French Quarter in Downtown Boston Has Closed

A restaurant in the heart of Boston that featured traditional New Orleans dishes has shut down.

According to multiple sources, French Quarter on Washington Street is no longer in business, with an Instagram post from the dining spot saying the following:

To our guests, thank you for walking through our doors, celebrating with us, and making French Quarter part of your nights in Boston. You gave this restaurant its life and its meaning. To our staff, past and present, thank you for the care, hard work, humor, patience, and heart you gave to this place. French Quarter was never just the room or the menu. It was the people who made it feel alive....we are deeply grateful for every guest, every team member, and every memory made here. It has been an honor to serve you.

French Quarter first opened in downtown Boston six years ago, moving into the space where a location of Salvatore's had once been; its menu offered such options as red beans and rice, gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp and grits, crawfish etouffee, cornbread, and more.

The address for the now-closed French Quarter was 545 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02111.

(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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News Elsewhere: Chef Wayne's Big Mamou in Springfield Is Closing; Cajun on the Go to Remain in Operation

A legendary Pioneer Valley restaurant is shutting down for good, though a kiosk that is affiliated with the place will remain open.

According to a source, Chef Wayne's Big Mamou in Springfield is closing permanently on July 1, with a Facebook post from owner Wayne Hooker saying that he is planning to retire from the Liberty Street eatery, though an affiliated takeout and delivery spot on Worthington Street called Chef Wayne's Big Mamou Cajun on the Go will continue to run. (In the Facebook post, Hooker says "it will become my new job.") A Mass Live article mentions that the COVID-19 pandemic played a big role in Hooker's decision to close, as he says that "I can't survive on a partial dining room. And even if it opens up at full capacity, you're still going to have those people who have the corona anxieties and don't want to be in crowds." Chef Wayne's Big Mamou offered takeout during the restaurant shutdown that began in March, and the dining spot will continue to do so until it closes next week.

Chef Wayne's Big Mamou first opened in the mid-1990s, with the restaurant offering a variety of Cajun and Creole dishes including crawfish quesadillas, po'boys, spinach and chicken cakes, fried oysters, jambalaya, chicken etoufee, meatloaf, and blackened catfish.

The address for Chef Wayne's Big Mamou is 63 Liberty Street, Springfield, MA, 01103.

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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French Quarter Opens in Downtown Boston

A new restaurant featuring traditional New Orleans dishes has come to downtown Boston.

According to a press release, French Quarter soft-opens today in the old Salvatore's space on Washington Street, with the dining spot being open for dinner at first, while lunch service could be commencing next week (brunch will eventually be offered as well). As stated here earlier, the restaurant focuses at least in part on Creole cuisine, with such dishes as jambalaya, gumbo, fried catfish, muffaletta sandwiches, etouffee, and pecan pie offered, while drinks include cocktails such as Ramos Gin Fizz, Hurricanes, Sazerac, and Vieux Carré.

French Quarter is affiliated with the Back Deck and Fajitas & 'Ritas, both of which are located on West Street in Downtown Crossing; the people behind the new restaurant are Paul Sussman and Brad Fredericks.

The address for French Quarter is 545 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02111. Its website will be at https://frenchquarterboston.com/

[March 5 update: A Facebook post from the place indicates that French Quarter is now fully open, with lunch service commencing yesterday.]

[Earlier Article]
French Quarter Plans to Open in the Salvatore's Space in Downtown Boston

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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Bel Lounge Opens in Roslindale

A new Haitian/French-Creole restaurant is now open in Roslindale, moving into the space where another Haitian and Creole dining spot had been, along with a couple of other restaurants over the past few years.

According to The Boston Globe, Bel Lounge had a soft opening this week on Washington Street just north of Roslindale Village. The eatery takes over the spot where Jazz Cafe and Bar had been, and before that, NuVo and Gusto. The article mentions that Bel Lounge will apparently lean more toward French fare than its predecessor, with the executive chef coming from France and working as an executive sous chef at Maison Robert, a French restaurant in downtown Boston that closed in 2004. The chef has also been at the Ocean View Inn in Gloucester over the past several years, and will continue to work there as well as at Bel Lounge.

Some of the dishes offered at Bel Lounge, which will be open daily for lunch and dinner, include seafood croquette, chicken liver pate, and salmon berre blanc, according to the Globe article.

The address for this new restaurant in Roslindale is: Bel Lounge, 4174 Washington Street, Roslindale, MA, 02131. Their Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bel-lounge-cuisine/160630253994408

For more information on the opening of Bel Lounge, please go to the Boston Globe link below.

French-Creole restaurant opens in Roslindale

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Orleans Crawfish Opens in Randolph

A little more than a half year after an "Asian-Cajun" restaurant featuring crawfish opened in Dorchester, another similar spot has opened its doors a few miles south in Randolph.

According to the restaurant's website, Orleans Crawfish is now open on North Main Street (Route 28) within the Sudbury Farms Plaza, which is just north of the Route 139 intersection. The new eatery features an eclectic mix of items including eggrolls, fried lemongrass tofu, baby clams with sesame rice paper, fried shrimp with Cajun fries, fried catfish with fries, crawfish fried rice, po boy sandwiches, beef teriyaki, chicken wings with Vietnamese sauce, boiled crawfish, and tamarind crabs. Most menu items are under $10.

Orleans Crawfish is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

The address for this new restaurant in Randolph is: Orleans Crawfish, 326 North Main Street, Randolph, MA, 02368. The phone number is (781) 885-2985. And the website can be found at: http://www.orleanscrawfish.com/

Thanks to a poster on the Chowhound site for bringing this to our attention.

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J'Way Cafe Opens in Jamaica Plain

A Southern-style dining spot has opened in a rather unusual space in Jamaica Plain. According to the website of Jamaicaway Books & Gifts on Centre Street in the heart of this Boston neighborhood, J'Way Cafe has opened downstairs from the store, featuring an eclectic mix of soul food, Creole, and Cajun fare, as well as other Southern dishes. The menu at J'Way Cafe includes chili, gumbo, jambalaya, sandwiches (pulled pork, Jamaican jerk chicken, catfish, and more), beans and rice, pecan pie, sweet potato pie, and tea cakes. Prices for menu items are well under $10.

[August 12 update: Hours for J'Way Cafe had initially been a bit limited, but have now expanded to the following: Monday through Friday from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and Sundays from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM.]

The address for this new Southern-style dining spot in Jamaica Plain is: J'Way Cafe, 676 Centre Street (downstairs), Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130. The phone number for the store is (617) 983-3204. And the web page for the cafe is: http://jamaicawaybooks.com/jway-cafe/

Thanks to a veteran poster on the Chowhound site for bringing this restaurant to our attention.

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