Boston-area restaurants closed due to the pandemic
March 26, 2021

A view of Nathalie Wine Bar closed for hibernation during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021. A sign on the door reads, "To our loyal patrons, Nathalie Wine Bar will be closed through the winter months, until further notice. We can't seem to smoothly maneuver things that are out of our immediate control & because of the lack of concern & the irresponsibility of the federal/state government, small businesses are struggling to stay alive."

So many restaurants in the Boston area closed temporarily over the winter due to the pandemic. Some called it "hibernation" while others bristle at that term. Mostly for the historical record, I set out over the course of a few days to photograph many of the shuttered storefronts and the sometimes handwritten letters posted on their doors thanking costumers and neighbors for the support and hoping for better days. The restaurants here are in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville.

Signs in the windows of Boston Beer Works near Fenway Park read "See you next season," and "Times have changed," and "But loyalty is forever," while the restaurant and bar is temporarily closed during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021. All locations of Boston Beer Works closed on March 16, 2020. An announcement on the company's website reads, in part that the bars will remain closed "until the Governor determines it is safe for our industry to resume operations. ... We greatly appreciate all the support that our fans have provided us and our staff. These are challenging times, but we will rally together and weather this storm like we have so many others in the past."
Chairs and tables stand in the former space of Ora Trattoria along Boyston Street in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sun., Jan. 10, 2021. The restaurant shut down in January 2020, before widespread closures due to the then unknown coronavirus pandemic. Another restaurant had been planned for the space, but those plans had been abandoned as of August 2020, when the toll of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic on restaurants was well-known.
Paper covers the windows of Orfano, a Fenway-area restaurant that went into hibernation on Nov. 1, 2020 during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021. In an interview with the Boston Globe, owner Tiffani Faison said that the restaurant interior could not be reconfigured for safe indoor dining. "I'm deeply aware that I don't just get a mulligan...This is a decision I'll be paying for for a very long time, but I don't find myself in a place where I feel like I have a choice," she said.
Paper decorated with a rainbow and a handwritten note to customers cover the windows and front door of Commonwealth, a restaurant in Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Mon., Jan. 4, 2021. The note on the door reads "Thank you Kendall Sq. and all of our guests for your continued support! We will be back next year to serve up your favorite food! [Heart] CW." In an interview with Boston Eater, Commonwealth owner Steve "Nookie" Postal talked about his decision to hibernate the restaurant in Sept. 2020, stating that it's not a closure: " No. Hibernating, like a bear. ‘Til when? ‘Til this shit is over."
Black Lamb, a restaurant in Boston's South End, announced a temporary closure from December 24, 2020, to April 1st, 2021, to weather the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, seen here in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sun., Jan. 10, 2021.
Sal's Pizza, across the street from Fenway Park, has closed temporarily during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, seen here on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021. A sign in the window states that it will reopen when "government restrictions are lifted."
Paper decorated with a rainbow and a handwritten note to customers cover the windows and front door of Commonwealth, a restaurant in Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Mon., Jan. 4, 2021. The note on the door reads "Thank you Kendall Sq. and all of our guests for your continued support! We will be back next year to serve up your favorite food! [Heart] CW." In an interview with Boston Eater, Commonwealth owner Steve "Nookie" Postal talked about his decision to hibernate the restaurant in Sept. 2020, stating that it's not a closure: " No. Hibernating, like a bear. ‘Til when? ‘Til this shit is over."
A sign on the front door of Back Deck indicates that the Downtown Crossing restaurant has gone into temporary closure hibernation due to restrictions on restaurants put in place during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sat., Jan. 9, 2021. A Dec. 9, 2020, announcement from Back Deck and sister-restaurant French Quarter proprietor Brad Fredericks, stated, in part: "We tried earnestly to remain open since our restart in late June, and reached a level of stabilization in October, but recently just too much damn COVID...We will continue to monitor COVID cases, vaccine implementation, returning activity in our downtown neighborhood, potential government stimulus…and will reopen when we determine it prudent. My sincere hope is that reopening will ocur while we are still in winter months. In the meantime, our social distancing mannequins will keep the seat warm for you."
Paper covers the windows of Little Donkey, a restaurant in Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Mon., Jan. 4, 2021. A typewritten note on the door by Ken and Jamie reads, in part, "This year has been the toughest of our careers...we have been fighting for our staff, their health, their well-being...Now we pivot again. Little Donkey will go into a 'hibernation' today in order to reopen the business on the other side." A sign inside the doorway displays the hashtag #saverestaurants.
On December 7, 2020, Delux Cafe, a restaurant and bar in Boston's South End, announced a temporary closure due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The restaurant's hibernation will continue until further notice, according to a note posted to Instagram. Signs on the exterior of the restaurant read "Delux is temporarily closed / We'll miss you / Merry Christmas / Happy New Year / See Ya Later 2020 / Stay Safe / Take Care of Each Other" and "Thanks to our amazing neighbors, regulars and friends. We can't wait to see you all again," in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sun., Jan. 10, 2021. The sign also includes the name of a Venmo account for people to contribute to a fund supporting Delux's employees.
