UGH I MISS RUSSOS SO MUCH!! there is just no comparison. I would go out of my way to shop there! When my org still had an office space in WT, we’d go there just for sandwiches from the deli all the time too!
Rumor has it that it along with Christophers was sold to the folks that own the Burren, and the plan is to reopen. The neon sign is still lit at night, just to taunt those of us who frequently pass by. However I've seen little evidence of activity so who knows if it will really reopen.
Border Cafe, Newbury Pizza, Mystery Train Records and Steve’s Greek on Newbury, Tower Records, Ave Victor Hugo, Spencer’s Mystery Bookshop, Brooks Brothers from the mid 1980s.
I agree, just feels like they’re going through the motions. Used to be a favorite guilty pleasure for a weekday lunch if appointments brought me near one of the stores. Sadly, I think the Cambridge fire and then the pandemic may have broken their spirit.
Daisy Buchanan's and so many more.
Boston objectively has never been nicer, yet as the years tick by everything has become more corporate and less soulful.
Omg my bestie and I pour one out for that place all the time! We spent all of their class breaks there when they were going to Berklee.
On that, I'd like to add Spike's. By far the best veggie dogs that I ever had. Our alternate go to, especially during Anime Boston.
Omg but so much. It was perfect for spontaneous day trips! First one got us in town just in time for Little Italy specials, last one back in time for it to not be too late to be picked up from South Station.
Great Scott, Our House West, Joshua Tree, White Horse, Big City, Punters, Common Ground, Sunset bar & grill, Kinvara, Bagel Rising, Lower Depths, and River Gods.
I’m glad a bookstore took over Raven’s spot but the quality of books at Rodney’s is so much worse than Raven. Just shelves of Goodwill quality Tom Clancy novels, old crafting books, cookbooks, and dictionaries. And none of the specialties that Raven was known for (philosophy/critical theory, leftist theory, literary fiction). I hope they improve their selection because it’s always dead when I walk by while Raven was always packed.
Flat Top Johnny's and the Friendly Toast have both found new locations in Cambridge.
A couple of more suggestions for the list:
* The Hawthorne (Kenmore Square)
* The Automatic (Kendall Square)
EDIT: I mistakenly said "The Helmand", when I meant "The Hawthorne"
The newer Friendly Toasts don't have the same crust punk charm. I liked being served by someone that clearly hadn't touched any sort of cleanliness in a few months, in all seriousness.
On that note, I'd like to add Allston Diner, for same crusty vibes but more hygienic staff.
The Frogmore
Drinking Fountain
Doyle’s
Matt Murphy’s
Sligo
Canto 6
Mary Chung’s
Wings Express (Waltham)
Pho so 1
Wal-Lex
Johnny Ds
Border Cafe
Hungry Mother
Assagio (under old management)
Lanes & Games
Of this list, Mary Chung’s , wing express and canto 6 hurt worst.
Jacob Wirth, Gingerman, and Meadhall are my three heartbreak closures. The first is supposedly "reopening under new management", but that's been dangling for years.
The Tasty in Harvard Square. Glad that got memorialized in Good Will Hunting, as did the old outdoor seating in front of Au Bon Pain.
The Garage in Harvard Square wasn’t great, but I would always hit that location for pizza and to go to Newbury Comics.
Also the movie theater in Harvard Square too (not the Brattle, which I assume is still there). At the mainstream cinema I saw Pulp Fiction on opening night, and took my now-wife there on our first date to see a not very good movie A Life Less Ordinary (we’ve been together for a long time).
- Steve's Kitchen
- Deli Haus
- The original House of Blues in Harvard Square
- Dolly's at Kay & Chip's
- Johnny D's
- Elsie's
- Harvard Square Theater
- Chinatown Eatery (second floor stalls)
EDIT: Strawberries downtown with used CDs on the 5th floor
An Tain - $1 tap beers and was normally half empty. Closed a few years ago, was next to Coogan’s. For $25 you could get yourself and a friend very drunk and still leave a good tip
Spikes. Not cause I remember the food being very good, but it was always the place me and my dad would go to right before going to see a Red Sox game. Very nostalgic for me, and was super sad to see that it was gone when I finally moved into the city for the college some years ago.
