Thursday, April 29, 2021

Hemlock Grill Is Opening in the Former VineRipe Grill Space in Brookline

A new restaurant is on its way to a golf course in Brookline, and a couple of familiar names are behind the spot.

According to an article in Wicked Local, Hemlock Grill is planning to open in the former VineRipe Grill space at the Robert T. Lynch Municipal Golf Course off the West Roxbury Parkway, with Hemlock Grill owner Chris Yorty and business partner Alex Saenz currently being behind Bisq Meats & Sandwiches at Time Out Market Boston in the Fenway (Saenz is also co-owner of Taqueria El Barrio at Time Out Market). The post mentions that Hemlock Grill will be a casual restaurant that focuses on American fare, including such items as breakfast sandwiches, a summer beet and berry salad, a Caesar wrap, a cold fried chicken sandwich, and a smokehouse BLT, along with beer and wine.

The upcoming opening of Hemlock Grill, which has a one-year contract at the golf course, comes on the heels of a controversial decision by town officials to say goodbye to VineRipe Grill after 13 years, which led to public outrage over the closing of the beloved restaurant. Yorty indicates that Hemlock Grill hopes to continue the community connection that VineRipe had, saying the following:

I was in all those meetings, listening to the outpouring of support for [owner Lisa Wisel], and then I spent a week with her when she was moving out and I was offering her the ability to use our space while we're there to keep her commitments through the summer and everything....Just serving good food doesn't strictly, you know, dictate success....You need to be involved in the community, so once we get our feet under us, we would love to make the same connections that Lisa had, whether it's donations of food, time, the space – all of that stuff is on the table.

The website for Hemlock Grill can be found at https://www.hemlockgrill.com/

[June 17 update: A message sent to us indicates that Hemlock Grill is now open.]

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]


Please help keep Boston Restaurant Talk and Boston's Hidden Restaurants going by making a one-time contribution or via a monthly subscription. Thanks! (Donations are non-deductible.)


Payment Options