know it's Allston) I was definitely the only guy washing his hands. The humanity of it all. Otherwise, the place gets one more star out of me because the house gin is Beefeater and they are generous with it. Then again, that just makes you need to pee more.
(2)Mike S.
Personally I can't stand the place. I don't think it has any atmosphere, character, vibe, ambiance or any other feeling you should get when you go to a bar. Its too big and open, and poorly laid out. Its full of big tables with no games or anything to play on them. They should strip the place and fill it with more pool tables or make watching TV more comfortable. Anything to give it some style. You can buy liquor anywhere, and I'm not going to wait in a long line on a Saturday night to do it at a place that doesn't interest me for its other qualities. I'm only reviewing it because I'm proud to say I was part of the team that as of last month held the high score on photo hunt. Besides that, don't bother going.
(1)Liz K.
A much cleaner Allston bar that can have a line later at night. The beer selection is standard. There is Buckhunter here. It's also nice to come here during the day to watch games, they have good TVs.
(3)Tracee D.
when we walked past this poo factorium i remarked to someone with ears: "I'm sorry that you work here" I can say this bc I once tended bar at an embarrassing place much similar to the white horse tavern. When you enter you are hypnotized by the bathroom mosiac tile that rudely introduces its self to your eyes and feet (except you are not in a bathroom) blech. I guess people go there to watch sports. But the bartenders clearly do not go there to smile. Note to tender's 'unless you are working at Dick's last resort, it is your duty to appear minimally pleasant' The white horse is just as annoying as the myth of some handsome tall stranger coming to rescue you from a tower...or your mundane life on a white horse...it's not going to happen. Please do not hesitate to obtain a life of your own.
(2)Peench P.
I like sports bar, but you know what I like more? friendly bartenders, yes I know, not of all them are always jumping up and down being super nice but most of them at least try, and I seriously don't remember ever seen a bartender looking so unhappy doing the job. You know what I do when I'm pms-ing? I take midol and suck it up....but something tells me it wasn't the pms factor, there must've been a bunch of turds all over the bar, that's the only explanation to the -I'm -smelling- the- stinkiest -turd ever- looking kinda face. Maybe it was just a bad day, who knows. Oh the bouncers, first time someone holds me at the door, I showed my foreign passport and bouncer #1 was looking at it trying to figure out if it was a fake one... like I'm going to pretend I'm 29...yeah I don't believe it either but I am, so let me in!. Bouncer # 2 took it inside for further inspection, then came back and apologize for the delay. The positive side? the drinks were actually OK and I'm thankful I was there with a fun crew.
(2)Mark S.
This review is for the food and drink experience. So I moved to Allston two months ago and I realized that I never went to this classic bar. Then I went here for lunch with a friend on a weekday, and there were literally about 5 people in this gigantic restaurant/bar/arcade. How on earth does this place stay in business, wondered this newbie. Fortunately my gluten-free palate was satisfied; the burgers are outrageously cheap with tasty beef patties, and gluten-free buns are offered. I wasn't a huge fan of the potatoes in the french fries, but they were salted and peppered perfectly. Overall, one of my favorite Boston burger experiences, with cheap cider on tap to match. Then a week or so later, I walked back home at around 1:30 AM on a weekend and passed the Tavern, which had transformed into the biggest and silliest dance club I'd ever seen. Hundreds of people were in there, with a couple of dozen more in line outside. Oh Allston, you never cease to amaze me.
(4)Irene J.
3 stars becusee the service was So SLOW we came here at an awkward time yet... NONE Of the MILLIONS OF SERVERS assisted us... Like ugh... Thanks doorman for checking our IDs but is no one planning on helping us when we are clearly seated at the most apparent table... Literally had to chase down a server and as for menus... Then the drinks were all watered down and the food was.... Like you would expect mediocre ... Just Heavy. Heart attack. Diabetes inducing greasy food. Got munchies ? Come here.
(3)Jason H.
Friendly staff, depends on who you get. Tons of younger girls here for waitress so you might not get consistent service. I think it's got a great location, good set up because it's got two pool tables so it really makes it a different bar, especially because it's so roomy. Got the basketball machines too so it makes the place like a bar/arcade. In the summer, the shades all open up and it's a good place to just sit and relax. They have a patio/deck outside in the back too but there's no much to look in terms of scenery. But at night it looks really pretty with the Christmas lights and all. It's not a terrible place for drinks, the bartenders have descent skills. However, sometimes the drinks can get sloppy with a less-pleasant presentation, mostly when they're really busy. When the waitresses bring them over, they're overflowing. They have different events like trivia nights, which a lot of people seem to enjoy. The food is descent, but sometimes taste like something's frozen and pre-made, and just been reheated for you. It feels like a typical college/frat bar, it gives you the ambiance with kids who just turn 21 and just want cheap alcohol. Most young professional crowd don't go there so don't expect to meet someone there. At night on a weekend after 12pm, this place's got beer bottles on the floor and turn into a frat party.
(2)Lisa A.
This is not my favorite place to grab a drink, but it's definitely not my least favorite. It's a fine choice if you live nearby, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go here. Drinks seem reasonably priced and they have decent beers on draft. Food here is relatively cheap and is pretty good. I ordered their truffle fries and my friends ordered burgers (only $4-ish). This place gets really loud as the night goes on, but that's pretty much the same story at every other place in the area.
(3)Amy B.
Absolutely terrible service. We got there around 5:50 and someone who seemed to be in charge told us that the servers do not get there until 6:00. We thought it would be no big deal to sit at the bar for 10 minutes or so. The lady bartender was very nice and gave us some sodas while we waited. The servers seemed to begin to trickle in around 6:00, but they all just stood at the back of the restaurant chatting and not doing anything. We waited some more, and around 6:30 we asked the guy we had originally talked to if we could get a table. (We had assumed he would let us know when we could sit down, as he had instructed us to wait in the first place). He was like "oh yeah, there's a server outside. you can go sit down." So we go out there, and there is a bartender and some other guy chatting with her. Nobody greeted us or told us what to do. We asked if we could sit down at a table, and the bartender said to sit anywhere we wanted. We sat down, thinking someone would come over to us, but after about 10 minutes, nothing happened. We went back up to the bartender and asked if we could see some menus, and she got us some. Nobody ever came over to take our order, so once again we had to ask the bartender if we could order some food. From that point on, she kind of served us. We had to get up and asked for just about everything we wanted. What an uncomfortable experience. Also, some more people came to sit at the bar outside and got barely any service. One man came and sat down, and after not a single employee came outside for over 10 minutes, he gave up and went to the inside bar.
(1)Justin C.
The bartenders were extremely knowledgable here. I was pleasantly surprised. The wait staff was even better. Couldn't have been more attentive and were almost psychic with our wants and needs. The food and beverage selection was also quite impressive. I would highly recommend this establishment to any and all in the area.
(5)Ann J.
BAR Whitehorse is your typical college frat bar. Without fail, the bar is full of BU students who just turned 21 with the hopes of getting really drunk on cheap alcohol. Drinks are pretty cheap and there is usually a special like $3.00 bottles of bud light. FOOD During the day Whitehorse is a great place for food. The menu is full of burgers, sandwhiches, and anything else you would expect at a college bar. On certain days there are specials like steak tips and fries for $8. OVERALL Like I said before Whitehorse is your typical college bar. Don't go there expecting a young professionals crowd, and be prepared to see at least 4 or 5 broken beer bottles on the ground. Whitehorse is perfect for those nights where you end up in your bed the next morning not knowing how you got there.
(3)Mallory C.
We came here one night for special edition Avengers trivia. I came for the drinks... and my boyfriend went for Avengers trivia. Overall it was a decent night but it is definitely a college bar. The seating is tight once it fills up, but we were seated pretty quickly near the window (at a table that wobbled worse than I've ever experienced... and I ALWAYS get the table that wobbles. Service was mediocre, and although my first margarita was close to perfect, the 2nd was a serious overdose of sour mix. The poutine and spring rolls were decent as appetizers, and I like that you can do the pick two or pick three appetizer combos- that was definitely enough food for 2 of us. The staff was accommodating in terms of finding room for my scooter and when they wanted to move it to make room for more tables, they did it for me, after asking permission and directions on how to move it safely, which I thought was awesome. At 10 p.m. trivia ended, and they put up the "velvet rope" as the undergrad line began to form, and we went home for our senior citizen bed time. An ok place if you're into the college vibe or want trivia, but not one of my top 3 spots in Allston.
(3)Elizabeth R.
I came here on a Friday night and it was packed. people everywhere so we couldn't get a table or anything so just stood around the bar. They have plenty of pool tables (which were all taken) but it was a nice and lively place.
(4)Matthew S.
To sum up all the reviews here, and second what everyone else is saying: You're never going to have the time of your life here. But you're almost certainly not going to have a bad time either. It's the 'safe bar', basically when you're not sure if you want to venture downtown, but you're also not sure if you want to jump face first into the dumpster-fire that is the Allston bar scene, then you go to White Horse. You won't meet the girl of your dreams, but you won't get chlamydia from anyone either. I've been coming here for 7 years; the bartenders are friendly, the food is slightly above average, the drinks are strong, the place is spacious, and there are pool tables, those basketball shooting games, and some arcade things in the corner as well. There's also usually a DJ on the weekend, and about 50 people dancing on a cleared out part of the floor. I definitely enjoy this place, and you probably will too.
(3)Rebecca C.
I came here a few nights ago on a Sunday to have drinks with my friends. The manager farish was very nice and friendly towards us as soon as we walked in. Once we sat down at the bar, we were immediately greeted by our bartender Amanda. She seemed very happy to see us. The lights are kept low and the music was on point. I love that they have two pool tables that are quarter operated in the center. If you walk over towards the second bar which seems to be there to ensure on busy nights that every guest can get a drink quickly, there is a basketball throwing game. It's nice for some light competition to see who can make the most baskets. This bar is kept very clean and I love that the front windows go all the way down. It is always fun to people watch from here on allston. I also appreciate the door staff that is very nice while checking ids. They are not trying to intimidate you however, will be quick to solve an issue if there is one in order to keep all the guests happy and safe. Not sure when I'll make it back there, but I know I'll be there this summer just for the great service and relaxed atmosphere.
(5)Adam Z.
Honestly, White Horse is the Cheers of the Allston community. It's a safe bet you'll see that Tinder girl who's name you can't (and don't want) to remember, that hipster from the coffee shop that always serves you coffee dripping with disdain, and your friends looking to get hammered in a judgement free zone. The staff is always more friendly than they ought to be given the amount of drunk biddies and ill-fitting button down wearing meatheads they have to deal with. This is a bar lacking bells and whistles and honestly, it's better for it. White Horse is the place you go to play pool, grab some pub food, and have a good time with friends. If you're looking for TV's over the urinals and 75 different places to plug in your iPhone 4 (because you ball on a budget) this isn't going to be your spot. If you're looking for great service, an outdoor patio, and an awesome "go-to" bar, the White Horse will always deliver; in spades.
(5)Nishitha S.
Definitely a classic -- especially as a student in the area. There is no cover so it's a nice place to go hang out and not spend a lot of money. Drinks aren't too expensive at 5-10$ a pop. It is nice and one of the few bars where you can actually converse with your friends without being drowned out by music. They have a pool table section, a bar section, and a crowded dance floor section.
(4)Jennifer N.
This place has been one of my regular places for 3 years now & has managed to impress me each time very differently. I had some of my first legal drinks here, watched the super bowl here, started many bar hops here, danced here and shot pool too many times to count but this time I met 'Farish'. He made this time a little better with his attentiveness and care while my group and I were at the bar. 'Farish' mixed up some delicious shots and introduced me to a new favorite beer (Killian's). He had complete control of the bar, was humble and friendly. Different circumstances had brought me in 2 Mondays ago + 2 Saturdays ago, I was hosting a dear friend from Brazil while she was visiting Boston. This place made her stay that much better due to the moods The WhiteHorse sets. (She's back in Rio now, but talks of coming back within the year with intentions of going to The WhiteHorse.) On a different note most of their staff is on their game with a great Guinness pour, which is a win in my book/keeps bringing me back. Cheers!
(5)Taylor B.
Your average college dive bar. Fun, friendly staff. . There are fun games like pool, hunting game, ect. Sometimes pool is free that's nice. I love their parmesan garlic wings and quesadillas! The mixed drinks can be weak so I usually stick with beer. Love food
(3)Ariel Z.
Not a bad option to enjoy a Friday night out in the Allston 'hood. I warn you that it's very divey, however the crowd from what I can tell doesn't look too sleezy...until maybe later on in the night (as expected). This place features a large, airy space with a full bar (non-claustrophobic for once), 2 pool tables, a digital jukebox, and bar food in case you get the drunchies (drunk + munchies). We later found out that it turns into a nightclub later on. I like that if you get bored dancing, you can still enjoy the rest of the bar's amenities to keep you busy. If I'm in the area, I would probably come back.
(3)Jennifer G.
Perfect for summer nights with the hidden patio in the back. I mean, I guess it's not really hidden, but it's a nice added bonus. Came here with three friends on a Tuesday night and luckily it wasn't packed like a couple other restaurants down the street due to World Cup shenanigans. We got a table on the patio right away and a few minutes later, our waitress came to take our orders. Their drinks are pretty cheap. I ended up getting an Angry Orchard hard cider for $5.50 I believe. Beware: their tables are those kinds with holes in them so if a waitress spills your drink...it will get on you unfortunately. Yes, that happened and our waitress wasn't very friendly. She spilled the drink on my friend when she put the drink down, and not even a sorry. We had to ask her for napkins and she took her time getting those for us. Oh and the tables are wobbly. Anyways, we ended up ordering some food too. Nothing fancy. An order of waffled battered chicken tenders with a jalapeño maple syrup and a blue cheese and bacon grilled cheese. The chicken tenders were okay. I expected the sauce to be a little more savory and spicy maybe, given the name, but all I could taste was maple syrup. I felt like I was eating chicken with maple syrup and it just didn't feel right. Too sweet. The grilled cheese was pretty good. Could've been cheesier and they could've went a little easier on the bread. Too much bread, not enough cheese. But there's bacon and bacon makes everything delicious. Oh, I should more that the food took at least 25 minutes. Food was slow and service wasn't great. The three stars are mostly for patio seating, cheap drinks, and a decent atmosphere.
(3)Leah C.
Worst service in Boston. Waiters don't care and the drinks are weak. There are much better spots in the are. Try the Ave!
(1)Daniel S.
I've been coming to the White Horse Tavern regularly for over five years. In that time, the menu may have changed, but the overall vibe hasn't. In my experience, it's a pretty chill place where you can have a good conversation with friends over a few drinks. The staff is friendly and helpful. The food is pretty standard bar food (wings, nachos, burgers), but the portions are generous and the prices reasonable. The food is also consistent in its quality. It may not be the best bar food in the area, but you're not rolling the dice as to whether you'll come out with food poisoning after your meal (you won't). Another highlight of the White Horse Tavern is the trivia nights on Wednesdays and Sundays. They tend to draw a bit of a crowd. Initially a Stump Trivia location, Will (the trivia master) broke with them and is now working with Geeks Who Drink. In any case, trivia is usually a good time and not too intense.
(4)Hamdi J.
I actually love white horse! I work down the street from it and always end up here. My coworkers and I usually grab drinks after work and white horse is always our go to. I love the fact that they have an ample amount of space and the drinks are perfect. The bartenders are very helpful and accommodating. Definitely one my go to bars in Allston.
(5)Hector D.
I've been to White Horse many times during and post-college, and it's always a good time. It doesn't look different from any Allston bar, but there are plenty of stories here haha. I definitely think it's better than TITS, where they always seem to force you to get a table. For me, I consider this my "closer" bar for me, which means that if I'm in the Allston area, my friend and I always end my night here haha. I'm not really sure why, but every time I go here, it rounds out the night perfectly. It's, by no means, a raging bar where everything and anything happens, but we always go here to get a last call beer. I definitely stay more towards the left side rather than right where there's a pseudo-dance floor (it's more crowded on the right side. I've never tried to do a game of pool (it looks like the wait/games take forever), but it adds to the easygoing vibe the place has. The crowd is obviously full of college/BU kids, but it's one of those bars where you can just unwind and regroup.
(4)George A.
some of the worst service i've ever experienced at a restaurant. walked in to no greeting, no sign of whether it was seat yourself or not. went to the bartender and asked him, and he said that the waiters would be there in 10 minutes? so we sat at the bar waiting for the servers to show up or for the bartender to let us know they were ready for us, but no one said anything or even noticed us. we ended up having to flag down the bartender after he avoided eye contact after 20 minutes of confusion. he told us to go out back, saying there was a bartender and a server. there was no server, and the bartender was setting up still. we sat down to no greeting again, and again had to ask for assistance. we had to ask the "door guy" (who was just terribly hitting on the bartender outside) for menus which took him like 5 minutes. still no server. after 10 minutes, we went up to the bartender and ordered from her after no service. she did not check up on us at all. had to flag her down to order, for refills, for waters...no server ever showed up. took forever for the check. there was a 10 minute stretch where there were literally no employees out back. literally the WORST service I have ever had at a restaurant. the 1 star is for the food, which was good. the only positive experience with the staff was the door guy (different one, not the scrawny dude with high socks and a shirt 2 sizes too big), who said bye and to have a good day. he had a big old beard. it was pretty nice. there were roughly 6 waiters working, but they were all just dicking around behind the inside bar. do not go here if you don't want to sit and wait around for over an hour.
(1)Chris R.
Your typical casual post-college crowd food and drink place serving the usual suspects of beers and bar fare (burgers, nachos, wings, etc.). Not my top choice in the area in that genre but really it's not bad. The food I wouldn't say is anything special, but it does have some nice qualities, most notably that when it's nice out they open all the front windows so you get the whole indoor/outdoor vibe. Plus it's huge so if you have a big group it would be a decent choice. Seating is a mix of barstool, high-tops and tables so you've got options. They also have a couple pool tables in decent condition. I'd go for a couple beers if everywhere else was crowded, but if you're hungry just go to Sunset or Common Ground instead.
(3)Liz H.
I came during the evening and it was pretty decent until I left for two seconds to tell a bunch of my friends (who were taking a cigarette break) where I was. The bouncers were the rudest people I have ever met and I will never ever come back after this bad experience. I work in the hospitality industry and it is not okay to be that rude.
(2)Jack S.
Empty place but won't let someone in who offers to check his satchel with the bar? That's odd, chased away 7 people's worth of business
(1)Tiff A.
Decent bar...but bartender with neck/face tattoos was totally uncool and charged us for a beer we didn't we didn't drink, and was really rude about it.
(3)Alena G.
Affectionately referred to as White Ho by the local college crowd, the tavern serves a variety of purposes: - a low-key bar with small but satisfying menu - the teriyaki steak tips are a perfect mix of savory and sweet tenderness; the burgers are delicious and hefty; the apps are numerous - try the wings, the soft pretzel sticks, the Thai rolls, the baked goat cheese dip.. tons of beers to choose from (they always have some specials in place) and the lemonades are delicious as well. If you're adventurous, opt for for Raspberry Midnight White Russian - rasp vodka and Kahlua topped with whipped cream. Indescribable experience, to say the least; - a relaxing neighborhood hangout spot with pool tables and Thursday night trivia; - a sweaty, bumping late-night spot where all hell breaks loose - things HAPPEN here. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
(4)Phil C.
Part 2 of the Yelp wing crawl... This bar, by far, had the weakest wings. The only reason why I didn't give this place a 1-star is because the sauce was half-decent and the establishment was beautiful. Otherwise... The server/bartender I had definitely didn't give a crap about this whole event. I did not get a smile or a "thank you" for anything, even when gratuities were given by me. She, along with everyone else, seemed rather snotty and dour. Back to the wings, they were rather small and sickly. I asked for "hot" flavor buffalo wings and the ones I got were a little tempered. Maybe I had a higher tolerance of hot stuff that night but the sauce didn't seem that hot. However, the (probably "mild" that was given to me by mistake) sauce still tasted all right. The pool tables looked inviting and there are a bunch of televisions in this establishment. The bar is spacious and airy. It's clear, however, that this place is for the beautiful people. The servers seemed the most self-conscious of their looks, out of all the servers I encountered that night. So if you're one of the beautiful people, you'll fit in and you'll enjoy this bar. However, if you're one of the beautiful people and like food, you won't enjoy it as much. And if you're not beautiful but like food, well, good luck to ya.
(2)Brian P.
I love this pace. Great atmosphere. the prices are average. I always get the pretzel sticks. They are really good.
(5)Jessica P.
Came in on a Sunday night to a pretty empty bar, the bar service wasn't the best, due to the fact that no one else was sitting at the bar and it took a while to get the bartenders attention. She didn't offer menus or anything, and got annoyed when we asked to break bills to play games.. But, Josh, a door guy turned the whole experience around. He held the door open and was very personable. He came over while we were sitting at the bar and picked up my jacket off the ground and then continued to hang it up for me. While everyone else that was working was standing around talking, he was out front sweeping the side walk. He's such a true gentleman, Boston needs more door staff like him, who make you feel welcome rather than intimidated. - so we came in for round 2- to an empty restaurant and sat ourselves at the back patio. Erinn C was our server, if you can call her that. She came over and threw menus down and walked away. She came back and didn't introduce herself, saying what do you want? And rolled her eyes when I didn't want alcohol and my boyfriend did. She came back 10 minutes later to the empty patio. We ordered two salads, mine was delicious - the steak one, my boyfriends was horrendous. a Caesar salad is pretty simple. I had to go up to the bar to ask for a refill on my soda because she was too busy on her phone in the corner. Thank god we were her only table or she would be in the weeds. She never came back to check on us and when we asked for our check, she walked away and didn't say a word. She came back and dropped our check off and didn't say anything. Not even a smile! We will say- our drinks on the rocks today were plentiful where as last night the amount was as much mouth wash as you would put in a cap in the morning. We really want to like this place, the food and price are decent but the service needs some serious help.. A smile goes a long way.
