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Here’s how to spend the perfect night in Allston
Sarah Lieb, general manager of the Silhouette Lounge, takes us through her perfect night in Boston’s Allston neighborhood.
In Boston.com’s Perfect Day series, we’re talking to a local expert in each of Boston’s 23 neighborhoods about how they’d spend their perfect day. See what makes this city so special to your neighbors, and share your perfect day with us at [email protected].
Allston is one of Boston’s youngest and most diverse neighborhoods, defined by a blend of creativity and culture.
Named in honor of artist and Harvard graduate Washington Allston, many residents claim Allston is the only community in the country named after an artist.
Allston began as a center of Boston’s railroad and livestock operations in the mid-1800s, when it was part of it’s larger neighbor, Brighton, before quickly growing into a major destination for new immigrants to the city.
Today, this dynamic neighborhood features a large student population, plethora of artists and musicians, and wide variety of restaurants and cuisines including Korean barbecue, Central American taquerias, late-night Mediterranean street food, and classic townie bars.
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Sarah Lieb moved to Allston over two decades ago for graduate school. She then began working as a bartender, before becoming the general manager at one of the neighborhood’s most beloved late night spots for drinks and live music, The Silhouette Lounge.
We asked Lieb to share with us some of her favorite places in Allston, and to tell us more about what makes Allston so unique. Since Allston has long been known for its nightlife, we asked Lieb to walk us through what her perfect night in Allston would look like.
“I think Allston is kind of a wacky place,” Lieb said. “You get people who have been here for like five years who say, ‘Allston used to be so cool, now it’s not’, but when you’ve been here long enough, you know, Allston always changes.”
Popular with both locals and students, The Silhouette Lounge, or “The Sil”, first opened in 1965. Former owner Joseph Eliseo started as a bartender the same year. Eliseo then bought the bar in 1979, and served as the owner of the bar until he retired in 2021.
Allston
Following a brief closure after Eliseo’s retirement, The Sil reopened with Lieb as general manager. Featuring the same beloved vintage neon signs, pool table, dart boards, arcade games, free popcorn and local beers such as Sam Adams, Wormtown and Narragansett, the Sil now offers hot dogs and live music nights.
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Lieb spends most of her nights at The Sil, making sure everything is running smoothly at the bar, while also having a chat with both new and familiar faces.
“It’s very funny seeing who I see during the day versus who I’m seeing at night, because they’re like two completely different populations around here,” Lieb said.
“Since I’m awake for both of them at different times of day, it’s crazy. I will see people who I find out have been my neighbor the whole time and I will say ‘wow you’re my neighbor? How come I have never seen you?’ And then I will remember it’s because I work at night.”
When Lieb does get a chance to have a night off of work, here’s how she’d spend her perfect night in Allston.
Afternoon | Evening | Morning | Map | Share your perfect day in Boston
Afternoon: Margaritas and Korean food
Lieb’s perfect night in Allston begins on a sunny afternoon in late May or early June, when spring begins to shift into summer.
Joined by a small group of friends, Lieb will start off her night with an afternoon bar crawl across Allston’s many bars on Brighton Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue.
The first spot on their list is Lone Star Taco Bar, (479 Cambridge St.) where Lieb and her friends will enjoy margaritas on the restaurant’s beautiful back patio.
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“I’ve definitely wasted many afternoons on that back porch,” Lieb said.
“Since Allston is such a small neighborhood, you’ll see people who only came for drinks after lunch, while you’ll also run into your nighttime people who are just getting up and they’re like, ‘I need a drink, last night was rough.’ So it’s very easy to get stuck there for like six hours because a new person that you know keeps showing up and we’ll be like, ‘let’s get another round!”
Lieb said her favorite drink on the menu is the “El Diablo”, made with Lunazul tequila, habanero agave, and lime juice.
When they’ve finished their margaritas, Lieb and her friends will head over to one of Allston’s many popular Korean restaurants for lunch.
