Restaurants
From a subterranean Cambridge venue with live music to a two-story masterpiece in the South End, here are five new restaurants and nightlife spots to check out this month.
Row 34 is expanding with its fifth location adjacent to Hotel Commonwealth in the Fenway. Michael Harlan Turkell
There are many levels of dining experiences we’re anticipating this month, from a subterranean venue with live music to a two-story masterpiece in the South End and a rooftop playground for Champagne enthusiasts. Check out the five new restaurant openings on our radar for August.
5 can’t-miss restaurant openings and dining updates in Boston this week
The bar at Bubble Bath. – CourtesyBubble Bath
Tiffani Faison and her team at Big Heart Hospitality are at it again—this time, bringing their sparkling experience to new heights with a secondary outpost of their already beloved Champagne and wine bar, Bubble Bath. This location will come with the same impressive list of sparkling wine by the glass and bottle but with a completely different culinary experience served alongside sweeping views of the Boston skyline and Charles River thanks to its location atop the CitizenM Hotel on Newbury Street. Snacks are listed as “fancy finger sammies” like smoked salmon and Brillat-Savarin triple cream cheese with dill, pickled red onion and cucumber; speck and sottocenere (a truffle-infused, Italian cheese) with honey; or a mini lobster bun with sherry and brown butter aioli. There will also be tableside caviar service, which features a cart of accoutrements (like chives, blini, and red onion) for the indulgent snack that’s a perfect pairing with Champagne or sparkling wine. For a more substantial dining experience, Bubble Bath will feature “mini dinners” with the likes of cod cheeks and chips with togarashi; sirloin steak frites and hamachi tostada with avocado. Inspired by the inside of a Champagne glass with a twinkling ceiling meant to reflect the bubbles, guests can expect a lively, immersive experience here whether seated inside or snagging a seat on the seasonal patio that will remain open through October.
408 Newbury St., Back Bay
Opens: Early August
Capri. – Assembly Design Studio
South End’s newest restaurant may feel familiar to fans of its sibling restaurant, Prima in Charlestown, with an emphasis on multiple dining experiences from the garden level private dining to an upstairs lounge and the main dining area under a soaring, two-story atrium. Yet, the new space, Capri, is more of a destination with a vibe inspired by the Italian Riviera and effortlessly executed by Assembly Design (think: a dining room dotted with olive trees, custom wooden booths, and green and white striped umbrellas). Capri also differs from Prima with its centerpiece piano in the main dining area as well as a sprawling outdoor patio complete with an al fresco Cabana bar, fireplace and firepit seating. On the menu, Prima features exclusively hand-rolled, handmade pastas like rigatoni all vodka ($24) and tortellini di mais with spicy Calabrian butter ($26), and as the name implies, there’s no shortage of steaks and chops, including large cuts of dry aged Florentine beef ($160) and Brandt Tomahawk ($160). There are also Italian classics like chicken or veal Milanese ($26), chicken piccata ($24) and choose your own adventure al forno parmesan with chicken, veal or eggplant ($22-26). Signature cocktails were designed to be sipped under the stars of the Italian riviera on Capri’s terrace, incorporating fresh botanicals and ingredients—like the Bell Pepper Gimlet with Hendricks gin, raspberry, génépy and lemon ($16) or the Just Peachy with Aperol, peach, lemon, basil and Prosecco ($16).
500 Harrison Ave., South End
Now Open
Currentea. – Courtesy
Unlike anything we’ve heard of before, Currentea is opening its first brick and mortar to Hub Hall, the food hall next to TD Garden. The bold fusion of cheese-filled corn dogs and bubble tea comes from Monica Xu who used her three decades in the food industry to create a venue with a modern twist on traditional Eastern tea culture. “We’re always looking for innovative, high-quality concepts that bring something fresh to Hub Hall,” said Nick Moniz, general manager of Hub Hall. “Currentea delivers exactly that with a fun, flavor-packed and modern experience that we know our guests will love.” The main savory bites on the menu are a series of Mozzarella cheese dogs (starting from $8.50) that are a playful take on corn dogs with variations like the Flaming Dog with hot Cheetos, the Potato Dog and a half mozzarella, half sausage version that’s known as the Original Dog. There are also other fun treats on a stick like beef, pork and lamb skewers ($3.99 – $6.99), BBQ sausage ($4.99 – $11.99) and fried egg rolls ($3.99 – $9.99). In addition to the signature bubble tea, sweet options run the gamut from Bobo soft ice cream swirls ($6.50) to strawberry jasmine slushies and smoothies (from $8.50).
80 Causeway St., West End
Now Open
Lou’s. – Alyssa Blumstein
Last weekend, Harvard Square welcomed its newest restaurant, bar and 289-seat music venue—all in one—with the opening of Lou’s. Led by a trio of music and restaurant veterans, Lou’s was designed to provide the neighborhood with a spot they can reserve for dinner or drinks then make an evening out of it by staying for a show in the 5,600-square-foot subterranean space. “The quality of the food and beverage programs at Lou’s are unlike any concert venue in the area and that’s something we’re really proud of,” shared general manager Allison Finney (previously of Roadrunner) who’s operating Lou’s with assistant general manager Bree-Anne Zeek (Faccia a Faccia and Pammy’s) and executive chef Jason Bond (Bondir). Finney along with Jeremy Cohen, founder of the New England Jazz Collective will lead the music program that spotlights the diversity of the greater Boston area, including a nightly mix of live DJs as well as live musicians in a space of deep reds, mahogany millwork and mosaic tiles inspired by 1920s speakeasies. Bond helms the dinner menu that prioritizes local purveyors with dishes like ceviche of local-fleet fish ($16), oven roasted local fish with sauce alla norma ($28), and Lou’s linguine with clams ($35). There will also be veggie-forward and carnivore dishes like gnocchi Parisienne with green and wax beans in a garlic-mint sauce ($28); a cesar-style veal schnitzel with anchovy and endive and Lou’s burger ($28), a grilled, six ounce patty on a potato roll with aged white cheddar, grilled onions, tomato and lettuce ($24).
13 Brattle St., Cambridge
Now Open
Row 34. – Michael Harlan Turkell
Just ahead of debuting his newest cookbook, Everyday Chef: Simple Recipes for Family and Friends in mid-September, chef Jeremy Sewall is welcoming the newest location of Row 34 in Kenmore Square. Tucked into Hotel Commonwealth, the fifth Row 34 location brings oysters back to an acclaimed location—the former home of the iconic Island Creek Oyster Bar. “There were so many incredible memories made in this space and we feel really lucky to be stewarding it into its next chapter,” shares co-owner Shore Gregory. Sewall and Gregory nod to its past life with a large-scale mural spanning 34 individual panels of Skip Bennett, founder of Island Creek Oysters. Diners can expect the same chef-driven menu of premium New England oysters, raw bar and seafood that supports local fishermen (with favorites like the oyster sliders, local caught Jonah crab, grilled whole fish and lobster roll) but in a new design space with fresh textures and colors including a back bar lit up with opalescent tiles.
498 Commonwealth Ave., Fenway-Kenmore
Opens: Early August
Jillian Dara is a contributor to Boston.com covering all things food and beverage.
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