News Bites: Taco Azul Debuts on Beacon Hill with Margaritas and Guac Galore

Tacos, drinks, and guac with blue corn tortilla chips at Taco Azul. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

We’ve been busy eating our way through Salem, but we’re back with some restaurant updates for the week with openings, closings, and other news you should know.

You can catch up on past installments of our food news roundups here, and reach out via email with news that should be on our radar.

Jump to: Openings | Closings | In the Works | In Other News | Things to Do This Week

Openings

155 on Portland. / Photo by John Bellenis Photography

• The Pennyweight Hotel Boston, a Curio Collection by Hilton property, is now open in Boston’s West End, and with it, a new restaurant: 155 on Portland. Early in the day, it’s an espresso bar with breakfast, grab-and-go pastries and sandwiches, and more, turning into a cocktail bar with American comfort food for dinner. Think: burgers, lobster pasta alla vodka, and warm crab dip. 155 Portland St. (the Pennyweight Hotel Boston), West End, Boston, pennyweighthotel.com/dining.
• Billing itself as “the first Korean tapas restaurant in New England,” Bell86 is now open for lunch and dinner six days a week (closed Tuesdays) in Coolidge Corner, with date-night vibes. The menu includes small plates such as tableside stone-grilled A5 wagyu, spicy marinated raw crab, grilled chicken gizzard with sesame sauce, and mung bean pancakes; liquor is coming soon. 308 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-505-5723, instagram.com/bell86_bos.
• Somerville’s Ball Square has a new dining option: The Blue Elephant is open for takeout and delivery as of October 14, with dine-in service starting on October 23. The Thai restaurant’s menu features plenty of the expected dishes (pad thai, drunken noodles, massaman curry, etc.) and a few surprises, like the northern Thai pork sausage sai ua and Chinese-influenced dishes like hoi jor (fried crab nuggets) and har kau (shrimp dumplings). 719 Broadway, Ball Square, Somerville, 617-717-8418, thaiblueelephant.com.
• Craft Food Halls opened—again—in Allston on October 14, following a false start earlier this year when a lawyer reportedly falsified a serial number for the venue’s liquor license, unbeknownst to the Craft Food Halls team. It’s one of about a dozen locations for the Greater Boston food hall chain, with some locations inside office buildings. (This one is in the former Casa Caña space in the Studio Allston Hotel.) Serving pizza, burgers, wings, and more from its various concepts, this outpost of Craft Food Halls also has ping-pong and pool, live music, and a pour-your-own-beer wall. 1234 Soldiers Field Rd. (Studio Allston Hotel), Allston, Boston, 617-415-5402, craftfoodhalls.com/allston.

The Hummus Shop’s sabich in a bowl. / Photo by Colin Daly

• Love chickpeas? The Hummus Shop is now open on Beacon Hill, a “micro-restaurant” serving up falafel plates, hummus bowls, and such. Check out our story for the full details. 37A Charles St., Beacon Hill, Boston, eatjustus.com.

Taco Azul’s skirt steak taco. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

• October 17 is opening day for Taco Azul, a full-service restaurant featuring a streamlined menu of tacos, margaritas, and not too much more. (Founder Dan Leyva has scalability in mind; if he has his way, this will be the first location of many around the Northeast.) Check out our preview to learn more. 21 Beacon St., Beacon Hill, Boston, tacoazul.com.

Closings

A porchetta sandwich at Pennypacker’s now-closed Somerville location. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

• Chef and restaurateur Barbara Lynch is closing her remaining restaurants; more here. In short: The Rudder is now closed in Gloucester, 9 Park will close at the end of 2024, and B&G Oysters will remain open for now until Lynch can find the right buyer. She closed or sold the rest of her venues earlier this year. “She is looking at retirement, at a much healthier lifestyle,” Lorraine Tomlinson-Hall, COO for Lynch’s restaurant group, told The Boston Globe. The Rudder, 73 Rocky Neck Ave., Gloucester, therudderrockyneck.com; No. 9 Park, 9 Park Street Pl., Beacon Hill, Boston, no9park.com; B&G Oysters, 550 Tremont St., South End, Boston, bandgoysters.com.
• Pennypacker’s—home of the greatest porchetta sandwich around—bid farewell to Magoun Square, Somerville, this month, closing its 11-year-old storefront. But good news: Its High Street Place location in downtown Boston remains open, and its award-winning food truck and catering operations are also carrying on. In addition to the porchetta—which should be “required eating material for anyone with even the vaguest interest in anything porky,” per our long-ago “Man Food” column—Pennypacker’s offers a few other sandwiches, a handful of seasonal salads, and sides such as fried Brussels sprouts with balsamic reduction and Buffalo-style mac and cheese. 514C Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville (now closed); 100 High St. (High Street Place), Downtown Boston, pennypackersfinefoods.com.
• Thornton’s Fenway Grille, a stalwart of Fenway’s “restaurant row” on Peterborough Street, closed on October 14. “The time has come,” read a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page. “A huge thanks to all our great customers and staff over the last 30 years. We are so grateful for your support and patronage.” The neighborhood pub was a favorite for hearty brunch, patio dining, and trivia nights. 100 Peterborough St., Fenway, Boston.

