Plus, martinis on Nantucket, dumplings at a piano bar, and the end of Beacon Hill’s Grotto.
By Kara Baskin Globe Correspondent,Updated July 24, 2025, 11:12 a.m.
Openings: Daily Provisions is now open in Harvard Square (1 Brattle Square), new from New York City restaurateur extraordinaire Danny Meyer (Gramercy Tavern, Shake Shack, Union Square Café). It’s the all-day café’s first location beyond the New York area.
Drop in daily from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. for egg sandwiches, crullers, croissants, melts, a medley of salads, and roast chicken — plus beer and wine. Another Daily Provisions arrives at the Seaport’s Commonwealth Pier in 2026.
Down the street, Lou’s replaces Beat Brasserie (13 Brattle St.) with executive chef Jason Bond (Bondir) in the kitchen. Visit for live music, from reggae to jazz, alongside comfort food: spaghetti and meatballs, barbecue meatloaf, steak frites. Visit from 4 p.m. until 1 a.m. nightly, and book a private VIP booth if you’re celebrating.
In the South End, the team behind Charlestown’s Prima Italian Steakhouse (10 City Square) opens Capri Italian Steakhouse (500 Harrison Ave.) in the coming days, with an outdoor patio with a bar and fireplace, plus homemade pasta and seafood.
On Nantucket, Billie’s opens in August (20 Broad St.), with a cocktail lounge; a chandeliered dining room; and a three-season patio. On the menu: seafood towers; oysters Rockefeller; and a porterhouse big enough for three deep-pocketed diners, with martinis poured tableside.
Promotions: Dine Out Boston returns from Sunday, Aug. 3 until Saturday, Aug. 16, with 175-plus area restaurants serving fixed-price, multi-course meals for lunch ($27 and up) and dinner ($41 and up). Browse the lineup at www.dineoutboston.com.
Closings: Grotto owner Scott Herritt tells the Globe that he plans to close the 22-year-old, below-ground Beacon Hill restaurant (37 Bowdoin St.) on or about Thursday, Aug. 21. It had been known for elegant Italian food and “Big Night”-style themed feasts. “Twenty-two years is a long time, and it just feels like a good time to close,” he says.
Collaborations: Dumpling Daughter — popping up on menus from Tavern in the Square to Roxy’s Grilled Cheese — also takes over the kitchen at the Back Bay’s 88 Club piano bar (50 Dalton St.). Pair your pink pony margarita with pan-seared roast pork buns and scallion pancakes. Visit Thursday through Saturday from 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 6 p.m.
Coming soon: Union Square favorite Ebi Sushi (290 Somerville Ave.) moves to a larger space at the neighborhood’s 10 Prospect mixed-use property this winter, when it will debut sister ramen restaurant Dashizen in the same complex.
