Greater Boston’s Most Anticipated Fall 2022 Restaurant Openings

A busy summer of restaurant openings has wound down, and despite the transit authority throwing a wrench into Bostonians’ daily commutes, exciting new restaurant and bar openings on the horizon may hopefully ease locals’ dreary minds. Many long anticipated and fun new projects are sprouting up in Greater Boston this fall. Here is what to expect in late September and beyond.

New Restaurants and Bars

Tonino

669A Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston

A new Italian restaurant by former Tres Gatos chef Luke Fetbroth and Hojoko alum Claire Makley is slated to open in the beginning of fall in the former Little Dipper space in Jamaica Plain. Tonino is meant to serve as a neighborhood restaurant, using local ingredients while highlighting Italian classics, such as fresh pastas, Sicilian-style pizzas, and more.

Anticipated opening timeline: Fall 2022

Comfort Kitchen

611 Columbia Road, Dorchester, Boston

This highly anticipated restaurant that highlights global cuisine is in the final stretch, says managing partner Biplaw Rai. Though the space is still under construction at the moment, Rai is hoping his cafe and restaurant will welcome customers in the first week of October. Diners will take a tour around the world through the lens of the African diaspora with innovative takes on traditional dishes.

Anticipated opening timeline: Early October 2022

Rita Ferreira

Birds of Paradise

525 Western Avenue, Brighton

Birds of Paradise, a cocktail lounge with an air travel theme, will open in a few weeks; hopefully at the beginning of October, owner Ran Duan says. This new bar will become the newest tenant to call the Speedway home, joining a milieu of popular food and drink destinations, including a sake bar, a South American wine bar and grocery store, a brewery, and much more.

Anticipated opening timeline: Early October 2022

Bam Bam Fried Chicken

245 Pleasant Street, Malden

The people behind Malden’s popular Chinese restaurant District Kitchen are bringing a new fried chicken spot to town. The restaurant will take over a space that used to be a Dunkin’ and transform it into a place of vibrancy and high energy, says owner Stacey Zhang. In addition to fried chicken, she hopes to feature items that are popular at state fairs, such as fried Oreos, barbecue pulled pork sandwiches, and corn dogs with mozzarella cheese.

Anticipated opening timeline: Early October 2022

Pescador

498 Commonwealth Avenue, Kenmore Square, Boston

A new restaurant featuring local seafood is about to open at the former Island Creek Oyster Bar location in Kenmore. It’ll mark the second of three installments in Boston by NYC’s Blue Ribbon Group, which has restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, and beyond. The menu will draw inspiration from coastal cuisine around the world, from southern Spain to Argentina, with a ceviche bar and elaborate cocktails.

Anticipated opening timeline: Early to mid-October 2022

Johnny Pomodoro

297 Main Street, Charlestown, Boston

Charlestown is getting an Italian counter-service dining spot in October. Johnny Pomodoro is the brainchild of noted chef Johnny Burke, owner of Johnny’s Takeaway in West Roxbury. After a successful run with a pop-up named Johnny Pomodoro, which was his take on old-school, red-sauce Italian, Burke decided to expand the idea into a full restaurant. The menu will include everything from family-style meals of chicken parmesan and pasta with pomodoro sauce to garlic knots and chocolate chip cookies.

Anticipated opening timeline: October 2022

Johnny’s Takeaway/Facebook

SAVR

150 Seaport Blvd, Boston

The Seaport is adding a new waterfront restaurant inside the St Regis Residences, a luxury condominium building currently under construction. Its menu will feature a range of comfort classics, bistro favorites, and local seafood, as well as an expansive list of wines and cocktails. The two-story space will offer seasonal outdoor seating and a terrace that overlooks Boston Harbor.

Anticipated opening timeline: November 2022

Kicco

1 Nashua Street, downtown Boston

Originally slated for late August, Boston’s “first real Neapolitan coffee shop,” next to North Station, will import approximately 90 percent of its food products from Italy. Owner Vittorio Wurzburger is from Naples, where his family has been roasting coffee since the late 19th century. At Kicco, he’ll serve Italian cakes, pastries, and other baked goods such as croissants with pistachios; focaccia, pizza, and sandwiches; and a variety of espresso-based drinks.

Anticipated opening timeline: Fall 2022

Reopenings and Expansions

Across the Border

378A Centre Street, Hyde Square, Jamaica Plain, Boston

Tex Mex-style food truck Across the Border is opening a permanent restaurant in Jamaica Plain. Serving a variety of tacos and burritos that adhere to traditional roots but with a modern twist, the business is known for using ingredients like Cheetos, Doritos, and Fritos. It also has a vegetarian and vegan menu. The new restaurant will take over the space formerly belonging to Pikalo, which moved down the block.

Anticipated opening timeline: Imminent

Puritan Oyster Bar

1164 Cambridge Street, Inman Square

Inman Square mainstay Puritan & Company will add a seafood-focused restaurant next door in November. Puritan Oyster Bar will serve oysters, of course, as well as a variety of other raw and cooked seafood dishes: Watch for tuna carpaccio, hot buttered lobster toast, and more.

Anticipated opening timeline: November 2022

Saloniki

1 Beacon Street, Beacon Hill; 316 Newbury Street, Back Bay

Casual Greek restaurant Saloniki will add two more locations in Beacon Hill and Back Bay this fall. Diners can expect classic offerings inspired by owner Eric Papachristos’ Greek upbringing, including chicken souvlaki, griddled spanakopita, as well as spatchcocked chicken with crispy smashed potatoes and tzatziki. The Newbury Street location will take over the spot of Steve’s Greek Cuisine, a longstanding Greek restaurant.

Anticipated opening timeline: September 2022