In the Works

L.A. Burdick hot chocolate. / Courtesy photo

• Here’s a sneak peek at Bosse, the indoor pickleball complex opening very soon in Natick and featuring multiple dining options from chef and restaurateur Chris Coombs. (Background details here on how the owner of a fancy Boston steakhouse and more came to be a partner in a big suburban sports venue.) 1245 Worcester St. (Natick Mall), Natick, bosse.net.
• Chocolatier L.A. Burdick—known for its ultra-thick hot chocolate, tiny chocolate mice, and more—is adding a third Greater Boston location, coming to Coolidge Corner in December. This outpost will offer counter and table service for sweets and drinks, plus a retail section (because you’re going to want to give those tiny mice as gifts). 1330 Beacon St., Coolidge Corner, Brookline, burdickchocolate.com.
• The restaurant group behind Matsunori Handroll Bar has a couple new spots coming soon: Mai, serving French-inspired Japanese food in the Seaport, and NoriNori Test Kitchen, serving sushi and more in Brighton. The latter will be a simpler take on big sibling Matsunori, while the former might serve dishes such as unagi with truffle risotto, miso soup bouillabaisse, and wagyu and potatoes. Mai, 31 Northern Ave., Seaport, Boston, instagram.com/mai.izakaya; NoriNori Test Kitchen, 399 Chestnut Hill Ave., Brighton, Boston, instagram.com/norinori.japanese.
• Quincy’s Liberty Tavern—which serves gastropub-y fare, from steak tips to wood-fired pizzas—is getting a sibling in Braintree in November: Uno Mas, a taco and tequila bar. 35 Commercial St., Braintree, unomasbraintree.com.

In Other News

An Eggspanola from Bagelsaurus. / Courtesy photo

• Bagel news: Cambridge favorite Bagelsaurus took home big awards—Best of the Fest and Rising Star—at BagelFest in New York. Judges and festival attendees alike were reportedly charmed by pretzel bagels with honey-rosemary cream cheese and onion bagels with spicy pepper cream cheese topped with oven-roasted tomatoes. 1796 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge, 857-285-6103, bagelsaurus.com.
• Beer news: Jack’s Abby parent company Hendler Family Brewing Company is acquiring Night Shift Brewing, with the deal set to close in late 2024. (It makes sense: Jack’s Abby has been contract-brewing much of Night Shift’s portfolio since mid-2022, when Night Shift laid off most of its production team, citing a CO2 shortage as “the straw that broke the camel’s back” atop deepening financial and logistical issues with the company’s growth.) Most of Night Shift’s current employees are reportedly staying on, although founders Rob Burns, Mike O’Mara, and Michael Oxton will move on after helping with the transition. jacksabby.com; nightshiftbrewing.com.

Things to Do This Week

See also: our general Things to Do guide for music, comedy, art, and lots more. 

Also note: Tickets are now on sale for Taste, our biggest food event of the year. Hope to see you there as we celebrate the launch of our restaurant-focused November issue.

October 15

• Get a sneak preview of the soon-to-open Café Gloria in the form of a free bottle of passionfruit cold brew in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. 11 a.m. until bottles run out (limit of two per person). 287 Maverick St., East Boston, cafegloriaeastie.com.

October 16-17

• The Lineup, a food hall in Downtown Boston, is celebrating the season with a two-day Harvest Fest. From 4 to 8 p.m. each day, the Lineup’s vendors will be serving seasonal food and drink specials—look for cider, candy apples, and more, accompanied by live music. 115 Federal St. (the Connector at Winthrop Center), Downtown Boston, lineupandeat.com.

October 17

• In other harvest fest news, Boston Public Market is throwing its seventh annual Harvest Party, and this year it’s carnival-themed, complete with games, giant pumpkins, a silent auction, and more. Tickets are $60 for a sampling of bites from the market’s food vendors and one drink ticket, with additional drinks available for purchase onsite. Proceeds benefit the market’s Community Engagement Fund, which goes toward free, open-to-the-public educational events. (Want to give more? A $500 contribution gets you into a pre-party buffet dinner, along with some other perks.) 100 Hanover St., Downtown Boston, 617-973-4909, bostonpublicmarket.org.

October 18

• Harpoon Brewery—which recently released a collab lager with iconic New England retailer L.L. Bean—is also teaming up with the company for a series of “Flannel Fridays” this fall. The October 18 installment includes a three-mile jog followed by drinks and a free pretzel at the beer hall, plus discounts on L.L. Bean flannels. Sign up here. 306 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston, harpoonbrewery.com.

Plan Ahead

These events are further into the future, but you might want make your plans now; visit the links for more details and tickets/reservations.

• October 22: It can be hard to snag tickets to Gaaeng’s award-winning pop-ups, so try this late-night party at Equal Measure in the Fenway instead, featuring some local cocktail superstars and à la carte Gaaeng bites.
• October 26: Hemlock Grill’s popular Fireside Dinner series, a four-course dinner party, continues in Brookline.
• October 27: The Danvers-based Modern Butcher shop is popping up at EBO & Co. Grocery in East Boston with roast beef sandwiches; you’ll want to get on EBO’s email list for the ticket link.
• October 31: Celebrate Halloween with a Roald Dahl-inspired dinner at Juliet in Somerville, featuring four courses of “scary fun,” optionally accompanied by orange wine flights.
• November 7: Chef Ana Sortun will be demonstrating Mediterranean mother sauces at the brand new Allston location of Sofra, with the event benefitting the Jacques Pépin Foundation (which supports community kitchens that offer training to adults with barriers to employment).
• November 15: Embark on a guided sake tasting with the Koji Club at the Museum of Fine Arts, and then explore the museum.