A new restaurant and bar may be taking over the space where a longtime Irish pub had been, and it appears that a local journalist is behind it.
According to a licensing board hearing page within the City of Boston website, Peka is looking to acquire the liquor license held by the now-closed Green Briar in Brighton, with the plan being to open within the same Washington Street space. The notice mentions that the new spot would include a kitchen, two bars, and an outdoor patio, and that the manager would be Katiuska Valiente; based on a business entity summary page within the state's website, it appears that this is the same Katiuska Valiente who has worked at such places as Las Americas Media Group, Univision, El Mundo Boston, and Sun Channel, with an article from El Planeta indicating that she has gotten two Latin-Boston-USA awards for Best Anchor and Best Newscast and has also also been recognized as a prominent public figure by the MA House of Representatives. Very little is currently known about the proposed Peka, including what kind of food it may serve and when it might open, so keep checking back for updates.
The Green Briar, which closed in May after being in business for 30 years, was one of a number of restaurants and bars from The Briar Group, which runs such spots as Anthem, City Table, The Harp, Ned Devine's, O'Connor's, and Solas.
The address for Peka is 304 Washington Street, Brighton, MA, 02135. The website can be found at https://pekarestaurant.com/
[February 5, 2020 update: Eater Boston mentions (via an Instagram page from the business) that Peka will feature Latin cuisine including tapas and arepas, and that it plans to have seating for 360 along with another 42 on an outdoor patio.]
[September 1, 2020 update: A poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page states (via another Facebook post) that Peka plans to start doing takeout on Wednesday, September 2, with the restaurant looking to officially open its doors on Wednesday, September 9. It has also been learned that Pedro Alarcon of the now-closed La Casa de Pedro in Watertown and Boston's Seaport District is one of the people behind the new spot.]
[Earlier Article]
The Green Briar in Brighton Is Closing
by Marc Hurwitz (Also 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]
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