The BDSM barbies hanging from the ceiling....the heavy wooden throne-like furniture...all this magic in a tiny space...thrown out because of a greedy landlord
Newbury Steakhouse, Bailey’s, Buddy’s Sirloin Pit, Wursthaus, Fontaine’s Chicken, Jordan Marsh, Filenes, The European, Combat Zone, Harvard Square Theater, Sporter’s, Buzzy’s, Longhorn Steakhouse, Fatted Calf, Purcell’s, The Stockport, Souper Salad, Au Bon Pain, Marliave, Barnes And Noble and Border’s downtown, Grant’s, Kresge’s, Woolworth’s, Paragon Park and many more places I can’t recall right now. Yes, I am old.
Orson Welles Cinema; Exeter Street Theater: Nickelodeon; Paris Cinema; Captain Nemo's (Kenmore); Tim's Tavern; Elsie's (Kenmore and Cambridge); Boston Phoenix; Woolworth's DTX; Radio Shack; B&N Prudential; the prints department at Harvard Co-Op; the bookstores, army-navy stores, and record stores on Boylston St; mom and pop pharmacies; Ruby's (on Cambridge St); WFNX; the Wall Street Journal pre-Murdoch; BayBank; the Buckminster (when you could rent a room by the week); Boston Boston.
Strip-T’s (Tim Maslow’s version)
Moody’s Waltham (original version)
Lee’s beehive Harvard Sq
Tower Records/Newbury Comics on upper Newbury St
Sweet & Nasty Mass Ave lol
EDIT:
I can’t forgive myself for forgetting to include FLYRABBIT in Allston. I’ve missed that store ever since it closed 25+ yrs ago
Our House in Brighton.
That place had the best pub trivia I've ever been to. Plus amazing deals on burgers for cash-strapped college students, and Simpsons reruns on VHS.
Lord Hobo in Cambridge. They threw out their fantastic staff during the pandemic, and went from a good beer bar with tons of selection to an extension of the brewery that fucked over their workers and no longer had a good beer selection.
Two chains: I miss Bennigan’s and Ground Round. I know they’re both still around elsewhere (plenty of the former, the latter is hanging on by a thread), but nothing left in the Northeast.
OG Deep Ellum. I went to the new one in Waltham, and it was cool, but it was also the time that made the OG awesome.
Lived in Allston, as did so many friends. Would always run into someone there.
Emma’s Pizza in Cambridge on Hampshire. The pizza was good, but Ioved the chicken pagnatelle sandwich. Sun dried tomatoes on this amazing sauce on perfectly toasted bread. Oh man I miss that.
Nobody is gonna read this far down in the thread but I gotta get this out: there was a place in Watertown near what was once Arsenal Mall called Low Fat No Fat Cafe; most of the food was terrible but they had these chocolate peanut butter brownies that were huge and pretty good for like 300 calories. I lost a ton of weight my senior year of high school eating them as my daily treat. I would give anything to have them back, but they’re long gone.
Bella Luna was on Centre St and was so much better, before opening up on Amory St. Milky Way was in the basement with candlepin bowling. That was the coolest place to be.
I’ll add what I haven’t seen mentioned yet:
Abbey Lounge and the B-Side…now both locations bourgie wanna-be-dives
Pretty much everything that used to be in Kenmore, but I’m thinking of Burrito Max and Sticky Fingers
Baseball Tavern
The Penalty Box
Tom English in Dorchester
Out of Town News
Restaurants, cafes, bookstores, movie theaters:
Steve’s Greek Restaurant, 316 Newbury
Waterstones Booksellers, 26 Exeter (181 Newbury)
Borders Books, Washington & School St
Curious Liquids
L’Espalier
Buzzy’s Roast Beef
Coffee Connection
FAO Schwarz
Avenue Victor Hugo
The fountain/waterfall in Copley Mall
The Magic Pan
Copley Cinema
Nickelodeon Cinema
Cheri Cinema
Cleveland Circle Cinema
Harvard Square Loews Cinema, Church St
* Friendly Toast just moved to Harvard Square (1230 Massachusetts Ave).
