Penang Opens in Waltham

A restaurant in Boston that features Southeast Asian fare has opened a second location in the western suburbs, nearly a year and a half after the plans were first announced.

According to a source, Penang is now open in Waltham, moving into the former Tiki House space on Moody Street. As mentioned here earlier, the new eatery is connected to the restaurant by the same name on Washington Street in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood, and it focuses on Malaysian cuisine along with some Thai fare and other Southeast Asian dishes.

The address for the new location of Penang in Waltham is 569 Moody Street, Waltham, MA, 02453.

[Earlier Article]
Penang Plans to Open in Former Tiki House Space in Waltham

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

---

[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

---

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.)

 

Payment Options

Option 1 : $1.00 USD - monthly  Option 2 : $5.00 USD - monthly  Option 3 : $10.00 USD - monthly

 

Penang Plans to Open in Former Tiki House Space in Waltham

It looks like a new restaurant featuring Southeast Asian fare may be on its way to Waltham's "restaurant row," moving into the space where a Chinese spot had been.

According to a Twitter post from @Newswatch8, Penang is planning to open on Moody Street in the old Tiki House space, with a reply within the thread indicating that it has a connection to Penang in Boston's Chinatown. Based on the offerings at that restaurant, the new spot in Waltham will likely be serving Malaysian fare along with Thai dishes.

The tweet mentions that the new location of Penang has obtained the liquor license formerly held by Garcia Brogan's via bankruptcy court; Garcia Brogan's was a Mexican-Irish spot on Moody Street that closed down late last year.

The address for the upcoming location of Penang in Waltham is 569 Moody Street, Waltham, MA, 02453. The website for the Boston location can be found at https://www.penangmalaysian.com/

[December 11, 2020 update: A Facebook post from The Waltham Channel indicates that Penang ohpes to open this month or in January of 2021.]

Thanks to @y2000k for initially bringing this to our attention.

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

---

[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

---

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.)

Payment Options

Option 1 : $1.00 USD - monthly Option 2 : $5.00 USD - monthly Option 3 : $10.00 USD - monthly

Fava Bean Mediterranean Opens within CambridgeSide Galleria in East Cambridge

A brand new Mediterranean eatery has opened within a mall in East Cambridge.

Eater Boston is reporting that Fava Bean Mediterranean is now open in the food court of the CambridgeSide Galleria, with the place offering customizable dishes that include a base, protein options, toppings, and sauce/spread. A few of the ingredients available include rice, pita bread, falafel, steak shawarma, chicken kababs, pickles, sumac onions, tahini, and garlic sauce, with side orders including lentil soup, hummus, and more.

The people behind Fava Bean Mediterranean also operate a number of dining spots in Malaysia, according to Eater Boston.

The website for Fava Bean can be found at http://thefavabean.com/

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

---

[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

---

Tweet

Update: Bubor Cha Cha in Boston's Chinatown Shuts Down, Reopens After Health Violations

[Ed note: This article was updated on December 24 to reflect the fact that the restaurant has reopened.]

A restaurant in Chinatown that offers Chinese, Malaysian, and other Asian food has been shut down by the city due to an array of health violations.

Universal Hub is reporting that Bubor Cha Cha on Beach Street was ordered closed by a Boston health inspector on Tuesday for such issues as raw food being stored above food that was ready to eat, seafood and pork left on counters for too long a time, hot eggrolls that were stored at too-cool temperatures, hand sinks not having hot water and being blocked by boxes, and fruit flies found within the place. The article says that the dining spot could be allowed to reopen if another inspection shows that the issues have been resolved, but for now, Bubor Cha Cha is closed.

[December 24 update: According to @y2000k, Bubor Cha Cha is open once again. (A call placed to the restaurant confirms that it is open until midnight tonight.)]

Bubor Cha Cha first opened its doors in the summer of 2009.

The address for this restaurant in Chinatown is: Bubor Cha Cha, 45 Beach Street, Boston, MA, 02111.

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

---

[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve Food Items from Asian Restaurants in the Boston Area]

---

Tweet

Island Hopper in Boston's Back Bay Is Closing

A Malaysian restaurant in Boston's Back Bay is getting ready to close its doors, only a few months after getting a reprieve when the opening of a furniture store in the space fell through.

A call placed to Island Hopper on Massachusetts Avenue has indicated that the restaurant's last day will be tomorrow (Saturday, March 17), confirming an email that had been sent to us by one of our readers earlier today. It appeared that Island Hopper was going to shut down this past winter when word came out that the Minnesota-based Room & Board was looking to move into the space where the eatery--and The Otherside Cafe--reside, but the furniture store ended up not moving into the space, sparing both restaurants.

In addition to Malaysian fare, Island Hopper also offered a variety of other types of Southeast Asian cuisine, including Thai and Vietnamese dishes.

The address for Island Hopper is 91 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115.

Tweet

Bubor Cha Cha Opens in Chinatown

A new Malaysian restaurant has opened in the Chinatown section of Boston. Bubor Cha Cha is located in a large space on Beach Street in the heart of the neighborhood, with an exotic exterior that includes all kinds of plants in front of the place. The spacious and brightly-lit interior has a mix of seating arrangements, including large tables that should be able to accommodate nearly any size group.

Bubor Cha Cha's menu features not only Malaysian entrees, but also Thai and Indonesian dishes. Appetizers include satay skewers, papaya salad, durian pancakes, and a seaweed/seafood soup. Entrees include clay pot noodle soup, seafood chow fun, Malaysian style fried rice, stir-fried sliced lamb, deep-fried prawn in cream sauce, coffee flavored short ribs, braised duck, strawberry flavored pork chops, mango tofu, Indonesian crab, and frog porridge. The restaurant also has a variety of drinks (including fruit smoothies) and desserts (including mango mousse cake).

The address for this new restaurant in Chinatown is: Bubor Cha Cha, 45 Beach Street, Boston, MA, 02111. The phone number is (617) 482-3338.