Somerville Irish Pub Recognized as ‘Love Pub’

The Burren in Davis Square, Somerville, is getting newfound recognition as Boston's unofficial “Love Pub.” 

According to a Boston.com report, earlier this year, Boston influencer Krissy Bets created a tongue-in-cheek TikTok ranking local bars by how many couples met there. The post instantly gained momentum. 

“Originally, I was just documenting my own dating experiences,” Bets explained to Boston.com. “Then I put out an Instagram story poll asking, ‘If you met your boyfriend in Boston in the last five years, where did you meet?' A lot of people said Hinge, but the majority said a bar. And the one that kept coming up again and again was The Burren.”

According to Boston.com, The Burren opened in 1996 by its founders, Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello. It serves as an inviting hub for Irish music where conversation thrives, and TVs above the bar are avoided.

Patrons of The Burren frequently report first dates here evolving into long-term relationships, engagements, and marriages. The venue has now woven the Love Pub narrative into its brand. TikTok posts and couple stories illustrate how the bar influences patrons' dating lives.

Plans for a spring event called the “Walk of Love” will connect The Burren with nearby Irish pubs The Bebop and The Plough and Stars. This historical, social bar crawl aims to help strangers meet and potentially start relationships.