22 Best Restaurant Bathrooms in Greater Boston

Everybody has to go, so it makes perfect sense that restaurateurs looking to cultivate an experience are also making their bathrooms destination-worthy. Whether the restroom walls are plastered in reading material like vintage ads or cookbook recipes; the sinks are made from repurposed pots or gorgeous art; or there are notes on the powder room mirror that affirm your selfie-worth, check out these favorite washrooms around Boston.

Last updated November 2023; check back for periodic updates.

Bleacher Bar

Located in a former batting cage underneath the Fenway Park bleachers, this is one of the most unique sports bars in all of Boston. In the men’s room, you won’t miss any of the action of the game, thanks to a two-way glass window installed above a row of urinals that looks into the bar and toward the view of the field.

82A Lansdowne St., Fenway, Boston, 617-262-2424, bleacherbarboston.com.

Bar Volpe

In this bespoke South Boston restaurant bathroom, it’s all about the little things. Design elements like a gold-rimmed mirror and white subway tile give the space an elegant feel, but the best part of both the men’s and women’s restrooms (you’re welcome to use whichever feels most comfortable to you) is the shelf filled with mini toiletries—that’s right, both restrooms are fully stocked with bobby pins, hair elastics, tampons, Shout wipes, floss picks, and mints, because where there’s Italian food, there’s guaranteed to be tomato sauce and fennel seeds.

170 West Broadway, South Boston, 617-865-7100, barvolpe.com.

See also: Top 50 Restaurants in Boston

Citrus & Salt

The whimsical, bright, and beachy vibes of chef Jason Santos’ coastal Mexican restaurant extend to the décor of the women’s room. The floral-skull wallpaper and cheeky mirror message (“I didn’t text you, tequila did”) are picture-perfect.

142 Berkeley St., Back Bay, Boston, 833-324-8787, citrusandsaltboston.com.

Committee

The stock pot-sinks and penny-tiled floors are an extension of the industrial-chic interior at this hip, Seaport meze bar.

50 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston, 617-737-5051, committeeboston.com.

Contessa

At Contessa—one of the most beautiful restaurants in Boston—you’ll find that the luxurious maximalist feel of the dining room spills over into the bathroom stalls, and it’s a very good thing. Power-clashing is the name of the game with patterned wallpaper, stunning marble sinks, colorful tile backsplash, and gilded mirrors. You’ll definitely want to snap a selfie (or five).

3 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston, 617-741-3404, contessaristorante.com.

Delux Cafe

Everything in this restaurant speaks to a celebration of the sometimes kitschy, vintage-inspired, commonplace items that bring us comfort. In the restaurant, this means a melty fontina-and-fig-onion-jam grilled cheese paired with an ice-cold Schlitz enjoyed under the warm glow of year-round Christmas lights and an Elvis bust lamp. In the private restrooms, it’s a coat of pastel pink paint, a run-of-the-mill mirror, and walls covered in framed Maidenform bra advertisements from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s.

100 Chandler St., South End, Boston, 617-338-5258, thedelux.com.

Eventide Fenway

We just love the gorgeous shell sink at this reimagining of Maine gem Eventide Oyster Co. Like she did for the bathrooms at the Portland original, ceramicist Alison Evans (AE Ceramics) of Boothbay, Maine, created this pearly washbowl.

1321 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, 617-545-1060, eventideoysterco.com.

See also: Our Guide to Eating + Drinking in the Fenway

Fat Baby

“The only two things we knew when we started talking about this project was we wanted a copper bar top, and we wanted all our staff’s baby pictures lining the bathroom,” says owner Mike Shaw. The final product does indeed feature mainly employees of the sushi spot and sibling restaurant Loco Taqueria, but spend some time looking for baby pics of Jay-Z, NHL player Kevin Hayes (a Dorchester native), and a couple other celebs.

118 Dorchester St., South Boston, 617-766-3450, fatbabysouthboston.com.

Fool’s Errand

At this offbeat little “adult snack bar,” Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart keep a watchful eye as you take care of business. And while their large portrait may catch your attention first, don’t miss other fun bathroom design elements, like the security camera wallpaper and the giraffe peeping above the mirror.

1377 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, foolserrandboston.com.

Gray’s Hall

The essence of Gray’s Hall is understated cool, from the approachable list of very special natural wines to the unfussy shrettuce-topped burger on their menu to the monthly art show pop-ups featuring a rotating cast of local artists and DJs. The bathroom—designed by Thayer Design Studio founder Meredith Thayer (wife of Gray’s co-owner Matt Thayer) along with the rest of the space—is perhaps the perfect encapsulation of this fun, spunky, and nonchalant attitude. It’s minimalist yet functional with pops of texture and color, featuring a single framed illustration by Boston-based artist Caitlin Duennebier, a vase filled with fresh flowers, and a big-ass mirror.

615 East Broadway, South Boston, 617-269-1001, grayshall.com.

Hook + Line

If you love well-designed wallpaper, then the bathrooms at the newly opened Hook + Line are sure to impress. The rainbow-hued doors take inspiration from the colors of the Pride flag, and going inside each of the eight individual, gender-neutral restrooms, you’ll find vibrant, fanciful wallpapers. Owner Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli partnered with the design team at Graffito SP, Boston, to create them. There’s a full cast of sea creatures within these walls—we’re talkin’ literal card sharks, an octopus bartender, and the like. 

