Stanza dei Sigari

by Renee B.

Oh my g-d, I am in love! I had this place on my radar for quite sometime and finally made it out last night. I loved it the minute I walked in. As stated in other reviews, it definitely feel like there should be some Mafiosos at the table next to you. The drinks are strong, the cigar selection seems right (I am not to knowledgeable in that area), and the crowd is diverse. Yes, smoking and such is bad for you, but there is this sense of sophistication about the whole place that just makes it justifiable.

by bubba h.

Enjoy it while you can, cause it won't last long!  Unfortunately, all cigar bars (what few still exist) in the Boston area are being forced to close.  Are you happy now, you uptight non-smoking public?  Few more years left to this place - and then it will be no more....  I've been. It's nice.  They charge you a fee even if you just light up yourself.  If you've got the scratch and want a nice bar to smoke in, go.  I bring my own cigars - theirs are overpriced.  Drinks are good.  Highly recommend a mixer here.  See ya!

by Megan B.

What to do when Mike's is closed? Have cigars and big glasses of cabernet for dessert instead! After dinner at Pomodoro last Tuesday, Dad and I were sort of half-happy to save the calories when we realized that Mike's had closed while we lingered over dinner. However, we definitely wanted to chat more (he's not in town all that often, living 3000 miles away), and the fact that he savors a good cigar every now and then made this little hangout just right.I'm not a cigar smoker myself, but I enjoy the smell, and I found the atmosphere here to be very cool in a sophisticated, private club sort of way (yet lacking pretension). Notably, both the average age of the patrons and the male-female ratio (admittedly very high to begin with) plummeted as the night wore on.The cigar was (reportedly) quite good, albeit larger than he expected, and the cabs by the glass were also very nice. The main problem was really, really poor service. The waitress was very apologetic, but it wasn't her fault. They were critically understaffed. It was bad enough that I would consider elbowing through the large men at the bar next time, rather than wait around for table service. Stanza dei Sigari still gets 3 stars because of the unique atmosphere, which could probably lure me back the next time I'm strolling down Hanover St. after dinner.

by Dara C.M L.Meg M.Christopher M.

