Hit Eastern Mediterranean Bakery Sofra Is Expanding to Allston

Sofra, the crowd-favorite Eastern Mediterranean bakery and cafe from the same team behind acclaimed restaurants Oleana and Sarma, is expanding into Allston. The team announced on Instagram that construction has started on a second, larger Sofra location at 210 North Harvard Street, near Western Avenue. The new spot will allow for more production space for the bakery, as well as more seating for diners and more capacity for cooking classes. They’re aiming to open in early summer, per the social media post. For Sofra regulars at the original spot in Cambridge, “nothing will change,” according to the team, “including familiar faces and not enough seats!”

Boston’s liquor license cap is stifling local restaurant growth

The Boston Globe published a detailed look at how the city’s longstanding liquor license cap stymies successful restaurant ownership, especially for Black restaurateurs. Click over for the current eye-popping price tag for a full liquor license; stay for the frustrating tales of restaurant plans that have been scrapped because owners weren’t able to secure licenses.

A Korean American gastropub is coming to the Seaport

Nowon, an NYC-based Korean American gastropub known for its playful menu of kimchi cheeseburgers, honey butter tots, and truffled rice cakes, paired with fun cocktails and an extensive soju selection, is making its way to the Seaport. The opening, which will mark Nowon’s third location and the first outside of New York, is slated for sometime in spring 2024, according to What Now Boston.

A restaurant aiming to be your ‘second living room’ takes flight in Alewife

Chicken tendies? Check. Chocolate lava cakes? Check. Shuffleboard, Ms. Pacman, and a well-curated list of beers on tap? Check, check, and check. Boston Magazine reports that Mothership, a laid-back neighborhood restaurant from the same team behind Revival Cafe & Kitchen, a collection of local coffee shops, is now open in Alewife at 125 Cambridgepark Drive — and there’s free parking available.