clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Garden at the Cellar Has Abruptly Closed

Negotiations with the landlord were unsuccessful.

Garden at the Cellar, a longtime fixture between Harvard and Central Square, closed suddenly last week, reports Boston Restaurant Talk, citing a post on the restaurant's Facebook page:

"It is with heavy hearts that Chef Brandon [Arms] & the Garden at the Cellar team announce the end of the Garden's run as the food side of The Cellar Food & Drinks' operations. After negotiations with the landlords we could not reach an agreement for continuing forward. Thank you for your kind patronage over the past 8 years through both Chef Will [Gilson] & Chef Brandon's time owning the Garden."

Arms began as sous chef at Garden at the Cellar in 2009, under chef/owner Will Gilson, before becoming chef/owner himself in 2011.

BostInno gives an alarming account of the closure, citing a former manager in alleging that landlord Stephen Kapsalis is holding the restaurant's property, including equipment and a computer, and that Arms was escorted away by police when the restaurant closed. The cause of the closure is reportedly a breakdown in renegotiations between Kapsalis and the restaurant regarding their existing partnership regarding alcohol, where Kapsalis paid Garden at the Cellar's bartenders, provided the liquor, and took 100% of the revenue from alcohol sales.

BostInno also notes that an employee at the connected Cellar Wine & Spirits, which is owned by Kapsalis, indicates that the restaurant will reopen "in a matter of days," but what exactly that means in terms of Garden at the Cellar as we knew it remains to be seen.

Garden at The Cellar

991 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138 617-475-0045 Visit Website