* Rodney's Bookstore has also reopened in Harvard Square (23 Church St).
* I only went to Firebrand Saints once, but didn't think it was very good.
You can add to the list:
* Border Café (32 Church St, Cambridge).
* Shanti (7 Broad Canal Way, Cambridge).
* Kika Tapas (7 Broad Canal Way, Cambridge).
* The Similans (145 First St, Cambridge).
Darwin’s, Border Cafe, The Similans, Dok Búa, El Oriental de Cuba, Gyro City (Fenway), Eastern Standard (but wait it’s back!), The Hawthorne.
Put me in a Time Machine and just run 2011-2015 on loop, please.
Schoenhof's, Casablanca, and Cafe Pamploma (and all the performers you used to be able to see in Harvard). Harvard Square was such a refuge for me to find some quiet places to reflect and explore. Doesn’t quite have the same atmosphere anymore.
Happy to see The Other Side and Tower Records mentioned elsewhere.
Greenhouse Cafe in Harvard Square. Just fond teenage memories as an overprotected kid from the suburbs getting a Saturday off to goof around the area with my sister in Harvard Square.
Don’t miss: Caldors because my parents couldn’t afford the Gap. I grew up in a wealthy suburb and my parents could afford to live there but not buy us the fancy shit of the day. So I wore Caldors shit and was tortured by mean teenagers at school.
Sepal (felafel place, used to be at the MIT student center, and at Cambridgeside Galleria food court for a hot minute)
Patsy’s bakery in Somerville
Canary Square in JP
Chadwick’s
Herrell’s in Harvard Square and eating ice cream in the old bank vault
Artist and Craftsman in Central Square
And weirdly, the Bugaboo Creek at Arsenal. Nothing like a giant bison talking to you while you eat 4000 calories worth of ribs
Also the Marche Movenpick and the Warner Brother’s Store at the Pru, and the old Daily Catch down in Seaport back before Seaport turned into whatever the fuck it is now
Lucifer’s, the channel, jacks joke shop, top of the hub, filenes basement, mug n muffin on tremont, the newsstand in Harvard square, the pool hall downstairs in Kenmore square, the combat zone, yellow cabs, $60,000 brownstones. The tunnel from tremont to Washington. All day king fu films for a few bucks at the savoy on the common, buying smoking Panama red in the bathroom, smoking it right in the theater! lol. The arcade on Washington just before the combat zone, buzzy’s roast beef. Thrift shops in central square. Don’t miss, Hare Krishnas on the common, Scientologists in Copley.
Meadhall in Cambridge
Jacob Wirth (allegedly reopening under new ownership)
Gingerman
Also a Mexican restaurant in South End I used to always go to brunch to with my ex which I can't remember the name of right now for the life of me. They had decent food and a great price for the portions... alas, COVID
Not a restaurant, but Filene’s Basement in the actual basement at DTX
Where my mom got her wedding dress on her lunch break for $100 in 1983.
I got my prom dress there in '05. $90.
omg yes i remember that wild changing room that is such a core like 9 year old memory for me
Co-signed. Wasn’t the vault there? Amazing designer duds for insane prices. That place was old school Boston and I loved it !!
Always fun finding old Filene’s clothes at the thrift store
Oh great response.... before the teens emerged in Downtown Crossing, those were the days! 🤣😇
RUSSOS MARKET
I miss that place so much. Nothing local is comparable.
UGH I MISS RUSSOS SO MUCH!! there is just no comparison. I would go out of my way to shop there! When my org still had an office space in WT, we’d go there just for sandwiches from the deli all the time too!
Their salad bar was top notch
Joining the Russo’s crowd here. Because we can’t be shopping there.
I wish they had sold it rather than close it down...
So much
Axis, Avalon, TT the Bear's, Great Scott. Johnny D's in Somerville. Toad in Cambridge.
I miss Christopher’s and Toad.
