Cafe Gloria Plans to Open in East Boston

A new coffee and espresso bar is looking to open in East Boston, and a familiar name is behind it.

According to its Instagram page, Cafe Gloria is planning to open in the Jeffries Point section of Eastie, with an Instagram post from Will Isaza saying the following:

I've always dreamt of creating a space for my neighborhood and the place that made me who I am today #eastie. In just a couple days, the journey to that begins! With the help of @numarket.co and all of you, this dream can become real!. @cafegloriabos will be a coffee and espresso bar for Eastie by Eastie. It will bring everything I've been fortunate enough to learn in a decade in the hospitality industry back home. Jeffries Point we're coming!

Isaza is a bartender/mixologist who has been involved with a number of spots in the Greater Boston area over the years, including Blossom Bar and Ivory Pearl in Brookline and Birds of Paradise in Brighton.

The Instagram page for Cafe Gloria can be found at https://www.instagram.com/cafegloriabos/

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

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Flat Black Coffee Closes Its Franklin Street Shop in Downtown Boston; Dorchester Location Remains Open

What was once a local group of espresso bars is now down to just one.

According to a tweet from @PaulGerard, Flat Black Coffee on Franklin Street in downtown Boston is no longer in business, with a sign out front referring customers to their shop on Washington Street in Dorchester while also reminding people to shop online as they ship anywhere in the United States. Flat Back once had locations on State Street, Broad Street, and High Street in the downtown area in addition to its Franklin Street outlet, and another Dorchester location had been on Dorchester Avenue as well.

The address for the now-closed Flat Black Coffee on Franklin Street was 260 Franklin Street, Boston, MA, 02110. The website for the business can be found at https://flatblackcoffee.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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NOTE: Leslie Hurwitz, who is the father of Marc (the founder of this site) is currently dealing with health issues and needs your help. Please donate if you can at https://gofund.me/76d8ba28, thanks!

Derby Joe in Salem Has Closed

An espresso bar on the North Shore has shut down, and it isn't yet known what might be going into its space.

According to a source, Derby Joe in Salem is no longer in business, with a photo showing a "For Rent" sign in the doorway of the Derby Street spot. The place was known in part for its cold brew coffee, while also offering espresso, tea, and sandwiches as well--and it also hosted late-night events and game nights, and helped promote local artists and charity organizations.

We have been told by our source that Derby Joe first opened approximately 5 years ago. [Ed note--we had originally reported that it opened 10 years ago; we regret the error.]

The address for Derby Joe was 142 Derby Street, Salem, MA, 01970.

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

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Status of Stacks Espresso Bar in Newton Highlands Appears to Be in Question

The future of the sole Boston-area location of a small group of espresso spots seems to be unknown right now.

According to a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, Stacks Espresso Bar in Newton Highlands appears to be closed for good, though a check on the website for the business seems to give conflicting information, with one page showing only the Lark Street outlet in Albany while another page shows both Lark Street and Broadway locations in Albany and another in Troy along with the Newton Highlands shop. Phone calls to the Walnut Street store are not able to go through, and a message sent to the company last week has not yet been answered, so stay tuned for any updates as they come in.

A Facebook page from the business does mention that the Troy and Newton Highlands outlets of Stacks Espresso Bar were closed for the foreseeable future as of March 19, while the two Albany shops were said to remain open at the time.

The address for the Newton Highlands location of Stacks Espresso Bar is 1169 Walnut Street, Newton Highlands, MA, 02461.

[July 31 update: A poster within Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants seems to indicate that Stacks in Newton Highlands has closed for good, as there are now "For Lease" signs in the windows.]

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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Ripple Cafe Is Opening in the Flat Black Coffee Space in the Ashmont/Peabody Square Section of Dorchester

by Marc Hurwitz

[Ed note: This article was updated on September 6 to reflect the fact that a new spot is moving into the space.]

A local group of espresso bars has shut down one of its locations, citing lease and construction issues as a couple of reasons for its closure.

According to an article from Eater Boston, Flat Black Coffee has closed its shop in the Ashmont/Peabody Square section of Dorchester and is moving its operations to its other Dorchester location in nearby Lower Mills. The post mentions that in addition to the fact that its lease was up and it was dealing with ongoing construction issues, competition also played a factor in the decision.

