Toad

This Porter Square hole-in-the-wall is one of the few remaining cover-free spots in the city. There's a lot of good roots/Americana, though the joint isn't above booking a solid Beatles tribute band or a well-honed soul singer. Barely the size of a studio apartment, Toad gets packed easily, so expect to rub elbows with complete strangers. Fortunately, this place self-selects for a certain brand of open-minded musicophile, so mingling with this amiable bunch is usually a pleasure—and when it's not, the bands should be enough to hold your attention.