Lone Star Taco Bar to Open a Cambridge Location

Baja fish taco with pickled cabbage slaw. Photo by Bing via Flickr.

Cambridge is about to get a whole lot “different,” says Lone Star Taco Bar co-owner Max Toste. The Allston restaurant—a hub for grilled street corn, stiff margaritas, Texas-style queso, and of course, tacos—is projected to open its second location in the former Lizzy’s spot in East Cambridge by the end of the year, a story which first broke on Eater Boston.

“Aaron [Sanders] and I have always wanted to come home to Cambridge,” Toste says. “We started in Inman Square together [at Bukowski Tavern] and Dave [Cagle], our GM and partner, worked at the B-Side Lounge. So, there’s always been a close to tie to that scene. We love Allston, but there’s nothing else for us to do there. Downtown is just tough and not really our scene. So we thought Cambridge really fit our demographic. Plus, I feel like that little neighborhood is really underserved. There’s a lot of places to get a burger and a beer or really nice food, but there’s not a lot of places that are ‘different.’ State Park has done something really cool and different and we’re trying to do the same.”

Toste is reluctant to set a specific opening date, but he has a clear vision for the look and concept for his new restaurant. Lone Star Cambridge will combine elements of both Lone Star Allston as well as its sister restaurant, Deep Ellum, including its use of exposed brick walls, zinc-plated furniture, and large windows to allow plenty of natural light.

“It’ll have Lone Star’s core menu mashed up with Deep Ellum’s bar program,” Toste says. “On top of that, it’s going to have some special standalone features that will be unique to the space. Right across the street is New Deal Fish Market and Courthouse Seafood. In keeping with the really authentic street food idea, we plan on walking right across the street to Carl at New Deal, buying his freshest stuff, and throwing it on the grill that day. We’re hoping to do whole fish or pozole on Sundays. Because Deep Ellum and Lone Star share a kitchen, it’s really hard to even get the food out properly. So we’re looking forward to seeing what we can pull off at the new space.”

The Cambridge bar menu will maintain Lone Star’s tequila and mezcal focus (over 80+), but also offer a wide selection of American whiskey and craft beer, something more in line with Deep Ellum. “Cambridge will be a bit more of a destination spot, so we’ll have more draft beer offerings, an expanded cocktail program, and a ton of American craft whiskey. Also, I plan on having a lot of really cool wine, because I’m really into wine right now.”

At 700 square feet, the new Lone Star location will be slightly larger than its Allston predecessor (560 square feet). Toste also plans on taking advantage of the spacious sidewalk in front of the old Lizzy’s building, and constructing a patio for outdoor seating.

“We spent a ton of time—chef Rian [Wyllie] and myself—creating the recipes for Lone Star, not realizing that this pet project was going to turn into something popular,” Toste says. “Now to be able to take that work, build a kitchen around it again, expand the beverage program, and see how it serves the neighborhood; that is going to be super fun.”

635 Cambridge St., Cambridge; 617-782-8226 or lonestar-boston.com.