Hey Tommy Lee, while filming in New Bedford check out these restaurants visited by celebs
Seth ChitwoodNEW BEDFORD — With actors such as Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster and Jenna Ortega on their way to New Bedford to film "Finestkind," here are some places that were also visited by celebrities that they should check out, too.
According to Monica Mendonca, owner of Little Village Cafe in Fairhaven, she has already been asked to feed cast and crew breakfast during the filming.
But, over the last decade, a few SouthCoast eateries have had the pleasure of welcoming some top celebs to dine with them such as Martha Stewart, Kevin James, Bill Murray and Justin Timberlake.
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Kevin James at Whaling City Diner
In September 2021, "King of Queen's" actor Kevin James visited the Whaling City Diner while passing through the city and apparently hadn't heard of linguica.
"He wasn't familiar with it, I guess," said Elsa Defaria, co-owner of the diner on Purchase Street in a previous interview.
"It was very exciting," Defaria said. "I watched King of Queens, a lot. And I liked Mall Cop."
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Charlie Hunnam at Pa Raffa's
While filming "Jungleland" in Summer 2018, around the Fall River and New Bedford area, a scene was filmed at Pa Raffa's in the South End. Star of the film Charlie Hunnam — known for leading the FX-series "Sons of Anarchy" — also enjoyed a bite at the pizza place. He made appearances at other local watering holes in the New Bedford area during filming.
Hunnam was a popular face in the SouthCoast area. He would pop up all over the city posing with fans and eating out at numerous spots when he wasn't on set.
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Misha Collins at Tia Maria's
While filming his GBH series "Roadfoods," the "Supernatural" star arrived at Tia Maria's European Cafe where he instantly fell in love with the food.
"We tried to serve him all Portuguese stuff," said Tia Maria's owner Jessica Arruda in a previous interview, adding they spoke in great length about the whaling and textile industry and how influential the Portuguese people are to the success of the city.
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"When they initially had called me, I thought they wanted to just use our space to conduct an interview," Arruda added. "I didn't realize that we would be featured on the show.
"It was a pleasant surprise."
Martha Stewart at Antonio’s
On July 16, 2009, Martha Stewart arrived unannounced, with an entourage of six people, to the Portuguese restaurant. According to a report, Stewart has a summer home in Mount Desert Island and wanted to try some seafood.
Antonio's was recommended.
“We had some nice fresh tuna so she ordered that. She had it grilled and it was served with broccoli and round fries,” co-owner Ida Martinho said in an interview with The Standard-Times. Stewart also ordered the bulhao pato, a house special, as an appetizer.
“That was her favorite dish,” Martinho said. “And we also gave her some cod cakes on the house. She enjoyed them, too.”
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Bill Murray, Peter Farrelly at Patti’s Pierogis
On Aug. 12, 2019, Patti's Pierogis' Owner Patti Geary said she was shocked when she realized that Bill Murray was seated in her restaurant.
“He sat down and I thought, ‘That guy looks like Bill Murray,’” said Geary in a previous The Herald interview. “I said to him, ‘Tell me, Bill. What brings you to Fall River?’ And he said, ‘You! Your place!’...They came all the way to Fall River just for pierogis.”
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According to Geary, Murray was staying on Martha’s Vineyard and wanted to check out the restaurant with Academy Award-winning director and Rhode Island native Peter Farrelly.
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“They ate everything. They didn’t leave a thing behind,” said Geary. “They tried Polish pierogis, Polish wine. Bill Murray had the Polish vodka. He was Polish all the way.”
Ten days after being spotted at Patti's Pierogis in Fall River, on Aug. 22, 2019, Bill Murray made another surprising appearance at Café Mimo, a Portuguese restaurant located at 1528 Acushnet Ave.
Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel at Margaret’s
In September 2008, news spread fast after Justin Timberlake and his then-girlfriend (now wife) Jessica Biel, were spotted having breakfast at Margaret's in Fairhaven.
According to a Standard-Times interview, the couple was in town for a wedding of a college classmate of Biel's, who went to school at Tufts University in Boston. Timberlake was spotted also dancing in the street while they waited about 20 minutes for a table.
Timberlake and Biel tried linguiça for the first time.
“They were so down to earth about everything,” said Chelsea Barboza, a server, in an interview. “They were just like any people.”
Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.