Monday, January 04, 2016

Tuckaway Tavern and Butchery May Be Coming to Hilltop Steak House Space in Saugus

It looks like an award-winning New Hampshire restaurant and meat market could be coming to the Boston area--and it might be moving into an iconic space north of the city.

According to a Facebook post from the dining spot, the Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery in Raymond is eyeing the former Hilltop Steak House space on Route 1 in Saugus, with the post showing a picture of the legendary cactus sign and another of the space itself and saying "Breaking Some Ground on Some Groundbreaking News." It is not yet known whether this would be a second location of the Tuckaway or if it may be have a different name; as soon as we find out more, we will post an update here.

[January 5 update: According to a post from CBS Boston, the people behind the Tuckaway are indeed interested in the former Hilltop space, though it is not a definite deal as of yet. The article says that if the restaurant does open there, they would keep the iconic cactus sign, though the cows have already been auctioned off and might not return to the site. (The restaurant does say "there will have to be a cow" on the property if possible, however.)

The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery is a restaurant, bar, and meat market known for its rustic atmosphere and high-quality meats; the place has received a number of awards since opening in 2012, including New Hampshire Magazine giving it best steak tips (2012), best new restaurant (2013), best butcher shop (2014 and 2015, and best lobster roll deal (2015), according to a page on the restaurant's site.

The Hilltop Steak House closed in October of 2013 after more than 50 years in business, while its butcher shop in Weymouth closed late last year.

Thanks to @corbs872 for initially bringing this to our attention.

[May 19 update: The Saugus Advertiser reports that the Hilltop property has found a buyer, and while an official announcement on the purchaser will not be given for up to several weeks, a Facebook update from The Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery hints that it may indeed be moving into the space, saying that "We Are (Route) One Step Closer to Some Giant News" and commenting that "We will be in Saugus." (As soon as we get confirmation that the Tuckaway is indeed moving into the former Hilltop space, we will post another update.)]

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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]