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Longtime Fenway nook suddenly closes

By adamg on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 1:39pm

Boston Restaurant Talk reports the end of Thornton's Fenway Grille on Peterborough Street.

Neighborhoods: 
Fenway
Topics: 
Dining
Free tagging: 
American food


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Comments

By tachometer on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 1:46pm.

When I lived closer to it a friend and I used to meet up regularly there for breakfast or lunch. There was a very cute waitress who often took care of us and my friend had a mutually flirty banter with her.

One day as we left I asked him why he didn't ask her out and his response was, "Because if it doesn't work out we're going to have to find another spot to eat."

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Voting closed 60

By wrox on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 3:51pm.

A quick scan of Google Maps shows (now more than) half of the 8 restaurant fronts permanently closed, and if I recall correctly, all but 1 of the remaining are pretty new. Such a long single-story building amidst a section that's booming in construction may indicate a plan to replace it with something not unlike the big building going in behind it.

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Voting closed 22

By FenwayRyan on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 4:00pm.

I can already hear the developer's presentation about how they will "activate the block while maintaining Restaurant Row's unique character and appearance" which will translate into a Capital One Café and another Chipotle.

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Voting closed 54

By bgl on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 4:09pm.

I see 5/7 (not including Thorton's) as open. Rod Thai (nee: Rod Dee 2) has been there for decades, and the Gyro place has been there for awhile now. One of the empty spots was Bennett's from Maine and quite frankly... not that great and not too shocking it closed down.

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By anon on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 4:28pm.

They are on Boylston now.

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By Section77 on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 4:17pm.

There may have been one place closed (now to be 2) but everything else was open. The taco place is always good. I guess Google is your friend but not Google Maps.

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Voting closed 22

By BostonDog on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 4:38pm.

About a decade ago there was a fire and it took out the entire block. Everyone assumed that was the end of restaurant row and it would be re-built as condos.

Thankfully (and surprisingly) they rebuilt the block exactly the same as it was before the fire. Even most of the same tenants returned*

I have no idea what will happen in the future but it's a positive sign that the owner wanted to keep it restaurant row.

*The rebuilt El Peon isn't as good as before the fire but it's still a solid burrito.

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Voting closed 26

By FenwayRyan on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 5:21pm.

Sorento's & Umi :(

Interestingly enough, I believe the fire started at Thornton's and spread down the block

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Voting closed 28

By epeemike81 on Wed, 10/16/2024 - 4:24pm.

There's no excuse for a one story building in a city. Keep "restaurant row" if you want, but build 4 stories of infill housing on top of it.

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By eddie on Sun, 10/27/2024 - 3:59pm.

for the wealthy is what this town needs.

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By eddie on Sun, 10/27/2024 - 4:00pm.

is clearly wrong.

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By Frelmont on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 6:09pm.

I’m not on Facebook, so did the restaurant say where the harassment was coming from?

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By adamg on Tue, 10/15/2024 - 7:53pm.

Not Thornton's, but no, they didn't.

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By epeemike81 on Wed, 10/16/2024 - 4:35pm.

I'd occasionally play trivia at Thornton's. Kinda a weird spot: full liquor license, but closed at 9.

I'm sure that location and liquor license can be put to better use (either together or separately).

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Voting closed 7

By eddie on Mon, 10/28/2024 - 5:54pm.

for three decades. Nothing weird about it. The place thrived. Post Covid it lagged like many other places and they curtailed their hours. They also had difficulty hiring and retaining quality employees in a globalized city fully steeped in gentrification. The owner was more interested in being a good neighbor and running a restaurant in a residential neighborhood, than he was with running a late night bar and serving the needs of the party crowd. He did well, and was liked by many.

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Voting closed 8