What's New (and What's Saying Goodbye) on Somerville's Food Scene This Fall

Somerville's three newest places to eat and drink, which arrived between August and November, each come with a backstory. Liars in Teele Square is from the Spoke Wine Bar team. First Crush in Union Square began as a wine pop-up. Saint Brigid's Well in Magoun Square moved into a room that has already hosted at least two earlier neighborhood spots. Meanwhile, one of Bow Market's original-era counters is getting ready for its last service, and a Davis Square favorite is preparing a second location.

So yes, here's where to eat this month. Along the way you'll also see how Somerville's dining rooms actually change hands. Mostly it's people the city already knows taking the next step.

Teele Square: Liars, two years in the making

Begin at 1153 Broadway. Liars opened in August, and the Boston Globe's visit in late September found a restaurant run by the team behind Spoke Wine Bar. That makes it the clearest case of a known group placing a second, bigger bet close to home.

The name came from home life. Owner Mary Kurth told the Globe it comes from a line in the Blues Traveler song "Run-Around," "humor me and tell me lies." It was a working title she and her husband used for the two years the restaurant was in development, and eventually it got trimmed to Liars.

Here's what the Globe described inside:

• The rooms: a 14-seat bar room and a 32-seat dining room, with a tin ceiling and cobalt-blue banquettes
• The bars: two of them, one for cocktails overseen by spirits manager and general manager Katie Weismann, and one in the dining room that looks into the kitchen
• The kitchen: chef Paul Butler, a James Beard nominee, cooking shareable plates, bowls and small bites
• The prices: starters and somen noodles at $8 to $20, soups, stews and plates at $15 to $50

The dishes that got the Globe's attention were thin tri-colored somen noodles in a cold tomato broth with pickled daikon, and lamb stewed with zucchini. Butler deepens that stew with red tofu, a fermented bean curd. The review also singled out tuna meatballs in spicy tomato sauce, and dessert was a split, griddled corn muffin served with a scoop of blueberry ice cream.

You can taste the Spoke background in the glass. According to the Globe, the wine list leans natural and reaches as far as Lebanon and Armenia. The cocktail list includes some alcohol-free drinks, plus the calvados-based Humor Me, which comes with an olive frozen inside a clear ice cube. The restaurant's phone number is 617-718-0231.

Magoun Square: the third chapter at 525 Medford Street

Liars shows a known team opening a new room. A mile or so east, Magoun Square shows the other route, where a known room gets a new team.

Saint Brigid's Well is an Irish pub at 525 Medford St. Boston Restaurant Talk reported that it took over the space Daddy Jones used to occupy, and Lil Vinny's was there before that. That makes Saint Brigid's Well at least the third neighborhood spot at this address. An October 2 update to the same post said the pub was open.

The menu sticks to Irish pub cooking: spice bags, sausage and mash, fish and chips, and burgers, along with cocktails and beer. The pub's own site lists hours from noon to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. That makes it one of the later kitchens-and-taps options covered here.

Through three tenants, 525 Medford St. has stayed a neighborhood gathering spot. The name over the door is what changes.

Union Square: one door opens, one counter closes

Union Square has both halves of the story this month, and they're only a few blocks apart.

First Crush moves from pop-up to permanent

First Crush is a natural wine bar and events space at 259 Washington St. Boston Restaurant Talk reported in August that it was moving into the former Juliet Social Club space. Juliet Restaurant is still operating on the same block. Gabrielle Malina runs it, and before this she was known for First Crush's wine pop-ups. In other words, this is a following that existed before the address did.

First Crush scheduled its grand opening for Wednesday, November 4, which the Boston Globe also listed. Its website lists hours of 5 to 11 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, walk-in only. Don't bother looking for a reservation link.

Liars opened in August and First Crush set its grand opening for November 4, which puts two natural-leaning wine lists on opposite ends of the city. Both come from people who built a wine reputation before they signed a lease.

Saus prepares for its last service at Bow Market

The goodbye is at Bow Market. Saus, at 1 Bow Market Way, #12, will close in December. In the owners' announcement, which Boston Restaurant Talk shared, Tanya and Chin wrote that they have run Saus for 15 years between its two locations, and they promised a "giant last-day-of-service party" once the final day is set. They also asked people to "Pour one out for 15 years of Saus."

Its history explains why the closing matters. The first Saus was in downtown Boston from 2011 to 2024 and served burgers, hot dogs, fries and chicken sandwiches. The Somerville counter opened in 2018 and focused on vegetarian food. When the Boston location closed, Bow Market became the only Saus left, and now that chapter is ending too. Watch the Saus social accounts for the final date. The going-away party sounds like a proper Union Square send-off.

Davis Square: a familiar bakery, a second address

Yafa Bakery & Café shows the same pattern as everything above, with an established local business growing into a new space. What Now Boston reported in September that Yafa is working on a second Somerville location at 187 Elm St. in Davis Square. The business is known for Palestinian-inspired pastries, breads, sandwiches, dips, small plates and drinks, and staff confirmed the project was underway.

The season's food calendar: the routines that come back

The places above are permanent changes. The calendar for the next few weeks follows the same idea, because the most dependable part of Somerville's winter food life is a market that comes back every year at a familiar address.

The Somerville Winter Farmers Market started its season on November 7 at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. It runs every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. through April 17, 2027, with two skipped Saturdays, November 28 and December 26. The Armory's listing counts more than 65 local food vendors selling produce, cheese, eggs, meats, fish, breads, tamales, pastries and chocolate. The market accepts SNAP/EBT and HIP benefits and offers a $15 SNAP match each week.

These are the dated food-and-market events between now and early December:

Both Boston Women's Holiday Market dates feature local makers and gourmet treats, which is handy if part of your gift list is edible.

The Union Square Jingle, put on by Union Square Main Streets, spreads out across the square's cafes, bars and shops. Prizes are tied to the Stroll the Square Challenge, Elfie Selfies along the Festivus Trail, and a Storefront Decoration Contest vote. The organizers update the page weekly as December gets closer, and holiday markets are part of the plan. The Jingle falls on a Sunday in December, and Saus has promised its farewell party sometime in December. If the timing works out, a single afternoon in Union Square could include a first glass at First Crush and a last plate at Bow Market.

Somerville storefronts tend to stay in the family, so to speak. A pub follows a pub, a wine pop-up gets its own room, a bakery opens a second address. If you're thinking about what a particular Somerville block or building might look like a few years from now, the team at Rambaud & Guardia Real Estate keeps track of these changes square by square, and we're glad to talk them through over coffee. We may suggest a counter at Bow Market while it's still open.