Julianne’s Kitchen & Bar to Open Above the Fruit Center Marketplace in East Milton Square

Last year it was reported that a breakfast and lunch spot that was located above a market just south of Boston was shutting down, and now we have learned that a new restaurant will be moving into the space.

According to an article from What Now Boston (via The Patriot Ledger), Julianne’s Kitchen & Bar is planning to open in East Milton Square in the early part of 2026, taking over the space above the Fruit Center Marketplace that had previously been home to The Plate. The articles mention that the upcoming restaurant will be run by the owners of Fruit Center Marketplace/Milton Marketplace as well as restaurateur Vance Welch (Novara, Abby Park), and it will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, focusing on "elevated comfort classics made with locally sourced ingredients."

In 2016, The Plate moved from its original Central Avenue location in Milton, taking over the space where Marketplace Cafe had been (and before that, A Lighter Fare). It closed down in May of 2024.

The address for the upcoming Julianne’s Kitchen & Bar is 10 Bassett Street, Milton, MA, 02186.

[Earlier Article]
The Plate in Milton Is Closing

(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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The Plate in Milton Is Closing

A breakfast and lunch spot in Milton is closing its doors.

According to a source, The Plate in East Milton Square is getting ready to shut down permanently, with a Facebook post from the place (which is located above the Fruit Center Marketplace) saying the following:

After twelve years of serving Milton and the surrounding communities, first at our original Central Ave location and for the past eight years above the Milton Fruit Center, the plate will be closing. While we hoped to extend our lease, fortune was simply not on our side. Our last day of service will be in spring 2024. Come help us bid a fond farewell to our home away from home. To the Milton community, your unwavering support has been the backbone of our success. We are truly grateful for the memories we’ve created together and the moments you’ve shared with us. Please come and help us close this chapter with love and nostalgia for our last few months of service. We hope to see familiar faces as we say goodbye.

In 2016, The Plate took over the space where Marketplace Cafe had been (and before that, A Lighter Fare); the dining spot has been known for such options as fried egg sandwiches, breakfast burritos, griddle cakes, nutella banana toast, BLTs, chicken sandwiches, and grilled cheese.

The address for The Plate is 10 Bassett Street, Milton, MA, 02186. Its website can be found at https://theplatekitchen.com/

[May 30 update: The Instagram page for the place indicates that The Plate is now closed.]

(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.)

Playa Bowls Is Opening in East Milton Square

A New Jersey-based chain of dining spots is getting ready to open its fourth Boston-area location, with this one being just south of the city.

According to an article in the Milton Times, Playa Bowls is opening in East Milton Square, with the Adams Street eatery soon joining others in Brighton by Boston College, near Northeastern University in Boston, and in Cambridge's Harvard Square. Based on its other outlets, expect to find bowls with a variety of bases, along with smoothies and fresh juices.

If all goes as planned, the new location of Playa Bowls will open sometime this month.

The address for the outlet of Playa Bowls in East Milton Square is 532 Adams Street, Milton, MA, 02186. The website for the chain can be found at https://www.playabowls.com/

[October 11 update: A Facebook post from the place indicates that Playa Bowls in East Milton Square 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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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 Plate Is Replacing Marketplace Cafe in Milton

A dining spot in Milton that is located above a grocery store is closing, with a new restaurant with a familiar name moving in.

An email sent this week indicates that the Marketplace Cafe within the Fruit Center Marketplace in East Milton Square shuts its doors in October after being in business since 2009 (which is when it changed from a relatively similar spot called A Lighter Fare). According to the note, Suzanne Lombardi of The Plate on Central Avenue near the Milton/Boston line will be opening a new spot also called The Plate, which will feature a drink bar, pastries and baked goods, freshly-made juices, locally-roasted coffee, along with breakfast and lunch items and a Sunday brunch.

The Marketplace Cafe is a restaurant that our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) has featured as an under-the-radar breakfast and lunch place. A review of the eatery can be found at the link below:

Review of Marketplace Cafe, Milton

It looks like The Plate could be opening in early 2015 once renovations are complete.

The address for the Marketplace Cafe (and upcoming Plate) is 10 Bassett Street, Milton, MA, 02186.

[November 17 update: According to the Fruit Center website, the Marketplace Cafe is now closed.]

[May 7, 2015 update: It looks like The Plate above the Fruit Center could soon be one step closer to opening, as the Patriot Ledge and Wicked Local mention that the town is looking into its request for a liquor license today.]

[January 5, 2016 update: An email sent from the Fruit Center Marketplace indicates that The Plate is now open in the former Marketplace Cafe space, and that the original Plate on Central Avenue remains open.]

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Novara Is Opening in Former Theater Space in East Milton Square

[Ed note: This article was updated on July 29, 2015 to reflect new information on the upcoming restaurant.]

It looks like a new restaurant is coming to Milton, moving into the space where a theater used to be.

According to an article in Wicked Local Milton/The Patriot Ledger, The Falconi Cos. real estate firm is purchasing the decades-old space at 554 Adams Street that had once been home to the State Theater, then the Milton Cinema, which closed in the late 1980s. (A fire that reportedly started at the now-closed Java Jo's Coffee House damaged the structure in 2007.) It is not known exactly what kind of dining spot would move into the space, nor is there a name given or a possible opening date, but the article does say that the company is attempting to acquire a liquor license for the restaurant.

The Falconi Cos. also plans to buy the adjoining storefronts, including the Milton Barber Shop, Salon Matteo, and the B Boutique, all of which will remain in business.

The article says that the sale on the space is expected to close on June 15.

[November 17 update: The Patriot Ledger mentions that the new owners of the property are meeting with both the community and the town zoning board over the coming days to discuss their plans for the space, which would include a 160-seat restaurant; if the zoning board approves of the proposal, the planning board will then need to give it final approval.]

[July 29, 2015 update: Zagat says that the upcoming East Milton Square restaurant will be called Novara, and that it will be a modern Northern Italian dining spot with a look that will "nod to the theatrical landmark" while also having a European feel. The article says that Novara will include a large bar, a wine shed and an outdoor patio.]

[October 20, 2015 update: A Twitter post from Abby Park indicates that the owners of that East Milton Square restaurant are also behind Novara.]

[December 23, 2015 update: The Brockton Enterprise is reporting that New Kids on the Block alum Jordan Knight is one of the investors in the upcoming Novara, which, as stated earlier, is being opened by the Abby Park folks (and looks to open during the second week of January). A tweet sent out by Knight yesterday says that he is "excited and honored to join a great group of investors in the town of Milton's newest attraction!!"]

[January 5, 2016 update: According to a post from Zagat, Novara opens its doors on Thursday (November 7).]

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