(3)Sara M.
Decent place to get a beer and a bite, but not a go-to for me. It hasn't changed a bit since I was in college. If you want a pint and a place to watch the game, this is your go-to. They did add a very nice patio, which has a full bar and TV.
(3)K. Brooke Z.
If you're in college, or wish like you still were, or even just want to hit on people that are college-aged, you'll love it here! There is a line out the door on some nights of ladies with low self-esteem. The DJ did play some of the old middle-school hits the night I was there, transitioning from the current top 40 (with extra beatz added) to Britney, bitch. He must have gauged the the crowd based on number of girls rubbing their butts along the guard rail of the upper level. The place is oddly arranged, so you'll get the pleasure of meeting new friends in the 3 feet of space between the bar and a barrier.
(2)Paige C.
See week night specials Best put on your drinking caps Trivia with Will There are only two things that keep me coming back to White Horse: Trivia genius/Brutus Will LaTulippe and $7 steak tips on Wednesday nights. There is nothing special about White Horse. I mostly avoid eating food here except for my pile of steak tips. And of all the places that I drink in Boston, White Horse probably has the saddest beer list, but not the saddest prices. It's a sports/bro bar. But even with all the negativity, I still stand by Will and the Tips. White Horse on Wednesday will make anybody's hump day better... or the best. (Seriously, no one does anything on Wednesday night.)
(3)Abby R.
I have a beef with White Horse. That beef's name is $2 pizza day. You will pay $2 for a cheese pizza, or at least a dollar more for every extra topping. You will receive what seems to be a crunchy tortilla with only the barest hint of sauce flavoring, and a layer of rubbery cheese. They don't even try. Moving on. Their burgers are passable. But why eat a passable burger when you could eat a delicious burger? Words to live by. The atmosphere is blah. It's too open and too awkwardly arranged if it gets at all crowded. There are pool tables between one half of the bar and the other... It's just weird. Also the way it's laid out even if it is busy-ish, it seems like no one is there, which at least to me is a turn-off. I like a place where I feel like I have a crowd of my fellow man to bond with. Where is the camaraderie in this place? Nowhere. Because this is a bar near BU and that gives it license to exist as it does.
(2)Aria D.
The man who served me was really friendly but the food wasn't. I ordered the clam chowder soup bowl which was the size of a regular "cup." Not to mention that it came with bacon and I don't eat pork. I haven't eaten pork for a year and was very shocked when I took a bite....and tasted bacon. The clam chowder soup has no description that it has red meat and I suggest you change that. *Edit* I just learned that most clam chowders are made with bacon. I still think that it should be specified that it's made with pork because this isn't common knowledge.
(1)Marlana Y.
Scene: Friday night 9pm Living Room, Husband and I bored. Me: .... Husband: Wanna go to White Horse? Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and just have a random night out, whether with your other half or just with a few friends. It's like the equivalent of meeting with friends over coffee except this is the nightlife with beer. This place isn't fancy but I really like it for the outdoor patio in the back. I wish more places had them. We try to go before the clubbing crowd at 8-9pm. It was a nice night out drinking a few beers, snacking on the nachos, and watching the game.
(4)Cashmir D.
I love it here! Josh and Mike at the bar are amazing! They are very personable and friendly! Great customer service! I live in Malden and will definitely be back here because of these guys! Thanks for great service!
(5)Ifath N. I.
Overall decent bar. The food is okay. They claim to serve brunch but it's a lie.
(3)Imran G.
Stop numero deux in Yelp's Wing and Bling Pub Crawl. Less than happy bartender? Check. Decent bar food? Check. The wings were pretty good, my teriyaki were quite tasty, and my wife's thai mango chili were also really good. Great size, comes celery and your choice of ranch or frommage azul (dude, will you stop speaking French, Spanish and English at the same time?). We noted that we got bleu cheese instead of ranch and asked the bartender if it was bleu cheese. She stood and looked at us for like 3 minutes wondering where the problem was, a bit rude if you ask me. Unfortunately, all sorts of averageness combined with a rude waitress average out to a pretty average spot.
(3)Annie N.
I needed to grab a quick bite with my dear friend prior to a rendezvous and White Horse happened to be in the general vicinity. We decided to give it a shot and were overall pleased! Mind you, it was early on a Friday night so I don't think the place had become "poppin'" yet. There are a lot of youths in that neighborhood that I'm sure frequent the place with its spacious bar area and billiard section. Our waiter was Kyle and he was both friendly and prompt (an excellent combo!). My gentleman friend had a burger that he gave rave reviews and our drinks were up to par. I'd recommend this as a fine establishment to visit during quieter hours.
(4)Erik G.
This bar took my friends real id and did not give it back until the cops showed up an hour and a half later. The reason it took so long is because the bar said they would call the cops to arrest my friend but ended up just making him wait. Quite funny to me, but he's still pissed. Granted once you do get inside the place is packed with horny coeds. That being said i attribute the hot chicks to the wealth of colleges in the surrounding area and not to the bar itself. In conclusion, not stoner friendly.
(2)Julie A.
I'm going to keep this short, many people have wrote about the ins and outs of this place and I want to just chime in on my personal experience I waver between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll give 4 because I'll come back to this place. I like the white horse tavern. I like the vibe and food usually. I've been here on quiet days and busy days. And the outside patio in the back has tv's. I've only had one disappointing meal. I'm not usually overly picky about my food, especially regular American fare, but the breakfast omelet was terrible. It was oooozing oil. Like legit, oozing, and then on the flipside the home fries were super dry and hard. But that's not to say the lunch/dinner menu is below par. I've had some great burgers and the steak tips are great. The bartender service supersedes the servers, who I typically find to be inattentive and impersonal. The bartenders usually make me feel "taken care of" so props for that. I've never been here on the weekend, but I usually see a line out the door. If you want to "check it out" take part in one of their daily food or event specials during the week.
(4)Adam R.
I went here on a Wednesday night with some friends. We knew it was a trivia night, but we got there too late to really participate. The trivia night sounded fun, and the guy Will LaTulippe was pretty cool and still read our incredibly dumb Cuban team name out loud (with the proper Spanish accent and everything!) even though we only played the last round. Unfortunately, if you're not playing trivia, there's really no point in going because you cannot hear anything with their speakers blaring on the inside. Also, once trivia was done about 90% of the bar left, so whatever vibe there was went with them. They had a decent selection of beer at normal Boston prices, and we didn't try the food, but it all seemed like your average bar food. The waitress was also really good and attentive, so there were no problems there. It seems like a nice relaxing place, but I think that's the problem, it's just kind of a bar on a street where every other building is probably a bar. It's clean, I had a good time, and I would never adamantly oppose going here, but I would never suggest it in the first place, you know?
(3)Chenkai L.
This bar is a good place to come and grab a casual drink. They have pretty standard bar food (burgers, sandwiches, fries) and the drinks are pretty standard. They do trivia night three times a week, Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On friday-sat, they turn part of their floor into a dance floor. On a weekday, its a good place for conversation as it doesn't get too loud.
(3)Eleni K.
Nice atmosphere but staff wasn't very helpful or friendly at all. Drinks are extremely overpriced. Parking is terrible. Only positive thing I found is that they are open until 2am and have good music most of the time.
(3)Danielle K.
Sadly, White Horse Tavern has changed it's menu since I moved out of Allston, and the cheese fries with horsy mayo are long gone. (My waistline is thankful but my brain is not, since I was craving them.) They've also changed companies that run their trivia nights to Geeks Who Drink instead of Stump. The awesome trivia jockey Will is still the same so I'm sure trivia nights are still fun, but I haven't been to a GWD event to see how the format is different.
(2)Stephanie L.
This place is a pretty regular haunt for my boyfriend and I on the weekends after his soccer games with the team, mostly because it's a very "boys" place for them to all meet up, but otherwise I'm not a fan. The food is awesome for bar food - nachos, fries, soft pretzels, you name it. Nothing earth-shattering but it's what you'd expect. Definitely the type of place for meeting up to have a few beers and watch a game. The cocktails are generally horrible, so just stick to beer. If you're lucky, whoever is at the tap will actually know how to pour, but don't count on it. The wait staff is getting increasingly terrible, which is a bit frustrating. They don't know how to handle large parties (which are really common due to the nature of the place) and they're not attentive at all. The last time I went the waitress actually looked in the opposite direction and walked away really quickly to avoid taking our order. Multiple times. I just ended up going up to the bar to get my drinks myself while I waited for her to do her job. They're constantly under-staffed, yet the last time I checked they're only hiring door men, rather than the waitresses and bartenders they're in dire need of. If you're here for heavy beer-drinking, like most people are, you'll probably end up having the privilege of experiencing their zoos... I mean, bathrooms. At best they're disgusting, but on special days they're actually some of the worst I've ever seen. Doors duct taped shut, toilet paper and feminine supplies all over the floor even early in the afternoon, non-functioning door locks, un-flushed toilets, swampy overflowing clogged sinks... And I've heard the men's room gets worse. I really wish they'd step up their game with janitorial services and training their wait staff/bartenders, because the convenience of the place will probably keep me coming back regardless.
(2)Jim B.
The White Horse Tavern is an all-around good spot. The food there is what you would expect from pub food, maybe a bit better than average. To anyone looking for the best thing on the menu, I would go straight for the burgers. Friendly staff and an awesome beer list make for a good experience on the bar side. Pool is expensive, I recall each game costing $1.25.
(4)Veronique L.
This past Saturday night, I met up with my boyfriend and a few people we knew from school. I am pretty sure they card most people, but once in, I found a huge group of people watching football and loudly cheering. The waitress was really nice and gave me water whenever I asked. I thought she did a great job accommodating the coming and going of the group. The place gets progressively louder later in the evening. They might even designate space for dancing as there appeared to be a DJ. I'm not sure why, but they drew black curtains to separate the football watching people from the rest of the group. As others have noted, there are pool tables and trivia nights here as well.
(2)Luke T.
A lively college bar and the crowd is trendy and hipster type. Drinks are weak, so stay with your beer.
(3)Laura M.
It's a good bar. Plain and simple. Not great. Not bad. Good. Sometimes there's way too many drunk brahs, but I prefer it over Tavern in the Square. Pool tables. TVs. Nice outdoor seating in the back. Ample open space. Food is typical pub fare. I had a good patty melt. I've been told to never get the parmesan wings (is it wrong that that only makes me want to get them??)
(3)Michael M.
Delicious steak tips. I had mine with mango Thai sauce, fresh vegetables, mash potatoes, and craft beer. Tasty burgers and seasonal craft beers with variety of selection. Relaxing place to watch the game while playing a game of pool.
(3)James B.
This place is bright red and glossy and in the middle of everything, so I almost feel like it's designed to draw in tourists like myself. It's fairly massive but when I came in on a Friday at 3PM it was virtually empty. I had a burger and it was fine. It was a pretty simple order: well done with mozzarella and goat cheese. Somehow the waitress still had to come back and ask, and she had it wrong (Swiss?) She seemed irritated with me the entire time. Note that she wasn't unkind or rude. She just seemed like she needed a nap. ...and she was either a terrible waitress or REALLY needed a nap. She never took away the other three rolls of silverware that were at my table when I sat down. By and large she just obviously wanted to go home. When the check came it was only $11 and usually I tip large when I linger to mess around on the internet or just in general have a small check, but I was reluctant to even leave her the $1.50 15%. I left her $3, but it would have been $10 if she had just been more pleasant.
(3)Reptile A.
This place was fun to me while I was in college but not since then. Perhaps its the extremely loud atmosphere that makes it annoying now. The DJ is either deaf or he doesn't know how to keep volume at the right level so you don't have to scream at top of your lungs to order your drink. Out of all the Allston bars, this one seems to attract douchebag-bro crowd the most.
(2)Elizabeth W.
I've had plenty of enjoyable evenings here. I've come many a time for trivia night, and it's one of my favorite spots to do so. The beer selection is good and the prices decent. The bar food is tasty, I'm a fan of their nachos. I like coming here for a casual drink and to hang out with friends. I've never stuck around for the late night crazy dance parties that I guess go on here. Seems to be the typical, fun-loving college and young professional crowd for the most part. I'm sure I'll be back.
(3)Sheryl K.
Trekking alllll the way out to Allston for a little bar/grill when on vacation in Boston and staying in Back Bay? Of course! Love White Horse. I lived across the street in college and worked there briefly, I guess I have a soft spot for it and the DELICIOUS wings and fun bar. The wings are fab, and you can also get them with grilled chicken and still delicious! Great beer selection, I love the atmosphere, especially sitting by one of the open windows by the pool tables.
(4)David L.
Cool atmosphere, great drink specials every month, 2 pool tables and 2 HUGE full bars. Games include Safari Buck hunter, Basketball Game, Golden Tee, and shuffleboard type bowling game. I would consider this a sports bar as they have plenty of jumbo screens. If you're looking for a night of dancing in Allston, then this is your spot on a Saturday night based on drink specials, FREE COVER, and DJ music. Trivia on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursdays @ 8pm.
(4)Joe V.
Allston's premiere college bar. Some of the highlights. -Has crappy pool tables. -Some of the cheaper drinks in Allston. -O.k. food that is not overpriced. -Picture booth. -Patio Area. -Open until 2. -Located next to a thrift shop where you can pop some tags. The White Horse is like bud light. Its awesome when you first start drinking, and you still come back to it every once in a while, years after you've long outgrown it.
(3)Artem F.
I find reviews for this place hilarious. I have never seen such a polarized set of reviews for any venue on Yelp. Look: this isn't some swanky bar, with light jazz and hors d'oeuvres served by buttoned down middle aged waiters. This is a sloppy college bar, a test your best pick up line type of place, with an interesting mix of hipsters and popped collar bro crowd. GREAT for people watching, or if you're an extrovert for people meeting. A real "we're doing shots of tequila until some jerk decides to switch to Jager *shudder*, and we all get sloppy drunk" type of place.
(4)Rachel L.
I think this is the best bar in the area for atmosphere and bar food. The Poutine is unbelievable (fries with cheese and gravy) and they have good steak tips. Definitely a must go in the summer time when the windows are open to the air and you can go on the back patio. They expanded several years ago lending to it's odd layout, but the second bar is one of its selling points I think - you never have to fight people for a drink, even when people come to dance at midnight on the weekends...it makes for two areas. I moved away from Allston 9 years ago and I still come back here.
(4)Courtney G.
So, this may be a biased review because when I finally made my way to White Horse it was after an afternoon red sox game and we were substantially bombed by the time we arrived at 10:15. However, from what I remember, I had a great time at White Horse. It was a nice change of pace from TITS across the street. For some reason we always find ourselves drunkenly meandering over to Tavern In the Square, and although I deal with it, it's a little too big for my liking. A few cocktails deep in a large establishment and someone has to put out a bolo on me. Whitehorse, as most of the reviews have indicated, is a typical college bar. I mean you're always going have the athletic guy with a couple bitties trying to buy them drinks behind you. Or the one who is mercilessly preying on a girl getting her own drink at the bar. And then you're going to have hipsters. I mean you are right near BU....what did you expect? In my personal opinion it was a perfect little mix. And the drinks are cheap. Coming from a small undergrad in Rhode Island where vodka soda crans are between $3.50-$5.00, I sincerely appreciate a bar where I can get a vodka soda for $5.00. Not to mention, I left my debit card there and they kept it safe for me until sunday. High fives all around. Will I go back? Yes. Will I dare to go back less drunk than when I went the first time? For enjoyment purposes probably not.
(3)Kelly O.
White Horse has a back patio?! Where have I been for the past 9 years? I frequented White Horse back when I was a BU undergrad (along with the rest of the student body), it was sort of our default: not someplace that we'd necessarily go out of our way for, but a decent choice for drinks nonetheless. Back then, my major gripe was the line that formed early on in the night (you can totally fit more people in, hello!), but at least there was no cover and it was a chill atmosphere with reasonably priced drinks. The same day I discovered the patio, we ordered some nachos to go along with our beers, which was the first time I'd ever eaten here. Not bad, not good, pretty standard. Our waiter deserved some props though, he was really friendly and attentive and chatty. Granted, this was right after work and the place was pretty empty, and I've experienced having to wait for a beer at the bar for a long time in the past, but it was still nice. My advice is check it out during the summers right after work, but be prepared to be surrounded by undergrads if you're going during the school year on weekends.
(3)Nicole S.
Simple review- We went in for drinks and food but only got drinks. The appetizer menu looked pretty average for a bar and mos things were priced around $8-10. There was nothing wrong with what they had to offer and looking around things looked good but we not in the mood for nachos and such. I got a diet coke with orange flavored vodka. It tasted more like coke than vodka but oh well, it was relatively cheap so it did not see like a loss. The bouncers were nice as we left telling us to come back since they were setiing up live music. I'll have to give that a chance another time
(3)Lisa F.
Has a nice patio in the summer with large tv screens outside. Cheap cocktails and the paninis/fries were pretty good. Has a few pool tables. There's a dj during some nights, but this isn't a place to go dancing. Pretty loud, college, bro-ish crowd.
(3)Mark S.
This place is a pretty good bar/billiard room. Beers were cold, servers were nice. The complementary shots on the slower parts of saturday nights is a nice touch. Rarely see that anymore. This bar suffers from a lot of what Boston bars suffer from and that's low turnout when college isn't in session. Which in my mind is a travesty. It's right in the middle of the Allston area, which is great for college kids. But from the times I went here, it wasn't great that right outside had roadside construction.
(3)A. H.
Went here against my better judgement because the group wanted to for convenience sake. Service was typical. Atmosphere was ok. Nothing special about this place at all. 1 star because they put a hold on my account without telling me and took too long to release it even after they had charged my account with the full and final amount. Really awful way to do business.
(1)Kelly E.
It sounds like from the reviews below and from my experience that summer is the time to go! Went there on a Thursday night, and the windows were all open, so it was comfortable and breezy. Even though there were a lot of people, it didn't seem too crowded and wasn't over-run with obnoxious college kids. My friends and I went for a Stump trivia night (8pm), it was fun, just like all other Stump trivia, but I really enjoyed that it moved at a good pace, the guy wasn't stalling to keep us in there and drinking on a week night. I didn't eat, but I had a tasty mixed drink for a good price, and there was a good beer selection, also all well-priced. The others at my table ate steak tips and wings and they both said they were excellent. The service was attentive and friendly, couldn't have asked for more! Definitely will be going back with an appetite and a larger crowd next time to trivia!
(4)Phuong D.
Came here for Sunday Football. Drinks are quite cheap here. $2.5 Miller High Life is what my friend was drinking all night. I stuck to my $5 Shocktop drafts. Service was pretty attentive and $5 wings were amazing! Soo good! Nacho were ehh, but the avocado dip was good! Salsa, not so much. Not unless you like chopped up tomatoes. That's all it really was. Their fries are pretty good too. I mean we only got regular fries, but we kept munching on them! Pretty chill environment, stayed there for the whole duration of the game and played some billiards as well. Apparently this place gets packed during Football Sundays, but when I went there wasn't really anyone.
(4)Ann L.
December's monthly special = $3 well vodka drinks. Yes, please.
(4)Laura B.
This is our favorite local drinkin' place! We ended up here by accident when Carlo's across the street took FOREVER to seat us. We've been back multiple times and always have a blast. The $5 wings are some of the best wings I've ever had, and the pretzel thing is SOO tasty. The staff is always very nice, one night the waitress even comped a round of drinks because the DJ kicked us out of our window seat table. This review is making me want to go there tonight!! :)
(5)Frank J.
White Horse is better than average for the typical college bars. Yes, it can get very crowded on weekend nights. Yes, it can get filled with sticky collar wearing people. Yes, it can get filled with people that smell like new jersey. Yes, there can be young and dumb bouncers on a power trip. This is a typical bar in boston and that is the nature of the beast. May favorite experiences here, like most bars I go to, happen earlier in the day. Day drinking is just more fun, for many reasons. There are a few reasons why White Horse has a step up over the others, mostly because of the layout. First, there are now three bars (two inside and one on the patio). Having easy access to a bar when you need a drink is everything, no one wants to hover over people sitting at the bar (except the creepy ones, I guess three bars is a negative for them?) Second, the relatively new patio - patios are great on a nice summer day. Third, they have video games and pool tables. This is key when you're with those close friends who you haven't yet developed the talking relationship with. As far as the beer, they're on the cusp of being barfully responsible (having at least one beer cheap). I think they have $2.75 high lifes and $3 pbr tall boys. I would prefer a cheap draft ($2 or less) of one of the big three. I can't get to upset, they do have cheap beer, I just wish it wasn't high life or pbr. "The champagne of beer" really needs to be renamed "the andre of beer." As far as pbr goes, I have dranken so much reused pbr (that seems a little to thick/sticky and is filled with pubes and dirt) at the bottom of solo cups that I can't even smell the stuff without gagging. As far as the food goes, it is standard bar food for the area. Cheap quality, overpriced for what it is. I will say that White Horse tends to have slightly lower prices than their competition - the prices are fair. However, I have one big complaint, and why they lost a star. They have raised the prices (still fair prices) but have not updated the manu on their website. This is a big pet peeve of mine because people rely on what is on the website, there shouldn't be surprises when you get there. They do have "drink specials." I think it is $5 for any vodka, rum, gin drink with a single mixer. I once had these and was dissappointed, it wasn't very strong. I tend not to order bar drinks for this very reason - the wimb of a bartender doesn't always couincide with my liquor needs. FYI, vodka, rum, gin, etc. drinks with a single mixer are called "speed rail" in Canada. I was once in a loud, crowded bar in montreal and there was a very confusing eye staredown between me and the bartender because the "speed rail" special made no sense to me and everything I ordered was not that. One more thing, they have a late night/patio menue that has small pizzas on it. One of the pizzas is a "pepperoni bomb" (not exact wording, something like that). Anyway, it says there will be crust to crust pepperoni. Not the case at all. There were about 2-3 pepperonis on each slice. I was promised significant amounts of bright orange oil flowing through my arteries and all I got was a few squirts from an eyedropper - not okay. Overall this is a pretty solid place for a college type bar. There will be the same crap that occurs at most bars on weekend nights but this shouldn't be a surprise to you. I recommend this place during the day. The patio addition is nice (if you're with someone who is talkable), and there is always pool (if you're with someone who is not).
