Kushari and Grill Opens in Medford

A new restaurant that features Egyptian cuisine has opened its doors.

According to an article from Eater Boston, Kushari and Grill is now open in Medford, moving into a space on Boston Avenue near Tufts University. The post mentions that Mohamed Hassanein--who is from Egypt and who runs the place with his wife Irina--had operated the Mr. Kushari food truck in Boston's Fenway area from last March to this March and that their new restaurant is fully halal and offers such items as eggplant salad, falafel, moussaka, hawawshi, shawarma, kebabs, baklava, and koshari, the last of which is Egypt's national dish and includes rice, noodles, lentils, tomato sauce, chickpeas, caramelized onions, and garlic/vinegar sauce and hot sauce.

The address for Kushari and Grill is 321 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA, 02155. Its website can be found at https://kushariandgrill.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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Shirley Is Opening in Koshari Mama Space at Bow Market in Somerville; Koshari Mama Moving to Former Moroccan Hospitality Space

A pop-up that focuses on farm-to-table options is opening in a long-term pop-up space in Somerville, while the pop-up that is currently in that space will be moving to a brick-and-mortar space nearby.

Eater Boston is reporting that Shirley is planning to open at Bow Market on October 16, taking over the space that has been home to the Koshari Mama (a vegan Egyptian eatery) since the fall of 2019. Shirley, which had once been known as Blueberries for Sal, has been doing pop-ups and collaborations at a number of dining spots, offering salads, cinnamon toast, flatbreads, cookies, cakes, and more, while Koshari Mama--which will be moving to the former Moroccan Hospitality Restaurant space on Somerville Avenue--serves such items as koshari, (one of Egypt's national dishes that includes rice, lentils, pasta, fried onions, and chickpeas), eggplant bowls, Egyptian country bread, fermented vegetables, and torli (zucchini, potatoes, onions, carrots, and chickpeas in tomato sauce).

The Instagram page for Shirley can be found at https://www.instagram.com/shirleythepopup/ while the website for Koshari Mama is at https://www.kosharimama.com/

[October 18 update: According to its Instagram page, Shirley is now open at Bow Market.]

[November 29 update: Eater Boston states that Koshari Mama is now open in the former Moroccan Hospitality Restaurant space on Somerville Avenue.]

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.)

Koshari Mama to Replace Perillas at Bow Market in Somerville's Union Square

A long-term pop-up at a new development in Somerville is leaving its space, while another long-term pop-up featuring a cuisine that is very tough to find in the region will be moving in.

According to an article from Eater Boston, Perillas, which is a Korean eatery that features bibimbap, says farewell to Bow Market in Union Square tomorrow (Saturday, September 28), as the owner looks for a permanent spot while continuing to do catering. In its place will be an Egyptian street-food place called Koshari Mama that will feature vegan items including koshari (a dish with rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, and fried onions) along with lentil soup, salads, eggplant rice bowls, a mushroom shawarma sandwich, and more. Eater mentions that Perillas was in the space for a year, and it looks like Koshari Mama will be there for a year as well.

Koshari Mama--which also has a stand at Mill No. 5 in Lowell--plans to have its grand opening at Bow Market on November 2. (Its website can be found at https://www.kosharimama.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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Baity in Medford Has Closed

A Medford restaurant that was one of the only places of its kind in the Greater Boston area has shut down.

According to a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, Baity on Spring Street is no longer in operation, with a sign out front saying that it is "closed permanently." The dining spot, which resided in a space about a half mile east of Medford Square, was about the only Egyptian restaurant in the local area, with Azama Grill in Allston offering Egyptian fare while Lowell also has at least one option in the Egyptian Grill.

Baity first opened last spring, offering such items as lentil soup, lamb burgers, falafel wraps, kofta kabob, chicken shawarma, and hawawshi and fateer, which are stuffed and layered breads with a variety of meat, veggie, and cheese options

The address for this now-closed Egyptian restaurant in Medford was: Baity, 84 Spring Street, Medford, MA, 02155.

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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Baity Has Opened in Medford

by Marc Hurwitz

A new restaurant has come to Medford, and it appears to be one of the only ones of its kind in the Boston area.

According to an article from Eater Boston, Baity is now open on Spring Street, moving into a mostly residential neighborhood approximately a half mile east of Medford Square. The post says that the eatery features Egyptian food while also offering other Mediterranean fare, with a few options including lentil soup, lamb burgers, falafel wraps, kofta kabob, chicken shawarma, a kebda eskandarani wrap (thinly-sliced marinated beef liver), and hawawshi and fateer, which are stuffed and layered breads that include a variety of meat, veggie, and cheese options. Baity is open for lunch and dinner daily.

Eater mentions that the closest Egyptian restaurants other than Baity appear to be in Lowell, while a source tells us that Azama Grill in Allston also has Egyptian influences. In addition, there had been an Egyptian takeout spot in Belmont called Samira, but the shop closed a few years ago (its products continue to be sold at stores in the region).

The address for this new Egyptian restaurant in Medford is: Baity, 84 Spring Street, Medford, MA, 02155. Its Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/BaityMedford/

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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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Samira's Retail Shop in Belmont Has Closed; Business Remains in Operation

A takeout spot featuring Egyptian and Lebanese foods has closed, though its products will continue to be available.

According to posters on the Chowhound site, Samira's Homemade in Belmont is no longer in operation, with there now being "no trace" of the Belmont Street shop that first opened in November of 2011. One of the posters says that while the retail shop is gone, the folks behind the business continue to sell their products at markets and specialty stores, along with farmers markets, and a check on its website does show a list of where customers can buy their goods.

Owner Samira Hamdoun first started the business while working at Formaggio Kitchen back in 2007.

The address for this now-closed takeout spot in Belmont was 203 Belmont Street, Belmont, MA, 02478. The website for the company can be found at http://samirashomemade.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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Samira's Homemade Is Opening in Belmont

A new takeout spot featuring Egyptian and Lebanese cuisine is on its way to Belmont, and its name may be familiar to some.

According to their website, Samira's Homemade is planning to open on Belmont Street, apparently doubling as both a retail (takeout) and wholesale spot. The husband and wife who are behind the place have been selling their products (including hummus, stuffed grape leaves, baba gannoush, and tabouli) at farmers' markets in the Boston area, as well as at a number of food purveyors (Russo's in Watertown, Pemberton Farms in Cambridge, City Feed & Supply in Jamaica Plain, South End Formaggio in Boston, etc.).

According to an article in Edible Boston, Samira Hamdoun basically started the business while she was working at Formaggio Kitchen in 2007, as she began to sell her homemade hummus and tabouli at the shop. Soon, Samira and her husband Ragab were wholesaling these and other products throughout the Boston area.

[September 6 update: According to the folks behind the new spot, it appears that Samira's Homemade may be opening on Belmont Street sometime in October. (Check back here for more updates later this month.)]

[November 28 update: According to their website, Samira's Homemade is now open.]

The address for this new spot in Belmont is: Samira's Homemade, 203 Belmont Street, Belmont, MA, 02478. Their website can be found at http://samirashomemade.com/

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