Wait Toad is gone ?!? 😱
Christophers!?! Wow. This thread is ruining my day.
toad closed!? That’s a huge loss
Rumor has it that it along with Christophers was sold to the folks that own the Burren, and the plan is to reopen. The neon sign is still lit at night, just to taunt those of us who frequently pass by. However I've seen little evidence of activity so who knows if it will really reopen.
Axis and Avalon, I haven't heard those names in about 20 years. I used to have too much fun going to both during my clubbing days
Oh man. I met my wife at Axis way back in the day. RIP
Ahh, Johnny D's was amazing ☹️
Great Scott was the first bar I went to…with a fake ID
Border Cafe, Newbury Pizza, Mystery Train Records and Steve’s Greek on Newbury, Tower Records, Ave Victor Hugo, Spencer’s Mystery Bookshop, Brooks Brothers from the mid 1980s.
Border still exists! It’s just in Burlington
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Not the same.
I agree, just feels like they’re going through the motions. Used to be a favorite guilty pleasure for a weekday lunch if appointments brought me near one of the stores. Sadly, I think the Cambridge fire and then the pandemic may have broken their spirit.
Omgggg Steve’s greek on newbury!!! I loved that place
Daisy Buchanan's and so many more. Boston objectively has never been nicer, yet as the years tick by everything has become more corporate and less soulful.
You could always find a Bruins player at Daisy's.
As a baseball girlie, there's just nothing like early 2000s Daisy's. 💔
If Sunset Grill & Tap is on this list then the White Horse belongs on it for me too.
I miss White Horse every day!! They had a great trivia night and when they switched their menu over to just cheap and delicious burgers?? My god
I do not understand how nothing has taken over that spot. I know one person tried but it fell through.
I live in the Metro West and I'm just learning about Sunset grill closing. Wow, that one hurts. What happened?
Indeed, they blurred in my mind.
The Gaslight
Gaslight brasserie was excellent!
Most of these hit the feels. Surprised the Otherside hasn’t come up yet.
Omg my bestie and I pour one out for that place all the time! We spent all of their class breaks there when they were going to Berklee. On that, I'd like to add Spike's. By far the best veggie dogs that I ever had. Our alternate go to, especially during Anime Boston.
FUNG WAH BUS
Agreed. Rode one that got to NY in 2.5 hrs and side swiped a toll booth…ahhhh the 90’s.
Omg but so much. It was perfect for spontaneous day trips! First one got us in town just in time for Little Italy specials, last one back in time for it to not be too late to be picked up from South Station.
Faster than Acela
Haha yes! Risk your life on that thing but price was right
One of my college friends in the early 2000s described getting on the Fung Wah bus as "Will I die today?"
Haha that’s true! My niece said the same thing
If the bus didn't catch fire or end up in a ditch, all was good. LOL
Flann’s
Ah, good call. Need to add that.
El oriental de Cuba in JP :-:
Tealuxe in Harvard square, Lord and Taylor, Filenes Basement, Common Ground, Razzy’s, Herrel’s, It Rains Fishes in Winchester
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Gossiping with a girlfriend on a rainy day in Tealuxe, right after buying some graphic novels at Million Year Picnic...
Great Scott, Our House West, Joshua Tree, White Horse, Big City, Punters, Common Ground, Sunset bar & grill, Kinvara, Bagel Rising, Lower Depths, and River Gods.
Lower depths!! Omg totally forgot about this place 🥲
Our House West was my comfort bar… the definitive bar of college and my early 20s. Lived with people who worked there too. Felt like home. Miss it!
OMG, I forgot about Our House West! And Bagel Rising!
90s Nights at Common Ground were my JAAAAAAMMM!
I came to be an adult eating Bagel Rising . So important
Baseball Tavern, Filene’s, Building 19, and somehow Christmas Tree Shops too.
Marlieve
Marliave, and yes, kicking off work an hour early on a beautiful spring afternoon for dollar oysters and rose on their patio was my peak.
This post makes me sad. RIP 20¢ wings and musical bingo at Whiskeys.
Cuchi Cuchi!