(4)Devin C.
Great place to be on football Sundays! Or any big sports event for that matter, Sundays are 1lb of wings for $5, typically have a food special of some sort every day of the week. Service was great! Weekends it Turns into more of a late night spot open till last call which is expected of this neighborhood, usually isn't too packed
(4)Lisa G.
It was a bittersweet night last night--my last night playing trivia at White Horse (at least as a regular)! I'm moving to NYC this weekend, so won't be coming every Wednesday night to hang with my buddy Danielle and our fave trivia dude, Will. :'( There's a reason this place is so packed on trivia nights. Will's the best trivia dude in town. So if you and some of your pals enjoy Stump Trivia, check this place out. I definitely prefer it to Big City, where I recently had a run-in with one of the waitresses (seriously, has anyone ever taught her anything about customer service, wow!). I like the chicken fingers, but they are grossly overpriced (seriously, for $8 can't you guys give us some fries too?). Love the blueberry beer and the blueberries at the bottom of the glass (yes mom, I will use my spoon to eat every last one of them! Yum!). Thanks for the memories White Horse! P.S. Please wash the tables more frequently, they are so STICKY, OMG!!!
(4)Gilad S.
Asked for a medium burger. I ordered a medium burger and specifically asked that they make sure it really is medium. The server told me not to worry, they always cook to order. It came very well done. I asked for a new burger. When it finally arrived, it came with a cheese that I did not ask for (I asked for blue cheese, not gouda). But I wasn't going to wait for them to make me a third burger. The burger itself was surprisingly dry for a burger cooked medium and the bun fell apart quickly in my hand. Made me want to become a vegetarian. They have a nice outdoor patio in the back. That is all.
(1)Zulu Q.
I admittedly went on a Tuesday and that's likely the most dead time. This is probably why our service was both spacey and nearly non-existent. (However, they're accommodating to my friend's billiards league). I almost don't care though. They take credit cards and they carry Bulleit bourbon. Also, $8 for a Bulleit drink may sound steep to you, but it's actually not all that steep. Even at that though, it's not a place I'd go out of my way for. (I also try to stay away from Allston though).
(3)Michael B.
My experience with college bars, like watercolors, and bad haircuts is that the more you try to fix it the worse it gets.
(2)Melissa B.
I might be in the minority here, but I really like it. Their pretzel sticks with beer cheese is PHENOMENAL, and the late night menu that included them were the perfect addition to the beer I ordered. I got the "adult" (not sure what it's called on the menu) grilled cheese with four different types of cheeses plus garlic and really enjoyed it. My family got burgers and had no complaints as well. Our waitress was engaging and attentive, and even got me the beer cheese recipe from the chef! Definitely will be coming back here.
(4)Kim V.
I will always have fond memories of this place. Many a birthday and post exam/presentation celebrations took place here. It's great for crowds, the food is decent, and have reasonably priced drinks. They also have a couple of pool tables and trivia nights. 3.5 stars!!
(3)Jason B.
Popped-collar, Ed-Hardy-trucker-hat douchefest that everyone learns to avoid by about age 22. We used to call it the White Whores. For no other reason that it sounds nasty. If there were actual whores plying their trade there it'd be an improvement. Even Tequila Rain is better than this. Be good to yourself. Avoid this place.
(1)Jacqueline S.
Four stars each for food and service! Our waitress was very nice and extremely quick and helpful, though she gave us some wrong information concerning their beer menu. My friends and I tried their wings, which were quite good--if you're a fan of spicy food, the death from above wings will get you teary-eyed. Great atmosphere, a wide variety of sports and entertainment playing on several screens... Would stop by again!
(4)Brittany P.
Got stuck here for a while and couldn't have been happier! My bartender Trevor was very attentive and on top of all the other customers at the bar and lounge. Being a bartender myself, I can appreciate good service. Food was good, but to me, service makes or breaks an establishment. Great job Trevor, your business is lucky to have someone like you!
(5)Lisa O.
There are a few things about White Horse that are awesome: - Those big open windows - HIDDEN BACK PATIO - Cheap yummy burger - Consistency in mediocrity The White Horse is one of those places that doesn't inspire special trips, but I always end up there because it's convenient and it doesn't totally suck. It's an easy place to hang out during the off hours, and a nice place to sip a beer, especially now that there's that awesome patio. Bonus: There was an awesome creeper here on Friday night who looked like the bastard lovechild of Chris Kattan and Ewan McGregor. And he had a mullet. You can't make that shit up.
(3)Calvin F.
I went there with a buddy for Trivia on Thursday night. The place is fine inside, nothing great but not bad. We had the $7 steak tips and fries, which were fine but also great since they were $7. DO NOT GO HERE FOR STUPID GEEKS WHO DRINK TRIVIA Tavern in the Square has Stump trivia, which I guess White Horse left in favor of GWD. Go there instead for trivia. It's an incredibly boring format at White Horse, the questions are too fast, and they are all almost the same 8-answer format. Also,it was all 80s and 90s knowledge, even when the crowd was younger. No real sports, barely any science, old pop culture, boring. Stump is so much better and I can't wait until GWD is gone. I'd go back for non-trivia I guess, although it'd probably require many friends asking me to because the food and drink was just average, although I guess the prices were better than average. Whatever.
(3)Christina Z.
White Horse and I have a tantalizing, maddening, fascinating history that I cannot reveal here. The last time I was there, however, I can reveal that my now boyfriend thought I was imbibing a bit too zealously and poured my blueberry beer (bluebs and all) down the bar drain. "You're no Prince Charming," I scoffed. A bit of fairy tale humor, you dig? I genuinely like this place. I went a lot during college. The amaretto sours I sucked down like candy. Okay, I am a sloppy drunky girl. Something about their Guinness tastes better than the pack. The beer menu bears no surprises. A classic blue moon can go a long way (as can red-headed sluts shots... what?). Never mind. Never mind what you drink here. It's an exceptional people watching mecca, packed to the brim with hipsters, wannabees, and girls clad in frayed minis and uggies alike. It's a catch-all, United Nations kind of joint. There is pool. And big TVs. And fun decorations!!! And excellent trivia! We came in first one time. My shining contribution was recognizing ALL of TV's most famous butlers and maids! Secret special super bonus: the back patio! Even in November, I was toasty right down to my very intoxicated heart. And the bathroom always has someone you know and wish you didn't know/see you. Alas, life is awkward, and White Horse is a very microcosm of this life. PS: They always have someone trying to get you to sign up for something to get a zippo lighter. WOMAN, leave me be!
(5)Valissa W.
Dear White Horse, I love you. ....There, I said it! So much time has passed since our initial encounter on that hot summer day when you wooed me with your icy cold Magner's. That smooth taste of our first embrace is still fresh in my memory, and we've shared so many great times since. White Horse, I'll confess. I had mixed feelings about you at first. I thought you were a player; the kind of bar that would bring in popped collars and trixies that wouldn't get along with an ornery artsy gal like me. That's when I started to notice your colorful, tattooed, fun-loving staff. And your delish menu certainly doesn't hurt ($4 burgers and fries!). Perhaps you weren't so hoity-toity after all.... Obviously you won me over. What is it about you, White Horse, that just keeps bringing me back for more? Your trivia drives me nuts, but in the same way any lover's quirks might. I still hate half the people that come to see you. And I never did learn how to play pool. Yet there's something about you I can't seem to get enough of! Whatever it is, White Horse, you are my Allston go-to, and I will love you and your Magner's forever and ever. Sincerely yours, V
(4)Krista H.
Don't go here for the food. The menu is BORING and the food was pretty boring too. I learned my lesson on that end. Otherwise, I love the White Horse on the weekends. It's huge, has two bars, and two pool tables. The crowd is a little on the younger side, a lot of BU kids, but it's usually an OK time. Sometimes the service is a little slow, and there is always a line after 10:30 on the weekends, but it's definitely one of my top bars in the Harvard Ave/Brighton Ave strip.
(2)Katherine D.
This place is a solid 3. I begrudgingly frequented the White Horse in college. Even then I was not into rooms filled with pink polo, backwards hat wearing douches. If you're headed her on T, F, Sa during the school year that is what you're going to find. I returned last Sunday for trivia however, and had a great time. The trivia is "Stump" trivia which rarely fails to please. The patio was open and cute with christmas tree lights strung through the space. The big windows were open and a lovely breeze was coming through. Our server was attentive and friendly (a first for me here at this establishment). Here were the two big perks: 1. minimal amounts of douches since the kiddies are out on summer vacation 2. $5 Well mixed drinks, anything with vodka, rum or gin! Since my go-to mixed drink at a place without a nice refined cocktail list is a vodka soda I really took advantage of that deal. That being said, there was a drawback: We got food and it was pretty bad. Truffle fries came out doused in parmesan and the truffle oil (im guessing the chemical flavor of truffle) was added only to ketchup and im not a ketchup girl. Grilled cheese and tomato bisque was also pretty sad. I will likely be back, but only in the summer, and mostly for the $5 mixed drinks.
(3)Sue N.
I used to come here on Sunday mornings to watch football games with my friends. It was always laid back, not too crowded. It was really nice when they opened the floor to ceiling window and let in all the warm scrumptious sunlight! Get this: Cooperstown wings. The best wings I've ever had! The waitresses were always friendly and happy.
(4)Robert H.
First time we has ever been there, Saturday 7/11/09, noon. WAITRESS: Tall, odd build, first drink took too long to arrive since place was mostly empty, second drink took too long also as mug had cobwebs in it before she noticed. SCORE 2 DRAFT BEER SEECTION: Not bad. SCORE 3.5 AMBIENCE: Funky, open window deal, lots of Allston girl eye candy walking by. SCORE 3.5 FOOD: Wife, southwest burger, son, chicken wrap, me, steak tips sandwich. Mine came on french gread, meat was good quality, and plenty of it. SCORE 4
(4)Haley T.
I'm convinced that this bar is actually a Worcester bar, and through some accident of nature, is located in Allston. For those who have not had the joy of a night out in Worcester, MA, this is what you'll typically experience: -Top 40's/terrible music -A clientele consisting mostly of college kids, with an interest in polo shirts, bud light and sports -Cheap drinks (Worcester has good points) -Bright, bright lights -Mediocre bar food That said, the bartenders are decent, it's clean, and I assume it's a good place to go watch sports if you're into that sort of thing. Never a line or a cover here. Excellent location. The selection of beer on draft is pretty limited, but it's not a bad place to rock the bud light.
(3)Ryan M.
I love this bar, but it just doesn't deserve 4 or 5 stars. It was relatively uncrowded when I went with my boyfriend on a Friday night. Very easy to get space at the bar, and the bartender was very friendly. We started off with a couple glasses of Guinness (4.50 each, I think) and, afterwards, I asked for a French 75. The bartender hadn't heard of that, but he got one of his friends with an iPhone, and they looked it up (yeah, I was amused too!). Unfortunately, they didn' t have any champagne, so I had a Dark and Stormy, which was REALLY good (they serve it in smaller glasses, strong ginger beer, with very little ice, so it doesn't get watered down), and the price was right, at $6. I'm glad I went with someone, because I don't think I would have wanted to interact with any of the patrons -- who were mostly the pool-playing, obnoxious college crowd. Complete with popped collars and rugby shirts! Woo! The atmosphere was good, otherwise.
(3)Matthew U.
$5 lunch specials with Cheeseburger or chicken sandwich Also 1lb of wings for $4 Steak tip lunch $6 Really can't beat the prices but the food is just ok
(3)Shaina P.
A common line: "you're so beautiful" really doesn't work at 9 PM... seriously? But you are convinced to stick around coz you run into at least two people you went to school with and haven't seen in YEARS (but the real hook is that they buy you a shot). The space around the bar makes for comfortable swaying and picture taking without completely knocking into someone nearby. White Horse is great for spending quality drinking time with your friends and very little dancing, lending itself to a place where you can actually talk (if you can manage to speak, not slur). And did I mention, a place where you can take lots. of. pictures...
(3)Renee M.
Ok, not gonna lie- I used to come to White Horse all the time when I first turned 21. It was the closest bar to my apartment, has a decent selection of beer and is pretty cheap. It's not too bad if you come with a couple friends, but this place starts to fill up with bros and hos once it hits 11 pm on the weekends. It also has a faint smell of chlorine and the floor is usually sticky. ew. I have discovered much much better bars since those days (ok, it wasn't so long ago..) and therefore don't feel the need to come back here. Definitely a college bar... Also the bouncers think they're really cool for no reason.
(2)Luke S.
People seem to have really high expectations of this place - $2.50 beer specials and $4-6 meal specials *should* tell you everything you need to know about this place. The beer is cheap and generally decent, and the food is cheap and good, but inconsistent. The service is pretty bad, but what can you expect from such a cheap place?! It is the perfect place to go to watch some sports during the summertime when the windows are open. They have TONS of TVs and will always put a game on for you. However, it surprises me that people flock to White Horse on a Friday or Saturday night when there are no sports games on! They don't have anything going on when there isn't a game on, so expect loud music and lots of people. The crowd is mostly BU/BC students. I used to go there all the time when I went to BU undergrad, but now I mostly stop by to watch a game with some cheap beer and a dirt cheap meal.
(4)Meghan A.
Ew. I just read a review by Brianna C. saying this joint has rats. That ain't right. I'll drop it down a star for that. Anyway, my review. I've only been to this place once, but I certainly don't feel the need to go back. I didn't really care about the people it attracted, and I certainly didn't care for the food. Everyone once in a while I crave steak (rarely) and this was one of those occasions, so I got steak tips and fries. The entire dish was so salty that I was nauseous just thinking about it for days after. I had to eat steak not too long thereafter just to get the salty taste out of my mouth. It wasn't even something coke could wash away, so I had to get beer which only made it worse. Gross. The fries were pretty bad, too. It takes a lot to ruin fries, but there is no reason why I should be able to pick up my fries and see through them from the amount of grease. Just saying. This isn't my kind of place, so I don't plan on heading over there again any time soon.
(2)Matt S.
This doesn't get a one star review because after leaving Boston for Chicago I found an ever WORSE place. It looks nice on the outside and even on the inside. It's in a neighborhood I love. But it's soulless. Totally soulless. The burger is invested with no compassion. The Guinness tastes like Robitussin. The gin and tonics were mostly tonic. I spent much more than I would have at the (old) Crossroads or at the People's Republik. Overcharged. Overrated. Would be totally over it, but I have friends who love it, which is the only reason i ever went back more than twice.
(2)Stephen L.
love this bar.
(4)Jamie F.
So I'm getting ID'd at the front, and suddenly hear a siren/fire alarm from the inside. I'm thinking, "Oh shoot, there's a fire!" But nope, it's a fight and the bouncer pushes me aside so he can go help break it up. I'm in total shock, "WTFFF just happened?!" The crowd goes wild at the sight of a man with a bleeding nose. And the raving lights/siren don't help alleviate the situation at all. Somehow, White Horse seems to be the new college hotspot - cheap beer, good location. It was ridiculously packed, limited seating, and there's only 2 pool tables?!? Oh yeah, if you step out for a cig/whatever and want to go back in, you have to line up again. LAME.
(2)Janina T.
I remember when this place was as hyped as Tavern now is (Tavern is the new White Horse, apparently) and you'd have to wait in line for 5-30 minutes, sometimes. It's quieted down A LOT since then, which I kind of like. The bouncers and waitresses are all pretty friendly here. Beers are reasonable (for the area). The only off putting thing, during the summer, that is, is that they close the patio at 11 PM but the entire place stays open till 2. This sucks hard core just because everyone obviously wants to enjoy the outdoors now that it's nice out but you can only do it for so long here. Apparently they had gotten noise complaints from nearby residents. I can understand if they close it that early on weekdays but on a weekend night? Come on people. You live in Allston. Get with the times.
(4)Angel M.
any night out at the white horse is going to be a good time, dont save your appetite and you will definitely have a good time. grab a drink, find a table or a counter and chat up a storm with your friends, no one will bother you, the night is tight. every night that i come here i am guaranteed a relaxed atmosphere with crowds of people, a varying drink selection, and a table to sit at. what i love the most is the very intense trivia here on wednesday nights. people take it seriously! and not just "eh, serious", but really ferocious seriousity, you will get punched in the face if you get caught cheating, the questions are fun and the music is quite impressive, its very spectral.
(4)Bryan D.
Incredibly rude "waiter" with glasses on 11/26. This place should get its stuff together. I won't be coming back here.
(2)Colin B.
Wow, lots of outspoken views on this one. It's not worth arguing over. It's a simple bar to chill at with cheap beer. Nothing special, but def not terrible.
(3)Marion C.
Took a 30 minute bus ride, like I have done so many times, to come to a place that used to respect it's patrons. Now trying to compete with Tavern in the Sq. across the street, they have decided to cover the pool tables looking like Thanksgiving in the Bromley-Heath Housing Developments. Waitress proceeds to lie about the monthly special, and full price drinks start racking up. You want to order wings? Sorry.... our new chef fresh from a South End wine and cheese emporium wants to class up the joint. Shame on you White Horse. Shame.
(1)Damien P.
This is one of my least favorite places to go. I've gone here a handful of times since my undergrad days in Boston and it hasn't gotten any better. The doorstaff is rude and a pain in the ass; it's worse than crossing the border and I don't even look that young. The bartenders are inattentive and rude at times and if you're at a table, you'll see your waiter/waitress probably once an hour. Probably the worst part of this place is the crowd. Be prepared to surrounded by dudes with popped collars and attitudes. Every time I've been in here, the guy to girl ratio is easily 5:1. Do yourself a favor, go next door to Sunset for food or up to Big City for pool. The food is 10 times better for the same price, the service is better, and there are less morons that hang out there. Trust me, you're not missing anything here. You can find better beer, better pool tables, better food, better crowd, and a better staff all within 2 blocks of this place.
(1)Amanda J.
This place was really middle of the road for me. I had a good time with friends but was hugely annoyed with how sticky the floor was. Yes, I realize it's Allston and a Friday night, but come on!! They had a good selection on tap but it took forever to get the bar tender's attention, I can't complain too much considering the amount of people in there, but they seemed like maybe they were understaffed that evening. Overall I prefer the atmosphere here to many of the area's other bars. The music was good, it's got a lot of space to move around in, the line to get in was short, and I had a good time. Not my favorite bar, but this is also not my usual scene.
(3)Francesca R.
White Horse Tavern, you fail. Allston is already teeming with pubs that serve average food and cheap beer. I can only assume that hiring overly-aggressive morons was your attempt to distiguish yourself from the pack, but unfortunately things didn't pan out as you'd hoped. The first time we went here was completely uneventful. Even though the steak tips were way too stringy and chewy, we were happy to add you to the rota of occassional casual dining places in the neighborhood. Cheap grub is cheap grub. But then you had to go and ruin it by carding my husband who was at the time a handsome but certainly not youthful 35 years old. When he handed you his work visa as his form of ID, which is in fact a government-issued document that is much harder to get than a MA driver's license, you refused to take it or let us be served. Idiot!!! No, it wasn't issued in MA, it was issued by the super-paranoid federal government. If they believe he's 35, why can't you? And, more importantly, if the cops are going to do a raid at 6:30 pm on a Tuesday...are they really going to card the guy who's losing his hair? Aren't they going to head straight for the popped-collar yah doods in the corner? You might want to start employing people with slightly less testosterone and slightly more of an ability to think for themselves. In the meantime, I'll be next door at Big City.
(1)Arestia R.
I've been a fan of White Horse Tavern for years, but more importantly, a fan of stump trivia. It's relaxed and the perfect Sunday/Wednesday night mix of fun. Will is the trivia DJ and let me tell you...he LOVES his job. Not going to lie, he was on vacation one week and we missed his enthusiasm and music choices. It can really drag sometimes, though because he talks a lot and hasn't adopted an excel system to quickly add up scores; sorry Will! You know will still love you. Still, my friends and I come week after week. The bouncers and wait staff are friendly (a waiter helped us win a question once!), you can always count on a beer special and cheap eats after a long day at work and it's a great crowd and a good time, Allston or otherwise.
(3)Carissa D.
