Neighborhood Tavern in Northborough to Expand, Opening a New Location in Salem

 A dining and drinking spot in Central Massachusetts is going to be expanding to the North Shore.

According to a Bluesky post from @l1samak.bsky.social, the Neighborhood Tavern in Northborough is going to be joined by another location in Salem, taking over the space on Washington Street that had been home to The Derby Restaurant & Bar. Once it opens, expect to see such items as fried pickles, wings, tenders, nachos, burgers, steak tips, fish and chips, roasted chicken, tacos, macaroni and cheese, and more, along with beer, wine, and cocktails.

The address for the upcoming Neighborhood Tavern in Salem is 189 Washington Street, Salem, MA, 01970. The website for the business is at https://ift.tt/qAKjZ9V

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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The Brass Tap Opens in Framingham's Nobscot Village

Last spring, it was reported that a growing chain of beer bars would open its first New England location in the western suburbs of Boston, and now we have learned that it is up and running.

According to Kiat Cormier of ChewOnThis, The Brass Tap is now open in Framingham, moving into a space on Water Street in Nobscot Village. A Facebook post from the business indicates that the new location is having its soft opening Monday and Tuesday of this week, with full hours beginning on Wednesday, and as mentioned in an earlier article, the place offers beer options from local breweries (including 60 taps), classic American fare and comfort food, and cocktails and wine.

The Brass Tap chain got its start in Florida, opening its first location in Wesley Chapel in 2008.

The address for the The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar in Framingham is 770 Water Street, Framingham, MA, 01701. The website for the chain is at https://ift.tt/FDkfp4N

[Earlier Article]
The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar Plans to Open in Framingham

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Please help keep Boston Restaurant Talk and Boston's Hidden Restaurants going by making a one-time contribution or via a monthly subscription. Thanks! (Donations are non-deductible.)

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Villa Mexico in Downtown Boston Is Facing Closure

A beloved Mexican restaurant in the heart of Boston is facing an uncertain future.

According to a Facebook post from the business, Villa Mexico on Water Street is being asked to close down and leave its space, with the post saying the following:

Dear friends, If you get our newsletter, you would have read that we were asked to close and vacate by today (3/30) due to owed rent. We got this news on an email on Thursday(3/26) morning. Our landlord has every legal right to do this. Since getting the email we mobilized any and all community support to ask him to let us finish the year upon payment. As of now, we were asked to clear a common area storage room and given until April 9 to close. We are still going to try to get longer. Why? For these reasons: -try to sell equipment -use that money to pay our team at least 2 week's wages since they're losing their jobs -donate existing supplies and food -close with dignity We know we owe rent. We want to pay it. We've been here 10 years, through thick and thin, and we believe (and hope) we can get this....We promise that as soon as we have more news we will update you on email and social media. In the meantime, please come eat. If you have a business, please come buy equipment. We're not ok, but right now we can't give up and cry. Our team needs us. Thank you

Villa Mexico had once been located within a gas station on Cambridge Street in Beacon Hill until closing in 2013; the dining spot reopened in its current space three years later. The restaurant has received much praise over the years, including "best of" awards from such publications as Boston Magazine and Time Out.

The address for Villa Mexico is 121 Water Street, Boston, MA, 02109. Its website is at https://ift.tt/jV7rX5B

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Please help keep Boston Restaurant Talk and Boston's Hidden Restaurants going by making a one-time contribution or via a monthly subscription. Thanks! (Donations are non-deductible.)

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Restaurant News for the Week Ending March 29, 2026

Below are some of the biggest restaurant and food-related news stories that have been posted between March 23, 2026, and March 29, 2026.

