News Bites: The Cambridge Croissant Café from the Iggy’s Team Is Here

An array of Iggy’s croissants. / Courtesy photo

October is here, and the smell of autumn is in the air—or is that the omnipresent scent of pumpkin spice? Either way, the month is off to a busy start with lots of restaurant openings and more food news you should know this week.

You can catch up on past installments of our Monday 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 the News | Things to Do This Week

Openings

Bred Gourmet’s Bred burger. / Courtesy photo

• Best of Boston burger spot Bred Gourmet, which debuted in Dorchester in 2015, has expanded to Cambridge’s Kendall Square. The new spot is much bigger than the original—and has a liquor license. Bred’s popular globally inspired burgers and sandwiches (and more) carry over from the Dorchester location, with options such as the Maui burger—smoked prime beef patty topped with grilled pineapple, pork belly, sweet plantains, crispy onions, habanero pepperjack cheese, and sweet barbecue sauce. There are also non-beef options, including an Impossible burger, a jerk salmon burger, a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, and more. End with beignets or Bred puddin’. 730 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge, 857-285-6166, bredgourmet.com.
• Not an opening, but a…not-closing: Brockton Beer Company, which was founded in 2018 and launched its downtown Brockton taproom in 2022, recently announced that it was closing. Not anymore, thanks to a “last-minute boost in capital.” There are some changes in the works regarding the management structure, food, and more, but Brockton Beer Company lives on. 121 Main St., Brockton, brocktonbeer.com.
• More burger news: Crazy Good Kitchen has added to its Malden and Back Bay locations (and Miami Beach, but that’s a little farther away) with a Salem spot, just in time for peak Halloween season. Find it inside East Regiment Beer Company for burgers, crispy chicken, and more. Online ordering will be available soon. 30 Church St., Salem, crazygoodkitchen.com.

Karma Asian Fusion’s otoro with caviar truffle. / Photo by Anthony Tieuli

• On October 8, suburban Asian-fusion chain Karma celebrates the grand opening of its fifth location, this time in Winchester (joining Andover, Burlington, Concord, and Westford). Karma is known for its hefty selection of sushi, from creative maki to chef’s-choice sushi and sashimi platters, plus cooked dishes inspired by Japanese, Chinese, and other cuisines. Swanky vibes and eye-catching cocktails, such as the savory A5 wagyu Old Fashioned and a giant, meant-to-share mai tai, seal the deal. The new location is two stories, plus a patio. 16 Thompson St., Winchester, 781-570-2207, winchester.karmaasianfusion.com.
• Kismet—the long-awaited, croissant-filled Huron Village café from the Iggy’s team—is now open, currently operating from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The streamlined menu features espresso and a handful of other beverages, plus the promised croissants (and pretzels). Also of note: a cozy fireplace, and proximity to Formaggio Kitchen for your post-croissant cheese-buying needs. 348 Huron Ave., Huron Village, Cambridge.

Life Alive bowls. / Courtesy photo

• Life Alive opens its 11^th and 12^th locations this month, with the Jamaica Plain outpost debuting on October 8 and featuring a heated patio. (Union Square, Somerville is set to follow soon.) With plenty of outlets and free wifi, it’s the type of place you can stay for a while and get your work done over counter-service vegetarian grain bowls, noodles, açaí bowls, and colorful smoothies. 435 S. Huntington Ave., Jamaica Plain, Boston, lifealive.com.

Pink Carrot. / Photo by Mark Manne Photography

• North End-based casual restaurant Pink Carrot—mission: to “create healthy food without sacrificing flavor”—has expanded to the Street, a Chestnut Hill retail development. On the menu: smoothies and juices, wraps, salads, grain bowls, and such. (Pink Carrot is also opening an outpost at Lyrik Back Bay.) 27 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, pinkcarrotboston.com.
• East Cambridge’s Cambridge Crossing development now has another dining option: Tap 151 Bar and Grill, meant to be an “elevated tavern” with plenty of TVs for sports-watching, opened this month from restaurateur Davidson Bettero (730 Tavern, Kitchen & Patio; Oliveira’s Steakhouse). On the menu: pub fare, such as cheesesteak egg rolls, short rib grilled cheese, half a dozen burger options, steak tips, and more. There’s plenty to drink, too, with nearly 30 draft beers and some fun cocktails (coconut mojitos and nitro draft margaritas, for instance). And it’s spacious, with room for 300 inside and out. 151 N. First St., East Cambridge, 617-945-0610, tap151.com.

