Beloved Boston Restaurant Eastern Standard Is Set for Return Nearby

[This story first appeared on Boston Restaurant Talk.]

It looks like one of Boston's best-known restaurants is being reborn.

According to a Facebook post from the place, Eastern Standard is planning to reopen, moving from its old location within the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square to the upcoming Fenway Center development, a life sciences complex that will sit over the Mass. Pike and will help connect Kenmore Square, Audubon Circle, and the Longwood medical area. The post says the following:

This space may not look like much right now, but come next year, it'll be full - of a new team, of plates of steak frites and bread pudding and burgers and the plat of the day, of guests new and old, of laughter and tears, of whiskey smashes, of cheers when the Sox hit a homer, and of stories. You shared some of those stories with us during these past few years, and we're honored and humbled to hear what a huge part of your lives Eastern Standard became over 15 years.

In early 2021, it was announced that Eastern Standard would not be reopening in its Kenmore Square space, with its space and both the Island Creek Oyster Bar and Hawthorne spaces being taken over by the NYC-based Blue Ribbon Restaurant Group, which has since opened Blue Ribbon Sushi in the former Hawthorne space and Pescador in the former Island Creek Oyster Bar space. Early this year, however, restaurateur Garrett Harker (who was behind all three spots) announced that he was planning to open four "food and beverage concepts" at Bower, a luxury destination on Beacon Street between Kenmore Square and Audubon Circle, though no specifics were given at the time.

If all goes as planned, it looks like Eastern Standard will be reborn in 2023.