Boston Restaurant and Bar Closures to Know, May 2024

This periodic column rounds up restaurant closures in and around Boston. Catch up on more news about closures in the Boston area right here.

Know of a restaurant closure that should be on Eater Boston’s radar? Get in touch here.

ALLSTON — After nearly 30 years, cult-favorite vegan restaurant Grasshopper is shutting down on May 29. Owner Hoai Nguyen tells Boston.com that the restaurant’s lease had been terminated and there was another prospective tenant willing to pay a higher rent for the space. However, a representative for the landlord disputed that characterization and said that the lease was ending naturally and they were not interested in renewing it due to “ongoing issues of property maintenance and unpaid rent.” Nguyen hopes to re-open Grasshopper in another location, ideally in either Allston or Brighton.

ALLSTON — Longtime sports bar Tavern in the Square — or TITS, as it is known by regulars �� has permanently shut its doors after nearly 20 years. The bar did not give a reason for the shutdown in its closing announcement on Instagram. The bar is part of a larger chain that still has over a dozen locations elsewhere in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

BEACON HILL — Bin 26 Enoteca, an Italian staple in Beacon Hill known for its extensive wine list, is closing down after 18 years of operation. “After a 4 decade long career, [co-founder] Azita Bina-Seibel is retiring to spend more time traveling the world and with loved ones and friends,” a closing message on the restaurant’s website reads. Its last day of service is Saturday, June 1.

SOMERVILLE — The Thirsty Scholar, a beloved Boston-area pub that was a reliable hangout for students and neighborhood residents for decades, has shut down. Boston.com reports that ownership sold the space to Daren Swisher and Joe Cammarata — both alums of Fenway hot spot Hojoko and Daiquiris and Daisies, a cocktail bar at downtown Boston food hall High Street Place — and they plan to replace it with a new bar, Tall Order, that will have cocktails, beer, wine, food and (hopefully) the same late-night hours. The Thirsty Scholar had previously been in business since the 1990s (save for a temporary closure a few years ago while ownership changed hands) and was featured in the Social Network in 2010.