“New dining concept will feature approachable yet chef-driven New England-style seafood on Newbury Street”
Long live Newbury Street. With whole new neighborhoods popping up over the past few years, not to mention food halls and destinations outside of Boston, Somerville, and Cambridge, some foodies may tend to forget how Back Bay held us down for decades.
But the action continues, and you ought to pay attention. From old standbys like Sonsie which are as reliable as ever, to new blood like Eva in the former Cafeteria space, there are still countless feasts to be had in the shadow of the Pru. Not to mention cocktails.
Starting on Sept. 12, Chef Michael Serpa and his Serpa Hospitality Group will add something special to the area with Little Whale Oyster Bar, which they’re putting in their current Grand Tour space on Newbury. Little Whale, the group notes, “will round out Serpa’s portfolio of well-loved seafood establishments, including Mediterranean-inspired Select Oyster Bar and Iberian Peninsula-inspired Atlántico, by introducing a New England-style-seafood-focused concept to the mix.”
“Grand Tour was an exciting project for me as a huge fan of the bistros of Paris in which we took our inspiration,” Serpa said. “The cycling theme lined up with my other passion outside the kitchen and was a cool way to bring the two together.”
More from team Serpa below …
Little Whale will showcase Serpa’s passion for serving high-caliber, chef-driven seafood by offering guests a fresh take on classic New England favorites. The all-day menu will feature a raw bar with local oysters, Ipswich fried clams, local fish & shellfish, New England clam chowder and Maine Lobster Rolls, both warm with butter and cold with mayo.
Having opened in January 2020, Grand Tour has since served as Serpa Hospitality’s petite and sleek French-inspired bistro paying homage to French classics, cycling culture, and the joie de vivre of the neighborhood bistros in Paris. While Grand Tour welcomed many guests drawn in by the restaurant’s famous steak frites and impeccably curated wine program, Serpa Hospitality Group is ready to breathe new life into the space with a concept that is more closely aligned with and representative of Serpa’s culinary roots and passion- excellent seafood paired with excellent hospitality. Grand Tour’s last day of service will be September 3rd before briefly closing ahead of its reopening as Little Whale Oyster Bar.
Appealing to both Newbury Street tourists looking to sample local cuisine as well as Bostonians seeking out familiar flavors, Little Whale Oyster Bar aims to deliver a quintessentially New England dining experience in an elevated yet approachable environment in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay.
Complementing the food menu, Little Whale’s beverage program will showcase seafood friendly wines. Crisp whites from Chablis, Sancerre, Galicia, Sicily, California & more will share the stage with lighter bodied reds. Local craft beer will round out the lineup to pair with the bounty from New England’s seacoast.
Located at 314 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02115, Little Whale Oyster Bar will boast an airy, bright atmosphere complete with a breezy, nautical feel. The two-floor space will have seating for 48 guests including 14 seats at its lower-level bar.
Little Whale will be open for lunch and dinner daily, starting at 11:30am to 9:30pm (10:30pm fri & sat).
“I’m tremendously proud of our talented team and look forward to them being part of the Little Whale team as we transition over,” Serpa added. “We have come to realize that the neighborhood and visitors alike have a huge appetite, literally and figuratively, for classic New England seafood that we are going to focus on. Personally, I have been passionate about cooking seafood for the past 15 years in Boston and love the classic New England dishes we are going to showcase at Little Whale. It will perfectly complement our other two seafood spots, Select and Atlántico while offering a menu and vibe completely its own and we are excited to get it up and running.”
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.
