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2017 got off to a fast-paced start in the Boston-area restaurant scene with more than 30 restaurant openings in January, including several poke restaurants, a bar/arcade, an oatmeal cafe, and lots more. There were lots of expansions: Roxy’s Grilled Cheese opened two new brick-and-mortar locations; second locations appeared for restaurants such as Saloniki, Fat Biscuit, Pho Countryside, Pho Pasteur, The Brook Kitchen & Tap, Union Square Donuts, Phinix Grill, and The Painted Burro (Burro Bar); and other larger groups continued to expand, such as B.good, Fuji, and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza. East Coast Grill was reborn, Paolo’s Trattoria was revamped into Monument Restaurant & Tavern, and My Diner relocated from Southie to Melrose.
On the flip side, there were a few closings; we said goodbye, for example, to one location of The Elephant Walk, Amsterdam Falafelshop, and Grass Fed. (One location of each remains.)
Read on for a summary of January 2017, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, the closings, and the month in photos.
- Cowabunga! A4cade and Roxy’s Central Are Here to Fill Your Life With Joy: A photo sneak peek inside one of the most fun debuts of the year, now open on the MIT side of Cambridge’s Central Square.
- Roxy’s Central/A4cade Takes Over Cambridge This Month: Fried Chicken, Foosball, More: This was an early look at the Roxy’s menu for the aforementioned ultra-fun opening.
- T’ahpas 529 Opens in Melrose With So Much Spanish Food and Wine: Small plates, Spanish wines, and more from the owners of two other Melrose businesses, La Qchara and Coffee Tea and Me.
- Frenchie Opens Tomorrow in the South End: Now open in the former Kitchen space on Tremont Street, Frenchie is a Parisian-style wine bar from some of the people behind restaurants like Petit Robert Bistro and Josephine.
- There’s No Crying in Skee-Ball: Sneak a Peek at A4cade’s Boozy Offerings: You were really excited for A4cade and Roxy’s Central this month. This piece previewed the cocktail menu and the creative glassware at the now-open bar/arcade/restaurant.
- Look Inside Pagu, Now Officially Open in Cambridge: It was a good month for that MIT edge of Central, because in addition to Roxy’s/A4cade, Pagu officially opened as well. Here’s a peek inside.
- Somerville May Get a Boozy Taco Bell Cantina: The company couldn’t confirm any concrete plans, but Taco Bell is reportedly eyeing a Davis Square space for its booze-serving “cantina” concept.
- Have a Loukoumades Feast at Gre.co, Opening Imminently in Back Bay: Take a sneak peek inside the newest fast-casual Greek restaurant to hit Boston. It’ll open any day now on Newbury Street.
- East Coast Grill Makes Its Triumphant Return January 2: The devastating closure of East Coast Grill has been reversed. The team behind Highland Kitchen bought it, revamped it, and reopened it at the start of the year.
- Intercontinental Hotel Boston Opens High-End Scotch Lounge: Featuring Glenmorangie scotches and more.
- The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2017: In the monthly Heatmap update, we welcomed East Coast Grill, Pagu, Ruka, Mida, and Benedetto.
- The 38 Essential Boston Restaurants, Winter 2017: In the quarterly 38 update, we welcomed Bar Mezzana, SRV, and The Table at Season to Taste.
- The Cocktail Heatmap: Where to Drink Right Now: In the seasonal Cocktail Heatmap update, we welcomed The Automatic, East Coast Grill, Pagu, Ruka, and Oak + Rowan.
- These Restaurants Opened Around Boston in Winter 2017: Updated every few weeks, this map tracks all restaurant openings in the Boston area for the season.
- The Most Comforting New Pasta Dishes in Boston: This map highlights new restaurants that are crushing it in the pasta department. Eat all these dishes this winter.
- A4cade (292 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge): A bar and arcade from the Area Four team, opened in collaboration with Roxy’s Central.
- Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza (180 Needham St., Newton): Crispy pizzas from a Florida-based chain that counts NFL Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino among its partners.
- Battle Road Brew House (5 Clock Tower Pl., Maynard): After years as a contract brewer, Battle Road now has its own space, complete with a large restaurant and bar.
- B.good (359 Huntington Ave.): The newest location for the locally based burger-and-more chain. This is one of several that have opened in former Boloco spaces.
- The Brook Kitchen & Tap (51 Main St., Maynard): Just a couple months after opening in Holbrook, The Brook Kitchen & Tap also opened in Maynard. Both locations are in former Halfway Cafe spaces.
- Burro Bar (1665 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Tacos and more from the Painted Burro team.
- Churrascaria Vulcão (203 Adams St., Dorchester, Boston): A blend of Cape Verdean and Portuguese cuisines in Fields Corner.
- East Coast Grill (1271 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge): A classic reborn, thanks to the Highland Kitchen team.
- Fat Biscuit Southern Table & Taps (335 Market St., Lynnfield): With a focus on sandwiches served on “fat” biscuits, this restaurant has a slightly older seasonal sibling in North Conway, New Hampshire. The Lynnfield location is part of the MarketStreet development.
- Finesse Pastries (100 Hanover St., Downtown Boston, Boston): A new vendor at Boston Public Market, serving up macarons and more. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, but production will eventually move to Boston.
