For decades, Boston’s South End has been a consistent chef-driven dining destination, anchored by the city’s most accomplished and well-known chefs, including Barbara Lynch, Gordon Hamersley, Ken Oringer and Joanne Chang.
Unfortunately, recent economic cycles created a degree of flux in the market with several popular venues closing abruptly or changing ownership. But over the past few years, several new concepts by talented restaurateurs new to the market have helped the South End reclaim its position as the culinary epicenter of Greater Boston.
New Restaurants
To quickly recap a busy 2013 in the district, Cinquecento replaced Rocca at 500 Harrison Avenue where the folks behind Aquitaine, Union, Gaslight and Metropolis have re-imagined a previously challenged space into a boldly designed urban trattoria.
Five Horses Tavern replaced Columbus Café after years of failed attempts at finding a replacement tenant in a very difficult layout. South End Buttery put an expansion on their flagship bakery and coffee shop and opened a second location on Clarendon Street.
And finally, it’s difficult to talk about the re-emergence of the South End’s dining scene without mentioning Chris Coombs and Brian Piccini’s masterpiece in Boston Chops. The duo have won several awards since opening last year, most recently named one of the top five new steakhouses in America by Business Insider and landing the cover of February’s issue of Food & Wine. The restaurant is located in the old Penny Savings Bank building, a luxury condominium rehab project that is now on its third restaurant concept since 2007. I think it’s safe to say they won’t have to worry about re-leasing it for a while.
One of the biggest announcements of late is the arrival of one of the country’s hottest concepts, Barcelona Wine Bar. Barcelona has been lighting the world on fire in Brookline, outpacing many established brands in that competitive market and showing all of us that successful restaurants don’t necessarily need to be in the Back Bay or the Seaport.
Barcelona will take over the recently shuttered Sibling Rivalry space at one of the city’s most attractive residential buildings, Atelier 505, at the corner of Berkeley and Tremont Streets. The building has been an iconic fixture in the neighborhood over the past decade, solidifying its hard corner as “main & main” of the neighborhood.
About a block away, two fascinating new concepts are set to open in 2014 that will help to anchor the eastern edge of the neighborhood’s dining scene. The jm Curley team, armed with new chef Jason Cheek recently of Willow Road in New York, should be ready to open Merrill & Co. in the former 28 Degrees space at One Appleton Street – look for that later this year.
While the lease has not yet been executed, famed coffee operator Peet’s Coffee, with its cult-like following in tow, is slated to take over the former Francesca’s space at 564 Tremont Street. Peet’s has been on a tear of late, announcing three new leases in the Boston area along with their partnership with Capital One Bank, which will include a Peet’s-inspired café in each of its bank branches here in town.
New Nightlife
Just next door, Boston Nightlife Ventures recently announced that expert mixologist Curtis McMillan will be at the helm of the highly anticipated speakeasy Wink & Nod (rendered below), anticipated some time in March. McMillan is one of Boston’s leading experts on pre-Prohibition era cocktails and is also the Vice President of the U.S. Bartender’s Guild. BNV is providing an alternative to the South End’s traditional dining destinations and fueling a nationwide trend where dining, drinking and entertainment blend into one unique experience.
One might call me biased since three of these four highly anticipated openings are clients of our firm, but we have an incredibly bullish view of the market going into 2014. In many of these cases, site selection decisions are based on opportunity, but the activity also speaks to the “rising tide” that we, in the restaurant and retail business, have experienced in 2013 throughout the Boston metro area.
We are in the midst of one of the tightest retail real estate markets the area has ever seen, so there is a premium on quality, visible real estate.
Images via company website, Facebook, servings.org and Boston.cityvoter.com