Let me say that I haven't been in this spot since college until just recently... and it's better than ever! I surprisingly don't feel old / out of place as the crowd's pretty diverse depending on the night of the week. And you gotta love a place that spins good music, guarantees a good time and doesn't care at all what you are wearing. On the restaurant side of things, it seems that the menu has been revamped - I was in for brunch and they've got a tofu scramble, definitely a more sophisticated version of the White Horse we all know and love. The GM, Will, is usually there, making sure everyone's having a good time, checking up on the food and chatting up the crowd. Nice guy, seems to have a good rapport with staff and customers alike. If it's been awhile since you've checked in on the White Horse, I'd recommend giving it a revisit - food's good, music is awesome (I swear I heard some sweet kickbacks last time I was there, En Vogue, TLC, Blackstreet), pool tables are still there, there's even a patio in the back when the weather's nice (super awesome addition, they had heaters through the end of October or maybe even into November). This is my new go-to, I've fallen back in love with White Horse!
(5)Kyle P.
If you've already had your 24th birthday, just go somewhere else. Trust me. That said, White Horse is solid if you're a college student in the area (especially BC or BU) looking to have some cheap beers and run into a bunch of people you go to school with. There's usually a line out front, but don't let that fool you. People only wait because they're meeting someone who's already inside. It's not worth the wait otherwise. If you're a year or two out of college, it's still a decent place to pop in to see a few of your friends who still live in the area once in a while. If you're smart, walk to the bar in the back. You'll have a little more elbow room and may actually have a shot at getting a drink in under 10 minutes.
(3)Esmeralda T.
This place is ok...not a huge fan; if you enjoy being around college students then this is pretty decent. Drinks weren't too pricey, which is plus.
(3)Daphna R.
I really enjoy trivia here. Will, the trivia jockey is my favorite. He gives you those extra tidbits of Information you know you wanted to learn.
(4)Serena P.
Definitely too old to hang at White Horse Tavern. Went to watch VT game. More trivia fans than Hokies. Asked for one of my favorite beers. Tasted weird. They poured it twice. It still tasted weird. Food was cheap and mediocre. Waitress was very nice, but our order was wrong. I should have stayed home.
(1)annie o.
My friend had her birthday party here during one of the trivia night! Trivia was sorta fun; however, while service was pretty slow. Nothing was really good or bad. But I do think it is a good place for gathering.
(3)Kevin L.
This place is ok. The best reason to come here is for trivia. The food is solid pub food, but nothing to write home about. The beer list is acceptable, with something for everyone (although I'm pretty sure they don't have Dogfish Head anymore, but I could be mistaken). The crowd here at night/on weekends is not my thing, but maybe it's yours. Trivia here is great. They have it 3 nights a week, and it's probably the only reason I've been here at all in the past couple of years. Will, the guy who runs trivia, is a lot of fun, and I always enjoy it, even if I'm competing against 30 or so teams. All in all, a so-so pub with great trivia.
(3)Tenley W.
Trivia Night here is okay. A somewhat preppy crowd. And I know that nobody actually goes to the White Horse for the food, but the nachos I ordered were not very good and the cheese wasn't fully melted.
(3)EricaLynn J.
I'll meet my friends here if they really want to drink and dine there, but I'll never suggest it on my own. It is devoid of any personality. I don't particularly enjoy feeling like I'm the weird one because I'm actually of legal drinking age and out of college for almost ten years now. It doesn't surprise me at all that my younger friends are the ones who usually want me to join them there. They'll learn soon enough, just like I did, and just like you may have to.
(2)Darcy P.
Mediocre. The food is deace. The $6 steak tips are worth it but you have to buy a drink, too. That's probably fine for most people, though. I just come for the trivia with the master of Stump! Trivia, Will. While he is one of the most awkward humans on the planet, he is a damn fine trivia jockey and takes it serious. If it weren't for trivia, I would never go here despite the close proximity to my house. This is one of the most bro-bars out there and it's always absurdly loud. Why can't Will trivia jockey elsewhere?
(3)Nick O.
I read a lot of these reviews of people hating on the White Horse, but I have to say I went with a bunch of friends and we had a great time. The drinks were cheap ($5 stoli/soda), big crowd, plenty of tvs. Overall a good place, No one in our party had a problem with bouncers or bartenders, except one friend tried to order a long island and was told "no drinks with more the 3 liquors", so that is why I can only give 4 stars.
(4)Alan L.
This place is awesome for summer time. Pool tables, TVs, and live band at times. It does get crowded at times but it is not too bad. You never wait too long to get your drink and the food are decent.
(3)Joey M.
The White Horse is really an average bar. Beer prices are not too steep and if you go on the right night you can get some pretty decent specials. The food is pretty average in my opinion as well. What I have really enjoyed about white horse is trivia night (wednesday and someone told me thursday but i dont know). The trivia is fun in a relaxed way and they have enough sports on to keep me entertained while I hopelessly shout out the wrong answers because I know nothing at trivia. I have only been there once on the weekends and I really dont think of it as a great bar to frequent but if you want a relaxed couple of drinks in a not too loud atmosphere I would suggest it. Oh and the bouncers are total dicks, they give me the once over glare at my license and let me in. Though i have a friend who now is 0/2 getting into there because she looked too drunk (in White Horses defense, she was way too drunk both times)
(3)Brooke W.
Go to Sunset next door instead for much better, cheaper food and fun atmosphere. This place really sucked. The food was expensive and truly horrible. The spinach and artichoke dip that was quite flavorless and obviously had been microwaved. My boyfriend paid 10 dollars for a tiny portion of turkey tips and water logged broccoli.Our friends got nachos that were straight up shredded cheese melted onto a pile of chips with olives and a little container of salsa on the side.... I really don't know what kind of vibe this place goes for, but I gurantee it misses the mark in every way. Go to sunset instead!
(1)David H.
Ok, this place isn't as bad as people make it out to be. I guess what really sucks about the place is that it gets overly crowded with BU kids, so I guess that's not a plus side. Some good things about it: great location, they have a decent selection of liquor (and cheap), and it's full of young kids. I wouldn't say you should come here to catch a game, and I would only consider this a pregame destination. Come before 11:30, because it does draw big lines. And like I said, it's just one of those places to grab a drink or two and head off; not the type of place to stick around at... Oh, and one more thing: the bouncers are roid monkey losers. This is really not the type of place for a bouncer to give you a hard time about your ID. I'd understand if it was in an upscale joint, but this place is only a step up from a dive bar (some might even contest that). The bouncer actually looked at my ID and asked what my zodiac was. Whatta douche.
(3)Tom E.
White Horse - it's a mother effing Bro-Down dude! Deal with it. Seen from the perspective of the 22 yr old with the BC football hoodie, reverse Sox cap, basketball shorts and flip flops it has everything at hand... 1. Pool table 2. Cheap Coors Light ($2 bottle special) 3. Girls doing all the serving 4. Burgers, fries and wings on specials that are as low as $2 each (!) 5. A plethora of HD LCD TVs showing NFL 6. A door-nazi to prevent any loser freshmen getting in 7. Big windows so everyone can see me drinking BEER. Yeah! 8. Plenty of open space for high-fiving my buddies Seen from my own limey, central square-loving 30 yr old perspective, it isn't so hot. But I've still never had any delays getting served here and the food specials are ridiculously good value. So I'm going to go out on a limb and give this place a good review even though it's really not my thing. Fact is, I know plenty of people who's thing it definitely is. That's right bro, you're my bro!
(4)Allison S.
Unless you're ordering their cheese fries at 12am on a Saturday, their food is not so great. Decent beer selection, but the place always has a line and is always crowded on the weekends. I'd go again for a beer or two (or 6) with 200 of my closest friends, but I'll stay away from their food, thanks.
(2)Ligaya T.
I was so ready to give this place five stars just to cause some controversy but I couldn't bear the thought of (mis)leading some poor soul. What's so bad about it you ask? They have lots of tv screens, pour a stiff drink, $4 burgers and have room enough to house some good shenanigans. It's the quality of the experience that's missing here. There's no authentic "wicked pissah yah dood" born and raised in Southie kind, just a whole bunch of college kids looking to use their dorm laminated fake IDs and get as wasted as possible before dragging themselves home to piss in a closet. No wonder the doormen are devoid of senses of humor and the bartenders are irritable. "Look at me" you want to scream, "I'm different!" But then you realize that being there is a choice and you practice rapid ejection technique.
(2)Kelsey A.
I've seen White Horse go through a lot of ups-and-downs over the past year. As of today, it has drastically improved from where it was during the Fall of 2010. We stopped going for some time after we waited for over 1.5 hours (we were watching a football game) for our food. Trying to get our waitress' attention required a major cardio workout, and she forgot to serve our drinks. We finally said something to our waitress after waiting 1 hour. Thirty minutes later she brought our food. She was unapologetic and completely apathetic. My friend's burger was cold. My wings were cold, undercooked, and smelled "off." I am not one to refuse food, but they were inedible. Then, we tried to find a manager. We looked for anyone who showed any form of authority, and found there was none. For the first time after almost two years of going to White Horse, we left annoyed and irritable and swore it off "forever." One night during March Madness of Spring of 2011 we decided to give it another shot. I don't know why, but we did and it was a good decision. The menu was revamped and the service significantly approved. As an appetizer, the newly added grilled cheese and tomato soup are simple and tasty. Staples on the menu are the hamburger and the chicken sandwich, both of which I highly recommend if you want something reliably filling. Both come with a side of fries. If you're looking for something lighter, you can't go wrong with their caesar salad, which also comes as a side for less than $5. A pleasant surprise on the menu is the newly added pizza. I know what you're thinking and I was hesitant too - bar pizza is always risky. But, for bar pizza, it's pretty good. Not amazing, but good. The beer selection is typical. Nothing fantastic, but they rotate it according to the season which is nice. Their drink specials on the other hand are very fun. Every time we go in, we're interested to see what the new special is - and it's usually a great deal. The TV placement is interesting, but there are a lot of them and they do turn volume on if it's a big game. A new back patio with a servicing bar and TV opened up, and it's a pleasant space. Nothing fantastic, but a nice change of pace. It's was a great investment. The pool tables can be difficult to grab from the regulars, but so it goes. Also the bouncers are very aggressive, so don't be thrown off by that. Remember your ID because it doesn't matter what time you go - if you don't have your ID, you're not getting served. It all comes down to this: White Horse isn't the first place we think of to eat, but it certainly isn't the last. A decent average American bar.
(3)Kabir H.
Who do I have to fuck to get a drink around here? I probably stood around for a solid 20 minutes before someone attended to me. There's a pretty simple formula for determining when someone in a bar needs a drink: do they currently have one in their hand? No? Then, by all means, ask if they'd like a round. Also, what is that pungent flavor that I taste? Is it..? Could it be..? Do I detect a hint of ass in my beer? YES! If you could take the time to clean your taps every now and then, that would just be fantastic. Sadly, this is probably the bar I would've been a regular at in college, forced to endure repeatedly because it's the only place my friends were willing to go. But since I'm not, it's just another generic bar. The White Horse earns its second star for my bill, which wasn't more than $15, and the fries which were good, if only 'cause I was pretty tanked already.
(2)Charoline D.
If I could remember exactly what was said that made me laugh so hard about White Horse right now, I'd be able to follow through with my plan to include it in my review. But alas. It's escaping me. Sorry, Trace. While I've been here countless times to meet up with my bro-ee-er friends from college/previous jobs etc, it's exactly what I label it as....Not worth yelping. The bouncers always stare at my license for 90 seconds to make sure I am in fact 21+, and on a typical weekend night, expect to wait in line. I suppose it's ok if maybe you live in the area, are friends with a bartender, or enjoy sports but...even so. It's the sort of place where I get asked to meet someone, and I kind of sigh because the night is bound to get ridiculously low key and set my morale on a steady decline to borderline depression. Picture me: doe eyed and bored. The bartenders move at a snails pace and barely look up at you for long enough to take an order, nonetheless actually earn their tips. My experience cocktailing and barbacking is that if you want to make money, you move as fast as you can. These guys....will be pouring a draft beer with 4 people holding money up, orders ready..and not paying any attention. So maybe they can't walk and chew gum at the same time either, but I think you can manage to take my drink order while you concentrate REAL hard on pouring those Coors for Murph and Sully.
(2)Stephanie H.
look, i don't like sports, and i don't like allston. i know, oooooh what am i, SOME KIND OF ALIEN?! nah, i'm just not a yah dood and i've graduated college. i've walked by this place a billion times and never noticed what it was called but certainly did realize there's a reason i've never been in. but hey, i'm a sucker for an after party and tequila shots on someone else's tab. my nerves never cease to totally fry when the sox score a run and the place just freaks the eff out, including the bartenders. sorry, your job isn't to watch the game, now stop screaming like the place is on fire and make me a damn drink. matthew c and i both needed some food in our systems and luckily they actually did have a couple of things on the menu we could eat as part of our mostly vegan diet. but my veggie burger came out way before his salad did, and i ordered after him. strange. it also cost me an extra dollar to sub in some salad greens instead of french fries, which is stupid but typical i guess. the food was fine, nothing to write home about, and i felt like i couldn't have annoyed one of the waiters more by asking for some ketchup. the door guys didn't give me any crap but when i walked back in from smoking for about the fourth time, he stopped me and asked for my id. i just kind of looked at him funny and finally told him he'd already seen it, and he didn't bug me any more. i do however have to give them a star for the drinks - i watched my vodka tonics being poured and they are 95% booze, just the way i like them. i also have to give them a star for the prices. i had had dinner and gotten tanked and by the time we left here my tab was only $20. definitely not bad at all, but i'm still never going to be the type of person who fits in at this place. and thank god for that.
(2)David E.
I can easily let you know what each one of these stars indicates: Star 1: $4 wings from Sun - Tues nights Star 2: $4 chicken sandwiches from Sun - Tues nights If you eat red meat, there could be a third star since they have the same deal on burgers and $6 steak tips on Wed - Thurs nights. I guess the stump trivia they have isn't bad either. If you get there early enough, it's a chill place to grab some mediocre-to-slightly crappy food and a decently poured Guinness. That said I can let you know just easily what the 3 stars they didn't get represent: Star 1: The "frat bros" and "skanky hos" that hang out there Star 2: The terrible service. When I used to live in Allston, I was here all the time for the cheap food. I don't think I ever saw the same employee twice. Star 3: The horrendous line that you often have to wait in to get there. I mean, come on. Isn't this Allston? Is anything there worth waiting in line for?
(2)Catie C.
first word: Cheap second word: weak Cheap and weak goes hand in hand. I got here a bit early on a Saturday night so I got to watch the place fill up as the night came along. The first thing I noticed as I came in was the stench. The stench of alcohol dissolved into the floors and not been mopped for months on end. If you like to people watch, this is the place. We noticed a couple guys zipping along the bar targeting one prey to the next. That seemed to be the norm here as we watched the scene. As the night went along, my buddy was getting a buzz. He started talking boobies with me. From one boobie to the next. At times, he'd lean back and ask me to check out the cleavage next to him. Did he forget that he's out drinking with a woman?
(3)Sarah R.
The best word I can use to describe the White Hat (yes, an intentional error): "bland". If you know anything about me, you know that it's utterly unsurprising that I'm not into the sports-bar scene. Thus, I was mostly unimpressed with what the White Hat had to offer last night during our Nile Lounge afterparty. The game was on, so any attempts at conversation were often punctuated and, at times, utterly blotted out by the zealotry of Red Sawx Nation. The bouncers must be accustomed to underage BU kids trying out their newest out-of-state fake IDs on the weekends (hello, 36 year old organ donor from Boise, Idaho!), because my poor, legal New York State ID was bent, blacklighted, and scrutinized more closely than the latest celebutard upskirt shot on The Superficial. However, since I try to see the silver lining in every cloud (most of the time, anyway), I'll list the positives: -The prices aren't too shabby. Approx. $4 a pop for Magic Hat #9 on tap. If you're not looking for the perfect cheeseburger, you can have a semi-decent one with fries for $4 and effectively fill your booze-soaked tummy. That is, until midnight anyway. Service was pretty quick for both food and drink, but I can imagine that the bar would be a clusterf*ck on the weekends. -Again, this is probably related to going on a week night, but there was plenty of space to move around. As a friend so astutely pointed out, this is a potential caveat as well, since space is directly proportional to choad capacity. That's where the praise for the White Hat ends. The decor is uninspired (unless you're really into sports or flat-screen TVs, I guess). It's nowhere I'd want to go on a date, or to be picked up by some fella with a tribal tat on his bicep and the new Nickelback aural abortion stashed in the CD player of his new pickup.
(2)Ali K.
Huge bar in Allston, Mass. absolutely awesome when your inside, plenty of places to sit, beautiful set up, decor and ambience, huge tv's def. a nice sports bar and also a nice outdoor area. Can't say I stayed here long because there was no seating room for the World Cup Final so we moved onto the next bar, but ill def be back at this place when I visit my older sister and write up a follow up review. This place def. has to be fun.
(4)Matthew C.
Imagine my dismay upon walking into the men's room here after having been in the immaculate Nile restroom down the block just a few short hours before. Sure, the color scheme is pleasing to my aesthetic sensibilities, but the urinals! There are two of them, and they are practically on top of each other with no divider! So there I am, tending to my business when I feel something rubbing against my shoulder. Cruel fates, it's another shoulder. But then (here's the part where you know it's Allston) the guy took a step back so he could have more room to spit into the urinal while he peed. Loogie after loogie after loogie floating downstream, whi-puh, whi-puh, whi-puh. I don't think I've peed and run so quickly since I was five and my siblings told me that Jaws lived in the toilet. The size of the men's room reflects the size of the place itself, which makes the close urinal quarters even more perplexing. Plus (here's another part where you know it's Allston) I was definitely the only guy washing his hands. The humanity of it all. Otherwise, the place gets one more star out of me because the house gin is Beefeater and they are generous with it. Then again, that just makes you need to pee more.
(2)Mike S.
Personally I can't stand the place. I don't think it has any atmosphere, character, vibe, ambiance or any other feeling you should get when you go to a bar. Its too big and open, and poorly laid out. Its full of big tables with no games or anything to play on them. They should strip the place and fill it with more pool tables or make watching TV more comfortable. Anything to give it some style. You can buy liquor anywhere, and I'm not going to wait in a long line on a Saturday night to do it at a place that doesn't interest me for its other qualities. I'm only reviewing it because I'm proud to say I was part of the team that as of last month held the high score on photo hunt. Besides that, don't bother going.
(1)Liz K.
A much cleaner Allston bar that can have a line later at night. The beer selection is standard. There is Buckhunter here. It's also nice to come here during the day to watch games, they have good TVs.
(3)Tracee D.
when we walked past this poo factorium i remarked to someone with ears: "I'm sorry that you work here" I can say this bc I once tended bar at an embarrassing place much similar to the white horse tavern. When you enter you are hypnotized by the bathroom mosiac tile that rudely introduces its self to your eyes and feet (except you are not in a bathroom) blech. I guess people go there to watch sports. But the bartenders clearly do not go there to smile. Note to tender's 'unless you are working at Dick's last resort, it is your duty to appear minimally pleasant' The white horse is just as annoying as the myth of some handsome tall stranger coming to rescue you from a tower...or your mundane life on a white horse...it's not going to happen. Please do not hesitate to obtain a life of your own.
(2)Peench P.
I like sports bar, but you know what I like more? friendly bartenders, yes I know, not of all them are always jumping up and down being super nice but most of them at least try, and I seriously don't remember ever seen a bartender looking so unhappy doing the job. You know what I do when I'm pms-ing? I take midol and suck it up....but something tells me it wasn't the pms factor, there must've been a bunch of turds all over the bar, that's the only explanation to the -I'm -smelling- the- stinkiest -turd ever- looking kinda face. Maybe it was just a bad day, who knows. Oh the bouncers, first time someone holds me at the door, I showed my foreign passport and bouncer #1 was looking at it trying to figure out if it was a fake one... like I'm going to pretend I'm 29...yeah I don't believe it either but I am, so let me in!. Bouncer # 2 took it inside for further inspection, then came back and apologize for the delay. The positive side? the drinks were actually OK and I'm thankful I was there with a fun crew.
(2)Matt M.
Dudebro, I asked for the vinaigrette on the side. Yeah you should have written down my order bro. I have a pet peeve about places where the staff habitually does not write your order down. It is far too often wrong, as was the case tonight. Nah dude, it's ok dude. Chillax, let's do a whiteboy pseudo ghetto handshake and make peace. Yeah that's it. Go sox. I appreciate that you fill up my dirt-cheap house cabernet glass past the tangent. It means you are either being generous to me, or don't know the proper way to fill a wine glass. It's ok bro, it makes up for the fact that all your wine tastes like sh*t. Ah, I see you have pool tables. Uh-oh, the dudebro's on the table are unwilling to give it up. Looks like they don't play singles here, only doubles. As an avid pool freak, I must say that irks me quite a bit. Seeing as the billiards is one of your drawing features, it's a shame nobody here actually knows how to play correctly or can even hold a table longer than one game. Well, at least they look good in their popped collars and cargo khakis doing so. Wait... Dude, TWO popped collars? Even when it's 90 degrees out tonight? You da man! Go sox. Well, thanks for the evening bro-dude, but for a good pool game I'll stick to the Silhouette lounge. For good food I'll stick with the Sunset Grill, and for the amazing bro-dude/dude-bro overload I'll see you at your frat party this Saturday on Gardner Street... NOT.
(2)Matt S.
