#leah bertucci

[dustedmagazine]

Christian Carey's year in review

2023 was pretty much an awful year for our world —climate disaster moves ever more quickly, violence abounds and US politics are a disaster. I would not write a thank you card to the universe for many of my own experiences during the year either. However, I am grateful for the extraordinary music I participated in, heard and wrote about: it was a great solace. A few highlights are below:

I composed three new pieces: Solemn Tollings, for microtonal trumpet and trombone, Just Like You for singing violist, and Cracking Linear Elamite for solo guitar. The latter premiered in December at Loft 393 in Tribeca, played by Dan Lippel.

In addition to editing Sequenza 21 and contributing to Dusted, I authored several reviews and a research article for the British journal Tempo. The article was on my research in narratology as a feature of Elliott Carter’s music, which I have been exploring and publishing on since writing my Ph.D. dissertation. It was great for this particular research, of character-types and interactions in the Fifth String Quartet, to finally see the light of day.

After a half-century of banged up and often unreliable used pianos, my wife Kay got me a new Baldwin grand piano for my 50th birthday. Since it has arrived, I have practically lived in it.

Post-pandemic and post-cancer, I began to dip my toe into attending live events. I went to the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, which was a mixed bag. As compensation, the Boston Symphony performances that weekend were excellent. I attended a great concert at the New York Philharmonic in November and another in December. For many years, Kay and I have made a holiday tradition of seeing the Tallis Scholars at St. Mary the Virgin Church in midtown. It was wonderful to return there. The Tallis Scholars’ performance was splendid, featuring a mass by Clemens non Papa.

After the Tallis concert, Kay was in Nashville, where her parents live, for two weeks, spending time with her brother Tom and sister-in-law Aymara, who were visiting from Qatar (Tom teaches at the Carnegie Mellon University campus there and Aymara is a yoga instructor), and celebrating Christmas with her parents. Here in New Jersey, it was just me and the felines, who were (mostly) well-behaved. To keep the holiday blues at bay, I went all out, decorating a natural tree and the house. I played every carol in the hymnal, and enjoyed old holiday standbys: Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, and Mel Torme’s Christmas albums.

There was much excellent recorded music released this year, and I will not attempt to document it all. Here are twelve records, in no particular order, that I expect will stay with me and be played often in coming years.

2023 Favorite Recordings

Yo La Tengo —  This Stupid World (Matador)

Hilary Hahn —  Eugène Ysaÿe’s Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, op. 27 (DG)

Morton Feldman —  Violin and String Quartet (Another Timbre)

Natural Information Society —  Since Time is Gravity (Eremite)

Leah Bertucci —  Of Shadow and Substance (Self— released)

Juliet Fraser —  What of Words and What of Song (Neos)

Laura Strickling and Daniel Schlosberg —  40@40 (Bright Shiny Things)

Emily Hindricks, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, and Cristian Macelaru perform Liza Lim —  Annunciation Triptych (Kairos)

Bozzini Quartet and Konus Quartett play Jürg Frey​ —  Continuit​é, fragilit​é​, r​é​sonance (elsewhere)

Matana Roberts —  Coin Coin Chapter Five (Constellation)

Chris Forsyth — Solar Motel (self— released)

John Luther Adams —  Darkness and Scattered Light (Cold Blue)

Christian Carey

[tonyduncanbb73]

All the Boston Food News That Mattered in January 2019: From Pizza to Pretty Cakes

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

The year kicked off with a flurry of activity in the local restaurant scene — lots of openings, but lots of closings as well. The Boston area welcomed a handful of new cafes, a hot new cocktail destination, several Italian restaurants, and more, but diners also had to say goodbye to some old-timers, including one restaurant that was close to 200 years old.

Read on for a summary of January 2019, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps, Guides, and Food Crawls | Openings | Closings

Most-Read Stories

Taiyaki/Facebook

Taiyaki NYC is expanding to Boston with its Instagram-bait unicorn ice cream

Durgin-Park Closed After Nearly 200 Years: The Boston landmark had been operating since before the Civil War.

