One of my favorite places in Boston! I go here every time I am in the city, lovely, staff, tea and atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
athena7too
The setting is sumptuous but what I ate (lobster bun) was not up to par: rubbery lobster (too much or undercooked) and small portion for the price ($16 plus taxes and tips) The place is worth it glance but for food there are better and/or cheaper in the neighborhood
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Kyra Williams
The most beautiful setting for a cocktail or tea.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Allison Pereira
This is my and my mom’s favorite afternoon tea spot. We try to come once or twice a year as they have a seasonally rotating menu. We’ve been to a few others on the east coast and two in London, but we just keep coming back here. We typically prefer their fall/ winter season fare, but we always have a great time. The scones are scrumptious and the curd and cream pairing is truly a delight. I always go for a Cozy Copley because I love a London fog. The sandwiches, apps, and treats are individually small but they really add up so go hungry. They will give you a to-go box for extras by request if you don’t finish.
Vegetarian options: Dietary restrictions can be booked in advance. They do accommodate a vegetarian platter. Some small accommodations can be made day of.
Dietary restrictions: If booked in advance, they can do most dietary restrictions.
Parking: We always park in the Perdue center lot and walk over. It’s always hard to park in Boston.
Kid-friendliness: Somewhat kid friendly. Better for an older kid.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Scones, English Cucumber, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Matt A. Murphy
I recently stopped by the Map Room Lounge while visiting the Boston Public Library, and it turned out to be a delightful experience! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, with a cozy, vintage charm that makes you want to linger. The bar itself is beautifully designed with shelves of teas, a fantastic selection of spirits, and a unique ambiance that blends the historical with the modern.
The food menu is limited but tasty, offering a selection of well-executed bar bites. What really made my visit stand out was the $10 Bloody Mary — flavorful, well-balanced, and perfectly garnished. It was the ideal pick-me-up while waiting for a special collections request from the library.
If you’re looking for a quiet, classy spot in the middle of the city to enjoy a drink and relax, the Map Room Lounge is perfect. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re into a unique library-meets-lounge experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Smoked Salmon
Mariette Ayala
Kid-friendliness: Seating not children friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flatbread, Charcuterie Plate
Lynn Baldwin
We arrived at 2:15-2:20 and were told that they had stopped seating, as they close at 3:00. What?!?! I told them we were just there for a quick drink but it didn’t matter. We drove from Maine specifically to see this room. For your planning, get there we’ll ahead of closing time!
Nicholas Masse
Absolutely divine. You step from the foyer of the Boston Public Library down a corridor to a hole in the wall playing smooth jazz. You're intrigued, you sit down and order a drink. Its made with skill you've seen in nary a bar in your life, its delicious. You decide to order some food, the carnitas panini and crispy cauliflower; both surprisingly cheap for how beautiful your surroundings are. Once the food arrives, you bite down into a whole new world of flavor, taken to a place of divine culinary bliss. Amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Huang
Pleasantly surprised you can find good tea and food that isn't overpriced in the middle of Back Bay, especially in the BPL.
Erin Weisgerber
Awesome little hidden gem. Food and atmosphere were great. Cocktails were mostly good. Service was a bit slow, but we were there not too long before closing. Highly recommend reserving ahead of time.
Stopped in while visiting the library. We got seated at the bar within 15 minutes. We had a round of drinks “The Stolen Moments and wine”, which were good. We shared the fig and prosciutto flatbread, fried cauliflower and bread pudding. The flatbread was my fav out of the three. Bread pudding is a bit thicker, doesn’t have any sauce to it and could use another scoop of ice cream. I prefer my bread pudding moist with sauce or ice cream though. We closed out with the Ras Chai, which was delightful.I definitely recommend stopping in.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
이예찬
Tea cocktails are really delicious.But it seems like a place where waitresses don't want to work.They didn't give us a menu and they weren't friendly.The atmosphere is nice, but the service is dissatisfying.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 2
Michele Brassard
Wonderful way to end our library tour. The drinks and fare were excellent along with the atmosphere. Treat yourself!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Else
The Map Room is easily one of the best bars in Boston for cocktails and light food, while being similarly priced to other Boston bars (cocktails around $15, dishes $10-20). It's a cool space too, buried in the depths of the public library, and absolutely worth your time even if you're not already there for some books.