Having only been here for lunch (a few times), I can't truthfully comment on the douche-nozzle crowd that everyone seems to touch upon in their reviews - by 12 PM they've likely not woken up yet. However, I can definitely say that I grasped a vibe from the staff (not our waitress, but others) that runs in-line with the jerkweed atmosphere I hear about. Food is mediocre, but reasonably priced. The burgers are lackluster but the fish and chips are decent, if a bit heavy on the batter. Portions are of good size, and having gone with my girlfriend our check hasn't exceeded 16 dollars. In that regard the White Horse nails it. I'm not adverse to going to the White Horse again, but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to do so. The atmosphere really isn't my style and the food isn't anything to write home about.
(2)Lara C.
I've never had a bad experience at White Horse. The table service side is "seat yourself," and I've never had any issue finding a table. A waiter always comes to the table within 2 minutes of sitting down, and they stay attentive all night. Best of all, they let you sit at the tables even if you're not ordering food. But if you do plan on eating, you won't be disappointed. The food is decently priced, generously portioned, and well-made. The food makes White Horse Tavern a great spot for a friday night out, as it's easy to transition from dinner to hanging out and drinking without having to relocate anywhere else. Plus the dozens of gigantic flat screen TV's sprinkled all over the bar mean that no matter what your sports interests, you'll be able to find it at White Horse. However, be aware, the bar gets full of dude-bro's and yeah dude's around 10:30 p.m. While the place itself is big enough that it never gets uncomfortably crowded, you may find yourself inclined to find a new home for the evening after the 5th dude bro screams "BRO TOTALLY" at the top of his lungs right next to your ear. But if you get there early enough, White Horse Tavern is a great all-in-one destination for a night out with your friends.
(4)Allie T.
I was lucky enough to attend a tasting last night of White Horse's new menu and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. Previously, I had only been there for drinks after 9pm, but I definitely will go back for this (very inexpensive) great food. We had a super crisp, well mixed cobb salad, a deliciously flavored veggie panini and some creative (and really yummy) curry fries... but my favorite by far was the mushroom pizza. I don't remember the name of the cheese on it, but it tasted like something off a Newbury Street menu, not an Allston one! I will definitely coming back to try more of this new menu, and I'd recommend it to anyone in the area (on a budget or not, the low prices don't sacrifice anything by way of quality)!
(5)Simon L.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of the 'regular' patrons of this bar (no offense!) nor the name; both seem kind of immature. However, there are few places in Boston (believe me, I have done exhaustive research) where you can get a respectable, cheap, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, and this place DELIVERS. On weekends until 2p, you pay $9.99 for a SMORGASBORD. It's delish, and instead of looking like a college bar, it looks like a respectable restaurant. Definitely check it out.
(4)Bryan K.
Went here for brundh today and was very impressed. The braised hash was excellent and the hash-browns a nice variation on the traditional home fries everyone else does. Everyone at our table was pleased with their breakfast. We had the Nutella french toast for a brunch desert, it was very good. Really sweet, a great desert. The best thing was the price. The good food was really inexpensive compared to most brunch places. Also, I've been here for triva (they do it a lot) it is a great time. The guy who ran it really funny and ran it well.
(4)Roni E.
So I've been here a few times and it seems that each and every time it's been pretty much the same. I can't recall a time I had a spectacular evening here. Upon entering, I was with my girl Nadya and it seriously took us like 5 minutes to get in because they didn't believe her passport was real. They then took it in to management and brought it back to finally let us in. WTF?!?! What I don't get is that I KNOW this place has let in underage girls before. *grumbles to self* While at the bar, it seriously took me over 10 minutes to get the guys attention and it wasn't until he had placed food down at the bar for Stephanie and Matt was I able to get the attention of someone to place an order of buffalo wings in and order a drink. If it wasn't for Ligaya and the drink she already placed in my hand as soon as I walked in to the bar, I probably would have had an uproar. The wings were decent, but they're wings. What can you expect from a sports bar? At any rate, it seriously took me another 10 minutes trying to get another drink later that evening. The guys avoid eye contact, are more involved with the game, texting on their cellphones, and more interested in walking aimlessly around, but yet not accomplish any tasks such as catering to their clientle. You know buddy, you are working for tips after all! If it was not for the good company of fellow Yelpers, I would have either left or never stepped foot into their bar.
(1)Robbie R.
This place is right around the corner from me, so I have been on a number or occasions simply due to convenience. Last night may have been the final straw. I went with a few lady-friends visitin from Maine. We all handed the highly-trained bouncer our ID's, 3 of us were deemed of legal age, but not the 4th. "I'ma have to keep this," he informed us. It was a pretty bold statement from the dude, seeing as how it was her real ID and she was 22. We eventually got it back from him and immediately left for the Sunset Grill instead. On another occasion. I saw a nice family of 4 stroll by and get denied because their children were under 21. Really, white horse? Are ya scared Dad may buy a Jack n' Coke and hand it off to Junior under the table? Another time, I was with 2 friends at the bar, and we could see one of the waitresses in one of the back rooms condensing all the ketchup bottles. During the process, if any ketchup spilled and started sliding down the side of the bottle, she would take her finger, wipe up the ketchup, and then PUT IT BACK IN THE BOTTLE. I have a fairly high tolerance for gross and unsanitary situations, but that was a little unsettling. They have a nice special on Sundays. $4 for a burger or chicken sandwich. Nice. One more thing, the shitty music they blast makes me want to break a bottle over someone's dome.
(2)Alex L.
Can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. Anyways, been here a few times and it is NOT near the top of my list of places to go (when I have the time to go out). Their food is pretty solid, the drinks are moderately priced (but I must say that tequila shot was nice and overflowing, they definitely didn't skimp out on that), and the environment is cool for what it is. The people that come to the place are the ones that kill the mood. Usually 21 or younger crowd (fake ID's ftw) fill this spot up and it just sucks then. Last night was kickass though. Had a bunch of cool Yelp people to make me forget the other craptastic times I've had here.
(3)Brynna E.
Went here for the first time last night, for Sunday night Stump Trivia, so I'll just be reviewing that. I absolutely loved the ambience - tons of TVs, separate dining/bar/pool sections, cheap food and beer, and very uncluttered set-up. The MC for trivia was great -- super friendly, handed out the pens/paper himself, complimented our team name, was loud enough to hear. As for the bar itself, the service was so-so, but considering the staff was ALSO playing trivia, it could have been much worse! Our server stopped by every 20 minutes or so over the course of 2 hours, so we got a fair amount of face-time. I got the $4 chicken sandwich/fries combo, which was great! The chicken was grilled and had that delicious charring, and they're pretty accommodating on your toppings -- I got blue cheese dressing instead of sliced cheese for no extra charge). All in all, a pretty great experience. I think my friends & I will be moving our weekly trivia night to White Horse from our usual place!!
(4)Cynthia C.
I usually spend my nights at the clubs and bars of Boston so this was a definitely a change, breath of fresh air or call it whatever you like. It's a definitely a place to chill if you're taking it easy and looking for a good time. I was surprised how inexpensive the drinks were considering I'm used to paying $13 for a basic gin and tonic. BUT it definitely took me a few drinks and a couple of shots to bring myself to a happy state. I came here on a Friday night and this place was still pretty dead around 11PM but it did fill up quickly! There's a lot of seating, plenty of space to move around in, and abundant flat screens for game days. I know where I'll be once basketball season rolls around...!
(4)Kyle S.
I usually only go to whitehorse on trivia nights, and even then it is swamped with BU/BC students being drunk and annoying... but if you go early or are one of these students (or just plain don't care), its a great place to go, play trivia, and have a decent meal. Their menu has changed recently and has become sort of limited, but their food is still pretty good. Service can be hit or miss.
(3)Mike T.
White Horse Tavern Wanted: Bouncer Ideal Profile of Job Candidate: Whitehorse is looking for the kind of people that have a tough time deciding between a "tribal" or "barbwire" bicep tattoo, own the movie Roadhouse on both VHS and DVD, prefer watching reruns of the time chuck Liddell "totally beat some ass" in the Ultimate Fighting Championships as opposed to messing around with their girlfriends and have considered careers in the department of corrections but failed to be accepted. Skills: Must be able to say "I'm here to chew bubble gum and kick ass and I'm all out of bubble gum" without stuttering. Must be able to study a valid ID like you should have studied high school text books. some word processing. State Patrol type mustaches a plus. Compensation: Laughable but you can always take that out on the patrons.
(2)Lauren S.
The White Horse is just ok. -1 star for that fact that there's always more beer on the outside of my glass than the inside. It's like the bartenders dip the glass in a vat of beer after they fill the glass. -1 star for the wait staff who leave piles of dirty food plates and 3 rounds worth of empty beer glasses on your table for way too long. -1 star for the bouncers who scrutinize every single ID like they're specially trained secret agents and hold the front doors open on cold nights. It is always too cold in there. +1 star for their pizza. While all of their other food makes me feel like I have a giant ball of grease/lard in my stomach, their pizza is somehow actually quite good. That being said, White Horse is relatively clean, the food isn't gross (but it's nothing to look forward to either). It's not a bad place, but it's not great either. Trivia on Monday and Wednesday nights starts out fun, but 3 hours in it loses its appeal. Most of the clientele seems to be guys watching sports or groups of people at the bar who don't know each other that well, and weird couples/group dates at the pool tables who get really drunk and are usually skanky.
(3)Laura R.
Went to White Horse to catch a Celtics game and was I ever impressed. I had watched games at other bars throughout the playoffs but had a better experience here. I was with a party of 12 and Holly our server was fast and great at multitasking. We ordered food and drinks. Everyone was pleased with both the food and the atmosphere. I will definitely be going back here in the future.
(5)Hugh R.
Beer selection and prices are comparable to most other bars that I've been to in Boston - Sam Adams, Harpoon IPA, Guinness, UFO, blah blah blah, all $4.50 or $5. Food prices are pretty decent if you catch a special, but the $4 burgers are often bland and flavorless while the fries are always cold and soggy. HOWEVER, if you're a fan of onion rings and lots of them, you will not be disappointed by the rings at the White Horse. Tasty and plentiful! Far too many times I've spent $4 for 9 or 10 soggy onion rings in other establishments; the White Horse serves up a full basket of large, crispy rings. Delicious! Unfortunately still not enough to bump it up to 4 stars. A good place to grab a beer and watch the game but that's about it.
(3)Josie G.
This one never got me hooked either. I like the set up now a lot more than before.. and there's usually always a crowd, a lot of regulars. Good beer... I just don't like the crowd that goes there... Doesn't seem to be the friendliest bunch.. I saw some complaints about the staff, but they've always been super nice to me and my friends, might just be because we're girls though.
(3)David D.
:( :( :( i'm in my 20s, and i was embarrassed to acknowledge it after i walked into the white horse tavern. college bar or not, GROW UP. seriously, this place is awful. i was half-expecting to see someone getting a bro-job when i walked into the bathroom. :(
(2)Patrick K.
This place is sweet! The beverages are fairly priced and the food is generously priced. All good quality and crowd control is impeccable. Monster TVs with NFL Sunday Ticket makes this local optimal for a Sunday afternoon of football!
(5)whitney m.
The top three reasons why I love the Whitehorse: 1. Cheap drinks 2. Photo Hunt 3. $6.99 Steak Tips (on Wed and Thurs) Now, don't get me wrong, I love getting dressed up and heading downtown on the weekends, but you can't beat the Whitehorse on a Thursday night for a few rounds and some steak tips! And let me tell you, they are amazing steak tips. Like, some of the best I've ever had. Unlike most Allston bars, the Whitehorse is actually crowded (in a good way) during the week. Good for people watching. And you'd think it would be an all-college crowd, but that's not entirely true. There's usually a good mix of all ages -- sporty, trendy, hippy, prep -- they're all here. The only bad thing is the doormen. They literally stare at my ID for 2 minutes every time I go. And once they wouldn't let my friend in because his ID was expired...but I guess they were just doing their jobs. All in all, the "Horse" is my favorite place to chill during the week.
(5)Stephen H.
I'm a big fan of whitehorse, definitely more of a youner crowd. The drink prices are reasonable, not quite dive-level but again this isnt a dive bar. The food here is pretty standard bar food, but the portions and the price is pretty tough to beat. Get whatever the special is. Also they usually have a beer of the month that is always a good price. Ive had a fun time everytime ive gone here.
(4)Danny N.
Great place to sit and relax with all the big screens. The open windows are awesome during the summer time. Def. a place to go out to dinner and a quick beer.
(4)Kimberly P.
Mediocre bar with cheap drinks. The wings that I had were also thoroughly mediocre. I will never get super excited and yell "OMG LETS GO TO WHITE HORSE TONIGHT" but it is an ok bar for a laid back and chill night. It gets two thumbs up for the clientèle: I met a super hot guy there and 2 great girls.
(2)Voodoo O.
So apparently this place puts a $20.00 charge on your credit card whenever you open a tab, just to "make sure the card works". $20? The worst part of it was that they don't even tell you about it. You just look at your bank statement and find yourself $20 short. The charge allegedly "goes away" in a couple of days, it hasn't yet and even if it does, I still firmly say "WTF, White Horse?" I've NEVER heard of ANY bar (or any establishment, period) doing this. Is that even legal?
(1)Jacob F.
I can't even begin to explain my distaste for the White Horse Tavern and it's deplorable excuse for Sunday Brunch. There are thousands of college kids who go out, hard, on Saturday and would really like to wake up at noon (or later) and drag their sweatpants and big sunglasses to a decent meal down the street. Instead they are greeted by watery, runny, formely known as hot eggs, dry, pathetic muffins and the sin of all sins: SHIT service. Do yourself a favor. Dont even bother.
(1)Lauren V.
Any Thursday, Friday or Saturday night during fall and winter semester this place will be crawling with college kids. Since it is within walking distance from my house, I will occasionally stop in for a drink or two before moving on (and up) for the night. A few things worth noting: The food is decent (it's pub grub people!) and very cheap. That being said, service is incredibly slow...After they drop the food, you usually have to hunt the server down in order to get your check. But you are also paying $5 for a huge burger and fries. The doormen are somewhat disbelieving. It could be the demographic that frequents this joint but I routinely have to pull out a second and third form of identification (usually just a bank or credit card). Although annoying at 25, I mollify myself by thinking that it will be awesome if this happens 15 years down the road. I never have had to wait for very long at the bar for a drink. I would say that this is a good place to grab a cheap drink while leaving your plans for the night open (i.e: eventually make plans to hit a better bar).
(2)Ken M.
Great place to grab a drink and watch a game. Lot's of tv's. Great food specials during the week and weekends. The food itself is pretty good for the price. Love the addition of the patio/outdoor area and look forward to watching the patriots games out there on some nice fall days. Nice/friendly bartenders.
(4)Katie K.
I've never found anything wrong with the Whitehorse. Cheap beer, short to no lie at all and no cover. It's the perfect place to go with a group of friends, drinks some beers and not worry about what you look like. Anytime I've been here the crowd was good. Granted most guys pick up lines were 'where do you go to school?' so if you're looking for your future husband this is not the place for you. Most nights you can find a tv in there playing some random movie, my favorite was Spiderman night, which is pretty cool if there is no game on. I recommend going on a Friday night there's never really a line, its no packed to the rafters but also not dead. A happy medium.
(3)Stace M.
Im in between Meh and A-ok. Very large bar. Nice atmosphere. Good set up. I went on a friday night and there was no cover which i was psyched about! But the crowd wasnt that great. Kinda young and a little obnoxious. But if you come with a good group you will be set for a good time!
(3)Bryanne R.
Not really sure what all the hype about this place is for. Yea it's a big space and they have pool and beer...but nothing terribly exciting. And all the way out in Allston?! Ugh. Then there's usually a line. Not worth it.
(3)Jasmine P.
I"ll be honest, I'm not a big fan of straight bars. This is a straight up bar with pool and a bar. This is a good place to go if you want to relax, drink, and hang out with friends, but not the best. The couple of times I went here I went with a few strangers and my friends and it was just really hard to talk with the level of noise and crowd. It wasn't the best experience with strangers but maybe with friends. There is not much to do except sit/stand and drink and try to talk over the noise. There's music overall playing but its hard to hear. Its a great place if you are looking for a last resort to hang out somewhere, but its not the best. The one thing I did like were that there was a full bar and the drink were decent. It gets often crowded on the weekends and you get amused by the drunks that stagger around the place after it closes or right before it closes.
(2)chungo m.
white hat tavern? used to be way better as Geraldo's or whatever. BU morons took it over and now it's a dumb frat boy bar with wanna be hot tramps inside getting drunk. If you like this then you'll be in heaven. if you are like me and don't like these kinds of people then you will be in HELL
(1)Hiroko S.
Too noisy to talk but good for watching sports. I only spent there few minutes. I prefer Sunset walking few more blocks.
(2)Jane T.
Really, really good brunch on Sunday mornings from 10-2. Made to order omelettes and eggs benedict if you want. At night, the bar gets pretty crowded and sometimes they get a line, but it usually moves quickly. Pretty cheap beer, but not as much of a dive as the other places around here (don't get me wrong, i LOVE dive bars- but they aren't everyone's scene). The food is pretty cheap and good too. Overall, good bar.
(4)Dave M.
I have to second the "better b4 10" sentiment of one of the other reviewers. If I just want to go have a few beers with some friends in a chill atmosphere on W or Th night, or to START my night out at, I go to White Horse. After 10 this place def sucks. I'm always shocked when I walk up to it and it's full, mostly of popped collar losers and yes, girls who wear sweatpants that say "naughty" or "sexy" on the ass, even though u can see their cottage cheese ass through them. Overall: start, don't finish here.
(3)Gina N.
I used to love this place. The food was ok, but super affordable. The service was slow, but Stump trivia and Will were fun. Now they're trying to be fancy (really? You know you're still in Allston, right?), the food is more expensive and has less flavor, the waitresses are more attentive, but the food takes even longer to come out now, and I stared at a wall of plywood all night with no explanation. Trivia is still decent, but I'm going to start trying to find new places. They've lost their loyal customers trying to be something they're not.
(2)Lalin A.
What a college place, as my description suggests, the backyard of BU kids. It is hard to find the correlation between the number of security ppl at the door and the number of 18-year-old looking kids inside! The W.H. Tavern is like a big ballroom of a college, closed nightly for people to get squeezed and check each other out. Bad drinks, horrible service and childish crowd! Majority of the frequenters are guys, who are there to pick up drunk girls. I can't recall how many guys stopped at our table to tell us bluntly "I like you very much". Yes but no thanks. EDIT : went back for brunch All you can eat buffet for $9.95. Don't be fooled. This "buffet" does not match the dictionary.com definition: "consisting of food, refreshments, etc., laid out on tables or buffets from which guests or customers serve themselves" First of all, the food is not refreshing but boring and heavy. Yes, you can serve yourself but there is not much to pick from. The omelletes are huge but THICK - meaning: no good. Everything tastes mediocre. Nothing to tickle your mouth.
(2)Stephen S.
People either love or hate White Horse. I'm not sure that I get it. Maybe it's because I'm not a thirty-something who's ears rings at newfangled music and looks down upon the local college kids and their ever-diminishing clothes. I'm only partially kidding. There's no cover and the bar is incredibly unpretentious. Not exactly a pick-up bar, sorry ladies who want-to-be-hit-on-because-your-self-esteem-is-Âincredibly-low-due-to-the surplus-of-twenty-something-stuls-in-Boston, you might want to hit up Sketchy Bar (aka Wonder Bar) or risk a groping at the Kells. White Horse is the kind of place where you can pack your friends in and have a good time...or be bored to death.
(3)Andrew B.
BU-laden Allston bar, but good enough for some fresh draft beer and large screen plasmas for sports. Although the bar can get crowded, the bartenders are competent and fast-moving, making getting a drink on a busy night not too daunting. They did have an awesome costume party on Halloween '09, so props for that.
(3)Dave L.
Ewwww. This is the kind of place where people I grew up with in a little rich Boston suburb go when they are "going into Boston to hang out this weekend". In fact, I've run into old HS classmates there. Not a fan of the crowd at all. Seems a bit out of place in Allston. Very much the "grown up frat member" vibe. Darts, and a good sized space keep this floating above one star. I have not tried the food.
(2)Amanda S.
Hold the phone. Yes, the service kind of sucks- the bartenders aren't all that attentive (even if it's slow and you are sitting at the bar), yes the doorman sucks (Is he a mute? I hate when you walk in and the 20-year-old door"man" says nothing, but gets up and makes a show-me-your-id motion with his hands.....before scrutinizing your license that looks JUST like you so he can feel some small bit of power in his crappy-ass job), yes it's a young crowd.....BUT, how can you go wrong with a decent chicken sandwich & fries for $4...and $2.50 beers? I like that this place is pretty no frills and you can walk in wearing just about anything. Not my first pick for a night out, or even just grabbing a couple beers, by any means- but also not as bad as many are making it out to be.
(3)Cheeba H.
