Fall 2017 was an exciting season in the Boston dining scene. There were many restaurant openings, including a number of expansions of well-loved local restaurants. Moody’s Delicatessen, for example, expanded from Waltham to Back Bay; Union Square’s Ebi Sushi got a Fenway sibling, Sushi Kappo; and Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar expanded from Back Bay to Fort Point.
The season also included the expansions of a few high-profile out-of-towners, such as Portland’s Eventide Oyster Co., which got a sibling spot (with a slightly different concept) in Fenway; New York’s extraordinarily popular food cart and restaurant empire, the Halal Guys; and a massive New York-based music venue and restaurant with a focus on wine, City Winery.
Here’s the rundown on all of the fall 2017 restaurant openings in Boston proper, listed by neighborhood.
For fall 2017 openings in other nearby areas, consult the full index or jump directly to one of the following guides:
- Greater Boston (including Brookline, Newton, Watertown, and more)
- Cambridge and Somerville
- North Shore (including Amesbury, Salem, and more)
- MetroWest and Central Massachusetts (including Framingham, Worcester, and more)
This guide was initially published on August 23, 2017; it was updated periodically through the end of fall 2017, and the date of the most recent update appears above. Something missing? Email boston@eater.com.
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Allston | Back Bay | Brighton | Charlestown | Chinatown | Dorchester | Downtown Boston | East Boston | Fenway/Kenmore | Fort Point | Jamaica Plain | Roslindale | Roxbury | Seaport District | South Boston | South End | West End | West Roxbury
Crepe & Ice Cream 89C
77 Harvard Ave., Allston, Boston
This dessert-focused shop serves Thai-style ice cream rolls, ice cream-filled crepes, bubble tea, and more. (There are also savory crepe options.) The name might refer to minus 89 degrees Celsius, the coldest recorded temperature on Earth (Antarctica, 1983).
Opened: Late September 2017
Our Fathers Delicatessen
196 N. Harvard St., Lower Allston, Boston
This “modern Jewish deli inspired by old school tradition but firmly rooted in new school ways” comes from the group behind Franklin Cafe, Tasty Burger, and Citizen Public. It’s in the Continuum building in Lower Allston. One side is for takeout, while the other side is a restaurant and full bar — with nightly dinner until 1:30 a.m. There’s a lot of gin.
Opened: December 12, 2017
Sushi Factory
140 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston
In the longtime Redneck’s space — which, more recently, was briefly home to Kirin Teppanyaki & Wok — there’s now an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant from the owner of Hi B3ar Ice Cream Roll nearby.
Opened: Mid-November 2017
Citrus & Salt
142 Berkeley St., Back Bay, Boston
Jason Santos has turned Back Bay Harry’s into more of a sibling of one of his other restaurants, Buttermilk & Bourbon — but where Buttermilk & Bourbon focuses on New Orleans-inspired cuisine, Citrus & Salt takes its cues from coastal Mexican. The Citrus & Salt menu features a number of similar items to Buttermilk & Bourbon, but with a South American twist. And there are Dole Whips — with optional rum.
Opened: November 27, 2017
Dig Inn
800 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston
Very close to its existing Back Bay location, this fast-casual New York chain with a penchant for local sourcing is now open inside the Prudential Center, serving customizable grain bowls and more.
Opened: October 18, 2017
Moody’s Delicatessen & Provisions
500 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston
Joshua Smith is expanding his meat empire in a few ways these days, including a Back Bay version of his popular Waltham deli. The new location is similar to the original, with the addition of some lighter options, such as grain bowls, avocado toast, bagels, and daily flatbread specials. Plus, he’s adding a couple of adjacent spots to his existing Waltham space. And a holiday season pop-up on Newbury Street. And a California location. Keep an eye on Moody’s; it’s going to be everywhere.
Opened: December 11, 2017
Poke Bento and Beard Papa’s
827 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston
In an unlikely partnership, a new poke spot has teamed up with Japan-based cream puff chain Beard Papa’s for a location that offers plenty of raw fish and sweet desserts.
Opened: Early October 2017
Flatbread Company
Boston Landing, 80 Guest St., Brighton, Boston
The Amesbury-based pizza chain expanded to Brighton’s new Boston Landing development for its 15th location, and like the Somerville and Salem locations, it has a candlepin bowling alley attached (seven lanes on the ground floor and two upstairs in an area rentable for private events). The restaurant features lots of local beer and spirits.