Her personal favorite is Kaju Tofu House (56 Harvard Ave.), where she will order their sundubu-jjigae (tofu and vegetable stew) and their bibimbap (rice topped with egg, sliced meat, vegetables and chili paste).
“There are a lot of Korean places in Allston,” Lieb said. “Some of them are more focused on the Korean student population, like Myung Dong (90 Harvard Ave.), while others, like Seoul Jangteo (151 Brighton Ave.), have become popular across the neighborhood.”
Evening: A walk at Ringer Park and a ‘full concert experience’
Lieb’s perfect evening will begin with a walk in one of Allston’s many parks. Her personal favorite is Ringer Park (85 Allston St.), where she likes to walk around or enjoy some ice cream as the sun begins to set.
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“They’ve really cleaned up Ringer Park a lot. When I first moved here, it wasn’t very nice there. Now it’s a great place to spend time on a nice day.”
Lieb also mentioned that the Charles River in Lower Allston is a great place for walks when the weather is nice.
When it’s time for dinner, Lieb said she has many favorite spots to choose from.
Lieb recommends Taqueria El Carrizal (254 Brighton Ave.) where she said, “Everything on the menu there is so good and very authentic.” Another “great restaurant” with a “beautiful patio” is Lulu’s (421 Cambridge St.), according to Lieb.
One of her favorites in Allston is Carlo’s (131 Brighton Ave.). “I would bet dollars to doughnuts that Carlo’s is as good as anywhere in the North End,” she said.
After dinner, Lieb will spend the rest of her night in the most Allston way possible — going to bars and enjoying live music.
Not only are there many different bars, taverns and lounges to choose from in Allston, but the neighborhood has been known for its underground music scene for decades.
“If you’re looking for the full concert experience, many great touring bands and artists perform at Brighton Music Hall (158 Brighton Ave.) or Paradise Rock Club (967 Commonwealth Ave.),” Lieb said.
“I like their shows there, I think you can see some bands that are just about to explode you know, and you see them right before they released the banger that they’re now playing on the radio,” she added.
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“But if you just want to go get a couple rounds and listen to some local music, O’Brien’s (3 Harvard Ave.) is always great choice. It’s dark and loud and really has that old Allston vibe, so I definitely love to go see a show there when I get the chance.”
Of course, Lieb also recommended The Sil, which has been hosting live music on Monday and Wednesday nights since its reopening.
“I was initially a bit skeptical to the idea of hosting shows in here, but they have turned out to be great,” Lieb said. “The sound in here is really good, we’ve had a great turnout and the crowds haven’t been too crazy, and we leave one side of the bar open for people who just want to come in and have a drink.”
Throughout the years, Allston has also become well-known for its DIY shows, especially within the hardcore, punk, and indie scenes.
“I live next door to one of the punk houses. They’re still around, they’re still doing shows,” Lieb said. “I think it’s become more difficult for them in the past few years because of the pandemic and the rising cost of living in Allston, but thankfully they’re still around.”
Other great bars she recommends that are open late in Allston, are The Avenue (1249 Commonwealth Ave.), Hopewell (1277 Commonwealth Ave.) and Model Cafe (7 N Beacon St.) the latter of which often features a DJ.
However, if she wants a quieter way to end the night, Lieb said she will usually end up back at Lone Star Taco Bar again.
Morning: Coffee at Twin Donuts
After a long night, Lieb will find herself with a cup of coffee at Twin Donuts (501 Cambridge St.), which opens daily at 6 a.m.
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From there she will head back over to Lulu’s, where she will enjoy a Bloody Mary and order from their brunch menu.
“It’s always nice to see the same people from the night before,” Lieb said. “I’ll be like, oh I threw you out of my bar last night!”
Lieb said that if she were to summarize Allston to someone who had never been there before, she would describe it as “eclectic.”
“One the one hand, it’s like a college town, but then on the other, it’s a multicultural and artistic neighborhood of Boston,” she said.
“I think there’s a comfortable place for everyone in Allston.”
Find all of Sarah Lieb’s recommended spots below.
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