Milk Bar Arrives in Harvard Square in a Blaze of Sugary Glory: And it’s sharing space with a popular DC-based pizzeria, &pizza. The duo officially opened on February 2.

Suburban Boston Dining News, Updated Weekly: A round-up of restaurant openings, closings, and other news outside of the immediate Boston vicinity.

Taco Bell Will Soon Live Más Right in Downtown Boston: It’s only the second location in Boston proper.

Former Mamaleh’s Employee Files Lawsuit for Sexual Harassment and Discrimination: A longtime staffer at the Cambridge restaurant says members of the restaurant’s ownership and kitchen staff engaged in sexual harassment, homophobia, sexism, and racism.

Tiffani Faison’s Not Done Growing Her Fenway Empire: The acclaimed chef has a new restaurant coming to the neighborhood this summer.

Michael Scelfo’s New Bar Pairs Finger Food With History: Look inside the Longellow Bar at Alden & Harlow, now open.

The Seaport District Is Getting Unicorn Ice Cream in Fish-Shaped Cones: Courtesy of a New York-based ice cream shop, Taiyaki NYC.

Time Out Market Will Have a Star-Studded Lineup, Including Craigie Burger Variations: 2019’s food hall bonanza is getting underway.

Cultivar Has Closed Its Doors After a Year and a Half: Chef and co-owner Mary Dumont was Eater Boston’s 2017 Chef of the Year.

Top Maps, Guides, and Food Crawls

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Tom yum noodle soup at Dakzen, a new addition to the Eater 38 in January

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2019: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion, updated quarterly.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2019: Boston’s best new hotspots, updated monthly.

13 Top-Notch Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Around Boston: Gooey cheese and perfectly toasted bread are sure to satisfy.

16 Essential Boston-Area Coffee Shops: Start your caffeine adventure here.

25 Essential Boston-Area Burgers: A meaty to-do list.

26 Iconic Dishes Around Boston: Get to know the city and surrounding area with these essential eats.

The Cocktail Heatmap: Where to Drink Right Now, Winter 2019: Spend the bitterly cold days of winter with a cocktail (or several) in hand — here are some hot new cocktail destinations to try this season.

The Eater Boston Winter 2019 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Where to Eat Pierogi Around Massachusetts: Plump Polish dumplings are a solid antidote to winter’s chill.

These Restaurants Closed in 2019: An archive of closures.

Openings

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Chocolates from Gâté Comme des Filles, a chocolate shop that is now open at Bow Market in Somerville

5 Spices House (546 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge): A new location for a Chinatown restaurant specializing in Sichuan-style dry pot. (There’s also a Malden location, but that one features hot pot and sushi.)

Beacon Hill Pub (149 Charles St., Beacon Hill, Boston): One of several classic dive bars to return from a hiatus under new ownership this month. (See also: the Tam, Sullivan’s Tap.)

Blake’s Kitchen & Bar (Hotel Indigo, 276 Friend St., West End, Boston): The New England-y menu includes a lobster roll, clam bake, steak tips, and more, while the ambiance is meant to feel like an English pub.

Brit Bakery (407 Concord Ave., Cambridge): Brit Bakery started as an Arlington-based online business and pop-up; now it has its own storefront in the former Violette space, selling cakes, pastries, coffee, and more. Brit emphasizes organic ingredients and avoidance of preservatives and artificial flavors.

Door No. 7 (165 Linden St., Wellesley): Raw bar items, roasted chicken, salmon, and more from the team behind the Cottage.

EHChocolatier (145 Huron Ave., Observatory Hill, Cambridge): This popular local chocolate company used to be hidden deep within a Somerville warehouse; now it has a public-facing storefront in the Observatory Hill neighborhood, selling chocolate bars, truffles, caramels, and more.

