Business

See the Watertown Restaurants Approved for Outdoor Seating

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Deluxe Town Diner was one of several Watertown restaurants recently approved to have outdoor seating. Ten Watertown restaurants have been approved to have outdoor by the Town as part of a the COVID-19 reopening. Last week, the Licensing Board approved a temporary measure to allow Town Manager Michael Driscoll to approve temporary outdoor seating at restaurants in town. The following restaurants have been approved to have outdoor seating:

Gerry’s Italian Kitchen1072 Belmont Street

La Bodega21 Nichols Avenue

Conley’s Pub & Grille164 Belmont Street

Deluxe Town Diner627 Mount Auburn Street

Greg’s Restaurant821 Mount Auburn Street

Ixtapa Mexican Grill18 Mount Auburn Street

Ritcey East208 Waverley Avenue

Shiraz Cuisine72 Bigelow Avenue

Stellina47 Main Street

Tresca’s Eating Place25 Church Street

Before the local measure was passed, restaurants already approved to have outdoor seating could open on June 8, when Phase 2 of Gov. Baker’s reopening plan began. On June 22, restaurants can also start serving food indoors, with tables spaced at least 6 feet apart and parties no larger than six people.

Around Town

See How to Preorder Items at the Watertown Farmers Market

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Many vendors at the 2020 Watertown Farmers Market will be accepting preorders, including those selling produce, meat, fish and baked goods. Find out more in the information provided by the Market organizers. Vendor Preorder Information

How do I preorder? View each vendor’s preorder information below. Shoppers may have to visit a vendor’s website or online storefront, send an email, or make a phone call to place their order.

Arsenal Yards

Watertown Adds New Ice Cream Option, Loses a Restaurant

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Watertown residents can now grab their favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors at the Scoop Shop at Arsenal Yards. You win some and you lose some — in this case Watertown food options. Arsenal Yards welcomed Ben & Jerry’s this week, in a small building of its own near the City Works Eatery & Pour House and The Majestic 7 movie theater. For now, the “Scoop Shop” is only open for take out and delivery due to COVID-19 restrictions

Farther down Arsenal Street, Miller’s Ale House has closed. The Watertown location, which opened in early 2012, no longer appears on the list of restaurants on the Miller’s Ale House website, and Katie Sullivan, Marketing Director for the developers of Arsenal Yards — Boylston Properties, confirmed that Miller’s has shut its doors.

Around Town

New Vendors Joining Watertown Farmers Market — Opening Day June 17

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The start of the Watertown Farmers Market is around the corner and shoppers have some new options to choose from this year, which will be offering baked goods, bagels, produce, tahini and more. The first farmers market will take place on Wednesday, June 17, from 2:30-6:30 p.m. in Saltonstall Park, at the corner of Main Street and Whites Avenue, next to Town Hall (149 Main St.). The Market will run rough Oct. 14, and — to begin with, at least — will operate with social distancing measures (see farther below). The managers of the Farmers Market sent out the following statement”

The start of the season has been challenging for many small farms and businesses from loss of staff and the need to make changes to business operations with new safety precautions in place.

Around Town

Watertown Farmers Market Opening Soon, Will Follow Social Distancing Guidelines

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The Watertown Farmers Market will return on June 17, and be back every Wednesday. Due to COVID-19, visitors will notice some changes. The market will institute measures to allow for social distancing, and there will be a one-way flow for shoppers. The focus, at least at the beginning of the season, will be on the vendors. “While we have eliminated music, special events, and community groups for the time being, you can still expect to find locally grown and produced foods in our pleasurable, outdoor market space,” the announcement said.

Around Town

Watertown Chiropractors: Have Dinner on Us!

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Doctors from the Specific Chiropractic Centers – Boston, from left, Rich Baez, Bill Trevens and Andrew Welsch. A Watertown chiropractic center decided to lend a hand and bring a little cheer into people’s lives during the struggles of the COVID-19 outbreak. The doctors at Specific Chiropractic Centers – Boston, located in Watertown Square, have been going around town to different restaurants and donating money so that people can get a free meal. One of the doctors, Rich Baez, said he and his partners, Bill Trevens and Andrew Welsch, felt it is  import to help people pull through the outbreak and shutdown together. 

“We’ve been trying to help our community out during this time,” Baez said. “We have been sponsoring local restaurants.

Business

Town Looking for Ways to Allow More Outdoor Seating at Restaurants During COVID-19

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Watertown Town Hall

Restaurants could soon be reopening for in-house dining, but they will have limited capacity due to the state’s COVID-19 protocols. Watertown officials have started looking for ways to allow for restaurants to have outside seating, and how they can streamline the application process. Under the four phase plan outlined by Gov. Charlie Baker last week, restaurants would be allowed to reopen in phase 2, but would have to allow for social distancing inside the restaurant which would reduce capacity. This phase would start, at the earliest, three weeks after the start of the reopening plan, which began on May 18. Allowing outdoor seating at restaurants that do not have it currently, or expanding it at those that do, requires approval for both zoning and licensing changes.

Business

Good News for Watertown Pizza Lovers!

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Pizza Roma owner Joe announced he is back open for business this week. After closing temporarily for the COVID-19 shutdown, a Watertown pizza institution is back! Pizza Roma reopened on Tuesday and will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The pizzeria on Waverley Avenue is the latest restaurant to reopen in Watertown. A good place to learn about who’s open and specials being offered by restaurants is the Facebook group “Watertown and Surrounding Community, Eating Local Stimulus Plan.”