- Frenchie (560 Tremont St., South End, Boston): Wine, cheese, charcuterie, and more in the former Kitchen space.
- Fuji at West of Chestnut (1420 Hancock St., Quincy Center, Quincy): The newest addition to the JP Fuji Group. This Fuji location includes a private dining room where diners can get a high-end omakase (chef’s tasting menu).
- Love Art Sushi (1 Haviland St., Back Bay, Boston): Poke-style sushi bowls and “makirittos” from a Connecticut-based restaurant.
- Luna’s Restaurant (945 Saratoga St., East Boston, Boston): A mix of Italian and Latin cuisines (and a coffee bar) in Eastie.
- Manoa Poke Shop (300 Beacon St., Porter Square, Somerville): Hawaiian-style poke in an adorable little space (formerly Mixtura, next to Zoe’s) on the Somerville edge of Porter Square.
- Monument Restaurant & Tavern (251 Main St., Charlestown, Boston): Paolo’s Trattoria, revamped, with Paolo’s wood-fired pizzas and lots more.
- My Diner (399 Main St., Melrose): After losing its space in Southie due to a new development, My Diner relocated to Melrose, where it continues to serve up classic diner dishes.
- Oat Shop (22A College Ave., Davis Square, Somerville): A cafe that focuses on oatmeal with a variety of toppings.
- Pagu (310 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge): A restaurant that draws inspiration from Spain, Japan, and beyond — one of several Central Square/MIT additions this month.
- Philly Pretzel Factory (4 Squire Rd., Revere): Philly-based pretzel purveyor.
- Phinix Grill (245 First St., Kendall Square, Cambridge): A second location for a Belmont-based Mediterranean fusion restaurant.
- Pho Countryside (468 Commonwealth Ave., Kenmore Square, Boston): A new location in Boston for a Quincy-based Vietnamese restaurant.
- Pho Pasteur (1462 Hancock St., Quincy Center, Quincy): A new location in Quincy for a Boston-based Vietnamese restaurant.
- Poke City (1722 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge): One of several recent openings focusing on Hawaiian-inspired poke dishes (raw seafood and rice bowls).
- Roadies Diner (Mobile, but cooking out of Stock Pot Malden): A food truck that began in New York’s Hudson Valley last year before moving to Boston to vend Cuban sandwiches, choripan, and other Latin American-inspired cuisine.
- Roxy’s Central (292 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge): A new brick-and-mortar location for Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, opened in collaboration with A4cade.
- Roxy’s Lynnfield (1205 Market St., Lynnfield): Another new brick-and-mortar location for Roxy’s Grilled Cheese. It was a busy couple of weeks for the Roxy’s team.
- Ruth’s Chris Steak House (500 Totten Pond Rd., Waltham): The second Massachusetts location (and the 150th overall) for the high-end steak chain.
- Saloniki (181 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge): One of several January openings in the MIT area of Central Square, this is a second location for a Fenway-based fast-casual Greek restaurant.
- The Scotch Room at the Intercontinental (510 Atlantic Ave., Waterfront, Boston): A sexy lounge area at the Intercontinental, serving up Glenmorangie scotches, Belvedere cocktails, and more.
- T’ahpas 529 (529 Franklin St., Melrose): A Spanish restaurant and wine bar from the people behind La Qchara and Coffee Tea and Me, both also in Melrose.
- Union Square Donuts (409 Harvard St., Coolidge Corner, Brookline): A new brick-and-mortar location for Somerville’s popular doughnut shop.
- Zef Cicchetti & Raw Bar (1472 Hancock St., Quincy Center, Quincy): One of several recent Quincy Center openings, this Venice-inspired restaurant is a sibling and neighbor of Alba.
- Amsterdam Falafelshop (642 Beacon St., Kenmore Square, Boston): The fast-casual falafel shop is now closed, but its older sibling in Somerville’s Davis Square remains open. The small chain is based in DC.
- Bee’s Knees Supply Co. (12 Farnsworth St., Fort Point, Boston): Seized by the state for nonpayment of taxes. Meanwhile, its newer Allston sibling closed a few months back, reportedly temporarily for renovations, but there has been no news of a reopening yet.
- Crumbs Bake Shop (176 Federal St., Financial District, Boston): All locations have closed; the company lives on online.
- The Elephant Walk (2067 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge): A new concept from the same team will reportedly open in the space soon. The South End location of the French-Cambodian restaurant remains open.
- Grass Fed (3698A Washington St., Jamaica Plain, Boston): The newer Forest Hills location of this burger-and-boozy-milkshake joint closed this month, but the older Centre Street location remains open.
- Phillips Old Colony House/Freeport Tavern (780 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester, Boston): The restaurant and event space closed after nearly three decades; the family behind it may sell or redevelop the property.
- Soulfire (737 Huntington Ave., Mission Hill, Boston and 182 Harvard Ave., Allston, Boston): The newer Mission Hill location of this barbecue restaurant closed this month, followed later in the month by the original Allston location, which had been around for over a decade.
- Tequila Rain (3 Lansdowne St., Fenway, Boston): After more than a decade, the Fenway nightclub has closed its doors, to be replaced by a new concept in the spring.