Sake-Drenched Karaoke, the Rebirth of a Favorite Beer Bar, and More Boston Restaurant News

You could be drinking sake and singing your heart out at the Koji Club’s private karaoke lounge, She’s So Lucky. / Photo courtesy of the Koji Club

Welcome to our weekly news roundup, keeping you up to date on tidbits of Boston-area restaurant news. Got info that should be on our radar? Send an email.

Catch up on last week’s news

The weather’s been feeling decidedly non-autumnal over the past few days, but we’re preparing for colder days ahead: Last week, we featured a roundup of Greater Boston’s best pot pies, from gravy-drenched-chicken classics to a few creative spins on the genre. We also shared a trio of soup recommendations that will take you to Thailand, Turkey, and Nigeria by way of restaurants in Boston and Cambridge. And in the South End, the speakeasy-style cocktail bar Wink & Nod reopened after several years—here’s the rundown on the latest culinary pop-up to reside at the bar.

What else is going on?

• Wink & Nod isn’t the only restaurant to emerge from a closure that dates all the way back to the beginning of the pandemic: The stunning downtown location of Boston Chops will also be back soon, slated to reopen on November 11. Mastro’s alum Corey Carter is joining the team as culinary director; expect a mix of Boston Chops classics and some new surprises.
• Another old favorite is also making its return to Greater Boston, but in a new location: Deep Ellum, which closed in 2020 after a 13-year run, will be reborn in Waltham, taking over the Gaff space on Moody Street. The original Deep Ellum—whose sibling Lone Star Taco Bar took over its Allston space when it closed—was beloved for its excellent beer list and a gastropubby food menu that featured house-made charcuterie and more.
• In expansion news: Tasty Burger Central Square debuted this week—nine years after the local mini chain’s first attempt to open in the neighborhood was a no-go. Find the new spot at 23 Prospect St., Cambridge, serving burgers, hot dogs, chili cheese tots, and more until midnight nightly (2 a.m. on weekends).
• And one more bit of expansion news: Bay Village-based sandwich shop Mike & Patty’s—2022 Best of Boston winner for best breakfast—has added a new location to its roster. It’s now open in J.P. (388 Centre St., Boston), its biggest location yet, serving the usual lineup of popular breakfast sandwiches; watch for exclusive items at this location, too.
• Happy anniversary to Cambridge restaurant Puritan & Co., which is celebrating a decade in existence with a variety of specials and happenings this month, including a “greatest hits” tasting menu available through November 17 that showcases some of the restaurant’s classic dishes. If you’ve been missing the Moxie-glazed lamb belly, now’s your chance to get it again.
• Deep Cuts Deli, a sandwich shop and microbrewery in West Medford, is moving into much larger digs—the former Carroll’s space in Medford Square. It’ll allow space for a bigger brewing operation and live music. It could open early next year, the team tells Boston.
• Like sake and singing? Head to the Charles River Speedway in Brighton: Sake bar the Koji Club has opened a seasonal private karaoke lounge, She’s So Lucky, bookable by groups of six to 25. Buy tickets online, and don’t forget to preorder your snacks—there are selections from Speedway vendor Super Bien and more.
• A new development will eventually displace a number of businesses on Elm Street in Somerville’s Davis Square, including the popular pizzeria Dragon Pizza, but until that happens, Dragon Pizza is planning to liven up the block with a new venue next door: Dragon’s Lair. Once it opens, it’ll operate on Friday and Saturday nights for shuffleboard, table-top video games, and other fun, plus food, and it’ll be rentable for pizza parties the rest of the week. “Yes, they are still tearing our building down,” writes the Dragon team. “But like Fugazi would do, we are going hard in the face of challenges until it does.… We can’t wait to kick your ass in shuffleboard.”

Things to do

Be sure to check out our weekly roundup of great events in and around the city, from music and theater to festivals and art exhibits. Here are a few upcoming food events that’ve caught our eye; follow the links for pricing, timing, and other pertinent info:

• The award-winning pop-up Mimi’s Chūka Diner—which features chūka ryōri, or Chinese food cooked in a Japanese style—is making its year-old residency at Cambridge’s Artifact Cider Project taproom permanent. Snag a ticket for a November 10 five-course dinner to get a preview of the direction in which Mimi’s is heading as its taproom residency becomes Mimi’s at the Station. There will be cider pairings from Artifact, of course. Sneak a peek at the menu here.
• Also on November 10, get ready: Tickets will be going on sale at 1 p.m.—and will likely sell out quickly!—for a December 3 pop-up at Earnest Drinks in Cambridge by Moe Kuroki. You may remember Kuroki from her ultra-popular Oisa Ramen pop-ups a few years back; the concept eventually became an excellent little ramen shop in downtown Boston. The restaurant sadly closed at the end of 2020, but Kuroki is popping up again, and you won’t want to miss it. This event features a three-course meal with pork belly buns, Taiwan mazesoba, and a skillet sundae with Japanese sweet potato ice cream.
• On November 17, the Watertown location of the restaurant Nzuko is hosting a dinner pop-up by local private chef Kendall DaCosta—“an excursion highlighting Caribbean and Afro-American cuisine.” The meal includes five courses and five cocktail pairings, with dishes like red snapper carpaccio, smoked sweet potato risotto, porter-braised beef cheek, and more. “It’s a broader take on ‘fusion flavors,’” DaCosta tells Boston, “showcasing how they can be harmonious alongside the robust flavors of the African-American diaspora.” Follow the chef on Instagram for updates on this and future events.