Brighton’s Brato Brewhouse & Kitchen Is Expanding to Harvard Square

Brato Brewhouse & Kitchen — a Brighton brewery particularly loved for its food, especially its house-made sausages — is expanding across the river in a partnership with Harvard Square restaurant and music venue the Sinclair, the Brato team announced on February 9. The Sinclair’s restaurant, which remained closed for much of the pandemic and only recently added back limited bar and patio hours, will finally fully reopen on February 12, featuring Brato in the kitchen.

The menu will include some popular Brato items from its Brighton location, such as the brewhouse’s own bratwurst, made with local pork; Buffalo cauliflower; hot chicken; and some vegan options. But where Brato Brighton features grilled cheese flights, Brato at the Sinclair will go in a different cheesy direction: South Shore-style bar pizza. The classic local style, available at various dive bars and watering holes throughout Massachusetts’s South Shore and beyond for decades, is seeing a bit of an uptick closer to Boston lately, featuring at newer spots like Hot Box in Somerville; the recently opened South Boston location of Castle Island Brewing, home to Bardo’s Bar Pizza; and the just-debuted Red Hat replacement on Beacon Hill, Teddy’s on the Hill. Brato’s Brighton location will occasionally offer bar pie specials, but the full selection will be available at the Sinclair.

Naturally, some of Brato’s own beers will play into the partnership with the Sinclair as well, with rotating cans and draft options available in both the restaurant and music venue spaces. To start, Pilot 463 and Pig in Soot Stout will be available, and eventually the teams plan to collaborate on an exclusive Brato beer just for the Sinclair. And unlike Brato in Brighton, the Sinclair has a full liquor license, so there’s a full bar available, not just beer.

“When we found out that Bowery Boston was opening [a new music venue] the Roadrunner in Brighton, we reached out knowing that we’d love to partner with someone so reputable in live music,” Brato cofounder Jon Gilman tells Eater. “As it turns out, they had a need for a partner with their operations at the Sinclair. We are over the moon about an opportunity to grow and partner with such an amazing company and look forward to bringing some of our signature food and beer to Harvard Square.”

To start, Brato at the Sinclair will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m., offering indoor dining as well as takeout and delivery. Proof of vaccination is required for indoor dining at the restaurant and entry to the music venue.