A two-year vacancy left behind by the closing of the Mary Chung restaurant in Central Square will be filled by Darling with dim sum and a full bar starting this fall, according to plans approved in a Cambridge License Commission meeting July 9.
In addition, the commission in June granted an alcohol pouring license for the giant C-Side Bar as part of a new food hall at CambridgeSide, an East Cambridge mall built in the 1990s and now undergoing significant redevelopment.
Mary Chung closed Dec. 31, 2022 after four decades serving dumplings and Sichuan dishes and amassing a loyal following. A Friends of Mary Chung page on Facebook where people share recipes, news articles and memories has grown to 1,400 members.
Darling hopes to open in October or November, attorney Adam Barnosky told commissioners, and “continue portions of the legacy of that long-running business,” offering “an intimate location for small plates and cocktails by seasoned professionals.”
First, the 2,375-square-foot location at 464 Massachusetts Ave. needs at least $1.1 million in renovations, Barnosky said. The spot will have 59 seats and will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
C-Side pushed on safety
The C-Side bar is expected to be at the center of a ground-floor food hall made up of vendors of more than a dozen cuisines (replacing a food court with cheaper offerings that leaned more toward fast food brands). Before commissioners approved its licensing June 25, they grilled manager Brahm Callahan on security and crowd management at a 15,004-square-foot bar open until 11 p.m. and serving potentially up to 600 people at a time. There is seating for 500.
“It’s really, really porous. It’s a large area that goes into the food hall, there’s a number of different exits when you get into the food hall, there’s a big path, there’s a side alley,” said Christine Elow, who is also the city’s police chief.
Callahan pointed out renovations include altering the elevation and layout, which will clearly “delineate” where patrons may and may not consume alcohol. Those of legal drinking age will be issued a bracelet or stamp, with clearly marked cups allowing staff members to identify underage drinkers easily, he added. Those drinking within the bar will have glassware; a distinctive plastic cup with a logo will be used for outside its boundaries in the food hall, which proponents said would be monitored by at least one worker at all times.
While drinks can be ordered through kiosks with QR codes anywhere in the food hall, presenters said that any purchase that doesn’t check out as legal upon pickup will be refunded.
Chair Nicole Murati Ferrer pressed the point further, saying C-Side staff could easily become overwhelmed. “I’ll tell you one thing that I would caution, and it’s that this mall years ago was very busy all the time. I know they’ve spent a lot of money on this redevelopment, and I assume that they’re going to pour in as much as possible to make it go back to, quote-unquote, its glory days,” she said. “And your bartenders will be overwhelmed.”
Pointing out he had overseen Grill 23 & Bar, which can handle up to 1,000 customers, Callahan assured commissioners he would implement careful protocols.
The new hospitality group behind The C-Side also includes Ran Duan of Baldwin Bar and Blossom Bar and Jon Rosse of Birds of Paradise – though they are just one-third of the elaborate ownership structure behind the bar that includes the mall ownership itself.
The commission ended its hearing waiting to hear back more about plans to avoid underage drinking and alcohol infiltrating areas of the mall it should not be in.
At the same June meeting, the commission approved a rebranding of Le’s Sushi Bar at 425 Cambridge St., East Cambridge, into the Areca Asian Lounge. Le’s, opened in 2016, already identifies itself as Asian fusion, but Areca’s menu will be even more pan-Asian, a worker said Monday.
A stronger
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