Elm Street Taproom (256 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): Located in the former Joshua Tree space, Elm Street Taproom comes from the group behind Five Horses Tavern and Worden Hall and serves sandwiches and other comfort food. There’s also a mug club.

The Federal (1265 Main St., Waltham): A steakhouse in the former Flank space.

Gâté Comme des Filles (1 Bow Market Wy., Bow Market, Union Square, Somerville): A chocolate shop serving boxes of small-batch chocolates, hot chocolate, and more.

Hi-Rise Bread Company (Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., Downtown Boston): The new Boston Public Market location is the third outpost for the Cambridge-based bakery. Market-goers can get sandwiches, soups, salads, breads, pastries, and jam.

Il Massimo (Legacy Place, 400 Legacy Pl., Dedham): Popular Providence Italian restaurant Massimo has expanded to the former Met Bar & Grill space in Dedham, serving dishes such as herb-stuffed porchetta, grilled pork chop with caramelized figs, and a variety of pasta options.

La Cucina Italian Eatery (400 Assembly Rw., Assembly Row, Somerville): From the owner of the now-defunct Carmen in the North End comes a new Italian restaurant that pays homage, design-wise, to the neighborhood’s car manufacturing history. On the menu: pasta, flatbreads, Lavazza coffee, and more.

Liuyishou Hotpot (702 Washington St., Chinatown, Boston): This is the first Boston location for the China-based chain, which features spicy Chongqing-style hot pot and displays its meats on a large wooden wheel.

The Longfellow Bar at Alden & Harlow (40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge): Sibling to Waypoint and sibling/neighbor to Alden & Harlow, this bar occupies an attractive two-story space that was previously home to Cafe Algiers. Creative cocktails, fancy finger food.

Luce (1 Shepard St., between Porter and Harvard squares, Cambridge): Shepard closed in December, and the team quickly revamped the restaurant into a more casual Italian spot called Luce, featuring pasta, brick-oven pizza, and more.

No Relation (Shore Leave, 11 William E. Mullins Wy., South End, Boston): Located inside the recently opened Tiki spot Shore Leave, No Relation is an intimate sushi bar serving a 14-course tasting menu twice nightly.

Pho Viet’s (51 Langley Rd., Newton): An expansion of the popular banh mi staple at Super 88 market in Allston.

Revival Cafe & Kitchen (197 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): This is the second location for Revival, a cafe from the team behind the now-defunct Crema in Harvard Square. The first Revival is in Alewife; this one is in the original Bertucci’s location (which was more recently a Subway).

Solid Ground Cafe (742 Huntington Ave., Mission Hill, Boston): The 18-seat cafe serves breakfast all day (and adds lunch items starting at 11 a.m.) and features Plymouth-based Speedwell Coffee.

Spice Delight (63 Concord Ave., Belmont): An Indian restaurant in the former Golden Garden space.

Sullivan’s Tap (168 Canal St., West End, Boston): After a brief closure, the dive bar is back with new owners but largely unchanged.

Sushi Momento (399 Chestnut Hill Ave., Cleveland Circle, Brookline): Sushi and other Japanese food from a Pabu alum, located in a hotel near the border of Boston’s Brighton neighborhood and Brookline.

Sweet Heart (386 Trapelo Rd., Belmont): Bubble tea, smoothies, ice cream, and other treats.

The Tam (222 Tremont St., Downtown Boston, Boston): The classic Theater District dive bar has returned under new ownership following a short hiatus, with barely any changes.

Tanám (1 Bow Market Wy., Bow Market, Union Square, Somerville): A Filipino restaurant featuring chibog (five-course dinners), kamayan (utensil-free feasts with 19+ components), and late-night bar snacks and cocktails.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (125 Summer St., Downtown Boston): This is the first of two planned downtown locations for the ever-expanding local cafe chain.

Tradesman Coffee Shop & Lounge (Hilton, 89 Broad St., Downtown Boston): A coffee shop at a hotel. It’ll add alcohol to the menu soon.

