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The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: North Shore

It was a season full of hot dogs, poke, and doughnuts

A plate of fried chicken with collard greens and a biscuit sits on a black tabletop on a black background. There’s a bottle of Miller High Life to the side of the plate.
Fried chicken at the Somerville location of Trina’s Starlite Lounge, which expanded to Amesbury this winter
Pat Piasecki/Trina’s

After a quiet autumn that only saw a few restaurant openings — and some new breweries — the North Shore picked up a little bit of steam in winter 2017-2018, snagging its own locations of two Somerville institutions, plus some new poke, doughnuts, and more.

Here’s the rundown on the season’s openings. Curious about other parts of the state? Find Boston proper’s winter openings here and Cambridge and Somerville’s openings here.

A note on geography: Regional borders can be debatable. For the purposes of North Shore coverage throughout Eater Boston, we use the Boston Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s North Shore Task Force’s definition of “North Shore,” which can be found here.



Trina’s Starlite Lounge dog of the day
A “dog of the day” at Trina’s Starlite Lounge in Somerville; the restaurant expanded to Amesbury this winter
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Trina’s Starlite Lounge

37 Main St., Amesbury

Inman Square’s popular Trina’s Starlite Lounge, a restaurant and bar with a retro vibe and plenty of hot dogs, cocktails, and fried chicken, expanded to the North Shore this winter (chef Suzi Maitland lives in Amesbury, and co-owner Beau Sturm and his wife Trina live nearby in Newbury.) The team is also behind the Paddle Inn in Newburyport, Parlor Sports in Somerville (next to the original Trina’s), and Audubon in Boston.
Opened: January 2, 2018


Musubi at Lolo Poke
Musubi at Lolo Poke, now open in Beverly
Lolo Poke/Facebook

Lolo Poke

503 Rantoul St., Beverly

With fast-casual poke joints spreading rapidly around the East Coast, it was time for the North Shore to get in on the Hawaiian raw seafood dish. Lolo Poke also serves musubi — seaweed wrapped around rice and a protein, such as spam, tofu, salmon, or chicken.
Opened: January 27, 2018


The Angry Donut
Doughnuts from the Angry Donut, a pop-up that put down roots this winter
The Angry Donut/Facebook

The Angry Donut

38 Washington St., Newburyport

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, pop-up doughnut company the Angry Donut put down roots with a brick-and-mortar space. In addition to (angry) doughnuts, the bakery serves other baked goods, such as cookies, babka, scones, and muffins, as well as coffee and tea.
Opened: February 1, 2018


Rice Passions
Whole fish at Rice Passions
Rice Passions/Facebook

Rice Passions

163 Squire Rd., Revere

This Thai restaurant replaced another Thai restaurant, Maekha Thai, which closed in late October 2017 due to the owner’s health issues. The new spot serves a large menu of curry-based entrees, noodle dishes (including pad thai and a spicy “country style” version), fried rice, and more.
Opened: January 30, 2018


A crepe with chocolate, strawberries, bananas, and ice cream at Mr. Crepe
A crepe with chocolate, strawberries, bananas, and ice cream at Mr. Crepe, which expanded from Somerville to Salem this winter
Mr. Crepe/Facebook

Antique Table

26 Congress St., Salem

This Italian restaurant with locations in Winthrop and Lynn has replaced the short-lived Trattoria Orsini in Salem. The restaurant serves pizza, pasta, and more, not to mention sangria, and it will feature seasonal outdoor seating along the water when the time comes.
Opened: March 9, 2018

Counter

Hotel Salem, 209 Essex St., Salem

The Hotel Salem opened in late 2017, and a New American restaurant called Counter opened soon after on the ground floor as “a modern take on a lunch counter.” Counter serves lunch and dinner, and the bar is open late. It’ll eventually have outdoor dining and a sibling rooftop bar, too.
Opened: January 24, 2018

Mr. Crepe

83 Washington St., Salem

Somerville’s longtime Davis Square creperie has expanded north with a Salem location, serving a huge variety of sweet and savory crepes, plus soups, salads, pastries, and more.
Opened: February 1, 2018


A burger from B.Good, which expanded to Swampscott this winter
A burger from B.Good, which expanded to Swampscott this winter
B.Good/Facebook

B.Good

450 Paradise Rd., Swampscott

Located in the Vinnin Square shopping plaza, B.Good is part of a locally owned fast-casual chain that serves burgers, salads, bowls, and more. There are plenty of locations around Massachusetts and beyond — even a few international ones in Canada, Germany, and Switzerland.
Opened: January 29, 2018


Get weekday updates on all the latest restaurant news:

Antique Table (Salem)

26 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970 Visit Website

Trina's Starlite Lounge (Amesbury)

37 Main St., Amesbury, MA 01913 Visit Website

Counter at the Hotel Salem

209 Essex St., Salem, MA 01970 (978) 451-4818 Visit Website

Rice Passions

163 Squire Rd., Revere, MA 02151