da Vittorio May Be Opening in Somerville's Magoun Square

by Marc Hurwitz

It looks like a new restaurant could be coming to the Magoun Square section of Somerville, though very little is known about the place as of yet.

According to a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, an application notice is in the window of a furniture store space on Broadway indicating that da Vittorio is seeking a liquor license transfer, with a licensing commission page within the city's website confirming this. The page mentions that the proposed restaurant is looking to acquire the license held by the former Johnny D's in Davis Square, but no specific information on the dining spot has been given.

The address for the proposed da Vittorio is 519 Broadway, Somerville, MA, 02145.

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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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Ben and Jerry's Is Opening at Faneuil Hall in Downtown Boston

by Marc Hurwitz

It looks like a Vermont-based ice cream company is opening a shop in the heart of downtown Boston.

According to a licensing board hearing page within the city's website, Ben and Jerry's is looking to open at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, with the notice saying that the store would have 816 square feet of space on the first floor of the North Market building. If approved, the new shop would join a handful of others in and around Boston, including in the Back Bay (two), the Seaport District, Cambridge's Harvard Square, Braintree, and Natick, along with a kiosk by the New England Aquarium.

The address for the new Faneuil Hall location of Ben and Jerry's is 8 N Market Street (Suite 2182), Boston, MA, 02109. The website for the ice cream company can be found at http://www.benjerry.com/

[June 18 update: A poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page mentions that Ben and Jerry's plans to open its new location at Faneuil Hall later this week.]

[June 27 update: According to a source (Geoff Wong), Ben and Jerry's is now open at Faneuil Hall.]

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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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Third Cliff Bakery Plans to Open Brick-and-Mortar Shop in Jamaica Plain

by Marc Hurwitz

A bakery business known in part for its mobile tricycle cart is going to be opening a brick-and-mortar shop.

According to an article in the Jamaica Plain News, Third Cliff Bakery is planning to open a permanent store in Jamaica Plain, moving into the upcoming VITA condo development on Washington Street. The business, which offers such items as shortbreads, muffins, rice krispie treats, hand pies, and more, currently makes its products out of CommonWealth Kitchen in Dorchester, and sells its goods via a trike as well as at farmers markets.

It looks like Third Cliff Bakery could be opening sometime in the fall, according to a Facebook post from the business.

The address for this upcoming shop in Jamaica Plain is: Third Cliff Bakery, 3525 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130. The website for the business can be found at http://www.thirdcliffbakery.com/

[April 20, 2020 update: A licensing board hearing page on the City of Boston website indicates that Third Cliff Bakery could be one step closer to opening in Jamaica Plain by this week, as its application for a common victualler license is slated to be looked at on Wednesday.]

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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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Love Art Poke Plans to Open in Downtown Boston

by Marc Hurwitz

The people behind two Boston restaurants with similar names but different concepts will be opening a third spot downtown, and in keeping with the pattern, this one will also have a similar name but a different concept from the other two.

According to an article from Eater Boston, Love Art Poke is planning to open on Water Street in the Congress Square development, with the dining spot focusing on Hawaiian-style raw fish salad while also offering vegan options as well. Once it opens, the eatery will join Love Art Sushi near where the Back Bay and the Fenway meet and Love Art Udon by Boston University.

The address for this upcoming restaurant in downtown Boston is: Love Art Poke, 40 Water Street, Boston, MA, 02109.

[July 18 update: An email sent to us indicates that Love Art Poke may be opening later this summer, though no specific opening date has been given as of yet.]

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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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Building Housing Hei La Moon in Chinatown May be Replaced by Office Tower

by Marc Hurwitz

The future of a spacious Chinatown restaurant appears to be in question, as new development could be coming to the space.

Bisnow is reporting (via a letter posted on the bostonplans.org site) that the parking garage building at Lincoln Street and Beach Street that is home to Hei La Moon may be replaced by a 24-story office tower that would include restaurant and retail space on the ground floor along with indoor and outdoor public space. Oxford Properties, which is behind the proposal, sent the letter of intent to the Boston Planning & Development Agency last week, with the developer hoping to meet with the city to discuss the plans.(Bisnow says that Oxford purchased the garage a couple of years ago for $40 million.)

Hei La Moon is a sprawling dining spot that is known in part for its dim sum; the restaurant has been featured on our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants, with a link to the review being here:

https://hiddenboston.com/HeiLaMoon.html

The address for Hei La Moon is 88 Beach Street, Boston, MA, 02111.

[June 26 update: A Facebook post indicates that a meeting is slated to take place this evening that should give more information on the proposal to build an office tower at the site currently occupied by Hei La Moon.]

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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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New Concept Coming to Playmakers Bar and Grill Space in Waltham

by Marc Hurwitz

The person behind a popular breakfast spot in Waltham will be bringing a new concept to a space nearby.

Based on a job post within the indeed.com site, Big Dill Hospitality is opening a restaurant with a new "street food" concept that is inspired by "the world's best State Fairs, food trucks, and urban streets of the world," with food items mentioned in the post including hot Cheetos onion rings, thyme pretzel bites, street tacos and corn, and fried Oreos, Twinkies, and Snickers bars as examples of what chefs might be making there. Tim Burke of In a Pickle on Moody Street is behind the upcoming restaurant, which, based on an earlier Facebook post from The Waltham Channel, will be in the Playmakers Bar and Grill space, which is also on Moody Street. The post mentions that Burke bought the business last year and at the time, he planned to eventually change the name and make changes to the food offerings as well.

Playmakers Bar and Grill replaced Stadium Sports Bar and Grill in 2013; previously, the space had been home to Robert's Restaurant and Bar.

The address for the new concept from Big Dill Hospitality is 342 Moody Street, Waltham, MA, 02453.

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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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