Cigars are probably the thing I know the least about, except for maybe organic chemistry and plumbing. I don't know why those popped into my head--those just seem like subjects on which I'm woefully undereducated and should cigars, organic chemistry, or plumbing come up as a Jeopardy! category, I would be at an extreme disadvantage, even if the other contestants had a mediocre handle on any of the subjects, for I know virtually nothing and would surely lose.That being said, apparently the cigars are good and plentiful. I don't know if they're overpriced, but they didn't SEEM so extravagant to me. Though there were a few listed as "market price"--I assume these are the lobsters of cigars, and they'll probably run you a little bit more--nothing seemed jaw-droppingly pricey.The drinks were priced on the higher end, but I wasn't surprised. It's the North End, it's a veritable gentleman's club, they're mostly served in the proper glassware, etc. Our table's mixed drinks were limited to white Russians, which were met with approval. Scotch and cognac tasted as they should; beer was cold and bubbly, but the selection wasn't great (Stella, Peroni, Sams, Bud Light.)Ambiance is dim and smoke-filled. (No, but really?) I love the smell of cigar smoke so that wasn't problematic at all. Mostly dudes in their thirties to fifties, leaving our group to bring the average way, way, way down, by about thirteen years. But the servers didn't seem to mind, and we behaved like proper ladies and gentlemen, ie, not wearing flat-brimmed baseball caps. (It would seem a damn shame to do so while sitting in a comfy leather chair, now wouldn't it?) And word to the wise. By ten o'clock on a Friday, this place became Cougar City. Make of that what you will. Grrrr.Service was fine, if a little non-attentive. This place gets very busy; I'm glad we arrived when we did because it was HOPPING by ten. The server was nice enough, as was her well-displayed decolletage. (Am I allowed to bring that up as a point of service? I feel awkward.) There was a wee hiccup when she took away two half-finished drinks while the drinkers were waiting in the interminable bathroom line, and it took a damn while for the server to return to correct the problem. She did eventually but I'm surprised that she whisked away two drinks so quickly. She was also a little MIA but again, it was busy ... a little disappointed I didn't get a final drink because I wanted to impress the table by drinking a scotch and not puckering, but alas, alack, another day. On the music note--heh--which everyone is bringing up ... yes, the tune selection is just plain wrong for the atmosphere, the clientele, and everything right down to the leather recliners. It should be swingin' jazz, not Taylor Swift, and though we admittedly sang along as the spirits flowed, it kind of killed the mood. More Sinatra, less Jonas, that's my motto.All in all, went for the fella's End of Birthday Week celebration, and it seems a very good place to do so. Definitely a good place for a classier gentleman's birthday or probably a low-key bachelor party but I don't really know. Enjoyed myself. Maybe I can haz bachelor party?Normally I would chalk this experience up to a bad night but it needs to be told. I'm and experienced cigar smoker and know the difference from a good, moist(read non stale) cigar that has been in a humidor most of its life, from one that has been left out and gotten stale and let go or re humidified. I should have complained immediately but I was half in the bag and full of a good meal. I thought it was me. Nay nay. I brought it to my servers attention, she tried to tell me my punch was at fault and gave me a cutter. No dice. Finally after flagging the server down, who was doing her right best to ignore me, she got the manager. Who said since I smoked half no refund and tried to explain that it wasn't stale it was a different cigar. R i i  i i i ght    Now I accept the no discount thing, but it didn't help that the server was clearly avoiding me and the manager was way way way too  busy looking like a club douche bag to give a shit about the overpriced cigar. I might have even accepted a song and dance because it is possible to get  a crap cigar from a perfectly good box.  No, I get a club refugee.  I refuse to go here anymore for any reason. Overpriced booze, wine and beer coupled with overly expensive cigars that are stale....Cigar Masters always. Folks take it from me. I really really love the ability to go out, enjoy a cigar and a drink in the… Okay Christopher... I agree with you on the soundtrack... DEFINITELY needs work. I think they just play 107.9 to be honest. Not good. Thats the last of the bad about this place though. I havent reviewed it yet and I have been many times. I love Stanza. I love the hot waitresses walking around in their little outfits. I love the smell of cigars (even though I dont smoke them) and I love being able to drink wine and smoke cigarettes INSIDE of a bar in Boston. Last night we got some Pinot Noir and a mango flavored hookah. 35 bucks an hour for hookah IS a bit steep but hell... its not something I do all the time and I consider it a treat to be in an establishment like Stanza. Its such a great end to a great meal at Panza which is just about 150 yards down the street. The Pinot Noir is delicious and isnt exactly a steal at 10 bucks a pop.. but they give you a nice heavy pour. I didnt have any problems with the service but in a place like that I dont mind a pokey staff. I never needed anything and she checked on us often enough but not so much it was annoying. She let us relax and have a good long chat. After a couple hours there we came up on the street to realize it was dark and well past our bedtime... so beware... you can easily lose track of time in this place... no windows...Stanza is a North End cigar bar with a full liquor license - lounging in this comfortable, garden-level bar and enjoying a smooth cigar and a glass of scotch or cognac will make any man feel like a king.  But wait, what's that I hear being piped in over the bar's sound system?Cindi Lauper???Look, I realize that girls just wanna have fun, and I'm all for it, but not while I'm trying to enjoy a Churchhill and a Single Malt.  But every time I come here, they're playing the same 1980s Top 40 soundtrack that just completely ruins the mood.  I've complained to the waitress and have been told, "Yeah, everyone complains about that," but apparently those complains have fallen on deaf ears.But it's not just the soundtrack at Stanza that turns me off.  They always seem to be understaffed, which means it takes forever to get service.  When you finally get a waitress to your table, she doesn't have the time to make a suggestion or even look up because she has three other tables screaming at her.The staff (bus boys) smoke cigarettes while working - I find this utterly unprofessional.  I understand there's already smoke in the air, but you don't see waiters wandering around a nice bar with cans of Pabst in their hands.  And how well can you bus tables one handed while you're busy flicking ashes into people's drinks with the other?And I've been asked on more than one occasion to get up and move to a different (smaller) table so the staff could accommodate a large party that just arrived.  That's just not right.Stanza is also ridiculously overpriced.But Stanza is the ONLY cigar bar in Boston will a full liquor license, and given recent legislation passed in the state, it seems like that won't change anytime soon.  So if you want a drink and a cigar outside the comfortable confines of your own home, may I suggest you head to Stanza with a little Sinatra on your iPod and a boat load of patience.

by Jeffrey K.

