What is the name of the real Boston bar that inspired the Cheers set?

The real Boston bar that inspired the Cheers set was the Bull & Finch. Located at 84 Beacon Street in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, it supplied the exterior image used in the sitcom’s opening sequence.

In 1981, Cheers creators Glen and Les Charles and producer James Burrows visited Boston while looking for an authentic local bar. They liked the Bull & Finch’s atmosphere and used its exterior as the model for the fictional Cheers bar. The television series itself was filmed on a studio set at Paramount, not inside the Boston pub.

The Bull & Finch opened in 1969 and was modeled after an English pub. Its popularity grew dramatically after Cheers became a hit, turning the location into a major tourist attraction. In 2002, the business was renamed Cheers Beacon Hill after reaching an agreement with the owners of the television franchise.

The pub inspired the setting and exterior, but the characters, interior layout, and stories belong to the television series rather than the real bar.