Flat Black Coffee has three locations in downtown Boston as well as its original location in Lower Mills--and they also distribute coffee to a handful of local shops as well.

The address for this now-closed espresso bar in Ashmont/Peabody Square was: Flat Black Coffee, 1906 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA, 02124. The website for the business can be found at http://flatblackcoffee.com/

[September 6 update: The Dorchester Reporter states that Ripple Cafe is moving into the former Flat Black space, with the place possibly opening in October if all goes well. Ripple, which got its start as a pop-up in nearby Codman Square, will likely offer baked goods, pastries, coffee, tea, and more based on the offerings at its pop-up shop.]

[January 24, 2019 update: A Facebook post from last week indicates that Ripple Cafe plans to open within the next few weeks.]

[March 2, 2019 update: A tweet from @greaterashmont states that Ripple Cafe is now open.]

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Espresso Yourself Is Opening in Jamaica Plain

A new coffee shop is on its way to a Boston neighborhood, and its name should be popular with pun lovers.

Eater Boston is reporting (via Jamaica Plain News) that Espresso Yourself has applied for a common victualler's license to operate on Centre Street  in JP in the former Uforge Gallery space. The articles indicate that the people behind the proposed shop met with the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council's Public Service Committee on Tuesday, though it is not yet known what the exact outcome of the meeting was.

Operating hours for Espresso Yourself are slated to be 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM, according to Jamaica Plain News.

The address for this new coffee shop in JP is 767 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130.

[June 6, 2017 update: The Jamaica Plain News states that Espresso Yourself is now open, and that it features a variety of coffee and pastry options.]

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Nine Bar Espresso Is Opening in Somerville's Davis Square

It looks like a new cafe is coming to Somerville, moving into the space where another cafe had been for a very short period of time.

Eater Boston is reporting (via a licensing commission page) that Nine Bar Espresso is looking to open in Davis Square, taking over the former Kindred Tea and Tonic Cafe on Holland Street. (Kindred opened in December of 2014, only to shut down approximately three months later.) The article mentions that it appears there is a connection between the upcoming spot and Simon's Coffee Shop in Cambridge, as Simon Yu and S&H Coffee Company Inc. (the person and company behind Simon's, respectively) are both listed in the hearing notice.

Another place called Simon's Too--which was also affiliated with Simon's Coffee Shop--closed this spring and has been replaced by Cafe Anthony; Simon's Too was located on Mass. Ave. between Harvard Square and Central Square, while the original Simon's is also located on Mass. Ave., between Porter Square and Harvard Square.

[August 3 update: A new article from Eater Boston mentions that Nine Bar Espresso is now open, and that it is indeed affiliated with Simon's Coffee Shop; the post also says that the cafe is currently serving coffee, espresso, tea, toast, bagels, and pastries, with products from Danish Pastry House and Iggy's being offered. (It looks like sandwiches will be on the way as well at some point in time.)]

The address for this new cafe is: Nine Bar Espresso, 11 Holland Street, Somerville, MA, 02144.

[Earlier Articles]
Kindred in Somerville's Davis Square Has Suspended Operation
Cafe Anthony Is Opening in Cambridge; Taking Over Simon's Too Space

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Flat Black Coffee Is Opening on the Boston Waterfront

A local group of espresso bars is expanding again, this time opening a shop by the Boston waterfront.

According to a Twitter post from @ConciergeBoston, Flat Black Coffee is planning to open on State Street by the New England Aquarium and Long Wharf, taking over the space where a location of Emack & Bolio's Ice Cream had been. Once it opens, the new shop will join others on Broad Street, Franklin Street, and High Street in downtown Boston, along with Dorchester Avenue and Washington Street in Dorchester.

[December 23 update: According to a post from Eater Boston, the new Flat Black Coffee is now open on the Boston waterfront.]

According to its website, Flat Black is the largest independently-owned roaster, wholesaler, and retailer of specialty coffees in the city of Boston.

The address for this new location of Flat Black Coffee is 255 State Street, Boston, MA, 02109. The website for the business can be found at http://flatblackcoffee.com/

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Owners of Gracenote and The Coffee Trike Opening Gracenote Coffee in Boston

The people behind a micro coffee roaster and a mobile cafe are joining up to debut a brick-and-mortar espresso bar in downtown Boston.

