Bill Ash's Lounge, the cash-only dive bar that's anchored Revere Beach Boulevard for decades, has closed its doors for good. The bar held a Halloween Final Farewell Party at the longtime, popular spot, and musician Michael Firicano confirmed what regulars feared: the lights are out permanently.
A Final Set and a Permanent Goodbye
According to Revere Journal, the farewell bash took place Saturday night at the Revere Beach Boulevard location. Firicano, who said he'd been playing Bill Ash's in different bands, off and on, since 1990, put it plainly: “Even tougher to deal with, it's now permanently closed.” He added that his own band got to close out the venue's long run, saying, “I had the honor of my band, MSF/The Radio, being the very last act.”
The lounge's reputation as a Revere Beach institution runs deep. As described by Welcome to Hell World, it was “the iconic dive bar that's been a fixture of the beach for over fifty years.” Owner Kerry Tunstall told the outlet he started working there in 1978, when he was twenty years old — a tenure stretching back nearly half a century. Per Boston Restaurant Talk, the bar sat at 78 Revere Beach Boulevard and had operated since the 1970s, building its identity as a decades-old dive bar north of Boston known for live music.
Cash Only, No Exceptions
True to its old-school reputation, Bill Ash's never took cards. The bar operated as a cash-only business, a detail the same account confirms with a blunt line: “It's cash-only, always.” That kind of throwback simplicity, paired with its live music nights, is part of why longtime patrons like Firicano describe the closure as such a loss.
Condos Coming to a Changing Beachfront
The site's future looks a lot different than its past. Per Boston Restaurant Talk, Bill Ash's occupied a space slated for a new mixed-use development that will include condos. Earlier plans reported by Revere Journal called for a six-story building at 76–82 Revere Beach Boulevard, with 80 residential condo units, retail and restaurant spaces on the first floor, and 82 parking spaces underneath.
The project also needed a file number from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Part of a Bigger Shift at the Beach
Bill Ash's isn't the only longtime business to vanish from that stretch. Welcome to Hell World reports that two other businesses on the same lot, Happy Garden and Twist N' Shake, have already closed and relocated. The same account frames the closures against a broader transformation along Revere Beach, noting the completion of more than a dozen new luxury apartment and condo buildings in the area.
For now, the Halloween farewell stands as the lounge's last hurrah. Firicano's final set with MSF/The Radio closed out the lounge's run; he had played there off and on since 1990.
