A mainstay for Italian-American food in the North End of Boston is changing hands, and it looks like the menu will change as well--though everything else should stay the same.
According to an article in northendwaterfront.com, Gennaro's Five North Square is being sold to Nick Frattaroli, who owns Ward 8 on N. Washington Street, and whose family members are behind such places as Lucia, Ducali, and Filippo Ristorante in the North End (there is a second Lucia in Winchester), and the upcoming Cunard Tavern in East Boston. Frattaroli, who is buying the restaurant from Gerry Riccio (Caffe Vittoria), may change the name to simply "Five North Square," with the place being a casual, moderately-priced spot featuring locally-sourced seafood and having American, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Greek influences. The video in the article indicates that nothing else about the restaurant will change.
The website for Five North Square can be found at http://www.5northsquare.com/
[February 21, 2017 update: In addition to an ownership change and changes to its menu, Eater Boston now states that a name change will be coming to Gennaro's Five North Square as well; it will be called North Square Oyster.]
[May 1 update: The Tables section of The Boston Globe states that North Square Oyster plans to open on May 15.]
[May 15 update: A press release indicates that North Square Oyster indeed opens today, and that Chef Douglas Rodrigues (Clio, Liquid Art House) heads up the kitchen while Ward 8's General Manager Mike Wyatt oversees the bar program. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily, with the menu including such items as clam chowder, sea urchin, foie gras pate, a lobster roll, steak tips, a lobster pie, and more.]
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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve Seafood Dishes from Boston-Area and New England Restaurants]
