Monday, April 06, 2015

29 Newbury in Boston's Back Bay Is Closing

A restaurant in the Back Bay of Boston that has been in business for more than 30 years is being forced out of its space at the end of the month, with a retail shop possibly replacing it.

The Boston Globe is reporting that 29 Newbury is closing down on April 30, as the landlord of the space (Donald Saunders of D.L. Saunders Real Estate Corp.) has told owner Debbie Lewis that she has to leave the spot by the end of the month. According to the landlord, rising real estate prices and higher property taxes are behind the decision to not have the Newbury Street restaurant return, and the landlord's plans are to replace 29 Newbury with a "well-established retailer," though no specifics have been given. Saunders also says that sales and the corresponding rent (which is tied to the restaurant's sales) have been decreasing each month and that he wanted Lewis to do renovations but that she couldn't afford it; Lewis denies this, however, and counters by saying "They just decided that they wanted us out...I absolutely could have afforded to renovate the restaurant."

29 Newbury first opened back in 1983 (with Lewis taking it over in 1986) and was known in part as a busy summertime spot that often attracted celebrities, with a couple of its most popular items being the cobb salad and sesame-encrusted salmon on snow peas, according to the Globe.

The address for this restaurant in the Back Bay is: 29 Newbury, 29 Newbury Street, Boston, MA, 02116.

[April 21 update: According to its social media pages, 29 Newbury has apparently decided to close earlier than expected, with its last day being over the past weekend (Saturday, April 18).]

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]