Union Straw (8 Mechanic St., Foxborough): Flatbreads, pasta, burgers, sandwiches, and more, including a full bar.

The Westland (8 Westland Ave., Symphony, Boston): In the works since 2012, this restaurant is a sibling of Hopewell Bar & Kitchen, Corner Tavern, and more. It serves “international comfort food.”

Yassou (1323 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington Heights): Gyros, souvlaki, and other Greek cuisine, located in the former Capri space.

Closings

Huge Galdones/Cultivar

A dish at Cultivar

Barrington Coffee (346 Congress St., Fort Point, Boston): Open since 2011, this was the older of two Barrington cafes. A bank is rumored to be taking over the space.

Cultivar (Ames Boston Hotel, 1 Court St., Downtown Boston): From longtime Harvest alum Mary Dumont — who was Eater Boston’s 2017 Chef of the Year — Cultivar served upscale New England cuisine, featuring seasonal produce, foraged items, and the like.

Dough (20 Maverick St., East Boston): The pizza and sandwich shop had been around for 13 years.

Durgin-Park (340 Faneuil Hall Market Pl., Downtown Boston): End of an era. Durgin-Park was nearly 200 years old.

Fat Biscuit (MarketStreet, 335 Market St., Lynnfield): The Southern restaurant had opened in 2017; it had an older sibling in New Hampshire, which has also closed.

Griddler’s Burgers & Dogs (134 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): The building was sold to Emerson College, and Boston Nightlife Ventures decided retired its Griddler’s fast-casual burger brand in an effort to focus on its bigger projects.

Haley House Bakery Cafe (12 Dade St., Roxbury, Boston): The bakery arm of a decades-old community non-profit organization is closed, at least for now, but the organization hopes to figure out a way to reopen it with a more sustainable business plan.

The Living Room (101 Atlantic Ave., Waterfront, Boston): The waterfront restaurant and nightclub had been around for 15 years, featuring couches and a packed events calendar.

Manoa (300 Beacon St., Somerville): One of the first poke shops to open in the Boston area.

Peet’s Coffee & Tea (285 Harvard St., Coolidge Corner, Brookline): A number of Peet’s locations have been closing around the Boston area.

Petsi Pies (31 Putnam Ave., Cambridge): The original Petsi location remains open in Somerville, but the Putnam Avenue location has been replaced by a fourth Darwin’s Ltd., a switch that has been planned since 2012.

Sweet Bakery (0 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge): A wave of Harvard closures continues with this outpost of a small local cupcake chain, which had been in the neighborhood for about a decade. It may return to Harvard Square at a later date.

Towne Stove & Spirits (900 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): The Lyons Group, which was behind Towne, plans to open a new restaurant in its place this spring, believing that the market has shifted away from a “higher ticket experience.”

[sweetzoejaymes]

february.14-my sweet sweet valentine

Sweet Zoë Jaymes - I cannot believe November 30th was the last time I updated your blog. Sorry :( We’ve been busy again. This is why I need to write more often. I can’t even remember the beginning of December? I do know that we went to California for Christmas. Auntie Katie, Jackson and Landon got in to town the same time we did. We headed to Bakersfield, with a very important stop to In-N-Out. We had such a good time in California. Good quality time with Papa and our Mejia Family, then up to Exeter to spend time with Nana and Grammy. Auntie Katie left the day after Christmas and you spent some quality time with your dad as well. The one big bummer was that you were sick the entire time we were in California. It started the day before we left. Leah called me from the Y to say your throat was hurting and I needed to pick you up. We went straight to CVS to get you some sore throat meds, but you ended up having a fever the whole night. Then we had to wake up in the middle of the night basically to leave for the airport. On the way to the airport though, we had to pull over for you to throw up. That turned out to be good though. That kind of relieved you for the flight. But my poor Zoe was sick the entire trip. The good thing was that we had all of our loving family around to comfort you and make you feel so much better. 

