A Southern Food and Music Oasis Is on the Way to Medford

A Southern restaurant in Wakefield plans to expand to Medford this summer, and the new location will be a hotbed of Southern cuisine, live music, and retail goods.

Chef and owner Jonathan Post of the Porch Southern Fare (41 Tuttle St., Wakefield) has secured a space at 100 Rivers Edge Dr. in Medford, about a half mile from the Wellington MBTA station, for his expansion project, as Boston Restaurant Talk first reported. It will be much larger than the original restaurant.

The Medford restaurant will seat between 120 and 150 people, and during seasonal months, that capacity will grow even more with room opening up on a large patio in front and sidewalk seating. To design the new restaurant, Post has teamed up with local design group Stack & Co., which has also worked on local Bon Me restaurants, Downeast Cider House, and dozens of other projects in the area. The Porch in Medford will include a large bar, a lounge area, space for live music, and a pool table or two, Post told Eater.

“We plan to fill the calendar with fun events and create more of a ‘hang-out’ vibe, just like a proper Southern porch,” Post said. “The music will focus on contemporary bands from the American South, and bands who play what would be considered ‘Southern style’ music, heavy on blues, blues rock, rockabilly, some alt country, bluegrass, and Americana.”

However, those looking for contemporary pop country will be disappointed: “This will not be some goofy caricature of Southern culture, so don’t expect any mainstream country music, or similar garbage,” he said.

The Porch first opened in Wakefield in early 2016, at which point Post carved out a place for himself serving racks of ribs, barbecue pork, Texas brisket, fried chicken, and more Southern classics like shrimp and grits, biscuits, mac and cheese, and Nashville hot chicken. (Post himself grew up in Nashville.)

In the last two years, the Porch has also popped up with Southern food at different locations around Greater Boston, including Dorchester Brewing Company, Lamplighter, and Bone Up Brewing.

The Porch does not yet have an opening date, but Post will aim for sometime in the middle of the summer, perhaps July. In addition to the restaurant and entertainment space, the Medford location will also have an auxiliary marketplace, which will stock American-made products. Stay tuned for further details on the food market and updates to the restaurant’s opening timeline.

• Jonathan Post (The Porch in Wakefield) to Open Restaurant in Medford [BRT]
• The Porch Southern Fare [Official Site]