On the heels of a fall packed with fried chicken, loco moco, French pastries, and beer, winter 2017-2018 arrived with some more restaurant openings, from poke bowls to grab-and-go shawarma to lomo saltado. Here’s the rundown on the season’s debuts. (Looking for winter openings in Boston proper? Find those here.)

This guide was originally published on December 22, 2017; the date of the most recent update appears above.

Puritan Trading Company/Official Site

Blue Bottle

40 Bow St., Harvard Square, Cambridge

Californian coffee chain Blue Bottle Coffee has started its Massachusetts expansion with a Harvard Square location that seats around 22. A Prudential Center location has also been announced, along with one in downtown Boston.
Opened: February 3, 2018

Pita Cambridge

11 Springfield St., Inman Square, Cambridge

From the owners of Moona around the corner, this spot serves fast-casual Mediterranean food in the former Olecito space. Pita Cambridge has a variety of grab-and-go options, as well as catering and retail. Like Olecito, Pita fits a few counter seats into the small space, and there will be a seasonal outdoor patio once the time comes. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are available, with shawarma, falafel, kebabs, a mezze bar, and more.
Opened: March 5, 2018

Pokéworks

1440 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge

Boston has recently hopped onboard the fast-casual poke train; one of the newest destinations in town for the classic Hawaiian dish is a second local outpost of Pokéworks, which first arrived in Somerville in late 2016. In Cambridge, it has replaced Liquiteria, a Harvard Square juice shop. There are also locations in California, New York, and beyond; the company is currently experiencing a lot of growth.
Opened: Mid-March 2018

Puritan Trading Company

Inman Square, Cambridge

The Puritan & Co. team has launched a delivery-only “ghost restaurant” where a range of delivery-friendly items are prepared in the Puritan & Co. kitchen and assembled in an adjacent space to be delivered via existing services, such as Caviar. The menu includes a crispy chicken sandwich, scallop and linguica dumplings, kung pao cauliflower, and more.
Opened: February 7, 2018

Toscanini’s

159 First St., East Cambridge

While Toscanini’s original Central Square location is temporarily closed to undergo renovations as part of larger changes to the building where it’s located, the popular ice cream shop has debuted a new location not too far away. In addition to serving 32 flavors of ice cream and a variety of other baked goods, the new space will also remain Toscanini’s production home even after the original space reopens post-renovations.
Opened: January 25, 2018

Midici [Official Photo]

Celeste

21 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville

This cozy space features ceviche with a side of the arts; stay tuned for community events and artistic collaborations. Bar seating looks into an open kitchen, and the menu focuses on Peruvian cuisine. Beer, wine, and cocktails are available, and there are some late-night bites.
Opened: March 8, 2018

Midici

463 Assembly Row, Assembly Row, Somerville

Nutella calzones, Neapolitan-style pizza, and more: This Los Angeles-based chain describes itself as “fast-fine,” and this is the first New England location. It’s also expanding to Dorchester, opening eventually at the under-development South Bay Town Center.
Opened: February 9, 2018

Get weekday updates on all the latest restaurant news: