Beer

These Boston-area beer gardens are now open for the season

Sit in the sunshine and sip on locally-made brews at one of these beer gardens.

By Erin Kuschner

April 19, 2021

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After more than a year of spending long stints indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic, the prospect of sitting outside on a patio with a cold beer in hand sounds particularly enticing.

Breweries are ready for it, too. In recent weeks, an increasing number of Boston-area breweries have opened their outdoor patios and beer gardens for the season, inviting thirsty patrons to check out new beer releases and food options. Pandemic regulations are still in place: Tables and chairs must be placed six feet apart, and visitors still need to order food with their drinks. But after a winter of drinking inside, we’ll take any chance to hydrate under blue skies.

Throughout the spring and into the summer, here are a handful of local beer gardens to visit for al fresco sipping — plus a few that are planning to open in the coming months.

Now open

Aeronaut Brewing Co.
While Aeronaut’s Everett location has a few two-top tables outside, its Somerville beer garden is an oasis for outdoor hangs. Sit at one of the scattered picnic tables under a string of lights and enjoy sours, lagers, pilsners, and more. (14 Tyler St., Somerville)

Bone Up Brewing
Catch some rays on Bone Up’s dog-friendly beer garden in Everett, where Belgian-style ales reign supreme and empanadas are on the food menu. (38 Norman St., Everett)

Brato Brewhouse + Kitchen
Come for the beer, stay for the sausages and buffalo cauliflower at this Brighton brewery, which offers a spacious patio with umbrellas. (190 N. Beacon St., Brighton)

Cambridge Brewing Co.
Snag a patio seat at this Cambridge beer destination and order beers like Tiny Geometries and Elephant Talk to accompany beer-battered fish and chips and fried hot chicken. (1 Kendall Square, Building 100, Cambridge)

Cisco Brewers Seaport
Back for another year, Cisco Brewers reopened its Seaport beer garden on April 15. The 14,000-square foot space serves beer, wine, hard cider, frosé, and coolers, plus Caribbean and Central American fare from Rexicana Surf Cantina. (65 Northern Ave., Boston)

Distraction Brewing Co.
This Roslindale brewery’s beer garden spills onto the street, where customers can order a Daily Distraction IPA and Gruyère grilled cheese. (2 Belgrade Ave., Boston)

Dorchester Brewing Co.
Here’s the move at Dorchester Brewing’s rooftop beer garden: Choose from one of its 20 beers on tap, place an order of ribs from on-site restaurant M & M BBQ, and soak in the views of Boston’s skyline in the distance. (1250 Massachusetts Ave., Boston)

Faces Brewing Co.
Umbrella-topped picnic tables dot the patio at Faces Brewing in Malden, where visitors can order smoked wings, steak frites, and French dip sandwiches alongside stouts, lagers, pale ales, and IPAs. (50 Pleasant St., Malden)

Harpoon Brewery
Harpoon’s beer garden, Outdoors at Harpoon, reopened on April 2 with a new beer hall menu, including specialty sandwiches and pretzels, plus eight draft lines with additional can offerings. Reservations aren’t required but are highly encouraged. (306 Northern Ave., Boston)

Idle Hands Craft Ales
Belgian- and German-inspired beers abound at this Malden brewery, which boasts an expansive patio and a short food menu that includes grilled cheese, hot dogs, and pretzels. (89 Commercial St., Malden)

Lamplighter Brewing Co.
The beer garden at this Cambridge favorite returned on May 1 with cold draft options and a new food menu. Reservations on Resy are required. (284 Broadway, Cambridge)

Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.
Mighty Squirrel’s massive beer garden opened on April 1, a gorgeous lawn decked out in twinkling patio lights and spaced-out tables. Food trucks are onsite seven days a week. (411 Waverley Oaks Road, Waltham)

Night Shift Brewing (Everett, Lovejoy Wharf, and Owl’s Nest)
Night Shift’s beer gardens at Everett, Lovejoy Wharf, and both Owl’s Nest locations are all open for the season; take a look at their website to see what’s on tap. (Everett: 87 Santilli Highway, Everett; Lovejoy Wharf: 1 Lovejoy Wharf, Boston; Owl’s Nest: Charles River Esplanade and Christian Herter Park)

Notch Brewing
Pay a visit to this Salem brewery, where a waterfront beer garden allows for seaside sipping. Bringing your own glassware is highly encouraged. (283R Derby St., Salem)

Samuel Adams Brewery
Both the Jamaica Plain and Downtown Boston taprooms have opened their outdoor beer gardens. In Jamaica Plain, settle into picnic tables tucked within the brewery’s courtyard; in Faneuil Hall, the rooftop patio is the perfect place to enjoy a pint on a sunny day. 

The Anchor
With views of downtown across the water, the wine and beer garden at The Anchor in Charlestown’s Navy Yard is prime real estate. Selections include beer from Lone Pine, Winter Hill, Allagash, and more. (1 Shipyard Park, Boston)

Trillium Brewing Co.
Beer gardens are now open at all three of Trillium’s locations: Canton, Fenway, and Fort Point, with stellar food options at each. Plus, the brewery’s Garden on the Greenway opened on May 20. (Canton: 110 Shawmut Road, Canton; Fenway: 401 Park Drive, Boston; 50 Thomson Place, Boston; Greenway: Atlantic Ave. & High St., Boston)

Turtle Swamp Brewing 
After winterizing its patio, Turtle Swamp has replaced its igloos with picnic tables to create socially-distanced seating at its Jamaica Plain beer garden. (3377 Washington St., Boston)

Opening soon

Castle Island Brewing Co.
This Norwood-based brewery is set to open its new South Boston location in June, with an outdoor patio and bar pizza. (10 Old Colony Ave., Boston)

Lord Hobo Brewing Co.
It just opened last fall, but we’re already anticipating the return of Lord Hobo’s expansive Seaport patio, set to reopen sometime this summer. In the meantime, the brewery’s Cambridge and Woburn locations have cozy patios available. (2 Drydock Ave., Boston)