Dillons—Plucked from the aether

Amongst the pantheon of pubs which exist in the greater Boston area (it is truly a vast amount), we decided to pluck one out of the aether at random. Dear faithful readers (hi mom and dad!), you will certainly have noticed by now our preference at excluding pubs from our review agenda. We generally assume that every pub in Boston is the same; in fact, we look down upon pub culture as rather uncultured. If you have never lived in Boston, then the novelty of the pub is worth visiting, but it really gets dull after repetitive visits. The menus don't change, the atmosphere and décor is the same from one to another and if you aren't a huge sports fan, then you are rather excluded.

All that being said and our snootiness aside, we were craving a good burger and fries, so we headed over to Dillons on Boylston Street. Dillon's is definitely catering for the early-to-mid thirties scene, thus it had a bit of class to it. It wasn't like putting lipstick on a pig, it was more like a new and classier hog. TVs twice the size of our living room. An eclectic menu that still included old favorites. Large comfortable lounging areas. A sleek ambiance. These were all the little twists that helped to define Dillons from its grungy neighbors down the block. We especially liked that Dillons made a conscience effort not to use beer advertisements and signs as its main modus of decoration. The beer list was the same as any other.

Perched on our tall chairs, one of the Palateers already knew what they wanted (CHEESE BURGER), and as soon as the other looked at the menu, their mind was made up (CHICKEN PANINI, emphasis intended). The waitress was nice, attentive and also eager to protect our table from an encroaching band of Ohioans.

The huge cheese burger hit the spot, comfort food in its best and brightest. The delectable ground round was done perfectly medium rare, served with delectable crunchy hot fries.

The chicken panini didn't live up to the description, but it was thoroughly eaten. None of the essential ingredients burst with flavor. It was ok, not memorable, thus our difficulty in giving specifics.

Amongst the plethora of pub choices, we would choose Dillon's over its counterparts any day.

Dillons
955 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02115-3106
(617) 421-1818

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