The White Horse is lame. But... If you've been living off dollar menu double cheese burgers, Marlboro 27's and drinking cup after cup of beer that tastes like the ass of good beer all weekend and can scrounge up $9.95 its a good way to kill a Sunday morning. Expensive, I know. But it is all you can eat, and its quality food, and if you show up when it starts (11-ish I think?) you can sit there for a real long time before they close it up. The food consists of a couple steam trays with items such as sausages, Canadian bacon, bacon, chicken teri, rice pilaf, pan cakes and fancy french toast with some kind of berry stuffed in it. They also have some bowls of various fruit out for much needed vitamins and salad for much needed roughage, and some cookies incase you just like cookies. They also have a guy who makes up omelets out of a variety of possible things you have thrown in it, and he also does up eggs benedict. And all the coffee you can drink. They frequently offer you seating near the open store front windows, so you get a nice breeze on a nice day. Just dont get suckered into ordering a bloody mary, they're 7 bucks (not that you can order one before noon anyway..). Outside of that, there is little to redeem this bar. I dont really know what the motif inside is, it looks like an imitation Chicago bar, the kind of place that wishes it was the kind of place that use to be a garage turned bar with the penzoil signs still in tact. It does have alot of space though, yet still gets packed at peak times. They have the game on large tv's everywhere. There are pool tables. The beer prices are not that cheap (cheap for me is 3 dollars or less), I think bush light bottles were the only thing under 3, Bud was 3 and change, and that was the best they could do for me. I can drink Ice House, Pabst, malt anything- but nothing is worse than Bush Light (maybe Red Dog). The table service is fairly efficient. Sometimes breaking through the stool barrier to the bar to order a beer can be a bitch. The crowd is alot of gym going tankard like dudes and their stair master-ed out counter parts, the kind of girls that wear sweat pants with writing across the ass. Sometimes they like to play dress up at night and the place looks like a JC Penny catalog. Theres always a couple 30 something business guys dressed down buying girls drinks in hopes one of them will ride their potbelly to satisfaction. If your the kind of guy who likes to talk big about yourself and watch sports and dress in a manner that reveals your desire to be accepted that you suppress with an attitude- or if your a girl who goes tanning, buys lip gloss by the case, and loves firm men who pluck their eyebrows, or if you want to be any of these people by associating yourself with them- then this is where you can indulge your unrealistic college life fantasy. ***Also- I forgot to mention that Tuesday nights are karaoke night, so if you want to watch a bunch of guys in cargo shorts and fake wooden bead necklaces sing Crash Test Dummies, or maybe a duet where two dudes in Cougar Lacrosse 1987 team-that-never-existed shirts sing Fight for your Right to Party- this is the place to be. I saw a guy I havnt seen in a year that use to bone an ex-girlfriend of mine I havnt seen in two years doing exactly that. Only at the White Horse.
(2)Anna B.
I have been going here for years and used to give this place 4 stars but it has gone downhill. The good: Lots of TVs. You can dress up or dress like a bum. The staff is nice. On football days they accomodate the lone table that wants the hockey game. The bad: Service is slow. I used to figure they do that on purpose so you have more drinks to compensate for the $4 burger you ordered. Now the burgers are gone and they make mistakes - well done burgers are bleeding, send them back and they come back pink, ask for no tomatoes and you get tomatoes. It used to be "well we paid $4 for it" so somewhat forgivable. The bar is not bad but with so much competition within a few blocks I don't have much reason to go there unless my friends want to. And Harrys (same ownership I think?) is better.
(2)Diane I.
nothing spectacular here. good drink specials though. actually if its a slow night be prepared to tip well for an awesome hook up. 2 high lifes + 1 cheese quesadilla = $4.20 definitely the highlight of the night was talking to the older gentleman who had been stabbed earlier in the night and was bleeding through his shirt. classy.
(3)Peter R.
Only recently started going here... But nice place to grab a beer and watch the Sox, plenty of TV viewing, good service, and daily specials on beer and food. Personally i enjoy mon-tues, chicken wings and burgers only 4$. When its nice out they open the windows, 2 pool tables (usually taken) but always a good way to make new friends.
(3)Misty S.
probably the worst place in allston. The service is really probably about the worst I've had anywhere. The first time I went there, we went for the cheap burgers. Our waitress was a girl. There was hardly anyone there, however, the table next to us was 4 guys. She spent the entire time bent over their table, and not nearly enough time getting us food, water, anything. My beer was empty for so long, I went to the bar to get another one.
(1)Chase W.
(I know the white horse is a Frat Party. I know I'm too old to still love it. I know the beers are always stale and flat.) But I love the 'Ho. Granted, I'm not into the whole Friday/Saturday night scene, but there's no place better to watch a Saturday day game with the windows open on a nice day. They've got plenty of TV's to catch the sox, the prices are reasonable, and the food is pretty decent. I'm addicted to the Cobb Salad and Turkey tips. I get one of them a week! I really believe that The White Horse is a great bar for meeting up with friend, but a crappy place to call a weekend distination. The bartenders are always attentive, the door staff is always acceptably courteous. For a sports bar type place, it's pretty clean too; they run a tight ship here!
(4)jim I.
When they open up the windows, this place is a fair bit of fun. Otherwise, I can only say this place is so-so. The bouncer's at this place are really good at their job. Its rare that you see people who get such a kick out of their work and its refreshing to see how much of a rush these guys get out of taking an underage or out of state drivers liscense from someone and relaying it to the police. I wish I took my job as seriously. I would be a much better employee. I am sure my bosses would see my dedication and promote me to a higher position of authority where I could really show off my talent. There is nothing like a little extra authority to show off how talented, sexy, awesome, and powerful you really are. I should note at this point that I have never had my ID taken at the Whitehorse nor do I condone illegal consumption of alcohol, but I have watched a few high-five sessions after these awesome professionals successful confinscated an ID, and thought it a little weird.
(2)Emily M.
The White Horse is what it is: It is not hip. It is not classy. It is not that easy to get into if under 21 (or over 21 for that matter--bouncers can be ridiculous! My Ohio license sure threw them for a loop). But I do find it to be a chill place where I can dress casually, drink cheaply, talk to maybe a few attractive guys, and leave thinking I at least had a "decent" time. It's convenient and I'll keep coming back as long as I'm in the neighborhood. One gripe (ok, except for the bouncers): you can play photo hunt, but it's the normal one. NUDIE photo hunt is where it's at. It had a cult following back at my college. White Horse (and everywhere else for that matter) needs it! ** UPDATE ** Rumor has it that Harper's Ferry has nudie photo hunt! I haven't confirmed it for myself yet but you best believe I will be checking it out soon!
(4)Rob T.
Decent place to get together with friends. Went here with some co-workers one evening. I opted for buffalo wings, medium because I was a pansy that night, they were average and medium heat just like I ordered (something to be said for getting what you ordered). It was One Pound Steak Tips night which a few of my friends got and same as with my wings they got what they ordered. Medium Rare was just that, Well Done was well done. Nothing spectacular but a good meal at a decent price with a good beer selection.
(3)Greg M.
Two stars for the crappy service and lame college kids who frequent the place. Four stars for the brunch. It's not fantastic - I'm really not into fancy expensive brunches. Even the best brunch I've ever had didn't even come close to a decent lunch or dinner. That's just me though. This place gets it right for my tastes. It's less than $10, they have a good selection of all the typical breakfast fare. And they'll cook you a good omlette to order. (Eggs benedict too, but I haven't tried them.)
(3)Meg B.
Found out this place has FREE WIFI and needed to meet a friend to work on a project for school and this place happened to be in a good location to meet. We obviously didn't go for night life so this review is more on the food/wifi experience. The sunday we went they had some daily specials so I got the $4 wings, my friend got the $4 cheeseburger. I don't know how my friend thought about the cheeseburger but the wings were just ok. There only seems to be outlets against the front windows but those tables are kinda small and wouldn't really work out for two people and their computers. My problem with this place is that sure, it wasn't really busy on that sunday especially because it was around 4 or so but the waitress took forever. She rarely stopped by to refill the drinks and it took awhile to get the bill/finish paying. I think part of the problem was a shift change but someone should have at least swung by a little more often for the drinks after we got our meal. Sure we were sitting there with our laptops but we ordered quite a bit o food too. So the service might not be so great but its nice to have a place to go with free wifi and plenty of seats.
(3)erica c.
Even in my earlier college days, I avoided this place like the plague. Why settle for mediocre atmosphere and mediocre mixed drinks... The complete package here is mediocre at best. So why three stars and not 1? My bar tender really rocked and well that is worth a lot:)
(3)Diane D.
I'll stir up some controversy I guess, sometimes it just has to be done.. Here is my thing with Whitehorse - I understand how it is disappointing if you haven't been here before and you're looking for a great pub experience and atmosphere with personality. You won't find it here, on any given night...regardless of choice in food, beverage, who the bouncers are, whether the bartender is snarky, etc. All irrelevant. However, I don't go to the Horse expecting these things. I go there because it is what it is... a place where I can wander in with flip flops and comfy jeans for a casual hang-out with some friends over moderately-priced beers. There is guaranteed to be decent people-watching and a crowd on any night of the week, and I can maybe even play pool or trivia if I feel like it on the right night. So no, I would not recommend Whitehorse for its cool atmosphere or great drinks/food... but if its more about who you're with and less about where you are, I've found Whitehorse to be a convenient, reasonably priced joint for the occasional gathering when somewhere like Sunset is too crowded. The trick may be all in expectations.
(4)adriana e.
this place is def a popular college hangout, cheap drinks, smelly sports bar, drunken college students, big tvs! I recently went here to watch the Red Sox game, it was so crowded we had to stand. I like this place cuz the drinks r cheap, n they dont water it down! i found the doorstaff very nice. they checked our ID's and let us right in, then when we were leaving, they said "thanks for coming by, have a good night!" and said it to every patron, I mean, that might of been a manager or owner, but who cares? obviously not one of those high class bars where drinks cost over 10 bux and theres very little alcohol overall, great place to chill n watch the game! Will definitely be returning!
(3)Justin R.
Okay, yeah, it attracts a TON of douchebags when school is in session. But that's not really its fault. It's firmly planted in Allston, is cheap, with rarely a line and never a cover. Know what rocks about this place? The layout. After years of being wedged between dudebros and skankoffs swilling Miller Lite and reciting old Simpsons quotes, this place actually allows you some room to breathe. Service is excellent and the beer prices are fine. Also, if you're looking for cheap, cheap lunch or dinner, do yourself a favor and stop in on Mon, Tues, or Weds where you can get a pound of steak tips or a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries for $4. FOUR DOLLARS! That's like stealing!
(4)Ethan M.
I'm a local to Brighton and my friends and I go to this place on a regular basis. On Thursdays they have a steak tip special and this is why we go. Their steaks are cooked to perfection and so are the fries that they come with. The atmosphere is loud but fun and definitely a good time. They have trivia night which is also fun to participate in while enjoying a good meal and a drink. Definitely check this place out if you are in the area.
(4)Alyssa N.
Good nachos. Decent drinks. I'm curious to go back and try the cheap food specials that they offer on weekdays. I don't think that the bouncer was as rude or on a power trip, as the other reviews made the door guys seem, but maybe I just happened upon the one nice guy... The bar/wait staff was efficient and friendly. There was a minor, sort of awkward incident involving the swapping of a ketchup bottle (server came to take our half-empty one, didn't want to leave us a replacement). But overall a good experience, especially on a weekend night. The crowd was a mix of meet/meat market gawkers and just groups of friends hanging out, though at one point I walked through an area reeking of cologne (and I don't have much of a sense of smell because of my allergies- I can only imagine how it smelled to someone with a normal nose). Not sure I'd ever actually wait in line to get in to this bar.
(3)Omoniyi A.
Im really suprised at the super low reviews for White Horse. Ive come here a few times for trivia. Its a pretty good trivia location, except the questions tend towards sports (so if thats your weaknes...). They DO have chips and salsa, so thats a keeper for me! They also have a great beer selection (according to my friends - i dont like the beer) including local brews. Its also more restaurant than bar, so its not scuzy or divey or someplace you wouldnt want to sit for 3 hrs. Enjoy!
(3)Mark F.
I love this place! Great drinks and food, and now with an outside patio around back!
(4)Mike B.
I was surprised to see all of that white horse hate out there. Most of the negative reviews were from people who hated on the bar tenders or bouncers. Jeesh. At least they will stay away now, so I don't have to hear whining about how the guinness is poured incorrectly or how a bouncer bends a license. In a nutshell, the menu specials are tasty and CHEAP. The staff has always been friendly to me. Don't expect the treatment like you'll find at the Ritz. The food isn't going to taste as good as a five star restaurant. It is a BAR in ALLSTON. Jeesh. Again. As for my rating.... It gets four stars for consistency (I've been there many times over many years), and a lack of pretentiousness (the White Horse knows what it is and it strives to be nothing more).
(4)Bry J.
I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoy this place. I live a few blocks away and for the last couple year's I've come here at least once a week. I prefer the weeknights to the weekend nights because fri and sat nights tend to attract some douchey people. During the week you can't beat the $4 meal deals, burger, chicken sandwich, or 1 lb of wings. Thursday night is $6 steak tip night. Overall a pretty good place to hang out in the window and people watch or watch TV on one of the 20 tv's they have hanging around.
(4)Nate S.
I hadn't been here in about 8 years, and from what i saw it hasn't changed too much. The only changes I noticed were that the food was a bit better and the service was faster. Since I was here in the winter there weren't the customary drunks spilling drinks while hanging out the windows like I remember in the summer time but that didn't bother me.
(4)Sam S.
So odd how white horse gets so packed all the time! I'd say it's an average dive bar with a few pool tables. The food is better then most dives...a good place to pick up!
(3)Amanda G.
Typical sports college bar - BC and BU kids both frequent this place. Wed night trivia is popular and you'lll always find it packed on the weekends. Two thumbs up for the wait staff and bar is big enough that you can find a spot. Pool tables give you something to do but you may have to wait a minute. Get here early on weekends or you'll find yourself waiting outside.
(2)Allison B.
maybe it's because i lived in packard's corner and was totally lazy, but white horse was my to-go bar during college (aside from tues night karaoke at T's). the food is decent bar food and the drinks are average in price. the weekend brunch buffet is a pretty good deal ($9.95 for your choice of customized omelet or eggs benedict, plus all the typical brunch foods a hungover student could ever want). i also really like the setup of white horse, with two bars, an open floor plan, and floor-to-ceiling windows all along the front that, when open in the summer, let in a pretty delightful breeze. as a side note - i love the kid here who does stump trivia on weds and sun nights (if he's still there). he's super enthusiastic and you can tell he loves doing it. and he loves his throwbacks to snick.
(4)Mel V.
My experience with White Horse is minimal since I was only there for a bit. Nevertheless, we left quickly because the place freaked us out. If you want to go to a diverse place and see people from various backgrounds, do not go to white horse.
(2)Doris K.
The only reason why White Horse is receiving two stars is because the food and alcohol was so cheap that it does deserve some recognition. I have been here two separate occasions, once on a Saturday night and the other on a Sunday afternoon. The Sunday afternoon was much better because there weren't crowds of people tipping their drinks on me. The food was mediocre but $4 for a pound of wings - how can you go wrong? I haven't had bad service here yet but I really didn't like the type of crowd on the Saturday night. Either way you should give it a try, just make sure that it's not on a busy night.
(2)Andrew S.
Did the price in ketchup rise dramatically? Is a bushel of tomatoes more expensive than a barrel of oil? Everytime I go here, the staff hounds people for their ketchup bottle. Do they only have one bottle to go around? Buy another fucking bottle you cheap bastards!
(2)Aaron G.
I'm kinda hot cold on the Horse. I love going there to catch a few beers and enjoy a ball game. Yes I would say their screens are about second to none. What's not second to none is the beer selection, I'm defaulted to Stella, not a big concern I suppose. the bartenders are also cool as I've often shared laughs and war stories with them. An issue does arise late night on weekends and I don't wanna sound snobby, but it is amateur hour in there. Allow me to elaborate, I've had multiple drinks inadvertently spilled on me by rando chicks. Yes this was made better by the chicks part, but come on now, this isn't high school lock it up! Overall, just time your visit wisely, this is a solid spot when crowds are sparse.
(2)Julianne M.
I come here for the food specials and Sunday Trivia nights. I always have a great time with my friends without breaking the bank. Plus, trivia rules. You can't beat that!
(4)Sarah A.
Decent local place. Good prices and decent food. Awesome specials. Burgers are quality. If you are eating there make sure you stay away from the doors. The bouncers are always opening and closing them, even when people are not coming in, so you and your food will get cold easily.
(3)Sarah F.
I had avoided this place like the plague for almost two years because it always seemed to be overflowing with obnoxious underclassmen, but ended up here on a Friday night when the line at Sunset was too long and I was just too hungry to wait. The doormen and waitstaff were pleasant, we easily found a table for three and the place was pretty mellow. We only had burgers and fries, but they were tasty. Maybe I just got lucky, or my expectations were just that low, but I was pleasantly surprised.
(3)Terrence H.
Hey, Bro!
(1)Erik G.
White Horse, your beer selection is OK, and I've had much worse service in Boston (except for bouncers; I haven't met bouncers with bigger complexes than these guys), but never in my life have I seen such a mean trick as having the pool tables located on a floor six inches higher than the rest of the bar, and installing a gently sloping ramp to bridge the gap. Have you the SLIGHTEST IDEA what a gentle incline does to the inebriated? Never have I come so close to face-planting so many times in one night.
(3)Susan J.
Unlike Leo, I didn't find this place very social, but it's still a nice, low-key place to meet friends for a few drinks. They also have several TVs (usually showing sporting events) and some pool tables, which are a plus. I've always found the service a bit slow, but they have an amazing brunch buffet on the weekend. $10 gets you all the bagels, yogurt, fruit, pancakes, custom omelettes, bacon, and croissants you can eat!
(4)Jennifer K.
Nice place for a during the week/after work drink - beyond that, stay out. The bouncers are pretty much jackasses - even for those of us who are of legal age. Makes a weekend night experience off to a bad start by having to put up with their attitude. Do they list "be a jackass" as part of the job description? On the other hand: I ended up here one year for St. Patrick's day after some failed attempts to head to the downtown pubs - and I had a really great time.
(3)Bene K.
Best part about White Horse : cheap drinks and loud 80's music...worst part about White Horse: the one level of space that does not know what to make of itself so, it just becomes a big blob of people floating around and maybe playing pool. I'm not a fan, there isn't too much to it.
(2)Geoff T.
Want to call me an elitest, be my guess, but due to the huge glass windows in the front, I dubbed this place the "Loser Aquarium" when I lived down the street. Drunken BU and BC students take breaks from the meatmarket inside to harass those who pass on foot. At least, this is Friday and Saturday nights at the White Horse. When empty, another beast entirely. Decent food for cheap, cheap beers and (a plus for me) the ever present Red Sox game. If you are into the packed college hot house, weekends are for you. IF you see few people in there on a weekday and want a beer and something quick to eat, enter, friend!
(2)sunny n.
Average college town bar...lots of plasmas floatin around..which is neat...the bartenders ..eh a little alternative for my liking but hey its allston...the girls servin have been always sweet....and I enjoy the large window view of the street and peeps passin by...food is nothin to write home about..and really junk food designed to soak up your booze but then again its very cheap...and 5 shots later or 12 cheap beers later...that kinna grub maybe just what u need....too bright though..and not to warm in the winter..! Avg..Avg!
(3)George K.
Not a big fan of this place. Too many frat-boys out on the prowl at night time. It does have some redeeming qualities during the afternoon, but not enough to get another star out of me.
(1)Amie R.
A few days a week, they have $4 chicken sandwiches and burgers, and other good specials throughout the week. There are plenty of large TVs to watch the Sox, and even when it's busy I feel like I've never had a problem getting a table. Not my #1 favorite place to hang out, but it's not a bad place to meet up with friends!
(3)Nick M.
The bouncers at this place are always tools. It is a great place to air out, drink a beer and watch the red sox game. It's basically an open air bar, and is a great people watching spot as well. Most people come here after work and I'm sure some think the burgers here are best in show.
(3)yo s.
this place does have lame bouncers on a power trip... but, the food is decent and cheap, they have big tvs, they have pool, and they have free wifi. if you go at night, expect it to be full of the frat boys who got kicked out during pledge. otherwise, 4 stars. for me, better before 10. after 10, kinda lame.
(4)Adam T.
this is the greatest place ever!!! I hung out there last week and hooked up with some hot ass 15 year old!! I loooooove this bar!!
(5)Lindsay L.
This bar is basically everyone from BU or BC hanging out....if you don't go there dont even bother going, you'll feel like you are crashing a party where everyone knows everyone, but you. That being said if you are a BU or BC student it seems like a blast. There is a line a lot of the time, which is an obvious deterrent, and it can take forever to get a drink. Also, people are not kidding about the bouncers, they are really annoying about ID's probably because they get so many college age kids, but just be ready to have some back up ID on you. The set up of the bar itself is a little odd and the pool tables always seem to just get in the way, and that big open door can be annoying as hell when it's a cold night, also I have stepped in vomit by the door on 2 occasions. I only end up there after a few drinks at Sunset and I convince myself it might not be too bad, but it always is....my advice skip this and stay at Sunset for another drink.
(1)Rob R.
I'll be honest... this is a completely biased review. I LOVE the Whitehorse. I probably go there minimum once a week... and have been as many as 4 times in one week. Its my favorite bar in the city. Are there better bars? Probably, but the Whitehorse does everything pretty well. Nothing is especially great, but nothing is bad either. Its great for chill nights having a couple drinks with friends, or going out and getting way too drunk for your own good. Drink prices are slightly below average for the area. Food is decent, and there are specials every weeknight. How can you go wrong with a $4 burger and fries? Great late night grease menu until 1 am too. One last thing, I've read the bouncer complaints on here... but I've never actually seen any bouncer issues unless someone was being a complete ass or had a fake id (and i've only seen that twice maybe). Go to the Whitehorse!
(5)Kirby M.
