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Here’s the rundown on fall 2017 restaurant (and brewery) openings throughout the Greater Boston area. Lots happened this season, including the debut of tons of taprooms throughout the state. Plus, a number of familiar local and non-local restaurant groups expanded in Boston and beyond, and a few newer faces appeared on the scene.

To learn more about the fall openings in a particular city or town, find its summary below and click the “read more” indication in that section to get to the relevant portion of the corresponding regional guide. Or, simply jump directly to each regional guide by following the links below:

Boston Proper (just Boston, including Fenway, the Seaport District, Back Bay, and other neighborhoods)
Greater Boston (including Brookline, Newton, Watertown, and more)
Cambridge and Somerville (including Harvard Square, Union Square, and other neighborhoods)
North Shore (including Lynn, Peabody, and more)
MetroWest and Central Massachusetts (including Framingham, Worcester, and more)

Because Eater Boston traditionally reports on Boston proper and a relatively tight radius around it, we do not yet have sufficient openings on our radar to compile seasonal opening guides to other Massachusetts regions, such as the Cape & Islands or Western Massachusetts. That said, please don’t hesitate to send information on any statewide openings our way by emailing boston@eater.com. We will follow the format of this guide for future seasons, expanding the geographic radius as more openings are brought to our attention.

This guide was originally published on October 30, 2017, and was periodically updated throughout the fall; the date of the most recent update appears above. Something missing? Email boston@eater.com.

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Berlin

mooyah jp — A burger at Texas-based Mooyah, which is starting to expand around Massachusetts.

This Worcester County town isn’t immune to the growing spread of locations of Texas-based Mooyah, a burger joint that also serves shakes and more.

Boston

A mound of brown butter-tossed lobster meat sits atop a soft, fluffy bun. The lobster roll at Eventide is one of the best in New England. — Brown butter lobster roll at Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, Maine, which got a Fenway sibling in fall 2017.

More than 50 new restaurants opened in Boston proper in fall 2017, and the vast majority were fast-casual. The Seaport District had a particularly busy season, mostly driven by expansions of out-of-town chains such as Luke’s Lobster, Caffe Nero, La Colombe, and Sweetgreen, among others. Elsewhere in Boston, new fall additions included a couple of options for sushi burritos and poke bowls, some juice and coffee, deli galore, and more.

Braintree

Davio’s spring rolls — Spring rolls at Davio’s, now open in Braintree.

Braintree landed a new brewery this fall, plus a sizable South Shore Plaza location of Davio’s.

Brookline

Shan-a-punjab — Food at Shan-A-Punjab, relocating from 455 Harvard St. to 500 Harvard St. this fall.

Brookline’s fall openings included the relocation of an Indian restaurant into a historical deli space and the debut of a cheese-filled market and cafe.

Burlington

A lighter option at the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth — A relatively light option on the menu at the Friendly Toast’s original Portsmouth location.

Fall 2017 saw the Friendly Toast takeover of the former Bobby’s Burger Palace space inside the Burlington Mall, plus the opening of a restaurant serving both coal-fired and wood-fired pizzas in the former Papa Razzi space (which it shares with Temazcal Tequila Cantina). A new Punjabi and Indochinese restaurant also opened.

Cambridge

Food at Momi Nonmi — A dish at Momi Nonmi, which opened this fall in Cambridge’s Inman Square.

New for fall 2017 in Cambridge: a Japanese izakaya with a touch of Hawaii, a neighborhood bar that encourages “witty banter,” an East Coast Grill replacement that features fried chicken and Tiki, and more.

Concord

Fiorella’s baby clams and linguine — Baby clams and linguine at Fiorella’s Cucina in Newton, which expanded to Concord this fall.

The former Bondir Concord space got a new tenant this fall, a full-service Italian restaurant with a Newtonville location as well as three other local takeout offshoots.

Dedham

Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich — A chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A, now open in Dedham.

It was all about the chains this season in Dedham: Caffe Nero, Chick-fil-A, and Temazcal Tequila Cantina (which is a fairly small local restaurant group).

Everett

Down the Road beers — Beers from Down the Road, opening in Everett this fall.

‘Twas the season for a pinball machine-filled taproom opening. It has 36 draft lines and regular food truck visits as well.

Framingham

Volturno Pizza — Pizza at Volturno, which expanded from Worcester to Framingham this fall.

New to Framingham this season: the long-planned expansion of Worcester’s acclaimed Volturno, a restaurant that features Neapolitan-style pizza. True Neapolitan, with the official certification and everything. Plus, J&M Diner reopened in a new location.

Ipswich

The North Shore brewing scene continued to heat up this fall with the opening of True North Ale Company in Ipswich (not to mention Amesbury’s two summer 2017 brewery openings and another on the way in Salem).

Lexington

Wicked Bagel opened this fall in Lexington.

Bagels and other “deli staples.”

Lynn

Guatemala-born chicken chain Pollo Campero expanded to Lynn this fall.

The planned fall opening of a Lynn location of Worcester-based cafe Brew on the Grid was postponed until winter, but Lynn did see the opening of Massachusetts’s third location of Guatemalan chicken chain Pollo Campero this fall.

Malden

Crying tiger at Crying Thaiger — The signature dish, crying tiger, at Crying Thaiger, now open in Malden.

