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Boston Restaurant Opening Preview, Fall 2016

Everything you need to know about what's opening in and around Boston in fall 2016

by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

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From wood-fired pizza in the South End to Louisiana-style seafood in Allston, poke in Davis Square to sticky buns in Harvard Square, we're tracking fall restaurant openings in Boston proper and beyond. With a few weeks of summer left to go, we're just scratching the surface of fall openings at the moment, but so much more is coming.

Bookmark this page — as soon as September 22 rolls around, we'll be updating this guide non-stop and breaking out the most active regions onto their own detailed pages. Keep an eye out for an expanded geographic radius, updated opening timelines, photo galleries, and more.

Know of an upcoming opening somewhere in the Boston area that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Want to take a peek at everything that has opened over the summer or is still to come? Head right this way.

Without further ado, here's your fall restaurant openings preview.

Table Of Contents (all h2's added automatically)

Boston Proper

PABU
The city of Boston is going to see lots of new openings this season, including many familiar faces and expansions of existing concepts.

On the familiar local side: Cambridge's Area Four is expanding to the Troy Boston development in the South End in early October; Kendall Square's Aceituna Grill will add a Seaport District location at some point in the fall; Kendall Square's Beantowne Coffee House (newly reopened after a fire last year) will expand to Chinatown in the fall; Better Bagels, which has been popping up at events, farmers markets, etc. for a while, will open a brick-and-mortar location in the Seaport District in the fall; Watertown's La Casa de Pedro is expanding to the Seaport in late September; Stoneham's Loui Loui Louisiana Seafood is expanding to Allston around October; and Norvia's Place hopes to reopen in its original location in Roxbury this fall.

Forthcoming new concepts from familiar faces include Buttermilk and Bourbon from Jason Santos (Abby Lane, Hell's Kitchen), opening in Back Bay this November; Boston Nightlife Venture's Certified Meatball Company, opening in South Boston around Thanksgiving; Cultivar, from Harvest alum Mary Dumont, opening downtown at the Ames Hotel in late fall; Cunard Tavern, from Ducali's Phil Frattaroli, opening in East Boston in November; Gre.co, a more casual spot from Committee's Demetri Tsolakis, opening in Back Bay in late October; Mida, from Coppa alum Douglass Williams, opening in the South End early this fall; Oak + Rowan, from Newburyport restaurateur Nancy Batista-Caswell, opening in Fort Point in October; Our Father's Deli, from the group behind Tasty Burger, Franklin Cafe, and Citizen Public House, possibly opening in Lower Allston this fall; Ruka, from the Yvonne's and Lolita team, at the Godfrey Hotel in November; and a yet-unnamed collaboration between Marc Orfaly (Pigalle, The Beehive) and the Pier6 team, opening at a new development in East Boston this fall.
Coming in from out of town: Vegan NYC-based restaurant By Chloe will land in the Seaport District in November (and Fenway in the winter); Arizona-based Cornish Pasty Co. will open in Back Bay this fall; international Italian-themed market/restaurants/etc. Eataly will burst out of the Prudential Center's new construction in November; small national steakhouse chain Mastro's (part of Texas-based Landry's, Inc.) will arrive in the Seaport this fall; San Francisco's Pabu will open at the Millennium Tower in Downtown Crossing in October; DC-based salad chain Sweetgreen will expand its local presence with a South End location this fall; Texas-based wing chain Wingstop just opened in Medford over the summer and will expand to East Boston this fall; and London-based Yo! Sushi will open in the Seaport in October.

Check back on the first day of fall; all of these upcoming Boston openings will be broken out onto their own detail-filled guide. Know of another Boston proper fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: Pabu/Facebook

Arlington

WellBeing Bar

Flora, which closed in summer 2016, will be replaced by a French restaurant called Duet around September 2016. WellBeing Bar will open this fall by the Minuteman bike path, serving acai bowls and more. And Evelyn & Angel's — a candy shop previously located near Porter Square —is moving to Arlington, but the current opening timeline is unknown. Know of another Arlington fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: WellBeing Bar/Facebook

Brookline

Worthy Kitchen burger
Vermont export Worthy Kitchen could land in Brookline Village (202 Washington St.) in early fall 2016, along with the new Union Square Donuts location (the former Wulf's Fish Market at 409 Harvard St.), where construction is underway. Plus, Wellesley restaurant Jin's Fine Asian Cuisine and Sushi is expanding to the former Mr. Sushi space in Coolidge Corner (329 Harvard St.), opening timeline unknown, and the shuttered Ribelle space (1665 Beacon St.) will become The Burro Bar, little sibling to Somerville's The Painted Burro, in November.

Also, Somerville's shared culinary workspace Foundation Kitchen will open a new space at 6 Station St. in Brookline. If it's anything like the second Somerville space, it may have a variety of restaurant pop-up events, demonstrations, and more. Magnolia Smokehouse is replacing Village Smokehouse at 6 Harvard Sq., timeline unknown. Rubin's might eventually reopen under new ownership, and Vittorio's Kosher Grill, focusing on pizza, will open in the Pizzeria Dante space — which was home to Vittorio's Kosher Pizzeria from 1995 to 2003.

