99 Restaurant & Pub Is Opening in Middleton

A local chain of family restaurants is opening a new location in the northern suburbs of Boston.

According to its website, the 99 Restaurant & Pub is opening soon in Middleton and is now hiring for the new location, with the address indicating that it will be moving into the space on S Main Street that had been home to the Main Street Grill, and before that, Hailey's Restaurant and Pub and Dailey's Restaurant & Pub. Once it opens, the new location of the 99 will join a number of outlets across Massachusetts, along with others in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New York. (The chain is headquartered in Woburn.)

The address for the new location of the 99 Restaurant & Pub is 245 S Main Street (Route 114), Middleton, MA, 01949. The website for the chain is at https://www.99restaurants.com/

[May 10 update: A source tells us that the Middleton location of the 99 Restaurant & Pub opens today, with the restaurant's social media confirming this.]

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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China Villa in Middleton Is Closing

An old-school Chinese-American restaurant and bar in the northern suburbs of Boston is getting ready to shut down.

According to a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook page, China Villa in Middleton is closing permanently on August 31, with a Facebook post from the Maple Street spot indicating that the space might not be vacant for long, saying that "A fantastic new restaurant will re-open in our space, so please come back after the renovation is complete and you may see some familiar faces behind the counter." China Villa first opened approximately 30 years ago, offering such items as crab rangoon, spare ribs, chicken fingers, eggrolls, egg foo young, chow mein, sweet and sour chicken, and lo mein, while the space also includes a bar that is known as a local hangout.

The address for China Villa is 239 Maple Street, Middleton, MA, 01949.

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.)

Chancho's Is Opening in Middleton

A local restaurant group is opening a new dining spot in the northern suburbs, replacing one of their restaurants that had been in the space for nearly 10 years until it moved to a new space nearby.

According to a job post within the Craigslist site, Chancho's is opening in Middleton, taking over Maggie's Farm's old space on Route 114. The post indicates that the new spot will be a SoCal Mexican restaurant and that the Serenitee Restaurant Group--which is behind Maggie's Farm--is also behind Chancho's as well. If all goes as planned, the new eatery could be opening sometime in April.

In addition to the upcoming Chancho's and Maggie's Farm, the Serenitee Restaurant Group also operates 15 Walnut in Hamilton, Cala's Restaurant in Manchester, Hale Street Tavern in Beverly Farms, Opus in Salem, The Spot in Georgetown and Winchester, and Minglewood Harborside and Taj in Gloucester--and it will also be reopening Alchemy at MarketStreet Lynnfield (Alchemy had been located in Gloucester until 2016).

The address for Chancho's is 119 S Main Street (Route 114), Middleton, MA, 01949. The website for restaurant can be found at https://chanchos-middleton.com/ (Ed note: The new address for Maggie's Farm is 189 S Main Street; thanks to a poster on the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page for bringing this to our attention.)

[May 28 update: According to a press release, Chancho's opens today at 4:00 PM and it will offer both indoor and outdoor dining.]

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.)

 

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Angelica's Restaurant in Middleton to Close in December

A longtime restaurant and event space in the northern suburbs of Boston is going to be shutting down toward the end of the year.

According to an article from Wicked Local (and as first mentioned in Boston's Wicked North Shore Facebook page), Angelica's Restaurant in Middleton is planning to close in December, with the South Main Street spot having a tentative closing date of December 20. The post indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the decision to shutter, with owner Chris Kourkoulis saying that "I don't see the future getting better quickly....I just decided to bite the bullet and look forward to something else" while also mentioning that the rising cost of food over the past eight years apparently played a role as well. (There is the possibility that Angelica's could remain in operation if a buyer can be found for the restaurant.)

Angelica's first opened nearly 30 years ago, with the restaurant being known for its American and Italian fare and its space for functions and events such as business gatherings, wedding receptions, family parties, and more.

