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The pizzeria is moving into the former &Pizza and Milk Bar combo shop in Harvard Square

An iconic NYC slice shop has set its sights on Boston. Joe’s Pizza is planning to move into a sought-after Harvard Square space about to be vacated by another NYC-based shop, the dessert chain Milk Bar.

Joe’s Pizza is known for its traditional New York-style slices marked by thin, crisp crusts and classic, fuss-free toppings. The original Joe’s Pizza location opened in Greenwich Village in 1975, and the slice shop now counts five locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, plus two locations in Michigan and Florida. According to the Boston Globe, owner Joe Pozzuoli is hoping to open the Harvard Square shop in the next six months.

Pozzuoli, who was born in Boston, told the Globe that he intends to stay in Harvard Square “long term,” and acknowledged that his new address is “a special corner” of the neighborhood. That much is true: 3 Brattle Street was once home to popular gastropub Tory Row before it flipped into a combo fast-casual pizza shop and bakery occupied by chef Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar and D.C.-based chain &Pizza. (Long-running newsstand Crimson Corner also closed to make way for the new shop, which took over both storefronts.) The combination store was proposed after &Pizza ran into opposition from community members who were concerned about yet another pizza shop — and this one an out-of-town chain — opening in the neighborhood. &Pizza closed down three years later, in May 2022, while Milk Bar is shutting down on February 19.

It’s unclear if Joe’s Pizza has run into any similar opposition given that it, too, is another pizza shop opening in the neighborhood. Eater has reached out to Cambridge’s zoning and development board and Pozzuoli’s team for more information on the expansion.

[This story first appeared on Boston Restaurant Talk.]

It looks like a legendary New York City pizzeria is making plans to expand to the local area.

According to an article from The Boston Globe, Joe’s Pizza is looking to open in the space where &Pizza had been in Cambridge’s Harvard Square–and where Milk Bar currently resides, but only until February 19 when it closes. Joe’s, whose original location is in Greenwich Village, is known for its classic NYC-style slices of thin-crust pizza; three other locations of the pizzeria can be found in Manhattan along with one in Brooklyn and one in Ann Arbor, MI.

Milk Bar and &pizza first opened in the former Tory Row/Crimson Corner space in 2019, with &pizza closing last May.

The address for the upcoming Joe’s Pizza in Harvard Square is 3 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for all locations can be found at https://www.joespizzanyc.com/

Coming soon: People who say that you can’t find a true New York slice in Boston might soon change their minds: Greenwich Village classic Joe’s Pizza is coming to town.

They plan to open in Harvard Square’s Milk Bar space (3 Brattle St.), says owner Joe Pozzuoli (who, coincidentally, was actually born in Boston). Milk Bar, another New York export, will close on Feb. 19. It opened in 2019, serving cereal milk soft-serve and pies. The &pizza chain also shared the space for a spell.

Pozzuoli hopes to stay in the neighborhood long term. “This is a special corner,” he says.

He describes Joe’s as a “classic New York slice: We’re tried and true, with an old-style, authentic recipe. We’re not trying to change the game. It will be identical to what we’ve been serving since 1975,” he says.

The shop will have about 30 seats, with al fresco seating in warm weather. Joe’s aims to open within the next six months. When it does, what should you order? Pozzuoli says you can’t go wrong with the classic cheese slice.

As for why Milk Bar is closing, a spokeswoman had this to say: “Our Harvard Square location originally opened under a sublease and once the primary tenant left the space, we were able to continue operating our small portion, but ultimately it’s our understanding that the landlord found a new tenant to take over the full space.”

Last spring, it was reported that a Washington, D.C.-based pizza chain had closed its only Boston-area location, though a New York-based bakery within the space would remain open. Now we have learned that the bakery is shutting down as well.

According to a poster within the Friends of Boston’s Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, Milk Bar in the Harvard Square section of Cambridge is closing, with a note out front at the Brattle Street spot saying that its last day in operation will be February 19. Both Milk Bar and &pizza first opened in the former Tory Row/Crimson Corner space in 2019, with the pizza spot closing last May.

Milk Bar, which has shops in New York City, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Vancouver, was once called “one of the most exciting bakeries in the country” by Bon Appetit Magazine.

The address for the Harvard Square location of Milk Bar is 3 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138.

[Earlier Article]&pizza in Cambridge’s Harvard Square Has Closed; Milk Bar Remains Open for Now

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

It’s an abrupt end to the combo store, which underwent a hard-fought battle to open in Harvard Square four years ago

Dessert chain Milk Bar, run by lauded pastry chef Christina Tosi, is calling it quits on its lone Boston-area location nine months after its partner in the Harvard Square space, fast-casual pizza chain &Pizza, also shut down. A sign posted on Milk Bar’s front window says the last day of service is February 19, according to the industry blog Boston Restaurant Talk.

