It Appears to Be the End of the Line for Pink Samurai in Jamaica Plain

It looks like the long and twisty path of a highly-anticipated dumpling spot in Jamaica Plain may have finally come to an end.

Based on a licensing hearing page within the City of Boston website, Pink Samurai on Centre Street may officially be out of business now, as its common victualler license has been canceled and the notice says that the restaurant is "closed." This comes more than a month after the place shut down after briefly opening for business, with the opening taking place only after a number of delays that included the loss of two chefs before it even opened. After its closure in September, there had been talk that Pink Samurai was under new management and that it may end up reopening, but it never did.

Plans for Pink Samurai were first announced in the summer of 2015.

The address for Pink Samurai was 658 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130.

[Earlier Articles]
Pink Samurai in Jamaica Plain Closed, Windows Papered Over; Exact Status Unknown
Pink Samurai to Open in Jamaica Plain

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

Pink Samurai in Jamaica Plain Closed, Windows Papered Over; Exact Status Unknown

Earlier this month, we reported that a long-awaited and highly-anticipated dumpling spot in Jamaica Plain had finally opened. Now it has apparently closed again, and it is not known what the future holds for the place.

According to a source within the restaurant industry, Pink Samurai on Centre Street is locked up and dark, and a photo sent indicates that its windows are now papered over. Several others on Facebook and Twitter have confirmed this, and another source says that the place has been closed for a few days now and may be shuttered for good, though this last bit of information has not yet been confirmed.

Plans for Pink Samurai were first announced in the summer of 2015 and it looked like it might open that fall, but the restaurant encountered a number of delays and lost two chefs before it even opened. The dining spot did finally open at the beginning of this month after it looked like it might open in August, though that opening was delayed at least a couple of times.

The address for Pink Samurai is 658 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130.

[September 26 update: The Tables section of The Boston Globe states that Pink Samurai is now under new management and that it is closed "temporarily." It is not known exactly when it might reopen (the restaurant says it will be announced on their social media pages), nor is it known if the concept will remain the same.]

[October 14 update: Pink Samurai remains closed, and a check on its Facebook page shows that it has been taken down once again while its Twitter page has not been updated for over a month.]

[December 28 update: Although it was assumed over the past few weeks that Pink Samurai was closed for good, now there seems to be proof, as a licensing board page within the City of Boston website indicates that a liquor license transfer from the restaurant to the upcoming Shake Shack in Boston's Seaport District is now in the works.]

[Earlier Article]
Pink Samurai to Open in Jamaica Plain

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

Dumpling Kingdom Is Opening in Allston

A new Asian restaurant that features dumplings is opening in Allston, and it is apparently connected to a couple of other dining spots in Boston's Back Bay and Chinatown.

According to a source, Dumpling Kingdom has soft-opened on Harvard Avenue, with the eatery moving into the space where Asiana had been. Our source says that the new restaurant comes from the people behind Dumpling Palace on Mass. Ave. and Dumpling Cafe on Washington Street, and this appears to be confirmed on the Bizapedia site, as a page for one of the owners of Dumpling Kingdom (Zeng Qi Liu) also lists those two dining spots.

It appears that the soft opening for Dumpling Kingdom continues today, with the grand opening possibly coming tomorrow, according to our source.

The address for this new Asian eatery in Allston is: Dumpling Kingdom, 137 Harvard Avenue, Allston, MA, 02134.

[July 20 update: Eater Boston confirms that Dumpling Kingdom is now fully open.]

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

Dumpling House Opens in Newton

A bustling restaurant on the outskirts of Cambridge's Central Square has opened a second location in a western suburb of Boston.

Eater Boston is reporting that Dumpling House is now open in Newton, taking over the space on Walnut Street where several other eateries have been, including Little Panda Hot Pot, Sweet Potato Bistro, and Peking Cuisine. The article says that the new dining spot is similar to the original on Mass. Ave., with a variety of meat, seafood, and veggie dumplings offered as well as other Chinese items.

The Cambridge location of Dumpling House first opened its doors in April of 2014.

The address for this new restaurant in Newton is: Dumpling House, 870 Walnut Street, Newton, MA, 02459. The website for the Cambridge location can be found at http://www.dumplinghousecambridgema.com/

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

Pink Samurai to Open in Jamaica Plain

A new fast-casual restaurant is coming to a neighborhood of Boston, and this one may be of interest to dumpling lovers.