The address for Angelica's Restaurant in Middleton is 49 S Main Street, Middleton, MA, 01949. The website for the dining spot can be found at http://angelicasmiddleton.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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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.)

Middleton, Wakefield, Waltham, Winchester, Winthrop Now Require Restaurant Workers and Customers to Wear Masks

The trend of Boston-area cities and towns putting stricter rules in place for restaurant workers and customers continues, with at least five more communities joining many others in requiring face coverings.

According to multiple sources, restaurant workers and diners are now required to wear masks or another form of protective face covering in Middleton, Wakefield, Waltham, Winchester, and Winthrop. The five communities join a lengthy list of others in the region, including Abington, Belmont, Beverly, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Danvers, Essex, Everett, Framingham, Lawrence, Lynn, Marblehead, Medford, Melrose, Needham, North Reading, Peabody, Quincy, Reading, Revere, Salem, Somerville, Swampscott, and Whitman, though as of this writing, no such requirement is in place for the city of Boston.

Massachusetts restaurants and bars continue to face restrictions in which they are only allowed to offer takeout and/or delivery; the tentative end date for the order is May 18.

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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Maggie's Farm Is Opening in Middleton

A new restaurant featuring an unusual mix of food items will be opening north of Boston at the beginning of 2012, and the group behind it also runs a number of other North Shore eateries.

According to their Twitter page, Maggie's Farm is planning to open in Middleton on January 2, bringing to the area a place that will have pub food, a sushi bar, and live music. The Town of Middleton website mentions that Maggie's Farm has received a transfer of alcohol, victualler, and entertainment licenses from Rock's Tavern, a restaurant on Route 114 that first opened in the winter of 2010 (Rock's Tavern has apparently closed; a call placed to the spot shows that their phone has been disconnected) and it also indicates that Serenitee Restaurant Group--which is behind such places as 15 Walnut in Hamilton, Latitude 43 in Gloucester, and Hale Street Tavern in Beverly--is opening the new spot.

[May 15, 2012 update: According to their Facebook page, Maggie's Farm in Middleton is now open.]

The address for Maggie's Farm is: Maggie's Farm, 119 S Main Street (Route 114), Middleton, MA, 01949. Their website can be found at http://maggiesfarmmiddleton.com/

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Rock's Tavern Opens in Middleton

A family-friendly restaurant has opened in Middleton, moving into the spot where an upscale eatery was for 10 years before closing last summer. According to their Facebook page, Rock's Tavern on Route 114 opened around the beginning of the month, and appears to be serving dinner only, at least for now (a note on their Facebook page indicates that they are open daily starting at 4:00 PM, but that those hours are subject to change). Rock's Tavern replaces Gavens Restaurant, a dining spot that first opened in 1999, and which was known in part for having more than 3,000 bottles of wine available.

The menu at Rock's Tavern appears to include a mix of Italian and American cuisine, including some BBQ dishes.

The address for this new restaurant in Middletown is: Rock's Tavern, 119 S Main Street (Route 114), Middleton, MA, 01949. The phone number is (978) 767-9519. And their Facebook page can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=240246469372

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

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Gavens in Middleton Has Closed

A restaurant on Route 114 in Middleton appears to have closed its doors after being in business for 10 years.

Gavens Restaurant, an upscale dining spot with a focus on steaks and seafood, was recently mentioned on the Chowhound site as possibly being out of business, and a call put in to the restaurant did not go through because the phone has been disconnected. The restaurant, which has been in business since 1999, featured such items as sea bass filet, seared scallops, rack of lamb, and New York strip, and they also had an impressive wine list with more than 3,000 bottles available, according to their Web site.

Gavens Restaurant was located at 119 S Main Street (Route 114) in Middleton, a short distance south of the town center and a few minutes north of both Routes 95 and 128 on the North Shore.

[March 12, 2010 update: Rock's Tavern has moved into the space where Gavens used to be. The new restaurant looks to be a family-friendly dining spot with a mix of Italian and American cuisine, including BBQ dishes.]

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