Restaurants closing, Hyannis Main Street change: Cape Cod Times top stories

Another busy week on Cape Cod has come and gone, and with it we have a lot of news to share. But don’t fret if you’re not caught up on all the latest happenings. As always, there is our weekly roundup of the most popular stories with readers on the Cape Cod Times website from the past week. If you see a story that interests you, just click the link associated with it for the full coverage.

While you catch up on the news, make sure to also visit the Cape Cod Times sports page, where you’ll find all the latest in local high school sports, including soccer and more.

Here are the four most popular stories with online readers this week.

Cape Cod restaurants: Three dining spots hit the market

Wimpy’s Seafood Cafe and Market, a popular Osterville restaurant since 1938, has two new owners who plan changes to the food and decor. [Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times]

In Cape Cod restaurant news this week, three well-known restaurants on the Lower Cape are going through major changes while an Upper Cape Italian restaurant has reached out on social media to let folks know it’s not going anywhere.

Also, Wimpy’s Seafood Cafe expects to remain open year round, moving in October from its long-time location in Osterville to a new spot in Hyannis.

Click the story link to get the full scoop on all of the Cape Cod restaurant news.

More: Cape Cod restaurants: Three dining spots hit the market

One home-taking left for new Sagamore Bridge, after $10M payout | Exclusive

Cecilia Terr. In the Round Hill neighborhood is in line for the new Sagamore bridge.
Monday September 21 2026

One more house needs to be taken by eminent domain in Bourne for the new $2.1 billion Sagamore Bridge, after the state made payments totalling $10 million to a dozen homeowners.

In addition to homeowners, the state paid $2.37 million to Demoulas Super Markets, which operates as Market Basket. The payment is for a portion of the parking lot and property at 1 Factory Outlet Road in Bourne, but the popular supermarket will remain open, state transportation officials said previously.

Eleven of the paid-off homes are in the Round Hill neighborhood in the village of Sagamore at the foot of the current bridge, on the south side of the Cape Cod Canal. The twelfth paid-off home is on the north side of the bridge in Sagamore Beach.

Click the story link to find out how much the state paid out for each house, and when the new Sagamore Bridge is expected to open.

More: One home-taking left for new Sagamore Bridge, after $10M payout | Exclusive

Sam Diego’s is closing. Its iconic artwork and decor will be auctioned off. | Exclusive

Co-owner Clarke Buchanan will be closing Sam Diego’s Mexican Cookery and Bar in Hyannis this fall. Items in the restaurant will be auctioned off online. Buchanan said he will be keeping a few items including the half moon sculpture behind him. The piece is a signed Sergio Bustamante wall sculpture.
Photo taken Sept. 22, 2026

Sam Diego’s in Hyannis, one of the first Mexican restaurants on Cape Cod when it opened in 1982, will close permanently Nov. 15 because no one has bought it.

“We had hoped someone would buy it and keep it operating pretty much the way it is but that hasn’t happened,” said Clarke Buchanan, co-owner and manager at the restaurant on Route 132 in Hyannis.

Sam Diego’s last big bash will be on Halloween, he said, as the restaurant has traditionally been a gathering spot for people on that holiday. No word yet on whether there will be a costume party for this final year.

Click the story link to learn when the auction for the restaurant’s decor will take place.

More: Sam Diego’s is closing. Its iconic artwork and decor will be auctioned off. | Exclusive

Hyannis two-way Main Street project set to start in fall

A flashing signs posted along Main Street in Hyannis warns drivers of the change coming to that road and South Street. Both roads will turn be converted from one-way streets with two lanes to two-lane streets. Photo taken Sept. 9, 2026

Main Street in Hyannis will be converted from a one–way street to a two-way street in a $5 million project that starts at the end of September, and is intended to slow traffic, make pedestrians safer and showcase the village as a destination for residents and visitors.

The project will start with a new rotary and traffic redirection on South Street and a new pedestrian and bicycle path along a section of North Street. The town has not publicly provided the exact date for Main Street changes.

“We’ve run the gamut of options and studied it so closely. I’m feeling good about this project,” said Barnstable Director of Planning James Kupfer.

Click the story link to learn more about this project and which other nearby one-way street will also be turned into a two-way street.

More: Hyannis two-way Main Street project set to start in fall

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Restaurants closing, Hyannis Main Street change: Cape Cod Times top stories