Opened: November 19, 2017
Kohi Coffee Company
Boston Landing, 80 Guest St., Brighton, Boston
This Provincetown coffee shop has expanded to the new Boston Landing development in Brighton, just down the street from the aforementioned Flatbread Company.
Opened: October 12, 2017
Purr Cat Cafe
167 Chestnut Hill Ave., Brighton, Boston
Boston’s first cat cafe. There were numerous delays in the opening process, and the young cafe’s social media presence was marred by drama, but owner Diane Kelly kept her promise to open the doors this fall. Currently, though, the cafe does not have a partnership with an adoption group, and Kelly does not have staff available to pick up food from area restaurants for patrons to eat at Purr. In its current form, Purr is a place where people can come and play with Kelly’s own cats for $15/hour.
Opened: November 18, 2017
Boston Juicing
283 Main St., Charlestown, Boston
Boston’s obsession with juice continues with a new shop in Charlestown that serves cold-pressed juices, smoothies, “healthy alternative snacks,” and teas.
Opened: November 26, 2017
Madera 83 Tapas Bar and Kitchen
83 Main St., Charlestown, Boston
Tangierino has been reborn as a tapas bar (under the same ownership), with Townsman alum Matthew Leddy as chef. And yes, the hookah bar remains.
Opened: October 12, 2017
Gong Cha
44 Harrison Ave., Chinatown, Boston
This is the first Massachusetts location for this Taiwan-based chain of tea shops, which serves a wide range of bubble teas and other beverages.
Opened: November 2017
Tora Japanese Restaurant
20B Tyler St., Chinatown, Boston
Tora focuses on kaisen don (sashimi-topped rice bowls) but also serves poke bowls, soups, sushi, and more.
Opened: November 16, 2017
Zia Gianna Caffe and Bakery
1739 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, Boston
With a focus on Sicilian cuisine, this Italian restaurant features espresso, Italian pastries and desserts, Sicilian street foods, sandwiches, and more. To start, Zia Gianna is open for breakfast and lunch, but ticketed dinner events are on the horizon.
Opened: November 25, 2017
Barracuda on the Fly
55 Bromfield St., Downtown Crossing, Boston
Barracuda Tavern’s food truck spinoff got a brick-and-mortar location in the former Pedro’s Tacos space, serving Key West-inspired seafood. It’s open for weekday lunch only.
Opened: October 2, 2017
Casalinga
151 Hanover St., Haymarket, Boston
Taking over the location of the short-lived Lulu’s Kitchen, Casalinga features a massive pasta menu that includes 30 sauce options, plus pizza, sandwiches, and more.
Opened: October 16, 2017
Dunkin’
147 Tremont St., Downtown Boston
Just...Dunkin’. One of the first and only local Dunkin’ Donuts to get rebranded as simply Dunkin’ for some reason. A similar location will open in Quincy in January.
Opened: December 14, 2017
Golden Goose Cafe
65 Atlantic Ave., Waterfront/North End, Boston
Affiliated with Golden Goose Market nearby, this cafe serves breakfast and lunch and seats around three dozen. A seasonal patio could open at a later date.
Opened: Early October 2017
Grainmaker
91 Summer St., Downtown Boston
This restaurant draws inspiration from Southeast Asian street food, serving a menu of warm grain bowls, salads, and “street signatures” and allowing customers to select a main protein and a variety of different flavor combinations. Owner Chris Freeman hopes to open 10 locations in the Boston area in the next three or four years; this one is the first.
Opened: October 2, 2017
The Popover Lady at Boston Public Market
100 Hanover St., Downtown Boston
This Melrose-based business now has a stall at Boston Public Market, serving up sweet and savory popovers (and popover sandwiches), along with scones, pies, and other baked goods.
Opened: Late November 2017
Sweetgreen
225 Franklin St., Downtown Boston
Another location for the DC-based salad chain. Located in Post Office Square, this one is optimized for customers who order online or via the mobile app to be able to get in and out quickly.
Opened: December 15, 2017
Sweetgreen
60 State St., Downtown Boston
And another. Also optimized for online and mobile ordering.
Opened: November 9, 2017
Sunny Cafe
1000 Bennington St., East Boston
This new East Boston restaurant serves up a seafood-filled menu of poke bowls, sushi burritos, sushi rolls, and more.
Opened: Fall 2017
Eventide Fenway
1321 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston
This sibling to Portland, Maine’s acclaimed Eventide Oyster Co. isn’t exactly the same as the original location, but some of Eventide Portland’s greatest hits — hello, brown butter lobster roll — are available at the new spot, which features a “continued service” model that blends counter service with floating servers (so diners don’t have to return to line to order more food and drinks).
