Back Bay’s Brasserie Jo Closes Next Month After 20 Years

A hotel restaurant that has been a staple in Boston’s French food landscape for 20 years will close down next month. Brasserie Jo (120 Huntington Ave., Back Bay), which occupies space on the ground floor of the Colonnade Hotel, will conduct its final service on October 7, shuttering ahead of a planned overhaul for the hotel.

Chef and owner Jean Joho opened the restaurant in 1998 with a focus on food from the Alsace region of France, where he apprenticed early in his career. A multiple-time James Beard award-winning chef, Joho also operates two restaurants in Chicago and one in Las Vegas. In Boston, chef Nicholas Calias has been at the helm of the kitchen for nearly a decade and also spends time on a number of boards supporting culinary students.

At Brasserie Jo, Joho and Calias oversee a menu of light appetizers to full entrees, ranging from charred octopus and pâté to smoked salmon, pommes frites, pan-seared scallops, steak frites, coq au vin, and roast pork. As a hotel restaurant, Brasserie Jo also serves breakfast and lunch, including sandwiches, omelets, onion soup, and tartes flambees, or Alsace-style pizzas.

Over the years, Brasserie Jo has served as a destination for out-of-towners and locals alike, providing nearly around-the-clock dining service (opening at 6:30 a.m. or 7 a.m. daily and closing at 1 a.m. or 2 a.m.) and holiday specials. While its closure will leave a hole in Back Bay, other restaurants nearby will hold down the fort in providing the city with French food, including the brand new Bar Lyon in the South End (opening tomorrow), along with Petit Robert Bistro, Gaslight Brasserie du Coin, Aquitaine, and more.

• Brasserie Jo to Close Next Month After 20 Years [BG]
• Brasserie Jo Coverage on Eater [EBOS]