The Fresh Monkee Opens in Braintree

A small Connecticut-based chain that focuses on healthy shakes has opened its first Boston-area location.

According to its website, The Fresh Monkee is now open in Braintree, moving into a space in Granite Plaza on Granite Street. The new shop offers a variety of protein shakes including such flavors as almond joy, blueberry pie, chocolate coconut, cinnamon toast, coffee, mint oreo, lime mango, strawberry, pineapple lemonade, and more, along with "Monkee Ballz" snacks made with peanut butter, oat flour, chocolate whey protein, maple syrup, vanilla extract, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and coconut oil.

The Fresh Monkee was established in Wethersfield in 2014 and now has shops in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, including in Westborough and Worcester. 

The address for The Fresh Monkee in Braintree is 731A Granite Street, Braintree, MA, 02184. The website for the business is at https://freshmonkee.com/

(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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Schubert Provisions Opens in Braintree Square

A new specialty grocery store has come to the South Shore.

According to a source, Schubert Provisions is now open in Braintree, moving into the space on Washington Street in Braintree Square where Bella Sei had been, just south of the Storrs Avenue/Elm Street intersection. The new shop focuses on plant-based, locally-sourced foods, offering fresh produce, frozen and refrigerated food items, and bulk foods, and it looks like the place will also be selling beer and wine at some point as well.

The address for Schubert Provisions in Braintree Square is 353 Washington Street, Braintree, MA, 02184.

NOTE: Leslie Hurwitz, who is the father of Marc (the founder of this site) is dealing with health issues and needs your help. Please donate at https://gofund.me/76d8ba28, thanks!

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[More restaurant openings/closings from the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Waves Seafood Opens in Braintree

A brand new seafood market on the South Shore is up and running.

According to a source, Waves Seafood is now open in Braintree, with a Facebook post from the Quincy Avenue spot saying that their soft opening (with limited menu and hours) is taking place today. An earlier Patch article mentions that the new spot--which takes over the former Curry Ace Hardware space--is run by Rayford Kelley who also owns Ferullo's Seafood in the Seaport District of Boston, and in addition to fresh seafood, the shop also offers cooked seafood meals that can be taken to go or eaten onsite at the store's small outdoor seating area.

 The address for Waves Seafood is 190 Quincy Avenue, Braintree, MA, 02184.

NOTE: Leslie Hurwitz, who is the father of Marc (the founder of this site) is dealing with health issues and needs your help. Please donate at https://gofund.me/76d8ba28, thanks!

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[More restaurant openings/closings from the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Fasano's Marketplace Is Opening in Braintree

It looks like a new food shop is on its way to the South Shore.

According to its website, Fasano's Marketplace is opening soon in Braintree, moving into a space on Washington Street just off Route 3 (and near the Braintree Split) in Braintree Square. The website mentions that it will be a neighborhood grocer, bakery, and deli, while a post within the jobs section of the bostonchefs.com site indicates that it will also have a salad bar and will sell grab-and-go meals and specialty items.

Based on the logo for the place, it appears that Fasano's Marketplace is affiliated with Fasano's Catering which is based in Braintree and also runs a food truck.

The address for Fasano's Marketplace is 372 Washington Street, Braintree, MA, 02184. Its website is at https://fasanosmarketplace.com/

[November 21 update: A check on the place indicates that Fasano's Marketplace is now open.]

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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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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NOTE: Leslie Hurwitz, who is the father of Marc (the founder of this site) is currently dealing with health issues and needs your help. Please donate if you can at https://gofund.me/76d8ba28, thanks!

Amazon Fresh Supermarkets Plan to Open in Braintree, Saugus

A new grocery chain is on its way to the Greater Boston area, and it has a very familiar name.

An article from the Boston Business Journal states that Amazon Fresh is planning to open in Saugus, while the Patriot Ledger mentions that another location will be opening in Braintree. As indicated in both articles, the grocery store will use the latest technology to allow customers to do "walk out" shopping in which they scan their Amazon app, which tallies up the items in their carts as they shop, allowing them to skip the checkout line (customers can also shop the traditional way as well). In addition, Alexa will be set up at kiosks, with the Amazon virtual assistant helping customers find specific items.

Amazon also owns Whole Foods, which is more of a specialty market that focuses on organic foods while Amazon Fresh offers a wider variety of food items.

The Braintree location of Amazon Fresh will reside in the old Saks space at the Marketplace at Braintree on Grossman Drive, while the Saugus location will be located at the Saugus Plaza Shopping Center near where Route 1 and Walnut Street meet.

Thanks to @JeremyKrantz for initially bringing this to our attention.

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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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 Braintree Beer Garden Is Seeking a New Home

A popular beer garden on the South Shore is looking for a new space.

According to a press release, the Braintree Beer Garden is seeking a new location after three years, the first of which was next to town hall and the last two of which have been across the street on the grounds of the Braintree Historical Society. The beer garden, which is moving because of a rent increase, is  headed up by Kay Young (Kay's Cans & Bottles) and Avi Shemtov (TAPPED beer truck and The Chubby Chickpea along with Simcha and A La Esh), with Shemtov indicating that they want to stay in town, saying that "We love Braintree. We love working in Braintree. The Town has been great to us, and together we have brought Braintree to the forefront of cities willing to do cool, family-friendly events like ours....We'll be working with the Town to find a new home and ensure that the Braintree Beer Garden lives on." 