Check back on the first day of fall; all of these upcoming Brookline openings will be broken out onto their own detail-filled guide. Know of another Brookline fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: Worthy Kitchen/Facebook

Burlington

Island Creek Oyster Bar

There's a bit of upcoming growth in the Island Creek Oyster Bar family. A Burlington location is slated to open this fall. Plus, the team has a new restaurant opening in Harvard Square this winterbut has not yet announced whether it'll be an Island Creek Oyster Bar, Row 34, or a new concept. Know of another Burlington fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: Island Creek Oyster Bar/Facebook

Cambridge

Flour Bakery
After a busy summer opening season, Cambridge will only slightly slow down for the fall — there are still lots of great things in the works. In Harvard Square, the Grafton Group's newest venue, an oyster bar called The Hourly, will open in late September; En Boca will debut in September from the team behind The Asgard and The Kinsale; Giulia's Michael Pagliarini will open Benedetto in the former Rialto space at the Charles Hotel in late October or early November; Joanne Chang will open a new location of Flour Bakery + Cafe in October (followed by a mini Cambridgeport location in the winter); and DC-based Sweetgreen is also slated to open.

Over in Inman Square, Moona will open in the former Playska space in October, and the much-anticipated rebirth of East Coast Grill, courtesy of the Highland Kitchen team, is aiming for early November. Plus, the East Coast Grill family tree will extend over to Kendall Square, where ECG founder Chris Schlesinger will open The Automatic with B-Side Lounge alum Dave Cagle around November. Also in Kendall, the Amelia's Trattoria team will expand down the street with the opening of Sulmona Ristoranti in the fall, and the Catalyst team will open Catalyst Cafe in December.

Baraka Cafe, a hidden gem on the edge of Central Square for 20 years, will relocate to a former Boca Grande Taqueria space in Porter Square in October. (Meanwhile, a new Boca Grande is supposed to open in Cambridge in November at a yet-undisclosed location.) In Central Square, Pagu is heading for the late fall, and Roxy's A4cade could open in December in the same area. Concord's Haute Coffee could expand to East Cambridge around October, and Urban Hearth will open a North Cambridge storefront in the fall — cafe by day, supper club by night.

Check back on the first day of fall; all of these upcoming Cambridge openings will be broken out onto their own detail-filled guide. Know of another Cambridge fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: Flour Bakery + Cafe/Facebook

Chelsea

Big Pig brisket

Chelsea Station is coming to the old Chelsea fire station on Everett Avenue soon, with American bistro cuisine and 120 seats. It's owned by Mark Nadow (a Mystic Brewery investor) and Michael Sheridan (Wink & Nod alum). Also on deck for Chelsea, timeline unknown, is a brick-and-mortar location at 300 Eastern Ave. for Peabody-based catering company Big Pig BBQ. Know of another Chelsea fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: Big Pig/Facebook

Lynnfield

Roxy’s Grilled Cheese Roxy’s Grilled Cheese/Facebook

Roxy's Grilled Cheese will open a new brick-and-mortar location at the MarketStreet Lynnfield development in November 2016, serving grilled cheese, burgers, poutine, beer, and more. Know of another Lynnfield fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: Roxy's Grilled Cheese/Facebook

Maynard

Battle Road Brewing

The Whole House Group (29 Sudbury, Flank) will open Battle Road Brewing Company at the Mill & Main development this fall. (Brewing began earlier in the summer, and three beers have been released so far.) Expect pizza, wings, nachos, burgers, and more — and a lot of the food items will be made with beer. Know of another Maynard fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: Battle Road Brewing Company/Facebook

Melrose

T'ahpas 529

When T'ahpas 529 opens this fall at 529 Franklin St., it will serve Spanish tapas and other small and large entrees with a wider Mediterranean influence, from traditional paella to whole fried fish. Owners Lorenzo and Emily Tenreiro also own La Qchara and Coffee Tea and Me. Know of another Melrose fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: T'ahpas 529/Facebook

Needham

RFK Kitchen Arctic char

Mandarin Oriental and Liquid Art House alum Rachel Klein is opening her own place in early October. While RFK Kitchen will seat around 100, the main feature will be 20 counter seats looking into an open kitchen. "When I cook for my friends and my family, they always sit at my counter; it's how we eat," Klein previously told Eater. "I want to create this interactive place for ideas and communication. People don't really eat at the dining room table anymore like they used to, sharing their day or their ideas. Now everybody goes out to eat all the time." The restaurant, located at 948 Great Plain Ave., will serve lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. Know of another Needham fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: Facebook

Somerville

Pokeworks
It's the season of poke in Somerville: Manoa will open in the former Mixtura space near Porter Square around the end of September, featuring poke and more, while a small California-based chain called Pokéworks, also focused on poke (and sushi burritos), will open in Davis Square. Right next to Pokéworks, another sushi burrito joint is supposed to open, but the name and timeline have not yet been announced.

Also in Davis, an oatmeal-focused cafe called Oat Shop is aiming for a fall opening. Union Square is also getting a cafe, Worcester-based Nu Café, which will serve juices, salads, grain bowls, and lots more — plus booze. And at Assembly Row, New York City's Totto Ramen, which has a local outpost in Allston, will open around mid-October. Know of another Somerville fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: Pokéworks/Facebook

Quincy

The Townshend

Around October, the Alba team will open a Venetian-style restaurant right next door, Zef Cicchetti & Raw Bar. Plus, The Townshend team is opening a new concept, Belfry Hall, in the former Home Ice Sports Bar space — it'll open early in the fall (if not in the late summer). And two concepts are expanding to Quincy's West of Chestnut development this fall: Kkatie's Burger Bar, which has locations in Plymouth, Marshfield, and Hyannis, and Fuji, with locations in Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, and Quincy. Also, Boston's Pho Pasteur is expanding to Quincy in late October, and Unchained Pizza is in the process of reopening. (Meanwhile, it debuted a new location in Dorchester in summer 2016.) Know of another Quincy fall opening that should be on our radar? Let us know.

Image credit: The Townshend/Rachel Leah Blumenthal for Eater

Photo: Boston skyline/Marcio Jose Bastos Silva on Shutterstock

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