Opened: October 7, 2017
Kaju Tofu House
636 Beacon St., Kenmore Square, Boston
The Harvard Square sibling of an Allston Korean restaurant closed recently, but the number of Kaju locations promptly came back up to two when Kaju Tofu House opened in the former Thai Dish space in Kenmore Square this fall.
Opened: December 1, 2017
King’s Row Coffee Company
401 Park Dr., Fenway, Boston
Based in New Hampshire, this coffee company has expanded to Boston, at least temporarily, with a kiosk in the lobby of the Landmark Center-turned-401-Park. It’s slated to remain open through 2018. In 2019, this’ll be the home of a food hall.
Opened: December 4, 2017
Sushi Kappo
86 Peterborough St., Fenway, Boston
The co-owner of Union Square, Somerville’s Ebi Sushi opened a new restaurant on Fenway’s “restaurant row” this fall, featuring a similar menu and “good deals on lunch combos.” There are also sushi burritos and poke bowls. The new restaurant has seating for 16; owner Jose Garcia expects that more than half the business will be takeout.
Opened: December 10, 2017
Tatte Bakery & Cafe
1352 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston
This local cafe chain keeps expanding (there’s also a Back Bay location in the works, opening in the winter.) The new Fenway location includes a full coffee bar (cold brew and nitro options too) and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus brunch on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There is “plenty of seating,” per the Tatte website, as well as a large patio.
Opened: October 30, 2017
Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar
253 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston
With one location already in operation in Boston’s Back Bay, Lolita added a second spot in Fort Point this fall. The restaurant is twice the size of its original counterpart, with an added bonus of an expanded menu and even more tequila.
Opened: October 14, 2017
The Smoke Shop
343 Congress St., Fort Point, Boston
Andy Husbands’s Kendall Square barbecue restaurant has expanded to the former Tavern Road space in Boston’s Fort Point with lots of meat and lots of whiskey.
Opened: November 29, 2017
Sam Adams Brewery Taproom and Bier Keller
30 Germania St., Jamaica Plain, Boston
Sam Adams has been around forever, but its Jamaica Plain facility never had a formal taproom — until now. Instead of just taking a tour and doing some tastings, guests can now lounge around, drink, play games (such as shuffleboard), and enjoy food from regularly visiting food trucks. There’s also a new barrel-aging space, the Bier Keller.
Opened: Early November 2017
Trillium Garden at the Substation
4228 Washington St., Roslindale, Boston
Trillium Brewing Company is now operating a five-day-a-week indoor beer garden at the Roslindale substation; it’s slated to last through April 2018. Keep an eye out for various music and art pop-ups throughout.
Opened: December 7, 2017
Top Mix Bar & Kitchen
257 Norfolk Ave., Roxbury, Boston
This new addition to Roxbury focuses on cocktails — from pineapple mojitos to various martinis — and serves everything from plantain ravioli and fish tacos to a maple bacon burger and honey hot wings.
Opened: November 17, 2017
Better Bagels
83 Seaport Blvd., Seaport District, Boston
The popular New York-style bagel pop-up got a permanent home at the One Seaport Square development this fall, serving bagels, sandwiches, and more.
Opened: Late October 2017
Caffe Nero
55 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston
Yet another location for the London-based, Italy-inspired cafe chain, which has been expanding rapidly around the Boston area over the past few years.
Opened: November 3, 2017
Honeygrow
100 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston
This Philadelphia-based fast-casual chain recently opened its first Boston location in the Fenway neighborhood, and Seaport followed close behind. Honeygrow centers around customizable stir-fried dishes: Customers can choose from a variety of rice and noodle bases, vegetables, meats, sauces, and more. An abbreviated version of Honeygrow, Minigrow, is expected to open in early 2018 at a yet-to-be-announced address.
Opened: October 13, 2017
Kings Seaport
60 Seaport Blvd., Seaport District, Boston
Part of the ever-expanding group of Kings bowling-and-more venues around the country, Kings Seaport features a full-service restaurant and lounge along with a variety of games, from bowling and billiards to skee-ball and air hockey. A room called the Draft Room has a bar and tons of televisions and big screens for watching sports.
Opened: October 30, 2017
La Colombe
29 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston
The Philadelphia-based coffee roaster and cafe chain already had one Boston location (in the Leather District) before the Seaport location opened this fall. They’ll eventually be followed by a Back Bay opening.