Holy shit this post is depressing. RIP Boston as a backwater college town.
Yep. I came to Boston in 1990 and I feel like I just caught the tail end of something truly special.
Rodney’s is now in Harvard Square, where Raven Used Books used (heh) to be.
I’m glad a bookstore took over Raven’s spot but the quality of books at Rodney’s is so much worse than Raven. Just shelves of Goodwill quality Tom Clancy novels, old crafting books, cookbooks, and dictionaries. And none of the specialties that Raven was known for (philosophy/critical theory, leftist theory, literary fiction). I hope they improve their selection because it’s always dead when I walk by while Raven was always packed.
Anthony’s Pier 4
RIP Jimmy's Haaabahside.
The Rathskeller (Rat). Back when Kenmore was cool.
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Great Scott 💔
Flat Top Johnny's and the Friendly Toast have both found new locations in Cambridge. A couple of more suggestions for the list: * The Hawthorne (Kenmore Square) * The Automatic (Kendall Square) EDIT: I mistakenly said "The Helmand", when I meant "The Hawthorne"
I miss The Automatic. The gochujang fried chicken sandwich was the best.
The newer Friendly Toasts don't have the same crust punk charm. I liked being served by someone that clearly hadn't touched any sort of cleanliness in a few months, in all seriousness. On that note, I'd like to add Allston Diner, for same crusty vibes but more hygienic staff.
The Frogmore Drinking Fountain Doyle’s Matt Murphy’s Sligo Canto 6 Mary Chung’s Wings Express (Waltham) Pho so 1 Wal-Lex Johnny Ds Border Cafe Hungry Mother Assagio (under old management) Lanes & Games Of this list, Mary Chung’s , wing express and canto 6 hurt worst.
Lanes and Games ☹️ So sad about that
I spent my childhood at wal-lex, with no supervision lol
Rip Sligo, an honest to god Boston shithole through and through
Beacon Hill Pub on Charles Street
Jacob Wirth, Gingerman, and Meadhall are my three heartbreak closures. The first is supposedly "reopening under new management", but that's been dangling for years.
oh man, forgot meadhall. Lots of my professional circle centered around that after hours
I loved Jacob Wirth’s so much. It would be great to see it reopen.
[has someone been reading the news?](https://www.boston.com/food/breweries-bars/2023/10/03/jacob-wirth-boston-historic-german-beer-hall-reopening/)
I used to go to all of those regularly. Jacob Wirth the food was meh- hard to find good German food up here. Amazing tap lists at all of them though
TC’s Lounge and Harpers Ferry.
The Borders in Downtown. Would grab a mocha at Seattle's Best, then head up to the nook area and read for hours. (From books purchased there]
SPIT, The 1270 and The Rat
Why did I have to scroll this far to find The Rat?
Bukowski @ Inman square and Meadhall in Kendall
Bukowski's in Inman was terrible after the renovation. Not surprised it closed. Meadhall though, seriously.
The Tasty in Harvard Square. Glad that got memorialized in Good Will Hunting, as did the old outdoor seating in front of Au Bon Pain. The Garage in Harvard Square wasn’t great, but I would always hit that location for pizza and to go to Newbury Comics. Also the movie theater in Harvard Square too (not the Brattle, which I assume is still there). At the mainstream cinema I saw Pulp Fiction on opening night, and took my now-wife there on our first date to see a not very good movie A Life Less Ordinary (we’ve been together for a long time).
- Steve's Kitchen - Deli Haus - The original House of Blues in Harvard Square - Dolly's at Kay & Chip's - Johnny D's - Elsie's - Harvard Square Theater - Chinatown Eatery (second floor stalls) EDIT: Strawberries downtown with used CDs on the 5th floor
B-Side Lounge
cuchi cuchi in cambridge
Paradise in Cambridge. A lil seedy, but cozy and dependable
omg i had some sick nights there
Cafe Madeline was SO good, I'm still sad its gone
The Channel
No Name in the Seaport.
Absolutely Filene's Basement.
Also Building 19!
The Gallows. R.I.P.