After getting home from California, it was back to school, but we had another exciting trip just ahead of us. We were going to Washington DC to march in the Women’s March on Washington. The recent election has brought to light a lot of things we have taken for granted, but we still need to stand up for what we believe in and fight for what is right. That has never been more important in my lifetime, or yours thusfar, than now. Our current President does not value or treat women the way we should be treated, his administration devalues our rights, as well as many other groups of people. The Women’s March was an organized event to stand up and say, we are not ok with what is happening and we will stand up and defend what is right. Somewhere around 500,000 people, mostly women showed up in DC to march, but people gathered all around the world to march with us as well. It was the largest demonstration in US history and you were a part of it. 

Katie and Taylor flew out from Seattle. We met them at Newark Airport. Our whole way to New York there were tons of drivers we could just tell were going to the March. The stops we made to use the restroom had long lines for the women’s restrooms. After picking up Katie and Taylor, it became even more apparent who was also driving down to DC for the March. There were pink cat hats everywhere. 

The day of the March was such a positive vibe. Actually the vibe driving down was super positive too. The whole trip was a very positive experience, but the day of the March, waiting to get into the Metro, to get on a train, to get out of the metro, to get to the rally and to actually march. There were hundreds of thousands of people. All trying to get to the same spot. But everyone was so happy and loving and supportive. I’m just so glad we were able to be a part of it and that you had such a great experience. The speakers were incredible. You were very excited to see Scarlett Johansson, Alicia Keys and Janelle Monae, but I think you were just as impressed, if not more, with a little girl named Sophie Cruz. She is a 6 year old immigrant who spoke to the crowd about her experiences. We can all make a difference.

We marched from the National Mall to the Washington Monument and walked up to the Lincoln Memorial. You and Taylor were so excited to see all of the famous landmarks, including the White House. The day after the March we decided to take a little detour to Philadelphia on our way to taking Katie and Taylor back to Newark. Philadelphia was just as incredible as the rest of the trip. We went to Independence Hall to see where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both drafted. Across the street to the Liberty Bell, up to the Rocky steps and to Jimmy G’s for a cheesesteak. I think Katie and Taylor barely made their flight and I had to listen to half the Patriots game in the car on the way home, but it was totally worth the stop. Check Philadelphia off our to-do list. Plus, going to Pennsylvania also checked your accomplishment of visiting all of the states in the NorthEast. Which you were VERY excited about. 

You did forget to bring your study homework for an upcoming SouthEast state and capitol test coming up the following week, but we crammed the studying in when we got home and you rocked that test. 

The last few weeks since then have been non-stop. We were sick again. :( Then the first weekend of February you had your girl scouts encampment and then right after you got home we watched the Super Bowl. The Patriots won!!! Woo Hoo!

Then this last weekend Papa and Linda came to visit. We’ve had several snow storms in the last week and a half with 2 blizzards just in the last 5 days? Papa does not like the cold and snow, so I’m not so sure it was really fun for him, but he survived and I’m sure loved spending time with us and seeing where we live. 

Friday night we had Bertuccis. Saturday Papa got to see you at soccer skills and then we headed to Salem, kind of randomly, but it turned out perfect. They had ice sculptures and a sweet festival with a chocolate fountain, free sundaes and lots of sweets. Then we made it back to Waltham for dinner at Not Your Average Joe’s where you made special arrangements for a birthday surprise for me and you got to stay the night with Papa. We met for breakfast at our favorite spot, In A Pickle and went shopping at the Burlington Mall. The storm really started to hit from there and we didn’t know if we were going to see Papa again before he had to go, but luckily the storm passed by morning and we were able to go hang out at Papa’s hotel, where you got to go swimming. I had to head into work, but you and Papa and Linda went on your own little adventure up to New Hampshire before he dropped you back off with me.

