Where to have a group dinner in Back Bay

The answer to where to have a group dinner in Back Bay is a restaurant that takes reservations and sits within a 6-minute walk of the T stop most of your group uses. Copley serves every Green Line branch, so start with the two picks about 4 minutes from it. You have eight or ten people to seat, some ride the Green Line, someone takes the Orange Line, and the group chat still hasn't named a place.

This post suggests six restaurants, then covers which T stop to plan around, how big a table each one can seat, and how late the night can run. It's part of our guide to Back Bay. For downtown options and the booking call itself, see restaurant for a big group in Boston.

Where to have a group dinner in Back Bay?

Choose by T stop first, then by your night. All six take reservations, and each note says which group it suits.

Our picks in Back Bay

Chosen by the Where2Meet team. Photos, ratings and addresses load live from Google Maps.

• Buttermilk & Bourbon - Back Bay

  Book this restaurant on Commonwealth Avenue when the table is big enough to need its own room, since it lists rooms for 20 to 40. It's moderately priced and takes reservations. It opens at 5 p.m. on Monday and closes at 10 p.m. most nights, or 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Copley is about a 4-minute walk.

• Joe's on Newbury

  Mixed groups can reach this Newbury Street restaurant from Copley in about 4 minutes or from Back Bay station in about 9, so it suits a table split between the Green and Orange lines. It's moderately priced, takes reservations, is good for groups and closes at 11 p.m. every night.

• M.J. O'Connor's

  Groups coming from downtown have the shortest ride to this Irish restaurant on Columbus Avenue, because Arlington, two stops from Park Street, is about a 3-minute walk. It's moderately priced and takes reservations. It stays open until 1 a.m., or 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

• Boston Burger Company - Boylston St.

  Take the B, C or D to Hynes for this burger restaurant on Boylston Street, about a 2-minute walk from the station. It's moderately priced, is good for groups and stays open until 12:30 a.m. every night, so a late table still works. Call ahead to confirm a long table.

• Piattini

  Keep this Italian restaurant on Newbury Street for an early dinner with a smaller group. It closes at 9 p.m. on Sunday, 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It's moderately priced and takes reservations. Copley is about a 6-minute walk, and Hynes about 8.

• Terra

  Inside Eataly at the Prudential Center, this restaurant gives everyone a meeting point they can find without directions. It takes reservations and is good for groups. It closes at 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Hynes is about a 6-minute walk, and Copley about 7.

Google Maps

The hours, price levels, reservations, group details and walk times on these cards come from Google Maps as of November 2026. Walk times start at each MBTA station. Room sizes come from each restaurant's own event page, linked below.

Which T stop should the group plan around?

Count how many people ride each line, then pick the stop that suits most of them. Back Bay is long enough for this to matter. Boston Burger Company is about a 2-minute walk from Hynes but about 14 from Copley.

• Every Green Line branch. All four stop at Copley and Arlington, so a table spread across branches should pick one of those two.
• B, C or D. These branches continue to Hynes, which puts the west end of Boylston Street in reach.
• E. This branch skips Hynes. An E rider going to Terra should get off at Copley.
• Orange Line and commuter rail. From Back Bay station, Buttermilk & Bourbon is about an 8-minute walk, the shortest of the six.
• Red Line. Change at Park Street. Arlington is two stops from there, and Copley is three.

How big a table can each restaurant seat?

Two of the six publish room sizes, so start there if you have 20 or more. For the others, ask when you call.

• Buttermilk & Bourbon's event form lists rooms seating 20, 30 and 40.
• M.J. O'Connor's event form lists a Fireplace room seating 30 and a Park Dining room seating 50.
• Terra's page sends private dining requests to Eataly's Boston events team.
• Piattini's site describes three intimate dining rooms and two sunken patios, so check before you promise a long table.

We didn't find a published room size for Joe's on Newbury or Boston Burger Company. Give them your headcount and date, and ask whether the group sits together.

How late can the dinner run?

Closing times change by night at four of the six, so check yours before you book. The T matters only at the two places that stay open past 11 p.m.

The MBTA's subway guide says to reach a downtown station such as Park Street by 12:35 a.m. Sunday to Thursday, or 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, to make the last connections. Park Street is three stops from Copley. Anyone changing lines there should leave Boston Burger Company or M.J. O'Connor's by about midnight on a weeknight.

A commuter rail rider has a different deadline. Look up the last departure on the MBTA's commuter rail schedules before you choose a start time.

For other plans in this neighborhood, see first date spot picks in Back Bay and team meeting venue ideas in Back Bay. For the same occasion in New York, see group dinner spots in Lower Manhattan.

How to do it in Where2Meet

Start a Group dinner plan in Where2Meet and have each guest add the station they'd ride from, such as Hynes or Back Bay. Search by name for Joe's on Newbury and Boston Burger Company, because one sits near Copley and the other near Hynes, then compare everyone's transit times. The group votes, and the organizer picks the table and books it.

Common questions

Which Back Bay restaurants can seat 20 or more?

Buttermilk & Bourbon and M.J. O'Connor's both list rooms that size on their event forms. Send your date and headcount, and ask about any minimum spend.

Where can a group eat in Back Bay after 11 p.m.?

M.J. O'Connor's and Boston Burger Company are open past 11 p.m. every night. The other four close by 11 p.m. at the latest.

Are these restaurants open on Sunday and Monday?

Yes, all six are. Buttermilk & Bourbon doesn't open until 5 p.m. on Monday, and Piattini closes at 9 p.m. on Sunday.