Crispy Crepes Cafe Near Boston University Has Closed

A dining spot that was popular with college students has closed its doors.

According to a note from @PatrickMBoston of Maguire Promotions & Hospitality, Crispy Crepes Cafe on Park Drive near Boston University is no longer in business, with a "For Lease" sign out front along with another sign that says "Crispy Crepes Cafe is closed for business on October 31st until further notice. We've appreciated your business and hope to serve you again in the near future." (The second sign also refers customers to their website for more information.) The eatery was known mostly for its sweet and savory crepes, and it also offered panini, kabobs, pasta plates, rollups, and more.

[November 9 update: Eater Boston mentions that Crispy Crepes Cafe is hoping to reopen in a new location, though it is not known where this could happen--and a possible opening date depends on the licensing, permit, and inspection process.]

Crispy Crepes Cafe first opened approximately 12 years ago.

The website for this now-closed dining spot by BU was: Crispy Crepes Cafe, 512A Park Drive, Boston, MA, 02215. Its website can be found at http://www.crispycrepescafe.com/

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

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Ipswich Ale Brewery to Open Ipswich Ale Brewer's Table Restaurant

A North Shore brewery is making plans to add a restaurant to its facility.

Eater Boston is reporting (via a Craigslist job post) that Ipswich Ale Brewery is opening a dining spot called Ipswich Ale Brewer's Table that will have seating for 120 and will be located within the Brewery Place building. Little other information has been given on the restaurant, so keep checking back for updates.

[January 7, 2016 update: A new article from Eater Boston states that Ipswich Ale Brewer's Table is now open, and that it includes 15 tap lines, a view of the beermaking process, and a mix of brewpub, gastropub, and New American fare. For now, the restaurant is open for dinner only, but it will start lunch service over the coming days.]

Ipswich Ale Brewery, which first started out in 1991, includes the Ipswich Ale, 5 Mile Ale, and Stone Cat lines, along with limited edition beers and cask ales (it also produces mustard and soda).

The address for Ipswich Ale Brewery and the new Ipswich Ale Brewer's Table restaurant is 2 Brewery Place, Ipswich, MA, 01938. The website for the brewery can be found at http://www.ipswichalebrewery.com/

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Good Places to Get Beer in the Boston Area]

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Le's Sushi Bar and Restaurant to Open in East Cambridge

A new Asian restaurant is coming to Cambridge, and it will be taking over the space where a pharmacy had been for 50 years.

A License Commission General Hearing page within the City of Cambridge website states that Le's Sushi Bar and Restaurant is looking to open in East Cambridge, with the address indicating that it would be moving into the spot on Cambridge Street where Ciampa Apothecary had been. It is not yet known whether the dining spot is connected with a trio of Vietnamese eateries in the area with similar names (Le's in Cambridge's Harvard Square and Allston and Pho Le in Dorchester); as soon as we find out more about the place, we will post an update here.

The address for this upcoming restaurant in East Cambridge is: Le's Sushi Bar and Restaurant, 425 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA, 02141. Its website will be at http://leeatery.com/

[June 23, 2016 update: Eater Boston states that Le's Sushi Bar and Restaurant could be opening next week, and its menu shows a mix of Asian cuisines, including Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese.]

[July 12, 2016 update: A new article from Eater Boston mentions that Le's Sushi Bar and Restaurant is now open.]

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

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Voltage Coffee + Art, Dwelltime in Cambridge to Become Locations of Barismo

A coffeehouse in Cambridge is changing hands, and the new place will have a familiar name to it--as will another nearby coffee spot that will be getting the same name as well.

A License Commission General Hearing page within the City of Cambridge website mentions that Barismo is seeking a common victualer license to operate on Third Street in Kendall Square, with the address indicating that it will take over Voltage Coffee + Art. An earlier article from BetaBoston confirms this, saying that the East Arlington coffee roaster/retailer by the same name is indeed planning to take over the space; in addition, the post mentions something that we have been hearing as well--that Dwelltime, a cafe on Broadway in Cambridge that is owned by Barismo, is also changing its name to Barismo as well. BetaBoston says that Lucy Valena, who is the founder of Voltage, will work for Barismo as an "Artist in Residence," including training employees, helping out with design issues, and also coordinating production of the roastery.

Voltage Coffee + Art first opened its doors exactly five years ago this week.

The address for Voltage Coffee + Art is 295 Third Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142, while the address for Dwelltime is 364 Broadway, Cambridge, MA, 02139.

[November 23 update: BostInno states that both Voltage and Dwelltime could be rebranded to Barismo sometime around Christmas.]

[February 1, 2016 update: A poster on the Chowhound site mentions that the windows at Voltage are now papered over, which jibes with recent chatter that the place may have been closed over the past couple of weeks (or more). It is not yet known when it will switch over to Barismo.]

