New dining options are emerging across the Boston area, introducing a range of culinary experiences from nostalgic comfort foods to late-night fare.
Xi’an Famous Foods, a popular New York City noodle shop known for its hand-pulled spicy noodles, is preparing to open its first downtown Boston location at 255 Washington St. The restaurant, scheduled to open within two to three weeks, will seat 49 patrons and operate daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. CEO Jason Wang anticipates a grand opening event featuring promotions and complimentary dishes. The menu will closely mirror the New York originals, including hand-ripped noodles with cumin lamb or pork, spicy and sour dumplings, noodle soups, and stewed pork burgers. Last year, Xi’an also launched a ghost kitchen concept in Roxbury at 94 Shirley St.
In Arlington, colette bakery opened on October 16 at 681 Massachusetts Ave. Expanding beyond its other locations in Boston, Medford, and Melrose, the new venue offers a larger seating capacity with 20 seats. It opens weekdays beginning at 7:30 a.m. and weekends from 8 a.m., serving macarons, éclairs, cheesecakes, croissants, and sandwiches.
Further north in Winchester, restaurateur Phil Frattaroli, known for establishments including Cunard Tavern, Ducali, Filippo, and Lucia, is set to launch caffe ducali next week at 959 Main St. The new venue will serve espresso, pastries, Roman-style pizza, and lunch salads. It will also host weekly cooking classes and provide space for private events. Frattaroli plans to focus on Italian and Italian-American cuisine, a return to his culinary roots, especially after closing Cunard Tavern last month to concentrate on Ducali.
In neighboring Cambridge, Alden & Harlow in Harvard Square has introduced a late-night menu available nightly from 10 p.m. until closing. The offerings include $9 martinis, $4 smoked short-rib tacos, and $19 steak frites.
Among more unconventional settings, a new eatery called fai Canteen has opened in the lobby of a South End office building, transforming a once-vacant space with a small but thoughtfully curated menu. Owner Michelle Mulford brings a personal touch to the establishment, which reflects her experience running a catering and restaurant business before taking a hiatus. Opening the canteen with support from her partner, Nehal Patel, the space seats only three and recalls a mid-1970s aesthetic, resembling an outdated lobby.
Fai Canteen focuses on simple, satisfying dishes with inspirations drawn from Mulford’s English travels. The menu includes items such as chicken pot pie with chanterelles, porchetta with salsa verde and pickled fennel, BLTs with Sichuan chili crisp mayonnaise, and a grilled mortadella sandwich with stracciatella on grilled focaccia. The sandwiches are served on bread from Iggy’s, though selections often sell out early. Additional options feature a slow-roasted salmon plate with lentils and a grilled French chicken sausage. Desserts include bittersweet chocolate beet cake, apple butter biscuits, and buckwheat blackberry jam bars. A limited beverage selection offers familiar sodas alongside less common choices like chai and mango lassi.
Mulford aims to provide nourishing meals that offer convenience without compromising quality—a contrast to typical corporate dining experiences. The name “Fai” is an acronym for “Futility and Insistence,” symbolizing the creative struggle and determination underlying the venture.
Together, these developments showcase the diversity and innovation in the Boston area’s dining scene, ranging from established concepts expanding their reach to intimate, personalized culinary projects in unexpected locations.