Closings

The kind of snack one might eat at Barlette, which is temporarily closed. (These are from its sibling, Cobble, also temporarily closed.) / Photo by Allison Sepanek

• Brookline’s unique BYOB cocktail bar, Barlette, is temporarily closed: The team is in the process of securing a liquor license (which means goodbye to BYOB once it reopens). “Staying true to our original concept, we will continue to provide flexible cocktail mixers that work with your preferred base spirit,” the team writes. “Only now, you don’t have to work as hard to enjoy a delightful drink experience.” 318 Harvard St. #11, Coolidge Corner, Brookline, drinkatbarlette.com.
• Saugus’ stretch of long-running Rte. 1 dining establishments shrinks a little bit more on November 24 when the Continental closes after 72 years. The restaurant, which serves steak, seafood, and more, has been the site of many parties and special occasions for several generations of North Shore residents. 266 Broadway, Rte. 1 N, Saugus, 781-233-2587.

In the Works

• After more than three years of searching, Arlington Brewing Company has found a home. Set to open next year, the space will include a brewery, taproom, kitchen, and beer garden. In the meantime, keep up with the team at events and find beers in stores: Arlington Brewing Company brews up a variety of styles, from a Belgian strong ale to a Bohemian pilsner to a gluten-free saison. 15 Ryder St., Arlington, drinkarlingtonbeer.com.

Lala’s Neapolitan-ish Pizza. / Courtesy photo

• CanalSide Food + Drink, the revamped food court at the CambridgeSide mall, is set to open on October 25. Food vendors include Lala’s Neapolitan-ish Pizza, Sapporo Ramen, Chilacates, Anoush’ella, Far Out Ice Cream, and more. Plus, there’s a central bar, created by power trio Ran Duan and Jon Rosse of Birds of Paradise and Brahm Callahan of Grill 23 & Bar. 100 Cambridgeside Pl. (CambridgeSide), East Cambridge, canalsidefoodhall.com.
• Jadu (Hindi for “magic”) will be a “coffee shop by day, wine bar by night, neighborhood gathering spot, always” once it opens in Jamaica Plain’s former Espresso Yourself space this fall. Jadu launched last year as a wine-focused pop-up; that more ephemeral side of the business will continue on under the moniker First Crush, with Jadu cofounder Gabrielle Malina at the helm, while Jadu cofounder Maya Mukhopadhaya takes the lead on the brick-and-mortar Jadu. Watch for collabs between the sibling businesses in the future. 767 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Boston, jaduboston.com.

Viet Citron’s bánh hỏi with crispy pork belly and an egg roll. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

• Burlington’s Việt Citron, a popular spot for counter-service Vietnamese, is expanding to Somerville; read the full story here. Somerville, vietcitron.com. 

In the News

• The Celtics’ own Jaylen Brown stars in the latest episode of the YouTube series Hot Ones (“The show with hot questions, and even hotter wings.”) “Well, I’ve got a lot of people rooting on my failure, but I feel like I’m the spicy one in my family, so let me see what I got,” says Brown, before embarking on the increasingly hot wing-eating journey.
• The New York Times landed in Manchester, New Hampshire to explore the history of chicken tenders, which were (maybe) invented there 50 years ago at Puritan Backroom. (Last year, the city apparently declared itself the Chicken Tender Capital of the World in celebration of its beloved creation.)

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.

Ongoing

• You should be outside picking apples or pumpkins right now. Consult our recently updated guides for our top picks within an hour’s drive from Boston: apples, pumpkins.

October 8

• Quick, a small number of tickets remain for “An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi” at the Colonial Theatre. The celebrated cookbook author will be discussing his new book, Comfort, in conversation with author and recipe developer Andy Baraghani; preparing a dish; and welcoming audience questions. 106 Boylston St., Downtown Boston, ottolenghi.co.uk.

October 10

• NECAT, a local organization that provides culinary training to adults facing barriers to employment, is hosting its major annual fundraiser, Best of NECAT. This year’s event showcases Caribbean-Latin fusion cuisine in celebration of the recent launch of NECAT’s Haitian-Creole-language training program. There’ll be a multi-course meal, cocktails, music, and live culinary demonstrations. 23 Bradston St., Roxbury, Boston, ne-cat.org.

October 12

• Join the Sugar Connection, a Haverhill-based bakeshop, for a Halloween-themed cake decorating class at the Cambridge location of Summer Shack; the restaurant’s full menu will be available, so you can snack on seafood while you work. 149 Alewife Brook Pkwy., Cambridge, summershackrestaurant.com; thesugarconnectionbakeshop.com.
• Get to know Cambridge’s new First Street Market—sibling/neighbor to Amba—with an afternoon of pumpkin painting and “cozy fall beverages.” 57 First St., East Cambridge, firststreetmkt.com.

October 12-13

• Head down to Canton for Trillium Brewing’s FallFest: Admission is free to the eventful weekend, which’ll include petting zoos, live music, magician shows, pumpkin patch visits, and autumnal food specials (cider doughnuts!) Watch for various artisans and local food vendors to make appearances. 100 Royall St., Canton, trilliumbrewing.com.

October 13

• It’s time for another installment of the Books and Brews bookfair series: Head to Medford Brewing Company, where Winchester’s Book Ends will be popping up with books of all ages to browse while you drink. 30 Harvard Ave., West Medford, medfordbrew.com; bookendswinchester.com.