Nirvana Is Opening in Former West Side Lounge Space

A new restaurant may be on its way to Cambridge, and it would move into the space where a spot known for its cocktails had been.

According to a License Commission Hearing page within the City of Cambridge website, Nirvana is looking to open on Mass. Ave., taking over the former West Side Lounge space between Porter Square and Harvard Square. The listing mentions that the new eatery would have seating for 74 with an additional 4 seats on an outdoor patio, and it would include both a dining area and a bar. It is not yet known what type of spot Nirvana might be, but based on its name plus the name of the company behind it (Kaveri Incorporated), it is possible that it may be an Indian restaurant.

West Side Lounge closed in April after being in business for 16 years; the same group that runs the nearby restaurants Cambridge Common and Christopher's was also behind this place as well.

The address for Nirvana is 1680 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138.

[November 1 update: According to a message sent by @richo976, a sign posted at the former West Side Lounge space says that "Nirvana: Taste of India" will be opening in the winter of 2017.]

February 3, 2017 update: It looks like Nirvana may be getting ready to open, as a new License Commission Hearing page indicates that the people behind the restaurant had told the board that they had hoped to complete renovations late last month, with the plan being to open soon after the updates were finished.]

[March 1, 2017 update: According to @richo976, Nirvana is now open.]

[Earlier Article]
West Side Lounge in Cambridge Has Closed

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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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DooWee's @ Monroe in Cambridge Closed Indefinitely after a Brief Soft-Opening

A now-closed Somerville restaurant that was reborn a few days ago in Cambridge is now closed due to a decision made on the space by the city's License Commission.

Eater Boston is reporting that DooWee's @ Monroe has shut down after beginning a soft opening August 1, with Duy Tran--who is behind the Asian eatery--saying on an Instagram post that the place is closed "indefinitely." Late last month, Cambridge Day mentioned that the Monroe nightclub--which is where DooWee's is set up--was facing a seven-day suspension and the prospect of changing its closing time from 2:00 AM to 12:00 AM because of a series of violent incidents at the Mass. Ave. club. (The people behind Monroe were allowed to appeal the decision.)

Duy Tran had been hoping to have a grand opening of DooWee's @ Monroe on September 1.

The address for DooWee's @ Monroe is 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139.

[August 16 update: DooWee's @ Monroe remains shut down, and an Instagram post from Duy Tran indicates that he may be looking to move on at this point, as he has met with several restaurant groups and vendors and has signed on to do a seafood restaurant, while also taking control of Bao Nation in Cambridge's Central Square and setting up a popup at Whisky Saigon in Boston's Theatre District.]

[September 8 update: DooWee's @ Monroe is still shut down and appears that it may be done, as Duy Tran now says on his Instagram page that a new place called DooWee's Night Market is coming soon to an undisclosed location. In addition, Tran says in an Instagram post that he has indeed teamed up with One World Cuisine to run Bao Nation, saying that he will feature Asia-style street foods with a walk-up window set up and possibly offering such items as baos, wings, yakitori skewers, and poutine cones. Tran also says that the place will have influences from Asian night markets, but it is not yet known if DooWee's Night Market and Bao Nation will end up being one and the same (he does say that he is in the process of securing a restaurant space).]

[September 23 update: It appears that the DooWee's @ Monroe is officially history (and Monroe nightclub is apparently still closed), but Eater Boston states that Duy Tran will officially take over the menu at Bao Nation on Tuesday, September 27, with the eatery having a walk-up window for the late-night crowd.]

[Earlier Article]
Duy Tran Is Opening DooWee's Cambridge within Monroe Space in Central Square

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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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Update: Rubin's in Brookline Closes, But It Could Reopen

[Ed note: This article was updated on August 6 to reflect new information that hints the deli could return.]

It appears that one of the best-known delis in the Boston area is saying farewell.

Universal Hub is reporting (via a Facebook post from the place) that Rubin's in Brookline shuts down at the end of business hours today, with the post saying that "It's with a heavy heart we have to announce that sadly Rubins will be closing its doors Friday August 5 at 3pm....We wish everyone nothing but good things, health and happiness to all our loyal staff and the community....Thank you for all the good memories." It is not yet known why the Harvard Street restaurant is closing; as soon as we find out more, we will post an update here.

Rubin's, which first opened approximately 90 years ago, has been a neighborhood fixture that features such classic items as borscht, chopped liver, potato latkes, kugel, corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, egg salad, and brisket.

The address for Rubin's is 500 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA, 02446.

[August 5 update: The Boston Globe mentions that Rubin's may not be gone for good after all, as the business was sold to investor David Danesh who is working with potential operators to bring back the deli. The article also says that former owner Allen Gellerman had said no to investors who were looking to replace Rubin's with condos before working out the deal to sell to Danesh. (Thanks to @jtuohey21 for bringing this to our attention.)]

[August 8 update: According to a post from the  bldup.com site, Rubin's was sold to The Danesh Group for $1.718 million, with the sale taking place on Tuesday, August 2.]

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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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Clover to Say Goodbye to Its Original Site at MIT in Cambridge

A local group of vegetarian food trucks and brick-and-mortar dining spots is losing its very first location.

Eater Boston is reporting (via the Clover blog) that Clover's food truck at MIT (20 Carleton Street) is saying goodbye tomorrow, as the university is about to start construction at the site. The blog notes that one of its brick-and-mortar restaurants is only about 100 feet away at 5 Cambridge Center, and that Clover is working with MIT to try to find a new space on campus for the truck.

Clover currently has other brick-and-mortar locations in Boston's Financial District, Downtown Crossing, and Longwood, Cambridge's Central Square, Inman Square, and Harvard Square, Brookline, and Burlington--along with a number of other food trucks set up in the region as well. The website for all of its restaurants and food trucks is at http://www.cloverfoodlab.com/

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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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LaStoria Italian Bar & Grill in Stoughton Has Closed

A once-popular Italian restaurant south of Boston has shut its doors due to what appears to be a dropoff in business at the place.

According to an article in Wicked Local, LaStoria Italian Bar & Grill in Stoughton is no longer in business, with a sign out front saying "With regret, due to declining sales, we will be closed until further notice." It is not yet known if there is a chance the Washington Street eatery could reopen at some point; as soon as we find out more, we will post an update here.

LaStoria first opened approximately 20 years ago, featuring regional Italian dishes such as arancini, roast chicken, grilled clams, pork chops, baked rigatoni, fruitti di mare, brick-oven pizza, and cioppino.

The address for this now-closed restaurant in Stoughton was: LaStoria Italian Bar & Grill, 577 Washington Street (Route 138), Stoughton, MA, 02072.

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Twelve Pasta Dishes from Restaurants in the Boston Area and Beyond]

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Live Noodles by Boston University Has Apparently Closed

It looks like a dining spot by Boston University that featured Chinese noodles has shut down.

According to a source (Andy Tsai), Live Noodles on Commonwealth Avenue in Packard's Corner is "boarded up," with the Yelp page for the eatery seeming to confirm this. The dining spot first opened in the former Quan's Kitchen space late last summer, featuring hand-pulled noodles as well as a variety of Sichuan dishes, with the place being particularly popular with college students.

As soon as we find out exactly why Live Noodles closed--and what might end up going into the space--we will post an update here.

The address for this now-closed dining spot by BU was: Live Noodles, 1026 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215.

[August 4 update: A source tells us that the closing of Live Noodles may be temporary, but this has not been confirmed as of yet.]

[September 16 update: Live Noodles is open once again.]

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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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