Now hopefully we can make it through the rest of the week at school. You had 3 snow days in a row and next week is Winter Break, so it’s nice to be back in the normal routine, at least for a few days. 

Thank you so much for being the best Valentine ever. You picked out some great birthday and Valentine’s presents. I can’t wait to spend my birthday with you tomorrow. 

love you to the moon and back. xoxo - mommy

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.

[tonyduncanbb73]

January 2018 in Review, From Ax-Throwing Bars to Ramen

The month in openings, closings, top news, and more

2018 got off to a fast start in terms of local restaurant openings. A few Boston-based groups continued to expand in January, including Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Tasty Burger, while some non-local chains came to town as well, including Israel’s Cafe Landwer and D.C.-based Cava, both serving fast-casual food with a Mediterranean feel. Other openings included the much-anticipated debut of Blossom Bar, the cocktail bar reinvention of Sichuan Garden in Brookline; Delta Haus, a bar inspired by not one but three different frat house movies; Oisa Ramen, a popular pop-up that landed its own permanent space; and more.

But the year started with a few closures, too, including some very longtime spots, such as Sultan’s Kitchen in downtown Boston, the Faneuil Hall location of Bertucci’s, Tapeo on Newbury Street, and Diva Indian Bistro in the heart of Somerville’s Davis Square.

Read on for a summary of January 2018, including the most-read news stories and maps, the openings, and the closings.

Jump to: Most-Read Stories | Top Maps & Guides | Openings | Closings | This Time Last Year

Most-Read Stories

Urban Axes [official photo]

A location of Urban Axes, expanding to Somerville this year.

Somerville Is Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar Because of Course It Is: Urban Axes could open this summer.

Tilted Kilt Shuts the Doors in Fenway: The Scottish-themed “breastaurant” has closed.

The Forthcoming Natick Wegmans Will Have a Full-Service Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar: Courtesy of chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda in New York City.

Tiki Rock Opens Downtown With a Polynesian Super Burger and Mai Tais: There are cocktail bowls, too.

Cafe Landwer Arrives in Boston With Shakshuka, Coffee, and Sandwiches: This is the Israeli chain’s first United States location.

Blossom Bar Blooms in Brookline This Week: The old Sichuan Garden space has been transformed.

Beer & Mortar: Five Boston-Area Breweries to Watch in 2018: These are a few players making big strides this year.

Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston: There will be toga parties.

Papagayo Shuts Down Its Fort Point Location: Citing a surplus of spots serving Mexican cuisine and tequila.

Pikaichi Ramen, on the Comeback Trail, Lands New Home in Medford: In the former Emiliano’z Mexican Grill space.

Top Maps & Guides

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

The Saturn cocktail at Tiki Rock

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston, Winter 2018: Boston’s greatest restaurants for any occasion. This quarter’s update included the addition of ArtScience Culture Lab & Café, Bisq, Brassica Kitchen & Café, Café du Pays, Cultivar, The Gallows, Neptune Oyster, Pagu, Pammy’s, and Spoke Wine Bar.

The Hottest Restaurants in Boston Right Now, January 2018: Already updated for February too, the monthly Heatmap features a dozen of the city’s hottest new dining destinations.

The Eater Boston Winter 2018 Dining Headquarters: What’s #OpenInBOS?: Bookmark this page for weather-related openings, closures, and specials all winter long.

Warm up at These 18 Ramen Destinations This Winter: So many noodles.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Boston Proper: Tacos, Thai ice cream rolls, Tiki drinks.

A Guide to the Pop-Ups of Greater Boston: Get them before they’re gone.

The Winter 2017-2018 Restaurant Opening Guide: Cambridge and Somerville: Just across the river from Boston, there will be poke, burgers, and coffee.

The Eater Boston Food Events Guide: All the local food and drink events you’ll actually want to attend

Where to Eat Egg Boats Around Boston: Otherwise known as khachapuri, these doughy, cheesy treats are worth tracking down.

