Is the B-Side Lounge closing?

Surprise, surprise.

Oh no, I hope that it's not the B-Side. Opening a beer bar down the street from Bukowski's is a stupid move if you ask me. Not only that, places like the Other Side and the B-Side aren't just bars -- they are considered institutions among many people (a huge legion, in fact) who probably will boycott a future establishment.

It's just not right to go after these places -- there are plenty of ho-hum establishments in decent locations that this guy could have gone after. Swooping in and wiping out (trying to wipe out) one of the last unique venues in the Boston area doesn't just reek of self-important arrogance... It's also a bad business move.

Nooooooooo! Patrick, say it ain't so.

Aside from the B-Side's being a reputable establishment for cocktail lovers (read: one with real bartenders) and brunch gatherers, it's also a neighborhood institution for a large number of Cambridge citizens (NOT students at local institutions) who will no doubt look down upon the demographic that another beer bar brings to the area. In other words, we'll look elsewhere to take our business. As good as the Other Side is, it lacks a certain design aesthetic that is quintessential to the B's allure. The other rumor is that the U-shaped bar, the upscale converted diner appeal, the slate floors, the moldings, and all the unique fixtures will be removed/gutted...

I understand feeling like that, TT. The B-Side was pretty much an institution as soon as it opened. But Lanigan isn't necessarily the evil swooper you're imagining him to be. He operates two places in Western Mass. that engender the kind of love in their hometowns that the B-Side does in Cambridge. He used to work at the Other Side. And if the B-Side didn't want to sell -- and let's remember this is officially still in the rumor category -- they wouldn't. One thing's for sure: If the B-Side goes, it will be missed. But a new place could be just as good in its own way.

Seriously, do we need another place to drink beer in Boston/Cambridge? The B-Side has long been a favorite of mine. They were serving up the best mojitos around when bartenders at most places had never even heard of the drink (ca. 2000). Now of course they serve them at Friday's...

So disappointing if that is true.

Tom K.: Good point. (Though I've seen some preeetty rowdy times at the B-Side, in a good way.) I don't think this would be your average beer bar -- more like the Publick House in Brookline, with many excellent suds on offer -- but the atmosphere would be up for grabs whatever new establishment moved in. (If indeed a new establishment is moving in.) The B-Side's aesthetics have been a big part of what makes it great; I would really miss that U-shaped bar in particular. We'll see. At least, it would be a new opportunity for neighborhood regulars to enjoy some other spots -- Highland Kitchen and Green Street, for example. (How am I doing at the whole cocktail-glass-half-full thing?)

The bigger question is ... What are they going to do that is any different from the beer bars in Boston right now? New beer bars have popped up over the past couple of years and it seems many places are now serving comparable selections.

We know the beer selection will be great. It's all going to rest on atmosphere and price. They'll need to build a whole new clientele from the ground up, and if their prices are too high, then people will just stick to their usual places.

Cocktails? Try Deep Ellum ... they have a great selection of beer as well.

The B-Side is like an old pair of jeans. Rough and tumble, but you put them on and feel like you've come home. Losing it will be a sad thing for this little neighborhood. It has been our anchor. After work cocktails, after hours on the weekend, Sunday evening with the paper and a bowl of the potato leek soup. I hope the rumors are unfounded, but fear that they are true. Time will tell.

Classic Cambridge crowd blog here. I have to laugh at the design discourse. The last thing the B-Side should be noted for is its design. Character and cocktails maybe, and that's a stretch, if you ask me. If you are looking for design, you are certainly better off crossing the river, unless run-down '80s chic is your thing. I had some good times there, but I welcome any improvements to the Boston scene, as there is certainly room. I agree there are other spots I would rather see go, but I hope the B-Side owners are taking their money and enjoying it.

FINALLY!

The B-Side has REALLY gone downhill in the past year or two. I've stopped going because of HORRIBLE service. It was a fun place years ago, but now it is definitely time to change it up. Sorry to say I'm not sorry to see it go. I hope the rumors are true.

I have only been going to the B-Side for about a year now - introduced by some friends who live nearby and hang out there - but I will be truly sad to see it go. Aside from the cocktails or the character or the food (I have never had bad food or bad service- I don't know what Matthew is talking about), what will be missed most is the friendliness of the bartenders. They make you feel that they are genuinely pleased to have you there and that they are enjoying their evenings as much as you are. It is the kind of place where you sit at the bar, have a few drinks, meet new people, and just chill. Those kinds of places are becoming more and more rare these days.

Honestly, people, get real. I'm on the younger side here but have lived in Cambridge for about 4 years now and have yet to find the appeal of the B-Side. It's dirty, the drinks are average, if not overrated, and the design is just beat. You shouldn't call a place an "institution" simply because it's old and USED to be good. I'm pumped for a new beer bar that's close to my apartment. Change isn't always bad. Cheers!

I don't trust anything I read. Least of all the comments. I'm sure some of you are operatives. B-Side was best from 2000-2003, but I'd still rather have that than some "specialty" beer place. Go to Boston Beer Works for that.