With its sign dark in the night, American Flatbread (Sacco's Bowl Heaven) is temporarily closed in hibernation due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Davis Square in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Tue., Jan. 26, 2021. A Dec. 15, 2020, announcement from the restaurant states, in part: "Sadly, we will be joining the many restaurants unable to stay open through the winter.... We’ll be posting to remind you that we love you and to announce pop-ups....Without relief, there will be many closures and a lot of businesses will not reopen. We consider ourselves very lucky to have a plan and the opportunity to reopen in the spring."
No. 9 Park, a restaurant in the Barbara Lynch Collective, has been temporarily closed for the month of January 2021 due to restrictions on restaurants put in place during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sat., Jan. 9, 2021. A sign on the front door reads, in part: "With the health and safety of our employees, guests, and the greater Boston community in mind, we have decided to temporarily close all Barbara Lynch Collective restaurants, including No. 9 Park, for on-premise dining until February 2021."
A sign on the doors and windows of Milk Street Cafe, indicates that the establishment is temporarily closed in hibernation due to restrictions on restaurants put in place during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sat., Jan. 9, 2021. The restaurant closed on Oct. 27, 2020, and an announcement at the time stated that it would reopen once "more of our customers are able to return to their offices."
Signs on the doors to Time Out Market announce ""We're hitting the snooze button. Time Out Market will be out of hibernation when we can all party again. 'Til then, let's all continue to support local faves," in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021. The hibernation period began on Dec. 20, 2020.
Despite a banner reading "Now open for lunch Monday-Friday," Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, a high-end diner in Davis Square, is temporarily closed in hibernation due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Davis Square in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Tue., Jan. 26, 2021. On Dec. 27, 2020, the restaurant announced the closure on Instagram, reading, in part: "It’s with heavy hearts that we announce today is our last RoseBrunch for a while. We’re making the very difficult & heartbreaking decision to close our diner doors & turn off our neon for the winter....We aren’t calling this a hibernation because that feels cute & natural and this is anything but that. We need aid & relief from our city & government that we just aren’t getting right now." The vintage neon sign is normally a fixture in the area at night, but it has been turned off since Dec. 27.
A piece of caution tape is seen on the temporarily closed Lucky Strike, part of a bowling alley chain with bars and restaurants inside, located across Lansdowne Street from Fenway Park, is temporarily closed during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, seen here on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021. A sign on the door announces that the business closed since March 16, 2020.
Chairs are seen piled up in an closed area of the indoor dining room of Caffe Nero in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021. Indoor dining in restaurants is currently limited to 25% of total capacity, so many establishments have closed sections of their indoor dining space.
"Social distancing mannequins" are seen inside Back Deck, a restaurant in Downtown Crossing, that has gone into temporary closure hibernation due to restrictions on restaurants put in place during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sat., Jan. 9, 2021. A Dec. 9, 2020, announcement from Back Deck and sister-restaurant French Quarter proprietor Brad Fredericks, stated, in part: "We tried earnestly to remain open since our restart in late June, and reached a level of stabilization in October, but recently just too much damn COVID...We will continue to monitor COVID cases, vaccine implementation, returning activity in our downtown neighborhood, potential government stimulus…and will reopen when we determine it prudent. My sincere hope is that reopening will ocur while we are still in winter months. In the meantime, our social distancing mannequins will keep the seat warm for you."
Paper covers the windows of Little Donkey, a restaurant in Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Mon., Jan. 4, 2021. A typewritten note on the door by Ken and Jamie reads, in part, "This year has been the toughest of our careers...we have been fighting for our staff, their health, their well-being...Now we pivot again. Little Donkey will go into a 'hibernation' today in order to reopen the business on the other side." A sign inside the doorway displays the hashtag #saverestaurants.
The Lansdowne Pub, located across Lansdowne Street from Fenway Park, is temporarily closed during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Boston, Massachusetts, seen here on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021. The plants appear to have been moved to the window to maximize their exposure to sunlight during the closure. A facebook post from the bar on Nov. 28, 2020, states that the Lansdowne hopes to reopen in March 2021.
With its sign dark in the night, American Flatbread (Sacco's Bowl Heaven) is temporarily closed in hibernation due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic in Davis Square in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Tue., Jan. 26, 2021. A Dec. 15, 2020, announcement from the restaurant states, in part: "Sadly, we will be joining the many restaurants unable to stay open through the winter.... We’ll be posting to remind you that we love you and to announce pop-ups....Without relief, there will be many closures and a lot of businesses will not reopen. We consider ourselves very lucky to have a plan and the opportunity to reopen in the spring."
All content © 2005-2025 M. Scott Brauer