10 Fan Pier Blvd., Seaport District, Boston, hookandlinebos.com.

Idle Hour

Retro vibes inform this Quincy Center cocktail bar, but the four individual, gender-neutral bathrooms are definitely progressive. Each one has its own theme, from an Antarctic, penguin-populated chamber to the purple Prince bathroom.

1464 Hancock St., Quincy, 617-845-5711, idlehourquincy.com.

Mahaniyom

The team behind this buzzy Thai spot has successfully infused just as much eclectic flavor into their bathrooms as they have in their menu with just two simple words: blacklight mural. Co-owner Chompon Boonnak, known to his friends as Boong, explains that they wanted the bathroom design to contrast with the minimal black and white design of the dining room, so they commissioned local artist Ponnapa Prakkamakul to paint the fluorescent mural. Drawing from Thai folklore, Prakkamakul depicted the god of darkness (Lord Rahu) eating the sun and moon as well as a water dragon (naga) that creates a flood in this particular powder room art. We can’t wait to see how the team tops this at Mahaniyom’s forthcoming sequel, Merai.

236 Washington Street, Brookline, 617-487-5986, mahaniyomboston.com.

See also: Top 50 Restaurants in Boston

Náthalie

There’s more than meets the eye in the moody, dimly lit restrooms at this natural wine bar. Sure, the large circular mirror and black-and-white photos covering the walls are stunning even if you don’t know the story behind them, but once owner Haley Fortier fills in the gaps, you’ll love them even more. “Nathálie is named after my grandmother, a very strong and independent woman, who lived to be 95 years old,” Fortier explains. “She’s one of the images pictured on the wall, when she was 18. The rest of the images were taken by a dear friend of mine, Nick Holmes—he’s [also] the only man pictured. I told him that I wanted to create a custom wallpaper for the bathroom [featuring] fiercely independent women of all shapes, sizes, and colors.”

186 Brookline Avenue, Fenway, Boston, 857-317-3884, nathaliebar.com.

Pammy’s

Pammy’s co-owner Pam Willis has packed every inch of her and husband Chris Willis’ Cambridge restaurant with sentimentality through found or repurposed objects and thoughtful handmade elements. In their three single-stall bathrooms, this comes across in the delicate gold wallpaper from Brooklyn-based designer Flavor Paper, reclaimed doors from a New York City dentist’s office, hand-painted gold leaf signs on each door by local artist Kenji Nakayama, and framed vintage posters ranging from the anatomy of the reproductive system to a social justice-themed piece by the artist-nun behind Dorchester’s famed Rainbow Swash landmark, Sister Mary Corita Kent.

928 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617-945-1761, pammyscambridge.com.

Parlor Sports

The vintage Life magazine ads and sexy pin-up portraits covering the walls in the restrooms here nod to the aesthetic at sibling and neighbor Trina’s Starlite Lounge, but the TVs above the toilets are right at home in this small but mighty sports bar.

1 Beacon St., Somerville, 617-576-0231, trinastarlitelounge.com/parlor.

Stoked Wood Fired Pizza Company

Pizza-eating Pac-Man wallpaper extends the fun, throwback theme of this food-truck-turned-brick-and-mortar, fitting right in with dining room art referencing The Sandlot and the ’90s alternative-heavy playlist on the speakers.

1632 Beacon St., Brookline, 617-982-FIRE, stokedpizzaco.com.

Tonino

It’s always nice to have something to ponder while you’re on the toilet, and the folks at Tonino have ensured that customers have plenty to study. Cherry wood shelves are filled with objects from co-owner Luke Fetbroth’s childhood—including his grandmother’s pizzelle press, sports memorabilia, vinyl records, and even the decal from the 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme he drove in high school.

669a Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Boston, 617-524-9217, toninojp.com.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge

While the refrigerator here can be a little rude sometimes, the women’s room is all about positivity. Self-affirmations like “You are beautiful” and #TSLlovesyou are scrawled on the mirror—plus, we always take a peppermint candy or two from the jar after washing our hands.

3 Beacon St., Somerville, 617-576-0006, trinastarlitelounge.com.

Vialé

Co-owners and wife-and-husband duo Shauna Reyburn and Greg Reeves are committed to supporting local artists and bringing the magic of Central Square into their restaurant whenever possible—even in the bathrooms. Visual artist Curtistic transformed the women’s restroom into a raw graffitied paradise, while tattooer and artist Reilly Inks is behind the colorful graffiti art in the men’s restroom. 

502 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge, 617-576-1900, vialecambridge.com.

Vincent’s

These bathrooms are straight out of a Wes Anderson movie, specifically Moonrise Kingdom or Fantastic Mr. Fox. Each of the two private bathrooms features paneled walls painted in woodsy tones (one brownish-burgundy, one forest green), a small sink with an equally small ornately decorated mirror above (both of which could easily be in a European train car or quaint Parisian café), and best of all, a vintage framed photo of a deer that’s backlit and hung next to antique-looking sconces. There’s even a wine press in the larger of the two bathrooms, which, according to co-owner Evan Harrison, “belonged to a neighbor’s grandfather who brought it over from Portugal in the early 1900s.”

233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., Cambridge, 617-314-7297, vincentscorner.com.

Yvonne’s

The current owners pay homage to this restaurant space’s illustrious history (it was once Locke-Ober) with a powder room reinvented for millennials, complete with a bright lounge sofa and colorful chandeliers. And of course, it has the perfect wallpaper to make you feel like the star you know you are while taking bathroom-mirror selfies.

2 Winter Pl., Downtown Crossing, Boston, 617-267-0047, yvonnesboston.com.

See also: The Most Beautiful Restaurants in Greater Boston

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