I'll admit I'm not much of a sports fan, and I'm even less of a sports pub fan (all those blaring TVs and raucous sport fans? No.) But every now and again, I'll find myself talked into meeting up at a sports-centric spot with some of my crew ("C'mon, Kate! It's March Madness, after all!), and that's when I'm glad Costello's is around. 

There's nothing too surprising here for a Boston sports joint—there's nine (count 'em nine!)  huge hi-def plasma screens lurking around, but here they're not so annoyingly prominent. There's faint smell of Pine-Sol, dim lighting and tons of the expected Beantown sports memorabilia framed on the brick-exposed walls.

And then there's the chicken wings (hot, slippery, served with blue cheese and celery…you know, perfect) and plenty of fave local draughts ( a few Harpoons and Sams, plus Vermont's Magic Hat.)  There's also "JP Barkers" hot dogs, served up a couple of ways (avoid the gimicky stuff, the plain all-beef is just fine with a side of thick, salty fries.) 

If interest in the game wains, there's always the distraction of Keno, a popular New England pub game which is basically gambling on bingo. Playing isn't nearly as thrilling as watching the die-hard Keno enthusiasts get really into the game. 

You can sometimes scam a speck of free WiFi near the front windows, and there's a surprisingly superb selection of jukebox gems, if classic 70's soul is your thing. There's a friendly neighborhood vibe here too—the  place where everybody not only knows your name, but probably knows your brother's and your mother's names too. 

Open daily, 10 a.m.-2 a.m.