Friday, June 30, 2017

Milk Bar and &pizza Teaming Up to Open Shop in Cambridge's Harvard Square

An award-winning bakery is hoping to join up with a Washington, D.C.-based pizza chain to open a shop in one of the busiest parts of Cambridge.

Boston Magazine is reporting that Milk Bar and &pizza are looking to open in the former Tory Row/Crimson Corner space (the latter of which has moved to a new storefront nearby) by the corner of Mass. Ave. and Brattle Street in Harvard Square, with &pizza cofounder and CEO Michael Lastoria saying that "&pizza stands for connection, inclusion and unity, and joining forces with Milk Bar is a perfect example of how we will bring those values directly to Cambridge." Earlier this year, we reported that &pizza was hoping to open in the same space but the plans ultimately fell through after the Cambridge Zoning Board of Appeals ruled against the proposal.

Christina Tosi, who is behind Milk Bar, is a two-time James Beard Award winner, with the website for the place saying that Bon Appetit Magazine once called it "one of the most exciting bakeries in the country." Locations of Milk Bar can currently be found in New York, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, and Toronto.

&pizza got its start in Washington, D.C. in 2012 and has more than 20 locations in the Middle Atlantic region, with one on its way to New York.

The address for the proposed Milk Bar/&pizza shop is 1394 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for Milk Bar is milkbarstore.com while the website for &pizza is andpizza.com.

[July 11 update: It looks like Milk Bar and &pizza are a step closer to becoming reality, as a tweet from @Robert02139 mentions that the Cambridge Planning Board has unanimously agreed to allow the two spots to have another shot at the Board of Zoning Appeals.]

[August 10 update: Cambridge Day mentions that Milk Bar and &pizza have asked the city for a delay in its hearing with the zoning board, as it wants to talk to the city's urban design staff about its revised design plans. The article states that this was to be the tenth hearing on &pizza opening in the space, and that while the zoning board almost always allows such requests, it is not known what they might decide this time because of the number of hearings already held.]

[September 29 update: According to Robert Winters, who is the editor of the Cambridge Civic Journal, the Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeals has unanimously approved the application of Milk Bar and &pizza, which brings the two places closer to opening in Harvard Square. More steps are still needed before they can open--and it is not known when exactly they might open--so keep checking back for more updates.]

[January 10, 2018 update: Zagat states that plans are now moving ahead for Milk Bar and &pizza to open in Harvard Square, with the two spots hoping to debut sometime this spring.]

[February 4, 2018 update: &pizza could be one step closer to opening by this week, as a License Commission Hearing Agenda page indicates that its application for a common victualler license is expected to be looked at by the city on Wednesday, February 7. (The entry does not mention Milk Bar.)]

[January 28, 2019 update: Eater Boston mentions that Milk Bar and &pizza will open in Harvard Square on Saturday, February 2.]

[Earlier Articles]
&pizza Plans to Open in Tory Row, Crimson Corner Spaces in Cambridge's Harvard Square
Plans for &pizza to open in Cambridge's Harvard Square Fall Through

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston


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