The James Pub & Provisions to Open in Former Center Cafe Space in Needham

by Marc Hurwitz

It looks like a pub is replacing an upscale restaurant in a Boston suburb that has little in the way of pubs.

According to a source (Lynda Damato McConville), The James Pub & Provisions is opening in Needham, moving into the space on Great Plain Avenue where The Center Cafe had been until closing last month. This jibes with an earlier Patch article that said Stuart Henry and Cormac Dowling are behind the upcoming spot, which Newton-Needham Regional Chamber describes as an "Irish gastropub." We are told that Henry has been involved with the Washington Street Tavern in Brookline while Dowling has been at The Abbey (also in Brookline), and it appears that Dowling is also involved in the Washington Street Tavern as well.

The Center Cafe first opened in early 2010, taking over the space where Fava had been.

The address for the upcoming James Pub & Provisions is 1027 Great Plain Avenue, Needham, MA, 02492. Its website is at https://www.thejamespub.com/

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