So I had a friend in college who LOVED this place. I'm not kidding, she would make this the destination spot for the night and after 3 times we finally only allowed her to drag us there once a month, AT MOST. I never got what she loved so much. We would have fun but only when we went in a large group. I am the person who likes to hit the bar scene to meet new people and White Horse is not the place to do this. And while I mean no offense to my friends, I see them all the time and really transplanting our chat sessions to this bar was less than eventful. We did trivia night here once, and that was fun, aside from the fact I realized I really only know a lot about 1 or 2 subjects. But in general, this place is the worse place to go out with only one or two other friends and is my least favorite people mingling bar.
(2)Peter B.
I went here twice this last week when I was in Boston with some old friends. It is a complete college bar, the opening of a second bar was MUCH needed since I was last in Boston. The cheap food and the sunday night trivia's are what make it a 4-star from a 3-star. Don't expect a lot except a bar, and you won't be dissapointed.
(4)Jessica A.
This is my new favorite spot! I really wasn't into bars but the White Horse converted me. The food and drink are great and reasonably priced. Even on their busy nights, you can get a chair at the bar or a table. If you're lucky, you can get a table next to the open windows. Great place to hang out with your friends and just chill.
(4)Anita C.
Viva la Goose! I'd come here for dinner or a pint. Alway an entertaining time. There's pool table.
(4)Jesse N.
White Horse is a great place to bring friends and large groups. It can get pretty packed and loud with all of its college students, the majority of which are from BU. Drinks are also cheaper than most other bars, which is an added bonus. This is the place for you if you want to just "get out" and have a good time.
(4)Meagan F.
Bestest waitresses in the whole damn world... hollah hollah hollah
(5)Katherine T.
I accidentally ended up here one evening with some friends. It was decent enough at first, but it randomly got PACKED with kids around 11. I couldn't figure out what the draw was--it's just an average bar in Allston. Not particularly well decorated, not a whole lot of beers on tap. Then it got really annoying as we became squished in amongst satin tank topped girls with excessively sparkly make up and the guys in the "boston-guy uniform" of jeans, striped button down shirts and black shiny shoes. So we left. But not before going over to the digital juke box thingy and paying ten dollars to have the entire soundtrack to Miss Saigon come on. BWA HAHAHA!!! Take that, BU kids!
(2)Leighann F.
Martinis not bad for a local lil bar and the service was outstanding. The waitstaff was extremely accomodating. Food left much to be desired, but overall a fun, exciting atmosphere with good music and cool, chill people.
(3)Felix L.
Way overated and had enough bad experiences here. The bouncers are all meatheads. Dining here is also pretty bad. Granted the specials are a quite a deal, they arent fantastic, and the beer quality was serious lacking. I ordered a seasonal, and they only had last season's beer. What? aren't you guys a bar? So the beer that I did get was on its way out. ugh.
(1)Rebecca Y.
Sunday to Wednesday you can get $4 meals when you buy a beer. Plenty of tv's to catch the game. It's great when they open the windows in the summer.
(4)Kristen G.
Good for larger groups. There is lots of bar space and seating. I wouldn't make a trip out to Allston to go, but if you are in the area, it is a good place to check out.
(3)Anne B.
I love the way this place is set up; it's got all open windows facing Brighton Ave and there are ginormous tv's everywhere, but i have had a couple problems with bouncers there and waitstaff. It's a good place to go watch the game, but I'm not a big fan in it capacity as a bar. Im 21, but if you are not DONT GO HERE. They get money for ids they take and they are wicked strict.
(3)Katia M.
I'm going to go with a four for the White Horse, but like, an ironic four. Like, an "Hey, this place is kind of cheesy, but it's not bad" kind of four. It's kind of a college crowd and yet kind of a "the 3,000 guys that still live in Brighton after they lived here during college" crowd, too. The brunch I had there was solid -- the omelet station was especially key, and there were lunch-type foods there as well, for a little change of pace -- the hung over palate is a finicky one. You can get High Life, The Champagne of Beer, for $2.50, which ain't too shabby at all. And girls? This place is generally a total sausage fest. And after living in Southie for two years, which was chock full of couples, this fair Allston establishment was a breath of fresh air post exile in coupleville. It was kind of nice to get hit on after two years of very local bars and the horror that is the Beer Garden.
(4)Kathleen T.
dont really think the white Horse has much to offer that other bars in Boston don't. But, if the time and location are close to you, the White Horse is still a good time to enjoy some tasty drinks and meet up with friends. Beware, however, because due to its location near both BU and BC, the Whie Horse can frequently get overcrowded, resulting in a line out the door.
(3)Melissa B.
Same owner as the Last Drop. Pool tables on one side & tables on the other, so you can pick a scene. Great place for people watching & a burger. Long lines on weekend nights, but usually a good time.
(4)Masahito Marc Y.
A mecca for Downtown commuting urbanites on the weeknights as well as weekends. Although a little too loud for my taste on weekend nights, it features two pool tables, some digital entertainment centers, a four side bar, and a chic open inner terrace. Nice for outing with second to third outers, even bar ladder-ing.
(3)Peter P.
Came here because it was on the way to the Sunset, and I couldn't walk those extra 10ft without another drink in me. Wow, what a bad experience! First of all let me just say it was my 21st birthday, and the bouncers gave me shit because my drivers license had expired that same day. Next the bartenders completely ignored us and waited on every single woman that came in the door after us before handing us two not-cold-enough miller lite's. Then to make it even worse when we wanted to leave it literally took him 10 minutes to get us our check, which I would have just walked out on if he hadn't had our credit card. The place was empty when we got there, but in the span of 15 minutes filled up with obnoxious drunken BU students. Sure, there were plenty of girls, but honestly, I wasn't even interested, they were way too into themselves to give anyone else the time of day. Did I mention that the bathroom was filthy, and the atmosphere was well, reminded me of a VFW.
(1)Dave A.
I'm gonna have to totally disagree with most of the reply's on the doorstaff for more or less the same reason that the other reviewers dislike them. They do take their job very seriously and can come off like dicks sometimes (to people that more or less deserve it), but that's what makes this place great. Unlike a lot of other bars in the area this place has hundreds of young professionals and college kids packed together every weeekend night and manages to maintain order. I've seen guys get booted here several times for severely harassing girls or for bothering other customers. I suspect these are the people writing most of the negative reply's, but I guess you have to inconvenience a few misfits for the better good of the average customer like me who just wants to drink and hang out with my friends without dealing with idiots all the time. In my opinion the quality atmosphere at this place is bouyed by the diligence of the door men. Other than the doorstaff, beer's are reasonably priced - about average for the area, but the liquor selection is a steal. Bartenders are very quick and are good people if you catch them when it's slower and they have time to talk. Food is pretty good and cheaply priced. $6 pound of steak tips and fries every Wed and Thur.
(5)Leo C.
Doesn't aim for the upper end of upscale; think of it as an upper-middle-class place that makes its money off college seniors, postgraduates and the younger edge of young-professionals. Has the reputation of a "BU meat market". Open wall-windows look onto Brighton Ave and are open in summer; most weeknights it's busy, but quiet enough (the absence of loud music is a definite plus) to hold a conversation. Food is competent and there's a good range of alcohol; unlike some of Allston-Brighton's really upscale places, you can get a fairly decent meal and a couple of drinks for $15. Long lines on weekend nights, because neighborhood activists (long-term residents) refuse to let the place expand into the vacant neighbors. But worth the wait, especially if you're looking for phone numbers.
(5)Steve S.
Somewhere between the trendy crowd at Wonder Bar and fraternity stink of Our House, White Horse combines the best of both worlds. The open air atmosphere is clean and high class, but without the preppy snobs found at most upscale places in the area. It's a great place to have a few beers while watching a game or while playing pool (though with only two tables, the wait can be long).
(5)Cheryl V.
I went back to Boston recently to visit the old alma mater, and had brought my husband along. I had gone to the White Horse before this trip, and thought it could be fun to go again, since I was familiar with the area and it was an easy couple of T-stops away. BAD IDEA! Sure, we went on a night of a Stanley cup final, but it was a Monday night and I've definitely gone when it's been busier. But, service was soooo slow. We got our drinks twenty minutes after sitting down, and our waitress didn't come back until more than an hour after that, even though we kept flagging other waitresses down (who said they would find our waitress). We were so hungry that we just decided to leave cash and head out for food. Luckily, the Bruins were already up 4-0, that we didn't need to watch the game anymore I know it was an exciting night for everyone, but we wanted to order food!!!!! Don't do this, White Horse! I'm not sure if our waitress was new or was distracted (because the whole time, she just stood by the bar talking with another waitress), but I now know better!
(1)Augustus H.
I've been going to this bar for two years because of the $1.50 pool tables that are always busy at night, good competition for a young aspiring pool player. The food was never good... so I stopped ordering it. The beer, well it's beer, (crappy selection) but it's always served by a bartender who looks like he wishes you didn't exist. And, in spite of the good competition, the pool tables are tiny, and riddled with strange dips and bumps my friends and I have labeled "gravity wells". (Not to mention a support beam next to one table that renders many easy shots impossible, I call it "poley"). But yesterday, yes MARATHON MONDAY, after two years of expensive patronage, they crossed a line. After carding me, and passing the id around to people WHO HAVE SERVED ME BEFORE, told me to "get lost" because "it's a fake id." It was actually a brand new (and had been accepted at this bar upwards of 10 times since I received it), honest to god Maine ID, issued by the Maine Department of Motor Vehicles. I didn't have my phone on me, and they politely declined my request to use their phone to call the police so that I could get my REAL ID back, telling me very nicely that "I would get in a lot of trouble, it's a fake." No, no it's not. I walked an hour back to my house in Brookline, walked an hour back to the bar in Allston, and had the police return me my id so I could go have a much needed beer at Big City. Guess what, White Horse. My friend is a bartender and my uncle is a practicing lawyer in Boston. My friend tells me anyone who's taken a TIPS certification course (from the quality of your service, I'm probably dealing people who don't know any better..) knows it is illegal to confiscate an ID. Especially if it's real. I'll do the math on my end, and if it's feasible for me to go after you, and earn back the time I lost because of your stupidity (I'm a private chef, my time is worth fifty dollars an hour to my current employer) you can bet I'll be knocking on your door in a couple of days, and not for a drink served by an uneducated and unprofessional bar-tender.
(1)Jenn S.
I used to go to White Horse all the time when I lived around the corner. I hadn't been back in years until we went last night for trivia. Although the Stump website said trivia started at 7, it didn't start until 7:30, so we had some time to kill. The waitress was very attentive and helpful - she gave us an extra table and turned the tables around for the best possible seating. She kept coming by to see if we needed anything. Great service (although she disappeared for a while right when I needed a drink refill). I got a cheeseburger and fries - not the most amazing burger & fries but good. My friends each did the $6 steak tip special and all enjoyed it. The trivia DJ - Will, I think? - was very good, as other people on here have said. You can tell he enjoys what he's doing, although at times it was hard to understand what he was saying. The music was extremely loud, so I think maybe his mic was too and that made it hard to hear him. They turned the music down at one point, but it didn't make much of a difference. They've added a whole extra bar area since I was here last, making it a much bigger location. It's a great place to grab a drink with friends, peruse the college-age eye candy if you want and/or watch a game. The beer and liquor selection is decent and pretty reasonably priced. I would definitely go back for trivia & dinner, but not necessarily just for dinner or drinks.
(3)Logan J.
some of my friends really like this place, but i just dont see the appeal. im sure that with the right crowd, you can have a good time at this place, but ive been here a few different times and was never really impressed. in general, the place is a typical boston bar--dimly lit, young crowd, decent drinks...but not much else. ive been here a few times with friends for trivia nights though, which can be fun with friends on a random weekday. i think like they really try to promote the trivia, and they actually do a pretty good job--lots of participants, clear rules, etc. for me, the trivia is the only thing that gives this place three stars, otherwise, there are usually other places id rather be. ill come back here for a drink with friends if they suggest it, but its not someplace im eager to return. its never a bad time...just dont expect anything too extraordinary.
(3)Dara C.
Maybe I'm angry because I'm watching my fantasy team experience a hemorrhage that not even Hugh Laurie's disarming smile could fix. Maybe I'm just feeling indigestion from the twelve pity-wings I consumed since 4 pm. Or maybe I just don't get it. There is zero appeal to the White Horse Tavern, other than the fact that it serves beer. The crowd sucks, a mixture of yah dudes in blue button-downs dipped in Abercrombie Statutory cologne, and 17-year-old Woo Girls in Training. The music can be terrible. When was the last time you heard "Back That Ass Up" in a setting completely devoid of irony? I do suppose that watering holes/humpfests like White Horse Tavern must exist, though. As the great philosopher Barney Stinson said, if there were no Woo Girls, tiny cowboy hats would only be worn by tiny cowboys.
(2)Justine B.
My boyfriend and I seriously WANTED to like this place, but alas - service when it was DEAD on a Saturday afternoon was still terrible! Some places have waitstaff with superiority complexes, but the two servers working at 2/3pm on Saturday seemed perfectly pleasant. However, this was not a saving grace for the lack of attention we received from the servers. We set out on a mission to get lunch by some large open windows - White Horse, perfect, right? Not really. We walked through the entrance, hovered near the sandwich board of specials looking for someone to seat us? Acknowledge us? ..Then wandered around in the most awkward and hopefully obvious manner to 3 separate empty tables before we sat at one we liked, next to a high top of other women. It was another 10-15 minutes (mind you, there were 5 other tables of patrons, max, on this Sat. afternoon) before Waitress 1 brought over menus for the two of us. One had a globule of unknown food on it, so she picked it up and pleasantly offered to grab us a fresh menu after we gave her our drink orders for a Wachusett blueberry beer and a Coke. Waitress 2 brought over our drinks and asked if we needed anything else. Thinking (foolishly) we were waiting for Waitress 1 for that second menu, as well as keeping our food order to the same person we gave our drink order to, we told #2 we were all set. Our original waitress never returned, with a clean menu, nor to take our food order. We watched while some other poor sap stood expectantly at the entrance near that same sandwich board, while our Waitress #2 stood clueless at the back of the bar counter, facing in his direct direction. A few minutes later, we saw this guy hit the pavement, departing with his young son, with no acknowledgement of his existence. Debating whether we should start waving our arms in the air S.O.S.-style, or ask for the check, Waitress #2 comes over to our section, but not to ask whether we need anything, but to wipe down the table next to us, placing the flatware/napkin teepees *just* so, arranging the salt shaker *just* so--all the while I'm turned 180 degrees in my chair with a big fake smile on my face. Clueless. I asked her whether we could put a food order in. She took our order for 2 burgers, and the food came out within a reasonable time. I think my boyfriend was so disheartened with the service, he didn't have the heart to finish his burger. They came on challah rolls, which were not very fresh/soft. Everything was hot, but my boyfriend likened the burgers to frozen patties. Not spectacular. 2 stars for getting to sit near the window on a nice day. I don't think we'll be back, even if we wanted to drink our faces off, which seems to be the White Horse's intended purpose, although it would baffle me as to how anyone gets any orders with such a clueless waitstaff.
(2)Jeff D.
They get a four star for two reasons. First and most important, when our crowd of NC State grads calls ahead and asks to watch a football game on a Saturday afternoon it's usually on when we arrive. If it's not, I simply walk over and ask and they'll put it on the TVs in the corner where we are sitting. This sounds like a little thing, but considering our horrid experiences with this at the Sports Depot, this little thing goes a long way towards happy customers. 2. Good service. Our waitresses have always been good at keeping our beers full. The food can be a bit slow, but so long as the beers are topped off this is not a huge concern. Haven't been to the White Horse for an evening of drinking in a very long time, but I'm sure not much has changed since I have. It's a good solid, college bar.
(4)Christine K.
My friends and I used to really enjoy White Horse. There have been some good trivia nights, other fun, memorable gatherings... But I have to say that the new menu and other new changes have made me change my mind about wanting to come here. Let me just say, right off the bat, that White Horse has good service, cheap pool tables, fairly cheap drinks, trivia, and a photobooth. All good things. But their beer list is very limited... Also, with their steak tips, the entree only comes with mash potatoes now, which weren't very good in the first place. It no longer comes with asparagus. And the absolute deal breaker is that they no longer serve...poutine. It's gone. Poutine is gone from their menu... Why. Why would you do such a thing? Poutine was the best thing you guys had going for you. So I'm sorry, but no poutine, and no vegetables makes me really not want to go there anymore. Plus, I think you guys really need more drinks and seasonal drink menus. Or any kind of drink menu would be nice. I think it's a waste of time for servers to have to list all the beers you have. Just a thought.
(2)Rebecca D.
Really great space, the outdoor patio is beautiful, lots of natural air flow during the spring/summer time and there are lots of pool tables to take advantage of. but the place could do better with its service. Our waiter appeared to know what he was doing at first, but after he failed to bring out 4 waters (as promised when we first sat down) and then brought out our nacho appetizer DURING the main meal, things went south pretty quick. our table decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and agreed that to make so many mindless mistakes, he must be relatively new to the scene. The food was filling and each of us left satisfied. They also have 2/75 miller high life- for the budget monster in me...this was a great find on their beer list. Overall, really liked the space, the food, and the atmosphere. Would definitely come back...!
(3)Joseph L.
White Horse Tavern is a true gem out here in Allston. Typically I'm more of a Newbury or Boylston street kind of guy, but I have a blast every time I make my way out here. The food was definitely better than your average selection of "pub food," and the prices were very reasonable. Now when it came to the drinks? The prices were very, VERY reasonable. Going back to saying I like to hang out on Newbury street, when I come to White Horse and get the same Ketel One and tonic for only $6, how could I possibly complain? The clientele is generally early to mid-twenties, and I've found them on average to be better looking than some of the "divier bars" in the area. The bouncers were all friendly, as were the bartenders. The management even went out of their way to take care of my friends and I, who were there to celebrate a birthday. All in all, I give White Horse Tavern five stars and recommend it to anyone who wants to party, shoot pool, or even just watch a sports game in Allston!
(5)Dorise G.
top notch trivia, holy crap they have poutine? call me "regular"
(4)Josh E.
The bouncers here are a joke. Because of their incredible lameness I am never going back to this below average bar. They are incredibly rude and take forever while looking at an ID. The sad part is that underage people still get into White Horse all the time! Hey bouncers: You are a jerk AND you suck at your job! They have 5 bouncers working the door of a bar that has 15 people in it. Thats probably because the bouncers they have suck at their job so they need 5 people to do the work of 1. Everytime I come here someone in my group gets kicked out with no explanation. This is the only bar I've ever been kicked out of in my life, so what does that say about this place and its bouncers? If the secret service wannabes let you in, you'll find that White Horse has a poor beer selection and it takes them forever to get you a drink. The one upside is pool tables, but if you want that go to Big City because they have way more tables, better beer, and no losers at the door pretending to be tough.
(1)G G.
I would rather be sodomized by a lion than set foot in this hellhole ever again
(1)Jas L.
this is an adequate, if not overly hyped establishment. The major problem here is the lack of service at the bar; its ultra slow. do not each here, as the food is below par, and thus its just a drinking hole. I really urge you only to drink here. it gets really busy with young college students who get slammed and cant control themselves. at 30 i can relate, but come on... cool it and sober up a bit.
(3)Paul S.
This bar/restaurant is pretty terrible. I tried to go on a Saturday night around 7pm for dinner and drinks. The place wasn't very busy. So, I sat down at the bar with my friend, and we waited 10 minutes to get any acknowledgement from the bartenders to order our drinks. Then we asked for a menu for food and then we didn't get another interaction with any of the staff for 30 minutes. They didn't ask if we wanted more drinks, food, anything. I definitely won't be going there again. There are so many better places around this area of town- you should go somewhere else. Such as the Sunset Grill which is two doors down, which is my favorite, but can get super packed sometimes.
(1)Ashley B.
I loved around the Allston/Brighton area for a while and after I turned 21, I pretty much fell in love with the White Horse Tavern. I really love the atmosphere and I went quite a few times when the World Cup was on, it was such a fun environment, I could not get enough of it. Whenever my friends and I wanted to chill and have drinks, we would go to the White Horse. I never went to play pool, it seemed the tables were always taken, but it was fun to sit at a table and chat and drink with my friends. We would some times go late and on slow nights and the bartenders were pretty nice. My only complaint about the White Horse is the service. I don't know if they are short on wait staff or what, but it doesn't matter if it's the slowest night in the world or if it's the fullest and craziest night, there seems to be NO ONE THERE! Waiting for a server to come back is scary. I suggest that as soon as you sit down you figure out what you want because Lord knows when that waiter is coming back! Other than that, I love it, good drinks (beer and cocktails) and a fun atmosphere at a reasonable price.
(4)sharon h.
REVIEW for DRINKS ONLY: Lived in Allston for a while and been here before on a few occasions. Their new Patio is AWESOME!! Great for ambiance and nicely spaced. Having the choice just makes this watering hole THAT much better. On previous occasions I've had a good time even when it's busy it's still a great place to grab a drink. Reasonably priced and great open layout for mobility.
(5)Jonathan Y.
I really like this bar. I tend to go Friday nights after work to grab a couple of drinks and dinner. Usually it's a pretty chill atmosphere that doesn't get too loud. Lately there has been a guy playing the guitar that has made talking next to impossible and the menu isn't as good as it use to be. The ham sandwich isn't very good at all. But we always go back because the bartenders are cool and the location is perfect for us.
(4)Ryan M.