There’s a fiery new Thai restaurant in town.

Marblehead

There are a number of winter openings coming up in Marblehead, but fall was slow, except for the debut of an Orthodox Christian monastic brewery at the Shrine of St. Nicholas.

Marlborough

hot table sandwiches — Sandwiches at Hot Table, a small Springfield-based chain that expanded to Marlborough this fall.

The Apex Center on Rte. 20 got a handful of new restaurants this fall, including 110 Grill and Evviva Cucina. But a planned brewery and a new location of Worcester-based cafe Brew on the Grid have both been pushed from fall to winter openings.

Medford

The Burger Bar burger — A burger at the Burger Bar by Wegmans, opening on November 5 in Medford.

Cult-favorite grocery store Wegmans has arrived in Medford, and it has a restaurant inside with burgers and milkshakes. (There are also a variety of other ways to eat at Wegmans, including a pizza counter and a sub counter, but this is the most restaurant-y of the bunch.)

Melrose

Melrose got a new restaurant this fall that serves sushi, poke bowls, hot pots, and more. It’s located right above one of its sibling restaurants, Stearns & Hills.

Needham

Cook Newton roasted chicken — Roasted chicken at Cook Newton, expanding to Needham this fall.

Newton’s Cook expanded to Needham this season, and the nearly decade-old Spiga got a major revamp, complete with a new co-owner/chef.

Newburyport

Fall 2017, particularly on the North Shore, was especially full of beer. Newburyport welcomed RiverWalk Brewing Co., which has been around for a few years but debuted its new taproom on the final day of fall.

Newton

A couple planned Newton fall openings were pushed to the winter, but fall 2017 did see the debut of Cupola, which rapidly replaced Bottega Fiorentina, and Prelude Bakery, serving up all sorts of sweets and baked goods.

Norwood

This fall, Norwood got a dog-friendly taproom and brewery from a brewing company that has been contract brewing since 2011.

Peabody

Seagrilz North Shore Lobster — Lobster from North Shore Lobster, now open in Peabody.

Peabody’s longtime Seawitch Restaurant & Oyster Bar transformed into SeaGrilz and North Shore Lobster, a casual seafood restaurant and market, this fall. Beyond fall, several openings are on the way, including Bancroft & Co. and Tony C’s, both opening at the Northshore Mall.

Plymouth

Plymouth saw the opening of a French brasserie this season, serving escargot, steak frites, and more.

Quincy

lee han sandwich — Banh mi at Lee Han Sandwich, now open in Quincy.

Banh mi, bubble tea, a soup-like dessert called chè, and more, right by the North Quincy T stop.

Scituate

Untold Brewing beer — A single hop pale ale at Untold Brewing, which opened this fall in an old Scituate schoolhouse.

Scituate’s new fall opening: a family-friendly brewery built partly in a former schoolhouse.

Somerville

A sample dish from Field & Vine, as shared during the restaurant’s crowdfunding campaign.

Somerville’s all about Assembly Row these days, with a few fall openings there, including a brewhouse, yet another Caffe Nero location, and a new location of downtown Boston’s Zo — and more spots on the way in the winter and beyond. But Davis and Union squares got some new spots as well this season, including a North Shore-based French patisserie and a relocated, revamped Snappy Ramen, now known as Snappy Kitchen.

Sturbridge

Sturbridge got a new brewery this fall, one that includes a beer garden, soft pretzels, and live entertainment.

Wakefield

sweet chili garlic shrimp public kitchen — Sweet chili garlic shrimp at Public Kitchen, which opened in December in Wakefield.

In fall 2017, Wakefield got a new gastropub that serves up burgers, chili, local beer, and more.

Watertown

Heirloom tomato gazpacho at La Bodega by Salts — A La Bodega menu teaser: heirloom tomato gazpacho.

The team behind now-defunct Salts opened up La Bodega, a “Uruguayan-influenced farm-to-table” spot, in the final days of fall, but the restaurant is serving up a limited menu for now while waiting for some final pieces of equipment to arrive. Plus, a Nepalese restaurant opened on the second floor of an existing Persian restaurant, and there’s a new Armenian restaurant in town.

Wellesley

Boston’s unstoppable juice explosion continued to Wellesley this fall with a new location of national chain Pressed Juicery, which is also on Newbury Street in Boston and in Cambridge’s Harvard Square.

Whitinsville

purgatory beer — A growler at Purgatory Beer Company, opening this fall in Whitinsville.

Whitinsville got a new brewery this fall in the Linwood Mill Complex, complete with a patio that features waterfall views.

Woburn

The burger at Matadora, which opened this fall.

There’s a new hotel restaurant in Woburn with a tapas menu developed by the crew behind Yvonne’s, Ruka, and Lolita. Plus, a Thai restaurant called Shallots opened.

Worcester

broth by the hangover ramen — Grilled cheese ramen from Broth by the Hangover, which opened in Worcester this fall.

There’s lots on deck in Worcester for the winter and beyond — and lots of Worcester restaurants seem to be expanding elsewhere around the region — but fall 2017 was a bit quiet in Worcester itself. Openings included a coffee shop from Niche Hospitality, a ramen shop from the Hangover Pub team, and a vegan cafe with a market.

The Fall 2017 Boston-Area Restaurant Opening Guide

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