Party Time: The Best Spots In Boston For Big Groups

Party Time: The Best Spots In Boston For Big GroupsPhoto: Damien S./Yelp
Allie Pape
Published on June 26, 2017

Celebrating a birthday? Partying with your intramural team? Organizing the office happy hour? You're gonna need a bigger bar (or restaurant, or bowling alley). Never fear: we've rounded up five spots around Boston that are perfect for big groups, and where everyone is sure to have a great time. 

Urban BreweryAeronaut Brewing Company
Somerville

Groups of all sizes have long prized this cavernous space, where you can get a big crowd together for pints of the house brews (try the Orangutan Skies IPA or the Robot Crush pilsner) and turns on the Ms. Pac-Man machine. While the brewery doesn't serve food, you're encouraged to bring in your own or have it delivered, making the experience totally customizable. And for bigger groups, they'll even reserve space in advance if you email ahead

Private Dining: Mamma Maria
North End

Photo: Mamma Maria/Yelp

With five different private dining rooms that hold anywhere from four to 40 diners, Mamma Maria's is a good fit for lots of different group sizes. The food can be a tad pricier than other North End Italian joints, but since there's no room rental fee, you'll get to spend your entire bill on pasta and wine, not the space itself. Afterward, take the whole group around the corner to Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry for cannoli. 

Karaoke: Limelight Stage + Studios
Theater District

Photo: Limelight Stage + Studios/Yelp

Singing in front of strangers can be intimidating, which is why Limelight's private karaoke rooms are perfect for groups that would rather keep their warbling to themselves. With six private rooms that can accommodate anywhere from 8 to 40 people, the songs can go on all night long—Limelight has more than 11,000 to choose from, across eight different languages. And for singers who need some liquid courage, there's a full bar as well. 

Bowling: South Boston Candlepin
South Boston

Photo: Frank B./Yelp

Candlepin bowling is iconically Boston, and this old-school alley (a.k.a. Bowlarama) is the perfect spot to knock down some pins without knocking out your bank account. The old wooden ball machines and paper-and-pencil scoring are great for a nostalgic throwback, while the beer selection, which includes several craft brews by the pitcher, is surprisingly modern. 

Trivia Night: The Big Quiz Thing
Various locations

Photo: The Big Quiz Thing/Facebook

Forget the golf pencils, slips of paper, and hard-to-hear loudspeaker clues: at this free event, answering via smartphone app is the norm, as are TV-style audio and video clues, buzzers and lightning rounds. Held monthly at Oberon in Harvard Square, it draws big crowds of trivia obsessives who compete not only to have the right answer, but the best Smart-Ass Answer (yes, you get points). For really big groups (think office Christmas parties or bar mitzvahs), they'll even create a custom trivia night that comes to you, with questions that play to your strengths.