The Dive Bars of Yesteryear: The Quiet Man Pub (South Boston, MA)

by Dan Moore
@SouthieDanimal

Back with another edition of The Dive Bars of America, but with a twist. In this edition, I talk about a storied dive bar from days past. I’ve got a 5-category rating system between 1 and 4 handlebar mustaches, which is the preferred mustache by 9 out of 10 old timers in dive bars.

The Quiet Man Pub

11 W Broadway

South Boston, MA 02127

Probably the most lamented bar in Southie, The Quiet Man is a legendary watering hole that, sadly, went the way of the dodo bird almost a decade ago. The Quiet Man was a bar with two rooms, one a straight-up pub, the other a restaurant area. It had a questionable bathroom, excellent food and tons of personality.


FUN FACTOR: Every time you walked into this joint, you would have a blast. Didn’t matter what you came there to do; if you were eating or boozing til the last number 9 bus drove away, the place was GREAT. There were TVs all about for your sporting needs, but it was more about the crew you showed up with. A good time was had by all in here.

Shortly before its untimely demise

CAST OF REGULARS: I am HUGELY biased in this area, as members of my family worked here and this was like a second home for me. I walked into this place and knew the patrons, the bartender and the waitresses. It was awesome. Everyone who hung out at this place knew each other’s names, their neighborhoods and what time they’d show up to drink. You’re in a Southie bar. It’s filled with the old school Southie melting pot. Italians, construction workers, Irish and lifelong residents permeated this place. It was a giant reunion whenever you’d head to the Quiet Man.

BEER CHOICES: All I ever remember at this place is the Southie beer of choice, Bud Light. And that’s A-OK with me. If they had any other beers, I don’t remember ever ordering one. But it’s the beer I grew up on and still drink to this day, so it still gets…

STENCH: This is the one time in these reviews where the stench was good and still receives a good rating. The delicious aroma of the fabled steak tips wafted from outside and hit you like a delicious punch in the face the minute you walked in the door. Goddamn, those things were phenomenal. Cooked up perfectly each time by Big Steve Casey, the steak tips are still talked about to this very day by everyone who ate them. I dunno what they did to them but they were incredible each and every time I ate them (I assume the major secret was the storage room, located in the men’s room, accessed through a door essentially UNDER the toilets. A totally above-board storage and marination process).

OVERALL: Man oh man, I miss this place. I have vivid memories of going here on Friday nights with my family, heading to the back room, putting a bunch of tables together, and eating like kings. Everyone chowing down on their salads (with their creamy Italian dressing, naturally) and getting their steak tips with rice pilaf or fries. And I never had the balls back then to eat the hot pepper that came with it. How dumb I was.  A classic mainstay of Southie, when they tore down the Quiet Man, it not only left a hole in Broadway station but also in the old school mentality of our neighborhood. The Quiet Man was perfect, and gets the highest handlebar mustache rating EVER.