A Vegan Taqueria Plans Boozy Expansion in Somerville

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

A Vegan Taqueria Will Get a Tequila-Filled Boost Next Year

Ball Square restaurant Taco Party (711 Broadway, Somerville) is busting into the space next door. The casual vegan taqueria will expand to include a bigger kitchen, a 30-seat dining room, and a bar with a full liquor license. Thirsty diners will find local beers, mezcal, tequila, and more once the expansion is complete next year. As owner Keith Schubert told Boston Magazine, the restaurant will likely only have to close for a brief period when it’s time to take the wall down between the spaces. He’s hoping to debut the bigger, boozier space around March 2020, when the Broadway Bridge is also supposed to reopen, ending a year of detours. (Meanwhile, Ball Square businesses are open during bridge construction — brave the bit of an extra hassle and support them.)

Fire in Harvard Square

A two-alarm fire hit Border Cafe (32 Church St., Cambridge) on Sunday afternoon, December 1, reportedly traveling through the ductwork between the kitchen and roof. It was extinguished in about an hour, and no injuries have been reported. No word yet on how quickly the restaurant will be able to reopen. The Tex-Mex and Cajun restaurant has been a Harvard Square mainstay since opening in 1987; it is now a small chain, with six locations in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Delaware.

In Other News...

• New downtown restaurant Mariel (10 Post Office Sq., Boston) — from the team behind Yvonne’s, Lolita, and Ruka — now has a nightclub below it, Mariel Underground.
• Boston’s Cajun-inspired seafood boil scene continues to grow. The newest addition will reportedly be a restaurant called Happy Crab, opening in the former Amelia’s space in Somerville’s Teele Square (1137 Broadway).
• T&B Pizza (251 Washington St., Union Square, Somerville) has offered wood-fired bagels from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. the last two Saturday mornings, with plans to continue weekly. Keep an eye out for an evolving menu, with additions such as a burrata pizza bagel, says chef and co-owner Tim Wiechmann.
• The Dorchester Reporter has a nice feature on Dorchester burger restaurant Bred (2255 Dorchester Ave., Boston), which Tambo Barrow opened nearly five years ago. Barrow is doing a major revamp of the menu as the restaurant’s big anniversary approaches.

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