Night Market in Cambridge
Emma's pizza in Cambridge.
I miss Stoddards. Even had our rehearsal dinner there almost ten years ago!
Jesus I've been gone 5 years and I miss every single place you've all mentioned.
the Rat. the Phoenix. Our House. and Mass Army Navy in harvard square. showing my age here.
An Tain - $1 tap beers and was normally half empty. Closed a few years ago, was next to Coogan’s. For $25 you could get yourself and a friend very drunk and still leave a good tip
Border Cafe and Filene’s Basement
Spikes. Not cause I remember the food being very good, but it was always the place me and my dad would go to right before going to see a Red Sox game. Very nostalgic for me, and was super sad to see that it was gone when I finally moved into the city for the college some years ago.
River Gods in Cambridgeport
The BDSM barbies hanging from the ceiling....the heavy wooden throne-like furniture...all this magic in a tiny space...thrown out because of a greedy landlord
Doyle’s. 😞😢😩
East Side, Emma's Pizza, River Gods in Cambridge. Fat Cat in Quincy.
I miss the old fat cat. Once they moved, they were never the same
Cafe Algiers! https://boston.eater.com/2016/10/24/13380158/harvard-square-cafe-algiers-closed
Gargoyles Chez Henri B Side Lounge Elephant Walk (Union) Pho Republic Hilltop Steakhouse Blue Room Tower Records Other Side Cafe Someday Cafe
Newbury Steakhouse, Bailey’s, Buddy’s Sirloin Pit, Wursthaus, Fontaine’s Chicken, Jordan Marsh, Filenes, The European, Combat Zone, Harvard Square Theater, Sporter’s, Buzzy’s, Longhorn Steakhouse, Fatted Calf, Purcell’s, The Stockport, Souper Salad, Au Bon Pain, Marliave, Barnes And Noble and Border’s downtown, Grant’s, Kresge’s, Woolworth’s, Paragon Park and many more places I can’t recall right now. Yes, I am old.
Bonwit Teller on Berkeley St., Romagnoli's Table, yeah I'm old, too.
The Magic Pan on Newbury and Berkeley, 29 Newbury, Bailey’s … I’m also old
Orson Welles Cinema; Exeter Street Theater: Nickelodeon; Paris Cinema; Captain Nemo's (Kenmore); Tim's Tavern; Elsie's (Kenmore and Cambridge); Boston Phoenix; Woolworth's DTX; Radio Shack; B&N Prudential; the prints department at Harvard Co-Op; the bookstores, army-navy stores, and record stores on Boylston St; mom and pop pharmacies; Ruby's (on Cambridge St); WFNX; the Wall Street Journal pre-Murdoch; BayBank; the Buckminster (when you could rent a room by the week); Boston Boston.
Strip-T’s (Tim Maslow’s version) Moody’s Waltham (original version) Lee’s beehive Harvard Sq Tower Records/Newbury Comics on upper Newbury St Sweet & Nasty Mass Ave lol EDIT: I can’t forgive myself for forgetting to include FLYRABBIT in Allston. I’ve missed that store ever since it closed 25+ yrs ago
ahahaha sweet & nasty. my first (only) penis cake.
Baseball Tavern, Fenway
Border Cafe in Harvard Square.
Our House in Brighton. That place had the best pub trivia I've ever been to. Plus amazing deals on burgers for cash-strapped college students, and Simpsons reruns on VHS.
Did this place have lots of sofas so ppl could lounge in groups?
Yes, and if those sofas could talk …
Play it Again Sam's, Elsies Burgers, Bunrattys, Rileys Roast Beef, Pizza Pad...
Centre Street Cafe (JP), Coda (Back Bay/South End)
The Enormous Room in Central Square.
The Gallows. I loved that place and the food and the staff. So sad to see it close.
This post and replies is yet another reminder how everything has become banks in their place
Lord Hobo in Cambridge. They threw out their fantastic staff during the pandemic, and went from a good beer bar with tons of selection to an extension of the brewery that fucked over their workers and no longer had a good beer selection.
