Address: 64 Arlington Street (at the Park Plaza Hotel), Boston, MA 02116
Website: http://www.gerberbars.com/#/boston/whiskey-park/
Best Nights: Some Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays
Who Goes There: Healthy mix of everyone. Can be guy-heavy sometimes. Ages 25-45.
Cost: $$$
Special: None
BYFAD Bar: Yes – Get your BYFAD Card now!
I remember my first exposure to Whiskey Park. It was years ago, I was working at the Ritz Carlton and it was during MLB Interleague Play. The Cincinnati Reds were in town (Ken Griffey Jr. was playing for them – so I’m thinking it was 2005) and I was working the weekend shift. Late Saturday night, Ryan Freel came out with a couple of his buddies and wanted his car. I went to get it and then he came to the door and asked me if I knew where Whiskey Park was. I told him it was two blocks down. He had no idea and he apologized for asking for his car. It was cool. I even offered to drive him and his crew over there. They jumped on the opportunity.
When we pulled up, the line was so long that I couldn’t see the end. The place looked ridiculous. They didn’t seem too worried about getting in so I just let it go and dropped them off. On my drive back, I was wondering if it’s always like that on the weekends at Whiskey Park. Unfortunately, I never followed up on that. I heard many people talk about it, both good and bad. Finally, 4 years later, I got the chance to check this place out, albeit on a Thursday.
I feel pretty good about knowing what a place is going to be like since I go out a lot (ok, the proper term would be “too much”) and when I walked into Whiskey Park and looked around, I knew exactly what this place would be like at its peak.
The place itself looks really good. There are lots of seating, open space, nice lighting and overall, great atmosphere. It has the look of a high-end lounge. But let me tell you, the only reason why it would look that way is because it’s located pretty much in the Park Plaza Hotel. I really don’t think this lounge could stand alone and still have that same vibe. But I’m not knocking this bar at all. I think it’s solid, but for different reasons.
The bartenders are really fun and nice. They definitely look after their patrons and their well-being, which is a huge plus for me. Service can be better though as even when it wasn’t one of their busier nights, I had to wait quite some time for my drink. The music is also hit or miss as sometimes the music is good and other times, it just feels like fill music to fill the space with some ambient noise. Meeting new people can be hit or miss as there isn’t really a lot of bar space (maybe 7 or 8 seats) and the other seating around the venue is far enough from the open space that it could be considered isolation. So women, if you are looking to meet men, sitting in the corner isn’t going to help. This can definitely be a good place to bring a group of friends and just chill. But that’s about it.
I heard on the weekends, they may charge a cover, which I think is ridiculous. That’s just like if Vox charged five bucks for admission because a lot of people are coming in. Just not worth it for me. It doesn’t provide that kind of experience that would even make me consider pulling out my wallet for anything else than my ID.
In the end, it really is just your average high-end looking bar with furniture. Once again, this is not to say that this place isn’t any good. I had a good time there when I went. But I now understand why I subconsciously didn’t rush to go there after all of these years. I give this place a B- (80).
Pros
Great atmosphere
Really nice bartenders
Cool setup/furniture
Cons
Small bar
Music is weird
Cover on weekends?
If you have any questions about the place, feel free to check out their site:
http://www.gerberbars.com/#/boston/whiskey-park/
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