Equal Opportunity Drinking at Commonwealth

Some establishments feel like they never opened, per se, but rather grew naturally from the ground and people just started showing up. The walls are old, the taps well worn, and the crowd is consistent. If you’re lucky they have enough character to offer something special, like warm drinks on cold days or a dirt cheap jukebox. Thankfully, for the South Slope dweller, Commonwealth is there for you and would like you to sit down, take a load off, and stay a while.

Commonwealth certainly doesn’t seem like much from the outside. Traditional neon beer signs light it up while red curtains obscure the windows. At least it has the common courtesy to display its name prominently and isn’t too cool to be found. Walking inside doesn’t yield much either. It’s not themed, adorned, or otherwise distinguished through any yard sale chic. The single room with a long bar and booths is really all you need to get your drinking done, and why over season the experience? The beers are a good mix of high and low and never stray too far into high price. Helpful additions, though, are the small roster of specialty drinks they have there, probably catering to the Slope fanciness, that usually include some solid grog to warm your bones.

My favorite part, by far, is a sprawling juke where plays remain a quarter like the good ole days. It all adds up to a perfect spot to throw on some garage rock, warm up with spirits, and have a conversation til four in the morning about how Thanksgiving and Memorial Day are the Thursdays of holidays, like I did last Friday.