Mighty Squirrel Brewing Opening Beer Garden in Watertown

Mighty SquirrelMighty Squirrel Brewing will be serving its creations at the new biergarten at Arsenal Yards. Beer lovers will enjoy the latest addition to Arsenal Yards: a biergarten. Local craft brewer Mighty Squirrel Brewing will be running the beer garden, that will be located in the center of Arsenal Yards. Arsenal Yards provided the following information:

Just in time for warm weather and patio drinking season, Arsenal Yards, the thriving new neighborhood located along the Charles River in Watertown, announces the addition of a brand–new Mighty Squirrel Biergarten opening this Saturday, April 30th at 11 a.m.! Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.A view of Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.’s biergarten located at its Waltham brewery.

Watertown Restaurant Combines Caribbean & Mediterranean Cuisine, With a Healthy Flair

Meghan CroninSome of the dishes served at Nzuko in Watertown, which offers Mediterranean and Caribbean inspired food. Located a couple blocks off Main Street, one of Watertown’s newest restaurants offers a unique combination of Caribbean and Mediterranean food, with an emphasis on healthy preparations. Nzuko opened in November, and offers a wide range of dishes inspired by multiple cuisines, said chef Laurette Ndukwe. “I’m from the Caribbean and the manager is from Jordan, and then we have my son, who is an African-American from here, and we have Brazilians in the kitchen, so we have a multicultural flair in the restaurant,” Ndukwe said. Nzuko’s first location was in Framingham, but many diners lived west of Boston (or in the city), so they asked if Ndukwe could open another restaurant closer to Boston.

Three New Restaurants Opening in Watertown, One Changing Management

Flavor Boom!Some of the dishes served up at Flavor Boom!, a new restaurant on Arsenal Street. The restaurant scene in Watertown is brimming with life, with the addition of three restaurants. Plus, an established eatery is changing hands. The three independent restaurants are on or near Arsenal Street, one features barbecue, another serves Central American and Mexican dishes, and a third has a variety of flavorful dishes from around the globe. Flavor Boom!

Celebrity Chef Opens New Orleans Inspired Restaurant in Watertown

Charlie BreitroseThe patio seating outside Buttermilk & Bourbon is part of Chef Jason Santos’ vision of bringing a taste of New Orleans to Watertown. One of Boston’s celebrity chefs brought his New Orleans inspired cuisine to Watertown, where he had his first opportunity to build a restaurant from scratch. Buttermilk & Bourbon officially opens on Monday, Aug. 9, but chef and owner Jason Santos hosted an opening night celebration on Aug. 5 at his newest location at Arsenal Yards.

Shoppers, Vendors Happy to Be Back at Opening Day of Watertown Farmers Market

Anaïs MarkwoodShoppers returned to the Watertown Farmers Market at Saltonstall Park on June 16. The Watertown Farmers Market opened on Wednesday, June 16, with the white peaks of vendors’ tents once again lining Saltonstall Park. After having restrictions last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the market is now fully open once again, and has introduced a handful of new vendors for the 2021 season. 

Shoppers streamed back and forth around the outdoor market and queues even formed in front of some of the more popular vendors, including the stalls for Clear Flour Bread and Boston Smoked Fish Co. Everyone seemed excited to have the market fully open again, whether they be vendors, shoppers, volunteers, or the market manager, Stephanie Venizelos. 

While Venizelos described the 2020 season as “an exceptional year,” saying that the market actually saw an uptick in business as shoppers worked from home and tried to avoid supermarkets, she is hopeful for another successful year. “We love the park, we love the vendors, so we’re confident that the market will do well again this year,” Venizelos said.

Celebrity Chef Opening Restaurant at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards in July

Buttermilk & BourbonCelebrity Chef Jason Santos will open his second location of Buttermilk & Bourbon at Arsenal Yards. The menu includes buttermilk fried chicken. The following announcement was provided by Arsenal Yards:

Boylston Properties and Wilder proudly announced that they’ve leased 3,000 square feet at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards to local celebrity chef and restaurateur, Jason Santos. Following the success of Buttermilk & Bourbon in Boston’s Back Bay, the nationally-recognized chef will open his second location of the popular restaurant in the new neighborhood in mid-July 2021, bringing a taste of Southern hospitality to Watertown. The New Orleans’ inspired restaurant will be an exciting addition to the eclectic mix of offerings at Arsenal Yards, which will offer a true neighborhood experience with its more than one million square feet of retail shops, residential apartments, life science space, and a 146-room hotel when construction is completed later this year.

Watertown Eating Institution Starts GoFundMe Effort to Keep Doors Open

Deluxe Town Diner in Coolidge Square. The owners of Deluxe Town Diner have started an effort to try to raise $100,000 to keep the Coolidge Square institution afloat through the COVID-19 pandemic. Donors who give $100 or more will get a gift card worth $110 to use at the diner. Owner Don Levy posted the following information on the GoFundMe.com page:

Our family owned diner, has been serving Watertown area since 1947, the Covid19 pandemic has in big ways Adversely impacted our business,We survive the 3 months doing take out only, and now its necessary to ask for some help, ” TO KEEP THE DOORS OPEN”.  Due to restrictions we  are only  able to service, “less than half of our customers”.  We are asking our loyal customers and friends to donate, and to also buy future food at the diner gift card. $100 cash payment, we will issue $110 in diner card to be used now and in the future , when we are back to the normal.