A landmark Italian restaurant that has been in the North End of Boston for more than 60 years is going to be closing for at least awhile, as the building in which it resides is being renovated.
According to The Boston Herald, Joe Tecce's Ristorante on North Washington Street will be closing temporarily, as its building will be converted into 32 condos (the restaurant will also be renovated as part of the project). The article states that it is unknown exactly when the restaurant will temporarily shut down, but once it does, the renovations could take as long as a year.
[October 24 update: According to a poster on the Hiddenboston Twitter page, Joe Tecce's is now closed (a call placed to the restaurant confirms this, as their phone has been temporarily disconnected).]
[November 9 update: It appears that the closing of Joe Tecce's might just be more than temporary, as The Boston Globe reports that an auction is taking place on November 15 to sell off a variety of items from the restaurant, including light fixtures and Italian pottery. The article also mentions that the owners of the building are apparently still looking to redevelop it, with condos and a restaurant being part of the plan. At this point, however, it is not known whether the restaurant would be called Joe Tecce's.]
[November 16 update: According to The Boston Herald, the now-closed Joe Tecce's was basically sold off "piece by piece" yesterday at extremely low prices. Included among the items sold was the bar, which a buyer and seller of restaurant equipment bought for only $167, as well as a freezer and refrigerator that the owner of Twist, an upcoming Nashua, NH nightclub, purchased. There is still no word on whether a new incarnation of Joe Tecce's might go into the space, or perhaps a completely new dining spot. Keep checking back for updates over the coming weeks.]
The sale of the condos in the building is designed to help Joe Tecce's get on more stable footing, financially; as reported here earlier, the owners of the restaurant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last June, citing major disruptions during the Big Dig construction project as a reason for the filing. The Herald mentions that the owners, who are still in the reorganization process, hope that the renovations and the selling of the condos will help them get out of bankruptcy.
Joe Tecce's first opened their doors in 1948 and soon became one of the most popular restaurants in all of Boston, with such celebrities as Liz Taylor and Frank Sinatra visiting the place over the years.
The address for Joe Tecce's is: Joe Tecce's Ristorante, 61 North Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02114. The phone number is (617) 742-6210. And their website can be found at http://joetecces.com/
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