Café Latino Closes in Center Plaza

The small, Puerto Rican Café Latino is no longer open in Center Plaza near Government Center. A post on Chowhound noticed that the restaurant is gone, and mourning quickly ensued with followup posts along the lines of "That is pretty awful news" and "Holy hell, no way." Here's the deal. Café Latino was previously part of Plaza Catering and Deli, which has now moved its operations to Kendall Square into what is now called Discovery Cafe. The general manager at Discovery Cafe tells Eater that members of the Café Latino team have merged with Discovery Cafe, though Puerto Rican food is no longer an emphasis.

Too bad: Café Latino had a strong following despite its small size and somewhat hidden location within the Plaza Deli space. In memoriam, here's an excerpt from a 2010 review in what was then the Boston Phoenix (now The Phoenix) by restaurant critic MC Slim JB: "The true standout is pernil asado ($6.99), a daunting pile of garlicky roast pork shoulder, moistly falling into delectable shreds, with some rind left on for dark, crackly, chewy contrast: superb."

· Review: Café Latino [The Phoenix]
· November 2012 openings and closings [CH]
· All coverage of Discovery Cafe on Eater [~EBOS~]
[Photo: Yelp]