Hot & Now

What’s hot and happening now in the restaurant scene PAUL GIORGIO

NIGHT TIME IS THE BEST TIME. Alice Lombardi of Bean Counter fame has sold Café Noir on Grafton Street in Shrewsbury to Charles Carroll of Templeton. Carroll also owns Café Edesia in Gardner. Café Noir will close for minor renovations.

IN HEAVEN THERE IS NO BEER. Grid Hospitality Group has announced that they will follow suit with many other Massachusetts restaurants and will be closing the Worcester Beer Garden until sometime next year. Gary Benacquista, Grid’s Director of Operations, said in a statement "We cannot ignore the reality of spiking COVID numbers. We want to keep our staff and our community safe."

FRANKLIN STREET FARE, Grid's recently-opened world street food concept, will temporarily close as well. "We are seeing the same math as everyone else, and it does not make economic sense to remain open until the situation improves," Benacquista added.

IT’S LULU. LuLu’s Café recently opened on Worcester’s Pleasant Street in the space that for years was home to the Corner Grille. Olivia Hashesh and husband Mohamed Hashesh are owners of LuLu’s Bakery and Café, the west side eatery opened four weeks ago. They are open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch plus they have a bakery, which bakes fresh pastries, including scones, every day.

RECENTLY REOPENED. Sisters Restaurant on Worcester’s Stafford Street has recently reopened under new ownership. Don’t think the sisters own it anymore, but it's worth a trip. COVID-19 compliant with great service and great food.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF NORTHBORO. The Texas BBQ Company announced in mid-November that it was shutting down. Texas BBQ has been open for 14 years at their Main Street location. The owners blame over-regulation due to COVID-19 on their decision. They hope to reopen at some point.

THE DRAUGHT HOUSE REOPENS. West Boylston’s Draught House recently reopened after being closed for the summer.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER. Mexicali, a locally owned Mexican restaurant chain is expanding. They will be opening another Mexicali in Oxford.

FURTHER SOUTH BUT NORTH. Kingston Island Cuisine opening soon on Main Street`in Fitchburg. They offer Jamaican and Caribbean cosine

MORE FITCHBURG NEWS. Dario’s Ristorante, an Italian eatery will be relocating to Fitchburg’s Main Street from their current River Street location in early 2021.

PUB 99 JUST GOT 86’ED. Pub 99 on Worcester’s East Central Street announced that it has closed its doors. The chain is undergoing restructuring. The other two Worcester locations are still open.

WHEN THE MOON GETS IN YOUR EYE. It looks like Moonshiners on Worcester’s Water Street has closed. They have been shut down since Covid-19, but there is a for lease sign in the Window.

NO POT OF GOLD. The iconic Gold Star Restaurant on Worcester’s West Boylston Street has closed down. We will keep you posted.