Ryles Jazz Club, a Cambridge Institution, Is Closing

Ryles Jazz Club (212 Hampshire St., Cambridge) — an Inman Square haunt for more than four decades — is closing, reports The Boston Globe. While Soul City Band, which plays there frequently, noted in a Facebook post that the doors would close at the end of June, Ryles owner Gary Mitchell (who runs the club with his sister Aimee Baum) didn’t give a closing timeline and noted that Ryles is still booking gigs for now.

Mitchell’s family, which has also owned S&S Restaurant and Deli across the street for over a century, has operated Ryles for 24 years, and Mitchell cited the family’s desire to focus on S&S as a reason for selling the Ryles property.

“We’ve enjoyed every minute of it and it’s been very successful, but based on our age and our lifestyle, this is the decision we’ve made,” Mitchell told the Globe.

The late Jack Reilly — who died at 98 in 2016 — opened Ryles in the 1970s, providing a platform for musicians to perform, whether they were Berklee students just starting out or much bigger names. These days, Ryles features two floors (with salsa, merengue, and other dancing on the second floor) and serves a full menu of barbecue, pizza, and more. There’s live music and dancing nearly every night of the week.

While the music will be stopping, the half-sour pickles and potato pancakes across Hampshire Street will endure. Mitchell’s great-grandmother opened S&S in 1919 — and Mitchell told the Globe he expects it will be in his family for another century.

• After 40 Years, Owners of Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge Are Selling [BG]