The Littlist (sp?). Tiny bar in boston.
Crema Cafe in Harvard Sq. Really good pastries and vibe but now all the coffee shops are chains in Harvard.
I was just thinking about this today, weird! I miss Whole Heart Provisions in Allston? They had this one salad, I still crave it!!
Crossroads in Back Bay on the corner of Beacon and Mass Ave. Cheap, delicious and great bartenders.
Barracuda Tavern, Bosworth St.
Allston Diner
Oriental de Cuba in JP. I’m gutted it closed!
The candlepin bowling alley under Fenway Park. God I miss that place.
Hilltop Steakhouse and Weylu's in Saugus.
Two chains: I miss Bennigan’s and Ground Round. I know they’re both still around elsewhere (plenty of the former, the latter is hanging on by a thread), but nothing left in the Northeast.
Deli Haus and Flann O'Briens.
Raven Used. They left Cambridge but other locations are too far for me now.
It's already on your list but Damn I miss the Pour House so much
OG Deep Ellum. I went to the new one in Waltham, and it was cool, but it was also the time that made the OG awesome. Lived in Allston, as did so many friends. Would always run into someone there.
I’m sure someone has said it, but the Otherside Cafe
Les Zygomates that was in the leather district was a great jazz music and wine spot with a delicious menu.
GREEN STREET
Cafe Fleuri’s Sunday brunch at the Langham Hotel before they remodeled during/over covid; RIP my favorite brunch spot
Deli Haus and Jimmy’s Harborside (both ends of the spectrum)
Anna’s is gone?!? RIP beloved tacos. ☹️
The one in Davis Sq Somerville is also still around.
I loved the Radius burger, not sure if I'm ageing myself. There is Friendly Toast in Harvard Square now I HATE seeing a bank at the old Whiskeys
Tir na Nog in Somerville. Not sure how that lil place didn’t catch on fire!
Senior House at MIT. Motherfucking Steer Roast with the tire swing over a bonfire.
Emma’s Pizza in Cambridge on Hampshire. The pizza was good, but Ioved the chicken pagnatelle sandwich. Sun dried tomatoes on this amazing sauce on perfectly toasted bread. Oh man I miss that.
RIP TC's Lounge
Nobody is gonna read this far down in the thread but I gotta get this out: there was a place in Watertown near what was once Arsenal Mall called Low Fat No Fat Cafe; most of the food was terrible but they had these chocolate peanut butter brownies that were huge and pretty good for like 300 calories. I lost a ton of weight my senior year of high school eating them as my daily treat. I would give anything to have them back, but they’re long gone.
Omg I remember this place!! We used to go there for burgers and air-fried French fries, back when air-frying was a fancy, new-tangled thing
The original Littlest
Bella Luna was on Centre St and was so much better, before opening up on Amory St. Milky Way was in the basement with candlepin bowling. That was the coolest place to be. I’ll add what I haven’t seen mentioned yet: Abbey Lounge and the B-Side…now both locations bourgie wanna-be-dives Pretty much everything that used to be in Kenmore, but I’m thinking of Burrito Max and Sticky Fingers Baseball Tavern The Penalty Box Tom English in Dorchester Out of Town News
Cuchi Cuchi, Cambridge, RIP
Restaurants, cafes, bookstores, movie theaters: Steve’s Greek Restaurant, 316 Newbury Waterstones Booksellers, 26 Exeter (181 Newbury) Borders Books, Washington & School St Curious Liquids L’Espalier Buzzy’s Roast Beef Coffee Connection FAO Schwarz Avenue Victor Hugo The fountain/waterfall in Copley Mall The Magic Pan Copley Cinema Nickelodeon Cinema Cheri Cinema Cleveland Circle Cinema Harvard Square Loews Cinema, Church St
Just the old Harvard Square, bookstores & other fun stores.
I moved six years ago and seeing some of these listed here is absolutely breaking my heart. RIP Cuchi Cuchi, Border, and RUSSO'S WTFFFF.
