En Boca Ends Eight-Month Run in Cambridge

A young restaurant in Harvard Square has closed down unexpectedly. En Boca, which served a Mediterranean-inspired menu at 8 Holyoke St., shut its doors over the weekend after eight months in business, according to multiple sources.

A message from the restaurant to customers who had booked reservations for this week on OpenTable read: "The restaurant is saddened to notify their guests that today was their last day of operation. They have had to close permanently very suddenly and will not be able to honor your upcoming reservation.” En Boca’s OpenTable account remains active at this time, but no reservations are being accepted between now and early July.

En Boca opened in October 2016 and was the work of Peter Sarmanian and Bill Goodwin, who also operate The Asgard in Central Square and The Kinsale at Government Center. The restaurant had taken over the Holyoke Street space in the spring of 2015, following the closure of Sandrine’s.

The tapas-style menu from chef Benjamin Lacy took its cues from all over the Mediterranean, including Spain, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, and the Middle East. En Boca also served wine, beer, and seasonal cocktails. Eater has reached out for more details on the reason for the closure; this story will be updated if more information becomes available.

Update, 11:55 a.m.: En Boca posted a farewell message on Facebook:

It is with heavy hearts that we announce that En Boca is closed.

We opened in October to much acclaim and shortly thereafter were chosen one of the city’s “Best New Restaurants” by the Boston Globe.

Those who dined at En Boca raved about the atmosphere, service and food.

Unfortunately, despite the glowing reviews, press accolades and customers who made us their new favorite restaurant, we were plagued by the ongoing construction on the street. It had been scheduled to end in September last year.

We hoped to ride out the storm, but after learning construction would continue until August 2018, closing was the only viable option.

We sincerely thank those of you who patronized us during our short life. We truly enjoyed serving you, and we’re very sorry to go.

Rachel Leah Blumenthal for Eater

• All En Boca Coverage on Eater [EBOS]