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Lyrik Back Bay’s tenants include at least four restaurants and cafes — not to mention an elevated plaza over the Pike.
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Lyrics Back Bay. / Rendering by Elkus Manfredi Architects
A massive project aims to reinvent the intersection of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue — complete with an elevated public plaza spanning the Pike — and a quartet of restaurants and cafes will be among the retail tenants. Developer Samuel & Associates shared details of Lyrik Back Bay this week, noting that 65% of the retail space is now leased and plans to open with tenants this year and next. Among them: Greek restaurant Avra Estiatorio, smoothie and juice bar Pink Carrot, tea shop ChiCha San Chen and local favorite George Howell Coffee.
Avra Estiatorio, an upscale Greek destination with locations in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles, will certainly have competition from Boston’s own renowned Greek wine bar and restaurant Krasi, just a few blocks away. Still, the plans sound intriguing, particularly private balcony seating and a seafood-heavy menu inspired by co-founder Nick Tsoulos’ childhood in Nafpaktos, a coastal village in Greece. Avra at the Lyrik Back Bay project is currently scheduled to open in spring 2025. Also coming from outside: the boba chain ChiCha San Chen, which was founded in Taiwan 26 years ago. Since then, it has developed an enthusiastic following worldwide thanks to its careful tea sourcing and freshly brewed drinks. Boston won’t have to wait long for a taste, with the opening scheduled for fall 2024.
On the local side, Pink Carrot is expanding from Boston’s North End. The casual spot offers smoothies and juices, wraps, salads, toasties, baked sweet potatoes and more, including plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. (Pink Carrot also has a Chestnut Hill location planned.) And George Howell Coffee, which has cafes in downtown Boston and Newtonville as well as a roastery in Acton, will open a new cafe in the development. The continued expansion is probably no surprise: Founder George Howell, a coffee industry veteran, spent from 1974 to 1994 growing the Coffee Connection, his first coffee shop chain, to two dozen locations before selling it to Starbucks. (No opening dates have been announced for Pink Carrot and George Howell.)
See also: George Howell Coffee: Back to grinding
Overall, development took a decade; see “Plot 12” – will include 35,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, as well as a CitizenM Hotel and a 450,000 square foot office and life sciences building (uh oh) that will house CarGurus and the LEGO Group, among others. The most striking piece from a neighborhood transformation perspective will likely be the multi-story plaza, which includes programs such as public art and live music. (The music also provided inspiration for the name Lyrik, a nod to the proximity to Berklee College of Music and Symphony Hall.) More good news: The MBTA bus terminal and subway headquarters at the intersection are undergoing urgent renovations.
Various openings are expected in 2024 and 2025. Newbury Street at Massachusetts Avenue, Back Bay, Boston.