The B-Side will be sorely missed. Any place where you can walk in on a crowded night and still have your drink waiting for you by the time you reach the bar, having not even ordered, is extremely hard to come by. One that can do that, and have blue cheese fries and other food to die for, doesn't exist anywhere else. Hopefully Rob, Dave, and all the other bartenders will pop up elsewhere - truly among the best in the city.

Unfortunately, Highland Kitchen doesn't stack up to the B-Side. I enthusiastically went there anticipating a great meal and vintage cocktails. What I ended up with was a fish dish that I literally finished in 5 forkfuls and a weak Tom Collins that had no discernible traces of alcohol in it.

Conversely, the B-Side never disappointed. Their Aviation was the cause of one of my best nights out on the town (and unfortunately a two-day hangover that made me swear off gin for 3 years), and their food was always tops.

I was also into the crowd. I didn't go regularly because I lived too far to walk and parking in the area is challenging to say the least, but every time we were there, the regulars were trendy without trying to be and made for a great atmosphere. Every time I went I ended up chitchatting with a decent character or two.

B-sides, where else can you get free hard-boiled eggs with all the fixins?

I would sorely miss the B-Side if it were to go. This rumor, plus Sarah Palin's VP nomination, is conspiring to make today the most cranky of the whole summer.

The table service *has* become abysmal, but it's a world of difference if you sit at the bar. Excellent food, excellent bartenders. It's nice to have somewhere that isn't high-concept and crowded with students or hipster art or bad murals and doesn't make you feel like you don't have the right bike accouterments to drink overpriced beer there (cough, the Other Side).

To each her own when it comes to favorite neighborhood watering holes, but losing the B-Side would make me a very unhappy girl.

It seems so stupid to close or change a place like the B-Side -- or the Other Side, for that matter -- that is packed every night. Why mess with success?

My friend and I bought the last two T-shirts yesterday...

This is very sad. Where else can you go and have good food and drinks and a cool, stylish environment while listening to David Bowie on vinyl? This place was a big part of many lives.

All I have to say is that wherever Rob & Dave go, I am there. Can you tell by my sad bits of text that I am crying as I write this? I feel like I've lost my home. (Not that I'm a 'holic or anything...) Where am I going to go? Who will make my tasty cocktails? (Please, a place not overrun by college kids & suits.) And not to mention the Baked Gouda!!! And also important to note that my friends and I have gotten a few nice dates out of that place... Let me wipe the tears from my face to finish this note. Long live the quality cocktail (& quality people). Oh, BTW - does anyone know where Rob is now?? Where did he go?

I have been going to the B-Side since its heyday in the dot com era. In the years since, it no longer gathers the super-trendy crowd, and yes the decor hasn't aged as well as it could have. I have thought in the last couple years that a facelift would class up the joint (after all, it's not the Windsor Tap). However, the cocktails and the bartenders are what mattered here. This is a rarity, and we don't need anymore beer bars in Cambridge.

People will say "What about Green Street?" Ever since they remodeled it, it has been glossy, but the food isn't any better or cheaper. The cocktails are OK and the bartenders are knowledgeable, but the crowd is abysmal and it lacks any character. What about Highland Kitchen? Maybe this is their opportunity to really step up. Take a note from the B-Side and cultivate the people and the bartenders. Somerville is ripe for a classy joint.

However, in the end someone will see the hole after a B-Side closing. We need a good cocktail bar with great food at decent prices. And frankly, wherever Rob and Dave go, the character will follow, and so will I. Until they reopen the Cambridgeport, that is!

I'll miss some things about the B-Side, but I've missed Daniel's beer bars more (after a two-year stint in Amherst, living across the street from the Moan and Dove). He's been wanting to do this forever, and I look forward to patronizing it.

Great, another place full of knuckleheads under 30. Let's hope it doesn't last but a few months past its opening, when people go back to Bukowski's, CBC, Flat Tops... etc., etc.: places already established.

Don't fear. Rob will re-emerge. He's like a martini -- you can't shake him. Seriously, he isn't going far.... Keep watching for details.

Rob and Dave should take these comments to heart. They are well loved by their customers, and many will follow them to wherever they go.

My husband and I met at the B Side... we will miss it!!

I'll be sad to see it go. I was there on the night they opened and had me a few drinks.
Rob & Dave, come on up to the North Shore - I've got a bar all ready for you!

This is sad news.

Can't say I'm disappointed. Never understood what people saw in the B-Side. Yeah, it was a few steps above the usual Boston mediocrity, but that's not reason to keep it.

I never had a good meal there in all the times I tried.

There are very few restaurants in this town I'd be sorry to see close. At least then there's the hope the next will be better (granted that's a thin hope).

Which ones would you miss?

Get there tonight, mourners. Last call tonight is the last call.

2:00 AM, November 3rd, 2008 :: RIP B-Side Lounge.

I like the food there, but I hated the service. It was terrible. I won't miss the place.

A staple gone... It was good times with rockin peeps.

gonna miss you B-Side

Anything Daniel Lanigan does when it comes to beer, he does really well. You should be thanking your lucky stars.