Chinatown Food Crawl: Dumplings, Eggplant, and Some Awfully Good Offal: Plus, drink a ton of Tsingtao.

Openings

Blossom Bar [official photo, via Instagram]

The Broken Spanish cocktail at Blossom Bar, which opened in Brookline this January

75 on Courthouse Square (220 Northern Ave.): 75 Chestnut and 75 on Liberty Wharf have a new similarly named sibling in the Seaport District, serving burgers, seafood and pasta entrees, and more — as well as a build-your-own bloody mary bar.

The Bagel Table (9 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill): Located in the longtime Rosie’s Bakery space at The Street, this new bakery features OMG! Bagels (a local brand) and serves some of Rosie’s greatest hits as well.

Blossom Bar (295 Washington St., Brookline): Like its Woburn sibling, the Brookline Sichuan Garden now has a snazzy cocktail bar inside. Those who loved dining at Sichuan Garden pre-revamp will still find a number of its dishes on the new, pared-down menu.

Buttonwood (51 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands): This sibling to Sycamore and Little Big Diner is a family-friendly restaurant located in the former 51 Lincoln space, serving grilled meat and seafood entrees, a “pizza shop” Greek salad, Portuguese fish stew, and more.

Cafe Landwer (900 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston): This is the first United States location for the Israeli cafe chain, which will also open in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood.

Caffe Nero (75 Middlesex Tpke., Burlington): Yep, this London-based cafe chain keeps expanding around the Boston area.

Cava (1346 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston): This fast-casual Mediterranean chain comes by way of Washington, D.C., and it’s also expanding to Boston’s Back Bay and Cambridge’s Kendall Square, as well as Dedham and Hingham.

Counter (209 Essex St., Salem): Drawing some menu inspiration from department store counter lunches, Counter is located in the Hotel Salem — a building that was a department store in the 1950s and 1960s. This spring, it’ll get a sibling restaurant and bar called The Roof, located on the hotel’s roof, of course.

Delta Haus (200 High St., Downtown Boston): From the people who brought Boston a Caddyshack-themed bar (Bushwood Cocktail Club) comes another movie-inspired spot, but this one draws inspiration from multiple frat house flicks: Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds.

Globe Bar & Cafe (384 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): This Back Bay spot moved down the street, taking over the former Rattlesnake space. Yes, the rooftop will be open seasonally.

Grassona’s Italian (1704 Beacon St., Washington Square, Brookline): Fairsted Kitchen owner Steve Bowman briefly closed his restaurant to renovate it and reopen it as Grassona’s Italian, serving red-sauce Italian classics.

Hopsters (51 Sleeper St., Seaport District, Boston): The Newton-based brewpub and brew-your-own-beer facility has expanded to Boston proper (and has further expansion plans in the works). Go for a meal, a drink, and/or a brewing session.

Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St., Watertown): This Armenian restaurant serves khachapuri and more.

Momo Cafe (649 Hancock St., Quincy): No momo (Nepalese dumplings here) — just desserts, teas, and more.

Oisa Ramen (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): This pop-up has found a cozy home in the Financial District, serving up three types of ramen to dine-in customers (there are a few standing spaces at a counter and a few seats by the window) and rice bowls to takeout customers. For those dining in, there’s a small selection of beer, sake, and canned sparkling wine cocktails available.

Olivia’s Bistro (136 Adams St., Nonantum, Newton): This Newton addition is serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and more Italian food.

Rice Passions (163 Squire Rd., Revere): Under new ownership, Maekha Thai has been revamped, renamed, and reopened as Rice Passions, serving a variety of Thai dishes.

Shaking Crab (140 Boylston St., Downtown Boston): This growing local group serves spicy boiled seafood; there was also a recent opening in Cambridge’s Porter Square. This new Boston location is in the original Troquet space (Troquet recently moved to the Leather District.)

