Bar Lunette Opens in Brookline's Coolidge Corner

A new cocktail bar has come to Brookline, and it has a connection to an adjacent bistro known for its crepes.

According to an article from Eater Boston, Bar Lunette is now open in Coolidge Corner, moving into the former Coolidge Corner Opticians space on Harvard Street, and it is next door to the Paris Creperie whose team is behind the new spot. Eater mentions that Bar Lunette focuses on drinks made with French spirits while also bringing drink options over from the shuttered Seaport District location of the Paris Creperie, which featured cordial-based cocktails.

In addition to drinks, Bar Lunette also has wine and beer along with such food options as French onion soup, deviled eggs, tater tots with melted cheese, omelets, and sandwiches.

The address for Bar Lunette is 278A Harvard Street, Brookline, MA, 02446. Its website can be found at https://www.barlunette.com/

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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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Barlette, a BYO Bar, Opens in the Coolidge Corner Arcade Building in Brookline

The people behind a reservation-only BYO restaurant in an historic Brookline structure have opened another reservation-only spot in the same building, and this one is a BYO bar.

According to a source, Barlette is now open on the ground floor of the Coolidge Corner Arcade on Harvard Street, joining Cobble, a tiny Italian dining spot upstairs that opened in 2020. Boston Magazine mentions that the new bar offers a four-course bar snack menu while customers can bring their own beer, wine, and spirits, the latter of which can be used to make cocktails thanks to mixers and supplies being available (the workers there can't touch the drinks but can offer knowledge/advice on making drinks as needed).

BoMag says that Barlette is booked through May and that reservations for June will go up on June 1, though people can set up notifications via Resy if there are cancellations this month. 

The address for Barlette is 318 Harvard Street # 11 (first floor of Arcade), Brookline, MA, 02446. Its website is at https://www.drinkatbarlette.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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The Village Social Club Opens in the Former Ellis Room Space in Brookline Village

A brand new bar in Brookline that is underneath a new restaurant is now open, replacing another basement drinking spot that closed about a year and a half ago.

Based on its Twitter page and website, the Village Social Club is now open below the Garrison House in Brookline Village, with the website for the place indicating that it is a cocktail and music lounge that is currently open on weekend nights for food and drink. The new spot replaces The Ellis Room, which was affiliated with the now-closed Magnolia Smokehouse above it (the Garrison House opened in its space late last year).

The food menu for the Village Social Club includes such items as poutine, wings, pretzel bites, meatloaf meatballs, burgers, nachos, and BLTs, while cocktails include margaritas, old fashioneds, and daiquiris.

The address for the Village Social Club (and the Garrison House) is 6 Harvard Square, Brookline, MA, 02445. The website for the bar is at https://www.villagesocialclub.com/ while the Twitter page is at https://twitter.com/VSCbrookline

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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The Regal Beagle in Brookline's Coolidge Corner Is Closing

by Marc Hurwitz

A neighborhood bistro in Brookline that is known in part for its comfort food and cocktails is calling it a day after nearly 10 years in business.

According to Patrick Maguire of Maguire Promotions & Hospitality Consulting, The Regal Beagle in Coolidge Corner is shutting down, with a call placed to the Harvard Street spot confirming that it is indeed closing at the end of business hours tonight. It is not yet known why the dining and drinking spot is closing, nor is it known what might go into its space, so keep checking back for updates.

The Regal Beagle, which first opened in the fall of 2009, offered such items as wings, tater tots, shrimp cakes, burgers, pork tenderloin, macaroni and cheese, ribeye, and sea scallops along with beer, wine, and a mix of classic and modern cocktails.

The address for The Regal Beagle is 308 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA, 02446.

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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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Waxy O'Connor's in Brookline Has Closed

by Marc Hurwitz

It looks like a group of Irish pubs with a handful of locations in Eastern Massachusetts has closed one of its Boston-area outlets.

According to a note from Patrick Maguire of Maguire Promotions & Hospitality Consulting, Waxy O'Connor's in Brookline is apparently no longer in business, with multiple sources telling him the Beacon Street spot was shuttered (No confirmation from any personnel at that location, however), and it was locked up around 9:00 PM this evening with phone calls going to voicemail. In addition, a sign had been posted on the front door yesterday that said "No hot water - open at 8pm," but it did not open after 8:00 PM last night or tonight.

The Brookline location of Waxy O'Connor's first opened in April of 2016, taking over the space where Mission Cantina had once been, and before that, the Beacon Street Tavern.

It appears that other locations of Waxy O'Connor's in Foxboro, Kingston, Lexington, and Woburn remain in operation, as well as others in Keene, NH, Plainville, CT, San Antonio, TX, and Ft. Lauderdale, FL (its first location).

The address for Waxy O'Connor's in Brookline was 1032 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA, 02446. The website for the other locations can be found at http://www.waxys.com/

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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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The Ellis Room to Open Below Magnolia Smokehouse in Brookline Village

A new bar is on its way to Brookline, and it will be located under a barbecue spot that opened earlier this month.

According to a source, a spot called The Ellis Room will be opening soon underneath Magnolia Smokehouse in Brookline Village, with the place featuring craft cocktails along with some shared plates. The space will include a brand new bar as well as booths and some couches, and our source says that it gets its name from John Ellis, who--according to a page on archive.org--owned a place in Brookline called the Punch Bowl Tavern in the 1700s.

Magnolia Smokehouse, which took over the Village Smokehouse space on Harvard Street, is owned by East Coast Tavern Group, the group behind Carrie Nation, Emmet's, and Scholars. (They will also be running The Ellis Room.)

The address for The Ellis Room (and Magnolia Smokehouse) is 6 Harvard Square, Brookline, MA, 02445.

[Earlier Article]
Village Smokehouse in Brookline Village Is Becoming Magnolia Smokehouse

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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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The Corrib Pub in Brookline Has Closed

One of the last of the old-school dining and drinking spots in Brookline has shut down for good.

According to a poster on the Chowhound site, the Corrib Pub on Harvard Street closed its doors forever on March 31, with a Reddit thread and a Facebook post both seeming to confirm this. (It looks like its website has also deleted any references to the Brookline location.) The Corrib first opened in Brookline in the mid-1980s and was one of three locations in the Boston area, with the Brighton and West Roxbury locations remaining in operation, according to its site.

The address for this now-closed restaurant and bar in Brookline was: Corrib Pub, 201 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA, 02446. The website for the other two locations can be found at http://www.corribpub.com/

[April 8 update: Eater Boston states that a new Irish pub called Grainne O'Malley's will be taking over the former Corrib space, and it could be opening as early as next week once renovations are complete. EB also says that the new spot will eventually become more of a gastropub once it is fully operational.]

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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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