Hubbs Grill and Tap

by Danielle Svetcov

Burgers and beer before Beethoven? At Hubbs Grill and Tap, a subterranean eatery around the corner from Symphony Hall, customers come for gourmet versions of both. The menu lists eight variations on the half-pound hamburger ($5 to $6) and more than 25 microbrews in bottles and on tap (around $3). A representative pairing: the "Fun-Guy" burger (grilled mushrooms, sharp cheddar, and aïoli on a sesame-seed bun with a mound of crispy shoestring fries) and Pete's Strawberry Blond brew ($3). If cheddar seems a wee bit passé, the burgers, focaccia sandwiches, and "wraps" also come with accompaniments like goat cheese, blue cheese, dill-havarti, balsamic mayo, peanut sauce, grapefruit salsa, and pesto. Some of these could use a garlic boost for flavor, but the servings are so generous and the ingredients so fresh (no iceberg salads here) that customers forgive. The Macho Nachos ($4.95) is one dish that needs no help. Up at the bar, nibbling blue and yellow tortilla chips topped with jack cheese, salsa, sour cream, and black beans and relaxing to the cadences of Bob Costas's play-by-play on TV, you won't even notice Hubbs's dentist-office décor.

Hubbs Grill and Tap, located at 329 Huntington Avenue, in Boston, is open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. Call (617) 867-0084.