It may turn out to be a quiet opening season in Somerville, but we've got a few things on deck, including tiny Italian restaurant Fat Hen inside of La Brasa's former market space and a Teele Square location of Coolidge Corner board game cafe Knight Moves. Read on for the details on these and more, and let us know if there's anything else that should be on our radar.
To see what's opening in Boston proper this summer, go here, or head this way for an overview of other parts of the state.
Originally published on June 29, 2016. Date of most recent update appears above.
East Somerville
Fat Hen
A 30-seat restaurant will open inside of La Brasa, within a space that was previously being used as a market. It will feature a very small open kitchen, "bowls of fresh pasta, braised meats, and locally grown or foraged produce," and a "modest but mighty" beverage program with a focus on "niche, offbeat" Italian wines and beers. L'Espalier and Sel de la Terre alum Michael Bergin is in charge; he has also worked at popular New York City Italian restaurants Del Posto and A Voce.
Address: 124 Broadway
Opening Date: July 2016
Online: Twitter / Instagram
Image credit: La Brasa, with a peek into the doorway of the future Fat Hen space/Rachel Leah Blumenthal for Eater
Spring Hill
Forge Ice Cream Bar — NOW OPEN
Not far from Porter Square, Forge Baking Co. has opened a 20-seat ice cream shop next door. It's meant to have an old-timey feel, complete with an antique dipping cabinet, vintage stools, and a soda fountain. The daily menu includes eight flavors of ice cream, as well as other desserts, like a Choco Taco-inspired treat.
Address: 626 Somerville Ave.
Opening Date: July 6, 2016
Online: Website
Image credit: Forge logo/Official Site
Teele Square
Knight Moves — NOW OPEN
A Coolidge Corner board game cafe opened a second location, this one near Tufts University. The cafe's compact menu includes cheese plates, Nutella milkshakes, coffee and tea, and some other snacks.
Address: 1159 Broadway
Opening Date: July 2, 2016
Online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Image credit: Knight Moves in Coolidge Corner/Facebook
Union Square
Foundation Kitchen — NOW OPEN
A Somerville-based shared culinary workspace has expanded into a new space that will allow for pop-up restaurant events, demonstrations, and more.
Address: 3 Washington St.
Opening Date: Early July 2016
Online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Image credit: Official Site
Veggie Crust
After an electrical issue in a Somerville Avenue building caused long-term closures for its restaurant tenants A4 Pizza and Dosa N Curry, A4 terminated its lease and said goodbye to Somerville, at least for now, but Dosa N Curry finally reopened and will soon open a second restaurant, Veggie Crust, in A4's old space. Veggie Crust will serve vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free pizzas, as well as vegan "nice cream."
Address: 445 Somerville Ave.
Opening Date: Probably early July. Final inspections are slated to take place in late June.
Online: Website / Facebook
Image credit: Facebook
Beyond Spring
MEM Tea training center/retail shop (Davis Square) — unknown
Mike's Pastry (Assembly Row) — 2017
Nu Cafe & Juice Bar (Union Square) — late September/early October 2016
Oat Shop (Davis Square) — fall 2016
Pokéworks (Davis Square) — fall 2016
Somerville Coffee Crew (mobile) — unknown
Totto Ramen (Assembly Row) — unknown
Unnamed "eclectic multi-cultural high energy bistro restaurant and bar" at the under-construction Beacon Street Hotel (Porter Square) — summer 2017
Unnamed Japanese restaurant with sushi, bento boxes, ramen, "sushi burritos," and more (Davis Square) — unknown
Unnamed project from Steve "Nookie" Postal of Commonwealth (Davis Square) — unknown
Main Image: Somerville's Prospect Hill Monument/David Persson on Shutterstock