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.
Jump to:
Berlin | Boston | Braintree | Brookline | Burlington | Cambridge | Concord | Dedham | Everett | Framingham | Ipswich | Lexington | Lynn | Malden | Marblehead | Marlborough | Medford | Melrose | Needham | Newburyport | Newton | Norwood | Peabody | Plymouth | Quincy | Scituate | Somerville | Sturbridge | Wakefield | Watertown | Wellesley | Whitinsville | Woburn | Worcester
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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.
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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.
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Braintree landed a new brewery this fall, plus a sizable South Shore Plaza location of Davio’s.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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‘Twas the season for a pinball machine-filled taproom opening. It has 36 draft lines and regular food truck visits as well.
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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.
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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).
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Bagels and other “deli staples.”
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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.
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There’s a fiery new Thai restaurant in town.
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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This fall, Norwood got a dog-friendly taproom and brewery from a brewing company that has been contract brewing since 2011.
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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.
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Plymouth saw the opening of a French brasserie this season, serving escargot, steak frites, and more.
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Banh mi, bubble tea, a soup-like dessert called chè, and more, right by the North Quincy T stop.
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Scituate’s new fall opening: a family-friendly brewery built partly in a former schoolhouse.
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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.
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Sturbridge got a new brewery this fall, one that includes a beer garden, soft pretzels, and live entertainment.
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In fall 2017, Wakefield got a new gastropub that serves up burgers, chili, local beer, and more.
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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.
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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.
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Whitinsville got a new brewery this fall in the Linwood Mill Complex, complete with a patio that features waterfall views.
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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.
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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.
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