North End Lobster Co. Opens in Boston's North End

A new seafood spot has come to the North End of Boston after being in the works for a year and a half, and it has an ownership connection to several well-known Italian restaurants.

According to a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, North End Lobster Co. is now open on Hanover Street, with an Instagram post indicating that it debuted on November 13. The menu for the place shows such options as lobster bisque, clam chowder, crab cakes, grilled octopus, fried scallops, oysters, lobster tacos, clam rolls, fish and chips, lobster pie, lobster macaroni and cheese, lobster ravioli, seafood risotto, and more.

The owners of Giacomo's (which is also on Hanover Street) are behind North End Lobster Co.

The address for North End Lobster Co. is 204 Hanover Street, Boston, MA, 02113. Its website can be found at https://www.nelobsterco.com/

[Earlier Article]
Owners of Giacomo's in Boston's North End Plan to Open New Restaurant in the Neighborhood

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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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]

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Shine's Fresh Asian in Belmont Center Has Closed; Exact Status Unknown

An Asian restaurant in the western suburbs of Boston appears to have shuttered, and it isn't know exactly why it closed or if it could return in the future.

According to a source, Shine's Fresh Asian in Belmont Center is no longer in business, with a sign out front at the Leonard Street storefront seeming to confirm that it has closed (phone calls to the dining spot indicate that the number is out of service). The restaurant first opened in 2016 in the former Asai space and focused on Asian fusion fare.

The address for Shine’s Fresh Asian was 30 Leonard Street, Belmont, MA, 02478.

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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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]

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26 Boston-Area Restaurants Selected for The Michelin Guide, Including 311 Omakase Receiving a Star

The Michelin Guide has chosen a number of restaurants in the Greater Boston area for the first time, and one South End dining spot has received a Michelin star.

According to a press release, 311 Omakase on Tremont Street is one of 26 restaurants to be selected, with the place being the only one locally to receive one star (none received two or three stars). Other spots that received recognition include:

Bib Gourmand:

Bar Volpe, South Boston
Fox & the Knife, South Boston
Jahunger, Cambridge
Mahaniyom, Brookline
Pagu, Cambridge
Sumiao Hunan Kitchen, Cambridge

Michelin Recommended:

Asta, Boston
Carmelina's, Boston
Giulia, Cambridge
La Padrona, Boston
Lenox Sophia, South Boston
Moeca, Cambridge
Mooncusser, Boston
Neptune Oyster, Boston
Nightshade Noodle Bar, Lynn
Oleana, Cambridge
Pammy's, Cambridge
Select Oyster Bar, Boston
Somaek, Boston
Thistle & Leek, Newton
Toro, Boston
Urban Hearth, Cambridge
Wa Shin, Boston
Woods Hill Pier 4, Boston
Zhi Wei Cafe, Boston

Cocktail award:

Mahaniyom, Brookline

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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]

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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.)

Maxine's On Saint James in Roxbury Has Closed

It looks like a Southern-style dining spot in a Boston neighborhood has shut down.

According to a source, Maxine's On Saint James in Roxbury is no longer in business, with a check on the website for the Dudley Street place indicating that the site has been taken down, and we have been told that a new Latin American eatery called Grace's is apparently open in its space, though little information is available for that spot. Maxine's offered such items as potato salad, jambalaya, etouffee, fried boneless pork chops, wings, macaroni and cheese, red beans and rice, banana pudding, and bread pudding.

The address for the now-closed Maxine's (and the new Grace's) is 304 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA, 02119.

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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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]

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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.)

The Hollows Opens in Somerville's Teele Square

Early this year, it was reported that a new restaurant was replacing a decades-old Tex-Mex spot in Somerville, and now we have learned that it is up and running.

According to several sources, including a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, The Hollows is now open in Teele Square, moving into the old Rudy's Cafe space on Holland Street. As mentioned earlier, Charlie Redd of Dragon Pizza in Davis Square is one of the people behind the restaurant, which focuses on comfort food items and New American fare including deviled eggs, grilled octopus, steamed mussels, American chop suey, burgers, fried chicken, tagliatelle, oysters, and more.

The address for The Hollows is 248 Holland Street, Somerville, MA, 02144. Its Instagram page can be found at https://www.instagram.com/thehollowsteelesq/

[Earlier Article]
The Hollows Plans to Open in the Former Rudy's Cafe Space in Somerville's Teele Square

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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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]

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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.)

White Mountain Creamery in Chestnut Hill Is Closing; New City Microcreamery to Replace It

A longtime ice cream shop that is popular with college students is going to be shutting down, and a growing local group of ice cream spots will be replacing it.

According to an article in The Heights, White Mountain Creamery by Boston College in Chestnut Hill is closing its doors, and New City Microcreamery will be taking over the Commonwealth Avenue space. The article mentions that the shop is slated to shutter on November 24, and New City will apparently open in the beginning of December.

White Mountain Creamery first started out in 1983, coming under the current ownership 10 years later; New City Microcreamery began in Hudson in 2015 and now has locations in Hudson, Cambridge's Central Square, Arlington, and Sudbury.

The website for White Mountain Creamery is at http://www.whitemtncreamery.com/ while the website for New City Microcreamery is at https://newcitymicrocreamery.com/

Thanks to Adam Gaffin of Universal Hub for bringing this to our attention.

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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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]

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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.)