The bubblegum pink-hued bakery debuted its first Boston-area location under unusual circumstances in February 2019. D.C.-based pizza chain &Pizza was already jockeying for a prime space in Harvard Square, but it was hitting roadblocks with community members in part because it was a pizza chain trying to open in an area already full of pizza restaurants. &Pizza’s leadership sweetened the proposition by promising that the operation would be a collaboration with candy-coated industry darling Milk Bar, run by Tosi, who got her start in chef David Chang’s Momofuku universe. (Both brands share an investor in RSE Ventures.) The Harvard Square location, a nod to old-school fast food combo shops, marked both &Pizza and Milk Bar’s first restaurants in the city.

The collaboration appeared to be well-received at first, with Milk Bar churning out its signature confetti sprinkles-laced birthday cakes and &Pizza producing its oblong-shaped pies, but the idea did not survive the pandemic. Last May, &Pizza shuttered its side of the restaurant, leaving Milk Bar as the lone tenant in the space. Now, the bakery has announced that it is shutting down at the end of next week.

Eater has reached out to Milk Bar for more information on the closure and will update this post if we hear back.

Last spring, it was reported that a Washington, D.C.-based pizza chain had closed its only Boston-area location, though a New York-based bakery within the space would remain open. Now we have learned that the bakery is shutting down as well.

According to a poster within the Friends of Boston’s Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page, Milk Bar in the Harvard Square section of Cambridge is closing, with a note out front at the Brattle Street spot saying that its last day in operation will be February 19. Both Milk Bar and &pizza first opened in the former Tory Row/Crimson Corner space in 2019, with the pizza spot closing last May.

Milk Bar, which has shops in New York City, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Vancouver, was once called “one of the most exciting bakeries in the country” by Bon Appetit Magazine.

The address for the Harvard Square location of Milk Bar is 3 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138.

[Earlier Article]&pizza in Cambridge’s Harvard Square Has Closed; Milk Bar Remains Open for Now

Record low temperatures neither dampened the spirits of parade participants, nor deterred die-hard fans.

CAMBRIDGE — Temperatures hovered just above 13 degrees, but Christopher Rivers was decked out for Saturday’s Hasty Pudding parade in a blue miniskirt and glittery sheer top, the hairs on his bare legs standing at attention.

“It’s mind over matter. When the wind isn’t actively blowing, it’s actually OK, but every now and then a breeze comes along,” said Rivers, a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals tech crew. Despite pleas from friends, Rivers kept the pants he had beenwearing underneath his costume earlier that day stuffed deep in a jacket pocket.

“It’s a matter of aesthetics, and I’ll do anything for the bit,” Rivers said.

The costume, borrowed from a previous year’s show, was part of the tradition of Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Club’s annual parade, which this year honored Jennifer Coolidge as the 73rd Woman of the Year for her contributions to the entertainment industry, including, most recently, her Emmy-winning performance on HBO series “The White Lotus.” Pastwinners of the award, which began in 1951, have included Meryl Streep, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, and Anne Hathaway.

Bob Odenkirk, 60, the Emmy-winning actor, producer, and writer, was honored Thursday night as Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year.

CAMBRIDGE – “The White Lotus” actress Jennifer Coolidge is being celebrated Saturday as the 2023 Woman of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

As the oldest theatrical organization in the nation and one of the oldest in the world, since 1951, Hasty Pudding Theatricals has bestowed this award annually on women “who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.”

Coolidge, who saw a career resurgence following her Emmy-winning turn as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt in the acclaimed HBO series “The White Lotus,” headlined a parade through the streets of Cambridge Saturday afternoon. Dressed in a leopard print coat and donning a fluffy pink hat, she waved to the crowd that had come out despite unusually frigid temperatures.

Coolidge, who also played Stifler’s sultry mom in “American Pie” and sage manicurist Paulette in the “Legally Blonde” movies, grew up in the Boston area. Later in the evening, she will attend a roast where she will be presented with her Pudding Pot award.

“It is an absolute dream for us to honor Jennifer Coolidge as our Woman of the Year on the heels of her recent accolades for ‘The White Lotus,'” Producer Sarah Mann said in a statement. “We know our Pudding Pot will look phenomenal alongside her new Golden Globe, and we swear we won’t whisk her away to a palazzo in Palermo!”

Her other film credits include roles in “Best In Show,” “A Mighty Wind” and “Shotgun Wedding,” and she has appeared in multiple television shows, including “Seinfeld,” “2 Broke Girls” and “Nip/Tuck.”

A restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood that opened a couple of years ago is expanding across the river.

According to a source, WakuWaku Ramen & Sake is getting ready to open a new location in the Harvard Square section of Cambridge, with the website for the place indicating that it plans to debut on February 1. The original location opened on Tyler Street in Chinatown in the spring of 2021, offering an array of ramen and sake options along with such items as wings, duck bun, fried oysters, shrimp tempura, kimchi, shumai, pork chops, and more.

The website for WakuWaku mentions that another outlet could be coming to Waltham at some point as well.

The address for the new location of WakuWaku in Harvard Square is 33 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for the business can be found at https://www.wakuwakuramen.com/