Boston Magazine is reporting that Patrick Barter of Gracenote Coffee and Alessandro "San" Bellino, of The Coffee Trike are collaborating on a project that will bring a coffee shop to Lincoln Street in the Leather District, working with Jesse Baerkahn of the retail development and urban advisory firm Graffito SP to open the espresso bar in the front half of Graffito's office. The article says that the space will include Graffito's headquarters in the back, a conference room/public cupping area that is off to the side, and the shop (which will be open seven days a week) by the front entrance.

Gracenote Coffee is a coffee roaster based in Berlin, MA, while The Coffee Trike is set up on a seasonal basis in Dewey Square on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

[April 27 update: According to a licensing board page within the City of Boston website, it looks like the new espresso bar on Lincoln Street will be called Gracenote Coffee.]

[September 29 update: Eater Boston states that The Coffee Trike will be shutting down over the next couple of weeks, as Bellino and Barter get ready to open their new espresso bar.]

[October 14 update: A poster on the Chowhound site says that Gracenote Coffee is now open on Lincoln Street.]

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Fleck Is Opening in Newton Highlands

A new coffee and espresso bar is on its way to the western suburbs of Boston, and its name comes from an interesting term.

Eater Boston is reporting that Fleck is opening in Newton Highlands, with the Walnut Street specialty coffee shop getting its name from the term "tiger flecking," which refers to the patterns of coffee particles at the top of a shot of espresso that "indicate a good extraction and proper grind." The article says that in addition to coffee, there will also be pastries offered.

It looks like Fleck could be opening in early February.

[February 9 update: A new article from Eater Boston states that Fleck is now open.]

The address for this new coffee bar in Newton is: Fleck, 1169 Walnut Street, Newton, MA, 02461. Its Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/fleckcoffee while its Twitter page is at https://twitter.com/fleckcoffee

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Ocean House Surf Shop and Cafe to Open in Swampscott

A combination surf shop/cafe will soon be opening on the North Shore.

The Daily Item of Lynn is reporting that the Ocean House Surf Shop and Cafe is planning to open on Humphrey Street in Swampscott, directly across from King's Beach (a popular surfing beach). The article says that the retail store will sell surfboards, paddleboards, and various accessories and apparel, while the cafe will offer items such as salads, sandwiches, and fruit--and it will have an espresso bar as well.

The Ocean House Surf Shop could be open by the second week in February, with the Ocean Shop Cafe opening a few weeks after, according to the Daily Item.

The address for this upcoming place is: Ocean House Surf Shop and Cafe, 140 Humphrey Street, Swampscott, MA, 01907.

Thanks to North Shore Dish for bringing this to our attention.


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Nespresso Cafe Is Coming to Boston's Back Bay

A Back Bay shop that sells espresso machines and pods is going to be adding a cafe to its space.

Eater Boston is reporting that Nespresso Boutique on Newbury Street is planning to open what looks to be an espresso bar, with a Craigslist job post indicating that the name of the place will be Nespresso Cafe, and that it is currently looking for assistant cafe managers, baristas, runners, servers, and more. The Craiglist post also mentions that the shop will be a "Boutique-Bar Flagship."

[March 19, 2013 update: It looks like Nespresso Cafe is getting close to opening, as a new Craigslist post indicates that it is inviting folks looking for jobs to come to the store on Newbury Street this week to meet with local managers and other hiring managers.]

Nespresso Boutique first opened its doors in Boston in late 2008. It is one of a handful of stores in the United States, with two of them being located in New York City. (Nespresso is a division of the Nestle company.)

The address for Nespresso Boutique and the upcoming Nespresso Cafe is 7 Newbury Street, Boston, MA, 02116.

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Latest Review: Somethin's Brewin' Book Cafe, Lakeville

The latest review on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for Somethin's Brewin' Book Cafe, a breakfast and lunch spot in Lakeville, MA. Located in an old library building in the center of town, Somethin's Brewin' Book Cafe has tremendous atmosphere in addition to decent soups, salads, sandwiches, drinks, and desserts. Entertainment is featured on some nights, though the cafe is primarily a daytime spot. To read more about Somethin's Brewin' Book Cafe in Lakeville, please click on the link above.