The owner/chef of Cha Yen in Watertown has opened Boxfish, a seafood restaurant, in the space of the original Cha Yen (which moved across the street a while back). Soft opened a couple of days ago, website says that the grand opening is 1/14.
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Thanks. The prelim pics are very enticing.
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I’m such a sucker for good fresh seafood, even when prepared simply. Will always love a place that does that well.
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This is really a very late 2025 opening, but let me put it here:
It’s across from Formaggio Kitchen, next door to the now sadly closed FUPO:
They have only evening hours, but happened to be open today hosting some pop-up markets, so I went in:
Here’s what I got:
Clockwise from midnight, pistachio linzer, pistachio-raspberry cupcake, kheer chia pudding, and saffron-passionfruit cake. Here’s a closeup of the very pretty, gold-leaf bedecked pistachio-raspberry cupcake:
I’ve only had the linzer so far. It was very good texturally and had the correct (in my view) touch of cardamom – distinct but not harshly overwhelming. Pricey at $3:50 for one tiny cookie, though.
By the way, there was construction afoot in the old FUPO space. (How quickly they become “the old space”!) With luck, something equally good will show up there.
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Time Out Market , the massive Fenway (Boston) food hall, is closing on January 23rd.
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After a 92-year run, The Dugout on Commonwealth Avenue is no more. Countless Boston University students passed through the doors of that little dive bar. One journalism professor back in the day even used to take his students there on the last day of class (drinking age was younger then). The Dugout had quite a history. Another bit of old Boston gone.
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I can’t merge topics…I was too sad to look for the main closing thread.
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2026 doth sucketh thus far.
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My classmates planning on an October visit will be bummed. What’s a BU reunion without a trip to the Dugout???
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I have been telling people the bad start to 2026 just means room for improvement. I’m beginning to wonder IF we will see improvement.
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I can answer that in the larger context of where we are as a people: No.
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Annnd yet, now the Phantom Gourmet is taking over the Time Out Market, per their ad push on FB. No opening details yet.
So it looks like they’ll feature those restaurants that pay them the most? 
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Not sure if this was posted (or when the article came out as I didn’t see a publish date), but various openings expected. More info in the BosMag link below.
Agosto and Baby Sister, South End - Portuguese-inspired fine dining and a bakery-café - Summer 2026
Ama at the Atlas, Atlas Hotel, Allston - all day global dining - late January 2026
Arwa Yemeni Coffee, Brookline- Cozy café with cute camel latte art - early 2026
Ci Siamo and Daily Provisions, Seaport District - Homey Italian and an all-day café far - 2026
C’Yool, South End - Yemeni coffee and bakery - 2026
Dashizen and Ebi Sushi, Union Square, Somerville - Ramen and sushi - Spring 2026
Doune & Pepe, Dorchester - Caribbean fusion - 2026
Eastern Edge, MIT area, Cambridge - Food hall - early 2026
Kush by Saba, Somerville - Modern Mediterranean - first half of 2026
Rosa y Marigold, Back Bay - Dinner-party-esque Peruvian - early Spring 2026
Sorella, Burlington (taking the place of Tuscan Kitchen) - Scratch-made pastas - Winter 2026
Swingers, Back Bay - Whimsical mini golf and fan-favorite Detroit-style pizza - February 27, 2026
Third Time Together, Kendall Square, Cambridge - Middle Eastern/fusion-y neighborhood café - Winter 2026
Unnamed COJE projects - downtown Boston - A Sicilian restaurant and a members-only venue with sushi and more - Summer/Fall 2026
Uptown Social - Roxbury/South End - Southern comfort and music - 2026
Urban Hearth, Inman Square, Cambridge - moving the farm-to-table - late Winter/early Spring 2026
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Really curious about “dinner party”-esque Peruvian.
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Boston Globe is reporting a new operator is stepping in to keep Time Out Market alive
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Ugh - I never made it to Time out. Always wanted to
I go to the Blick right there now and again but parking around there is always so hard.
Guess I missed out. Don’t see myself going to the phantom gourmet version. I’m surprised they couldn’t make it work
That food hall model has done well all over the world
Read the entire thread. The PG food hall was a joke
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According to a Boston Restaurant Talk posting, Ama at the Atlas has now opened in Allston.
I’ve never made it to Comfort Kitchen due to my perceived difficulty of getting there from my home during dinner hours, so I’m hoping that this location will receive similar accolades!
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Park Bagelry & Café has opened in Allston [Boston, MA], according to numerous reports in the local press. It is located at 280 Western Ave., within the Allston Labworks Campus.
The bagels are described as " Montreal-style".
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