The Field & Vine Team Will Open a New Somerville Restaurant Full of Wood-Fired Whimsy

Andrew Brady and Sara Markey of Field & Vine and the forthcoming June Bug. / Photo by Tanya Bradley / Photo by Tanya Bradley

Somerville’s Union Square is in a period of change, for better or worse, thanks in large part to the finally completed Green Line extension. Acres of new office buildings and lab spaces are under construction, and housing prices are through the roof. But some incredible, quirky little restaurants and other businesses are surviving, keeping the neighborhood unique even as tall buildings sprout up in the center. The team behind one such restaurant, Best of Boston winner Field & Vine, has been among those holding down the fort in recent years, and now they’ve got something new up their sleeves: June Bug.

“The landscape of the square is changing so much, and we’d be lying if we didn’t say we are scared about its rapid growth and the fear of losing the mom-and-pop shops that brought us to the neighborhood,” says Field & Vine and June Bug chef and co-owner Andrew Brady. “But that’s why we are opening another spot here—to try to keep businesses small and special.”

June Bug, located in the former T&B Pizza space (conveniently in the same building as Field & Vine!), will be a “casual neighborhood restaurant,” says Brady, showcasing wood-fired pizzas, vegetables, seafood, and more. “It follows the ethos of Field & Vine and sources in-season local products,” he says, but the atmosphere will be “more playful,” and the name is meant to evoke the concept’s “whimsy.”

The space will have “pops of fun colors” and a casual mix of bench, bar, and table seating. Plants will liven it up, too, but they won’t be a focus as much as they are at Field & Vine; plant lovers will have to go around the corner to June Bug’s big sibling to ogle the gorgeous greenery-filled front window.

While June Bug and Field & Vine are in the same building, they’ll operate as separate entities, says Brady, but he’ll oversee both alongside his partner Sara Markey. The couple met working at Bronwyn, which is also in the same building. (And the Bronwyn team was also behind the now-closed T&B Pizza.) Brady also worked at Forklift Catering—you guessed it, also in the same building. So, Brady and Markey have quite a bit of history at this location, and they couldn’t pass up the chance to grab the vacant space. Plus, “everyone is excited to work on new ideas,” says Brady. All good reasons to open a new business—not to mention “complete and utter disregard for self-care,” he jokes.

It’s a bit early to share many details about the food, but chef de cuisine Mark Holmes will help Brady run both kitchens, with Dylan Jennings in the June Bug kitchen as well. The general gist of the menu: raw fish, “fun salads,” rotating vegetable dishes, naturally leavened pizzas, and proteins, says Brady. The drink list will feature natural wine, local craft beers on draft, and classic cocktails.

Restaurant opening timelines can be quite fluid, but the team is currently aiming for sometime this October. “We are just really excited to open our doors and welcome the neighborhood in,” says Brady. In the meantime, head to Field & Vine for the first time, or to refresh your memory on what makes it so fantastic. On one recent visit, we were particularly wowed by beef tartare with nuoc cham aioli and “lots of herbs”; grilled arrowhead cabbage with ’nduja butter and Bayley Hazen blue cheese; and monkfish schnitzel with fermented strawberry Buffalo sauce. Keep an eye out for those or similar dishes, as the menu changes with the seasons, and enjoy the woodland fairytale vibes in the gorgeous, intimate space.

Field & Vine, 9 Sanborn Ct., Union Square, Somerville, 617-718-2333, fieldandvinesomerville.com; June Bug, 251 Washington St., Union Square, Somerville, instagram.com/junebugrestaurant.