Boston Restaurant Talk

Friday, December 02, 2022

Banh Mi K Opens in the Former Spike's Junkyard Dogs Space in Allston

A new Vietnamese restaurant has come to Allston, opening where a location of a hot dog place had been.

According to a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, Banh Mi K is now open on Brighton Avenue, moving into the space that had formerly been home to Spike's Junkyard Dogs. The menu for the new spot shows such items as spring and summer rolls, dumplings, banh mi, pho, steamed rice cakes, Vietnamese coffee, smoothies, milk tea, flan, and more.

Spike's Junkyard Dogs closed its Allston location this fall after being in business for 20 years; an outlet in Warwick, RI, remains in operation.

The address for Banh Mi K is 108 Brighton Avenue, Allston, MA 02134. Its website can be found at https://banhmik.com/

[Earlier Article]
Spike's Junkyard Dogs in Allston Is Closing

by Marc Hurwitz (Also 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]

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!

Laughing Monk Cafe Opens in Former S & I To Go Space in Allston

A pair of restaurants featuring Thai and Japanese food have been joined by a third, with this one replacing a popular place for takeout that also featured Thai dishes.

According to a source, Laughing Monk Cafe is now open in Allston, moving into the former S & I To Go space on Brighton Avenue, with the opening being confirmed on the home page of the Laughing Monk website. Based on the menu at the Brigham Circle/Mission Hill and Wellesley locations, expect to find a variety of Thai dishes along with sushi at the new spot.

S & I To Go, which mostly offered takeout food but also had limited seating, featured authentic Thai fare such as beef satay, pad si ew, drunken squid, mango curry, and cashew nut chicken.

The address for the new location of Laughing Monk Cafe in Allston is 168 Brighton Avenue, Allston, MA, 02134. The website for all locations can be found at https://www.laughingmonkcafe.com/

[Earlier Article]
S & I To Go in Allston Has Closed

by Marc Hurwitz (Also 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]

Thursday, December 01, 2022

The Good Life in Downtown Boston Is Closing

A dining, drinking, and entertainment spot in downtown Boston is getting ready to shut down.

According to a tweet from @FortPointer, The Good Life on Kingston Street is closing its doors, with a Facebook post from the place saying the following:

…this is NOT a time to be sad. This is a time to celebrate with us. WE ARE STILL OPEN. So please, walk through the door, have a drink and let's make some final memories together. Save all the wishy-washy memory posts until after we're actually gone. WE NEED Y'ALL TO COME IN HERE. Anyways, we're open EVERY WEEKEND until Saturday, December 17. That is our very last night of business. So that's 3 weekends left (except for Friday Dec. 9 which is private). We intend to do something in the future, but it will never be like this again.

The Good Life has been around since the late 1990s, changing over to its current ownership around 2005 and being a restaurant, bar, and nightclub while also featuring local artwork as well.

The address for The Good Life is 28 Kingston Street, Boston, MA, 02111. Its website can be found at https://www.goodlifebar.com/

[December 29 update: Based on its social media, we have confirmed that The Good Life is now indeed closed.]

by Marc Hurwitz (Also 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]

Shake Shack Opens at the Prudential Center in Boston on December 5

A growing chain of burger spots is on the verge of opening another outlet in the local area.

According to a press release, Shake Shack opens at the Prudential Center on Monday, December 5, with this being its thirteenth location in Massachusetts and its fourth within the Boston city limits (the others being on Newbury Street, in the Seaport District, and in Downtown Crossing). The Pru location of the New York-based chain was first announced in June of this year and its opening comes on the heels of another new outlet debuting at the Derby Street Shops in Hingham in late October.

The website for Shake Shack can be found at https://shakeshack.com/

[Earlier Article]
Shake Shack, Cava Plan to Open at the Prudential Center

by Marc Hurwitz (Also 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]

China House in Boston's North End Has Closed

A popular takeout spot in the North End of Boston has shut down.

According to a couple of sources, China House on Hanover Street is no longer in business, with a check on its website confirming this as a note on the site says that "We are now closed. A big THANK YOU to all our customers for the support and patronage over our 20+ years of business." China House was a cash-only eatery that offered takeout and delivery and focused on such Chinese-American options as pupu platters, lo mein, chop suey, mu shi pork, kung pao chicken, beef chow foon, Singapore noodles, and General Gau's chicken.

The address for China House in the North End was 331 Hanover Street, Boston, MA, 02113. Its website was at https://chinahouseboston.com/

by Marc Hurwitz (Also 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]

Camilla's Cafe & Breakfast Opens in Salem

A new dining spot has come to the North Shore, offering breakfast dishes and South American fare.

According to a source, Camilla's Cafe & Breakfast is now open in Salem, moving into a space on Canal Street south of the downtown area. The menu for Camille's shows such options as bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, empanadas, Brazilian coxinha, acai bowls, cookies, flan, tres leche, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, smoothies, and more.

The address for Camilla's Cafe & Breakfast is 140 Canal Street, Salem, MA, 01970. Its Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Camillas-Cafe-Breakfast-103389962586224/

by Marc Hurwitz (Also 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]