food & drink

Popular Newburyport Restaurant Moving to Historic Space Downtown

Facebook/Brine Oyster Bar

[This story first appeared on Boston Restaurant Talk.]

A popular restaurant in Newburyport is looking to move into an adjacent space that has a lot of history behind it.

According to an article in The Daily News, Brine Oyster Bar on State Street is planning to move next door into the old Fowle's News space, with owner Nancy Batista-Caswell saying that  she would be "honored to takeover a space that has left such a legacy in the our community."

Fowle's, which closed down approximately 10 years ago, dated all the way back to around 1900 and was known in part for its iconic sign, with Caswell saying of the storefront, "It weighs heavily on me -- the history of the space -- and I don't want to upset our community by making the changes, but I also see the challenges of what other restaurants have had in the space without making tweaks to the location that has left it abandoned for a few years now." If all goes as planned, Brine could open in its new home around the end of April or in early May, and it hopes to have an expanded steak menu to go along with the larger space.

In addition to Brine, Caswell and her restaurant group also run Oak + Rowan in Boston's Fort Point area, while a third restaurant--Ceia--closed in November of 2020 with Bar 25 in Ayer getting ready to expand its former home on State Street.

The current address for Brine (which is currently closed as they get ready to make the move) is 25 State Street while its new home will be at 17 State Street.

by Marc Hurwitz

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]


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