Probably my least favorite bar in Allston/Brighton not named the Draft, this place was a lot of fun while TITS was under construction and has been horrific since then. You can play pool here if you are really desperate and forgot that Big City was down the road and the back deck is decent if you like the view of the back of houses (this area also closes early) but there is realistically no reason why you would not go across the street to TITS. Weird people, strange staff do yourself a favor and avoid. Also, go elsewhere for trivia every bar in Boston does it.
(2)Erik O.
I digg this place. i always feel like its going to student central, but each time i go, i am pleasantly surprised. the music selection is surprisingly eclectic, while still fun. The prices aren't outrageous, and the bouncers aren't that bad. The arcade basket ball is a nice touch. as well as the pattio. i have been there for two events where different areas have been rented out, for a few hours, and they do a good job.
(3)Kerry M.
Nice in the summer.
(3)Bronwen Y.
I'm a big fan of White Horse, especially for the Stump trivia that seems to happen every night. The drinks are super reasonable, and the newly revamped menu is delish -- a good step above regular bar fare. The bouncers are super picky about IDs... I went in recently with a friend who left her ID at home, and when she returned with it he made her show a credit card to prove it was really here. I don't think she'd have minded so much... if she wasn't 27 years old.
(5)John S.
This is mainly for the pool tables (Boston Billiards List) 2 bar-room sized tables in the middle of this joint with plenty room around them to have a comfortable game. The sticks they do have are A-OK (hee-hee). Buck-fitty ($1.50) a game. A lot of quality pool players do come here. It's part of the APA Allston circuit. You will have to lay your quarter down and challenge the winners most likely. Sometimes you can find a free table. I don't drink, but I know people come here due to the sole fact that they serve ice-cold Budweiser in a bottle. May be a boon to you as well, to know this. Oh yeah, has an outdoor patio too.
(3)S L.
I feel like the White Horse is a place most 20-somethings know about and have been. This place was jam packed on a Saturday night when I went (note: over a year ago) and most of the crowd was college kids. Go figure, it's Allston. Either way, if you're into crowded bars, cool. The server we had was wonderful, but I feel the layout was a little weird upon searching for the bathroom. Hint: Lots of college girls. Probably why I won't go back ... I tend to enjoy a more mature... uh... less screechy... crowd.
(3)Corinna A.
As bars go, this is great. There are many large TVs, pool tables, trivia, etc. The food is variable: sometimes I've been there and the food's been great (like for Brunch on weekends especially; they seem to always get that right), and at other times, terrible (pizza with not enough cheese, and one olive per slice). The service is also variable, many times they are right on top of things, and often they seemingly forget about you, and it takes a long time to get served. They've also often gotten my order wrong, especially if I ask for substitutions. The bathrooms are fair, again it depends on how busy they are. It's hit or miss. I will say that I've never had a bad brunch experience there, and the TVs are great for watching sports.
(2)Karlis B.
I'm upping my rating to 4 stars for these reasons: 1. Trivia 2. $6 steak tips on trivia night (Wednesday) 3. Being able to show up and just know that the sports game Iwanna see is on one of the MANY TVs in the place. The food here is par for the bar-food course: burgers, fries, nachos, steak and turkey tips and other entrees. It's all tasty enough, but I never come here with food as my priority. When it comes to drinks, stick with beer. They've just developed a new drink menu and we decided to try a couple. The Passion ($6) promised to be a great mix of tequila and fruit juice, but I wound up with a cup of ice water. A bit of advice: use a shaker and chill the drinks before they hit the glass. If I wanted a cup of ice, I would have walked to McDonald's and gotten one for a $1. My SO got the Brown Sugar Old Fashioned ($7.50), but was greeted with a glass of bourbon completely watered down, again, with ice. Just not worth their effort in making new drinks and not worth my money. I'll see ya for trivia, though!
(4)Emily F.
I like this bar. I like the summer when the windows are open and all sorts of freaks and geeks come out to play Stump Trivia. I have NOT been on any day other than Thursday, so can't speak for those, but hey! Thursday night is $6 steak tips, and boy do i love steak and fries. Best bar ever? No. But it is by far not the worst in Boston.
(4)Clara L.
It's alright in here. They have plenty of TVs in here for the football and basketball that goes on, enough to make any person with ADD go crazy. The two pool tables in the middle are usually busy with the local pool sharks, so it's hard to get a game in. The bartender was great about making sure we weren't ever thirsty, but the pitiful little brown wilted lime on my drink was not looking happy. Pretty big bar, makes for some fun people watching.
(3)Peter R.
ok... pass though good for a bar crawl if there is one happening but not going to make my way there just to do it
(3)Ileana S.
I came here on a Friday night around 1am. Bad idea. Only cause I was taken there. I wouldn't have chosen this bar to go to. Yes, they do carry one of my favorite beers on tap (Blue Moon) so I will give them that BUT overflowing with undergrads so really not for the over 25 crowd. Many screens to entertain you with...sports. I was able to catch a little bit of golf, basketball, and football. Awesome. Might be another story if they were playing Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and such...but no. Anyway, all this with the background of top 40, which is ok. The bathrooms were gross. Broken glass, toilet paper, paper towels. When was the last time someone peeked in there and cleaned up? bleh.
(1)Chelsea P.
This is a "college scene" very late Friday and Saturday nights, but any other time it's a great place to go for some pool, hanging out with friends and after work drinks. The food isn't anything special, but pretty good for a quick bite to eat, better than just "bar food". They have good trivia too, but don't come on trivia night if you plan on having a conversation with friends and not participating in trivia. I'm a fan of Whitehorse, the bartenders are very nice :)
(4)Maria M.
Definitely feels (and smells) like your usual college bar/ hang out. Had some after-dinner beers here with friends last night, and it was pretty empty, but we were there at 9 on a Saturday night- - I'm sure it gets busier later in the evening. Large space, pool tables, flat screen TVs - - nothing to call home about.
(3)Lauren R.
I'm not a huge fan of this place. It's a bro bar that plays obnoxiously loud music, but some people are into that. But I just discovered they have a delightful little outdoor patio area in the back. I almost don't want anyone else to know about it. It's nice and shady, a perfect place to have a refreshing drink on a hot summer day. I think they restrict how many people can go out there, because it was never crowded on the night I was there. I will definitely be back to have another delicious mojito on the patio!
(3)Ryan H.
Ahhhh white horse...so many bad memories. this place gets one star before you even get inside. I went here with my old roomate on his 24th birthday and the bouncer looked over his ID and said "this expires today we cant let you in here bro." roommate: uh are you kidding me? im from texas and its saturday i didnt get my id in the mail today. bouncer (with a big smile): sorry bro you could be trying to use a fake id on me. roommate: cmon BRO, im fucking 24 years old and i've been here 25 times before and i know you've checked my id before. Bouncer: sorry bro come back when you get a real id. we went back the next weekend and the same bouncer was at the door. roommate: remember me bro? bouncer: yeah bro you look familiar he took the id and black lighted it and looked at it from every different angle and finally bent it until the corners touched. roommate: why dont you just snap it in half bro so you dont have to let me in. at this point he checked my id and told my roommate he couldn't come in. pricks at the door to a bar full of pricks. stay away!
(1)Jami K.
This is my review for the one time i came here. My friends and i came here on a Wednesday night because we heard that they do trivia night. We weren't really playing but the questions were challenging and interesting. We mainly came here to catch up. They were having $3 pints of harpoon which was great. We had a great time here cause the beer was cheap and it wasn't too crowded and we were able to play pool. I really like the size of this place as it is huge and has plenty of room. They have several tvs so we were able to watch the red sox game while we were playing and chatting.
(4)Kevin T.
This bar isn't bad. They serve great beers on tap, I admit that their selection isn't as great as Sunset's, but there aren't too many places that are. The bartenders are pretty friendly, and they made an excellent recommendation for us. One of the bartenders made Mu and I the Allston Iced Tea...it's pretty darn good, can't really taste the alcohol. We came here for the New Year's eve party and we seriously wasn't expecting much because we paid $40 each for our tickets, which included drinks (and champagne), as well as free appetizers. This was a pretty darn good deal and we thought it was going to suck, but it turned out to be great. I loved the wings and the sandwiches were better than your average. They also had free pool tables going on and 2 full on bars. The place was packed (but not to a suffocating level). We had a great time there. Oh yeah, they supplied us with leis and noise makers...AWESOME!
(4)Matt K.
I am somewhat surprised by the bad reviews this place is getting. This may be the exception and not the rule but when I went this past friday the crowd was ok (a bit frattish, but not bad) our bartender was incredibly nice and the nicer drafts were only $5. Not my favorite place, but nothing horrible either. Maybe I just had great luck?
(3)Bryan R.
Oh wow, I got wrecked here back in the day. I think it's at least even odds that one of your friends will get kicked out of line for being too drunk by the time you get here.
(2)Annette A.
It's pretty much and in-and-out stop on a Friday night. It's so crowded and hot that you don't want to stay for long. And there's no reason to either. You can barely get to the bar, let alone the bathroom, without having to cram yourself between a dozen drooling dudebros. There are better places to go. There is nothing special about the White Horse, no ambience, no vibe, nothing special.
(3)Dave R.
Drinks are great and not watered down. great getting the tables by the open windows to feel the summer breeze. Would get a higher rating if the place wasn't so crowded on weekend nights. Overall a very decent experience.
(3)Amy S.
I was supposed to be grabbing a drink in Allston recently and the person I was with suggested White Horse's patio. I thought to myself, "patio" is a very generous word for their large open windows, but okay. Well it turns out they have recently opened an actual PATIO which is behind the rest of the bar and it's actually pretty nice! There's even an extra bar out there. Well, White Horse, you have moved up a bit in coolness in my mind (at least for the summer anyway). I've never had food there and don't feel my life has been missing anything b/c of this, the bar itself is a typical college-age bar (although not as sweaty and crowded) which I could take or leave, but the outside patio definitely makes the White Horse Tavern a summer contender in Allston.
(3)Ken M.
So, what bar cards at 12:30 in the afternoon when it is completely empty? A really shitty bar called White Horse Tavern, that's who. First, when we sat at our table, I unrolled my napkin and the silverware that rolled out was a. dirty, and b. so rusty it stained the napkin and I felt like I needed a teatanus shot after touching it. Second, we'd been helping our friend move, so I wanted to wash my hands before lunch. The bathroom smelled like a truck stop outhouse and one of the sinks was clogged. At 12:30pm. WTF. The food was pretty mediocre too. My "chicken panini" was bland and poorly constructed. The bigger fries were good, but the smaller ones tasted like they took a bath in saline. AND THE PLATE WAS DIRTY TOO! My friend's side of vegetables had way over sugared cranberries in it. Weird. Andy's fries were clearly the better part of the batch, they were all big and golden and well seasoned. Odder still was the really skinny employee who seemed to be all over the place, jumping up on bars and stuff. So weird.
(1)Jennafir E.
What does one do on a Thursday's night in Allston? Drink? Yes. Eat? Yes. Play trivia? Hell yes. And that's just what you do at the White horse. Is it a good bar? Meh.... but the trivia, the trivia has me coming back week after week, and loving it even more. Now, is the food good? No, not really, but I've had worse and I'll eat it if I'm hungry. The drinks are pretty cheap, 5 dollar for well, which is unheard of in Boston. The beer can be pricey, but unless you want bad beer, pay for the extra. So the moral, get a great group of friends and head over, because I have never had a bad time here, even on a Saturday night.
(3)Mon R.
your typical college boozer joint. This place is what it says it is, but the bartenders don't mix great drinks so don't expect much there. They have so many tvs, though, so you'll never miss a game.
(3)Dave B.
I go there mainly for the pool tables. The regulars who play pool there are very cool and its fun to put a quarter on the table and shoot around with random people. The food isnt bad for bar food, the waitresses arent always on top of things...but then again im usually at the pool table so understood, i guess. The bartenders are solid...quick and wont ignore you while pretending to clean a glass. The whitehorse is great for football games on Sundays but for other sports it can be tough because they have each tv on a different channel. Even the NBA finals, i had to look for a tv that was playing the game, wtf?
(4)casie m.
This review is mainly a review of White Horse's trivia, with some side info on the food. White Horse has Stump! trivia on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. When I lived in Brighton, White Horse is one of the many places I tried looking for a great trivia hang-out. White Horse is the kind of place where teams come every week, probably more than once a week, and have matching t-shirts with their team name - usually some witty, almost inappropriate name based on a current event. I was there during the Spitzer situation, and let's say those names were not family friendly. But it's a bar, so that's not a requirement. Personally, I do not like the Trivia Jockey here. While delivering materials to our table, he entered into a rant about how he would run the company, littered with swears.. Totally unprovoked. Maybe he was just having an off-day.. But I am a strong believer in jockey's with knowledge. If you are going to be a trivia jockey, you should look over the questions BEFORE you get there. Maybe have a general idea about the information. He was having a hard time reading the questions, couldn't pronounce things.. It made it hard to understand and to answer. Sigh. White Horse itself is really nice and they have a lot of cheap specials, which is always a plus. The food is pretty average, but there are a lot of TVs, good beer selection, and pool tables. I would give them less stars, but it's not their fault I didn't like the jockey...
(3)Brendan M.
Three stars is just right for this place. Nothing great, but a fun summer bar with big open windows to the street that gets pretty packed. This is probably the most "normal" bar in Allston, since hipsters usually stay away and it's not exclusive to college kids. You get a mix of older students and young professionals, all of whom still enjoy getting trashed. I personally don't go here much, since it's a little too square for me. Bright lights and a bunch of TVs always on, this isn't really a spot to pick up birds and the dudes you have to deal with in the bar are douchey. I'd say hit White Horse on a summer night when it'll be poppin. Keep the expectations on a leash and you'll be fine.
(3)Eric B.
The good: great food specials on certain nights, decent prices on beer and liquor, numerous HDTVs and a staff willing to put your game of choice on (one of the few places to carry the MLB package as well), great layout, nice pool tables, big windows that open up during the summer, a nice crowd of young professionals and graduate students with the occasional tipsy undergrad. The bad: drink service can be a little slow, food quality can be a little uneven (I've had burgers there that ranged from decent to bad). The ugly: most bartenders aren't all that friendly, and don't make that great of an effort to be attentive. I really don't get it, the crowd there doesn't seem like one that would wear a bartender down into an unfriendly stump of pseudo-adequate service.
(3)Sandra C.
The only thing I tried so far are the $4 special of one pound buffalo wings this Sunday. I'm in love. $4 freaking dollars!! I was left satisfied, and I even took half of the meal home. It was delicious.
(4)Chrissy H.
I'll have to start a new list for D-Bag bars of Boston... maybe its my fault. I should have known what I was getting myself into. I mean, what did I expect from "move- in day" in Allston? All I needed was a drink, food and a little conversation with my friend. Well, two out of three isn't bad I guess. Perhaps I'm getting old, but I couldn't hear myself think over WAAF blasting music in the corner and rowdy drunk college kids "toasting" every few minutes... oh, AND the game playing on every TV. Made conversation really tough on my vocal cords... not to mention, it was really hard to tear the 3 bartenders' attention away from the TV to get another beer. Plus, they messed up my friends To-Go salad order. It's not that hard, chicken Cesar salad... HOWEVER- I was so pleased to get my UFO drafts for $3 AND a big juicy burger, with all the fixings, on a nice toasted bun, with Fries for only $4. Yeah, apparently its a Monday/Tuesday special. Eat in only with a 1 drink minimum. You can also choose from a pound of wings or a grilled chicken sandwich and fries which was also quite large and my friend enjoyed. Will I be back? Only if I need a drink on a Monday or Tuesday and I am really broke.
(3)Calli C.
I try to avoid Allston for the exact reason which the White Horse exemplifies - at best its a ho-hum sports bar, at worst it's jam-packed with yah-doods and those omigod girls (you know, the ones who are constantly squealing, "OmiGAWD!"), mediocre drinks and service. I've been here on a few weekend nights where it was packed and impossible to get served. I said I would never go back. Yet, this past weekend I was there during the afternoon to have some beers and catch up with some friends. I was early and sat at the bar and got some attitude from the bartender because I wasn't a drunk fratboy ordering a bud lite pitcher. My friend showed, we had some more beers, I had a burger which was actually pretty good. During the day, when no one else is around and they have the front windows open, you can almost pretend you're not in Allston.
(2)Christopher T.
There are some good things and some bad things. The food is alright when it comes to bar food. Nachos, burgers, and steak tips all do there job just fine in filling me up. Not the best in the world. I usually order the beer of the month to keep my bill down, but last month the "beer of the month" was vodka? Stupid. I avoid the bar most nights because it's a total bro hang out. The one redeeming saviour of the bar is Will, the trivia guy. He's awesome. I've done Stump Trivia in a couple of bars and Will is the best. His music selection always makes me happy and I love chatting with him before, in between questions and after trivia. God save Will the thrill!
(3)Kate T.
Good solid burger and beer joint. Also a choice al-fresco find in an area that lacks lots of outside dining venues. Service is a little slow but the beer is fresh and the food is hot. Worth a pop-in if you're in the area. One gripe: While I was in the restaurant was short-staffed and the waitress was complaining about the other servers being lazy. Not sure if that's a one-time thing or not but you might want to be prepared to wait for your food and drink.
(3)Jeremy K.
The place has little atmosphere and isn't worth going too really. If it weren't for the fact that when I went there, their bar tender was very knowledgeable and mixed me a perfect Manhattan, I don't think that I would have ever returned there... Really. Sure they have televisions with multiple games on them and that's always a plus but honestly, who doesn't have that? The place was expensive and although parking is easy to find, I'd rather much head over the Sunset for a much nicer experience. It's a decent place to grab a quick drink with a buddy and talk since the music isn't too loud and if you want to grab a table with friends and just sit back and relax, but if you want more than that, then your in the wrong place.
(2)Hana C.
My friends just moved to Boston and this place was right around the corner from them and had a TV. After a long day of flying and running errands we decided to stop by here. My friend and I just wanted food. Her husband wanted to watch the game...those were the requirements. We all got things off the $4 menu. Cheeseburger, chicken burger, & 1 pound of wings. At one point I couldn't tell if it tasted good because it was or because I was starving. I really liked the buffalo wings. The cheeseburger was huge so at least they don't skimp on the serving size. The only thing I didn't like was the almost eternal wait for service......
(3)Lu W.
Trivia night was terrible. Preppiest crowd EVAR! I ordered a whiskey and coke that tasted like coke, sent it back, and got one that tasted even less alcoholic. The waitress kindly informed me that it was "gonna taste the same", before spilling it on my phone, which needed some airing out time before it functioned again. The people next to us ordered a pizza that the waiter dropped on the ground and never returned to clean up. Nice. Good location, but (not to be elitist) the weak drinks and boring crowd are not not worth the price.
(2)Matt E.
I've only been here once and didn't stay too long but the place is impressively massive, with two huge bars, a couple pool tables, a ton of LCDs playing sports, and is pretty bright and clean. The people here were young and slightly annoying (mostly college kids from what I hear) and I can't attest to the bar food but I'm sure it's about average. The cocktails weren't that good so I stuck to beer. The White Horse is ok if you're in the area and want a little eye candy or to check out the game but it's nothing special.
(3)Justin B.
Good place to see some bro's icing bro's. Very young crowd on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights. Question to the bouncers, if you take your job so seriously and need to fold, bend, and swab my ID to prove with out a doubt that I am plenty old enough to get in, then why are half of the people inside 19? You guys better check yourselves before you wreck yourselves. With that said, some of the food deals are pretty good although the quality of the food itself is at times lacking. There are plenty of TVs and when it is not overly crowded it is a semi good place to watch a game.
(2)Dana W.
Last night was my first experience at White Horse and I don't think I'll be going back. The selection of beer and food was decent, the bar and tables were clean and the prices weren't too outrageous but I was sorely disappointed by the staff. Our server failed to come to the table after 10 minutes so we went to the bar to purchase a drink and almost instantly the server randomly appeared and told us he "didn't want to be crass" but we were taking up his section and if we were just going to order from the bar we needed to leave his table. So we intended to order refills and some food from him... but he never came back! We were then reprimanded for exiting the building even though we had just been told it was ok. Overall I'm sure there are bars out there that have friendlier staff that I would be much more inclined to frequent.
(2)Matt T.
I've been going to the White Horse for years now, and have gotten to the point where I recognize most of the faces as they haven't changed over the years. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. I would recommend sitting at the bar regardless of whether you're eatting or drinking. The one consistent factor is that the waiting staff is pretty terrible. I've had a wide range of waiters there and no has done a very exceptional job, and the service always seems to be a bit slower than it should. Not the case at the bar, these guys are generally on the ball and have good memories for customers week to week. There are a couple I don't get along with (Red Flag for dudes with forearm band tattoos), but overall they make the place go in my opinion. I really like how they switch up the beer special, even though it's generally high life or Busch Light, but they throw in great wild cards sometimes like UFO or Magic Hat #9. The daily beer specials and the $4 burgers Sun-Tues are the main reasons to head over. I would advise you to avoid trivia which for some reason occurs every Weds, Thurs & Sunday, hosted by the same guy every time who has amongst the worst taste in music I have ever heard. Now, if you're a 17 year old female in high school who hasn't gotten quite comfortable with yourself or a dance machine, then this may better suite your needs, but I'm still more living in the past of the 90s, so I pretty much want to squeeze lime in my eye. Take that as you will. I have no problem with how Trivia is run, I just think they're trying to make me want to wear an Ed Hardy shirt and blow out my hair. Overall, White Horse is your average younger crowed bar. Not geared much towards hipsters, so you'll find mostly BU/BC kids in there, but it's worth your time for the deals.
(3)