There’s a Whirlwind of New Boston Restaurants to Visit This Weekend

Welcome back to AM Intel, a round-up of mini news bites to kick off the day.

Opening Reminders

There’s been quite a flurry of restaurant openings over the past week. Here’s a rundown on the brand new places you can check out this weekend: Hooked Fish Shop (1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville) debuts today, September 21, at 4 p.m., serving dishes that feature local seafood products from Red’s Best and Boston Smoked Fish Co. Also at Bow Market, the Comedy Studio celebrated its grand opening this week, and it has its own bar, Variety Bar, serving “super” cocktails, wines “worth drinking,” and “sassy” mocktails. The bar is open at 5 p.m. this weekend, closed this Monday and Tuesday, and then open daily at 4 p.m. starting on Wednesday, September 26.

Over in Harvard Square, Beat Brasserie has reopened as Beat Brew Hall (13 Brattle St., Cambridge), featuring beer and beer hall-style cuisine with a touch of Southern food. In other switcheroos, Wink & Nod (3 Appleton St., South End, Boston) bid farewell to Humaari and welcomed its newest culinary resident, Ripasso, this week, serving Italian food by industry vet Tony Susi. Plus, Backlash Beer Co. is easing into its long-awaited taproom debut (152 Hampden St., Roxbury, Boston) this week. And in the Cleveland Circle section of Brighton, Feng Shui is now open (1924 Beacon St., Boston), serving sushi, Chinese food, Tiki drinks, and more.

Fire Updates

In other restaurant opening news, a couple of temporarily shuttered restaurants are back. Classic breakfast joint Neighborhood (25 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville) quickly reopened last week after a small electrical fire, and Asta (47 Massachusetts Ave., Back Bay, Boston), which has been closed since a fire in late July, returns tonight.

Up for Grabs

Here’s some prime real estate: Cafe Jaffa (48 Gloucester St., Back Bay, Boston), which has been serving Middle Eastern food in the heart of Back Bay for nearly three decades, is for sale (but don’t worry — it’s still open.) The $350,000 price tag includes a beer and wine license, kitchen equipment (including gyro machines), and more.

There Are Probably Five More Caffè Nero Locations Opening at This Very Second

The ever-expanding European coffeehouse chain that is rapidly taking over the Boston area opened yet another location this week, debuting at Center Plaza (across from Government Center in downtown Boston). Plus, it now has another Cambridge location in the works. It’ll open on the ground floor of a forthcoming Porter Square hotel, Hotel 1868. While the hotel is slated to open in November, the cafe will follow a few months later.

Got a news tip for the Eater Boston team? Email boston@eater.com.