Greater Boston’s Newest Food Hall Opens in Kendall Square

Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Rumors of the decline of the food hall era have been (hopefully) exaggerated: A new one called Eastern Edge debuts today in Cambridge’s Kendall Square, with operators gambling that there’s still demand for an efficiency and variety of fast-casual meal options under one roof. Quick counter service, high ceilings, and industrial-chic vibes are still arguably catnip for office workers on a lunch break or groups trying to accommodate wide-ranging dinner preferences, where everyone can order from a different spot. Eastern Edge sweetens the deal with an exciting lineup of local vendors serving everything from Caribbean patties to Korean bibimbap to grab-and-go sushi rolls. It’s a compelling mix of familiar brands and up-and-comers.

The recent almost-closure of Time Out Market Boston and the January loss of Plant City in Providence caused food-hall hesitance to bubble back up: Are food halls just a simple rebranding of the classic mall food court (or perhaps, more generously, their “up-and-coming sibling,”) thus doomed as an ill-fated fad? We think not: They’ve thrived for around a decade, with food hall discourse practically unavoidable in food media around 2017-2018. (A 2017 article from Slate traces the roots of the food hall era back a decade further, calling Eataly “[probably] the food hall that started it all,” debuting in Italy in 2007 and New York City three years later.) Here in Boston, it seemed like a new food hall was announced every week around 2018-2019, although actually getting the doors open took a while as several venues hit pandemic delays (Hub Hall finally opened in 2021; High Street Place in 2022). Here’s hoping our appetite for food halls continues into the 2030s, when L Street Station might finally open in South Boston.

Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Signs do point to their continued survival: the rescue of Time Out, the massive weekday lunch rush at High Street Place, the crowded events at open-air food hall-ish venues Bow Market and the Speedway. “Counterintuitively, food halls proved to be the most resilient of the models out there that came through the pandemic,” says Phil Colicchio of Colicchio Consulting, whose firm helped develop more than 100 food halls across the country, including Eastern Edge, and just released a “state of the food hall” report tracking data on 400 venues.

He points to a few factors in halls’ favor: one, simply, is the design, “with very little fixed furniture.” The quick-service stalls are already primed to pivot to takeout and delivery, and flexible layouts allow for private and public events. “‘Experiential’ is an overused word, but [customers] want an experiential component,” he says. “You have to design [food halls] with an eye toward what you’re going to do after 5 p.m. to extend the hours.” Live music, trivia, other events—that’s how you sell more drinks (the most important piece of the financial equation for food halls) and “build trust with customers,” says Colicchio. “‘If I’m going to do something tonight,’ we hope they’ll say, ‘I’m going to go over to Eastern Edge, because I trust that something is going on.’”

Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

He’s optimistic about the state of food halls, obviously, and Eastern Edge operators the Gather Group are optimistic, too. (They currently operate one, Hey Day Market, in Alabama, with five or six more food halls in development around the country.) And hey, we’re also optimistic: Eastern Edge seems poised to bolster the case on the survival—or better, the success—of food halls.

Here’s the lowdown on what you’ll eat in the 11,000-square-foot space, lounging on a cozy couch, perhaps, or perched on a stool at a vendor’s counter, or hanging out at the bar.

Clover’s rosemary fries and chickpea fritter sandwich with hibiscus iced tea in the foreground, and a rice and bean bowl with tostones and blood orange lemonade in the background, at Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

There’s Clover, the Cambridge-born vegetarian fast-casual chain that started as a food truck just steps from Eastern Edge. With a focus on local sourcing, Clover is constantly changing its menu, but you’ll see longtime classics like the chickpea fritter sandwich and rosemary fries.

Bulgogi beef bibimbap and a spicy pork bowl at Perillas at Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Bibimbap-inspired Perillas Korean Kitchen got its start as a vendor at Somerville’s Bow Market and later opened a permanent location in Allston/Brighton. Here, Perillas also offers its modern Korean rice bowls, featuring toppings such as bulgogi beef and spicy pork.