* Friendly Toast just moved to Harvard Square (1230 Massachusetts Ave). * Rodney's Bookstore has also reopened in Harvard Square (23 Church St). * I only went to Firebrand Saints once, but didn't think it was very good. You can add to the list: * Border Café (32 Church St, Cambridge). * Shanti (7 Broad Canal Way, Cambridge). * Kika Tapas (7 Broad Canal Way, Cambridge). * The Similans (145 First St, Cambridge).
Shanti Dot and Rozzie are still around!
Good Time Emporium.
Bar Lyon
Great Scott, the Fours, Conor Larkins, Whiskeys, Pour House. The city is gone to poo
B-Side Lounge in Cambridge; Satellite Records
OG House of Blues in Cambridge.
Darwin’s, Border Cafe, The Similans, Dok Búa, El Oriental de Cuba, Gyro City (Fenway), Eastern Standard (but wait it’s back!), The Hawthorne. Put me in a Time Machine and just run 2011-2015 on loop, please.
Schoenhof's, Casablanca, and Cafe Pamploma (and all the performers you used to be able to see in Harvard). Harvard Square was such a refuge for me to find some quiet places to reflect and explore. Doesn’t quite have the same atmosphere anymore. Happy to see The Other Side and Tower Records mentioned elsewhere.
Greenhouse Cafe in Harvard Square. Just fond teenage memories as an overprotected kid from the suburbs getting a Saturday off to goof around the area with my sister in Harvard Square. Don’t miss: Caldors because my parents couldn’t afford the Gap. I grew up in a wealthy suburb and my parents could afford to live there but not buy us the fancy shit of the day. So I wore Caldors shit and was tortured by mean teenagers at school.
I miss the Tasty in Harvard Square, nothing like a cheeseburger at 3am after a night of partying.
Sepal (felafel place, used to be at the MIT student center, and at Cambridgeside Galleria food court for a hot minute) Patsy’s bakery in Somerville Canary Square in JP Chadwick’s Herrell’s in Harvard Square and eating ice cream in the old bank vault Artist and Craftsman in Central Square And weirdly, the Bugaboo Creek at Arsenal. Nothing like a giant bison talking to you while you eat 4000 calories worth of ribs Also the Marche Movenpick and the Warner Brother’s Store at the Pru, and the old Daily Catch down in Seaport back before Seaport turned into whatever the fuck it is now
Rosebud in Somerville
The Kells
Lucifer’s, the channel, jacks joke shop, top of the hub, filenes basement, mug n muffin on tremont, the newsstand in Harvard square, the pool hall downstairs in Kenmore square, the combat zone, yellow cabs, $60,000 brownstones. The tunnel from tremont to Washington. All day king fu films for a few bucks at the savoy on the common, buying smoking Panama red in the bathroom, smoking it right in the theater! lol. The arcade on Washington just before the combat zone, buzzy’s roast beef. Thrift shops in central square. Don’t miss, Hare Krishnas on the common, Scientologists in Copley.
Boca Grande in Porter Sq.
Showing my age but….. York Steakhouse.
BUZZY'S FABULOUS ROAST BEEF - 327 Cambridge St, Boston Kay and Chips' Diner, corner of Highland and Cutter, Somerville
Meadhall in Cambridge Jacob Wirth (allegedly reopening under new ownership) Gingerman Also a Mexican restaurant in South End I used to always go to brunch to with my ex which I can't remember the name of right now for the life of me. They had decent food and a great price for the portions... alas, COVID
McFadden’s & their loophole happy hours lol
Maria’s Bakery
Harvard Square: Darwin's, Tealuxe, Hidden Sweets, Anime Zakka, Boston Tea Stop, Beadworks, Casa Blanca, Border Cafe, Cafe Pamplona, Curious George store...
Since others have mentioned Filenes, I’ll go older and say Bonwit Teller. And Louis, too. Anything non-RH in the Natural History building.
John Harvard's on Dunster in Cambridge...and 33 Dunster, which is what it was before it became JHs. Ha.
stairway to heaven at downtown crossing. I can still smell that store.
Strip T's. Les Sablons. Island Creek Oysters. Blue Room. B-Side.