Restaurants

A slew of new restaurants will open at Assembly Row this year

Many local favorites are expanding to the Somerville complex.

Avocado toast at Juicygreens. Juicygreens

February 25, 2022

Assembly Row in Somerville will add nearly a dozen new restaurants, along with several new retail outlets, over the next few months.

The initial rollout of restaurants, bars, and cafes begins in March with Salt + Stone, Union Square Donuts, and Juicygreens.

More Openings:

“We expect those in the next 10 to 14 days,” said David Middleton, general manager for Federal Realty at Assembly Row. “The rest will follow in the spring and summer. We are all looking forward to seeing the restaurant life come back to the neighborhood.”

Spring and summer bring the arrival of Civility Social House, a bar and small-plate restaurant operated by Boston’s Legendary Restaurant Group, which owns Sip Wine Bar and Kitchen in Downtown Crossing and Papagãyo. The restaurant’s concept and menu are still in development, according to Middleton.

Also on board: An Nam, a new Vietnamese grille from the Boston-based group behind S aigon Fusio n (Fenway) and Menya Jiro (Cambridge, Seaport); Taiwanese tea shop Ten One Tea House, which has locations in Back Bay and Providence, R.I.; a Tatte Bakery & Café; and the self-explanatory Le Macaron.

Some new eateries are moving into spots vacated due to closures: Parla, a branch of the North End bar, takes over Paul’s Bakery, which underwent a “national shutdown” before the pandemic, Middleton said. And Salt + Stone takes over the spot vacated by MediCi, and shares the same owners.

New national names include Tribos Peri Peri’s first Massachusetts location, following openings in Rhode Island, New Jersey, California, and Georgia. The menu specializes in flame-grilled cuisine based on what the company calls “the chili that set the world ablaze”: the African Bird’s-eye chili pepper.

“We have our fair share of familiar national names,” Middleton said.
“But it’s very important to integrate local brands and support local business people. We call them mom-and-pop restaurants, and though they are smaller tier businesses, they are no less important to the neighborhood.”

Many of the additions take up the retail space inside the new Miscela apartment building and the 455 Grand Union Blvd. office block, which opened in 2021.