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Kyuramen to Expand, Opening a New Location in Burlington
A chain of ramen restaurants with roots in New York City is expanding to a new space, with this one being in the northern suburbs.
Full Story

Peach Farm in Boston's Chinatown to Undergo an Ownership Change
It looks like one of Boston's best-known Chinese restaurants will soon be under new ownership.
Full Story

Matsunori Handroll Bar to Open in Lynnfield
A restaurant in Boston that features a type of handheld sushi is going to be expanding to the suburbs.
Full Story

El Sarape in Weymouth Landing Is Closing
An award-winning Mexican restaurant that has been around for a long time is shutting down.
Full Story

CeCarré Pizza and Provisions Opens at the Prudential Center in Boston's Back Bay
A new pizza spot has come to Boston, and it takes over the space where another pizzeria had been until shuttering as it gets ready to make a move.
Full Story

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Please help keep Boston Restaurant Talk and Boston's Hidden Restaurants going by making a one-time contribution or via a monthly subscription. Thanks! (Donations are non-deductible.)

  

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Sysco Announces Plan to Buy Restaurant Depot

The country's top food distributor is planning to purchase a foodservice supplier that is used by independent restaurants--and which has several locations in the Greater Boston area.

According to an article from CNBC, Sysco has struck a deal to buy Restaurant Depot for $29 billion (including debt), with Sysco CEO Kevin Hourican saying "Sysco and Jetro Restaurant Depot will enhance value for small independent restaurants and the consumers they serve by expanding access to more affordable, fresh food products and delivering more choice and convenience." Restaurant Depot, whose wholesale cash‑and‑carry model allows customers to pay upfront for food, drink, and other products, has warehouse outlets locally in Andover, Avon, Everett, Milford, and Needham.

It appears that if the deal is approved by regulators, Restaurant Depot would continue to operate independently, according to Hoodline.

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Please help keep Boston Restaurant Talk and Boston's Hidden Restaurants going by making a one-time contribution or via a monthly subscription. Thanks! (Donations are non-deductible.)

Read more »

Kyuramen to Expand, Opening a New Location in Burlington

A chain of ramen restaurants with roots in New York City is expanding to a new space, with this one being in the northern suburbs.

According to an article from What Now Boston, Kyuramen is planning to open in Burlington, moving into a space on Wheeler Road just south of the Middlesex Turnpike/Route 128 intersection that had once been the site of Tweeter, Ski Haus, and GOLFTEC. The article mentions that the new location of the restaurant will have more of an upscale feel than the one in Brookline, including a "party room" and an expanded drink menu--and it will also share its space with a Japanese restaurant that is well-known in New York, though no name has been given as of yet. (Another location of Kyuramen can be found in Winchester.)

Kyuramen, which first started out in 2014, is headquartered in the Flushing section of Queens.

The address for the upcoming location of Kyuramen in Burlington is 1 Wheeler Road, Burlington, MA, 01803. The website for the business is at https://ift.tt/K5NL60c

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Please help keep Boston Restaurant Talk and Boston's Hidden Restaurants going by making a one-time contribution or via a monthly subscription. Thanks! (Donations are non-deductible.)

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Nakhon Has Replaced Rice Away Thai Express in Brighton

A couple of months ago, it was reported that a Thai restaurant that was known for its buffet had closed, and now we have learned that the people behind it have converted the place into another type of Thai spot.

According to a poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, Nakhon  is now open in Brighton, replacing Rice Away Thai Express on Washington Street. The new restaurant features Southern Thai halal cuisine, as was first mentioned by Boston Magazine (which states that it debuted last month). Some of the items on the menu include curry pancakes, steamed shrimp and chicken dumplings, curry rice and spicy and sour sauce, ground chicken and shrimp in chili paste, fried whole striped bass fish, a spicy and sour beef stew, crab meat in coconut curry, and turmeric chicken soup, crispy, duck, drunken noodle, and squid ink fried rice.

The address for Nakhon is 296 Washington Street, Brighton, MA, 02135. Its Instagram page can be found at https://ift.tt/M9yU0lI

[Earlier Article]
Rice Away Thai Express in Brighton Has Closed

(Follow Marc on Bluesky at @marchurboston.bsky.social)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Please help keep Boston Restaurant Talk and Boston's Hidden Restaurants going by making a one-time contribution or via a monthly subscription. Thanks! (Donations are non-deductible.)

Read more »