I've gone here a few times, most recently with a friend after a wonderful dinner at Monica's.First off, you have to like to smoke to go here.  If you don't like a smoke filled chamber that you'll leave smelling like cigar factory, don't go.  Its not for you.Beyond that, the service here is great.  There's a fine selection of spirits and cigars but plan on spending a pretty penny.  For two cigars and four drinks, I spent over $100 with tip.  Those were some of the lower end purchases available too.My favorite thing about this place is the cushy chairs.  You can lounge back with a cigar and spirit and have a great conversation that lasts into the night .  My friend and I lost a good two hours there thinking it was 11 when it was 1 in the morning!

by Danae B.

I'd heard so much about this place, I really had to drag my ass up to the North End and check it out.I was not disappointed. Walking into Stanza dei Sigari was like walking straight into Prohibition Era Boston. I half expected an Italian mobster to walk up to me and make me give up my table.I was somewhat put off by how the waitress initially ignored my friend and I, even though the place was not at all packed. She also overcharged my friend for her glass of port.I deduct a star for the lacking service and for the brood of generic guys in their early thirties all wearing jeans and polo shirts.

by B. W.

Now, I know everyone seems to love this place, and it sounds like if you loove cigars and expensive, esoteric liquors, this is the place to go.  However, if you wandered in because they are the only place that has hookahs within five miles of where you live, you are likely to be as disappointed as we were.Firstly, the 'price per hour' label is just plain wrong.  It's price per hookah.  Anytime you want to refill the bowl, they charge you again.The service was truly horrible.  The waitresses ignored us for our drink orders (necessitating us to make repeated trips to the bar) and the hookah took forever.  There was no coal service to speak of.Finally, and I understand this is solely a consequence opting to go into a cigar bar, it was disgusting inhaling second-hand cigar smoke all night, and then reeking of it until showers and laundry were done. My friends and I have been there twice, hoping to have a better experience the second time around, but it was not to be.  It's just a bad place to go for a hookah.  It's obvious they don't care about their 'hookah customers', and frankly, it seems to me they should just do away with the service.  None of us is happy with their current arrangement, it's just a tease.

by Korri Leigh C.

Attention all Yelpers: I'm severely biased: I work here.That being said, this place rocks.  The Stanza is one of the only Cigar Bars in the city, and the ONLY one with a full liquor license.  We have a wide array of cigars, tons of yummy drinks,and my favorite: Huqqas!I don't smoke, but I definitely enjoy a delicious Mango/Peach flavored Huqqa from time to time (ok who am I kidding I share one every shift I work)This bar has great personality - all the bartenders are hot, again, I'm biased :) - and you'll run into a gamut of interesting characters here: old North End mobsters, Boston 'power players', assorted celebrities (Mike O'Malley, former Patriot and Giant Steve DeOssie, Dan Akroid, etc).If you don't mind the place getting a teensy bit smokey I definitely recommend coming down to the Stanza for a drink and or a smoke, just ask for Korri and I'll be sure to pour you a strong one :)

by Nicole M.

3 words: Total Gentleman's ClubThe first time I went to Stanza, I had pneumonia and was out to dinner with a group of friends for a 30th bday party.  For some unknown reason, I decided it might be ok if I went into the depths of smoke.  I got downstairs and nearly collapsed from lung failure, and was dizzy and had blurred vision the entire whopping 15mins I was able to last without dying right there on the floor.The second time was midweek during a cool summer evening.  Too lazy to traipse across the bridge to Tangierino, we opted to head here for a hookah.  The room to the right at the bottom of the stairs was empty, but the one to the left had ambiance going on, so we opted for that space.  A bunch of men, ranging in age from late 20's to 50's, decked out in either business or mob attire, smoking cigars and drinking cognac or port.  And then there's me, dressed in jeans, my chucks and a long boyfriend sweater and ordering a hookah and pomegranate martini.  Which one of these is not like the other?People watching was fantastic, the music was pretty rockin', the waitresses decolletage were all in my face and the hookah was perfect.  In addition to the faux pas of smoking a hookah and not a cigar, I also mistakenly walked into the "comfort room" thinking I would find the bathrooms.  Note to self: ask first.  It's clearly some secret room where you have to be part of a club in order to enter.  I love the atmosphere of this place.  I'm a sucker for basement locales and this one's got the extra perks of being dark and manly and cozy.Maybe it's time I brush up on my cigar lingo.

by Dirt M.

Awesome. Awesome.  Great selection of scotch and bourbon. Colorful characters abound.  I don't know much about cigars, but they seem to have everything you could want, plus hookah as well.  I need to go to this place more often.