Sirloin bánh hỏi and phở from Việt Citron at Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Born in Burlington with a recent expansion to Bow Market, Vietnamese restaurant Việt Citron tops bánh mì and bánh hỏi (bundles of rice noodles) with ultra-crispy pork belly. (There are other toppings, too, but we can’t get enough of that one.) There’s phở, too, and everything is scratch-made. “I would rank [owner Tran Lee] as a top chef in Boston to build layers of flavor,” says Marc Osier, vice president of food hall operations for Gather Group, who, on the search for vendors, spent the better part of the past year eating his way through Boston. (We can relate).

Avocado costra and birria tacos from Lone Star Taco Stand at Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Ah, Lone Star Taco Bar, what would we do without your late-night Sonoran dogs and tasty tacos? With full-service locations in Allston and Cambridge, Lone Star focuses its food hall business—dubbed Lone Star Taco Stand—mainly on tacos, with fillings such as mushroom asada, Baja fried fish, and beef barbacoa; watch as the corn tortillas are made onsite. There are a handful of other items, including a burrito stuffed with refried beans and Oaxacan and longhorn cheeses.

Fuji Sushi offers grab-and-go sushi at Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The JP Fuji Group, behind the Fuji Japanese restaurants around Greater Boston (including a counter-service location at High Street Place) and other concepts, is one of two “micro-vendors” at Eastern Edge. Fuji Sushi offers a variety of grab-and-go maki, nigiri, and sashimi, brought over three times a day from Fuji at Kendall down the street.

Saucy chicken tenders and fried haddock with mac and cheese, cornbread, and collard greens from Everybody Gotta Eat at Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Caterer, influencer, and event organizer Emmanuel “Manny” Mervil—a Cambridge native who runs an annual cookout nearby, along with countless other food events around town—recently opened the Pop-Up Kitchen in Hyde Park, providing space for several chefs to serve soul food. Under his own brand name, Everybody Gotta Eat, his Eastern Edge counter draws inspiration from Southern and Caribbean comfort foods. One must-try? “The best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my life,” says Osier, “and I’m from Alabama. I was sold right away, first bite.” Mervil is also running the other micro-vendor, Chatty Patty, with grab-and-go beef, chicken, shrimp, and veggie patties.

A fried red snapper sandwich, smashburger, and fries from Juicy Jay’s at Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Juicy Jay’s is the first brick-and-mortar food business for local caterer and private chef Jonas Beausejour, who also grew up in Cambridge. His Eastern Edge stall features smashburgers and other sandwiches, such as crispy red snapper on brioche with bacon, coleslaw, lettuce, and a fiery scotch bonnet mayo.

A latte, croissant sandwich, and pastries at Bacaro Café & Bar at Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Bacaro Café & Bar—a Venetian-inspired café-by-day, wine-bar-by-night—rounds out the vendor list. A Gather Group-created brand, this is the only non-local vendor, but that’s by design. It anchors one side of the hall in an area that can host private events, and Gather didn’t want to periodically shut down business for the other vendors whenever there’s an event. Chainmail-esque curtains allow for customizable blocking-off of the space. But when there’s not an event, you can grab espresso and pastries in the morning and cicchetti (little Italian snacks), salads, charcuterie boards, and more starting at 11 a.m.

Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

At the other end of the hall is another bar, with televisions embedded in a way that they’re visible from the bar seats but somewhat hidden from view from the rest of the space—they don’t ruin the vibe, but yeah, people are going to want to watch sports. “The goal [for this bar] is a warm, inviting neighborhood gathering spot,” says Osier.

Spanning a block of Main Street, right by the Red Line, the sizable food hall seats 275, with plenty of outdoor seating planned for warmer months. Watch for third-party takeout and delivery to launch soon, from a dedicated counter with spaces to keep orders warm or cool. And keep an eye out for a sure-to-be-packed entertainment calendar, as the team echoes Colicchio’s assertion that making the venue “experiential” is a top priority.

Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

While all but one vendor are firmly rooted in the Greater Boston food scene, Gather Group is a subsidiary of Alabama-based Ithaka Hospitality Partners. Hans van der Reijden, founder and CEO of both groups, is a longtime hotelier who’s been instrumental in turning an Alabama college town into a hospitality destination. Here’s hoping that magic touch extends to MIT territory.

As Osier puts it: “[This is] the most innovative square mile on the planet. This is going to be fun.”

Eastern Edge. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Now open, with takeout and delivery launching in a few weeks. MIT folks, you can use your TechCASH here. 290 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge, easternedgefoodhall.com.