Thursday, June 25, 2015

The Friendly Toast Is Taking Over the Zocalo Space in Boston's Back Bay

A pair of eclectic eateries with one location in Cambridge may be joined by a third, with this one slated for a space in Boston where another restaurant currently resides.

Eater Boston is reporting (via a Licensing Board page) that The Friendly Toast is looking to open in the Back Bay, taking over the space on Stanhope Street where Zocalo Cocina Mexicana is. If the license transfer is approved, the new location of the restaurant would join others in Cambridge's Kendall Square and Portsmouth, NH, while the apparent closing of Zocalo would mean there would be no more locations of that dining spot, unless a move or new opening takes place somewhere (the other location of Zocalo closed in Arlington over the winter).

[July 1 update: Universal Hub states that The Friendly Toast has hit a "snag" in its plans to open in the Back Bay, as the Boston Licensing Board won't allow its stated manager to run the shop because the manager is a resident of New Hampshire. (By law, managers of restaurants in Massachusetts that have liquor licenses are required to live in this state.) The Friendly Toast does say that it will replace that manager (who runs the Portsmouth location) with one who lives in the Bay State, though it is not known who that will be and it is also not known when the city of Boston will take up the proposal again.]

[August 26 update: Seacoast Online mentions that Friendly Toast co-owner Eric Goodwin is still planning to open a new location of The Friendly Toast on Stanhope Street, though no other details have been given.]

[September 29 update: According to a source, Zocalo has closed, with a sign out front saying that Friendly Toast will be moving in.]

[January 13, 2016 update: A message from the restaurant indicates that the new Friendly Toast will open in the Back Bay tomorrow (January 14).]

The Friendly Toast is known in part for its all-day breakfasts, with lunch and dinner items also offered.

The address for Zocalo (and the new location of The Friendly Toast) is 35 Stanhope Street, Boston, MA, 02116. The website for both locations can be found at http://www.thefriendlytoast.net/

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