[Ed note: This article was updated several times to reflect the fact that plans for Carmen to reopen have fallen through, with new plans now in the works.]
An upscale Italian restaurant that left Boston's North End more than a year ago could be returning to a section of Somerville that is continuing to be redeveloped.
According to several sources (including posters within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page), Carmen may be opening at Assembly Row in Somerville, with a sign out front saying that it is coming soon and is currently hiring. The restaurant had been located at North Square until July of 2016 when it closed, saying that it would be reopening in a new space.
Carmen first opened in the North End approximately 17 years ago, offering such items as crespelle, baked penne, braised short rib ravioli, roasted rack of pork, and pan-seared duck breast.
One of our sources says that if all goes as planned, the new location of Carmen could be opening at Assembly Row in the spring of 2018.
[April 25, 2018 update: Eater Boston states that plans for Carmen's to open at Assembly Row are no longer in the works, as the team behind the restaurant is now looking at a new, larger space at the development where they would apparently open a new restaurant with a different name.]
[May 1, 2018 update: According to a source, a new restaurant called La Cucina Italian Eatery is coming to Assembly Row, with the place planning to open at the corner of Foley Street and Assembly Row and having nearly 6,000 square feet of space based on a property map from http://federalrealty.com, while a job posting from indeed.com mentions that the place will be a regional Italian restaurant that will apparently be a fine-dining spot. It appears that this may be the restaurant that the people behind Carmen are planning to open, though we are still waiting for confirmation on this.]
[September 26, 2018 update: A source tells us that the people behind Carmen are indeed behind the upcoming La Cucina, and this appears to be confirmed by creativekatz.com as well.]
[December 6, 2018 update: A post within the jobs section of bostonchefs.com indicates that La Cucina plans to open this month and that it will be a "fast paced upscale Italian restaurant."]
[January 21, 2019 update: La Cucina has not yet opened, but a source tells us that it is now planning to open at the end of this month.]
[Earlier Article]
Carmen in Boston's North End Has Closed; May Reopen in New Location
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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]