Vegetarian options: The cauliflower bites are to die for.
One of my favorite places in Boston! I go here every time I am in the city, lovely, staff, tea and atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The setting is sumptuous but what I ate (lobster bun) was not up to par: rubbery lobster (too much or undercooked) and small portion for the price ($16 plus taxes and tips) The place is worth it glance but for food there are better and/or cheaper in the neighborhood
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
The most beautiful setting for a cocktail or tea.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
This is my and my mom’s favorite afternoon tea spot. We try to come once or twice a year as they have a seasonally rotating menu. We’ve been to a few others on the east coast and two in London, but we just keep coming back here. We typically prefer their fall/ winter season fare, but we always have a great time. The scones are scrumptious and the curd and cream pairing is truly a delight. I always go for a Cozy Copley because I love a London fog. The sandwiches, apps, and treats are individually small but they really add up so go hungry. They will give you a to-go box for extras by request if you don’t finish.
Vegetarian options: Dietary restrictions can be booked in advance. They do accommodate a vegetarian platter. Some small accommodations can be made day of.
Dietary restrictions: If booked in advance, they can do most dietary restrictions.
Parking: We always park in the Perdue center lot and walk over. It’s always hard to park in Boston.
Kid-friendliness: Somewhat kid friendly. Better for an older kid.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Scones, English Cucumber, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
I recently stopped by the Map Room Lounge while visiting the Boston Public Library, and it turned out to be a delightful experience! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, with a cozy, vintage charm that makes you want to linger. The bar itself is beautifully designed with shelves of teas, a fantastic selection of spirits, and a unique ambiance that blends the historical with the modern.
The food menu is limited but tasty, offering a selection of well-executed bar bites. What really made my visit stand out was the $10 Bloody Mary — flavorful, well-balanced, and perfectly garnished. It was the ideal pick-me-up while waiting for a special collections request from the library.
If you’re looking for a quiet, classy spot in the middle of the city to enjoy a drink and relax, the Map Room Lounge is perfect. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re into a unique library-meets-lounge experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Smoked Salmon
Kid-friendliness: Seating not children friendly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flatbread, Charcuterie Plate
We arrived at 2:15-2:20 and were told that they had stopped seating, as they close at 3:00. What?!?! I told them we were just there for a quick drink but it didn’t matter. We drove
from Maine specifically to see this room. For your planning, get there we’ll ahead of closing time!
Absolutely divine. You step from the foyer of the Boston Public Library down a corridor to a hole in the wall playing smooth jazz. You're intrigued, you sit down and order a drink. Its made with skill you've seen in nary a bar in your life, its delicious. You decide to order some food, the carnitas panini and crispy cauliflower; both surprisingly cheap for how beautiful your surroundings are. Once the food arrives, you bite down into a whole new world of flavor, taken to a place of divine culinary bliss. Amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pleasantly surprised you can find good tea and food that isn't overpriced in the middle of Back Bay, especially in the BPL.
Awesome little hidden gem. Food and atmosphere were great. Cocktails were mostly good. Service was a bit slow, but we were there not too long before closing. Highly recommend reserving ahead of time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Flatbread
Restaurantji Recommends
Stopped in while visiting the library. We got seated at the bar within 15 minutes. We had a round of drinks “The Stolen Moments and wine”, which were good. We shared the fig and prosciutto flatbread, fried cauliflower and bread pudding. The flatbread was my fav out of the three. Bread pudding is a bit thicker, doesn’t have any sauce to it and could use another scoop of ice cream. I prefer my bread pudding moist with sauce or ice cream though. We closed out with the Ras Chai, which was delightful.I definitely recommend stopping in.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tea cocktails are really delicious.But it seems like a place where waitresses don't want to work.They didn't give us a menu and they weren't friendly.The atmosphere is nice, but the service is dissatisfying.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 2
Wonderful way to end our library tour. The drinks and fare were excellent along with the atmosphere. Treat yourself!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Map Room is easily one of the best bars in Boston for cocktails and light food, while being similarly priced to other Boston bars (cocktails around $15, dishes $10-20). It's a cool space too, buried in the depths of the public library, and absolutely worth your time even if you're not already there for some books.
Vegetarian options: The cauliflower bites are to die for.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great spot for a cocktail and a bite to
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
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