The Facebook page for the Braintree Beer Garden is at https://www.facebook.com/BraintreeBeerGarden/

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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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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Godiva to Close or Sell All of Its Shops in the United States

A big name in the world of chocolate is getting out of the brick-and-mortar business in the United States, and this will apparently include several locations in the Greater Boston area.

According to a source, Godiva is planning to close or sell all of its stores in North America, with a CNN article indicating that this could be completed by the end of March. CNN does say that stores overseas will remain open while NBC Boston states that its products will continue to be available online. The closing/selling of the Godiva shops means that the outlets at the Prudential Center in Boston, the Burlington Mall, the Natick Mall, and the South Shore Shopping Center will apparently be going away, along with a Godiva Cafe at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets as well.

The website for Godiva can be found at https://www.godiva.com/

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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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.)

Craft Beer Cellar in Braintree Is Now Kay's Cans & Bottles

A location of a group of specialty beer stores has changed its name, though its ownership has remained the same.

According to its Facebook page, Craft Beer Cellar in the Weymouth Landing part of East Braintree has become Kay's Cans & Bottles, with Kay Young still behind the Commercial Street shop. Based on its Facebook posts as well as Young's posts, the store sells beer, wine, and spirits, and there appears to be a focus on craft beers from local and regional breweries while the place also sells brews from elsewhere in the country and beyond.

A number of Craft Beer Cellars have either shut down or morphed into stores with new names over the past year or so; the company started out in Belmont in 2010.

 The address for Kay's Cans & Bottles is 28 Commercial Street, Braintree, MA, 02184.

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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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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Widowmaker Brewery Is Opening in Braintree

A new brewery is going to be opening near one of the busiest intersections in the Boston area.

Wicked Local is reporting that the Widowmaker Brewery has received unanimous support by the Braintree license board for a farmers's series pouring permit/malt and restaurant license, with the place opening on Wood Road near the Braintree Split where Vanity World had been before moving to Canton. The article says that the brewery will include a 70-seat taproom and possibly food trucks on-site (it will not have a kitchen), and that it will be open Thursdays through Sundays. The post says that the Widowmaker Brewery will have six to eight "core" beers, with manager Ryan Lavery saying that they will also have a number of recipes that they can fall back on.

If all goes as planned, the Widowmaker Brewery could be opening in August.

The address for this new brewery in Braintree is: Widowmaker Brewery, 220 Wood Road, Braintree, MA, 02184. Its website can be found at http://widowmakerbrewing.com/

[September 23 update: According to a Facebook post from the place, Widowmaker Brewery is having its grand opening today.]

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Good Places to Get Beer in the Boston Area]

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UPDATE: Craft Beer Cellar in Weymouth Landing Reopens After SUV Crashes Into Shop

[Ed note: This article was updated on December 8 to reflect the fact that the shop is open once again.]

A location of a group of specialty beer stores has reopened after a scary accident forced it to close.

According to a Facebook post from the shop, an SUV reportedly went out of control on Friday, December 2 and smashed into Craft Beer Cellar in Weymouth Landing, causing extensive damage to the front windows and window frames and destroying some of its beer. A new post states that the store reopened on Thursday, December 9 after necessary repairs were made to the storefront.

No one was injured in the accident, which WCVB indicates may have been the result of a stuck accelerator, causing the Ford Explorer to go through at least three intersections before hitting the store. (WCVB says the crash is under investigation.)

The address for the Weymouth Landing location of Craft Beer Cellar is 28 Commercial Street, Braintree, MA, 02184

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Craft Beer Cellar Is Opening in Braintree

The folks behind two specialty beer stores in Belmont and Winchester--and soon several others in New England--have announced yet another new shop on the way, with this one opening in a suburb south of Boston.

According to a post on its website, Craft Beer Cellar is planning to open in Braintree, moving into the space on Commercial Street in the East Braintree/Weymouth landing area where a hair salon used to be. This is one of a few new Craft Beer Cellar locations coming to the region, with others in the works for Newton, Westford, Waterbury, VT, and possibly Portsmouth, NH, and Portland, ME (a Needham location had also been in the works as well, but that may have fallen through).

A note on its Facebook page indicates that the new Craft Beer Cellar in Braintree might be opening in the middle of November.

[October 31 update: A post on its Facebook page indicates that Craft Beer Cellar is one step closer to opening in Braintree, as it has received a license to sell alcohol from the town's licensing board.]

[November 21 update: According to a new post on its Facebook page, the Craft Beer Cellar in Braintree is now open .]

The address for this upcoming beer store in East Braintree/Weymouth Landing is: Craft Beer Cellar, 28 Commercial Street, Braintree, MA, 02184. The website for the shops is at https://craftbeercellar.com/

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[New article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve More Dishes for College Students in the Boston Area]

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