Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Spike's Junkyard Dogs in Somerville's Davis Square Is Closing

[Ed note: This article was updated on October 17 and November 27 to reflect new information received.]

It looks like a Rhode Island-based group of hot dog places will be closing its location in one of the busiest parts of Somerville, though no official confirmation has been given as of yet.

A post on the Eater Boston site indicates (via a Somerville News legal notice) that the space where Spike's Junkyard Dogs is at 217 Elm Street in Davis Square is apparently going to be taken over by The Painted Burro, a Mexican restaurant that resides next door (at 219 Elm Street) and is looking to expand. Some chatter on the Davis Square LiveJournal page includes one poster who says that "from what I hear, Spikes was already closing. It wasn't so much that Painted Burro is aggressively taking over, as they found out that Spikes was leaving and jumped on it....This is from talking to bartenders at Burro, not from any official announcement."

The hearing for The Painted Burro's expansion plans took place last night, so expect some updates to come out shortly.

[October 17 update: It appears more and more likely that Spike's is indeed closing their Somerville location, as The Painted Burro has responded to a question on their Facebook page about whether they will be expanding into the Spike's space with "That's the plan!"]

[October 17 update #2: Grub Street Boston is reporting that The Painted Burro is planning to open The Burro Bar as part of their expansion into the Spike's space, with the bar having the same dinner menu as The Painted Burro while the weekend lunch menu will have tortas and Mexican sandwiches. Expect The Burro Bar to be ready sometime this winter.]

[November 27 update: An email from Spike's indicates that its Somerville location will indeed be closing, with its last day of operation being this Friday (November 30). The note mentions that folks who visit Spike's in Somerville over the final few days will be given a coupon for a free hot dog or veggie dog that may be redeemed at either their Allston or Back Bay location.]   

In addition to its Somerville location, Spike's Junkyard Dogs can also be found in Allston, Boston's Back Bay, Burlington, North Attleboro, Providence, Cranston, Warwick, and Groton, CT. Their website is at http://www.spikesjunkyarddogs.com/