Massachusetts
Massachusetts' Best Mom & Pop Restaurant Serves Italian and American Classics
It’s no secret that we have a loud and proud foodie population here in New England, and with good reason. Our restaurant industry is killing it, and there’s never a shortage of new establishments opening their doors to the public. You can never run out of places to visit for your next dining experience, especially in Massachusetts
When it comes to highlighting the best establishments around, no one does a better job than LoveFood. From discussing the nation’s top restaurants to sharing recipes, news, commentaries, and more, LoveFood is a foodie’s digital paradise.
Recently, the website turned their attention to mom & pop restaurants – the local establishments that are typically family-owned-and-operated, and always known for their friendly service and comforting, down-home cuisine. LoveFood analyzed “user reviews, awards and accolades, and the first-hand experience of our team” to determine the best mom & pop restaurant in each state, and their verdict for Massachusetts is a spot that offers Italian and American classics in the heart of Boston’s North End.
Theo’s Cozy Corner Restaurant
First off, doesn’t the name of this place scream “cozy mom & pop restaurant” to you? It sure does to us.
Located at 162 Salem Street, Theo’s Cozy Corner Restaurant prides itself on serving Italian and American staple dishes, as well as a house special that pays homage to owner Theo Cristo’s Brazilian roots.
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LoveFood elaborated more on what one can expect from dining at Theo’s:
This tiny spot in Boston’s North End started off life as just Cozy Corner, and current owner Theo Cristo started working there as a dishwasher in 1989. He eventually ended up buying the restaurant and added his name to the joint, which is a super-popular breakfast and lunch destination for locals. It serves up Italian and American classics, including pasta and sandwiches, while the house special is muqueca: a seafood stew from Theo’s native Brazil.
A quick look at the official Theo’s Facebook page shows some of the many delicious eats the establishment has to offer. Which dish looks most appealing to you?
Theo’s Cozy Corner Restaurant via Facebook
Theo’s Cozy Corner Restaurant via Facebook
Theo’s Cozy Corner Restaurant via Facebook
To learn more about Massachusetts’ best mom & pop restaurant, click here.
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Massachusetts
Swimmer pulled from Houghton’s Pond after search
A teenager was pulled from a pond in Milton, Massachusetts, after he went missing while swimming Saturday night.
The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said the teenaged male was taken to a Boston area hospital following the incident at Houghton’s Pond. It’s unclear how long the teen was under water, and there was no immediate word on his condition.
State police had said earlier that they responded to the pond shortly after 7 p.m. for a person who entered the water and didn’t resurface. State police divers, detectives, troopers, and the Milton Fire Department were all on scene involved in the search.
The DA’s office is conducting an investigation with state police that remains ongoing. Further information is not being released at this time.
This story will be updated when we learn more
Massachusetts
Mass. man charged with posing as teen, exposing himself to 12-, 13-year-old girls
A Massachusetts man is facing multiple charges for allegedly engaging in inappropriate communications and exposing himself to children.
Orate Kyle Graham, 20, of Bridgewater, was arrested this week on two counts of disseminating obscene material to a minor and one count of accosting or annoying another person.
Bridgewater police said they were made aware Tuesday of allegations involving interactions between several girls age 12 and 13 and an individual known to them only as “Jay.” The individual said he was 17 years old during conversations with the girls through FaceTime and in person.
Through an investigation, police identified “Jay” as Graham, and also found that he had regularly engaged in interactions with the minor victims. During those interactions, he allegedly exposed himself and asked the girls to expose themselves to him.
He was arrested Thursday and taken to the Plymouth County House of Correction, where he was held on $25,000 bail. The case remains under investigation by Bridgewater police and the Plymouth District Attorney’s Office.
Massachusetts
Fisherman reels in white shark off Massachusetts, then snags the hook from its toothy mouth
BILLERICA, Mass. (AP) — Elliot Sudal didn’t need a bigger boat, but he did need to find a way to get a hook out of a shark’s mouth.
Sudal, a veteran angler and boat captain, reeled in the nearly nine-foot shark — also commonly known as a great white shark or a great white — on June 7 on Nantucket. White sharks are a protected species in the U.S. and must be released immediately when accidentally caught.
That presents a nasty problem for a fisherman because the white shark is a formidable apex predator best known for the 1975 movie Jaws, in which Roy Scheider utters the famous line “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” upon seeing the big fish. Sudal, who caught the shark while fishing from shore, decided to use his encounter to demonstrate how to respond to such a situation.
Sudal posted a video of himself removing the hook to his social media accounts. In the video, Sudal climbs onto the back of the shark, secures the fish in the surf, and removes the hook from its mouth. By the end of the short video, the shark is back in the water.
White sharks typically have about 300 teeth arranged into five rows, so speed was key.
“Hooks out and back on her way in 15 seconds, not sure how to do it better,” Sudal wrote in an Instagram post that included a video of the shark release.
Sudal is no stranger to sharks, and has caught and tagged hundreds of them over the years. He said in a social media post that this month’s encounter with a white shark was the first time he has ever caught one of them in more than a decade of the work.
Sudal’s practices have sometimes attracted the attention of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, such as in 2017, when the agency investigated his handling of a smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species, in Florida. The agency said in 2018 that it sent Sudal a letter “informing him of the Endangered Species Act issues and the safe handling protocol for sawfish.”
White sharks are not listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, but are subject to special federal protections. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers them vulnerable globally.
Sightings of white sharks off New England have ticked up in recent years, and some scientists have pinned that to the greater availability of the seals that they prey on. Dangerous encounters between white sharks and humans are extremely rare, and only a few dozen fatal white shark bites on people have ever been recorded.
___
Whittle reported from Portland, Maine.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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