Tasty Burger (1 Nashua St., West End, Boston): The local burger chain’s sixth location is at North Station and features the group’s biggest bar (18 seats), at which beer and wine are served. There’s also a takeout window and free pool table.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe (399 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston): Yet another expansion for the local cafe chain that now has eight outposts in Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge.

Tiki Rock (2 Broad St., Downtown Boston): Adjacent to another January newbie, Oisa Ramen, Tiki Rock serves Tiki cocktails, sushi, and more in a lively atmosphere.

Toscanini’s (159 First St., East Cambridge): Central Square’s ever-popular ice cream joint has temporarily shut down its original location due to construction, but it has a new location in East Cambridge — and this new location will be Toscanini’s production home even once the original reopens. The new spot serves 32 ice cream flavors as well as baked goods and coffee.

Trina’s Starlite Lounge (37 Main St.): This Somerville favorite for hot dogs, cocktails, and a retro vibe has expanded to the North Shore, taking over the former No. 8 Kitchen space.

Xi’an Street Foods (182 Brighton Ave., Allston, Boston): Serving rougamo (flatbread sandwiches that resemble burgers), biang biang noodles, and other cuisine from the Chinese city of Xi’an, this new casual spot in Allston is one of only a few Xi’an restaurants in town. No relation to Xi’an Famous Foods, the New York-based chain expanding here eventually.

White Bull Tavern (1 Union St., Downtown Boston): Right by Faneuil Hall, this new tavern is serving skillet-cooked appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, and more.

Closings

Katie Chudy/Eater

Roast beef sandwich at Kelly’s Roast Beef (the Revere location, which remains open)

Bertucci’s (22 Merchants Row, Downtown Boston): The Faneuil Hall location of local pizza chain Bertucci’s opened way back in 1989.

Bistro Duet (190 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington): Located in the former Flora space (a bank before that), this French restaurant had been open for just over a year.

Diva Indian Bistro (246 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville): The Indian restaurant had been open for over 20 years.

Kelly’s Roast Beef (2 Underprice Way, Natick): This location of the local roast beef chain — which is inside of a Jordan’s Furniture — had been around for about 20 years. Other locations of Kelly’s remain in operation.

Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St., Malden): This Korean and Japanese restaurant was reportedly seized.

Papagayo (283 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston): In an increasingly crowded neighborhood for Mexican restaurants and tequila bar, this location shut down, but Papagayo remains open in downtown Boston and Somerville’s Assembly Row.

Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ (94 Lafayette St., Salem): From the owners of Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, Smokin’ Betty’s had been open for a little under a year. The barbecue will live on through catering orders — and perhaps an eventual reopening in a smaller space.

Sultan’s Kitchen (116 State St., Downtown Boston):The Turkish restaurant, a staple of the downtown dining scene, had been around since 1981.

Tapeo Restaurant and Tapas Bar (266 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston): Open for over 20 years, Tapeo cited the neighborhood’s “oppressive rents” as a factor in the restaurant’s closure.

Tilted Kilt (96 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston): Also known as “Scottish Hooters,” this “breastaurant” and sports bar chain didn’t last long in Fenway. In the region, a Billerica location remains open.

This Time Last Year

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bao at Pagu, one of the big openings of January 2017

Rewinding back to January 2017, the hot neighborhood of the month was Central Square — particularly the section closest to MIT — with the openings of Pagu, A4cade, and Roxy’s Central. Another notable opening was Frenchie in Boston’s South End, and East Coast Grill made a comeback, only to close for good just under a year later and be remade into Highland Fried (which isn’t totally different from East Coast Grill).

January 2017 also brought the news of a potential boozy Taco Bell Cantina in Somerville’s Davis Square, but it’s not happening.

Boston was awash in poke in January 2017, with Manoa Poke Shop and Poke City kicking off the start of the city’s obsession with the Hawaiian raw fish dish, an obsession that is continuing into 2018.

And Somerville got a cafe devoted to oatmal.