[April 29, 2016 update: The Boston Business Journal mentions that the former Voltage space will become the site of a collaboration between Barismo and co-working company Cove, with the plan being for the coffee house and the shared workspace to have separate spaces that are connected by a door. (The article says that Barismo will have limited seating in its area for those who aren't using the co-working space.) It appears that the collaboration will debut sometime in June, according to the article.]

[August 24, 2016 update: Eater Boston says that the new location of Barismo has soft-opened in the old Voltage space, with the place apparently being fully open starting Monday. (And its full name is Barismo 295.)]

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

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Uni in Boston's Back Bay to Take Over Clio Space

One of Boston's best-known restaurants is saying farewell, and an adjacent lounge will be taking over its space.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Clio in the Back Bay will close at the end of the year, with an "expanded and updated" version of Uni moving in. (Both spots are located within the Eliot Hotel on Commonwealth Avenue.) The article says that owner Ken Oringer sees Clio as being "of a certain time and place" and wants Uni to be a restaurant that puts the spotlight on today's culture of dining with the place reflecting "Japan's modern-day food philosophy" once it opens in early 2016.

Clio, which first opened in 1997, is a high-end restaurant featuring French and New American fare, including such items as cassolette, butter-basted lobster, lamb porterhouse, Casco Bay scallops, peanut milk risotto, and foie gras laquee. Uni started out in 2002, with the sashimi bar offering sushi, ramen, sake, and more.

Ken Oringer is also involved with such places as Coppa and Toro in the South End, Earth at Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport, ME, and another location of Toro in Manhattan.

The address for Clio (and Uni) is 370 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215. The web page for both restaurants can be found at http://www.eliothotel.com/dining-en.html

[December 8 update: According to an article from boston.com, Clio plans to celebrate its 19 years in business with  a 19-course retrospective menu on Tuesday, December 15; the post says that 17 guest chefs will be participating (all of whom worked at Clio at one point), including Tony Maws of Craigie on Main in Cambridge, Zach Watkins of Toro in the South End, Chris Chung of AKA Bistro in Lincoln, Renae Connolly of Cafe ArtScience, in Cambridge, and Chris Gould of Central Provisions in Portland, ME.]

[December 28 update: The Tables section of The Boston Globe states that Clio is actually closing at the end of business hours on Wednesday (December 30); we have been told that the restaurant will be closed on New Year's Eve for an event.]

[January 3, 2016 update: A Facebook post from Uni notes that the restaurant will be closed throughout the month of January as it gets ready to expand into the Clio space.]

[January 31, 2016 update: A new Facebook post from Ken Oringer mentions that Uni plans to open its doors in the former Clio space tomorrow (Monday, February 1).]

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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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Roxy's Grilled Cheese, Area Four Owners to Collaborate on New Restaurant/Bar/Arcade in Cambridge

The people behind several popular Boston-area restaurants and food trucks are collaborating on a new spot in Cambridge.

According to a page on the Massachusetts Public Notices site, James DiSabatino of Roxy's Grilled Cheese is teaming up with Michael Krupp of Area Four to open a restaurant, bar, and entertainment spot on Mass. Ave. by MIT tentatively called Roxy's A4cade (this appears to be a working name only), with the address indicating that it will be located in an upcoming mixed-use building that is part of a University Park expansion project. The post mentions that the place will include a Roxy's dining area and an Area Four bar section on the first floor of the building, with a total capacity of 108 inside and an additional 40 outside on a seasonal patio; a game room that could include a pinball machine, Skeeball, foozball, shuffleboard, pool table, and more are possibly being considered within the space as well.

Roxy's Grilled Cheese currently has a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Allston along with food trucks in and around Boston, and a new kiosk on the South Boston waterfront will soon be opening (DiSabatino is also co-owner of Whole Heart Provisions in Allston). Area Four can be found in Cambridge's Kendall Square, with a location of A4 Pizza Bar--which is temporarily closed--being just outside of Somerville's Union Square and a new A4 outlet coming to Troy Boston in Boston's South End.

The address for this proposed restaurant, bar, and entertainment place in Cambridge is 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139.

[March 29, 2016 update: Boston Magazine mentions that the new spot, which is going to be called Roxy's A4cade, will have James DiSabatino offering a menu that includes burgers and grilled cheese and Michael Krupp being behind the cocktails.]

[September 1, 2016 update: A new article from Boston Magazine states that Roxy's A4cade plans to open in December, and that it will have an "amped up" Roxy’s in front and a hidden arcade out back, with the Area Four folks offering a "quirky and creative" list of cocktails, beer, and wine.]

[January 27, 2017 update: Eater Boston states that Roxy's Central Square and A4cade opens its doors tomorrow (Saturday, January 28) at 5:00 PM.]

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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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