If you’re ever in downtown Boston at 9 o’clock on a Saturday, be sure to visit the friendliest, most “neighborhood-y” pub around…
The first time my husband and I approached The Hub Pub, we were greeted by a giant doorman named David, who immediately welcomed us in with a gregarious grin. It was a pretty good crowd, and we found a place at the bar and ordered drinks from the ample cocktail menu. We each opened the TouchTunes apps on our phones and added songs to the queue.
If you have never heard of TouchTunes, it’s a jukebox where you can play songs from an app on your phone. It’s one of our favorite activities when we go out on the weekends. We enjoy the challenge of trying to warm a crowd up to our favorite genre: heavy metal. Some nights are more successful than others.
After playing a few of our songs, David the Doorman approached us and said, “Is that you guys playing metal?”
“Yes,” we said.
“All right!” David replied with a surprised grin. “I never get to hear that stuff around here!”
We were instant friends.
Then, all of a sudden, a song (not one of ours) cut off abruptly. All the patrons looked around to see what was going on. We had no idea what we were about to witness.
The first iconic bars of “Piano Man” by Billy Joel emanated from the jukebox. David pulled a harmonica out of his pocket and began playing along. He paused only to say, “Everyone! It’s 9 o’clock! You know what that means!” Then, he led us all in a sing-a-long.
When was the last time you participated in a group sing-a-long in a pub? Have you ever? It was such a delightful surprise that I couldn’t help but smile and sing along. (Despite my heavy metal leanings, I have a varied musical background and know all the words).
We return once or twice a month for a dose of Doorman David and his harmonica. We always try to bring friends and family to experience it and meet David when they visit. It’s always a good time, no matter the crowd size.
I highly recommend The Hub Pub for the atmosphere, if not for the solid pub food menu, beer list, and cocktails. Did I mention there’s also a billiards loft?
The Hub Pub, located on 18 Province Street, one block away from the Boston Common.
by JK
Massachusetts First 
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