According to an article from Eater Boston, Pink Samurai is planning to open in Jamaica Plain, with the dining spot not giving out an exact address for the place as of yet. The new eatery is calling itself a "modern dumpling house" that will offer dumplings made in-house along with freshly-made tofu and street food, with an earlier job posting indicating that local seafood and farm-raised meats would be used, along with locally-sourced ingredients in general. The executive chef of Pink Samurai is Matt Cunningham, who comes from such places as The Sinclair, Strip-T's, and UpStairs on the Square.

If all goes as planned, Pink Samurai should be opening sometime this fall.

[July 29 update: An update from Eater Boston confirms what he had heard earlier, that Pink Samurai will open in the old Charlie Chan's space at 658 Centre Street.]

[February 18, 2016 update: Pink Samurai has not yet opened, and a Facebook post from the place states that they have had one or two false starts, a lot of work needed to renovate the space, and some other issues that have come up along the way. For now, they would rather "keep people in suspense" instead of setting an opening date, though they do say that the restaurant should be opening "very soon."]

[April 26, 2016 update: According to a Facebook post from executive chef Matt Cunningham, it looks like Pink Samurai will open sometime in May, though he says "don't count this as official though, just a well informed 'guess.'"]

[July 5, 2016 update: We learned this afternoon that Pink Samurai is still on, and that Bob Botchie (Shanghai Social Club, Kirby's Kitchen, Erbaluce, Myers + Chang) will now be the opening chef there. (No specific opening date has been given.)]

[August 5, 2016 update: According to a source, Pink Samurai plans to open its doors on Monday (August 8).]

[August 8, 2016 update: We are still waiting to hear if Pink Samurai will open today, but we have also learned that neither Matt Cunningham nor Bob Botchie is involved with the place anymore, and a check on its social media pages indicates that they have all been taken down.]

[August 18, 2016 update: A check on the place yesterday evening indicates that Pink Samurai has apparently still not opened, while several people on the local restaurant scene don't know the exact status of the place at this point in time. In addition, a Twitter post from @Mattybangin (Matt Cunningham) says that "I took media down when I left, not sure why there's nothing new. No idea what's up now."]

[August 19, 2016 update: A new tweet indicates that Pink Samurai may finally be opening for real, with the place likely opening within a week.]

[August 23, 2016 update: Pink Samurai is now saying that it is opening "soon" and it was giving out samples to people yesterday; in addition, Bob Botchie is back on the team and the restaurant's social media pages are up and running again.]

[August 29, 2016 update: Pink Samurai has not yet opened, and now we have heard that Bob Botchie and the restaurant have parted ways once again.]

[September 2, 2016 update: According to a Facebook post from the place, Pink Samurai has opened.]

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

Dumpling Palace Opens in Boston's Back Bay

A new restaurant has come to the Back Bay of Boston, and it appears to be connected to a highly-rated eatery in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood.

According to a Twitter post from @TheDrewStarr along with posts on the Chowhound site, Dumpling Palace is now open on Mass. Ave., taking over the space where Nan Ling had been. Both posts seem to indicate that the new dining spot is affiliated with Dumpling Cafe, a Chinese and Taiwanese place on Washington Street that offers a variety of dumplings and steamed buns along with an extensive list of other entrees, and it appears that Dumpling Palace has a long and varied menu as well.

The Dumpling Cafe has received excellent reviews since opening five years ago, with Boston Magazine awarding it best spot for dumplings back in 2013.

The address for this new eatery in the Back Bay is: Dumpling Palace, 179 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115.

[Earlier Article]
Dumpling Cafe Opens on the Edge of Boston's Chinatown

Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston

---

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

---

Tweet

Dumpling House Is Opening in Cambridge

It appears that a new dumpling house may be on its way to Cambridge.

According to a recent License Commission General Hearing page on the City of Cambridge website, Dumpling House is planning to open on Mass Ave. around the western edge of Central Square. The page mentions that the proposed eatery would be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and that it would have seating for 96. It looks like beer and wine may be offered at Dumpling House, as the place has applied for a wine & malt beverages as a restaurant license.

[September 6 update: A new License Commission General Hearing page indicates that Dumpling House might not be offering beer and wine after all, as the post says that the place has applied for a common victualer license that would allow for food and nonalcoholic beverages only. (The hearing will take place on September 10.)]

[April 9, 2014 update: Eater Boston states (via Chowhound) that Dumpling House could be opening in approximately two weeks--and it has some connections with Gourmet Dumpling House in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood.]

[April 21, 2014 update: According to a post on its Facebook page, Dumpling House has a "trial" opening today.]

The address for this new dining spot in Cambridge is: Dumpling House, 950 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139.

Tweet