Opened: December 8, 2017
Luke’s Lobster
53 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston
This is the third Massachusetts location for this New York-based, Maine-inspired fast-casual chain. Luke’s Lobster serves lobster rolls and more. This location seats 20.
Opened: November 29, 2017
Scorpion Bar and the Grand
58 Seaport Blvd., Seaport District, Boston
The Big Night Entertainment Group (Red Lantern, Empire, and more) opened a version of one of its Connecticut venues, Scorpion Bar, in Boston’s Seaport this fall, full of tequila and tacos. The multi-story space also includes a nightclub called the Grand.
Opened: October 25 (the Grand) and 26 (Scorpion Bar), 2017
Sweetgreen
47 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston
DC-based salad chain Sweetgreen keeps expanding around the Boston area. After this location opened, another one opened in downtown Boston two days later.
Opened: November 7, 2017
Tuscan Kitchen Seaport
64 Seaport Blvd., Seaport District, Boston
With locations in Burlington, Massachusetts, Salem, New Hampshire, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Tuscan Kitchen expanded to Boston this fall in a massive space at the One Seaport Square development, seating 320 people and serving Neapolitan-style pizza, fresh pasta, and other regional Italian cuisine. (Unlike its New Hampshire counterparts, it doesn’t have a separate market section.)
Opened: November 20, 2017
The Broadway
732 E Broadway, South Boston
Longtime nightlife spot Boston Beer Garden closed here in early 2017 and was revamped into the Broadway under the same ownership. The same crew also recently revamped their Southie spot, the Playwright, into the Punk & Poet. The Broadway serves wood-fired pizzas, nitro cold brew martinis on draft, and more.
Opened: November 15, 2017
Fat Baby
118 Dorchester St., South Boston
Mike Shaw of Lincoln Tavern and Loco Taqueria has opened a sushi-focused restaurant in the former Salsa’s space, right near Lincoln and Loco. Also on the menu: pork belly ramen, chicken banh mi bao, sake, and more.
Opened: December 2, 2017
Jugos Supremo
502 Massachusetts Ave., South End, Boston
This juice bar has an older sibling in Back Bay. The new location has space for 11 people inside, and there’s a small seasonal patio outside. On the menu: juice, a range of coffee beverages, acai bowls, and more.
Opened: November 1, 2017
Lobstah on a Roll
537 Columbus Ave., South End, Boston
This restaurant primarily focuses on takeout, serving lobster rolls, lobster dinners, and sandwiches. There’s a five-foot-long lobster roll on the menu that incorporates the meat of about 80 lobsters. (An Arlington location is also in the works.)
Opened: Early November 2017
Bodega Canal
57 Canal St., West End, Boston
The crew behind Ward 8 and the recently opened North Square Oyster are behind this new Mexican restaurant and nightclub, located in the former Grand Canal space. There are tacos and more, alongside a tequila-focused cocktail list.
Opened: November 17, 2017
City Winery
1 Canal St., West End, Boston
A venue for food, music, and wine that has its roots in New York City finally arrived in the West End in November after a number of construction setbacks and rescheduling or moving of already planned shows. City Winery serves as a concert venue and private event space, in addition to a winery and restaurant. The venue has more than 30,000 square feet of space, and the restaurant seats 100, while the entertainment area seats 300.
Opened: November 20, 2017
Rogue Lounge
222 Friend St., West End, Boston
Located in the former North Star space, Rogue Lounge serves sushi, small plates, and more, alongside cocktails and beer, and there is live music and DJs. There is also private dining space available, and the lounge has quite a few televisions. Also: mai tais on tap.
Opened: November 16, 2017
Joe’s 320 Cafe
320 Spring St., West Roxbury, Boston
This breakfast-and-lunch spot took over the former home of West Roxbury’s Spring Street Cafe, courtesy of Joseph Adamo, who was executive chef at Aragosta Bar + Bistro.
Opened: Mid-October 2017
Local 338
1727 Centre St., West Roxbury, Boston
This New York-inspired bagel shop uses bagels that are made 90% in New York, frozen, and shipped to Boston; final prep occurs onsite. Local 338 also serves bialys and coffee.
Opened: October 3, 2017
Som Tum Modern Thai Cuisine
1894 Centre St., West Roxbury, Boston
Named for green papaya salad, a staple of Thai cuisine, Som Tum has taken the place of another Thai restaurant, Sticky Rice.
Opened: Fall 2017
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